Life, health insurers invest big in tobacco - Yahoo! News

Life, health insurers invest big in tobacco - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) – Major US, Canadian and British life and health insurance companies have billions of dollars invested in tobacco companies, a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine said."

Stem cells used to restore sight for corneal disease sufferers | The Australian

Stem cells used to restore sight for corneal disease sufferers | The Australian: "Although the novel technique was used to reverse blinding corneal disease, it promises to be a quick, painless and cheap treatment for other visual disorders. It may even be useful for repairing damaged skin, the researchers reported today in the journal Transplantation.

The team leader, UNSW stem cell scientist Nick Di Girolamo said: “We're quietly excited. We don't know yet if (the correction) will remain stable, but if it does it's a wonderful technique”."

Technology Review: Five-Dimensional Data Storage

Technology Review: Five-Dimensional Data Storage: "A new light-responsive material could lead to discs the size of today's DVDs that store four orders of magnitude more data. Traditional DVDs and CDs store data on their surface in two dimensions, and holographic discs can store it in three. Now researchers have for the first time demonstrated what they call a five-dimensional optical material. It can record data in three spatial dimensions and in response to different wavelengths and polarizations of laser light."

What if global-warming fears are overblown? - May. 14, 2009

What if global-warming fears are overblown? - May. 14, 2009: "... despite those green-sounding credentials, Christy is not calling for draconian cuts in carbon emissions. Quite the contrary. Christy is actually the environmental lobby's worst nightmare - an accomplished climate scientist with no ties to Big Oil who has produced reams and reams of data that undermine arguments that the earth's atmosphere is warming at an unusual rate and question whether the remedies being talked about in Congress will actually do any good."

'US special squad killed Benazir' | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

'US special squad killed Benazir' | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online: "NEW YORK (Online) - Former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on the orders of the special death squad formed by former US vice-president Dick Cheney, which had already killed the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafique Al Hariri and the army chief of that country.
The squad was headed by General Stanley McChrystal, the newly-appointed commander of US army in Afghanistan. It was disclosed by reputed US journalist Seymour Hersh while talking to an Arab TV in an interview.
Hersh said former US vice-president Cheney was the chief of the Joint Special Operation Command and he clear the way for the US by exterminating opponents through the unit and the CIA. General Stanley was the in-charge of the unit."

Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer

Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer: "April 1, 2009 -- The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.

Guillermo Velasco and colleagues at Complutense University in Spain have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes brain cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy. Autophagy is the breakdown of a cell that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests."

White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs' - WSJ.com

White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs' - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting 'a war on drugs,' a move that would underscore a shift favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use."

Schwarzenegger: Time To Debate Legalizing Pot | Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Schwarzenegger: Time To Debate Legalizing Pot | Political Hotsheet - CBS News: "In the last week or two, proposals to legalize medical marijuana have advanced in Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken a significant step further, saying on Tuesday that it's time to debate legalizing marijuana for recreational use in California.

'I think it's time for debate,' he said in response to a reporter's question. 'I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues -- I'm always for an open debate on it.'"

Controlling Robots With Your Brain Closer Than You Think

Controlling Robots With Your Brain Closer Than You Think: "Honda’s amazing new technology connects thoughts inside a brain with robotics and seems straight out of a weird sci-fi flick."

Change is a cold certainty | The Australian

Change is a cold certainty | The Australian: "Zinchenko's vessel, the Spirit of Enderby, was commissioned in January last year to retrace the steps of the great Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, marking the century of his Nimrod expedition of 1907-09.

Spirit of Enderby was blocked by a wall of pack ice at the entrance to the Ross Sea, about 400km short of Shackleton's base hut at Cape Royds. Zinchenko says it was the first time in 15 years that vessels were unable to penetrate the Ross Sea in January. The experience was consistent with his impression that pack ice is expanding, not contracting, as would be expected in a rapidly warming world. 'I see just more and more ice, not less ice.'"

Cold Fusion Is Hot Again - CBS News

Cold Fusion Is Hot Again - CBS News: "(CBS) Twenty years ago it appeared, for a moment, that all our energy problems could be solved. It was the announcement of cold fusion - nuclear energy like that which powers the sun - but at room temperature on a table top. It promised to be cheap, limitless and clean. Cold fusion would end our dependence on the Middle East and stop those greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. It would change everything.

But then, just as quickly as it was announced, it was discredited. So thoroughly, that cold fusion became a catch phrase for junk science. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to oblivion - for many scientists today, cold fusion is hot again.

'We can yield the power of nuclear physics on a tabletop. The potential is unlimited. That is the most powerful energy source known to man,' researcher Michael McKubre told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley."

Why night owls are cleverer and richer than people who get up early | Mail Online

Why night owls are cleverer and richer than people who get up early | Mail Online: "It has long been held that the early bird catches the worm. But it is the night owl that lasts the distance, research shows."

The Road to Area 51 - Los Angeles Times

The Road to Area 51 - Los Angeles Times: "Colonel Hugh 'Slip' Slater, 87, was commander of the Area 51 base in the 1960s. Edward Lovick, 90, featured in 'What Plane?' in LA's March issue, spent three decades radar testing some of the world's most famous aircraft (including the U-2, the A-12 OXCART and the F-117). Kenneth Collins, 80, a CIA experimental test pilot, was given the silver star. Thornton 'T.D.' Barnes, 72, was an Area 51 special-projects engineer. And Harry Martin, 77, was one of the men in charge of the base's half-million-gallon monthly supply of spy-plane fuels. Here are a few of their best stories..."

The $5 solar oven at News: Breaking Health News

The $5 solar oven at News: Breaking Health News: "Inventor Jon Bohmer has created a $5 oven made out of cardboard boxes"

Fingerprinting Blank Paper Using Commodity Scanners | Freedom to Tinker

Fingerprinting Blank Paper Using Commodity Scanners | Freedom to Tinker: "This paper presents a novel technique for authenticating physical documents based on random, naturally occurring imperfections in paper texture. We introduce a new method for measuring the three-dimensional surface of a page using only a commodity scanner and without modifying the document in any way. From this physical feature, we generate a concise fingerprint that uniquely identifies the document."

Daily pill that halts Alzheimer's is hailed as 'biggest breakthrough against disease for 100 years' | Mail Online

Daily pill that halts Alzheimer's is hailed as 'biggest breakthrough against disease for 100 years' | Mail Online: "A new drug halts the devastating progress of Alzheimer’s disease, say British scientists.

It is said to be more than twice as effective as current treatments.

A daily capsule of rember, as the drug is known, stops Alzheimer’s disease progressing by as much as 81 per cent, according to trial results."

Ice bridge holding Antarctic ice shelf cracks up | Environment | Reuters

Ice bridge holding Antarctic ice shelf cracks up | Environment | Reuters: "OSLO (Reuters) - An ice bridge holding a vast Antarctic ice shelf in place has shattered and may herald a wider collapse caused by global warming, a leading scientist said on Saturday."

www.data-yard.net

www.data-yard.net - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study adds to the previously reported evidence that cigarette smoking protects against Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the new research shows a temporal relationship between smoking and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease. That is, the protective effect wanes after smokers quit.

Rise of sea levels is 'the greatest lie ever told' - Telegraph

Rise of sea levels is 'the greatest lie ever told' - Telegraph: "But if there is one scientist who knows more about sea levels than anyone else in the world it is the Swedish geologist and physicist Nils-Axel M�rner, formerly chairman of the INQUA International Commission on Sea Level Change. And the uncompromising verdict of Dr Morner, who for 35 years has been using every known scientific method to study sea levels all over the globe, is that all this talk about the sea rising is nothing but a colossal scare story.

Despite fluctuations down as well as up, 'the sea is not rising,' he says. 'It hasn't risen in 50 years.' If there is any rise this century it will 'not be more than 10cm (four inches), with an uncertainty of plus or minus 10cm'. And quite apart from examining the hard evidence, he says, the elementary laws of physics (latent heat needed to melt ice) tell us that the apocalypse conjured up by
Al Gore and Co could not possibly come about."

Russia backs return to Gold Standard to solve financial crisis - Telegraph

Russia backs return to Gold Standard to solve financial crisis - Telegraph: "The Gold Standard was the anchor of world finance in the 19th Century but began breaking down during the First World War as governments engaged in unprecedented spending. It collapsed in the 1930s when the British Empire, the US, and France all abandoned their parities.

It was revived as part of fixed dollar system until US inflation caused by the Vietnam War and 'Great Society' social spending forced President Richard Nixon to close the gold window in 1971.

The world's fiat paper currencies have lacked any external anchor ever since. It is widely argued that the financial excesses and extreme debt leverage of the last quarter century would have been impossible - or less likely - under the discipline of gold."

Medical journal says Pope distorting condom facts | Reuters

Medical journal says Pope distorting condom facts | Reuters: "LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - A prestigious medical journal on Friday accused Pope Benedict of distorting scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine by saying that condoms increase the spread of AIDS.

The Lancet in an editorial called on the Pope to retract the comments made last week, saying anything less would be an immense disservice to the public and health advocates fighting to contain the disease."

Harvard Aids expert says Pope "correct" on condoms and spread of HIV -Times Online

Harvard Aids expert says Pope "correct" on condoms and spread of HIV -Times Online: "The head of a Harvard-based AIDs prevention centre says the Pope is “correct” to claim that condom distribution risks aggravating the transmission of HIV."

Daily Express | UK News :: Oily fish 'can stop cancer'

Daily Express | UK News :: Oily fish 'can stop cancer': "EATING oily fish just once a week could help men to survive prostate cancer, scientists revealed yesterday.

A study shows a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as herring, salmon and mackerel could prevent development of the deadly disease.

The oils are also believed to be able to block the spread of existing tumour cells, acting as a kind of treatment."

BBC NEWS | Health | Steaming hot tea linked to cancer

BBC NEWS | Health | Steaming hot tea linked to cancer: "Drinking steaming hot tea has been linked with an increased risk of oesophageal (food tube) cancer, Iranian scientists have found.

The British Medical Journal study found that drinking black tea at temperatures of 70C or higher increased the risk."

Want to live longer? Cut back on red meat - CNN.com

Want to live longer? Cut back on red meat - CNN.com: "'This is the biggest and highest quality study like this,' says Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, which was published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine. 'They collected the diet data very carefully, and it's saying to people, 'You don't have to eat red meat every day.' '"

Scientist: Warming Could Cut Population to 1 Billion - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com

Scientist: Warming Could Cut Population to 1 Billion - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com: "COPENHAGEN — A scientist known for his aggressive stance on climate policy made an apocalyptic prediction on Thursay.

Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, said that if the buildup of greenhouse gases and its consequences pushed global temperatures 9 degrees Fahrenheit higher than today — well below the upper temperature range that scientists project could occur from global warming — Earth’s population would be devastated."

UW-Milwaukee Study Could Realign Climate Change Theory - Milwaukee Weather News Story - WISN Milwaukee

UW-Milwaukee Study Could Realign Climate Change Theory - Milwaukee Weather News Story - WISN Milwaukee: "MILWAUKEE -- The bitter cold and record snowfalls from two wicked winters are causing people to ask if the global climate is truly changing.

The climate is known to be variable and, in recent years, more scientific thought and research has been focused on the global temperature and how humanity might be influencing it.

However, a new study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could turn the climate change world upside down."

U.S., Israel at Odds Over Iran's Nuclear Weapons Aspirations - washingtonpost.com

U.S., Israel at Odds Over Iran's Nuclear Weapons Aspirations - washingtonpost.com: "Iran has not produced the highly enriched uranium necessary for a nuclear weapon and has not decided to do so, U.S. intelligence officials told Congress yesterday, an assessment that contrasts with a stark Israeli warning days earlier that Iran has crossed the 'technological threshold' in its pursuit of the bomb."

Greenland ice tipping point 'further off than thought' | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Greenland ice tipping point 'further off than thought' | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "The giant Greenland ice sheet may be more resistant to temperature rise than experts realised. The finding gives hope that the worst impacts of global warming, such as the devastating floods depicted in Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth, could yet be avoided."

Caravaggio may have been the first master of photographic technique | Art and design | The Guardian

Caravaggio may have been the first master of photographic technique | Art and design | The Guardian: "Revered as the baroque master of lifelike portraits and light and shadow, the 16th-century painter Caravaggio is now being touted as the first master of photographic technique, two centuries before the formal invention of the camera."

BBC NEWS | Health | Nano-treatment to torpedo cancer

BBC NEWS | Health | Nano-treatment to torpedo cancer: "Nanotechnology has been used for the first time to destroy cancer cells with a highly targeted package of 'tumour busting' genes."

Daily Express | UK News :: Global warming? It’s the coldest winter in decades

Daily Express | UK News :: Global warming? It’s the coldest winter in decades: "Satellite data shows that concerns over the levels of sea ice may have been premature.

It was feared that the polar caps were vanishing because of the effects of global warming.

But figures from the respected US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that almost all the “lost” ice has come back."

globeandmail.com: Canadians make stem-cell breakthrough

globeandmail.com: Canadians make stem-cell breakthrough: "OTTAWA -- Canadian researchers have discovered a new way to turn skin cells into stem cells with fewer potential risks to patients.

Their work removes major barriers to using stem cells, which have an endless capacity for self-renewal, in new medical therapies for people with spinal cord injuries or diseases such as diabetes or Parkinson's."

16 US banks collapse in just two months- International Business-News-The Economic Times

16 US banks collapse in just two months- International Business-News-The Economic Times: "NEW YORK: With the financial meltdown continuing unabated, US has already seen the collapse of 16 banks in the last two months -- which is more
than one-fourth the total number of failures in the last nine years."

Japan's boffins: Global warming isn't man-made • The Register

Japan's boffins: Global warming isn't man-made • The Register: "What is the source of the rise in atmospheric temperature in the second half of the 20th century?

Shunichi Akasofu
[Founding Director of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)

Introductory discussion.

Point 1.1: Global Warming has halted"

.: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works :: Minority Page :.

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Minority Page "“Anthropogenic (man-made) global warming bites the dust,” declared astronomer Dr. Ian Wilson after reviewing the new study which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Another scientist said the peer-reviewed study overturned “in one fell swoop” the climate fears promoted by the UN and former Vice President Al Gore. The study entitled “Heat Capacity, Time Constant, and Sensitivity of Earth’s Climate System,” was authored by Brookhaven National Lab scientist Stephen Schwartz. (LINK)"

Princeton Physicist Tells Congress Earth in 'CO2 Famine' -- Increase 'Will Be Good for Mankind'

Princeton Physicist Tells Congress Earth in 'CO2 Famine' -- Increase 'Will Be Good for Mankind': "Dr. William Happer, currently a professor of Physics at Princeton University, was once fired by Gore at the Department of Energy in 1993 for disagreeing with the vice president on the effects of ozone to humans and plant life, also disagrees with Gore’s claim that manmade carbon dioxide (CO2) increases the temperature of the earth and is a threat to mankind. Happer appeared before the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee on Feb. 25 and explained CO2 is in short-supply in relative terms of the history of the planet.



“Many people don’t realize that over geological time, we’re really in a CO2 famine now. Almost never has CO2 levels been as low as it has been in the Holocene [geologic epoch] – 280 [parts per million (ppm)] – that’s unheard of,” Happer said. “Most of the time, it’s at least 1,000 [ppm] and it’s been quite higher than that.”



Happer said that when CO2 levels were higher – much higher than they are now, the laws of nature still managed to function as we understand them today."

Holder says Feds will stop medical marijuana raids - War Room - Salon.com

Holder says Feds will stop medical marijuana raids - War Room - Salon.com: "For those of you keeping score at home, add another major policy shift by the Obama administration to the tally. Breaking with precedent set under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the Department of Justice will not raid medical marijuana dispensaries allowed under certain state laws."

Japan's boffins: Global warming isn't man-made • The Register

Japan's boffins: Global warming isn't man-made • The Register: "Japanese scientists have made a dramatic break with the UN and Western-backed hypothesis of climate change in a new report from its Energy Commission.

Three of the five researchers disagree with the UN's IPCC view that recent warming is primarily the consequence of man-made industrial emissions of greenhouse gases. Remarkably, the subtle and nuanced language typical in such reports has been set aside.

One of the five contributors compares computer climate modelling to ancient astrology. Others castigate the paucity of the US ground temperature data set used to support the hypothesis, and declare that the unambiguous warming trend from the mid-part of the 20th Century has ceased."

Study: One Alcoholic Drink Per Day Increases Women's Cancer Risk - washingtonpost.com

Study: One Alcoholic Drink Per Day Increases Women's Cancer Risk - washingtonpost.com: "A new study involving nearly 1.3 million middle-aged British women -- the largest ever to examine whether alcohol increases a woman's risk of cancer -- found that just one glass of chardonnay, a single beer or any other type of alcoholic drink per day poses a danger."

Anger really can kill you, U.S. study shows | Reuters

Anger really can kill you, U.S. study shows | Reuters: "CHICAGO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Anger and other strong emotions can trigger potentially deadly heart rhythms in certain vulnerable people, U.S. researchers said on Monday."

Simple elixir called a 'miracle liquid' - Los Angeles Times

Simple elixir called a 'miracle liquid' - Los Angeles Times: "It's a kitchen degreaser. It's a window cleaner. It kills athlete's foot. Oh, and you can drink it.

Sounds like the old 'Saturday Night Live' gag for Shimmer, the faux floor polish plugged by Gilda Radner. But the elixir is real. It has been approved by U.S. regulators. And it's starting to replace the toxic chemicals Americans use at home and on the job."

Scientists May Have New Way to Fight the Flu - US News and World Report

Scientists May Have New Way to Fight the Flu - US News and World Report: "SUNDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A new scientific discovery could someday lead to medications to fight the flu as well as a vaccine that would not have to be changed every year because it could target a broad range of flu strains."

An Oral History of the Bush White House | vanityfair.com

An Oral History of the Bush White House | vanityfair.com: "The threat of 9/11 ignored. The threat of Iraq hyped and manipulated. Guant�namo and Abu Ghraib. Hurricane Katrina. The shredding of civil liberties. The rise of Iran. Global warming. Economic disaster. How did one two-term presidency go so wrong? A sweeping draft of history—distilled from scores of interviews—offers fresh insight into the roles of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and other key players."

Stock Decline Hits Depression Levels - BusinessWeek

Stock Decline Hits Depression Levels - BusinessWeek: "Money invested 10 years ago in stocks have lost half their real value, matching the worst ten years of the Great Depression"

Geronimo's kin sue Skull and Bones society - Life- msnbc.com

Geronimo's kin sue Skull and Bones society - Life- msnbc.com: "HARTFORD, Connecticut - Geronimo's descendants have sued Skull and Bones — the secret society at Yale University linked to presidents and other powerful figures — claiming that its members stole the remains of the legendary Apache leader decades ago and have kept them ever since."

Is Israel assassinating Iran nuclear scientists? - Haaretz - Israel News

Is Israel assassinating Iran nuclear scientists? - Haaretz - Israel News: "Israel is assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists as part of a covert war against the Islamic Republic's illicit weapons program, the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday quoted Western intelligence analysts as saying.

The British daily said Israel's Mossad espionage agency was rumored to be behind the death of Ardeshire Hassanpour, a top nuclear scientist at Iran's Isfahan uranium plant, who died in mysterious circumstances from reported 'gas poisoning' in 2007.

Other recent deaths of important figures in the procurement and enrichment process in Iran and Europe have been the result of Israeli 'hits', intended to deprive Tehran of key technical skills at the head of the program, according to the analysts.
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The Telegraph also quoted United States intelligence sources as saying Israel is using sabotage, front companies and double agents to disrupt the regime's illicit weapons project as an alternative to direct military strikes."

Coffee Drinking Lowers Women's Stroke Risk - US News and World Report

Coffee Drinking Lowers Women's Stroke Risk - US News and World Report: "MONDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking coffee appears to lower the risk for stroke among women, with more consumption translating into more protection, Spanish and American researchers suggest."

Spy chief: We risk a police state - Telegraph

Spy chief: We risk a police state - Telegraph: "Dame Stella Rimington, the former head of MI5, has warned that the fear of terrorism is being exploited by the Government to erode civil liberties and risks creating a police state."

2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure

2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure: "Report Card 2009 Grades"

Coffee Drinking Lowers Women's Stroke Risk - US News and World Report

Coffee Drinking Lowers Women's Stroke Risk - US News and World Report: "MONDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking coffee appears to lower the risk for stroke among women, with more consumption translating into more protection, Spanish and American researchers suggest."

Man appears free of HIV after stem cell transplant - CNN.com

Man appears free of HIV after stem cell transplant - CNN.com: "A 42-year-old HIV patient with leukemia appears to have no detectable HIV in his blood and no symptoms after a stem cell transplant from a donor carrying a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to the virus that causes AIDS, according to a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

'The patient is fine,' said Dr. Gero Hutter of Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany. 'Today, two years after his transplantation, he is still without any signs of HIV disease and without antiretroviral medication.'"

Former astronaut speaks out on global warming - BostonHerald.com

Former astronaut speaks out on global warming - BostonHerald.com: "SANTA FE, N.M. - Former astronaut Harrison Schmitt, who walked on the moon and once served New Mexico in the U.S. Senate, doesn’t believe that humans are causing global warming."

The Dark Side of the Moon: 40 years after moon landing the doubts persist - mirror.co.uk

The Dark Side of the Moon: 40 years after moon landing the doubts persist - mirror.co.uk

George F. Will - Dark Green Doomsayers - washingtonpost.com

George F. Will - Dark Green Doomsayers - washingtonpost.com: "As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979."

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury - washingtonpost.com

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury - washingtonpost.com: "MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies."

27,000 Work in Pentagon PR and Recruiting | Danger Room from Wired.com

27,000 Work in Pentagon PR and Recruiting | Danger Room from Wired.com: "'This year, the Pentagon will employ 27,000 people just for recruitment, advertising and public relations — almost as many as the total 30,000-person work force in the State Department.'"

Muslim investors profit by adhering to faith

Muslim investors profit by adhering to faith: "As credit markets have imploded, triggering a global economic crisis, Islamically correct investors have seen a change of fortune: The conservative principles this small group of devout Muslims clung to during the economic heyday has insulated them from the worst of the past year's suffering."

'Apocalyptic predictions' mislead the public on climate change, say experts | Environment | guardian.co.uk

'Apocalyptic predictions' mislead the public on climate change, say experts | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Experts at Britain's top climate research centre have launched a blistering attack on scientific colleagues and journalists who exaggerate the effects of global warming.

The Met Office Hadley Centre, one of the most prestigious research facilities in the world, says recent 'apocalyptic predictions' about Arctic ice melt and soaring temperatures are as bad as claims that global warming does not exist. Such statements, however well-intentioned, distort the science and could undermine efforts to tackle carbon emissions, it says.

In an article published on the Guardian website, Dr Vicky Pope, head of climate change advice at the Met Office, calls on scientists and journalists to stop misleading the public with 'claim and counter-claim'."

Pain Beam to Get Tougher, Smaller, More Powerful | Danger Room from Wired.com

Pain Beam to Get Tougher, Smaller, More Powerful | Danger Room from Wired.com: "The Pentagon's pain beam weapon could get tougher, smaller, more powerful, and more mobile under a series of new research and development projects. And that could pave the way for the so-called 'Active Denial System' to finally be sent to war."

ABC News: Just Say No ... or Else You Get Cancer?

ABC News: Just Say No ... or Else You Get Cancer?: "For the first time, researchers have linked frequent marijuana use to an increased risk of testicular cancer, according to an article published today in the journal Cancer."

Aspirin once a YEAR 'cuts stomach cancer risk' by a third, promising new study shows | Mail Online

Aspirin once a YEAR 'cuts stomach cancer risk' by a third, promising new study shows | Mail Online: "Taking aspirin just once a year could lower the risk of stomach cancer by more than a third, research suggests."

Washington Times - BELLAMY/DUCHAMP: World is getting colder

Washington Times - BELLAMY/DUCHAMP: World is getting colder: "As President Obama takes office, and as the European Union is about to waste one trillion euros to de-carbonize the economy (in a bid to stop nonexistent man-made global warming) they would be well-advised to perform a reality check on what's currently happening to the climate. Talking to independent scientists about the positive properties of CO2 (plant food that enhances crops) would also be a good idea.

If they don't, we may be in for mass starvation. And let's not forget that the world population is increasing by about 78 million every year.

David J. Bellamy is a professor at three British universities and an officer in several conservation organizations. Mark Duchamp, a retired businessman, has investigated global- warming theory and written more than 100 articles."

Global Warming Is Irreversible, Study Says : NPR

Global Warming Is Irreversible, Study Says : NPR: "'People have imagined that if we stopped emitting carbon dioxide that the climate would go back to normal in 100 years or 200 years. What we're showing here is that's not right. It's essentially an irreversible change that will last for more than a thousand years,' Solomon says."

Caffeine Can Cause Hallucinations | LiveScience

Caffeine Can Cause Hallucinations | LiveScience: "People who take in the caffeine equivalent of three cups of brewed coffee (or seven cups of instant) are more likely to hallucinate, a new study suggests."

Ponzi Schemes - News - The New York Times

Ponzi Schemes - News - The New York Times: "In a Ponzi scheme, potential investors are wooed with promises of unusually large returns, usually attributed to the investment manager’s savvy, skill or some other secret sauce.

The returns are repaid, at least for a time, out of new investors’ principal, not from profits. This can continue as long as new investors line up with cash, and old investors don’t try to withdraw too much of their money at once.

Ponzi schemes are also known as pyramid schemes, from the shape of any chart that reflects their basic premise -- that ever-growing layers of new recruits are needed to provide gains to the smaller, earlier cohorts. A gigantic pyramid scheme virtually bankrupted Albania after the fall of Communism."

Madoff's fund may not have made a single trade - Yahoo! News

Madoff's fund may not have made a single trade - Yahoo! News: "BOSTON (Reuters) – Bernie Madoff's investment fund may never have executed a single trade, industry officials say, suggesting detailed statements mailed to investors each month may have been an elaborate mirage in a $50 billion fraud.

An industry-run regulator for brokerage firms said on Thursday there was no record of Madoff's investment fund placing trades through his brokerage operation.

That means Madoff either placed trades through other brokerage firms, a move industry officials consider unlikely, or he was not executing trades at all."

IMEU: Comparison of military strength of Israel and the Palestinians

IMEU: Comparison of military strength of Israel and the Palestinians

Drinking coffee reduces risk of Alzheimer's: study - Yahoo! News

Drinking coffee reduces risk of Alzheimer's: study - Yahoo! News: "STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Middle-aged people who drink moderate amounts of coffee significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a study by Finnish and Swedish researchers showed Thursday."

The earth's magnetic field impacts climate: Danish study - Yahoo! News

The earth's magnetic field impacts climate: Danish study - Yahoo! News: "COPENHAGEN (AFP) – The earth's climate has been significantly affected by the planet's magnetic field, according to a Danish study published Monday that could challenge the notion that human emissions are responsible for global warming."

Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Significant Regulation - NYTimes.com

Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Significant Regulation - NYTimes.com: "The coal ash pond that ruptured and sent a billion gallons of toxic sludge across 300 acres of East Tennessee last month was only one of more than 1,300 similar dumps across the United States — most of them unregulated and unmonitored — that contain billions more gallons of fly ash and other byproducts of burning coal."

LiveLeak.com - Yellowstone Supervolcano Eruption Close ?..

LiveLeak.com - Yellowstone Supervolcano Eruption Close ?..

BBC NEWS | Europe | Vatican divorces from Italian law

BBC NEWS | Europe | Vatican divorces from Italian law: "With effect from New Year's Day, the Pope has decided that the Vatican will no longer automatically adopt laws passed by the Italian parliament."

DailyTech - Defying Predictions, Sea Level Rise Begins to Slow

DailyTech - Defying Predictions, Sea Level Rise Begins to Slow: "Satellite altimetry data indicates that the rate at which the world's oceans are rising has slowed significantly since 2005. Before the decrease, sea level had been rising by more than 3mm/year, which corresponds to an increase of about one foot per century. Since 2005, however, the rate has been closer to 2mm/year.

The decrease is significant as global climate models predict sea level rise to accelerate as atmospheric CO2 continues to increase. In the 1990s, when such acceleration appeared to be occurring, some scientists pointed to it as confirmation the models were operating correctly."

DailyTech - Princeton Physicist Calls Global Warming Science "Mistaken"

DailyTech - Princeton Physicist Calls Global Warming Science "Mistaken": "Noted energy expert and Princeton physicist Dr. Will Happer has sharply criticized global warming alarmism. Happer, author of over 200 scientific papers and a past director of energy research at the Department of Energy, called fears over global warming 'mistaken'.

'I have spent a long research career studying physics that is closely related to the greenhouse effect', said Happer. 'Fears about man-made global warming are unwarranted and are not based on good science.'

Dr. Happer views climate change as a predominately natural process. 'The earth's climate is changing now, as it always has. There is no evidence that the changes differ in any qualitative way from those of the past.'"

Secret of the Lusitania: Arms find challenges Allied claims it was solely a passenger ship | Mail Online

Secret of the Lusitania: Arms find challenges Allied claims it was solely a passenger ship | Mail Online: "Her sinking with the loss of almost 1,200 lives caused such outrage that it propelled the U.S. into the First World War.

But now divers have revealed a dark secret about the cargo carried by the Lusitania on its final journey in May 1915.

Munitions they found in the hold suggest that the Germans had been right all along in claiming the ship was carrying war materials and was a legitimate military target."

Press TV - Iraq cheers reporter for Bush shoe attack

Press TV - Iraq cheers reporter for Bush shoe attack: "A study conducted by ORB -- a well-known British polling agency which has been tracking public opinion in Iraq since 2005 -- estimated in September 2007 that 1.2 million Iraqis had been killed in violence-related incidents following the March 2003 invasion of the country.

This is while Human Rights Watch estimates put the number of those killed during a period of twenty years of the reign of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein at 250,000 to 290,000."

Fingerprints Can Reveal Drug Use, Medical History : Discovery News

Fingerprints Can Reveal Drug Use, Medical History : Discovery News: "Dec. 10, 2008 -- A careless touch could be all police or insurance companies need to determine not only your identity, but also your past drug use, if you've fired a gun or handled explosives, even specific medical conditions."

Palm Vein ID Scan Makes U.S. Debut : Discovery News

Palm Vein ID Scan Makes U.S. Debut : Discovery News: "'It's easy to steal a fingerprint,' said Hiroko Naito, a member of Fujitsu's PalmSecure Team that developed the technology. 'Palm vein information physically resides inside the patient, making it harder to steal.'"

'Mind-reading' software could record your dreams - tech - 12 December 2008 - New Scientist

'Mind-reading' software could record your dreams - tech - 12 December 2008 - New Scientist: "Pictures you are observing can now be recreated with software that uses nothing but scans of your brain. It is the first 'mind reading' technology to create such images from scratch, rather than picking them out from a pool of possible images."

Scientists extract images directly from brain ::: Pink Tentacle

Scientists extract images directly from brain ::: Pink Tentacle: "Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep."

Iraq and China Sign $3 Billion Oil Contract - washingtonpost.com

Iraq and China Sign $3 Billion Oil Contract - washingtonpost.com: "BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 -- Iraq and China signed a $3 billion deal this week to develop a large Iraqi oil field, the first major commercial oil contract here with a foreign company since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion."

California stop-smoking campaign saved $86 billion: report

California stop-smoking campaign saved $86 billion: report: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - California's large-scale tobacco control campaign has saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, U.S. researchers said on Monday."

South Ossetia conflict: Russia seeks Chinese support as West warns of new dangers - Telegraph

South Ossetia conflict: Russia seeks Chinese support as West warns of new dangers - Telegraph: "Russia sought to bolster its diplomatic position in its stand off with the West over Georgia today by dispatching President Dmitry Medvedev to meet his Chinese counterpart."

Russian general says Poland open to nuclear strike - Times Online

Russian general says Poland open to nuclear strike - Times Online: "A senior Russian general warned Poland today that it was leaving itself open to retaliation - and possibly even a nuclear strike - by agreeing to host a US missile base."

Army tests James Bond style tank that is 'invisible' | Mail Online

Army tests James Bond style tank that is 'invisible' | Mail Online: "New technology that can make tanks invisible has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence.

In secret trials last week, the Army said it had made a vehicle completely disappear and predicted that an invisible tank would be ready for service by 2012.

The new technology uses cameras and projectors to beam images of the surrounding landscape onto a tank."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Pet dogs can 'catch' human yawns

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Pet dogs can 'catch' human yawns: "Yawning is known to be contagious in humans but now scientists have shown that pet dogs can catch a yawn, too."

Sleep on It: How Snoozing Makes You Smarter: Scientific American

Sleep on It: How Snoozing Makes You Smarter: Scientific American: "Whether deciding to go to a particular college, accept a challenging job offer or propose to a future spouse, “sleeping on it” seems to provide the clarity we need to piece together life’s puzzles. But how does slumber present us with answers?"

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works - Yahoo! News

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works - Yahoo! News: "While the quest for the proverbial Fountain of Youth is endless and typically fruitless, one method known to extend the human lifespan by up to five years has quietly become accepted among leading researchers.

The formula is simple: Eat less. It could add years to your life, several experts now say. And done in moderation, it could at least help you live a more healthy life."

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution - MIT News Office

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution - MIT News Office: "In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine."

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works - Yahoo! News

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works - Yahoo! News: "While the quest for the proverbial Fountain of Youth is endless and typically fruitless, one method known to extend the human lifespan by up to five years has quietly become accepted among leading researchers.

The formula is simple: Eat less. It could add years to your life, several experts now say. And done in moderation, it could at least help you live a more healthy life."

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works - Yahoo! News

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works - Yahoo! News: "The formula is simple: Eat less. It could add years to your life, several experts now say. And done in moderation, it could at least help you live a more healthy life."

Rare Microorganism That Produces Hydrogen May Be Key To Tomorrow's Hydrogen Economy

Rare Microorganism That Produces Hydrogen May Be Key To Tomorrow's Hydrogen Economy

Hackers crack cash machine PIN codes to steal millions

Hackers crack cash machine PIN codes to steal millions

Are you Roman tonight? Statue of 'Elvis' chiselled 1800 years before his birth goes under the hammer | Mail Online

Are you Roman tonight? Statue of 'Elvis' chiselled 1800 years before his birth goes under the hammer | Mail Online: "With his dashing chiselled features, swept back hair and perky bouffant the resemblance is unmistakable.

But incredibly this carving of Elvis Presley was created around 1800 years before the King of Rock and Roll first warbled his first note."

BBC NEWS | Health | Soy foods 'reduce sperm numbers'

BBC NEWS | Health | Soy foods 'reduce sperm numbers': "A regular diet of even modest amounts of food containing soy may halve sperm concentrations, suggest scientists."

SCMP.com - the online edition of South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's premier English-language newspaper

SCMP.com - the online edition of South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's premier English-language newspaper: "Beijing authorities are secretly planning to ban black people and others it considers social undesirables from entering the city s bars during the Olympic Games a move that would contradict the official slogan 'One World One Dream'."

The World Health Organization Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies | DrugReporter | AlterNet

The World Health Organization Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies | DrugReporter | AlterNet

Watermelon May Have Viagra-effect

Watermelon May Have Viagra-effect

Spiritual Effects Of Hallucinogens Persist, Researchers Report

Spiritual Effects Of Hallucinogens Persist, Researchers Report: "'This is a truly remarkable finding ' Griffiths says. 'Rarely in psychological research do we see such persistently positive reports from a single event in the laboratory. This gives credence to the claims that the mystical-type experiences some people have during hallucinogen sessions may help patients suffering from cancer-related anxiety or depression and may serve as a potential treatment for drug dependence. We re eager to move ahead with that research.'"