Military to beam in nonlethal ray guns - Los Angeles Times: "MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GA. — The military calls its new weapon an 'active denial system,' but that's an understatement. It's a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they are about to catch fire.
The technology is supposed to be harmless — a nonlethal way to get enemies to drop their weapons. Military officials say it could save the lives of civilians and service members in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. "
25.1.07
BBC NEWS | Americas | US military unveils heat-ray gun
BBC NEWS | Americas | US military unveils heat-ray gun: "The US military has given the first public display of what it says is a revolutionary heat-ray weapon to repel enemies or disperse hostile crowds.
Called the Active Denial System, it projects an invisible high energy beam that produces a sudden burning feeling, but is said to be harmless."
Called the Active Denial System, it projects an invisible high energy beam that produces a sudden burning feeling, but is said to be harmless."
FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool | CNET News.com
FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool | CNET News.com: "The FBI appears to have begun using a novel form of electronic surveillance in criminal investigations: remotely activating a mobile phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations.
The technique is called a 'roving bug,' and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him."
The technique is called a 'roving bug,' and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him."
18.1.07
Fredericksburg.com - A missile punch at bullet prices
Fredericksburg.com - A missile punch at bullet prices: "A demonstration of the futuristic and comparatively inexpensive weapon yesterday at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren had Navy brass smiling.
The weapon, which was successfully tested in October at the King George County base, fires nonexplosive projectiles at incredible speeds, using electricity rather than gun powder."
The weapon, which was successfully tested in October at the King George County base, fires nonexplosive projectiles at incredible speeds, using electricity rather than gun powder."
10.1.07
Canadian coins bugged, U.S. security agency says
Canadian coins bugged, U.S. security agency says: "Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters have mysteriously turned up in the pockets of at least three American contractors who visited Canada, says a branch of the U.S. Department of Defence."
The Eyes of Honesty - New York Times
The Eyes of Honesty - New York Times: "For 10 weeks this spring, they alternately taped two posters over the coffee station. During one week, it was a picture of flowers; during the other, it was a pair of staring eyes. Then they sat back to watch what would happen."
9.1.07
For sale: World's smallest country with sea view�|�Oddly Enough�|�Reuters.com
For sale: World's smallest country with sea view�|�Oddly Enough�|�Reuters.com: "LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters Life!) - For sale: the world's smallest country with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports."
7.1.07
Electricity building | Chicago Tribune
Electricity building | Chicago Tribune: "DETROIT -- If the Chevrolet Volt works as advertised, you could travel for weeks, if not months, without a drop of gasoline.
You can expect from 50 to 525 m.p.g., so get ready to thumb your nose at the gas pumps--at any price.
General Motors unveiled the high-mileage concept at a media preview of the Detroit Auto Show. The electric, powered by lithium ion batteries, is designed to go up to 40 miles before the need to recharge 6 to 6.5 hours in any 110-volt outlet.
After 40 miles, a 1-liter, turbo 3-cylinder gas engine fuels a generator to recharge the batteries. It also goes 600 miles before having to refill the 12-gallon gas tank.
That's 640 miles of driving range and better than 50 m.p.g. in fuel economy with regular unleaded or up to 525 m.p.g. with the E85 ethanol blend, GM estimates."
You can expect from 50 to 525 m.p.g., so get ready to thumb your nose at the gas pumps--at any price.
General Motors unveiled the high-mileage concept at a media preview of the Detroit Auto Show. The electric, powered by lithium ion batteries, is designed to go up to 40 miles before the need to recharge 6 to 6.5 hours in any 110-volt outlet.
After 40 miles, a 1-liter, turbo 3-cylinder gas engine fuels a generator to recharge the batteries. It also goes 600 miles before having to refill the 12-gallon gas tank.
That's 640 miles of driving range and better than 50 m.p.g. in fuel economy with regular unleaded or up to 525 m.p.g. with the E85 ethanol blend, GM estimates."
3.1.07
Gas cooker blows up island | Metro.co.uk
Gas cooker blows up island | Metro.co.uk: "This was the staggering scene after a faulty gas cooker exploded in a timber-framed shack – and devastated a tiny Caribbean island.
The blast caused an inferno that leapt from hut to hut, taking less than ten minutes to sweep across Soledad Miria.
Many of the 1,014 inhabitants dived into the sea or took to fishing boats to escape. More than a third – 348 – were injured but, amazingly, no one died."
The blast caused an inferno that leapt from hut to hut, taking less than ten minutes to sweep across Soledad Miria.
Many of the 1,014 inhabitants dived into the sea or took to fishing boats to escape. More than a third – 348 – were injured but, amazingly, no one died."
2006: The year in environment - earth - 28 December 2006 - New Scientist Environment
2006: The year in environment - earth - 28 December 2006 - New Scientist Environment: "Despite a growing global awareness of the threat we face from climate change, humans have continued to have a massive effect on the atmosphere during 2006. In fact, NASA reported evidence in September that global temperatures are very nearly the warmest they have been for a million years."
Le Cnes va publier trente ann�es d'archives sur les ovnis
Le Cnes va publier trente ann�es d'archives sur les ovnis: "Le Centre national d'�tudes spatiales (Cnes) va mettre progressivement en ligne �partir de f�vrier et mars ses �archives sur les ph�nom�nes �a�rospatiaux non identifi�s, un terme officiel synonyme d'ovnis (objets volants non identifi�s)."
FAA blames UFO report on weird weather - CNN.com
FAA blames UFO report on weird weather - CNN.com: "CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- -- Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport in November."
31.12.06
BBC NEWS | Health | Housework cuts breast cancer risk
BBC NEWS | Health | Housework cuts breast cancer risk: "Women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer, a study suggests.
The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sport.
Dusting, mopping and vacuuming was also better than having a physical job.
The women in the Cancer Research UK-funded study spent an average of 16 to 17 hours a week cooking, cleaning and doing the washing."
The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sport.
Dusting, mopping and vacuuming was also better than having a physical job.
The women in the Cancer Research UK-funded study spent an average of 16 to 17 hours a week cooking, cleaning and doing the washing."
George Lucas plans to shoot fourth "Indiana Jones" movie in 2007
George Lucas plans to shoot fourth "Indiana Jones" movie in 2007: "Director George Lucas said Friday filming for the much-anticipated 'Indiana Jones' movie will begin next year and he promised it will be 'the best one yet.'
Lucas said he and director Steven Spielberg recently finalized the script, which stars Harrison Ford, who appeared in the three earlier flicks."
Lucas said he and director Steven Spielberg recently finalized the script, which stars Harrison Ford, who appeared in the three earlier flicks."
29.12.06
Men face jail for rape if women are 'too drunk' to consent in bed to boost convictions | News | This is London
Men face jail for rape if women are 'too drunk' to consent in bed to boost convictions | News | This is London: "Men who have sex with drunken women will be at risk of being convicted of rape under new laws to be considered by ministers.
The legal shake-up would mean a woman would be considered incapable of giving consent to sex if she had been drinking heavily."
The legal shake-up would mean a woman would be considered incapable of giving consent to sex if she had been drinking heavily."
28.12.06
Parasite 'turns women into sex kittens' | NEWS.com.au
Parasite 'turns women into sex kittens' | NEWS.com.au: "A COMMON parasite can increase a women's attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says."
21.12.06
Most Americans have had premarital sex - Yahoo! News
Most Americans have had premarital sex - Yahoo! News: "NEW YORK - More than nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, according to a new study. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past."
20.12.06
Protective effect from alcohol seen in head injury - Yahoo! News
Protective effect from alcohol seen in head injury - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alcohol is to blame in many accidents that cause major head injuries, but it also might help people survive after they get hurt, researchers said on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Researchers examined data on 1,158 patients treated at a Toronto hospital for severe brain injury due to blunt trauma from 1988 and 2003.
Those with blood-alcohol levels up to 0.23 percent -- nearly three times the common legal limit of 0.08 percent -- were 24 percent more likely to survive their injuries than patients entering the hospital with no alcohol in their bloodstream, the study found."
ADVERTISEMENT
Researchers examined data on 1,158 patients treated at a Toronto hospital for severe brain injury due to blunt trauma from 1988 and 2003.
Those with blood-alcohol levels up to 0.23 percent -- nearly three times the common legal limit of 0.08 percent -- were 24 percent more likely to survive their injuries than patients entering the hospital with no alcohol in their bloodstream, the study found."
Olive oil may hinder cancer process - Yahoo! News
Olive oil may hinder cancer process - Yahoo! News: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who use plenty of olive oil in their diets may be helping to prevent damage to body cells that can eventually lead to cancer, new research suggests.
ADVERTISEMENT
In a study of 182 European men, researchers found evidence that olive oil can reduce oxidative damage to cells' genetic material, a process that can initiate cancer development."
ADVERTISEMENT
In a study of 182 European men, researchers found evidence that olive oil can reduce oxidative damage to cells' genetic material, a process that can initiate cancer development."
19.12.06
Diabetes breakthrough
Diabetes breakthrough: "In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians.
Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.
'I couldn't believe it,' said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. 'Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more.'"
Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.
'I couldn't believe it,' said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. 'Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more.'"
Technology Review: Printing Muscle and Bone
Technology Review: Printing Muscle and Bone: "Ink-jet printers allow tissue engineers to control cell development and could one day be used to construct complex cellular structures."
ABC News: Dutch Pull Plug on Analog Television
ABC News: Dutch Pull Plug on Analog Television
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands Dec 11, 2006 (AP)— The Netherlands ended transmission of "free to air" analog television Monday, becoming the first nation to switch completely to digital signals.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands Dec 11, 2006 (AP)— The Netherlands ended transmission of "free to air" analog television Monday, becoming the first nation to switch completely to digital signals.
8.12.06
EPA May Drop Lead Air Pollution Limits - washingtonpost.com
EPA May Drop Lead Air Pollution Limits - washingtonpost.com: "WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is considering doing away with health standards that cut lead from gasoline, widely regarded as one of the nation's biggest clean-air accomplishments.
Battery makers, lead smelters, refiners all have lobbied the administration to do away with the Clean Air Act limits."
Battery makers, lead smelters, refiners all have lobbied the administration to do away with the Clean Air Act limits."
6.12.06
Sensible Erection | What Statistics on U.S. Home Sales Aren’t Saying
Sensible Erection | What Statistics on U.S. Home Sales Aren’t Saying: "In reality, homes across much of Florida, California and the Northeast are worth a lot less than they were a year ago. The auction in Naples may have exaggerated the downturn in the market there, but not by much. Tom Doyle, a Naples real estate agent, estimated that a typical house there, sold in the normal way, would go for about 20 percent less than it did the previous fall.
In the Boston area, prices have fallen about 10 to 15 percent since the middle of 2005, estimated Chobee Hoy, who owns a real estate brokerage firm in Brookline."
In the Boston area, prices have fallen about 10 to 15 percent since the middle of 2005, estimated Chobee Hoy, who owns a real estate brokerage firm in Brookline."
Link Between Cell Phones And Cancer Not Proven
Link Between Cell Phones And Cancer Not Proven: "A 20-year study of Danish cell phone users shows short or long term use of cell phones is not linked to increased risk of brain cancer.
The study conducted by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark, involved over 400 thousand Danish cell phone users who were tested for cancer up to 21 years after first starting to use cell phones between 1982 and 1995. The cancers investigated were tumours in the brain, salivary glands, and the eyes. Acoustic neuroma (a benign slow growing tumour in the brain's hearing and balance nerve) and leukemia were also covered in the study."
The study conducted by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark, involved over 400 thousand Danish cell phone users who were tested for cancer up to 21 years after first starting to use cell phones between 1982 and 1995. The cancers investigated were tumours in the brain, salivary glands, and the eyes. Acoustic neuroma (a benign slow growing tumour in the brain's hearing and balance nerve) and leukemia were also covered in the study."
ACS :: Study: No Evidence Cell Phones Cause Cancer
ACS :: Study: No Evidence Cell Phones Cause Cancer: "Summary: Using cell phones, even over a long period of time, does not appear to raise a person's risk for cancer, Danish researchers report. Their study, which appears in today's Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is the first to include people who had used cell phones for as long as 21 years."
NY bans most trans fats from restaurants�|�US News�|�Reuters.com
NY bans most trans fats from restaurants�|�US News�|�Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City banned most artificial trans fats from restaurants on Tuesday, forcing national fast-food chains and mom-and-pop diners alike to phase out artery-clogging oils from their cooking.
The law is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States and will require restaurants including McDonald's Corp. to eliminate trans fats by July 2007."
The law is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States and will require restaurants including McDonald's Corp. to eliminate trans fats by July 2007."
Richest tenth own 85% of world's assets - World - Times Online
Richest tenth own 85% of world's assets - World - Times Online: "Where the wealth is
The richest 2 per cent of adults own more than half the world’s wealth, according to the most comprehensive study of personal assets.
Among the largest economies, Britain boasted the third-highest average wealth of $126,832 (�64,172) per adult, after the United States and Japan, a United Nations development research institute found.
Those with assets of $500,000 could consider themselves to be among the richest 1 per cent in the world. Those with net assets of $2,200 per adult were in the top half of the wealth distribution. "
The richest 2 per cent of adults own more than half the world’s wealth, according to the most comprehensive study of personal assets.
Among the largest economies, Britain boasted the third-highest average wealth of $126,832 (�64,172) per adult, after the United States and Japan, a United Nations development research institute found.
Those with assets of $500,000 could consider themselves to be among the richest 1 per cent in the world. Those with net assets of $2,200 per adult were in the top half of the wealth distribution. "
5.12.06
2.12.06
Ancient Egyptians built Pyramids with concrete blocks, scientists say - World - Times Online
Ancient Egyptians built Pyramids with concrete blocks, scientists say - World - Times Online: "Pyramids were built with concrete rather than rocks, scientists claim
Charles Bremner, Paris
# Method used only at higher levels
# Blocks set using a limestone slurry
How the Egyptians really built a Pyramid
The Ancient Egyptians built their great Pyramids by pouring concrete into blocks high on the site rather than hauling up giant stones, according to a new Franco-American study."
Charles Bremner, Paris
# Method used only at higher levels
# Blocks set using a limestone slurry
How the Egyptians really built a Pyramid
The Ancient Egyptians built their great Pyramids by pouring concrete into blocks high on the site rather than hauling up giant stones, according to a new Franco-American study."
1.12.06
Nintendo says Wii on track to meet targets�|�Tech&Sci�|�Technology�|�Reuters.com
Nintendo says Wii on track to meet targets�|�Tech&Sci�|�Technology�|�Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd. is on track to meet its target of selling 4 million units of its Wii game console globally by the end of the year, with the potential for exceeding that goal limited only by manufacturing constraints, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said on Wednesday.
'All systems are go for reaching the 4-million target we have in our financials by December 31,' he said at the Reuters Media Summit in New York. 'We will sell everything we make so now it's simply a manufacturing thing.'"
'All systems are go for reaching the 4-million target we have in our financials by December 31,' he said at the Reuters Media Summit in New York. 'We will sell everything we make so now it's simply a manufacturing thing.'"
Wired News: Nike IPod = Surveillance
Wired News: Nike IPod = Surveillance: "The Nike iPod gives runners real-time updates about the speed and length of their workouts via a small RFID device that fits into the soles of Nike shoes, and broadcasts workout data to a small receiver plugged into an iPod Nano.
While this setup sounds convenient and cool, it didn't sit well with Scott Saponas, a computer science graduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle. After enjoying his Nike iPod for a few months, Saponas began to suspect there might be other, more nefarious uses for the gear.
He brought his concerns to University of Washington computer science professor Yoshi Kohno and fellow graduate students Carl Hartung and Jonathan Lester. After just a few weeks of tinkering, the four researchers discovered that the Nike iPod is, as Kohno put it, 'an easy surveillance device.'"
While this setup sounds convenient and cool, it didn't sit well with Scott Saponas, a computer science graduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle. After enjoying his Nike iPod for a few months, Saponas began to suspect there might be other, more nefarious uses for the gear.
He brought his concerns to University of Washington computer science professor Yoshi Kohno and fellow graduate students Carl Hartung and Jonathan Lester. After just a few weeks of tinkering, the four researchers discovered that the Nike iPod is, as Kohno put it, 'an easy surveillance device.'"
30.11.06
RIAA wants the Internet shut down
RIAA wants the Internet shut down: "ONE OF THE lawyers involved in defending cases bought against people by the RIAA claims that if the music industry wins a crucial case, the Internet will have to be switched off."
29.11.06
Brain takes less effort to recognize strong brands�|�Tech&Sci�|�Science�|�Reuters.com
Brain takes less effort to recognize strong brands - Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People's brains respond more easily to well-recognized brands, and have a tougher time reacting to less famous ones, regardless of the product involved, German researchers report."
Women talk three times as much as men, says study | the Daily Mail
Women talk three times as much as men, says study | the Daily Mail: "It is something one half of the population has long suspected - and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men.
In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man."
In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man."
BBspot - MPAA Lobbying for Home Theater Regulations
BBspot - MPAA Lobbying for Home Theater Regulations: "'Just because you buy a DVD to watch at home doesn't give you the right to invite friends over to watch it too. That's a violation of copyright and denies us the revenue that would be generated from DVD sales to your friends,' said Glickman. 'Ideally we expect each viewer to have their own copy of the DVD, but we realize that isn't always feasible. "
EETimes.com - Emerging technology sees through clothing
EETimes.com - Emerging technology sees through clothing: "SAN FRANCISCO — Security in airports and other sensitive areas may get a huge boost, thanks to a technology under development that is straight out of science fiction, said to be capable of looking through clothing to detect weapons and other dangerous items. But privacy advocates—and shy people—may have cause for alarm."
Battle of the boxes: PlayStation 3 vs Wii : Moneyweb
Battle of the boxes: PlayStation 3 vs Wii : Moneyweb: "Test of new game systems finds cheaper, simpler Wii to be more exciting and fun."
1.5.06
The Seattle Times: Microsoft's one-day stock plunge: enough to buy all of Costco
The Seattle Times: Microsoft's one-day stock plunge: enough to buy all of Costco: "Microsoft's stock took its biggest one-day fall in more than five years Friday, shaving about $32 billion off the company's market value."
Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner-- President Not Amused?
Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner-- President Not Amused?: "WASHINGTON A blistering comedy “tribute” to President Bush by Comedy Central’s faux talk show host Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner Saturday night left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close.
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.”
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face—“and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, 'I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.'
He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, just three tables away from Karl Rove, and that he had brought ' Valerie Plame.' Then, worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, 'Uh, I mean... he brought Joseph Wilson's wife.' He might have 'dodged the bullet,' he said, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face. He advised the crowd, 'if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail. '
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, 'When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday.'
Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides of the story — the president’s side and the vice president’s side.' In another slap at the news channel, he said: 'I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the No Fact Zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term.'
He also reflected on the alleged good old days for the president, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, 'Let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know--fiction.'
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is 'Snow Job.'
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people.
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling. The president shook his hand and tapped his elbow, and left immediately. "
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.”
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face—“and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, 'I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.'
He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, just three tables away from Karl Rove, and that he had brought ' Valerie Plame.' Then, worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, 'Uh, I mean... he brought Joseph Wilson's wife.' He might have 'dodged the bullet,' he said, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face. He advised the crowd, 'if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail. '
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, 'When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday.'
Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides of the story — the president’s side and the vice president’s side.' In another slap at the news channel, he said: 'I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the No Fact Zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term.'
He also reflected on the alleged good old days for the president, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, 'Let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know--fiction.'
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is 'Snow Job.'
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people.
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling. The president shook his hand and tapped his elbow, and left immediately. "
29.4.06
CNN.com - FDA says no�to medical marijuana - Apr 21, 2006
CNN.com - FDA says no�to medical marijuana - Apr 21, 2006: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it does not support the use of marijuana for medical purposes."
CNN.com - Mexico set to legalize personal amounts of pot, cocaine, heroin - Apr 28, 2006
CNN.com - Mexico set to legalize personal amounts of pot, cocaine, heroin - Apr 28, 2006: "Excerpts from changes approved Friday by Mexico's Senate to the country's Federal Penal Code:
Article 478: No criminal prosecution will be brought against:
I. Any person in possession of medications which contain substances classified as narcotics ... when these medications, in their nature and amounts, are those necessary for the treatment of the individual or persons in his custody or care.
II. Any drug addict or consumer who is found in possession of a narcotic for personal use.
Article 474: (Defines a 'consumer' as):
Any person who consumes or uses psychotropic or narcotic substances, and who does not exhibit any symptoms of addiction."
Article 478: No criminal prosecution will be brought against:
I. Any person in possession of medications which contain substances classified as narcotics ... when these medications, in their nature and amounts, are those necessary for the treatment of the individual or persons in his custody or care.
II. Any drug addict or consumer who is found in possession of a narcotic for personal use.
Article 474: (Defines a 'consumer' as):
Any person who consumes or uses psychotropic or narcotic substances, and who does not exhibit any symptoms of addiction."
27.4.06
Technology Review: Emerging Technologies and their Impact
Technology Review: Emerging Technologies and their Impact: "Now Prism Solar Technologies of Stone Ridge, NY, has developed a proof-of-concept solar module that uses holograms to concentrate light, possibly cutting the cost of solar modules by as much as 75 percent, making them competitive with electricity generated from fossil fuels."
Copperfield fools robbers - People - Entertainment - smh.com.au
Copperfield fools robbers - People - Entertainment - smh.com.au: "Illusionist David Copperfield has magically escaped getting robbed.
After his show at a West Palm Beach, Florida, performing arts centre on Sunday Copperfield was walking with two female assistants back to their tour bus when four armed teenagers pulled up in a black car and demanded the group's belongings, according to police.
An assistant handed over $US400 from her pockets while the other gave up her purse with euro200, $US100, her passport, plane tickets and a mobile phone.
Copperfield said he turned his pockets inside out to reveal nothing in them, even though he was carrying his passport, wallet and mobile phone.
'Call it reverse pick-pocketing,' Copperfield told The Palm Beach Post."
After his show at a West Palm Beach, Florida, performing arts centre on Sunday Copperfield was walking with two female assistants back to their tour bus when four armed teenagers pulled up in a black car and demanded the group's belongings, according to police.
An assistant handed over $US400 from her pockets while the other gave up her purse with euro200, $US100, her passport, plane tickets and a mobile phone.
Copperfield said he turned his pockets inside out to reveal nothing in them, even though he was carrying his passport, wallet and mobile phone.
'Call it reverse pick-pocketing,' Copperfield told The Palm Beach Post."
26.4.06
Telegraph | News | Bach works were written by his second wife, claims academic
Telegraph | News | Bach works were written by his second wife, claims academic: "Bach works were written by his second wife, claims academic
Famous works attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach were not penned by the great composer but by his second wife, researchers believe.
A study by an academic who has spent more than 30 years looking at Bach's work claims that Anna Magdalena Bach, traditionally believed to be Bach's musical copyist, actually wrote some of his best-loved works, including his Six Cello Suites.
Martin Jarvis, a professor at Charles Darwin University School of Music in Darwin and the conductor of the city's symphony orchestra, said that 'a number of books would need to be rewritten' after presenting his findings to a Bach symposium last week.
The findings have been described as 'highly important' by Bach scholars and will be published in a doctorate, later this year.
Prof Jarvis, who is originally from Wales, used police forensic science techniques to scrutinise manuscripts he believed to be written by Anna Magdalena."
Famous works attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach were not penned by the great composer but by his second wife, researchers believe.
A study by an academic who has spent more than 30 years looking at Bach's work claims that Anna Magdalena Bach, traditionally believed to be Bach's musical copyist, actually wrote some of his best-loved works, including his Six Cello Suites.
Martin Jarvis, a professor at Charles Darwin University School of Music in Darwin and the conductor of the city's symphony orchestra, said that 'a number of books would need to be rewritten' after presenting his findings to a Bach symposium last week.
The findings have been described as 'highly important' by Bach scholars and will be published in a doctorate, later this year.
Prof Jarvis, who is originally from Wales, used police forensic science techniques to scrutinise manuscripts he believed to be written by Anna Magdalena."
25.4.06
Newsvine - Iran to Let Women Go to Soccer Games
Newsvine - Iran to Let Women Go to Soccer Games: "TEHRAN, IRAN — Iranian women will be allowed to attend soccer matches for first time since the country's 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran's president said in a decree posted on his Web site Monday.
Women would sit in separate section of the stands, away from the usually raucous male fans.
'The presence of families and women will improve soccer-watching manners, and promote a healthy atmosphere,' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. 'They will be allocated some of the best stands in stadiums,' he added."
Women would sit in separate section of the stands, away from the usually raucous male fans.
'The presence of families and women will improve soccer-watching manners, and promote a healthy atmosphere,' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. 'They will be allocated some of the best stands in stadiums,' he added."
Comic book gives graphic account of 9/11 atrocities - World - Times Online
Comic book gives graphic account of 9/11 atrocities - World - Times Online: "THE official report on the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, already a surprise bestseller, is to burst into colour as a comic book.
Two veteran American comic-book artists, who are more accustomed to working with superheroes, have turned the meticulously detailed 500-page bestselling government document into 144 pages of cartoons. The book, due out in September, illustrates the fate of the four hijacked planes, according to the timeline laid out by the 9/11 commission set up by Congress."
Two veteran American comic-book artists, who are more accustomed to working with superheroes, have turned the meticulously detailed 500-page bestselling government document into 144 pages of cartoons. The book, due out in September, illustrates the fate of the four hijacked planes, according to the timeline laid out by the 9/11 commission set up by Congress."
22.4.06
Iran, Russia reach 'basic' uranium deal - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com
Iran, Russia reach 'basic' uranium deal - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com: "TEHRAN, Iran - Iran’s envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Saturday the Islamic republic had reached a “basic deal” with the Kremlin to form a joint uranium enrichment venture on Russian territory, state-run television reported."
18.4.06
CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character - Yahoo! News
CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character - Yahoo! News: "Office Depot CEO Steve Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an upscale French restaurant in Denver.
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The purple sorbet in cut glass he was serving tumbled onto the expensive white gown of an obviously rich and important woman. 'I watched in slow motion ruining her dress for the evening,' Odland says. 'I thought I would be shot on sight.'
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can't get the stain out of his mind, nor the woman's kind reaction. She was startled, regained composure and, in a reassuring voice, told the teenage Odland, 'It's OK. It wasn't your fault.' When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn't the only CEO to have made this discovery. Rather, it seems to be one of those rare laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It's hard to get a dozen CEOs to agree about anything, but all interviewed agree with the Waiter Rule.
They acknowledge that CEOs live in a Lake Wobegon world where every dinner or lunch partner is above average in their deference. How others treat the CEO says nothing, they say. But how others treat the waiter is like a magical window into the soul.
And beware of anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, 'I could buy this place and fire you,' or 'I know the owner and I could have you fired.' Those who say such things have revealed more about their character than about their wealth and power.
Whoever came up with the waiter observation 'is bang spot on,' says BMW North America President Tom Purves, a native of Scotland, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, who lives in New York City with his Norwegian wife, Hilde, and works for a German company. That makes him qualified to speak on different cultures, and he says the waiter theory is true everywhere.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a booklet of 33 short leadership observations called Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management. Raytheon has given away 250,000 of the books.
Among those 33 rules is only one that Swanson says never fails: 'A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person.'"
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The purple sorbet in cut glass he was serving tumbled onto the expensive white gown of an obviously rich and important woman. 'I watched in slow motion ruining her dress for the evening,' Odland says. 'I thought I would be shot on sight.'
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can't get the stain out of his mind, nor the woman's kind reaction. She was startled, regained composure and, in a reassuring voice, told the teenage Odland, 'It's OK. It wasn't your fault.' When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn't the only CEO to have made this discovery. Rather, it seems to be one of those rare laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It's hard to get a dozen CEOs to agree about anything, but all interviewed agree with the Waiter Rule.
They acknowledge that CEOs live in a Lake Wobegon world where every dinner or lunch partner is above average in their deference. How others treat the CEO says nothing, they say. But how others treat the waiter is like a magical window into the soul.
And beware of anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, 'I could buy this place and fire you,' or 'I know the owner and I could have you fired.' Those who say such things have revealed more about their character than about their wealth and power.
Whoever came up with the waiter observation 'is bang spot on,' says BMW North America President Tom Purves, a native of Scotland, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, who lives in New York City with his Norwegian wife, Hilde, and works for a German company. That makes him qualified to speak on different cultures, and he says the waiter theory is true everywhere.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a booklet of 33 short leadership observations called Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management. Raytheon has given away 250,000 of the books.
Among those 33 rules is only one that Swanson says never fails: 'A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person.'"
17.4.06
ABC News: Exxon Chairman Gets $400 Million Retirement Package Amid Soaring Gas Prices
ABC News: Exxon Chairman Gets $400 Million Retirement Package Amid Soaring Gas Prices: "Last year, Exxon made the biggest profit of any company ever, $36 billion, and its retiring chairman appears to be reaping the benefits."
15.4.06
NATIONAL JOURNAL: Cheney Authorized Leak Of CIA Report, Libby Says (04/14/2006)
NATIONAL JOURNAL: Cheney Authorized Leak Of CIA Report, Libby Says (04/14/2006): "Vice President Dick Cheney directed his then-chief of staff, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, on July 12, 2003 to leak to the media portions of a then-highly classified CIA report that Cheney hoped would undermine the credibility of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, according to Libby's grand jury testimony in the CIA leak case and sources who have read the classified report."
14.4.06
Apple - Boot Camp
Apple - Boot Camp: "More and more people are buying and loving Macs. To make this choice simply irresistible, Apple will include technology in the next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp (for now), you can download a public beta today.
As elegant as it gets
Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.(1) Boot Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you don't have to scrounge around the Internet looking for them.
System Manager
Optional alt. At startup, hold down the option key (alt) to choose between Mac OS X and Windows.
Run XP natively
Once you’ve completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the option key at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. (That’s the “alt” key for you longtime Windows users.) After starting up, your Mac runs Windows completely natively. Simply restart to come back to Mac."
As elegant as it gets
Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.(1) Boot Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you don't have to scrounge around the Internet looking for them.
System Manager
Optional alt. At startup, hold down the option key (alt) to choose between Mac OS X and Windows.
Run XP natively
Once you’ve completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the option key at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. (That’s the “alt” key for you longtime Windows users.) After starting up, your Mac runs Windows completely natively. Simply restart to come back to Mac."
13.4.06
deseretnews.com | Physicist says heat substance felled WTC
deseretnews.com | Physicist says heat substance felled WTC: "EPHRAIM — A Brigham Young University physicist said he now believes an incendiary substance called thermite, bolstered by sulfur, was used to generate exceptionally hot fires at the World Trade Center on 9/11, causing the structural steel to fail and the buildings to collapse.
'It looks like thermite with sulfur added, which really is a very clever idea,' Steven Jones, professor of physics at BYU, told a meeting of the Utah Academy of Science, Arts and Letters at Snow College Friday.
The government requires standard explosives to contain tag elements enabling them to be traced back to their manufacturers. But no tags are required in aluminum and iron oxide, the materials used to make thermite, he said. Nor, he said, are tags required in sulfur.
Jones is co-chairman, with James H. Fetzer, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, a group of college faculty members who believe conspirators other than pilots of the planes were directly involved in bringing down New York's Trade Towers."
'It looks like thermite with sulfur added, which really is a very clever idea,' Steven Jones, professor of physics at BYU, told a meeting of the Utah Academy of Science, Arts and Letters at Snow College Friday.
The government requires standard explosives to contain tag elements enabling them to be traced back to their manufacturers. But no tags are required in aluminum and iron oxide, the materials used to make thermite, he said. Nor, he said, are tags required in sulfur.
Jones is co-chairman, with James H. Fetzer, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, a group of college faculty members who believe conspirators other than pilots of the planes were directly involved in bringing down New York's Trade Towers."
12.4.06
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Hamas in call to end suicide bombings
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Hamas in call to end suicide bombings: "Hamas is to abandon its use of suicide bombers, who have killed almost 300 Israelis, in any future confrontations with Israel, its activists have told The Observer.
The Islamic group, which leads the Palestinian Authority, says, however, that it may resort to other forms of violence if there is no progress towards Palestinian statehood.
Yihiyeh Musa, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Hamas had moved into a 'new era' which did not require suicide attacks.
'The suicide bombings happened in an exceptional period and they have now stopped,' he said. 'They came to an end as a change of belief.'"
The Islamic group, which leads the Palestinian Authority, says, however, that it may resort to other forms of violence if there is no progress towards Palestinian statehood.
Yihiyeh Musa, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Hamas had moved into a 'new era' which did not require suicide attacks.
'The suicide bombings happened in an exceptional period and they have now stopped,' he said. 'They came to an end as a change of belief.'"
7.4.06
Barbecue meats linked with prostate cancer - Yahoo! News
Barbecue meats linked with prostate cancer - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A compound formed when meat is charred at high temperatures -- as in barbecue -- encourages the growth of prostate cancer in rats, researchers reported on Sunday.
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Their study, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, may help explain the link between eating meat and a higher risk of prostate cancer.
It also fits in with other studies suggesting that cooking meat until it chars might cause cancer."
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Their study, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, may help explain the link between eating meat and a higher risk of prostate cancer.
It also fits in with other studies suggesting that cooking meat until it chars might cause cancer."
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A textbook used at schools in the Indian state of Rajasthan compares housewives to donkeys, and suggests the animals make better companions as they complain less and are more loyal to their 'masters,' The Times of India reported Tuesday.
'A donkey is like a housewife ... In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master,' the newspaper reported, quoting a Hindi-language primer meant for 14-year-olds.
The book was approved by the state's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government but has sparked protests from the party's women's wing.
State education officials in Rajasthan, a western state known for its conservative attitude toward women, said people should not be upset by the comparison, the paper said.
'The comparison was made in good humor,' state education official A.R. Khan was quoted as saying. 'However, protests have been taken note of and the board is in the process of removing it (the reference).'"
'A donkey is like a housewife ... In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master,' the newspaper reported, quoting a Hindi-language primer meant for 14-year-olds.
The book was approved by the state's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government but has sparked protests from the party's women's wing.
State education officials in Rajasthan, a western state known for its conservative attitude toward women, said people should not be upset by the comparison, the paper said.
'The comparison was made in good humor,' state education official A.R. Khan was quoted as saying. 'However, protests have been taken note of and the board is in the process of removing it (the reference).'"
Woman offers $22m to end seal hunt - Middle East - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au
Woman offers $22m to end seal hunt - Middle East - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au: "A CONNECTICUT offered Canada $US16 million ($22.25 million) to immediately end a controversial seal hunt, she wrote in an open letter to the prime minister today, but Canada is not biting.
'Your government has repeatedly stated that the $16 million realised from the slaughter of Canadian baby seals is vital to the fishing communities of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Newfoundland,' Cathy Kangas said in her letter.
'If you stop this year's hunt immediately, we will provide you with this $16 million to be distributed at your discretion.'
But Steven Outhouse, a spokesman for Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, said: 'The short answer is 'No'. We're not interested in the offer and would prefer she put the money in another worthwhile cause.'
Despite protests by countless animal rights groups and celebrities including Canadian-born actress Pamela Anderson, French film legend Brigitte Bardot and former Beatle Paul McCartney, Ottawa authorised the cull of 325,000 seals this year."
'Your government has repeatedly stated that the $16 million realised from the slaughter of Canadian baby seals is vital to the fishing communities of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Newfoundland,' Cathy Kangas said in her letter.
'If you stop this year's hunt immediately, we will provide you with this $16 million to be distributed at your discretion.'
But Steven Outhouse, a spokesman for Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, said: 'The short answer is 'No'. We're not interested in the offer and would prefer she put the money in another worthwhile cause.'
Despite protests by countless animal rights groups and celebrities including Canadian-born actress Pamela Anderson, French film legend Brigitte Bardot and former Beatle Paul McCartney, Ottawa authorised the cull of 325,000 seals this year."
6.4.06
How I Work: Bill Gates - Apr. 4, 2006
How I Work: Bill Gates - Apr. 4, 2006: "How I Work: Bill Gates
Not much of a paper chase for Microsoft's chairman, who uses a range of digital tools to do business."
Not much of a paper chase for Microsoft's chairman, who uses a range of digital tools to do business."
4.4.06
CNN.com - Doctors grow organs from patients' own cells - Apr 3, 2006
CNN.com - Doctors grow organs from patients' own cells - Apr 3, 2006: "In the new procedure, doctors extract muscle and bladder cells from a small piece of the patient's own bladder. The cells are grown in a Petri dish, then layered onto a three-dimensional mold shaped like a bladder.
In a few weeks, the cells produce a new bladder, which is implanted into the patient. Within a few more weeks, the new bladder has grown to normal size and has started functioning.
Atala is working to grow 20 different tissues and organs, including blood vessels and hearts, in the laboratory, according to the university.
'We're not using any type of stem cell population or cloning techniques, but mainly the patient's own cells that we're using to create these organs and put them back into the patient,' Atala told CNN.
Because the bladders are grown from a patient's own cells, there is no risk of rejection, as in a traditional transplant.
More studies will be needed before growing replacement organs becomes routine, but Atala said the procedure eventually might help ease shortages of organs available for transplant."
In a few weeks, the cells produce a new bladder, which is implanted into the patient. Within a few more weeks, the new bladder has grown to normal size and has started functioning.
Atala is working to grow 20 different tissues and organs, including blood vessels and hearts, in the laboratory, according to the university.
'We're not using any type of stem cell population or cloning techniques, but mainly the patient's own cells that we're using to create these organs and put them back into the patient,' Atala told CNN.
Because the bladders are grown from a patient's own cells, there is no risk of rejection, as in a traditional transplant.
More studies will be needed before growing replacement organs becomes routine, but Atala said the procedure eventually might help ease shortages of organs available for transplant."
3.4.06
Telegraph | News | Government in secret talks about strike against Iran
Telegraph | News | Government in secret talks about strike against Iran: "The Government is to hold secret talks with defence chiefs tomorrow to discuss possible military strikes against Iran.
A high-level meeting will take place in the Ministry of Defence at which senior defence chiefs and government officials will consider the consequences of an attack on Iran.
It is believed that an American-led attack, designed to destroy Iran's ability to develop a nuclear bomb, is 'inevitable' if Teheran's leaders fail to comply with United Nations demands to freeze their uranium enrichment programme."
A high-level meeting will take place in the Ministry of Defence at which senior defence chiefs and government officials will consider the consequences of an attack on Iran.
It is believed that an American-led attack, designed to destroy Iran's ability to develop a nuclear bomb, is 'inevitable' if Teheran's leaders fail to comply with United Nations demands to freeze their uranium enrichment programme."
2.4.06
Extensive Cell Phone Use Linked To Brain Tumors, Swedish Study
Extensive Cell Phone Use Linked To Brain Tumors, Swedish Study: "According to a Swedish study, if you spend many years using your cell phone for at least an hour a day your risk of developing a brain tumor is 240% higher than a person who never uses one. The results of this study go against another recent one carried out in the UK and published in January, 2006, which indicated that cell phone use is safe for humans.
The researchers found that even the location of the tumor, for extensive cell phone users over many years, tends to be on the side of the head where the phone is used."
The researchers found that even the location of the tumor, for extensive cell phone users over many years, tends to be on the side of the head where the phone is used."
1.4.06
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 by Milton Mayer, an excerpt
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 by Milton Mayer, an excerpt: "Pastor Niem�ller spoke for the thousands and thousands of men like me when he spoke (too modestly of himself) and said that, when the Nazis attacked the Communists, he was a little uneasy, but, after all, he was not a Communist, and so he did nothing; and then they attacked the Socialists, and he was a little uneasier, but, still, he was not a Socialist, and he did nothing; and then the schools, the press, the Jews, and so on, and he was always uneasier, but still he did nothing. And then they attacked the Church, and he was a Churchman, and he did something—but then it was too late.'"
31.3.06
Foreign Policy: Fool Me Twice
Foreign Policy: Fool Me Twice: "Does this story line sound familiar? The vice president of the United States gives a major speech focused on the threat from an oil-rich nation in the Middle East. The U.S. secretary of state tells congress that the same nation is our most serious global challenge. The secretary of defense calls that nation the leading supporter of global terrorism. The president blames it for attacks on U.S. troops. The intelligence agencies say the nuclear threat from this nation is 10 years away, but the director of intelligence paints a more ominous picture. A new U.S. national security strategy trumpets preemptive attacks and highlights the country as a major threat. And neoconservatives beat the war drums, as the cable media banner their stories with words like “countdown” and “showdown.”
The nation making headlines today, of course, is Iran, not Iraq. But the parallels are striking. Three years after senior administration officials systematically misled the nation into a disastrous war, they could well be trying to do it again.
Nothing is clear, yet. For months, I have told interviewers that no senior political or military official was seriously considering a military attack on Iran. In the last few weeks, I have changed my view. In part, this shift was triggered by colleagues with close ties to the Pentagon and the executive branch who have convinced me that some senior officials have already made up their minds: They want to hit Iran."
The nation making headlines today, of course, is Iran, not Iraq. But the parallels are striking. Three years after senior administration officials systematically misled the nation into a disastrous war, they could well be trying to do it again.
Nothing is clear, yet. For months, I have told interviewers that no senior political or military official was seriously considering a military attack on Iran. In the last few weeks, I have changed my view. In part, this shift was triggered by colleagues with close ties to the Pentagon and the executive branch who have convinced me that some senior officials have already made up their minds: They want to hit Iran."
BBC NEWS | Americas | Rice denies US is world's jailer
BBC NEWS | Americas | Rice denies US is world's jailer: "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that no-one should doubt America's commitment to justice and the rule of law.
In a major foreign policy speech, Ms Rice said the US had no desire to be the world's jailer, referring to the detention of inmates at Guantanamo Bay.
She said the cause of advancing freedom was the greatest hope for peace today.
Her comments came during a visit to the UK city of Blackburn. The tour has sparked anti-war protests.
'President Bush has stated unequivocally, as have I, that the United States is a nation of laws and we do not tolerate any American at home or abroad engaging in acts of torture,' Ms Rice said.
Protests ahead of Ms Rice's visit
Rice faces protests
'We also have no desire to be the world's jailer. We want the terrorists we capture to stand trial for their crimes,' she said."
In a major foreign policy speech, Ms Rice said the US had no desire to be the world's jailer, referring to the detention of inmates at Guantanamo Bay.
She said the cause of advancing freedom was the greatest hope for peace today.
Her comments came during a visit to the UK city of Blackburn. The tour has sparked anti-war protests.
'President Bush has stated unequivocally, as have I, that the United States is a nation of laws and we do not tolerate any American at home or abroad engaging in acts of torture,' Ms Rice said.
Protests ahead of Ms Rice's visit
Rice faces protests
'We also have no desire to be the world's jailer. We want the terrorists we capture to stand trial for their crimes,' she said."
29.3.06
TheStar.com - How to spot a baby conservative
TheStar.com - How to spot a baby conservative: "Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.
At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals."
At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals."
28.3.06
Personal bankruptcy filings up 30 percent in 2005 - Mar. 24, 2006
Personal bankruptcy filings up 30 percent in 2005 - Mar. 24, 2006: "NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The number of Americans filing for bankruptcy jumped 30 percent last year to the highest on record as debtors rushed to file petitions before new restrictions took effect, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts."
Tal Afar; war crimes in Bush’s dystopia���������
Tal Afar; war crimes in Bush’s dystopia���������: "Local Iraqi journalist, Nasir Ali, summarized the goals of the siege saying, “Every time the US Army and Iraqi government want to destroy a specific city they claim it hosts Arab fighters and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.”
Ali is correct, but there is a more sinister motive as well, the deliberate “preemptive” purging of Sunnis to roll back the mounting pressure from the resistance. The attack on Tal Afar was not a battle with terrorists but a clear attempt at ethnic cleansing.
Following the siege the Red Crescent reported that “170 people from Tal Afar had been made sick from “inhaling gases” and “curious poisons”; another indication that proscribed weapons were used on civilians.
James Cogan reports that, “The US led offensive has left hundreds of homes, shops, offices and mosques severely damaged. US and Iraqi troops have now rampaged through every home in Tal Afar searching for surviving insurgents or weapons caches. When residents are able to return to their houses, they will find their doors and widows kicked in, their furniture smashed, and their personal effects ruined or looted.”
Summarizing: Tal Afar was forcefully evacuated, ruthlessly bombarded, brazenly captured and laid to waste….but no sign of Al Qaida? As Colonel Reilly said, “They went into hiding”. "
Ali is correct, but there is a more sinister motive as well, the deliberate “preemptive” purging of Sunnis to roll back the mounting pressure from the resistance. The attack on Tal Afar was not a battle with terrorists but a clear attempt at ethnic cleansing.
Following the siege the Red Crescent reported that “170 people from Tal Afar had been made sick from “inhaling gases” and “curious poisons”; another indication that proscribed weapons were used on civilians.
James Cogan reports that, “The US led offensive has left hundreds of homes, shops, offices and mosques severely damaged. US and Iraqi troops have now rampaged through every home in Tal Afar searching for surviving insurgents or weapons caches. When residents are able to return to their houses, they will find their doors and widows kicked in, their furniture smashed, and their personal effects ruined or looted.”
Summarizing: Tal Afar was forcefully evacuated, ruthlessly bombarded, brazenly captured and laid to waste….but no sign of Al Qaida? As Colonel Reilly said, “They went into hiding”. "
Cloned Pigs Produce Healthy Pork?
Cloned Pigs Produce Healthy Pork?: "Pigs have been genetically modified to make their meat as healthy as seafood, researchers report.
But concerns over food safety and the U.S. federal approval process may prevent the tricked-up pork from appearing in supermarkets anytime soon."
But concerns over food safety and the U.S. federal approval process may prevent the tricked-up pork from appearing in supermarkets anytime soon."
BREITBART.COM - Moussaoui Says He Was to Hijack 5th Plane
BREITBART.COM - Moussaoui Says He Was to Hijack 5th Plane: "Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified Monday that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane and fly it into the White House as part of the attack that unfolded Sept. 11, 2001.
Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions.
On Dec. 22, 2001, Reid was subdued by passengers when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe aboard American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. There were 197 people on board. The plane was diverted to Boston, where it landed safely.
Moussaoui told the court he knew the World Trade Center attack was coming and that he lied to investigators when arrested in August 2001 because he wanted it to happen.
'You lied because you wanted to conceal that you were a member of al- Qaida?' prosecutor Rob Spencer asked.
'That's correct,' Moussaoui said.
Spencer: 'You lied so the plan could go forward?'
Moussaoui: 'That's correct.'"
Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions.
On Dec. 22, 2001, Reid was subdued by passengers when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe aboard American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. There were 197 people on board. The plane was diverted to Boston, where it landed safely.
Moussaoui told the court he knew the World Trade Center attack was coming and that he lied to investigators when arrested in August 2001 because he wanted it to happen.
'You lied because you wanted to conceal that you were a member of al- Qaida?' prosecutor Rob Spencer asked.
'That's correct,' Moussaoui said.
Spencer: 'You lied so the plan could go forward?'
Moussaoui: 'That's correct.'"
27.3.06
The Sun Online - News: Pet food good for you
The Sun Online - News: Pet food good for you: "TINS of pet food are better for you than many fast food meals, boffins have discovered.
Loads of pet food brands scored better than dishes served by High Street chains in research to measure fat, salt and sugar levels.
Nutrition experts discovered that Gourmet Gold cat food has just 2.9g of fat per 100g — a mouth-watering EIGHT TIMES less than the percentage found in pieces of KFC.
The level of fat was also far lower than a McDonald’s Big Mac and a Pizza Hut meal.
The lab tests by nutrition experts discovered that Cesar dog food uses just 4.4g of fat in every 100g — and has lower salt and sugar levels than many dishes served to humans.
Researchers found that KFC chicken pieces were the unhealthiest fast food on test. They contained 23.2g of fat per 100g and 1.9g of salt. Unbelievably, ADDING fries cut the fat and salt levels, with them falling to 12g and 0.7g per 100g."
Loads of pet food brands scored better than dishes served by High Street chains in research to measure fat, salt and sugar levels.
Nutrition experts discovered that Gourmet Gold cat food has just 2.9g of fat per 100g — a mouth-watering EIGHT TIMES less than the percentage found in pieces of KFC.
The level of fat was also far lower than a McDonald’s Big Mac and a Pizza Hut meal.
The lab tests by nutrition experts discovered that Cesar dog food uses just 4.4g of fat in every 100g — and has lower salt and sugar levels than many dishes served to humans.
Researchers found that KFC chicken pieces were the unhealthiest fast food on test. They contained 23.2g of fat per 100g and 1.9g of salt. Unbelievably, ADDING fries cut the fat and salt levels, with them falling to 12g and 0.7g per 100g."
Guardian Unlimited Money | News_ | Money worries 'affect sex drive'
Guardian Unlimited Money | News_ | Money worries 'affect sex drive': "An estimated 2 million people have lost their sex drive as a result of worrying about money, a survey showed today.
One in five people who said financial problems had affected their relationship said the issue had hit their sex life, according to insurance giant AXA.
Women are twice as likely to suffer from the problem as men, accounting for two-thirds of people who say money has ruined their sex life."
One in five people who said financial problems had affected their relationship said the issue had hit their sex life, according to insurance giant AXA.
Women are twice as likely to suffer from the problem as men, accounting for two-thirds of people who say money has ruined their sex life."
Two years in prison for downloading latest film - World - Times Online
Two years in prison for downloading latest film - World - Times Online: "GERMANS risk two years in prison if they illegally download films and music for private use under a new law agreed yesterday. Anybody who downloads films for commercial use could be jailed for up to five years."
26.3.06
Iraqis killed by US troops ‘on rampage’ - Sunday Times - Times Online
Iraqis killed by US troops ‘on rampage’ - Sunday Times - Times Online: "THE villagers of Abu Sifa near the Iraqi town of Balad had become used to the sound of explosions at night as American forces searched the area for suspected insurgents. But one night two weeks ago Issa Harat Khalaf heard a different sound that chilled him to the bone.
Khalaf, a 33-year-old security officer guarding oil pipelines, saw a US helicopter land near his home. American soldiers stormed out of the Chinook and advanced on a house owned by Khalaf’s brother Fayez, firing as they went.
Khalaf ran from his own house and hid in a nearby grove of trees. He saw the soldiers enter his brother’s home and then heard the sound of women and children screaming.
“Then there was a lot of machinegun fire,” he said last week. After that there was the most frightening sound of all — silence, followed by explosions as the soldiers left the house.
Once the troops were gone, Khalaf and his fellow villagers began a frantic search through the ruins of his brother’s home. Abu Sifa was about to join a lengthening list of Iraqi communities claiming to have suffered from American atrocities.
According to Iraqi police, 11 bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the house, among them four women and five children aged between six months and five years. An official police report obtained by a US reporter for Knight Ridder newspapers said: “The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 people.”"
Khalaf, a 33-year-old security officer guarding oil pipelines, saw a US helicopter land near his home. American soldiers stormed out of the Chinook and advanced on a house owned by Khalaf’s brother Fayez, firing as they went.
Khalaf ran from his own house and hid in a nearby grove of trees. He saw the soldiers enter his brother’s home and then heard the sound of women and children screaming.
“Then there was a lot of machinegun fire,” he said last week. After that there was the most frightening sound of all — silence, followed by explosions as the soldiers left the house.
Once the troops were gone, Khalaf and his fellow villagers began a frantic search through the ruins of his brother’s home. Abu Sifa was about to join a lengthening list of Iraqi communities claiming to have suffered from American atrocities.
According to Iraqi police, 11 bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the house, among them four women and five children aged between six months and five years. An official police report obtained by a US reporter for Knight Ridder newspapers said: “The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 people.”"
24.3.06
Kansas City Star | 03/22/2006 | Pulled over in Kansas? Get ready to show your license, registration — and fingerprints
Kansas City Star | 03/22/2006 | Pulled over in Kansas? Get ready to show your license, registration — and fingerprints: "If you are stopped by police in Kansas, don’t be surprised if the officer pulls out a little black box and takes your fingerprints.
The gadget allows officers to identify people by fingerprints without hauling them to the police station.
Over the next year the Kansas Bureau of Investigation will test 60 of the devices with law enforcement agencies around the state. State officials said similar tests are being planned for New York, Milwaukee and Hawaii."
The gadget allows officers to identify people by fingerprints without hauling them to the police station.
Over the next year the Kansas Bureau of Investigation will test 60 of the devices with law enforcement agencies around the state. State officials said similar tests are being planned for New York, Milwaukee and Hawaii."
Kansas City Star | 03/22/2006 | Missouri teen survives ride in tornado
Kansas City Star | 03/22/2006 | Missouri teen survives ride in tornado: "On the night of the tornado, Suter said, he was watching television news in only his boxer shorts when he heard a jetlike roar approaching the trailer he shared with his grandmother and uncle.
He was trying to shut a window in the living room, and his grandmother was in the kitchen, when the tornado struck, he said.
“The window busted, and the door got sucked out,” Suter said. “I looked at my grandmother, and the walls were like Jell-O. The trailer was rocking back and forth. I jumped between the coffee table and couch, and I remember the trailer tipping.”
His grandmother, Linda Kelley, said Suter had hollered at her in the trailer, and when she came into the kitchen “I turned around to look at where he was, and that whole end of the trailer was just gone.”
A large heavy glass lamp struck Suter on the top of his head, knocking him unconscious, he said.
When he came to, Suter found himself in a soft, grassy pasture. Last week a global positioning satellite device used by National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Gaede measured the distance at 1,307 feet from the trailer site."
He was trying to shut a window in the living room, and his grandmother was in the kitchen, when the tornado struck, he said.
“The window busted, and the door got sucked out,” Suter said. “I looked at my grandmother, and the walls were like Jell-O. The trailer was rocking back and forth. I jumped between the coffee table and couch, and I remember the trailer tipping.”
His grandmother, Linda Kelley, said Suter had hollered at her in the trailer, and when she came into the kitchen “I turned around to look at where he was, and that whole end of the trailer was just gone.”
A large heavy glass lamp struck Suter on the top of his head, knocking him unconscious, he said.
When he came to, Suter found himself in a soft, grassy pasture. Last week a global positioning satellite device used by National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Gaede measured the distance at 1,307 feet from the trailer site."
Two Years Before 9/11, Bush was Already Talking About Attacking Iraq
Two Years Before 9/11, Bush was Already Talking About Attacking Iraq: "HOUSTON -- Two years before the September 11 attacks, presidential candidate George W. Bush was already talking privately about the political benefits of attacking Iraq, according to his former ghost writer, who held many conversations with then-Texas Governor Bush in preparation for a planned autobiography."
23.3.06
Mental fitness new twist in Afghan man's religion trial
Mental fitness new twist in Afghan man's religion trial: "KABUL, Afghanistan -- A man facing a possible death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity may be mentally unfit to stand trial, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Abdul Rahman, 41, has been charged with rejecting Islam. His trial started last week, and he said he became a Christian 16 years ago."
Abdul Rahman, 41, has been charged with rejecting Islam. His trial started last week, and he said he became a Christian 16 years ago."
21.3.06
VOA News - Afghan Man Faces Execution After Converting to Christianity
VOA News - Afghan Man Faces Execution After Converting to Christianity: "An Afghan man who recently admitted he converted to Christianity faces the death penalty under the country's strict Islamic legal system. The trial is a critical test of Afghanistan's new constitution and democratic government."
VOA News - Afghan Man Faces Execution After Converting to Christianity
VOA News - Afghan Man Faces Execution After Converting to Christianity: "An Afghan man who recently admitted he converted to Christianity faces the death penalty under the country's strict Islamic legal system. The trial is a critical test of Afghanistan's new constitution and democratic government."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Archbishop: stop teaching creationism
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Archbishop: stop teaching creationism: "The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has stepped into the controversy between religious fundamentalists and scientists by saying that he does not believe that creationism - the Bible-based account of the origins of the world - should be taught in schools.
Giving his first, wide-ranging, interview at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop was emphatic in his criticism of creationism being taught in the classroom, as is happening in two city academies founded by the evangelical Christian businessman Sir Peter Vardy and several other schools."
Giving his first, wide-ranging, interview at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop was emphatic in his criticism of creationism being taught in the classroom, as is happening in two city academies founded by the evangelical Christian businessman Sir Peter Vardy and several other schools."
18.3.06
WP: DEA balks at Canada's 'Prince of Pot' - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com
WP: DEA balks at Canada's 'Prince of Pot' - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "Emery will get a judicial hearing in Canada later this year. The Canadian justice minister in the new conservative government could block the extradition, but he is a tough-talking former prosecutor and Emery acknowledges his chances are 'slim odds indeed.'
'In the U.S, I have every confidence I would get a minimum of 30 years,' Emery says in an interview in the basement of his bookstore. 'I'll get a longer sentence than I'd get in Canada for multiple murder, for something no one in Canada has ever gone to jail for.'
Here is the twist: Emery welcomes it. Almost.
'I'm interested in whatever would legalize pot fastest,' he says. 'Part of me believes that going to jail will accelerate that process. And part of me believes that if I die in jail it will accelerate it even faster.'
That is as much for Emery's devotion to the spotlight as devotion to the cause, he concedes.
'I'm very interested to see what happens to me, because I think I am a person of destiny,' he says, with no trace of modesty. 'I haven't been fearful since the moment I was arrested. I just felt my time has finally come. . . .
'I've already got this grand-scale epic going in my head. I am out to destroy the DEA and defeat them. And they are out to destroy me.'"
'In the U.S, I have every confidence I would get a minimum of 30 years,' Emery says in an interview in the basement of his bookstore. 'I'll get a longer sentence than I'd get in Canada for multiple murder, for something no one in Canada has ever gone to jail for.'
Here is the twist: Emery welcomes it. Almost.
'I'm interested in whatever would legalize pot fastest,' he says. 'Part of me believes that going to jail will accelerate that process. And part of me believes that if I die in jail it will accelerate it even faster.'
That is as much for Emery's devotion to the spotlight as devotion to the cause, he concedes.
'I'm very interested to see what happens to me, because I think I am a person of destiny,' he says, with no trace of modesty. 'I haven't been fearful since the moment I was arrested. I just felt my time has finally come. . . .
'I've already got this grand-scale epic going in my head. I am out to destroy the DEA and defeat them. And they are out to destroy me.'"
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "Under an arrangement between prison officials and San Bernardino, high-risk parolees known to belong to street gangs will be released from custody on the condition that they wear a GPS bracelet on their ankles at all times.
They appear as moving dots on a map and if they try to remove the anklet or enter unauthorised areas the device sends an alert to a base station monitored by law enforcement officials.
The University of California at Irvine will review the results of the pilot program for its effectiveness."
They appear as moving dots on a map and if they try to remove the anklet or enter unauthorised areas the device sends an alert to a base station monitored by law enforcement officials.
The University of California at Irvine will review the results of the pilot program for its effectiveness."
village voice > news > Liberty Beat by Nat Hentoff
village voice > news > Liberty Beat by Nat Hentoff: "On February 16, a British high court judge, Sir Andrew Collins, emphasized: 'America's idea of what is torture is not the same as ours and does not appear to coincide with that of most civilized nations.'
He was referring to a February 15 report by five independent U.N. special rapporteurs on torture that Guant�namo be closed and its prisoners be tried or released."
He was referring to a February 15 report by five independent U.N. special rapporteurs on torture that Guant�namo be closed and its prisoners be tried or released."
village voice > news > Liberty Beat by Nat Hentoff
village voice > news > Liberty Beat by Nat Hentoff: "In a startling, ominous decision—ignored by most of the press around the country—Federal District Judge David Trager, in the Eastern District of New York, has dismissed a lawsuit by a Canadian citizen, Maher Arar, who, during a stopover at Kennedy Airport on the way home to Canada after vacation, was kidnapped by CIA agents.
Arar was flown to Syria, where he was tortured for nearly a year in solitary confinement in a three-by-six-foot cell ('like a grave,' he said). He became, internationally, one of the best-known victims of the CIA's extraordinary renditions—the sending of suspected terrorists to countries known for torturing their prisoners.
Released after his ordeal, Arar has not been charged with any involvement in terrorism, or anything else, by Syria or the United States. Stigmatized by his notoriety, still traumatized, unemployed, he is back in Canada, where the Canadian Parliament had opened an extensive and expensive public inquiry into his capture and torture. The United States refuses to cooperate in any way with this investigation."
Arar was flown to Syria, where he was tortured for nearly a year in solitary confinement in a three-by-six-foot cell ('like a grave,' he said). He became, internationally, one of the best-known victims of the CIA's extraordinary renditions—the sending of suspected terrorists to countries known for torturing their prisoners.
Released after his ordeal, Arar has not been charged with any involvement in terrorism, or anything else, by Syria or the United States. Stigmatized by his notoriety, still traumatized, unemployed, he is back in Canada, where the Canadian Parliament had opened an extensive and expensive public inquiry into his capture and torture. The United States refuses to cooperate in any way with this investigation."
15.3.06
CNN.com - Judge to force Google's hand - Mar 14, 2006
CNN.com - Judge to force Google's hand - Mar 14, 2006: "SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- A federal judge said Tuesday he intends to require Google Inc. to turn over some information to the Department of Justice in its quest to revive a law making it harder for children to see online pornography."
14.3.06
Media Matters - O'Reilly: Blowing Iran "off the face of the earth ... would be the sane thing to do"
Media Matters - O'Reilly: Blowing Iran "off the face of the earth ... would be the sane thing to do": "On the March 8 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly stated: 'You know, in a sane world, every country would unite against Iran and blow it off the face of the earth. That would be the sane thing to do.' O'Reilly made the remark during a discussion of Iran's recent threat to cause 'harm and pain' to the U.S. if it pursues sanctions against Iran in the U.N. Security Council because of Iran's developing nuclear program.
As Media Matters for America has documented, O'Reilly recently declared that 'it's just a matter of time ... before we have to bomb' Iran."
As Media Matters for America has documented, O'Reilly recently declared that 'it's just a matter of time ... before we have to bomb' Iran."
American Civil Liberties Union : ACLU Releases First Concrete Evidence of FBI Spying Based Solely on Groups’ Anti-War Views
American Civil Liberties Union : ACLU Releases First Concrete Evidence of FBI Spying Based Solely on Groups’ Anti-War Views: "PITTSBURGH – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania today released new evidence that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting investigations into a political organizations based solely on its anti-war views."
13.3.06
Reuters AlertNet - IRAQ: Women attacked for removing headscarves, NGO says
Reuters AlertNet - IRAQ: Women attacked for removing headscarves, NGO says: "BAGHDAD, 7 March (IRIN) - Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in early 2003, the number of women attacked for choosing not to wear head scarves and veils has more than tripled, according to the Women's Rights Association (WRA), a local NGO in the capital, Baghdad."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Former top judge says US risks edging near to dictatorship
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Former top judge says US risks edging near to dictatorship: "
Julian Borger in Washington
Monday March 13, 2006
The Guardian
Sandra Day O'Connor, a Republican-appointed judge who retired last month after 24 years on the supreme court, has said the US is in danger of edging towards dictatorship if the party's rightwingers continue to attack the judiciary."
Julian Borger in Washington
Monday March 13, 2006
The Guardian
Sandra Day O'Connor, a Republican-appointed judge who retired last month after 24 years on the supreme court, has said the US is in danger of edging towards dictatorship if the party's rightwingers continue to attack the judiciary."
Former Bush Aide Charged in Felony Theft - Claude Allen had recently resigned as White House domestic-policy adviser. By Rachel Shteir
Former Bush Aide Charged in Felony Theft - Claude Allen had recently resigned as White House domestic-policy adviser. By Rachel Shteir: "
By Rachel Shteir
Updated Friday, March 10, 2006, at 5:44 PM ET
When Claude Allen, President Bush's longtime domestic-policy adviser, resigned suddenly on Feb. 9, it baffled administration critics and fans. The White House claimed that Allen was leaving to spend more time with his family, while the Washington Times speculated that the 45-year-old aide, a noted social conservative, might have quit to protest a new Pentagon policy about military chaplains. Allen himself never publicly explained the reason for his departure.
News today may shed light on the mystery of Allen's resignation. According to the Montgomery County Police Department, Allen was arrested yesterday and charged in a felony theft and a felony theft scheme."
By Rachel Shteir
Updated Friday, March 10, 2006, at 5:44 PM ET
When Claude Allen, President Bush's longtime domestic-policy adviser, resigned suddenly on Feb. 9, it baffled administration critics and fans. The White House claimed that Allen was leaving to spend more time with his family, while the Washington Times speculated that the 45-year-old aide, a noted social conservative, might have quit to protest a new Pentagon policy about military chaplains. Allen himself never publicly explained the reason for his departure.
News today may shed light on the mystery of Allen's resignation. According to the Montgomery County Police Department, Allen was arrested yesterday and charged in a felony theft and a felony theft scheme."
Members of US Congress demand Impeachment Inquiry
Members of US Congress demand Impeachment Inquiry: "30 US Reps for Bush Impeachment Inquiry
1. APN Interviews Conyers, Swanson, and Goodman
By Matthew Cardinale, Editor, Atlanta Progressive News (March 10, 2006)
(APN) ATLANTA – 30 US House Representatives have signed on as sponsors or co-sponsors of H. Res 635, which would create a Select Committee to look into the grounds for recommending President Bush’s impeachment, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.
“There has been massive support for House Resolution 635 from a very vigorous network of grassroots activists and people committed to holding the Bush Administration accountable for its widespread abuses of power,” US Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) said in a statement prepared for Atlanta Progressive News.
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) also released a book, Articles of Impeachment Against President Bush. The Center is extremely influential in high-profile court fights over issues such as wiretapping, the treatment of detainees by the US, and felon voting rights.
“We have the book, we are calling for the impeachment of the President, and we’re supporting Conyers’s resolution,” Bill Goodman, CCR Legal Director, told Atlanta Progressive News.
“The fraudulent basis on which the President got us into the war in Iraq; the obvious criminality of the warrantless wiretapping; indefinite detention in violation of the Constitution; torture as a part of indefinite detention and other ways; special rendition and torture, which is the outsourcing of torture... All of these violate various laws of the US, and they also violate his oath office which he swears to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and he’s doing just the opposite, he’s undermining the Constitution and attempting to destroy certain parts of it,” Goodman said."
1. APN Interviews Conyers, Swanson, and Goodman
By Matthew Cardinale, Editor, Atlanta Progressive News (March 10, 2006)
(APN) ATLANTA – 30 US House Representatives have signed on as sponsors or co-sponsors of H. Res 635, which would create a Select Committee to look into the grounds for recommending President Bush’s impeachment, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.
“There has been massive support for House Resolution 635 from a very vigorous network of grassroots activists and people committed to holding the Bush Administration accountable for its widespread abuses of power,” US Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) said in a statement prepared for Atlanta Progressive News.
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) also released a book, Articles of Impeachment Against President Bush. The Center is extremely influential in high-profile court fights over issues such as wiretapping, the treatment of detainees by the US, and felon voting rights.
“We have the book, we are calling for the impeachment of the President, and we’re supporting Conyers’s resolution,” Bill Goodman, CCR Legal Director, told Atlanta Progressive News.
“The fraudulent basis on which the President got us into the war in Iraq; the obvious criminality of the warrantless wiretapping; indefinite detention in violation of the Constitution; torture as a part of indefinite detention and other ways; special rendition and torture, which is the outsourcing of torture... All of these violate various laws of the US, and they also violate his oath office which he swears to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and he’s doing just the opposite, he’s undermining the Constitution and attempting to destroy certain parts of it,” Goodman said."
11.3.06
New Scientist 'Mental typewriter' controlled by thought alone - Breaking News
New Scientist 'Mental typewriter' controlled by thought alone - Breaking News: "A computer controlled by the power of thought alone has been demonstrated at a major trade fair in Germany.
The device could provide a way for paralysed patients to operate computers, or for amputees to operate electronically controlled artificial limbs. But it also has non-medical applications, such as in the computer games and entertainment industries."
The device could provide a way for paralysed patients to operate computers, or for amputees to operate electronically controlled artificial limbs. But it also has non-medical applications, such as in the computer games and entertainment industries."
Gallup: More Than Half of Americans Reject Evolution, Back Bible
Gallup: More Than Half of Americans Reject Evolution, Back Bible: "NEW YORK A Gallup report released today reveals that more than half of all Americans, rejecting evolution theory and scientific evidence, agree with the statement, 'God created man exactly how Bible describes it.'
Another 31% says that man did evolve, but 'God guided.' Only 12% back evolution and say 'God had no part.'
Gallup summarized it this way: 'Surveys repeatedly show that a substantial portion of Americans do not believe that the theory of evolution best explains where life came from.' They are 'not so quick to agree with the preponderance of scientific evidence.'
The report was written by the director of the The Gallup Poll, Frank Newport.
Breaking down the numbers, Gallup finds that Republican backing for what it calls 'God created human beings in present form' stands at 57% with Democrats at 44%.
Support for this Bible view rises steadily with age: from 43% for those 18 to 29, to 59% for those 65 and older. It declines steadily with education, dropping from 58% for those with high school degrees to a still-substantial 25% with postgraduate degrees. "
Another 31% says that man did evolve, but 'God guided.' Only 12% back evolution and say 'God had no part.'
Gallup summarized it this way: 'Surveys repeatedly show that a substantial portion of Americans do not believe that the theory of evolution best explains where life came from.' They are 'not so quick to agree with the preponderance of scientific evidence.'
The report was written by the director of the The Gallup Poll, Frank Newport.
Breaking down the numbers, Gallup finds that Republican backing for what it calls 'God created human beings in present form' stands at 57% with Democrats at 44%.
Support for this Bible view rises steadily with age: from 43% for those 18 to 29, to 59% for those 65 and older. It declines steadily with education, dropping from 58% for those with high school degrees to a still-substantial 25% with postgraduate degrees. "
7.3.06
BBC NEWS | Business | US government near to debt limit
BBC NEWS | Business | US government near to debt limit: "US government near to debt limit
US Treasury Secretary John Snow
John Snow is asking Congress to approve more borrowing
US Treasury Secretary John Snow has told Congress to raise the government's credit limit in order to avoid having some of its operations shut down.
The government needs Congressional authority to borrow and the total accumulated debt is now close to its limit of $8.2 trillion (�4.7 trillion).
If the limit is not increased, the government could find it difficult to pay debts or borrow money.
Congress is expected to agree to an extension, averting any debt crisis.
Massive deficits
In a letter to Congress, Mr Snow said he has already taken 'prudent and legal actions' to avoid reaching the debt limit.
These include tapping the civil service pension funds and using the $15bn in the Exchange Stabilisation Fund, a reserve held for smoothing out volatile movements in the value of the dollar in currency markets.
But the Treasury has warned that such measures will only postpone the credit deadline until mid-March, when an extension will be needed.
This is the fourth time George W Bush's administration has asked Congress to raise the government debt limit.
His administration has produced a series of massive deficits, brought on by the post dot-com recession, tax cuts, the September 11 attacks and wars and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The US government has never defaulted on its debts, and to do so would destroy its credit rating and raise the cost of any future borrowing."
US Treasury Secretary John Snow
John Snow is asking Congress to approve more borrowing
US Treasury Secretary John Snow has told Congress to raise the government's credit limit in order to avoid having some of its operations shut down.
The government needs Congressional authority to borrow and the total accumulated debt is now close to its limit of $8.2 trillion (�4.7 trillion).
If the limit is not increased, the government could find it difficult to pay debts or borrow money.
Congress is expected to agree to an extension, averting any debt crisis.
Massive deficits
In a letter to Congress, Mr Snow said he has already taken 'prudent and legal actions' to avoid reaching the debt limit.
These include tapping the civil service pension funds and using the $15bn in the Exchange Stabilisation Fund, a reserve held for smoothing out volatile movements in the value of the dollar in currency markets.
But the Treasury has warned that such measures will only postpone the credit deadline until mid-March, when an extension will be needed.
This is the fourth time George W Bush's administration has asked Congress to raise the government debt limit.
His administration has produced a series of massive deficits, brought on by the post dot-com recession, tax cuts, the September 11 attacks and wars and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The US government has never defaulted on its debts, and to do so would destroy its credit rating and raise the cost of any future borrowing."
5.3.06
WSJ.com - Capital
WSJ.com - Capital: "American families had net worth -- the value of houses, cars, 401(k) plans, stock portfolios and saving accounts minus mortgages and other debts -- of $50 trillion in 2004, according to the Fed. Its estimate is based on surveys of 4,522 families, with special efforts to include the rich.
How much better off than others are the wealthy?
Those in the 90th percentile -- not Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but those with bigger balance sheets than 90% of American families -- had net worth of $831,600 in 2004.
That's nearly nine times the $93,100 held by the family at the statistical middle. And it's 62 times the net worth of families at the 25th percentile, the ones who don't have much, but have more than the poorest 25%, many of whom have more debts than assets."
How much better off than others are the wealthy?
Those in the 90th percentile -- not Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but those with bigger balance sheets than 90% of American families -- had net worth of $831,600 in 2004.
That's nearly nine times the $93,100 held by the family at the statistical middle. And it's 62 times the net worth of families at the 25th percentile, the ones who don't have much, but have more than the poorest 25%, many of whom have more debts than assets."
4.3.06
BBC NEWS | Europe | Soviets 'ordered Pope shooting'
BBC NEWS | Europe | Soviets 'ordered Pope shooting': "An Italian parliamentary commission has concluded that the former Soviet Union was behind the 1981 assassination attempt on the late Pope John Paul II."
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Altruism 'in-built' in humans
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Altruism 'in-built' in humans: "Dr Warneken and colleague Professor Michael Tomasello wanted to see whether very young children who had not yet learned social skills were willing to help strangers.
Our closest living relative, the chimp, also shows rudimentary helping behaviour
The experimenters performed simple tasks like dropping a clothes peg out of reach while hanging clothes on a line, or mis-stacking a pile of books.
Nearly all of the group of 24 18-month-olds helped by picking up the peg or the book, usually in the first 10 seconds of the experiment.
They only did this if they believed the researcher needed the object to complete the task - if it was thrown on the ground deliberately, they didn't pick it up.
'The results were astonishing because these children are so young - they still wear diapers and are barely able to use language, but they already show helping behaviour,' said Felix Warneken."
Our closest living relative, the chimp, also shows rudimentary helping behaviour
The experimenters performed simple tasks like dropping a clothes peg out of reach while hanging clothes on a line, or mis-stacking a pile of books.
Nearly all of the group of 24 18-month-olds helped by picking up the peg or the book, usually in the first 10 seconds of the experiment.
They only did this if they believed the researcher needed the object to complete the task - if it was thrown on the ground deliberately, they didn't pick it up.
'The results were astonishing because these children are so young - they still wear diapers and are barely able to use language, but they already show helping behaviour,' said Felix Warneken."
3.3.06
Wired 14.03: START
Wired 14.03: START: "A123's real target, however, is your car. Chiang says A123's cells could lighten a Toyota Prius' 100-pound battery by as much as 80 percent and help boost any hybrid's performance. The quick recharging time - the M1 takes five minutes to reach 90 percent capacity - plus high peak power also would be ideal for plug-in versions of gas-electric vehicles. With a bit more research, the world's roads may someday see fast, zero-carbon autos that zip past gas guzzlers and tank up from the grid faster than a rest-stop Starbucks can serve you a latte."
2.3.06
Adelphia.net - News
Adelphia.net - News: "LONDON (AP) — A Scottish distillery said Monday it was reviving a centuries-old recipe for whisky so strong that one 17th-century writer feared more than two spoonfuls could be lethal."
Blair's wife takes swipe at US over Guantanamo - World - smh.com.au
Blair's wife takes swipe at US over Guantanamo - World - smh.com.au: "Cherie Booth, the wife of Britain's Prime Minister described torture as 'the terrorism of the state, usually practised for the same reasons that terrorists use violence: to break the will of those they cannot persuade by lawful means.'"
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