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”. "
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