Officials say plan was to storm prisons, hijack planes to attack oil fields, carry out suicide missions against 'public figures'
Here Comes The VIDEO
Full Story: FOX NEWS
Friday, April 27, 2007
Ex-C.I.A. Chief, in Book, Assails Cheney on Iraq
WASHINGTON, April 26 — George J. Tenet, the former director of central intelligence, has lashed out against Vice President Dick Cheney and other Bush administration officials in a new book, saying they pushed the country to war in Iraq without ever conducting a “serious debate” about whether Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat to the United States.
The 549-page book, “At the Center of the Storm,” is to be published by HarperCollins on Monday. By turns accusatory, defensive, and modestly self-critical, it is the first detailed account by a member of the president’s inner circle of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the decision to invade Iraq and the failure to find the unconventional weapons that were a major justification for the war.
“There was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat,” Mr. Tenet writes in a devastating judgment that is likely to be debated for many years. Nor, he adds, “was there ever a significant discussion” about the possibility of containing Iraq without an invasion.
Mr. Tenet admits that he made his famous “slam dunk” remark about the evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But he argues that the quote was taken out of context and that it had little impact on President Bush’s decision to go to war. He also makes clear his bitter view that the administration made him a scapegoat for the Iraq war.
A copy of the book was purchased at retail price in advance of publication by a reporter for The New York Times. Mr. Tenet described with sarcasm watching an episode of “Meet the Press” last September in which Mr. Cheney twice referred to Mr. Tenet’s “slam dunk” remark as the basis for the decision to go to war.
“I remember watching and thinking, ‘As if you needed me to say ‘slam dunk’ to convince you to go to war with Iraq,’ ” Mr. Tenet writes.
As violence in Iraq spiraled beginning in late 2003, Mr. Tenet writes, “rather than acknowledge responsibility, the administration’s message was: Don’t blame us. George Tenet and the C.I.A. got us into this mess.”
Full Story: NY TIMES
The 549-page book, “At the Center of the Storm,” is to be published by HarperCollins on Monday. By turns accusatory, defensive, and modestly self-critical, it is the first detailed account by a member of the president’s inner circle of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the decision to invade Iraq and the failure to find the unconventional weapons that were a major justification for the war.
“There was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat,” Mr. Tenet writes in a devastating judgment that is likely to be debated for many years. Nor, he adds, “was there ever a significant discussion” about the possibility of containing Iraq without an invasion.
Mr. Tenet admits that he made his famous “slam dunk” remark about the evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But he argues that the quote was taken out of context and that it had little impact on President Bush’s decision to go to war. He also makes clear his bitter view that the administration made him a scapegoat for the Iraq war.
A copy of the book was purchased at retail price in advance of publication by a reporter for The New York Times. Mr. Tenet described with sarcasm watching an episode of “Meet the Press” last September in which Mr. Cheney twice referred to Mr. Tenet’s “slam dunk” remark as the basis for the decision to go to war.
“I remember watching and thinking, ‘As if you needed me to say ‘slam dunk’ to convince you to go to war with Iraq,’ ” Mr. Tenet writes.
As violence in Iraq spiraled beginning in late 2003, Mr. Tenet writes, “rather than acknowledge responsibility, the administration’s message was: Don’t blame us. George Tenet and the C.I.A. got us into this mess.”
Full Story: NY TIMES
Democrats fault Bush over Iraq in 1st debate
Democratic presidential hopefuls flashed their anti-war credentials Thursday night, heaping criticism on President Bush's Iraq policy in the first debate of the 2008 campaign.
"The first day I would get us out of Iraq by diplomacy," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of eight rivals on the debate stage.
"If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will," pledged Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
But Clinton found herself on the receiving end of criticism moments later when former North Carolina Sen.John Edwards said she or anyone else who voted to authorize the war should "search their conscience."
Edwards, in the Senate at the time, also cast his vote for the invasion, but he has since apologized for it.
Of the eight foes participating in the debate at South Carolina State University, four voted earlier in the day to support legislation that cleared Congress and requires the beginning of a troop withdrawal by Oct. 1. The legislation sets a goal of a complete withdrawal by April 1, 2008.
"We are one signature away from ending this war," said Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), D-Ill. He said if Bush won't change his mind about vetoing the bill, Democrats need to work on rounding up enough Republican votes to override him.
In addition to Obama and Clinton, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut also cast votes in favor of the legislation.
Full Story: Yahoo News
"The first day I would get us out of Iraq by diplomacy," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of eight rivals on the debate stage.
"If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will," pledged Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
But Clinton found herself on the receiving end of criticism moments later when former North Carolina Sen.John Edwards said she or anyone else who voted to authorize the war should "search their conscience."
Edwards, in the Senate at the time, also cast his vote for the invasion, but he has since apologized for it.
Of the eight foes participating in the debate at South Carolina State University, four voted earlier in the day to support legislation that cleared Congress and requires the beginning of a troop withdrawal by Oct. 1. The legislation sets a goal of a complete withdrawal by April 1, 2008.
"We are one signature away from ending this war," said Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), D-Ill. He said if Bush won't change his mind about vetoing the bill, Democrats need to work on rounding up enough Republican votes to override him.
In addition to Obama and Clinton, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut also cast votes in favor of the legislation.
Full Story: Yahoo News
Thursday, April 26, 2007
"Women's town" to put men in their place
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese tourism authorities are seeking investment to build a novel concept attraction -- the world's first "women's town," where men get punished for disobedience, an official said Thursday.
The 2.3-square-km Longshuihu village in the Shuangqiao district of Chongqing municipality, also known as "women's town," was based on the local traditional concept of "women rule and men obey," a tourism official told Reuters.
"Traditional women dominate and men have to be obedient in the areas of Sichuan province and Chongqing, and now we are using it as an idea to attract tourists and boost tourism," the official, surname Li, said by telephone.
The tourism bureau planned to invest between 200 million yuan ($26 million) and 300 million yuan in infrastructure, roads and buildings, Li said.
Full Story: Yahoo News
The 2.3-square-km Longshuihu village in the Shuangqiao district of Chongqing municipality, also known as "women's town," was based on the local traditional concept of "women rule and men obey," a tourism official told Reuters.
"Traditional women dominate and men have to be obedient in the areas of Sichuan province and Chongqing, and now we are using it as an idea to attract tourists and boost tourism," the official, surname Li, said by telephone.
The tourism bureau planned to invest between 200 million yuan ($26 million) and 300 million yuan in infrastructure, roads and buildings, Li said.
Full Story: Yahoo News
Rosie Falls from View
After one season, four public feuds, a few hundred thousand viewers and countless headlines, Rosie O'Donnell is calling it a day on daytime.
The larger-than-life View cohost announced on Wednesday morning's show that her first season as moderator of the femme-fueled coffee klatsch would also be her last, with her tenure scheduled to end in mid June.
"This has been an amazing experience and one I wouldn't have traded for the world," O'Donnell said. "Working with Barbara, Joy and Elisabeth has been one of the highlights of my careers, but my needs for the future just didn't dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me."
The network was trying to lock up O'Donnell with a three-year deal, something she was apparently unwilling to commit to. She earned a reported $3 million-plus under her current contract, a far cry from the $30 million she pocketed as solo host of The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which ended its run in 2002.
Full Story: E!
The larger-than-life View cohost announced on Wednesday morning's show that her first season as moderator of the femme-fueled coffee klatsch would also be her last, with her tenure scheduled to end in mid June.
"This has been an amazing experience and one I wouldn't have traded for the world," O'Donnell said. "Working with Barbara, Joy and Elisabeth has been one of the highlights of my careers, but my needs for the future just didn't dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me."
The network was trying to lock up O'Donnell with a three-year deal, something she was apparently unwilling to commit to. She earned a reported $3 million-plus under her current contract, a far cry from the $30 million she pocketed as solo host of The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which ended its run in 2002.
Full Story: E!
SENATE PASSES WITHDRAWAL LEGISLATION
The Senate today gave final approval to a $124 billion war spending bill that requires troop withdrawal from Iraq to begin by Oct. 1, with a goal of ending U.S. combat operations there by next March.
President Bush has pledged to veto the bill, and White House spokeswoman Dana Perino promised this morning he would act "very soon."
The Senate approved the measure by a 51-46 vote, a day after the House passed the bill by 218-208, brushing aside weeks of angry White House rhetoric and veto threats.
"It is time to end the loss of American lives and to begin to bring our soldiers home," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said on Senate floor this morning. "For the sake of our troops we cannot repeat the mistakes of Vietnam and allow this to drag on long after the American people know it's a mistake."
Today's vote completes work on the rarest of bills: legislation to try to end a major war as fighting still rages. Democrats hope to send the measure to the White House on Monday, almost exactly four years after President Bush declared an end to major combat in a speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. That would be a particularly pungent political anniversary for Bush to deliver only the second veto of his presidency.
President Bush has pledged to veto the bill, and White House spokeswoman Dana Perino promised this morning he would act "very soon."
The Senate approved the measure by a 51-46 vote, a day after the House passed the bill by 218-208, brushing aside weeks of angry White House rhetoric and veto threats.
"It is time to end the loss of American lives and to begin to bring our soldiers home," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said on Senate floor this morning. "For the sake of our troops we cannot repeat the mistakes of Vietnam and allow this to drag on long after the American people know it's a mistake."
Today's vote completes work on the rarest of bills: legislation to try to end a major war as fighting still rages. Democrats hope to send the measure to the White House on Monday, almost exactly four years after President Bush declared an end to major combat in a speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. That would be a particularly pungent political anniversary for Bush to deliver only the second veto of his presidency.
MySQL hits $50 million revenue, plans IPO
MySQL, purveyor of the open-source database of the same name, is on the road to becoming a publicly traded company, bolstered by $50 million in revenue in 2006.
"It's still in the pipeline," Chief Executive Marten Mickos said of the plan to hold an initial public offering of his company's stock. He declined to discuss when the company planned to go public, but said, "We're making good progress, doing all the things we need to get done."
During the days of dot-com mania, companies would go public without being profitable and in some cases without much in the way of revenue, and with investor enthusiasm bubbling at the time, many of them raised millions of dollars during their IPOs. MySQL, though, is working on building its business first.
The company garnered about $50 million in revenue in 2006, Mickos said in an interview at the MySQL Conference and Expo here. That compares with $6.5 million in 2002 and about $34 million in 2005, according to earlier figures Mickos cited in a speech two years earlier.
Of the company's bottom line, Mickos said, "Profitability isn't a specific goal yet, but we aren't burning cash. We go a bit above breakeven, a bit below breakeven."
Full Story: NEWS.COM
"It's still in the pipeline," Chief Executive Marten Mickos said of the plan to hold an initial public offering of his company's stock. He declined to discuss when the company planned to go public, but said, "We're making good progress, doing all the things we need to get done."
During the days of dot-com mania, companies would go public without being profitable and in some cases without much in the way of revenue, and with investor enthusiasm bubbling at the time, many of them raised millions of dollars during their IPOs. MySQL, though, is working on building its business first.
The company garnered about $50 million in revenue in 2006, Mickos said in an interview at the MySQL Conference and Expo here. That compares with $6.5 million in 2002 and about $34 million in 2005, according to earlier figures Mickos cited in a speech two years earlier.
Of the company's bottom line, Mickos said, "Profitability isn't a specific goal yet, but we aren't burning cash. We go a bit above breakeven, a bit below breakeven."
Full Story: NEWS.COM
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Dailies Review: Spider-Man 3
The three main recurring characters get stuck in a rut and the same can be said of the film itself in "Spider-Man 3." Click here to watch.
From: Variety Video:
From: Variety Video:
GIULIANI WARNS OF 'NEW 9/11' IF DEMS WIN
MANCHESTER, N.H. - - Rudy Giuliani said if a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001.
But if a Republican is elected, he said, especially if it is him, terrorist attacks can be anticipated and stopped.
“If any Republican is elected president - - and I think obviously I would be the best at this - - we will remain on offense and will anticipate what (the terrorists) will do and try to stop them before they do it,” Giuliani said.
The former New York City mayor, currently leading in all national polls for the Republican nomination for president, said Tuesday night that America would ultimately defeat terrorism no matter which party gains the White House.
“But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have?” Giuliani said. “If we are on defense (with a Democratic president,) we will have more losses and it will go on longer.”
Full Story: The Politico
But if a Republican is elected, he said, especially if it is him, terrorist attacks can be anticipated and stopped.
“If any Republican is elected president - - and I think obviously I would be the best at this - - we will remain on offense and will anticipate what (the terrorists) will do and try to stop them before they do it,” Giuliani said.
The former New York City mayor, currently leading in all national polls for the Republican nomination for president, said Tuesday night that America would ultimately defeat terrorism no matter which party gains the White House.
“But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have?” Giuliani said. “If we are on defense (with a Democratic president,) we will have more losses and it will go on longer.”
Full Story: The Politico
Man Not Guilty in 'Dungeon' Rapes
Darlington, S.C. (AP) -- A jury has found a convicted sex offender accused of raping two teen girls in an underground bunker not guilty of kidnapping, sex crimes and assault with intent to kill.
Kenneth Glenn Hinson, 48, wiped his eyes and mouth and appeared to cry after the jury read its verdict, which followed about four hours of deliberations over two days.
"I think the verdict says it all," he said as he was escorted from the courtroom.
Authorities had charged that Hinson snatched the 17-year-old girls from their bedroom last year and dragged them one at a time to the underground room hidden beneath a tool shed, where he raped and bound them with duct tape. Prosecutors said Hinson expected the girls to die because the room had no air supply.
However, Hinson testified during the six-day trial that the girls had consensual sex with him. He said they made up the story so they would be able to take drugs from the underground room, which he used to store marijuana.
The two young women were not in the courtroom when Hinson was acquitted. Their mothers and other relatives wept. They declined to comment after the verdict.
Full Story: SF GATE
Kenneth Glenn Hinson, 48, wiped his eyes and mouth and appeared to cry after the jury read its verdict, which followed about four hours of deliberations over two days.
"I think the verdict says it all," he said as he was escorted from the courtroom.
Authorities had charged that Hinson snatched the 17-year-old girls from their bedroom last year and dragged them one at a time to the underground room hidden beneath a tool shed, where he raped and bound them with duct tape. Prosecutors said Hinson expected the girls to die because the room had no air supply.
However, Hinson testified during the six-day trial that the girls had consensual sex with him. He said they made up the story so they would be able to take drugs from the underground room, which he used to store marijuana.
The two young women were not in the courtroom when Hinson was acquitted. Their mothers and other relatives wept. They declined to comment after the verdict.
Full Story: SF GATE
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam’s Name
The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of six members of a prestigious state militia who killed five people they considered “morally corrupt.”
The reversal, in an infamous five-year-old case from Kerman, in central Iran, has produced anger and controversy, with lawyers calling it corrupt and newspapers giving it prominence.
“The psychological consequences of this case in the city have been great, and a lot of people have lost their confidence in the judicial system,” Nemat Ahmadi, a lawyer associated with the case, said in a telephone interview.
Three lower court rulings found all the men guilty of murder. Their cases had been appealed to the Supreme Court, which overturned the guilty verdicts. The latest decision, made public this week, reaffirms that reversal.
“The objection by the relatives of the victims is dismissed, and the ruling of this court is confirmed,” the court said in a one-page verdict.
Full Story: NY TIMES
Blogs: Slog , Opium and Saffron , Michael P.F. van der Galiën & In the Bullpen
The reversal, in an infamous five-year-old case from Kerman, in central Iran, has produced anger and controversy, with lawyers calling it corrupt and newspapers giving it prominence.
“The psychological consequences of this case in the city have been great, and a lot of people have lost their confidence in the judicial system,” Nemat Ahmadi, a lawyer associated with the case, said in a telephone interview.
Three lower court rulings found all the men guilty of murder. Their cases had been appealed to the Supreme Court, which overturned the guilty verdicts. The latest decision, made public this week, reaffirms that reversal.
“The objection by the relatives of the victims is dismissed, and the ruling of this court is confirmed,” the court said in a one-page verdict.
Full Story: NY TIMES
Blogs: Slog , Opium and Saffron , Michael P.F. van der Galiën & In the Bullpen
Blue Angel crashes; pilot killed
A Blue Angel pilot crashed Saturday afternoon while performing at an air show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
The pilot was killed in the crash, according to the Beaufort County Coroner's Office.
The air station will hold a press conference at 8 p.m. to address "information regarding today's aircraft mishap."
Though initial reports said the plane hit a pine tree or power line, other witnesses said the jet was in total control before it plummeted below the treeline.
A portion of the plane traveled another block before crashing near a heavily populated area off Laurel Bay Road near Shanklin and Pine Grove roads. Parts of the plane hit several houses, according to witnesses.
Reports indicate that it was Blue Angel No. 6 that crashed. The No. 6 plane is piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis of Pittsfield, Mass. Authorities wouldn't confirm the pilot's identity.
A mile perimeter was established at the intersection of Shanklin and Pine Grove after the wreck, and no one was allowed in or out.
Full Story: COLUMBUS LEDGER ENQUIRER
CNN: Video
The pilot was killed in the crash, according to the Beaufort County Coroner's Office.
The air station will hold a press conference at 8 p.m. to address "information regarding today's aircraft mishap."
Though initial reports said the plane hit a pine tree or power line, other witnesses said the jet was in total control before it plummeted below the treeline.
A portion of the plane traveled another block before crashing near a heavily populated area off Laurel Bay Road near Shanklin and Pine Grove roads. Parts of the plane hit several houses, according to witnesses.
Reports indicate that it was Blue Angel No. 6 that crashed. The No. 6 plane is piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis of Pittsfield, Mass. Authorities wouldn't confirm the pilot's identity.
A mile perimeter was established at the intersection of Shanklin and Pine Grove after the wreck, and no one was allowed in or out.
Full Story: COLUMBUS LEDGER ENQUIRER
CNN: Video
Obama Addresses Question of Experience
NEW YORK (AP) - Wooing black voters while tackling questions about his experience, Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday that his years as a community organizer and accomplishments in the Illinois state Senate have prepared him well for the presidency.
Addressing the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by Rev. Al Sharpton, Obama touted his successes as an Illinois lawmaker in providing health insurance to children and reducing the price of prescription drugs for senior citizens.
He also told of passing legislation to monitor racial profiling and to require that police interrogations of suspects in capital cases be videotaped.
"I haven't just talked about these things, I've actually done them," he said, adding that he'd worked well with the Republicans who controlled the state Senate for most of his tenure there.
With just over two years in the U.S. Senate, Obama has faced questions over whether he has sufficient experience to be president.
On the campaign trail, front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton stresses her long career in public life and often warns voters that the next president will need to "hit the ground running."
Full Story: MY WAY
Addressing the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by Rev. Al Sharpton, Obama touted his successes as an Illinois lawmaker in providing health insurance to children and reducing the price of prescription drugs for senior citizens.
He also told of passing legislation to monitor racial profiling and to require that police interrogations of suspects in capital cases be videotaped.
"I haven't just talked about these things, I've actually done them," he said, adding that he'd worked well with the Republicans who controlled the state Senate for most of his tenure there.
With just over two years in the U.S. Senate, Obama has faced questions over whether he has sufficient experience to be president.
On the campaign trail, front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton stresses her long career in public life and often warns voters that the next president will need to "hit the ground running."
Full Story: MY WAY
Surgeons remove gallbladder through patient's vagina
Doctors in New York have removed a woman’s gallbladder with instruments passed through her vagina, a technique they hope will cause less pain and scarring than the usual operation, and allow a quicker recovery. The technique can eliminate the need to cut through abdominal muscles, a major source of pain after surgery.
The operation was experimental, part of a study that is being done to find out whether people will fare better if abdominal surgery is performed through natural openings in the body rather than cuts in the belly. The surgery still requires cutting, through the wall of the vagina, stomach or colon, but doctors say it should hurt less because those tissues are far less sensitive than the abdominal muscles.
Interest in this idea heightened after doctors from India made a video in 2004 showing an appendix being taken out through a patient’s mouth. The patient had abdominal scars that would have made conventional surgery difficult.
The New York patient, 66, had her gallbladder removed on March 21 and is recovering well, said her surgeon, Dr. Marc Bessler, the director of laparoscopic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Bessler said he thought it was the first time the operation had been performed in the United States, and he plans to show a video of the operation at a gastroenterology meeting in Las Vegas on Sunday.
“Going through a natural orifice, the mouth or rectum or vagina, to get into the abdomen and do an operation, is being excitedly worked on by a whole lot of people,” Dr. Bessler said, adding that companies were beginning to make special surgical tools for the operations and that doctors had formed an organization called Noscar (www.Noscar.org), which stands for Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research.
Full Story: NEW YORK TIMES
The operation was experimental, part of a study that is being done to find out whether people will fare better if abdominal surgery is performed through natural openings in the body rather than cuts in the belly. The surgery still requires cutting, through the wall of the vagina, stomach or colon, but doctors say it should hurt less because those tissues are far less sensitive than the abdominal muscles.
Interest in this idea heightened after doctors from India made a video in 2004 showing an appendix being taken out through a patient’s mouth. The patient had abdominal scars that would have made conventional surgery difficult.
The New York patient, 66, had her gallbladder removed on March 21 and is recovering well, said her surgeon, Dr. Marc Bessler, the director of laparoscopic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Bessler said he thought it was the first time the operation had been performed in the United States, and he plans to show a video of the operation at a gastroenterology meeting in Las Vegas on Sunday.
“Going through a natural orifice, the mouth or rectum or vagina, to get into the abdomen and do an operation, is being excitedly worked on by a whole lot of people,” Dr. Bessler said, adding that companies were beginning to make special surgical tools for the operations and that doctors had formed an organization called Noscar (www.Noscar.org), which stands for Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research.
Full Story: NEW YORK TIMES
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Airships to tackle Caracas crime
Officials in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, are taking to the air in an attempt to make the city safer.
The council has bought three mini remote-controlled airships which are soon to be launched to look down on the city monitoring criminal activity.
Each has a camera mounted on it, which beams back pictures to a control room.
The Venezuelan capital is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America, with gun crime a particular problem.
There were a few strange looks skywards in Caracas as the new mini Zeppelin took to the skies.
Full Story: BBC
The council has bought three mini remote-controlled airships which are soon to be launched to look down on the city monitoring criminal activity.
Each has a camera mounted on it, which beams back pictures to a control room.
The Venezuelan capital is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America, with gun crime a particular problem.
There were a few strange looks skywards in Caracas as the new mini Zeppelin took to the skies.
Full Story: BBC
Users failing to interact with Web 2.0 sites
Stats released by internet traffic research company Hitwise have raised doubts over the success of Web 2.0 sites such as YouTube, Flickr and Wikipedia.
Speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco on Tuesday, Bill Tancer, general manager of Hitwise, said that the company's data showed that only a tiny fraction of users contributed content to community media sites.
Just 0.16 per cent of YouTube users upload videos, and only 0.2 per cent of Flickr users upload photos.
Wikipedia returned a more reasonable percentage, with 4.6 per cent of visitors actually editing and adding information.
The figures show that, while users are flocking to these sites in droves, the vast majority only passively absorb the content, rather than actively participate, which is considered by many to be a vital part of the Web 2.0 model.
Full Story: VNUNET.COM
Speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco on Tuesday, Bill Tancer, general manager of Hitwise, said that the company's data showed that only a tiny fraction of users contributed content to community media sites.
Just 0.16 per cent of YouTube users upload videos, and only 0.2 per cent of Flickr users upload photos.
Wikipedia returned a more reasonable percentage, with 4.6 per cent of visitors actually editing and adding information.
The figures show that, while users are flocking to these sites in droves, the vast majority only passively absorb the content, rather than actively participate, which is considered by many to be a vital part of the Web 2.0 model.
Full Story: VNUNET.COM
Man Kills Hostage, Self at NASA Building
A NASA contract worker took a handgun inside an office building Friday at the Johnson Space Center and fatally shot a hostage before killing himself, police said. A second hostage escaped with minor injuries.
The gunman was able to take a snub-nosed revolver past NASA security and barricade himself in the building, which houses communications and tracking systems for the space shuttle, authorities said.
NASA and police identified him as 60-year-old William Phillips. He had apparently had a dispute with the slain hostage, police said.
NASA spokesman Doug Peterson said the agency would review its security.
"Any organization would take a good, hard look at the kind of review process we have with people," Peterson said.
To enter the space center, workers flash an ID badge as they drive past a security guard. The badge allows workers access to designated buildings.
Full Story: MY WAY . COM
The gunman was able to take a snub-nosed revolver past NASA security and barricade himself in the building, which houses communications and tracking systems for the space shuttle, authorities said.
NASA and police identified him as 60-year-old William Phillips. He had apparently had a dispute with the slain hostage, police said.
NASA spokesman Doug Peterson said the agency would review its security.
"Any organization would take a good, hard look at the kind of review process we have with people," Peterson said.
To enter the space center, workers flash an ID badge as they drive past a security guard. The badge allows workers access to designated buildings.
Full Story: MY WAY . COM
Officials: Pet Food Poison May Have Been Intentional
For the first time, investigators are saying the chemical that has sickened and killed pets in the United States may have been intentionally added to pet food ingredients by Chinese producers.
Food and Drug Administration investigators say the Chinese companies may have spiked products with the chemical melamine so that they would appear, in tests, to have more value as protein products.
Officials now suspect this possibility because a second ingredient from China, rice protein concentrate, has tested positive for melamine. So has corn gluten shipped to South Africa. That means there is a possibility for another round of recalls.
The FDA's top veterinarian, Stephen Sundlof, says finding melamine in so many products "would certainly lend credibility to the theory that it was maybe intentional."
Melamine, which is used to make plastics in the United States and as a fertilizer in Asia, contains nitrogen. Nitrogen can appear to boost the level of protein in products.
The revelations have led the FDA to expand the number of products it is testing as they enter the United States. So far, those inspections at the border have not turned up any melamine in wheat gluten. Tainted wheat gluten used by Menu Foods is suspected in sickening hundreds, if not thousands of pets.
Full Story: ABC NEWS
Food and Drug Administration investigators say the Chinese companies may have spiked products with the chemical melamine so that they would appear, in tests, to have more value as protein products.
Officials now suspect this possibility because a second ingredient from China, rice protein concentrate, has tested positive for melamine. So has corn gluten shipped to South Africa. That means there is a possibility for another round of recalls.
The FDA's top veterinarian, Stephen Sundlof, says finding melamine in so many products "would certainly lend credibility to the theory that it was maybe intentional."
Melamine, which is used to make plastics in the United States and as a fertilizer in Asia, contains nitrogen. Nitrogen can appear to boost the level of protein in products.
The revelations have led the FDA to expand the number of products it is testing as they enter the United States. So far, those inspections at the border have not turned up any melamine in wheat gluten. Tainted wheat gluten used by Menu Foods is suspected in sickening hundreds, if not thousands of pets.
Full Story: ABC NEWS
Friday, April 20, 2007
Moscow Medical Academy closes over Hitler fears
A leading Moscow university ordered its foreign students to remain in their dormitories for the next three days because of fears of ethnic violence before Adolf Hitler's birthday, students said.
Hundreds of students at the prestigious Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy were told to stock up on food and warned they would not be let out of the dormitories through Saturday in an attempt to protect them amid a marked rise in hate crimes
Ethnically motivated violence tends to increase in the days leading up to and after Hitler's birthday on April 20, when some members of ultra nationalist organizations appear in groups, shout slogans and stage attacks on dark-skinned foreign and other non-Slavic looking people.
"It is nice that the university is taking care of us, but on the other hand it's absurd that our freedom is being limited because of some militant groups," said Liah Ganeline, a second-year medical student from Israel.
"In a normal, democratic country the authorities don't obey the interests of these groups, but on the contrary protect people from them," she told The Associated Press by telephone.
Only practicing physicians in training were allowed to leave the building, she said, along with students who had signed a statement saying they were responsible for their own safety and had received approval from university officials.
Full Story: METRO.CO.UK
Hundreds of students at the prestigious Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy were told to stock up on food and warned they would not be let out of the dormitories through Saturday in an attempt to protect them amid a marked rise in hate crimes
Ethnically motivated violence tends to increase in the days leading up to and after Hitler's birthday on April 20, when some members of ultra nationalist organizations appear in groups, shout slogans and stage attacks on dark-skinned foreign and other non-Slavic looking people.
"It is nice that the university is taking care of us, but on the other hand it's absurd that our freedom is being limited because of some militant groups," said Liah Ganeline, a second-year medical student from Israel.
"In a normal, democratic country the authorities don't obey the interests of these groups, but on the contrary protect people from them," she told The Associated Press by telephone.
Only practicing physicians in training were allowed to leave the building, she said, along with students who had signed a statement saying they were responsible for their own safety and had received approval from university officials.
Full Story: METRO.CO.UK
Flagellation ritual exposes Filipinos to rabies
More than a hundred men in the Philippines may have contracted rabies after taking part in a self-flagellation ritual to mark Good Friday, doctors and local authorities said on Thursday.
A health alert was issued after a man who took part in the traditional ceremony – where participants slash their backs with knifes before flaying themselves with bamboo whips – died from the virus on 11 April.
Mario Morales, the mayor of Mabalacat in Pampanga province north of Manila, told local media that Eduardo Sese may have contaminated up to 100 people who shared knives to cut themselves. He was bitten by an infected dog in February 2007.
The government doctor in Pampanga, Maria Clara Aquino, said vaccines had been given to 103 people who could have been exposed.
Atoning for sins
Self-flagellation is an annual tradition in Pampanga and other parts of the Philippines in which men whip themselves into a frenzy on Good Friday to atone for their sins.
Full Story: NEW SCIENTEST
A health alert was issued after a man who took part in the traditional ceremony – where participants slash their backs with knifes before flaying themselves with bamboo whips – died from the virus on 11 April.
Mario Morales, the mayor of Mabalacat in Pampanga province north of Manila, told local media that Eduardo Sese may have contaminated up to 100 people who shared knives to cut themselves. He was bitten by an infected dog in February 2007.
The government doctor in Pampanga, Maria Clara Aquino, said vaccines had been given to 103 people who could have been exposed.
Atoning for sins
Self-flagellation is an annual tradition in Pampanga and other parts of the Philippines in which men whip themselves into a frenzy on Good Friday to atone for their sins.
Full Story: NEW SCIENTEST
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Officers find minors among 'Rocky Horror' devotees, arrest six
Police said six people arrested on 31 counts each of contributing to the delinquency of minors are accused of exposing the juveniles to sexually explicit material, nudity and simulated sex acts during gatherings centered around viewings of the film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Biloxi Police Capt. Darrin Peterson said the suspects are some of the hosts of the organization Rocky Underground, a group that promotes itself on its Web site as an organization "designed to promote and emulate the free-willed, open-minded and fun-loving spirit of the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
Peterson said police linked a nude picture of a 15-year-old girl to one of the group's gatherings.
An undercover operation was conducted, and on Saturday police arrested six people associated with the group. They are Robert Kimsey, 43, and James Leonard, 19, of Biloxi, Jason Fisher, 34, of Bay St. Louis, Margaret Chatham, 29, and Scott Spurlock Jr., 19, of Gulfport, and Richard Harris, 19, of Saraland, Ala.
At the event, Peterson said they learned first-time viewers often had to take part in some sort of initiation. Some had to go to the front of the screening room and strip off some of their clothes or simulate sex acts while others were ordered around, for example, with others telling them to do sit-ups or one-legged jumping exercises.
Full Story: SUN HERALD.COM
Biloxi Police Capt. Darrin Peterson said the suspects are some of the hosts of the organization Rocky Underground, a group that promotes itself on its Web site as an organization "designed to promote and emulate the free-willed, open-minded and fun-loving spirit of the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
Peterson said police linked a nude picture of a 15-year-old girl to one of the group's gatherings.
An undercover operation was conducted, and on Saturday police arrested six people associated with the group. They are Robert Kimsey, 43, and James Leonard, 19, of Biloxi, Jason Fisher, 34, of Bay St. Louis, Margaret Chatham, 29, and Scott Spurlock Jr., 19, of Gulfport, and Richard Harris, 19, of Saraland, Ala.
At the event, Peterson said they learned first-time viewers often had to take part in some sort of initiation. Some had to go to the front of the screening room and strip off some of their clothes or simulate sex acts while others were ordered around, for example, with others telling them to do sit-ups or one-legged jumping exercises.
Full Story: SUN HERALD.COM
McCain sings "bombs" to Iran
Republican 2008 presidential hopeful John McCain crooned the words "Bomb Iran" to a Beach Boys' tune in joking response to a question about any possible U.S. attack over Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program.
"That old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran ... bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb," the Vietnam War veteran warbled softly to the band's "Barbara Ann" when he was asked when the United States would send an "airmail message" to Iran.
The singing performance during a campaign stop on Wednesday in South Carolina drew chuckles from the audience and has already been viewed almost 11,000 times on the Internet video sharing site YouTube after being posted on Thursday.
Campaign spokesman Matt David said the question was asked somewhat in jest and that the Arizona senator was adding some levity to the discussion.
Full Story: REUTERS
"That old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran ... bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb," the Vietnam War veteran warbled softly to the band's "Barbara Ann" when he was asked when the United States would send an "airmail message" to Iran.
The singing performance during a campaign stop on Wednesday in South Carolina drew chuckles from the audience and has already been viewed almost 11,000 times on the Internet video sharing site YouTube after being posted on Thursday.
Campaign spokesman Matt David said the question was asked somewhat in jest and that the Arizona senator was adding some levity to the discussion.
Full Story: REUTERS
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Gunman sent package to NBC News
‘When the time came, I did it,’ says message mailed between shootings
Sometime after he killed two people in a Virginia university dormitory but before he slaughtered 30 more in a classroom building Monday morning, Cho Seung-Hui mailed NBC News a large package, including photographs and videos, boasting that “when the time came, I did it. I had to.”
Cho, 23, a senior English major at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, killed 32 people in two attacks before taking his own life.
NBC News President Steve Capus said the network received the package in Tuesday afternoon’s mail delivery, but it was not opened until Wednesday morning. The network immediately turned the materials over to FBI agents in New York.
The package included an 1,800-word manifesto-like statement diatribe in which he expresses rage, resentment and a desire to get even. The material is “hard-to-follow ... disturbing, very disturbing,” Capus said in an interview late Wednesday afternoon.
Full Story: MSNBC
Here Comes The Video: MSNBC (Video)
Here Is What The Bloggers Say: A BLOG FOR ALL , BUZZ MACHINE , RIGHT WING NEWS & MACSMIND
Sometime after he killed two people in a Virginia university dormitory but before he slaughtered 30 more in a classroom building Monday morning, Cho Seung-Hui mailed NBC News a large package, including photographs and videos, boasting that “when the time came, I did it. I had to.”
Cho, 23, a senior English major at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, killed 32 people in two attacks before taking his own life.
NBC News President Steve Capus said the network received the package in Tuesday afternoon’s mail delivery, but it was not opened until Wednesday morning. The network immediately turned the materials over to FBI agents in New York.
The package included an 1,800-word manifesto-like statement diatribe in which he expresses rage, resentment and a desire to get even. The material is “hard-to-follow ... disturbing, very disturbing,” Capus said in an interview late Wednesday afternoon.
Full Story: MSNBC
Here Comes The Video: MSNBC (Video)
Here Is What The Bloggers Say: A BLOG FOR ALL , BUZZ MACHINE , RIGHT WING NEWS & MACSMIND
Compassion: Students Forgive Virginia Tech Killer
While it seems most people are resigned to express hatred toward Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech gunman who shot and killed 32 people before taking his own life, there are some who aren't thinking twice about forgiving the 23-year-old student for his heinous crimes.
The popular college Web site Facebook.com has become a haven for student groups to form, a place where thousands flock to express their feelings about the tragic incident that occurred on Monday morning. In doing a search of Cho's name on the Web site, results offer numerous groups -- most of which include either expletives in combination with his name as the name of the group, or others which wish harm upon him in the afterlife.
Still, somewhere in between all the anger, there are the occasional students who are willing to forgive, and offer their prayers to honor the killer's life.
One such group, called "Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord: Cho Seung-Hui," now has over 50 members signed up in the group, and they are speaking their minds. Most members do not attend Virginia Tech, and they range from high school students to graduates from all over the country.
Full Story: WCBSTV.COM
On The Web: Special Coverage: Massacre At Virginia Tech
POLL: Should Campus Have Been Locked Down Sooner?
Dr. Phil: How To Cope With Virginia Tech Tragedy
CBS News Interactive: Blacksburg Massacre
Tri-State Students Among Dead In Va. Tech Shooting
The popular college Web site Facebook.com has become a haven for student groups to form, a place where thousands flock to express their feelings about the tragic incident that occurred on Monday morning. In doing a search of Cho's name on the Web site, results offer numerous groups -- most of which include either expletives in combination with his name as the name of the group, or others which wish harm upon him in the afterlife.
Still, somewhere in between all the anger, there are the occasional students who are willing to forgive, and offer their prayers to honor the killer's life.
One such group, called "Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord: Cho Seung-Hui," now has over 50 members signed up in the group, and they are speaking their minds. Most members do not attend Virginia Tech, and they range from high school students to graduates from all over the country.
Full Story: WCBSTV.COM
On The Web: Special Coverage: Massacre At Virginia Tech
POLL: Should Campus Have Been Locked Down Sooner?
Dr. Phil: How To Cope With Virginia Tech Tragedy
CBS News Interactive: Blacksburg Massacre
Tri-State Students Among Dead In Va. Tech Shooting
Knowledge of current affairs little changed by cable and Internet news
Americans' knowledge of national and international affairs has changed little in two decades despite the emergence of 24-hour cable news and the Internet as major news sources.
People surveyed in February were slightly less able than those polled in 1989 to name the vice president, their state's governor and the president of Russia but slightly more able to answer other questions correctly about national politics, according to a poll released Sunday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Of the 1,502 adults survey in February, 69 percent correctly answered Dick Cheney when asked who was the vice president, compared with 74 percent who correctly responded Dan Quayle when the same question was asked in 1989. Two-thirds correctly named their state's governor in February compared with three-fourths who got that right in 1989.
However, nearly half – 49 percent – correctly answered that Nancy Pelosi was speaker of the House now, compared with 14 percent who in 1989 correctly named Tom Foley as speaker. Three-fourths – 76 percent – knew that Democrats control the House compared with 68 percent who answered that correctly in 1989.
Full Story: SIGN ON SAN DIEGO.COM
On the Net: people-press.org/reports/pdf/319.pdf
People surveyed in February were slightly less able than those polled in 1989 to name the vice president, their state's governor and the president of Russia but slightly more able to answer other questions correctly about national politics, according to a poll released Sunday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Of the 1,502 adults survey in February, 69 percent correctly answered Dick Cheney when asked who was the vice president, compared with 74 percent who correctly responded Dan Quayle when the same question was asked in 1989. Two-thirds correctly named their state's governor in February compared with three-fourths who got that right in 1989.
However, nearly half – 49 percent – correctly answered that Nancy Pelosi was speaker of the House now, compared with 14 percent who in 1989 correctly named Tom Foley as speaker. Three-fourths – 76 percent – knew that Democrats control the House compared with 68 percent who answered that correctly in 1989.
Full Story: SIGN ON SAN DIEGO.COM
On the Net: people-press.org/reports/pdf/319.pdf
Warplanes disguised as UN planes: Report
SUDAN'S government is using airplanes disguised as United Nations craft to carry out bombings in the conflict in Darfur, a newspaper citing a United Nations report said today.
The confidential UN report also said Sudan was violating UN Security Council resolutions by flying arms into the region.
The Times' story includes photographs from the UN report of a Sudanese armed forces plane. UN investigators said it had been whitewashed and had "UN'' stenciled on its wing and bombs laid out beside it.
It said that this and other planes were being disguised and used to bomb villages and transport cargo in Darfur, where bloody civil violence has caused a humanitarian crisis.
More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed and at least two million others displaced in Darfur since 2NEWS>COM>AU003.
Full Story: NEWS.COM.AU
The confidential UN report also said Sudan was violating UN Security Council resolutions by flying arms into the region.
The Times' story includes photographs from the UN report of a Sudanese armed forces plane. UN investigators said it had been whitewashed and had "UN'' stenciled on its wing and bombs laid out beside it.
It said that this and other planes were being disguised and used to bomb villages and transport cargo in Darfur, where bloody civil violence has caused a humanitarian crisis.
More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed and at least two million others displaced in Darfur since 2NEWS>COM>AU003.
Full Story: NEWS.COM.AU
Next X Prize: Build a practical, hyperefficient car
If your dream is to build the world's greatest car – not just a science project or a concept car, but a real-world, 100-mile-per-gallon vehicle that's safe, can be mass-produced, and emits almost no pollutants – there's a big, fat prize waiting for you.
It's expected to be at least $10 million, maybe much more.
But here's the rub: If the first X Prize put a man in space on a shoestring budget, the 2009 Automotive X Prize by comparison looks timid to some.
Why aim for just 100 miles per gallon or its energy equivalent? What about a vehicle that gets double that? What about a vehicle that burns no carbon-based fuel at all?
Such are the criticisms already being leveled at the Automotive X Prize "draft guidelines," to be formally unveiled this week at the New York International Auto Show. Most questions are being raised not by skeptics but by the contemporary soul mates of the Wright brothers and Henry Ford, true believers who would love to enter the "great race."
More than 1,000 people have already contacted X Prize organizers, including some auto companies. A number of concerns over the draft guidelines, which are open for public comment until May 31, are already being voiced by these Henry Ford wannabes.
Full Story: THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
It's expected to be at least $10 million, maybe much more.
But here's the rub: If the first X Prize put a man in space on a shoestring budget, the 2009 Automotive X Prize by comparison looks timid to some.
Why aim for just 100 miles per gallon or its energy equivalent? What about a vehicle that gets double that? What about a vehicle that burns no carbon-based fuel at all?
Such are the criticisms already being leveled at the Automotive X Prize "draft guidelines," to be formally unveiled this week at the New York International Auto Show. Most questions are being raised not by skeptics but by the contemporary soul mates of the Wright brothers and Henry Ford, true believers who would love to enter the "great race."
More than 1,000 people have already contacted X Prize organizers, including some auto companies. A number of concerns over the draft guidelines, which are open for public comment until May 31, are already being voiced by these Henry Ford wannabes.
Full Story: THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
'Neighbour from hell' OAP jailed
An 81-year-old woman has been jailed for six months for making her neighbours' lives "absolute hell".
Dorothy Evans, from Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, had been convicted of harassment and six breaches of an Asbo.
Judge Roderick Denyer QC said he took into account her age but said she had made her neighbours' lives "a misery".
She had been threatened with arrest after failing to appear in court for sentence on Monday, claiming she was unwell and in hospital having tests.
Full Story: BBC
Dorothy Evans, from Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, had been convicted of harassment and six breaches of an Asbo.
Judge Roderick Denyer QC said he took into account her age but said she had made her neighbours' lives "a misery".
She had been threatened with arrest after failing to appear in court for sentence on Monday, claiming she was unwell and in hospital having tests.
Full Story: BBC
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
U.S., Mexico sign nuke smuggling agreement
U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Mexican Minister of Finance and Public Credit Agustin Carstens signed a pact to halt nuclear materials smuggling.
The Megaports agreement is designed to aid the detection and prevention of the smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material. It calls for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to collaborate with Mexican Customs officials in the installation of radiation detection equipment at four Mexican seaports that account for nearly 90 percent of container traffic in Mexico.
"The Megaports Agreement ... solidifies the United States and Mexico's joint commitment to the safety, security and prosperity of our nations," Bodman said. "This initiative builds on our ongoing cooperation to advance non-proliferation by deploying advanced technologies to reduce the threat of illegal shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials into our countries."
Full Story: SCIENCE DAILY (UPI)
The Megaports agreement is designed to aid the detection and prevention of the smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material. It calls for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to collaborate with Mexican Customs officials in the installation of radiation detection equipment at four Mexican seaports that account for nearly 90 percent of container traffic in Mexico.
"The Megaports Agreement ... solidifies the United States and Mexico's joint commitment to the safety, security and prosperity of our nations," Bodman said. "This initiative builds on our ongoing cooperation to advance non-proliferation by deploying advanced technologies to reduce the threat of illegal shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials into our countries."
Full Story: SCIENCE DAILY (UPI)
Falling woman saved by pile of excrement
A Chinese woman survived a plunge from a sixth-floor balcony thanks to a convenient pile of excrement which broke her fall, local media said.
The accident happened when the woman was hanging out laundry on Monday in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, the Kuaibao tabloid said on its Web site (www.kuaibao.net).
"Workers happened to be emptying the building's septic tank, which had not been tended for a long time and had regularly blocked sewage pipes," the newspaper said.
"She probably stretched out too far and fell ... right on to a 20 cm-thick heap of excrement."
Full Story: REUTERS
The accident happened when the woman was hanging out laundry on Monday in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, the Kuaibao tabloid said on its Web site (www.kuaibao.net).
"Workers happened to be emptying the building's septic tank, which had not been tended for a long time and had regularly blocked sewage pipes," the newspaper said.
"She probably stretched out too far and fell ... right on to a 20 cm-thick heap of excrement."
Full Story: REUTERS
Caches of nitric acid seized in Baghdad
U.S. troops said yesterday that they had found two large caches of nitric acid a highly corrosive substance with chemical weapons potential in abandoned houses used by Sunni insurgents in western Baghdad.
Other chemically laced bombs used in terrorist attacks recently have been spiked with chlorine.
Acting on a tip from neighbors, members of the Stryker Brigade's Alpha Company found 31 barrels of nitric acid Saturday in the walled-off front yard of a house that had been raided less than two weeks earlier.
Members of the same company were clearing another abandoned house a few hundred yards away when they found an additional two 5-gallon containers of nitric acid.
They also discovered four 50-pound bags of an unknown powder, artillery casings filled with the powder, several buckets for mixing, zinc oxide and benzene.
Nitric acid "is one of the chemicals used to make homemade explosives," said Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Wallace, battalion medic for the 2nd battalion, 3rd infantry regiment of the 3-2 Stryker Brigade.
Full Story: THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Other chemically laced bombs used in terrorist attacks recently have been spiked with chlorine.
Acting on a tip from neighbors, members of the Stryker Brigade's Alpha Company found 31 barrels of nitric acid Saturday in the walled-off front yard of a house that had been raided less than two weeks earlier.
Members of the same company were clearing another abandoned house a few hundred yards away when they found an additional two 5-gallon containers of nitric acid.
They also discovered four 50-pound bags of an unknown powder, artillery casings filled with the powder, several buckets for mixing, zinc oxide and benzene.
Nitric acid "is one of the chemicals used to make homemade explosives," said Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Wallace, battalion medic for the 2nd battalion, 3rd infantry regiment of the 3-2 Stryker Brigade.
Full Story: THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Top Ten Most Influential Amiga Games
The system that launched a thousand games ...
When it was unveiled 22 years ago, the Commodore Amiga was instantly recognized as a groundbreaking multimedia machine.
The computer's consumer price point belied the Amiga's prowess as a rendering tool for realistic audio and eye-popping visuals. Its usefulness in the field of animation -- from Babylon 5 and Wallace & Gromit to Andy Warhol's You Are the One -- was equaled only by the smoothness and realism the computer brought to games.
The heyday for Amiga games was the late '80s and early '90s. The computer's custom chipset and advanced (for the time) graphics capability led to sumptuous 2-D titles in a variety of styles, and even some basic 3-D games. Here's a look at some of the more innovative entries in the Amiga game canon.
Full Story: WIRED
When it was unveiled 22 years ago, the Commodore Amiga was instantly recognized as a groundbreaking multimedia machine.
The computer's consumer price point belied the Amiga's prowess as a rendering tool for realistic audio and eye-popping visuals. Its usefulness in the field of animation -- from Babylon 5 and Wallace & Gromit to Andy Warhol's You Are the One -- was equaled only by the smoothness and realism the computer brought to games.
The heyday for Amiga games was the late '80s and early '90s. The computer's custom chipset and advanced (for the time) graphics capability led to sumptuous 2-D titles in a variety of styles, and even some basic 3-D games. Here's a look at some of the more innovative entries in the Amiga game canon.
Full Story: WIRED
Text of e-mails sent by Virginia Tech
Timeline and text of e-mails sent out Monday by Virginia Tech to students and staff after the first 911 call at 7:15 a.m. reporting a shooting in West Ambler Johnston dormitory. Times according to the time stamps on the e-mails.
• E-mail sent at 9:26 a.m.:
Subject: Shooting on campus.
A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating.
"The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech Police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case. Contact Virginia Tech Police at 231-6411
"Stay attuned to the http://www.vt.edu. We will post as soon as we have more information."
• 9:45 a.m.: First 911 call about the second shooting at Norris Hall.
• E-mail sent at 9:50 a.m., according to the time stamp:
Subject: PLease stay put
"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows"
Full Story: YAHOO NEWS (AP)
• E-mail sent at 9:26 a.m.:
Subject: Shooting on campus.
A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating.
"The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech Police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case. Contact Virginia Tech Police at 231-6411
"Stay attuned to the http://www.vt.edu. We will post as soon as we have more information."
• 9:45 a.m.: First 911 call about the second shooting at Norris Hall.
• E-mail sent at 9:50 a.m., according to the time stamp:
Subject: PLease stay put
"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows"
Full Story: YAHOO NEWS (AP)
Menudo reforming for MTV reality series
The Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, which gave singer Ricky Martin his start, is coming back as part of an "American Idol"-style reality show.
Dozens of Latino teenagers showed up for auditions Saturday at a waterfront market in Miami, the Miami Herald reported. Judges included Johnny Wright, the music manager behind New Kids on the Block, 'NSync and the Backstreet Boys, and Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough.
Menudo was one of the most popular boy bands of the 1980s and '90s, rotating in new talent every few years when the singers got old or their voices changed.
Full Story: YAHOO NEWS (AP)
Dozens of Latino teenagers showed up for auditions Saturday at a waterfront market in Miami, the Miami Herald reported. Judges included Johnny Wright, the music manager behind New Kids on the Block, 'NSync and the Backstreet Boys, and Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough.
Menudo was one of the most popular boy bands of the 1980s and '90s, rotating in new talent every few years when the singers got old or their voices changed.
Full Story: YAHOO NEWS (AP)
Researchers explore scrapping Internet
NEW YORK - Although it has already taken nearly four decades to get this far in building the Internet, some university researchers with the federal government's blessing want to scrap all that and start over.
The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a "clean slate" approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on Sept. 2, 1969.
The Internet "works well in many situations but was designed for completely different assumptions," said Dipankar Raychaudhuri, a Rutgers University professor overseeing three clean-slate projects. "It's sort of a miracle that it continues to work well today."
No longer constrained by slow connections and computer processors and high costs for storage, researchers say the time has come to rethink the Internet's underlying architecture, a move that could mean replacing networking equipment and rewriting software on computers to better channel future traffic over the existing pipes.
Even Vinton Cerf, one of the Internet's founding fathers as co-developer of the key communications techniques, said the exercise was "generally healthy" because the current technology "does not satisfy all needs."
Full Story: YAHOO (AP)
The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a "clean slate" approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on Sept. 2, 1969.
The Internet "works well in many situations but was designed for completely different assumptions," said Dipankar Raychaudhuri, a Rutgers University professor overseeing three clean-slate projects. "It's sort of a miracle that it continues to work well today."
No longer constrained by slow connections and computer processors and high costs for storage, researchers say the time has come to rethink the Internet's underlying architecture, a move that could mean replacing networking equipment and rewriting software on computers to better channel future traffic over the existing pipes.
Even Vinton Cerf, one of the Internet's founding fathers as co-developer of the key communications techniques, said the exercise was "generally healthy" because the current technology "does not satisfy all needs."
Full Story: YAHOO (AP)
300-pound man crushes fan at Shea
Ellen Massey always counted being struck by a baseball or a bat at Shea Stadium among the hazards of being a Mets fan, but she never thought a 300-pound man would come crashing down the stands -- and onto her.
That's what the Manhattan resident, 58, said happened on Monday, Opening Day at Shea.
Shortly after the seventh-inning stretch, she said, a man dressed in a green Army-type jacket tumbled from higher seats and onto her back, knocking the wind out of her and, ultimately, causing serious injury."I only know he came flying," Massey, 58, said Wednesday from her bed in Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. "
I was literally not able to breathe for about half-a-minute or so. The first thing I was aware of was not being able to breathe, and then when I was able to breathe I was aware of the pain in my lower back."
Massey, who is a lawyer, is scheduled for surgery on a vertebra on Friday. After she was injured, she said, she was attended to by two emergency medical technicians who were in the stands watching the game, and then by Shea's own medics, who stabilized her head and neck area and took her to a local hospital.
Full Story: NEWSDAY
That's what the Manhattan resident, 58, said happened on Monday, Opening Day at Shea.
Shortly after the seventh-inning stretch, she said, a man dressed in a green Army-type jacket tumbled from higher seats and onto her back, knocking the wind out of her and, ultimately, causing serious injury."I only know he came flying," Massey, 58, said Wednesday from her bed in Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. "
I was literally not able to breathe for about half-a-minute or so. The first thing I was aware of was not being able to breathe, and then when I was able to breathe I was aware of the pain in my lower back."
Massey, who is a lawyer, is scheduled for surgery on a vertebra on Friday. After she was injured, she said, she was attended to by two emergency medical technicians who were in the stands watching the game, and then by Shea's own medics, who stabilized her head and neck area and took her to a local hospital.
Full Story: NEWSDAY
Gay for Pay: Are there really any straight men in gay porn?
It seemed like the perfect event for a girl like me: the Castro Theatre, approximately 1,600 hot men in Armani and Prada, and possibly five other women in the whole packed house. Kathy Griffin, one of those five women and the host of last Saturday's 2007 GayVN Awards (a.k.a. the "gay-porn Oscars") was clearly feeling the same way. In her opening monologue she exclaimed, "Someone pinch me on the nipple. I hope I never have to wake up."
I was in total agreement -- We were the few! The proud! The girls! All those glamorous hot men smiling at me and getting me drinks and complimenting me -- and none of them poised to do more than flirt shamelessly and whisper sexily in my ear that I had matched the right purse with my outfit. Little did I think that when I took a breather from the hours-long awards ceremony, one of the gay-porn stars -- or, actually, a "gay-for-pay" porn star -- would nearly take Kathy seriously and cross the lines of play-flirting to wake me from my Big Gay Al's reverie.
The Castro was at capacity despite the rain, and the establishment maintained crowd control by herding people who needed air into the side alleys. The minute I stepped outside for some "fresh air" (with the smokers), Mr. Gay for Pay made a beeline for me, instantly getting photographers to take pictures of us together. I introduced myself, and after a quick exchange of names, he said, "Hey, let's go over there and make out." I said, "Uh, no." He pushed to kiss me, then went away, before coming back and trying to get me to go off into a corner with him, this time with more urgency.
I found myself shocked at a gay-porn event -- no minor thing, that -- by being on the receiving end of classic, aggressive, straight-male predatory behavior. "A womanizer at the GayVN's!" I thought. How crass, how inappropriate -- how interesting for my first encounter with a gay-for-pay performer.
I somehow thought reminding him of being gay for pay in front of everyone would make him leave me alone and so I asked, "Don't you have a girlfriend?!" He said, "Yes, and -- hey, baby -- she's on the East Coast." I asked, "Doesn't she care?" Smugly -- and sleazily -- he replied, "Nope." His next volley was "making sure" I was going to the after-party, at which point I turned to the man nearest me -- imagine my luck, he was gorgeous -- and said, "Help." In half a heartbeat, the cute boy stepped up as my date, saying, "She's with me." We shared a giggle as he turned to Gay for Pay and stated, "We've been together for 13 years." Then, as my new boyfriend and I walked away, we tried to remember Mr. Gay for Pay's name.
Full Story: SFGATE.COM
I was in total agreement -- We were the few! The proud! The girls! All those glamorous hot men smiling at me and getting me drinks and complimenting me -- and none of them poised to do more than flirt shamelessly and whisper sexily in my ear that I had matched the right purse with my outfit. Little did I think that when I took a breather from the hours-long awards ceremony, one of the gay-porn stars -- or, actually, a "gay-for-pay" porn star -- would nearly take Kathy seriously and cross the lines of play-flirting to wake me from my Big Gay Al's reverie.
The Castro was at capacity despite the rain, and the establishment maintained crowd control by herding people who needed air into the side alleys. The minute I stepped outside for some "fresh air" (with the smokers), Mr. Gay for Pay made a beeline for me, instantly getting photographers to take pictures of us together. I introduced myself, and after a quick exchange of names, he said, "Hey, let's go over there and make out." I said, "Uh, no." He pushed to kiss me, then went away, before coming back and trying to get me to go off into a corner with him, this time with more urgency.
I found myself shocked at a gay-porn event -- no minor thing, that -- by being on the receiving end of classic, aggressive, straight-male predatory behavior. "A womanizer at the GayVN's!" I thought. How crass, how inappropriate -- how interesting for my first encounter with a gay-for-pay performer.
I somehow thought reminding him of being gay for pay in front of everyone would make him leave me alone and so I asked, "Don't you have a girlfriend?!" He said, "Yes, and -- hey, baby -- she's on the East Coast." I asked, "Doesn't she care?" Smugly -- and sleazily -- he replied, "Nope." His next volley was "making sure" I was going to the after-party, at which point I turned to the man nearest me -- imagine my luck, he was gorgeous -- and said, "Help." In half a heartbeat, the cute boy stepped up as my date, saying, "She's with me." We shared a giggle as he turned to Gay for Pay and stated, "We've been together for 13 years." Then, as my new boyfriend and I walked away, we tried to remember Mr. Gay for Pay's name.
Full Story: SFGATE.COM
Termites are 'social cockroaches'
UK scientists have said that they have produced the strongest evidence to date that termites are actually cockroaches.
They said their research shows that termites no long merited belonging to a different order (Isoptera), but should be treated as a family of cockroaches.
The findings appear in the Royal Society's Biology Letters journal.
One of the paper's co-authors, Paul Eggleton, explained why their research had unmasked termites' "true identity".
"In the past, people thought that because termites were so different in appearance, they belonged to a different order," he said.
Full Story: BBC
They said their research shows that termites no long merited belonging to a different order (Isoptera), but should be treated as a family of cockroaches.
The findings appear in the Royal Society's Biology Letters journal.
One of the paper's co-authors, Paul Eggleton, explained why their research had unmasked termites' "true identity".
"In the past, people thought that because termites were so different in appearance, they belonged to a different order," he said.
Full Story: BBC
Malaysia terminates 'un-Islamic' vampire exhibition
A Malaysian state has closed down an exhibition on ghosts, ghouls and supernatural beings after Islamic clerics declared it detrimental to Muslims' faith.
The exhibition at the state museum capitalises on widespread fascination in Malaysia with other-worldly creatures from local mythology. Artefacts on display reportedly included alleged carcasses of vampires and a phoenix.
Abdul Shukor Husin, chairman of the fatwa council which advises the government on Islamic regulations, was quoted as saying: "We don't want to promote a belief in tahyul [supernatural] and khurafat [superstition] which we do not know about. We do not need to focus on such things or play them up by having such exhibitions." Some 60 per cent of the 26 million population are Muslims.
Last year, a three-month exhibition on "Mysteries, Genies, Ghosts and Coffins" drew tens of thousands of visitors to view, among other objects, a preserved mermaid, the shrivelled skeletal remains of a half-woman, half-snake, and a goblin in a bottle. Critics were divided between those who accused it of being un-Islamic and others who suggested the items could be fakes.
Full Story: THE INDEPENDENT
The exhibition at the state museum capitalises on widespread fascination in Malaysia with other-worldly creatures from local mythology. Artefacts on display reportedly included alleged carcasses of vampires and a phoenix.
Abdul Shukor Husin, chairman of the fatwa council which advises the government on Islamic regulations, was quoted as saying: "We don't want to promote a belief in tahyul [supernatural] and khurafat [superstition] which we do not know about. We do not need to focus on such things or play them up by having such exhibitions." Some 60 per cent of the 26 million population are Muslims.
Last year, a three-month exhibition on "Mysteries, Genies, Ghosts and Coffins" drew tens of thousands of visitors to view, among other objects, a preserved mermaid, the shrivelled skeletal remains of a half-woman, half-snake, and a goblin in a bottle. Critics were divided between those who accused it of being un-Islamic and others who suggested the items could be fakes.
Full Story: THE INDEPENDENT
Don Ho, Hawaiian Musician, Dies at 76
Don Ho, an entertainer who defined popular perceptions of Hawaiian music in the 1960s and held fast to that image as a peerless Waikiki nightclub attraction, died yesterday in Honolulu. He was 76.
The cause was heart failure, his daughter Dayna Ho said.
Mr. Ho was a durable spokesman for the image of Hawaii as a tourist playground. His rise as a popular singer dovetailed with a visitor boom that followed statehood in 1959 and the advent of affordable air travel. For 40 years, his name was synonymous with Pacific Island leisure, as was “Tiny Bubbles,” his signature hit, which helped turn him into a national figure.
Born Donald Tai Loy Ho in the Honolulu enclave of Kaka‘ako, Mr. Ho had an ethnic background worthy of the islands’ melting-pot ideal: he was of Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and German descent. He grew up in Kaneohe, on the windward side of the island of Oahu, and it was there that he began his singing career at Honey’s, a restaurant and lounge owned by his mother, Emily.
Mr. Ho enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1954, receiving his certification as a fighter pilot in Texas but never seeing combat. He transferred to Military Airlift Command and flew cargo transport routes across the Pacific before leaving the service the year that Hawaii joined the Union as the 50th state.
Full Story: NY TIMES
The cause was heart failure, his daughter Dayna Ho said.
Mr. Ho was a durable spokesman for the image of Hawaii as a tourist playground. His rise as a popular singer dovetailed with a visitor boom that followed statehood in 1959 and the advent of affordable air travel. For 40 years, his name was synonymous with Pacific Island leisure, as was “Tiny Bubbles,” his signature hit, which helped turn him into a national figure.
Born Donald Tai Loy Ho in the Honolulu enclave of Kaka‘ako, Mr. Ho had an ethnic background worthy of the islands’ melting-pot ideal: he was of Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and German descent. He grew up in Kaneohe, on the windward side of the island of Oahu, and it was there that he began his singing career at Honey’s, a restaurant and lounge owned by his mother, Emily.
Mr. Ho enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1954, receiving his certification as a fighter pilot in Texas but never seeing combat. He transferred to Military Airlift Command and flew cargo transport routes across the Pacific before leaving the service the year that Hawaii joined the Union as the 50th state.
Full Story: NY TIMES
Ford apologises after joke on Bush blows up
Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally is no longer laughing about his suggestion that he saved President Bush's life during a recent White House visit.
The No. 2 U.S. automaker has apologised after Mulally said his claim that he had intervened to prevent U.S.President George W. Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of an experimental Ford vehicle had been meant as a joke.
On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "The story wasn't accurate, and I'll just decline to comment further."
Ford said Mulally never expected the story he told journalists in New York last week would be taken seriously.
The CEO found himself in an embarrassing situation when the story was featured on blogs and even in mainstream media such as the Financial Times, which said, "he may have saved the incumbent of the Oval Office from blowing himself up."
Full Story: YAHOO NEWS (Reuters)
The No. 2 U.S. automaker has apologised after Mulally said his claim that he had intervened to prevent U.S.President George W. Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of an experimental Ford vehicle had been meant as a joke.
On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "The story wasn't accurate, and I'll just decline to comment further."
Ford said Mulally never expected the story he told journalists in New York last week would be taken seriously.
The CEO found himself in an embarrassing situation when the story was featured on blogs and even in mainstream media such as the Financial Times, which said, "he may have saved the incumbent of the Oval Office from blowing himself up."
Full Story: YAHOO NEWS (Reuters)
Is the Administration’s new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terror?
In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy. The “redirection,” as some inside the White House have called the new strategy, has brought the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda.
One contradictory aspect of the new strategy is that, in Iraq, most of the insurgent violence directed at the American military has come from Sunni forces, and not from Shiites. But, from the Administration’s perspective, the most profound—and unintended—strategic consequence of the Iraq war is the empowerment of Iran. Its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has made defiant pronouncements about the destruction of Israel and his country’s right to pursue its nuclear program, and last week its supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on state television that “realities in the region show that the arrogant front, headed by the U.S. and its allies, will be the principal loser in the region.”
After the revolution of 1979 brought a religious government to power, the United States broke with Iran and cultivated closer relations with the leaders of Sunni Arab states such as Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. That calculation became more complex after the September 11th attacks, especially with regard to the Saudis. Al Qaeda is Sunni, and many of its operatives came from extremist religious circles inside Saudi Arabia. Before the invasion of Iraq, in 2003, Administration officials, influenced by neoconservative ideologues, assumed that a Shiite government there could provide a pro-American balance to Sunni extremists, since Iraq’s Shiite majority had been oppressed under Saddam Hussein. They ignored warnings from the intelligence community about the ties between Iraqi Shiite leaders and Iran, where some had lived in exile for years. Now, to the distress of the White House, Iran has forged a close relationship with the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Source: THE NEW YORKER
To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda.
One contradictory aspect of the new strategy is that, in Iraq, most of the insurgent violence directed at the American military has come from Sunni forces, and not from Shiites. But, from the Administration’s perspective, the most profound—and unintended—strategic consequence of the Iraq war is the empowerment of Iran. Its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has made defiant pronouncements about the destruction of Israel and his country’s right to pursue its nuclear program, and last week its supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on state television that “realities in the region show that the arrogant front, headed by the U.S. and its allies, will be the principal loser in the region.”
After the revolution of 1979 brought a religious government to power, the United States broke with Iran and cultivated closer relations with the leaders of Sunni Arab states such as Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. That calculation became more complex after the September 11th attacks, especially with regard to the Saudis. Al Qaeda is Sunni, and many of its operatives came from extremist religious circles inside Saudi Arabia. Before the invasion of Iraq, in 2003, Administration officials, influenced by neoconservative ideologues, assumed that a Shiite government there could provide a pro-American balance to Sunni extremists, since Iraq’s Shiite majority had been oppressed under Saddam Hussein. They ignored warnings from the intelligence community about the ties between Iraqi Shiite leaders and Iran, where some had lived in exile for years. Now, to the distress of the White House, Iran has forged a close relationship with the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Source: THE NEW YORKER
Internet radio dealt severe blow as Copyright Board rejects appeal
A panel of judges at the Copyright Royalty Board has denied a request from the NPR and a number of other webcasters to reconsider a March ruling that would force Internet radio services to pay crippling royalties. The panel's ruling reaffirmed the original CRB decision in every respect, with the exception of how the royalties will be calculated. Instead of charging a royalty for each time a song is heard by a listener online, Internet broadcasters will be able pay royalties based on average listening hours through the end of 2008.
The ruling is a huge blow to online broadcasters, and the new royalty structure could knock a large number of them off the 'Net entirely. Under the previous setup, radio stations would have to pay an annual fee plus 12 percent of their profits to the music industry's royalty collection organization, SoundExchange. It was a good setup for the webcasters, most of whom are either nonprofits or very small organizations.
National Public Radio spearheaded the appeal, arguing that the CRB's decision was an "abuse of discretion" and saying that the judges did not consider the ramifications of a new royalty structure. Under the new royalty schedule, NPR will see its costs skyrocket.
The judges were unmoved by the webcasters' arguments. "None of the moving parties have made a sufficient showing of new evidence or clear error or manifest injustice that would warrant rehearing," wrote the CRB in its decision. "To the contrary... most of the parties' arguments in support of a rehearing or reconsideration merely restate arguments that were made or evidence that was presented during the proceeding."
Full Story: ARS TECHNICA
The ruling is a huge blow to online broadcasters, and the new royalty structure could knock a large number of them off the 'Net entirely. Under the previous setup, radio stations would have to pay an annual fee plus 12 percent of their profits to the music industry's royalty collection organization, SoundExchange. It was a good setup for the webcasters, most of whom are either nonprofits or very small organizations.
National Public Radio spearheaded the appeal, arguing that the CRB's decision was an "abuse of discretion" and saying that the judges did not consider the ramifications of a new royalty structure. Under the new royalty schedule, NPR will see its costs skyrocket.
The judges were unmoved by the webcasters' arguments. "None of the moving parties have made a sufficient showing of new evidence or clear error or manifest injustice that would warrant rehearing," wrote the CRB in its decision. "To the contrary... most of the parties' arguments in support of a rehearing or reconsideration merely restate arguments that were made or evidence that was presented during the proceeding."
Full Story: ARS TECHNICA
In a Filmdom Premiere, a Foe for Gore
The screening here on Thursday night had many elements of a classic film-world shindig. There were gift bags and television cameras, cold cocktails and hot popcorn. Ushers showed V.I.P.’s to their seats, and local politicos rubbed shoulders with the movie’s backers and flacks.
In fact, according to the movie’s star, Steven F. Hayward, there was only one thing missing from what could have otherwise been a typical Hollywood opening: liberals.
“I don’t know how much of the enemy we have here tonight,” said a smiling Mr. Hayward, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, based in Washington. “San Francisco is usually a target-rich environment.”
The occasion for the festivities was the world premiere of Mr. Hayward’s filmic debut, “An Inconvenient Truth...or Convenient Fiction?” It is a point-by-PowerPoint rebuttal of former Vice President Al Gore’s global warming documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which played last summer in nearly 600 theaters, won two Academy Awards (including the one for best documentary) and grossed nearly $50 million worldwide.
Mr. Hayward’s movie is aiming somewhat lower, with a handful of free screenings planned over the next month, including one next week at the offices of the Heritage Foundation, another conservative Washington research group, where the film was shot. Mr. Hayward said the point of his 50-minute movie — basically a lecture like “Inconvenient Truth,” though half as long — was to dispute Mr. Gore’s depiction of potentially devastating consequences of global warming.
Full Story: NY TIMES
In fact, according to the movie’s star, Steven F. Hayward, there was only one thing missing from what could have otherwise been a typical Hollywood opening: liberals.
“I don’t know how much of the enemy we have here tonight,” said a smiling Mr. Hayward, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, based in Washington. “San Francisco is usually a target-rich environment.”
The occasion for the festivities was the world premiere of Mr. Hayward’s filmic debut, “An Inconvenient Truth...or Convenient Fiction?” It is a point-by-PowerPoint rebuttal of former Vice President Al Gore’s global warming documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which played last summer in nearly 600 theaters, won two Academy Awards (including the one for best documentary) and grossed nearly $50 million worldwide.
Mr. Hayward’s movie is aiming somewhat lower, with a handful of free screenings planned over the next month, including one next week at the offices of the Heritage Foundation, another conservative Washington research group, where the film was shot. Mr. Hayward said the point of his 50-minute movie — basically a lecture like “Inconvenient Truth,” though half as long — was to dispute Mr. Gore’s depiction of potentially devastating consequences of global warming.
Full Story: NY TIMES
The Yuri Dolgoruki sets sail
Russia`s Deputy Prime Minister has announced the launch of a new strategic nuclear submarine, it would be the first launch since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
"This is the first time in 17 years that we are building such a submarine. Another year will be needed to technically equip it in water and to arm it," Ivanov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
The nuclear submarine, named Yuri Dolgoruki, will carry Russia’s latest inter-continental missiles, the Bulava-M, which went into production last year.
The naval Bulava ballistic missiles are equipped with 10 nuclear warheads that have a reach of 4,970 miles.
Full Story: Rusnet.nl
"This is the first time in 17 years that we are building such a submarine. Another year will be needed to technically equip it in water and to arm it," Ivanov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
The nuclear submarine, named Yuri Dolgoruki, will carry Russia’s latest inter-continental missiles, the Bulava-M, which went into production last year.
The naval Bulava ballistic missiles are equipped with 10 nuclear warheads that have a reach of 4,970 miles.
Full Story: Rusnet.nl
Fight over fatally ill US toddler
A Texas mother is going to court in one last attempt to stop a hospital from turning off her child's life support. Seventeen-month-old Emilio Gonzales suffers from a terminal neurological disease and cannot breathe on his own.
His doctors consider further treatment to be futile and potentially painful. Last week they gave his family 10 days to find another hospital for the boy.
But a nationwide search for a new facility has failed, and his mother Catarina wants a judge to intervene.
If the court refuses to prevent the hospital ending Emilio's treatment, his support is likely to be switched off on Wednesday.
Full Story: BBC
His doctors consider further treatment to be futile and potentially painful. Last week they gave his family 10 days to find another hospital for the boy.
But a nationwide search for a new facility has failed, and his mother Catarina wants a judge to intervene.
If the court refuses to prevent the hospital ending Emilio's treatment, his support is likely to be switched off on Wednesday.
Full Story: BBC
Depressed? Go Play in the Dirt
Exposure to friendly soil bacteria could improve mood by boosting the immune system just as effectively as antidepressant drugs, a new study suggests.
Researchers exposed mice to a harmless soil microbe called Mycobacterium vaccae and had the rodents perform a behavioral task commonly used to test the efficacy of antidepressant drugs.
The mice were placed in a large beaker of water for five minutes and watched to see how long they continued swimming and searching for an exit before giving up. The researchers found that the bacteria-exposed mice continued paddling around much longer than the control mice.
“At the risk of anthropomorphizing, you could say the [bacteria-exposed] mice had a more active coping style,” said study leader Chris Lowry of the University of Bristol in England.
Full Story: Live Science.com
Researchers exposed mice to a harmless soil microbe called Mycobacterium vaccae and had the rodents perform a behavioral task commonly used to test the efficacy of antidepressant drugs.
The mice were placed in a large beaker of water for five minutes and watched to see how long they continued swimming and searching for an exit before giving up. The researchers found that the bacteria-exposed mice continued paddling around much longer than the control mice.
“At the risk of anthropomorphizing, you could say the [bacteria-exposed] mice had a more active coping style,” said study leader Chris Lowry of the University of Bristol in England.
Full Story: Live Science.com
Stomach tore open
A 31-year-old mother got a horrifying shock after a Caesarian section at St. Olav's Hospital in Trondheim.
Tone Lise Johannessen bore a daughter by Caesarian section at St. Olav's, and on Sunday a midwife removed the outer stitches from the operation, newspaper VG reports.
"When I got up, I felt my entire stomach tear. I got help from hospital staff and was put into a bed. Then I saw that my intestines and the contents of my abdomen had fallen out," Johannessen said.
According to VG, the thread used to sew up after the Caesarian has been under discussion at the hospital, and several doctors at St. Olav's have contacted management to try and have it replaced by a different type used earlier.
"When a new purchasing contract began, we said that there was some dissatisfaction from our surgeons. The maternity hospital made a request saying we wanted to use a different thread than the one chosen," maternity hospital leader Fredrik Sunde told VG.
Full Story: AFTENPOSTEN (Norway)
Tone Lise Johannessen bore a daughter by Caesarian section at St. Olav's, and on Sunday a midwife removed the outer stitches from the operation, newspaper VG reports.
"When I got up, I felt my entire stomach tear. I got help from hospital staff and was put into a bed. Then I saw that my intestines and the contents of my abdomen had fallen out," Johannessen said.
According to VG, the thread used to sew up after the Caesarian has been under discussion at the hospital, and several doctors at St. Olav's have contacted management to try and have it replaced by a different type used earlier.
"When a new purchasing contract began, we said that there was some dissatisfaction from our surgeons. The maternity hospital made a request saying we wanted to use a different thread than the one chosen," maternity hospital leader Fredrik Sunde told VG.
Full Story: AFTENPOSTEN (Norway)
Australia's Howard decries U.S. "gun culture"
Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Tuesday decried the negative "gun culture" in America after the deadly shooting spree at a U.S. university, holding up tough gun laws in his own country as the answer.
Howard introduced strict gun ownership laws after the shooting massacre of 35 people in the southern island state of Tasmania in 1996.
"We had a terrible incident at Port Arthur, but it is the case that 11 years ago we took action to limit the availability of guns," said Howard, who extended his sympathies to the families of the 32 people killed at Virginia Tech university on Monday at the hands of what he described as "a crazed gunman."
"We showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country."
In 1996 a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Australia's worst modern-day shooting massacre.
Full Story: REUTERS
Howard introduced strict gun ownership laws after the shooting massacre of 35 people in the southern island state of Tasmania in 1996.
"We had a terrible incident at Port Arthur, but it is the case that 11 years ago we took action to limit the availability of guns," said Howard, who extended his sympathies to the families of the 32 people killed at Virginia Tech university on Monday at the hands of what he described as "a crazed gunman."
"We showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country."
In 1996 a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Australia's worst modern-day shooting massacre.
Full Story: REUTERS
Kids shovel down more calories watching TV
NEW YORK - Watching television disrupts children's' normal response to food -- they will eat more while they're sitting in front of the tube, whether or not they're really hungry.
"These data, combined with those from other studies, support recommendations to reduce television watching and restrict eating while watching television as part of a healthy lifestyle," Dr. Jennifer L. Temple and colleagues from the University at Buffalo, New York, conclude.
Temple and her team looked at how television affected "habituation to food cues." Habituation is the phenomenon that occurs when a person repeatedly provided with a food will eventually lose interest and stop eating it once they are full. Providing a new, unfamiliar food can disrupt this process, and a person will start eating again even if they're not hungry. Non-food stimuli may also disrupt habituation if a person's attention is distracted.
In the first experiment, the researchers had 30 normal-weight kids ranging in age from 9 to 12 perform a computer task to earn points to eat food. The task consisted of 10 two-minute time blocks. For the first 7 blocks, kids worked for points to eat half a junior cheeseburger. For the final 3, some children continued to work for pieces of cheeseburger, others worked for French fries, and the third group worked for cheeseburgers while watching television.
Full Story: REUTERS
"These data, combined with those from other studies, support recommendations to reduce television watching and restrict eating while watching television as part of a healthy lifestyle," Dr. Jennifer L. Temple and colleagues from the University at Buffalo, New York, conclude.
Temple and her team looked at how television affected "habituation to food cues." Habituation is the phenomenon that occurs when a person repeatedly provided with a food will eventually lose interest and stop eating it once they are full. Providing a new, unfamiliar food can disrupt this process, and a person will start eating again even if they're not hungry. Non-food stimuli may also disrupt habituation if a person's attention is distracted.
In the first experiment, the researchers had 30 normal-weight kids ranging in age from 9 to 12 perform a computer task to earn points to eat food. The task consisted of 10 two-minute time blocks. For the first 7 blocks, kids worked for points to eat half a junior cheeseburger. For the final 3, some children continued to work for pieces of cheeseburger, others worked for French fries, and the third group worked for cheeseburgers while watching television.
Full Story: REUTERS
Hallowed hauls await true trucker
The Florida Panty Snatcher" is making his final road trip Saturday inside a sage-green casket picked to match the color of his last 18-wheeler.
Tom P. Farrell, 64, of West Palm Beach, died of natural causes this week, and before he did, he had a simple request: Make sure his obituary identifies him by his CB radio handle, The Florida Panty Snatcher.
"The lady at the funeral home was shaking her head and smiling," said his sister, Cecelia Sommers. "But most of the other truckers who know him, just know him by that name."
Farrell, who grew up in West Palm Beach, started driving trucks when he was 18 and spent most of his life as a long-haul trucker driving tractor trailers across America.
"He been in every state but Hawaii," his sister said, "and he said he'd drive there if they put a road to it."
Full Story: PALM BEACH POST
Tom P. Farrell, 64, of West Palm Beach, died of natural causes this week, and before he did, he had a simple request: Make sure his obituary identifies him by his CB radio handle, The Florida Panty Snatcher.
"The lady at the funeral home was shaking her head and smiling," said his sister, Cecelia Sommers. "But most of the other truckers who know him, just know him by that name."
Farrell, who grew up in West Palm Beach, started driving trucks when he was 18 and spent most of his life as a long-haul trucker driving tractor trailers across America.
"He been in every state but Hawaii," his sister said, "and he said he'd drive there if they put a road to it."
Full Story: PALM BEACH POST
Monk details sex, drugs, weeping icon at Texas monestary
One of five monks facing charges of sexually abusing children told authorities that an inner circle of monks at the monastery there had sex with one another, smoked marijuana and used an eyedropper to produce fake tears on a Virgin Mary icon.
The allegations are the latest revelation into life at The Christ of the Hills monastery, in Blanco, Texas, which was allied with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia from 1991 to 1999.
The church broke ties with the monastery when allegations surfaced of indecency by San Antonio-businessman-turned-monk Samuel Greene with an 11-year-old novice monk studying there.
Greene pleaded guilty in 2000 to indecency and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Monk Jonathan Hitt received a 10-year prison sentence in the case.
Full Story: THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
The allegations are the latest revelation into life at The Christ of the Hills monastery, in Blanco, Texas, which was allied with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia from 1991 to 1999.
The church broke ties with the monastery when allegations surfaced of indecency by San Antonio-businessman-turned-monk Samuel Greene with an 11-year-old novice monk studying there.
Greene pleaded guilty in 2000 to indecency and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Monk Jonathan Hitt received a 10-year prison sentence in the case.
Full Story: THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Mortgage defaults in California near decade high
The number of mortgage default notices sent to California homeowners last quarter rose to its highest in nearly 10 years as home prices stagnated and rates on adjustable loans pushed higher, a report released on Monday said.
Mortgage lenders filed 46,760 notices of default from January through March, marking an increase of 23.1 percent from the previous quarter and 148 percent from the year-earlier period, according to a report by DataQuick Information Systems, a real estate information service.
The first quarter's default level was the highest for the most populous U.S. state since the second quarter of 1997. It came amid a sharp rise in defaults on mortgages held by subprime borrowers, or borrowers with blemished credit, across the United States.
The low introductory interest rates on the their mortgages have been expiring, replaced by much higher rates that have made monthly mortgage payments too expensive for many households to maintain. Additionally, their options for refinancing their mortgages have been limited because home prices in many markets have been largely flat or slipping.
Full Story: REUTERS
Mortgage lenders filed 46,760 notices of default from January through March, marking an increase of 23.1 percent from the previous quarter and 148 percent from the year-earlier period, according to a report by DataQuick Information Systems, a real estate information service.
The first quarter's default level was the highest for the most populous U.S. state since the second quarter of 1997. It came amid a sharp rise in defaults on mortgages held by subprime borrowers, or borrowers with blemished credit, across the United States.
The low introductory interest rates on the their mortgages have been expiring, replaced by much higher rates that have made monthly mortgage payments too expensive for many households to maintain. Additionally, their options for refinancing their mortgages have been limited because home prices in many markets have been largely flat or slipping.
Full Story: REUTERS
Publish and be damned - but Playboy lives to excite another day
INDECENCY charges against the editor of Indonesian Playboy have been thrown out of court, prompting an outcry from Islamic groups.
Erwin Arnada vowed to continue publishing, but said his magazine - tame by Western standards - would not feature nudity.
Following the verdict, Mr Arnada unfurled a poster of a Playboy bunny, featuring the caption: "God saves our bunnies."
The case has become a lightning rod in the hard-fought morality war being waged by Muslim groups. Mr Arnada had to move his offices to Bali last year, after being besieged by rock-throwing protesters.
More than 200 members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front attended yesterday's verdict. "Welcome to pornography country," one shouted as the South Jakarta District court dismissed the charges, which could have seen Mr Arnada jailed for more than two years.
Full Story: THE SYDNEY MORNING NEWS
Erwin Arnada vowed to continue publishing, but said his magazine - tame by Western standards - would not feature nudity.
Following the verdict, Mr Arnada unfurled a poster of a Playboy bunny, featuring the caption: "God saves our bunnies."
The case has become a lightning rod in the hard-fought morality war being waged by Muslim groups. Mr Arnada had to move his offices to Bali last year, after being besieged by rock-throwing protesters.
More than 200 members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front attended yesterday's verdict. "Welcome to pornography country," one shouted as the South Jakarta District court dismissed the charges, which could have seen Mr Arnada jailed for more than two years.
Full Story: THE SYDNEY MORNING NEWS
A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs
Is it too late to bring civility to the Web?The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place. Now, a few high-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse.
Last week, Tim O’Reilly, a conference promoter and book publisher who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, began working with Jimmy Wales, creator of the communal online encyclopedia Wikipedia, to create a set of guidelines to shape online discussion and debate.
Full Story: NY TIMES
Last week, Tim O’Reilly, a conference promoter and book publisher who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, began working with Jimmy Wales, creator of the communal online encyclopedia Wikipedia, to create a set of guidelines to shape online discussion and debate.
Full Story: NY TIMES
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