18.12.04
George Harrison guitar sells for $567,500
George Harrison guitar sells for $567,500: "A classic Gibson guitar used by George Harrison on the Beatles' 'Revolver' album and by John Lennon on the 'White Album' sold Friday to an anonymous bidder for $567,500, Christie's auction house announced."
Wine and chocolate help you live longer and better
Wine and chocolate help you live longer and better: "A Dutch researchers has found that wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruit and vegetables, garlic and almonds eaten regularly can lower your chances of developing heart disease later in life by 76%.
Results of dining on the Polymeal were most dramatic for men, who were projected to live on average 6.6 years longer in total than those not eating the meal. Men will also live for nine years longer without succumbing to heart disease, and those that do will suffer it for less years of their lives. "
Results of dining on the Polymeal were most dramatic for men, who were projected to live on average 6.6 years longer in total than those not eating the meal. Men will also live for nine years longer without succumbing to heart disease, and those that do will suffer it for less years of their lives. "
17.12.04
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Nano-needle' operates on cell
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Nano-needle' operates on cell: "Scientists have performed a delicate surgical operation on a single living cell, using a needle that is just a few billionths of a metre wide.
They claim the procedure could be used to manipulate embryonic stem cells intended for use in medical treatment.
This 'nano-needle' was used together with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to penetrate the membrane of a cell to a depth of one or two micrometres."
They claim the procedure could be used to manipulate embryonic stem cells intended for use in medical treatment.
This 'nano-needle' was used together with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to penetrate the membrane of a cell to a depth of one or two micrometres."
Dec 17 $$$ Even Hijackers Shun Dollars Texas Hedge 321gold
Dec 17 $$$ Even Hijackers Shun Dollars Texas Hedge 321gold: "Just a few days ago, the South China Morning Post reported that Chinese upper and even middle class citizens are lining up in the streets of Beijing and Shanghai to exchange Dollar savings for gold bullion. Chinese citizens, whose Yuan is pegged to the Dollar (which produces negative real interest rates), are now seeking to diversify in the face of an increasing current account imbalance as well as a likely revaluation in the coming years.
Because foreigners are much better acquainted with foreign exchange rates and currency movement, they are usually way ahead of Americans in this category. The sounding of the Dollar alarm by the French was what led to Richard Nixon's Dollar devaluation. Thirty years later, it seems that the Dollar alarm is being cranked up again by the Asians, Europeans, Arabs and just about anyone who doesn't watch CNBC. Speaking of CNBC, it was funny to watch former General Electric CEO Jack Welch explain yesterday how more government borrowing will lead to growth and therefore a strong Dollar.
So how do you protect yourself or even profit from this coming Dollar crisis? Surprisingly, we don't think the answer is to load up on euros or other currencies. While we think the Dollar is in bad shape, we think the Euro, Yen or Aussie Dollar are not much healthier. Some of those countries' governments run deficits as a percentage of GDP that are in line with America's. Therefore we expect a series of competitive currency devaluations which will likely result in inflation around the world. The only currencies that you should consider to be 'safe' are the world's two oldest - gold & silver."
Because foreigners are much better acquainted with foreign exchange rates and currency movement, they are usually way ahead of Americans in this category. The sounding of the Dollar alarm by the French was what led to Richard Nixon's Dollar devaluation. Thirty years later, it seems that the Dollar alarm is being cranked up again by the Asians, Europeans, Arabs and just about anyone who doesn't watch CNBC. Speaking of CNBC, it was funny to watch former General Electric CEO Jack Welch explain yesterday how more government borrowing will lead to growth and therefore a strong Dollar.
So how do you protect yourself or even profit from this coming Dollar crisis? Surprisingly, we don't think the answer is to load up on euros or other currencies. While we think the Dollar is in bad shape, we think the Euro, Yen or Aussie Dollar are not much healthier. Some of those countries' governments run deficits as a percentage of GDP that are in line with America's. Therefore we expect a series of competitive currency devaluations which will likely result in inflation around the world. The only currencies that you should consider to be 'safe' are the world's two oldest - gold & silver."
16.12.04
Science News Article | Reuters.com
Science News Article | Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Turkey leftovers will take on a whole new use after a Minnesota company finishes construction of a power plant fired by the birds' droppings.
It may not be the total answer to relieving the United States' addiction to foreign oil, but the plant will burn 90 percent turkey dung and create clean power for 55,000 homes.
Three poultry litter plants have already been built in England, but the Benson, Minnesota-based facility will be the first large-scale plant of its type in the U.S. and the largest in the world, according to operator Fibrominn, a subsidiary of power plant builder Homeland Renewable Energy, LLC of Boston."
It may not be the total answer to relieving the United States' addiction to foreign oil, but the plant will burn 90 percent turkey dung and create clean power for 55,000 homes.
Three poultry litter plants have already been built in England, but the Benson, Minnesota-based facility will be the first large-scale plant of its type in the U.S. and the largest in the world, according to operator Fibrominn, a subsidiary of power plant builder Homeland Renewable Energy, LLC of Boston."
15.12.04
The Prophet of Immortality - Popular Science
The Prophet of Immortality - Popular Science: "The Prophet of Immortality
Controversial theorist Aubrey de Grey insists that we are within reach of an engineered cure for aging. Are you prepared to live forever?"
Controversial theorist Aubrey de Grey insists that we are within reach of an engineered cure for aging. Are you prepared to live forever?"
Weekly Planet | THIS WEEK IN TALK OF THE TOWN
Weekly Planet | THIS WEEK IN TALK OF THE TOWN: "LSD For OCD?
A Sarasota nonprofit sees a non-traditional remedy for OCD.
BY ALLYSON GONZALEZ
Rick Doblin had a vision. The Chicago-born Jew had grown up under the shadow of World War II, and came of age feeling that the capacities of the human brain had been undernourished and overlooked. The mind, Doblin thought, was a powerful tool that often fell short of its full potential and, as a result, a profound cultural insanity had emerged.
He arrived at these conclusions in 1982, 10 years after dropping out of New College as a freshman. His first LSD trip, just months after he enrolled in the school, had cracked open the idea that emotional transformation could be achieved through psychedelic drug use. By bringing the unconsciousness to the surface through psychedelics, Doblin felt the future of humanity could change. Everyone from seekers to those with a variety of physical and mental struggles -- including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- could benefit."
A Sarasota nonprofit sees a non-traditional remedy for OCD.
BY ALLYSON GONZALEZ
Rick Doblin had a vision. The Chicago-born Jew had grown up under the shadow of World War II, and came of age feeling that the capacities of the human brain had been undernourished and overlooked. The mind, Doblin thought, was a powerful tool that often fell short of its full potential and, as a result, a profound cultural insanity had emerged.
He arrived at these conclusions in 1982, 10 years after dropping out of New College as a freshman. His first LSD trip, just months after he enrolled in the school, had cracked open the idea that emotional transformation could be achieved through psychedelic drug use. By bringing the unconsciousness to the surface through psychedelics, Doblin felt the future of humanity could change. Everyone from seekers to those with a variety of physical and mental struggles -- including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- could benefit."
NBC 4 - News - Judge Suspended For Wearing Blackface To Party
NBC 4 - News - Judge Suspended For Wearing Blackface To Party: "Judge Suspended For Wearing Blackface To Party
POSTED: 6:52 am EST December 14, 2004
NEW ORLEANS -- The Louisiana Supreme Court has given a judge a six-month suspension for wearing blackface makeup, handcuffs and a jail jumpsuit to a Halloween party.
Judge Timothy Ellender will lose all of his pay during the suspension. That totals more than $50,000.
Ellender, who is white, said the costumes worn by him and his wife were meant as a joke. She dressed as a policewoman. And the party's host, Ellender's brother-in-law, was dressed as Buckwheat.
The justices agreed Ellender did not mean to insult blacks. Still, they ordered him to take a sociology course to get 'a greater understanding of racial sensitivity.'"
POSTED: 6:52 am EST December 14, 2004
NEW ORLEANS -- The Louisiana Supreme Court has given a judge a six-month suspension for wearing blackface makeup, handcuffs and a jail jumpsuit to a Halloween party.
Judge Timothy Ellender will lose all of his pay during the suspension. That totals more than $50,000.
Ellender, who is white, said the costumes worn by him and his wife were meant as a joke. She dressed as a policewoman. And the party's host, Ellender's brother-in-law, was dressed as Buckwheat.
The justices agreed Ellender did not mean to insult blacks. Still, they ordered him to take a sociology course to get 'a greater understanding of racial sensitivity.'"
14.12.04
The New York Times > Technology > Google Is Adding Major Libraries to Its Database
The New York Times > Technology > Google Is Adding Major Libraries to Its Database: "Google, the operator of the world's most popular Internet search service, plans to announce an agreement today with some of the nation's leading research libraries and Oxford University to begin converting their holdings into digital files that would be freely searchable over the Web.
It may be only a step on a long road toward the long-predicted global virtual library. But the collaboration of Google and research institutions that also include Harvard, the University of Michigan, Stanford and the New York Public Library is a major stride in an ambitious Internet effort by various parties. The goal is to expand the Web beyond its current valuable, if eclectic, body of material and create a digital card catalog and searchable library for the world's books, scholarly papers and special collections."
It may be only a step on a long road toward the long-predicted global virtual library. But the collaboration of Google and research institutions that also include Harvard, the University of Michigan, Stanford and the New York Public Library is a major stride in an ambitious Internet effort by various parties. The goal is to expand the Web beyond its current valuable, if eclectic, body of material and create a digital card catalog and searchable library for the world's books, scholarly papers and special collections."
13.12.04
MSNBC - Ice Age mammoth flute found in Germany
MSNBC - Ice Age mammoth flute found in Germany BERLIN - Archaeologists have unearthed a 35,000-year-old flute made from a woolly mammoth’s ivory tusk in a German cave, the University of Tübingen said Friday.
The flute, one of the oldest musical instruments discovered, was pieced together from 31 fragments found in a cave in the Swabian mountains in southwestern Germany, the university said.
The flute, one of the oldest musical instruments discovered, was pieced together from 31 fragments found in a cave in the Swabian mountains in southwestern Germany, the university said.
12.12.04
e4engineering.com - Engineering news, engineering information and engineering jobs for engineering professionals
e4engineering.com - Engineering news, engineering information and engineering jobs for engineering professionals Scottish researchers are developing a hand-held Terahertz device to identify illegal drugs concealed within clothing, plastics, and potentially inside the human body.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews will next year build and test a prototype, based on an improved method of generating THz waves, in collaboration with crime science and technology specialist Forensic Alliance.
The team hopes that the use of THz waves will allow them to produce a portable device capable of distinguishing between different drugs, by detecting variations in frequency absorption between one type of molecule and another.
Other drug-detection methods — sniffer dogs and swiping the person or container with a trace detection system — rely on finding traces of the drug outside its packaging, but THz waves can see through paper, wood, plastic, fabrics, ceramics, bone, and human and animal tissue.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews will next year build and test a prototype, based on an improved method of generating THz waves, in collaboration with crime science and technology specialist Forensic Alliance.
The team hopes that the use of THz waves will allow them to produce a portable device capable of distinguishing between different drugs, by detecting variations in frequency absorption between one type of molecule and another.
Other drug-detection methods — sniffer dogs and swiping the person or container with a trace detection system — rely on finding traces of the drug outside its packaging, but THz waves can see through paper, wood, plastic, fabrics, ceramics, bone, and human and animal tissue.
Scoop: Is The Annexation Of Canada Part Of Bush's Agenda?
Scoop: Is The Annexation Of Canada Part Of Bush's Agenda?: "For nearly two years now, Ottawa has been quietly negotiating a far-reaching military cooperation agreement, which allows the US Military to cross the border and deploy troops anywhere in Canada, in our provinces, as well station American warships in Canadian territorial waters. This redesign of Canada's defense system is being discussed behind closed doors, not in Canada, but at the Peterson Air Force base in Colorado, at the headquarters of US Northern Command (NORTHCOM).
The creation of NORTHCOM announced in April 2002, constitutes a blatant violation of both Canadian and Mexican territorial sovereignty. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced unilaterally that US Northern Command would have jurisdiction over the entire North American region. Canada and Mexico were presented with a fait accompli. US Northern Command's jurisdiction as outlined by the US DoD includes, in addition to the continental US, all of Canada, Mexico, as well as portions of the Caribbean, contiguous waters in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans up to 500 miles off the Mexican, US and Canadian coastlines as well as the Canadian Arctic."
The creation of NORTHCOM announced in April 2002, constitutes a blatant violation of both Canadian and Mexican territorial sovereignty. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced unilaterally that US Northern Command would have jurisdiction over the entire North American region. Canada and Mexico were presented with a fait accompli. US Northern Command's jurisdiction as outlined by the US DoD includes, in addition to the continental US, all of Canada, Mexico, as well as portions of the Caribbean, contiguous waters in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans up to 500 miles off the Mexican, US and Canadian coastlines as well as the Canadian Arctic."
11.12.04
Article: Construction of world's tallest tower to begin�| New Scientist
Article: Construction of world's tallest tower to begin�| New Scientist: "The construction of what will be the world's tallest building is set to begin in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building contract was awarded to a consortium led by the South Korean Samsung Corporation on Thursday.
The Burj Dubai tower will stand 800 metres tall - just 5 metres shy of half a mile - once completed in 2008. That will be a full 350 metres taller that the tallest floored in the world today, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur."
The Burj Dubai tower will stand 800 metres tall - just 5 metres shy of half a mile - once completed in 2008. That will be a full 350 metres taller that the tallest floored in the world today, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur."
10.12.04
t r u t h o u t - C.I.A. Warning Leaked: Iraq Faces Descent into Chaos
t r u t h o u t - C.I.A. Warning Leaked: Iraq Faces Descent into Chaos: " Report leaked as 1,000th US soldier dies in action.
In all, 1,275 US service personnel have died since the invasion on March 20 last year. This figure includes accidents, suicides and other deaths not classed as killed in action. A total of 9,765 U.S. troops have been wounded.
The Bush administration's robust assertions that the situation in Iraq would improve with next month's elections were badly shaken yesterday with the leak of a gloomy end-of-tour cable from the departing CIA station chief in Baghdad.
The bleak assessment, reported in yesterday's New York Times, warned that Iraq would descend even deeper into violent chaos unless the government was able to assert its authority and deliver concrete economic improvements."
In all, 1,275 US service personnel have died since the invasion on March 20 last year. This figure includes accidents, suicides and other deaths not classed as killed in action. A total of 9,765 U.S. troops have been wounded.
The Bush administration's robust assertions that the situation in Iraq would improve with next month's elections were badly shaken yesterday with the leak of a gloomy end-of-tour cable from the departing CIA station chief in Baghdad.
The bleak assessment, reported in yesterday's New York Times, warned that Iraq would descend even deeper into violent chaos unless the government was able to assert its authority and deliver concrete economic improvements."
United Press International: Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters
United Press International: Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters: "WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. veterans from the war in Iraq are beginning to show up at homeless shelters around the country, and advocates fear they are the leading edge of a new generation of homeless vets not seen since the Vietnam era."
Countries that refuse US immunity 'face aid cuts' - World - www.smh.com.au
Countries that refuse US immunity 'face aid cuts' - World - www.smh.com.au: "Supporters of the International Criminal Court warned today that a law signed into effect by President George W Bush would cut off humanitarian aid to countries that refuse to grant Americans immunity from the world's first war crimes tribunal.
It will cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to countries that belong to the court, or ICC, but have not signed a so-called bilateral immunity agreement with the United States.
The bill, submitted by House Representative George Nethercutt, passed Congress as part of a $US388 billion ($513.43 billion) legislative package covering spending of every federal agency but the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security. It was approved by Congress and signed by Bush on Wednesday.
'None of the funds made available in this act ... may be used to provide assistance to the government of a country that is a party to the International Criminal Court and has not entered into an agreement with the United States,' a portion of the text reads."
It will cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to countries that belong to the court, or ICC, but have not signed a so-called bilateral immunity agreement with the United States.
The bill, submitted by House Representative George Nethercutt, passed Congress as part of a $US388 billion ($513.43 billion) legislative package covering spending of every federal agency but the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security. It was approved by Congress and signed by Bush on Wednesday.
'None of the funds made available in this act ... may be used to provide assistance to the government of a country that is a party to the International Criminal Court and has not entered into an agreement with the United States,' a portion of the text reads."
8.12.04
Aljazeera.Net - Ex-US marine: I killed Iraqi civilians
Aljazeera.Net - Ex-US marine: I killed Iraqi civilians: "A former US marine has said his unit killed more than 30 innocent Iraqi civilians in just two days.
In graphic testimony presented to a Canadian asylum tribunal on Monday, Sergeant Jimmy Massey's evidence appeared to bolster war crime claims made by fugitive US paratrooper Jeremy Hinzman.
The 26-yea-old Hinzman said he would face persecution if sent home to the US, in a politically charged case which could set a precedent for at least two other American deserters seeking asylum in Canada.
Massey told Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) that men under his command in the 3rd battalion, Seventh Marines, killed 30-plus civilians within 48 hours while on checkpoint duty in Baghdad.
'I do know that we killed innocent civilians,' he said, relating the chaotic days after the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. "
In graphic testimony presented to a Canadian asylum tribunal on Monday, Sergeant Jimmy Massey's evidence appeared to bolster war crime claims made by fugitive US paratrooper Jeremy Hinzman.
The 26-yea-old Hinzman said he would face persecution if sent home to the US, in a politically charged case which could set a precedent for at least two other American deserters seeking asylum in Canada.
Massey told Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) that men under his command in the 3rd battalion, Seventh Marines, killed 30-plus civilians within 48 hours while on checkpoint duty in Baghdad.
'I do know that we killed innocent civilians,' he said, relating the chaotic days after the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. "
WorldNetDaily: Plot to assassinate candidate confirmed
WorldNetDaily: Plot to assassinate candidate confirmed: "� 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Suspicions that Ukrainian political leader Viktor Yushchenko was the victim of an assassination plot have now been confirmed, as doctors in Austria say he was deliberately poisoned during the recent election campaign.
The London Times reports physicians at Vienna's Rudolfinerhaus clinic are within days of identifying the substance that left Yushchenko's face disfigured with cysts and lesions, believing it was either a biological or chemical agent, or possibly a rare poison."
Suspicions that Ukrainian political leader Viktor Yushchenko was the victim of an assassination plot have now been confirmed, as doctors in Austria say he was deliberately poisoned during the recent election campaign.
The London Times reports physicians at Vienna's Rudolfinerhaus clinic are within days of identifying the substance that left Yushchenko's face disfigured with cysts and lesions, believing it was either a biological or chemical agent, or possibly a rare poison."
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