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Pakistani court summons Musharraf over 2007 chaos (AP)

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 05:06 — admin

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's top court has summoned former President Pervez Musharraf to explain his 2007 firing of several dozen independent-minded judges. Wednesday's court notice allows Musharraf to send a lawyer in his place.
The case, brought up in petitions challenging Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule and firing of the judges that year, could lay the groundwork for future action — even a trial — against the one-time military ruler.
It could also rattle Pakistan's political scene at a time when the U.S. wants the nuclear-armed nation to focus on fighting al-Qaida and the Taliban along the Afghan border.
Pakistani Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa confirmed the court order.
He said the federal government would not defend the actions taken by Musharraf on Nov. 3, 2007, when faced with growing challenges to his rule, he declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution and dismissed the judges.
Musharraf is currently staying in London with his family. He could not immediately be reached for comment. The next hearing in the case is on July 29.
Wasi Zafar, a law minister during Musharraf's rule, said the retired general could appear before the Supreme Court either through his lawyer or in person.
"If he does not do it, the court can initiate proceedings against him in his absence," he said.
The former army chief seized power in a 1999 military coup and became a critical, and criticized, U.S. ally following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that sparked the American-led invasion of neighboring Afghanistan.
In early 2007, Musharraf dismissed the Supreme Court's chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. That triggered mass protests led by lawyers that damaged Musharraf's popularity.
The court managed to bring Chaudhry back, but — faced with growing rancor — Musharraf declared the emergency, tossing out Chaudhry and around 60 other judges. That only deepened popular anger against the military ruler.
Under domestic pressure, and prodding from the U.S., Musharraf lifted the emergency rule after about six weeks, stepped down as army chief and allowed parliamentary elections to take place the following February.
The elections brought his political foes to power, and they ultimately pushed him to resign the presidency in August 2008.
But the fate of the judges, especially that of Chaudhry, has caused fissures among those who came to power.
A coalition government consisting of Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N fell apart over the slow pace of reinstating the ousted jurists.
Ultimately, facing escalating lawyer-led protests reminiscent of Musharraf's era, now-President Zardari agreed to reinstate Chaudhry — whom he'd viewed as too political a figure — in March.
Ever since, there have been rumblings in some corners about whether and when Musharraf would have to answer in court for his actions, and court petitions were filed over the issue.

No "Cadillacs" in U.S. healthcare reform proposals (Reuters)

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 02:27 — admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
Some of the ideas proposed for U.S. healthcare reform could cost patients thousands of dollars a year out of their own pockets, and premiums could end up being too high, according to two reports.

One analysis for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network showed a plan now offered to federal employees, including members of Congress, sometimes costs patients $7,000 a year in out-of-pocket expenses -- many of which a seriously ill patient would have no way of avoiding.

The Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plan, operated by Wellpoint Inc, has been called a "Cadillac" plan for its generous benefits by healthcare reform advocates, who compare it to the luxury car. They say it should form the minimum basis of what is offered to Americans under a reworked system.

But Karen Pollitz and colleagues at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute who analyzed the plan for the Cancer Action Network found that even this plan leaves many gaps.

"It offers good protection by covering the most important benefits without caps and with an overall limit on cost-sharing liability. However, it is certainly not 'Cadillac' coverage," their report reads.

For instance, a breast cancer patient could pay $13,000 for her own care over two years, the analysis found.

President Barack Obama has made reform of the patchwork U.S. healthcare system his administration's showpiece priority and Congress is working on several ideas.

But Congress has run into problems over how to pay for a $1 trillion, 10-year overhaul. Much of the debate focuses on how to provide coverage for 46 million Americans who do not have private insurance and do not qualify for government programs such as Medicare or Medicaid.

A free, government plan is not even being discussed, and both Republicans and Democrats want consumers to pay at least part of their own way. Most proposals include expanding options for personal health insurance.

BANKRUPTED BY MEDICAL BILLS

But advocacy groups such as the Cancer Action Network point out that more than half of all U.S. bankruptcies were linked to medical debt -- and most of these people had health insurance.

"Too many cancer patients are delaying or forgoing lifesaving screenings and treatments because of access problems," said the group's president, Daniel Smith.

One such patient is Angela Kegler McDowell of Conway, South Carolina, a small business owner whose insurance company raised her premiums from $293 a month to $804 a month when her breast cancer returned. In January, the company stopped her coverage completely.

"It took my entire life savings," McDowell, 38, said in an interview. Even with insurance, McDowell estimates her cancer treatments cost her $42,000 out of pocket over five years.

Another report issued this week by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund found that 73 percent of people who tried to buy insurance on their own in the last three years did not because the premiums were too high.

According to the report, 64 percent of adults with individual insurance spend $3,000 or more per year on premiums, compared to 20 percent of those with employer insurance.

It said patients using employer-provided insurance spent $2,250 out of pocket on average, including premiums, while those with individual market insurance spent $6,750.

A graphic showing state-by-state breakdowns of the uninsured can be seen at http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/RNGS/JUL/HEALTH1.jpg)

Personalized Pencils

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 02:21 — admin

The archetypal pencil may have been the stylus, which was a thin metal stick, often made from lead and used for scratching on papyrus, a form of early paper. They were used extensively by the ancient Egyptians and Romans. The word pencil comes from the Latin word pencillus which means "little tail."

American colonists imported pencils from Europe until after the American Revolution. Benjamin Franklin advertised pencils for sale in his Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729, and George Washington used a three-inch pencil when he surveyed the Ohio Territory in 1762. It is said that William Munroe, a cabinetmaker in Concord, Massachusetts, made the first American wood pencils in 1812. This was not the only pencil-making in Concord. According to Henry Petroski, transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau discovered how to make a good pencil out of inferior graphite using clay as the binder; this invention was prompted by his father's pencil factory in Concord, which employed graphite found in New Hampshire in 1821 by Charles Dunbar.

Personalized Pencils

Afghanistan's Deadly Export: How the War Is Spilling Over into Central Asia (Time.com)

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 00:56 — admin

When five militants, all Russian citizens, were shot and killed in a gun battle at a remote military checkpoint near Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan, the Tajik government was quick to label the dead as "members of an organized terrorist group." The group has not been named, but the shootings highlight the grim irony of the struggle against terrorism in Afghanistan. With the U.S. increasing military pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan mounting security operations along its border with the country, fighters from Russia and the ex-Soviet republics of the Caucasus and Central Asia are returning home. And while that trend decreases the number of foreigners fighting American soldiers in Afghanistan, authorities fear it could export the violence into Central Asia, upsetting the fragile peace in the region's poorest republics.
The July 16 battle was just another recent example of the growing instability along Tajikistan's 830-mile (1,335 km) border with Afghanistan. Two weeks ago, members of a narcotics-smuggling ring - which included a former Tajik government minister and rebel commander - were killed after a skirmish with security forces in the Tavildara Valley, a strategic east-west transit route through Tajikistan and an Islamic stronghold opposed to the government. "The group included several Russian citizens ... aiming to transport large amounts of money through Tajikistan to support terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan," the government told the press, claiming that the ring was part of an "international terrorist" network with links to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which the U.S. government has designated a terrorist organization. (See pictures of Afghanistan's dangerous Korengal Valley.)
The spate of bombings, mass arrests and gunfights in Tajikistan over the past few months connected to militants fleeing the increased fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan has caught the attention of the international community. "The European Union is highly concerned about the situation in Pakistan and its reflection on Tajikistan," said Ambassador Pierre Morel, the E.U.'s special representative in Central Asia, at a news conference in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on July 14. "We support the current politics of [Tajikistan] directed towards the eradication of armed terrorist groups and drug traffic to [the country]."
Earlier this year, the Tajik military launched the Poppy-2009 operation, which the government says is aimed at combating the smuggling of drugs from Afghanistan across Tajikistan's porous, mountainous borders into the Rasht Valley and Badakhshan regions. Some believe that Poppy-2009 is actually a front for operations against Tajik opposition leaders. The government has publicly denied the charge, but observers say that if Dushanbe is indeed trying to put down suspected opposition forces under the cover of an anti-drug-smuggling operation, it only confirms that Central Asian militants are leaving Afghanistan and returning home, since many of the fighters are former opposition commanders or soldiers who fled Tajikistan after losing in the civil war between 1992 and 1997. (Read "Afghanistan's Great Film Hope.")
In an attempt to bring calm back to the border, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will meet in Dushanbe on July 28 to discuss plans to increase regional cooperation on trade and counterterrorism. Russia, which sees Central Asia as its backyard, is especially worried about the uptick in violence along its borders. In the meantime, the Russian government announced early in July that it would be basing rapid-deployment forces in the south of Kyrgyzstan. From there, the forces would be able to respond quickly to any unrest in the entire region, including along Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan. (Read "Tajikistan's President: No Photos, Please.")
But Central Asia faces a complex and potent mix of religious conflict, political corruption, ideological violence and increasing poverty - not to mention factionalism within the governments of the region and the countries' distrust of one another. Add to all that fighters returning home to escape the war in Afghanistan, and it's unlikely that declarations of concern from Western diplomats or the presence of the Russian military will soon slow the rising tide of violence.
Read "Could Central Asia Be the Next Flash Point?"
See TIME's Pictures of the Week.
View this article on Time.comRelated articles on Time.com:The Aimless War The Aimless War: Why Are We in Afghanistan? Pakistan: Negligent on Terror? Why the World Should Be Watching Central Asia The Truth About Talibanistan

LG Elec Q2 profit surges on handsets, TVs (Reuters)

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 00:11 — admin

SEOUL (Reuters) –
South Korea's LG Electronics Inc beat expectations with a record second-quarter profit and is set to outperform its peers this year thanks to a weak local currency and a strong lineup of mobile phones, TVs and appliances.

Although the results were better than expected, the world's No.3 phone maker cautioned that third-quarter mobile margins could slip, and analysts also voiced concerns about the economic outlook and rising competition.

"The second quarter is usually the peak season for LG," said Choi Hyun-jae, an analyst at Tong Yang Securities. "Global economic risks remain and fierce marketing competition among new products could also result in price reductions."

But new premium products such as the multimedia touch screen phone ARENA, plus steady sales of mid-range phones are helping LG expand market share in mobile phones despite the current downturn.

LG, the No.3 globally in liquid crystal displays (LCD), is also benefiting from strong sales of flat-screen TVs and improving earnings at affiliate LG Display Co Ltd.

"LG Electronics expects sales to grow over 10 percent year-on-year (in the third quarter) as demand for LCD TVs and mobile phones continues to expand, with profitability comparable to last year's level," LG said in a statement on Wednesday.

LG shares fell 1.9 percent against a flat broader market as the strong results had been largely priced in. The stock has risen about 76 percent so far this year, outperforming the broader market's 32 percent gain.

PHONE MARGINS

LG, which trails Nokia Oyj and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in mobile phones, sold a record 29.8 million handsets in the second quarter, up from 22.6 million units in January-March.

LG posted an 11 percent operating profit margin in handsets, compared with 6.7 percent posted in the first quarter, a figure Choi said was "pretty remarkable."

Last week, Nokia downgraded its expectations for second-half underlying operating margin to the first-half level of 11.3 percent, compared with expectations of 17.4 percent. Nokia also slashed market share forecasts, and analysts say increasingly aggressive price competition from Samsung and LG is hurting the world's top cellphone maker.

World No. 5 maker Sony Ericsson is also braced for a tough second half of 2009 as a demand slump hits its stronghold mid-range products focused on camera and music features.

Samsung posts earnings on Friday and indicated earlier this its profits would be above expectations.

62 PERCENT JUMP IN NET

LG's global-basis operating profit, which includes foreign affiliates, was a record 1.13 trillion won ($903 million) for April-June, soundly beating a 988 billion won average profit forecast from nine analysts polled by Reuters.

That was up 32 percent from an 856 billion won profit a year earlier and compares with a 456 billion won profit in the first quarter.

LG's second-quarter net profit of 1.15 trillion won was also much bigger than a 707 billion won profit in the year-ago period, and marked a strong turnaround from the 198 billion net loss in the previous quarter.

Its global-basis sales were 14.5 trillion won, in line with forecasts.

Senate sides with Obama, removes F-22 money (AP)

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 18:38 — admin

WASHINGTON – The Senate voted Tuesday to halt production of the Air Force's missile-eluding F-22 Raptor fighter jets in a high-stakes showdown over President Barack Obama's efforts to shift defense spending to a new generation of smaller F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
The 58-40 vote reflected an all-out lobbying campaign by the administration, which had to overcome resistance from lawmakers confronted with the potential losses of defense-related jobs if the F-22 program was terminated.
"The president really needed to win this vote," Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said. Levin said it was important not only on the merits of the planes but "in terms of changing the way we do business in Washington."
The top Republican on the committee, John McCain of Arizona, agreed that it was "a signal that we are not going to continue to build weapons systems with cost overruns which outlive their requirements for defending this nation."
Supporters of the program cited both the importance of the F-22 to U.S. security interests — pointing out that China and Russia are developing planes that can compete with it — and a need to protect aerospace jobs in a bad economy.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other Pentagon officials have determined that production of the F-22, which has not been used in Iraq and Afghanistan, should be stopped at 187 planes in order to focus on the F-35, which would also be available to the Navy and Marine Corps.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, countered that the F-35 is designed to supplement, not replace, the F-22, "the "NASCAR racer of this air dominance team." Supporters of the F-22 have put the number needed at anywhere from 250 to 380.
The defense bill has funds to build 30 F-35s. The plane is currently being produced in small numbers for testing purposes. The single-engine plane will eventually replace the venerable F-16 and the Air Force's aging fleet of A-10s. Its primary purpose is to attack targets on the ground.
The twin-engine F-22 Raptor is a jet the Air Force would use for air-to-air combat missions.
McCain said the voting margin of victory was "directly attributable" to Obama, his opponent in the last presidential election, and Gates, who has pushed for termination of the F-22 and other weapons systems he says have outlived their usefulness.
The vote removed $1.75 billion set aside in a $680 billion defense policy bill to build seven more F-22 Raptors, adding to the 187 stealth technology fighters already built or being built.
The Senate action also saved Obama from what could have been a political embarrassment. He had urged the Senate to strip out the money and threatened what would have been the first veto of his presidency if the F-22 money remained.
Immediately after the vote, Obama told reporters at the White House the Senate's decision would "better protect our troops."
White House officials said Vice President Joe Biden and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel lobbied senators, as did Gates.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Tuesday that spending on the stealth fighter would "inhibit our ability to buy things we do need," including Gates' proposal to add 22,000 soldiers to the Army.
"I've never seen the White House lobby like they've lobbied on this issue," said Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, an F-22 supporter whose state would be hit hard by a production shutdown.
According to Lockheed Martin Corp., the main contractor for both planes, 25,000 people are directly employed in building the F-22, and an additional 70,000 have indirect links, particularly in Georgia, Texas and California.
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., a strong backer of the program, said his state stood to lose 2,000 to 4,000 jobs if F-22 production ended.

Levin suggested that some workers might be shifted to F-35 production. "We have to find places for people who are losing their jobs," he said.

The House last month approved its version of the defense bill with a $369 million down payment for 12 additional F-22 fighters. The House Appropriations Committee last week endorsed that spending in drawing up its Pentagon budget for next year. It also approved $534 million for an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, another program that Obama, backed by the Pentagon, says is unwarranted and would subject the entire bill to a veto.

The defense bill authorizes $550 billion for defense programs and $130 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for other anti-terrorist operations.

___

The defense bill is S. 1390.

___

On the Net:

Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov

Gutierrez leaves after running into scoreboard (AP)

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 18:26 — admin

DETROIT – Seattle Mariners outfielder Franklin Gutierrez left Tuesday night's game against Detroit in the second inning after running into the scoreboard in right-center field at Comerica Park.
Gutierrez sustained left knee and elbow contusions after hitting the unpadded scoreboard, and X-rays of his elbow were negative. The Mariners are listing him as day-to-day.
Gutierrez leaped for Ryan Raburn's long fly ball and hit the scoreboard with the left side of his body. He immediately crumpled to the ground, and stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the field.
Raburn ended up with a two-run triple that gave the Tigers an 8-1 lead.
Wladimir Balentin came in to play left for Seattle with Ryan Langerhans moving to center.

UK-Odd Summary (Reuters)

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 17:11 — admin

Allen Stanford's women stand by their man
HOUSTON (Reuters) –
Most men would not want to be in a room with their estranged wife, current girlfriend and two former mistresses, but Allen Stanford is not most men. The women, who have enjoyed million-dollar homes and luxury lifestyles, appear united in their loyalty to the Texas financier who faces criminal charges for an alleged $7 billion (4.2 billion pound) Ponzi scheme.

How do you sneeze in a spacesuit? Aim low!

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Veteran spacewalker David Wolf had some advice on Tuesday for those wondering how to sneeze in a spacesuit. "Aim low, off the windscreen, because it's going to mess up your view and there's no way to clear it," said Wolf, who admitted being in just that predicament during Monday's spacewalk outside the International Space Station.

Almost extinct Galapagos tortoise mates at 90

QUITO (Reuters) - Lonesome George, the last remaining giant tortoise of his kind, may soon be a father to the delight of conservationists. Unhatched eggs have been found in his "bachelor" pen in the Galapagos Islands, his keepers said on Tuesday.

Indian farmers fight bad monsoon with frog marriage

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - Indian farmers are falling back on a trusted local method to bring badly needed monsoon rains -- marrying off two frogs. Villagers in West Bengal state pooled their money together this week to marry Ram and Sita, two frogs named after India's most revered mythological couple from the epic Ramayana.

Toilet back in service on crowded space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - After a tiring day of spacewalking, astronauts can enjoy at least one creature comfort: a working toilet. While spacewalkers David Wolf and Thomas Marshburn worked outside the International Space Station on Monday stashing spare parts, crewmates repaired the outpost's broken toilet.

World's first camel-milk chocolates going global

DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai's Al Nassma, the world's first brand of chocolate made with camels' milk, plans to expand into new Arab markets, Europe, Japan and the United States, its general manager said Tuesday. Martin Van Almsick said the United Arab Emirates company planned to enter Saudi Arabia first, followed by Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United States within the next few months.

Antiguan straggler almost misses medal ceremony

OSTIA, Italy (Reuters) - Antigua's open water swimmer Kareem Valentine finished over half an hour behind the world champion in Tuesday's 5km ocean race -- but at least he made it just in time for the medal ceremony. Valentine was so far behind the rest of the field that world championship organisers were already preparing to give Thomas Lurz his gold medal when the straggler clambered ashore to wild applause.

Hawks deliver go-away message to Canada Post

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Two nesting hawks have managed to do what Canada's blizzards usually can't -- halt delivery of the mail to a few dozen homes in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Canada Post said it stopped delivering to 54 Moose Jaw homes after hawks swooped down on a letter carrier and after a supervisor who came in to inspect the area had to dive for cover. Later, another carrier was attacked two blocks away.

"Vegan streaker" held over attack plans

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch animal rights activist, known in the Netherlands as the 'vegan streaker', has been arrested on suspicion of planning an attack against Queen Beatrix because she wears fur. The prosecution office said Tuesday it was investigating whether the man was planning an attack against Queen Beatrix following a witness statement alerting authorities.

Police catch underwear thief

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police uncovered over 1,000 pairs of underpants and more than 100 pairs of swimming trunks after catching a thief nabbing another three pairs for his collection. The 46-year-old man was caught Sunday pinching three pairs of pants from a sports hall in the western town of Gelnhausen. Police then came across the enormous collection of underwear while searching his flat.

Brett Favre just 1 of the guys at Oak Grove High (AP)

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 11:30 — admin

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Micah Williams doesn't show up to summer workouts at Oak Grove High School without gloves.
Thanks to the fourth guy in the quarterback rotation — the tall one with the gray beard — they're required gear.
"He's still throwing like he used to," Williams said. "Still with the zip. Hard. If you don't wear gloves, your hands are going to be through."
The senior wide receiver is talking about his summertime teammate, Brett Favre. Yeah, that Brett Favre. The 39-year-old quarterback, Super Bowl winner and three-time NFL MVP.
Anyone who thinks Favre is adrift without a team as he contemplates a return for a 19th season, this time with the Minnesota Vikings, is very wrong. Favre has everything he needs right here at Oak Grove, where coach Nevil Barr agreed to let him join in team workouts five summers ago while Favre was still in Green Bay.
"It's hard to run 110s on your own," Favre said Wednesday morning after a session under a sweltering sun. "It's hard to run stadiums on your own. I can remember pulling tires out here. That's very hard to do on your own. So I was at a point in my career I felt like I needed some motivation, someone to kind of kick me into gear. So I came out."
He's been having a great time since. There's an endless supply of hands waiting to be graced with a pass from a guy who's started in the Pro Bowl and has made a yearly ritual of keeping the football world uncertain about whether he'll play again or not.
Then there's the camaraderie — joking around and just hanging out.
And there's a common goal: to be ready to give it all this season.
"He's got a good sense of humor," junior quarterback John Mark said. "He's a laid back guy. He's just like one of us. He's out there having a good time."
Favre doesn't hog valuable practice time. He takes his turn in the rotation, throwing to any receiver in the group, from savvy seniors who love to run under one of his deep end zone passes to the new guys making their way up from the junior varsity. The All Pro usually takes pity on the little guys.
"With the small ones, you've got to learn to take a little bit off when you throw it," Favre said. So far "I haven't had a parent call me and say, 'Are you trying to kill my son?'"
Favre joined the team after classmates of his daughter asked "Mr. Brett" — "which is weird," he says — to come work out. He liked it immediately. Now there are few star-struck moments out here, though the occasional visiting camera or journalist can cause a stir.
Most days, though, there have been no pictures this summer, just Favre — workout after workout. He's missed just one since he was cleared to start throwing. He jokes with the Warriors, gives tips on footwork and preaches the importance of a quarterback's eyes.
"Our kids are used to it, as strange as it seems," Barr said. "They love it. Believe me, they know who he is and what he's done, but they feel comfortable around him."
As you might imagine, Oak Grove players often use the words "awesome" to describe the experience of playing with Favre and "cool" to describe the man.
Like this, from sophomore quarterback Steven Papas: "It's pretty awesome. It's not, like, every day you get to talk to a Hall of Famer pretty much. And I mean he's cool. It's cool just being around him."
Barr believes Favre's willingness to sweat alongside the players as they work toward a shared goal has improved his football team, which has made it to the state semifinals five of the last six seasons and is expected to contend in Class 5A again this season. The Warriors turn out by the dozens to work out three days a week.

"I'm a part of this team," Favre said. "And as much as Nevil says it helps these kids, it probably has helped me equally if not more than it's helped those kids. When I was 17, 18, I was just happy to be wherever. You don't want to get up and work out, but you do it. Me, I REALLY don't want to get up and work out. So coming up here kind of keeps you young."

Young enough to play another season? The Warriors think so. Though none has the eye or experience of an NFL coach, some have watched and practiced with Favre for four or five years now and see no reason why he won't be in a Vikings uniform. The proof is in the sting of leather on bare flesh.

"Brett, he comes with extra," Williams said. "You've got to have your eyes on it before it even gets there, because if you have your head turned the other way — pfft! — it'll hit you."

Of course, whether Favre will be wearing purple this year or sitting in the club seats in Oak Grove's palatial stadium is up to the quarterback himself. Favre says he will make a decision by the July 30 start of Vikings training camp.

He hasn't tipped his hand to his Oak Grove teammates.

"He's been with us all summer," Williams said. "I was thinking he'd at least give us a hint or something."

Clinical Trials Update: July 17, 2009 (HealthDay)

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 09:18 — admin

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy
of CenterWatch and ClinicalConnection.com:

Emphysema

If you are at least 40 and have severe emphysema, you
may qualify for this study.
The research site is in Milwaukee, Wis.

More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/studylist.aspx?CatID=59.

-----
Osteoarthritis

If you are at least 40 and have osteoarthritis of the
knee, you may qualify for this study.
The research site is in Lake
Jackson, Texas.

More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/studylist.aspx?CatID=109.

-----
Women's Health

If you are a woman at least 21 years old, you may
qualify for this study.
The research site is in San Diego, Calif.

More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/studylist.aspx?CatID=438.

-----

Atrial Fibrillation

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness
of an investigational medication compared to warfarin to prevent stroke or
blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation or flutter.

The
research site is in Vista, Calif.

More information

Please see http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/atrial_fibrillation.aspx.

-----

Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease
(GERD)

This study is for people 18 or older who have GERD.

The research site is in Dallas, Texas.

More information

Please see http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/GERD.aspx.

-----

Hepatitis C

This study is for people with hepatitis C. Qualified
participants will receive study related health assessments and medication
at no cost, and may qualify for compensation for time and travel up to
$2,000.

The research site is in DeLand, Fla.

More information

Please see http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/hepatitis.aspx.

-----

Copyright 2009 CenterWatch and ClinicalConnection.com. All rights
reserved.

Christian Singles

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 09:18 — admin

Men and women are rotated to meet each other over a series of short "dates", usually lasting from 3 to 8 minutes depending on the organization running the event. At the end of each interval, the organizer rings a bell or clinks a glass to signal the participants to move on to the next date.

Some examples of Virtual Dating include going to different locations in an online MMORPG and doing what some couples might do in a real-life date.

Christian Singles

Celtic to play Dynamo Moscow in Champions League (AFP)

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 07:48 — admin

NYON, Switzerland (AFP) –
Former European champions Celtic will play Dynamo Moscow in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, announced here on Friday.

UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine will clash with Romanian debutants FC Timisoara, while Anderlecht are up against newcomers Sivasspor from Turkey.

Sparta Prague and Panathinaikos come face to face and Portugal's Sporting take on FC Twente of the Netherlands.

Under UEFA's new seeding pattern for the tournament, clubs which do not qualify directly into the group stage have two ways of reaching the core part of the competition.

One way is destined for teams progressing from the second qualifying round, being played currently.

The other, known as the "best placed path" is for the remainder - named in the ties on July 28/29 and August 4/5.

The winners of the five best-placed path ties will face one of Arsenal, Lyon, Stuttgart, Fiorentina and Atletico Madrid in the play-off round.

For Celtic, their July 29 home game against the Muscovites will be new manager Tony Mowbray's first competitive game in charge.

The Russian side finished third in the league last season, while they sit seventh in the current campaign after 13 matches of the Russian season.

The last time Celtic played Russian opposition was two years ago when they faced Spartak Moscow in a similar stage of European club football's showpiece tournament.

After a 1-1 draw in the Russian capital, the sides fought out a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park, with the Hoops progressing to the group stages of the competition following a dramatic penalty shoot-out, with Artur Boruc the hero on the night.

Champions League 3rd rd fixtures

Best-placed path draw:

(First leg: July 28/29; Second leg: August 4/5)

Sparta Prague (CZE) v Panathinaikos (GRE)

Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Timisoara (ROM)

Sporting (POR) v FC Twente (NED)

Celtic (SCO) v Dynamo Moscow (RUS)

Anderlecht (BEL) v Sivasspor (TUR)

Champions path draw:

Salzburg (AUT) or Bohemian (IRL) v FC Pyunik (ARM) or Dynamo Zagreb (CRO)

Zrinjski (BIH) or Slovan Bratislava (SVK) v Olympiakos (GRE)

FC Zurich (SUI) v WIT Georgia (GEO) or NK Maribor (SLO)

EB/Streymur (FAR) or Apoel (CYP) v Rhyl (WAL) or Partizan (SRB)

International Turku (FIN) or Sheriff (MDA) v Slavia Prague (CZE)

Hafnarfjordur (ISL) or Aktobe (KAZ) v Maccabi Haifa (ISR) or Glentoran (NIR)

Ekranas (LTU) or FK Baku (AZE) v Levski Sofia (BUL) or Sant Julia (AND)

Ventspils (LVA) or Dudelange (LUX) v Makedonija Skopje (MKD) or Bate Borisov (BLR)

Wisla Krakow (POL) or Levadia Tallinn (EST) v Debreceni (HUN) or Kalmar (SWE)

FC Copenhagen (DEN) or FK Mogren (MNE) v Tirana (ALB)

Opposition seeks show of strength at Friday prayer (AP)

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 03:24 — admin

TEHRAN, Iran – Senior Iranian cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is calling for the release of opposition supporters arrested in the government's crackdown on postelection protests.
Rafsanjani has made the call during his sermon at Iran's main Friday prayers, where tens of thousands of opposition supporters have gathered in a show of strength for their movement. Rafsanjani is considered their top supporters in Iran's clerical leadership.
Rafsanjani says keeping the detainees in prison "is not necessary," saying "we should not let enemies criticize or laugh at us ... for keeping our people in jail."
The opposition is seeking to show their movement remains vibrant even after the crackdown following Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Tens of thousands of opposition supporters massed at Iran's main Islamic prayer service Friday, attempting a show strength at one of the country's most important and symbolic political platforms. Police fired tear gas at others as they headed to the prayers.
The opposition is seeking to show their movement remains vibrant even after the crackdown put down huge anti-government protests that erupted after Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election.
Since the turmoil began, the main Friday prayers at Tehran University have been a stage for hard-line clerics to lay down the line of Iran's supreme leader. But for the first time since the election, Friday's sermon is being delivered by the opposition's top backer in the clerical leadership, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Pro-reform activists hope he will show support for the movement in his sermon.
Tens of thousands — mostly pro-opposition but also some government backers — packed the prayer hall and shouted competing slogans. Hard-liners made traditional chants of "death to America," while opposition supporters countered with "death to Russia" — a reference to government's ties to Moscow. Many pro-reform worshippers wore green headbands or wristbands or had green prayer rugs — the opposition movement's color.
In the front row of the worshippers was opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, attending for the first time since the election. Mousavi claims he won the election and that results showing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory were fraudulent. He insists Ahmadinejad's government will be illegitimate. However, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed Ahmadinejad. Hard-liners in the clerical leadership have since been demanding the public fall in line behind Khamenei, hoping to put behind them the biggest challenge to their rule in 30 years.
At the same time, thousands more opposition backers were heading toward Tehran University for a planned rally outside the campus after the prayers, raising fears of a confrontation with security forces or with hard-line militiamen, witnesses said.
Near the university gates, police fired tear gas at Mousavi supporters as they headed for the prayers, witnesses said. They spoke on condition of anonymity fearing government retaliation.
Two pro-reform Web sites reported that a prominent women's rights activist, Shadi Sadr, was beaten by plainclothes militiamen and taken away as she headed toward Tehran University. Sadr was forcible pushed into a car and taken to an unknown location, Mousavi's Web site http://www.mowjcamp.com and a women's activists site http://www.meydaan.com said.
The opposition has been looking for a way to keep their momentum after the crackdown against protests. In the past two weeks, they have been able to hold one day of rallies — on July 9, when thousands marched in the streets, confronting police weilding batons and firing tear gas.
At least 20 people have been killed in the crackdown, according to police, though rights groups fear the number could be several times that amount. Hundreds remain in prison, many of them held in secret locations, including some of the top political leaders of the reform movement.

China shuts down legal center, revokes licenses (AP)

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 02:39 — admin

BEIJING – Beijing officials shut down a legal research center led by activist lawyers Friday, while China revoked the licenses of more than 50 lawyers, many known for their human rights cases.
The moves appear to be a new government push to oversee Chinese activist lawyers, who run the risk of being detained, harassed, attacked and threatened with disbarment for their work. China is also preparing for the communist state's 60th anniversary on Oct. 1 — a particularly sensitive period when dissent is not tolerated.
About 20 officials from Beijing's Civil Affairs Bureau showed up Friday morning at the offices of the Gongmeng rights group's legal research center and confiscated computers and other equipment, said office manager Tian Qizhuang. They also questioned researchers and other employees on the nature of their work.
"They said the research center was not properly registered," Tian said. "We didn't want to resist them, but what they are doing violates the law. ... Shutting us down is the same as shutting down Gongmeng."
Xu Zhiyong, one of Gongmeng's lawyers, said the legal center was a department of Gongmeng, which has proper registration.
Xu said the center does legal research on public welfare and offers legal aid. Most recently, lawyers from Gongmeng represented parents whose children got sick in a widespread scandal involving milk tainted with the industrial chemical melamine.
The legal center's shutdown came two days after Beijing's tax bureau fined the group 1.4 million yuan (US$200,000) because it said the group had not paid taxes.
Xu said there had been only a delay and that the full amount had been paid.
"We made a small mistake, but it was not serious. The tax bureau levied the heaviest fine to us. It's not fair," he said.
Neither the tax bureau nor the civil affairs bureau responded to faxed questions regarding the shutdown.
In addition, the licenses of 53 lawyers in Beijing have been canceled, effectively banning them from working.
A notice posted last week on the Beijing Justice Bureau's Web site said the lawyers had been penalized because they did not pass an assessment by their firms or failed to register with the bureau.
The notice gave no details besides a list of names, including Jiang Tianyong, who recently defended a Tibetan Buddhist cleric against charges of concealing weapons in an area of China where anti-government protests occurred.

Myrtle Beach Hotel

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 01:00 — admin

http://www.sandsresorts.com/

The Hotel Ca Sa Padrina in Palma de Mallorca It is an automatic hotel that works without a receptionist.

Sultan Said Bin Taimur of Muscat lived at Dorchester Hotel in London after he was deposed by Qaboos of Oman in 1970, he died in the hotel in 1972.

Obama has tough-love message for African-Americans (Reuters)

Fri, 07/17/2009 - 00:42 — admin

NEW YORK (Reuters) –
President Barack Obama had a tough-love message for fellow African-Americans on Thursday, urging black parents to push their children to think beyond dreams of being sports stars or rap music performers.

Obama's election as the first African-American president buoyed the black community. At the 100th anniversary celebration of the NAACP, the country's oldest civil rights group, he urged blacks to take greater responsibility for themselves and move away from reliance on government programs.

"We need a new mindset, a new set of attitudes -- because one of the most durable and destructive legacies of discrimination is the way that we have internalized a sense of limitation; how so many in our community have come to expect so little of ourselves," he said.

Obama told a packed ballroom at a Manhattan hotel that blacks need to recapture the spirit of the civil rights movement of a half century ago to tackle problems that have struck African-Americans disproportionately -- joblessness, spiraling healthcare costs and HIV-AIDS.

"What is required to overcome today's barriers is the same as was needed then -- the same commitment. The same sense of urgency. The same sense of sacrifice," he said.

Obama said parents need to force their children to set aside the video games and get to bed at a reasonable hour, and push them to set their sights beyond such iconic figures as NBA star LeBron James and rap singer Lil Wayne.

Education is the path to a better future, said Obama.

"Our kids can't all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be president of the United States," he said.

Obama noted that his own life could have taken a different path, had it not been for his mother's urgings.

'SHE TOOK NO LIP'

"That mother of mine gave me love; she pushed me, and cared about my education," he said. "She took no lip and taught me right from wrong. Because of her, I had a chance to make the most of my abilities. I had the chance to make the most of my opportunities. I had the chance to make the most of life."

Obama was on one of his first major political outings since he took office January 20.

In Holmdel, New Jersey, he spoke twice for Gov. Jon Corzine, who is seeking re-election but lagging badly in the polls against Republican nominee Chris Christie.

New Jersey and Virginia hold gubernatorial elections in November. Though local issues typically define who wins, the outcome is likely to be viewed as an early referendum on Obama's leadership, ahead of the 2010 congressional elections.

Obama himself enjoys strong public approval ratings well over 50 percent, but they have been dropping in recent weeks from the lofty heights he had enjoyed in the first months of his presidency, suggesting his political honeymoon was coming to an end as Americans begin to examine his policies.

Obama said in recession-hit New Jersey that turning around the jobless rate is usually one of the lagging indicators at the end of an economic downturn.

After earlier in the week announcing it was now his economy to fix, he was tough in his criticism of Republicans, blaming them for getting the country into the current predicament.

Corzine, speaking to thousands at an open-air arena, attempted to tie his Republican opponents to the unpopular presidency of George W. Bush, a strategy similar to that which Obama employed in defeating John McCain last November.

"The same people who miserably failed in the White House now want you to hand the keys to the statehouse to them. No way!" Corzine said.

Female ski jumpers to appeal court decision (AP)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 13:14 — admin

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A group of female ski jumpers will appeal a court decision that prevents them from competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The appeal will be based on the argument that the organizers of the Vancouver Games must abide by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, said Ross Clark, the lawyer representing the jumpers.
"It cannot host events on Canadian soil that implement discrimination," Clark said in a statement.
Katie Willis, one of the women who brought the suit, is encouraged the appeal will go forward.
"We were so disheartened by last week's decision, but we're competitors," Willis said. "We won't give up."
The British Columbia Supreme Court ruled last week the International Olympic Committee is discriminating against the ski jumpers by keeping them from the games. But the judge said the court does not have the power to order the sport be part of the program when the Olympics begin in February.
The 15 former and current female ski jumpers went to court in April, saying their exclusion violated the Charter. The women said the Vancouver organizing committee should either hold women's ski jumping in 2010 or cancel all ski jumping events.
Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon said the IOC, not the local organizers, decides which sports are on the Olympic roster. Fenlon added that the IOC is not governed by the Charter nor does the organization fall under her court's jurisdiction. The decision did say the Vancouver committee does fall under the Charter.
The IOC has said its decision to not to allow women's ski jumping at the games was based on "technical issues without regard to gender."

Esteemed stage actor relishes Dumbledore role (AP)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 12:59 — admin

NEW YORK – Michael Gambon was in the midst of shooting his fourth film as Professor Albus Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" films when the series' author, J.K. Rowling, brought forth an unexpected revelation about his character.
The regal Hogwarts headmaster, Rowling said, was gay. When Gambon later saw Rowling on the set of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," he had one question: "Is it because of the way I'm playing it?"
While Gambon acknowledges he was "cutting around" on set upon learning the wizard's sexuality, he states clearly: "It doesn't make any difference."
But the 68-year-old actor, who keeps cigarettes hid under Dumbledore's robes, has never shied from a moment of levity. Long known as something of a trickster himself, he hypothesizes that Rowling merely blurted it out to surprise people, and says he identifies with the instinct "to cause trouble or make people think or kick people off their security blanket."
That goes for his acting, too. Gambon revels in doing the "strange, odd and unexpected," particularly on the stage where he's known for altering a performance from night to night.
It's ironic that Gambon — one of the most esteemed stage actors of a generation — has become most widely identified with a wizard in a series meant for teenagers, not unlike Ian McKellen's experience playing Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings."
Now, Gambon says, it's common for a young child to anxiously spy him while sipping coffee at a cafe.
"It's very odd," Gambon said in an interview shortly after the film's crazed London premiere. "I hadn't realized before just how powerful these things are. I just do the job and go home and you forget it" — adding a snap of his finger.
Gambon inherited the role after Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two films, died in 2002. He has company in the cast, divided between young upstarts and elder statesmen of British acting: Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent, Maggie Smith.
"They rang me up and said, `Will you do it?' Like any other job I said, `Sure,'" recalled Gambon. "Then you find yourself in the middle of this thing."
Gambon comes from a different generation of actors: a "working actor" eager for constant work and not as "fussy" as today's younger crop of thespians. Born in Ireland and raised in London, Gambon was classically trained and eventually recruited by Laurence Olivier for his National Theatre Company.
He established himself on the stage with widely hailed performances of Shakespeare ("Othello," "Macbeth," "King Lear") and Harold Pinter ("Betrayal," "The Caretaker"). He was given the nickname "The Great Gambon," praised for the physicality, nuance and unpredictability of his performances.
"I've played quite a lot of crooks and killers, and that's quite interesting," says Gambon. "Then Dumbledore is the complete opposite, isn't he? He's a nice old man."
He's amassed more than 100 film and TV credits in his career, predominantly as a character actor. Roles of note include Philip Marlow in the mid-`80s BBC series "The Singing Detective" and Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1997's "The Gambler." Others include Robert Altman's "Gosford Park," Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and Michael Mann's "The Insider."
Gambon will appear in the final two Potter films, which are being shot and will be released in fall 2010 and summer 2011, respectively. But fans of Rowling's books know well that "The Half-Blood Prince" is a film of particular importance to Dumbledore and Gambon — for reasons that set off shrill sirens of "spoiler alert."
Suffice it to say, "The Half-Blood Prince" represents a culmination of Gambon's time in Potterville — an era he views with warmth.
"This will stick out as being a happy memory, being with a thing for so long and the worldwide love of it," says Gambon. "You never forget that."

Obama says health costs will rise without action (AP)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 12:53 — admin

HOLMDEL, N.J. – President Barack Obama says he wants a health care overhaul this year and that costs will continue to rise without action.
Obama on Thursday told a political fundraiser that he is confident Congress will deliver legislation overhauling the nation's health care system. He has said he wants lawmakers to take action before their break for their August recess.
Obama says the country will weather an economic crisis and the new economy will be better than before. He says investing in clean energy research, controlling health care costs and training a new generation of workers are part of his solution.
He says the naysayers expect a different outcome with the same-old approaches to a decades-old challenge.

French Maid Costume

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 12:47 — admin

“Clothing worn in dance training generally reflects period, culture, and performance traditions” (Penrod 12). Throughout history clothing has become more simplified as dance becomes more physically demanding and free. In the past, dancers would dance in gardens and halls in elaborate and expensive costumes. However, in the eighteenth century they began to dance in theaters and to “discard cumbersome garments” (Penrod 13) by training in daily clothing.

Suspenders give a better line and eliminate the bulky belt line. Their tunic, tight-fitting waist- length t-shirt, is either tucked into their tights or worn out. If it is worn out then it should just cover the pelvic area (Penrod 14). This tunic is fitted to allow more freedom for the male dancer’s strong movements. By adding elastics to the side seams, it provides a more fitted look (Harrison 115).

Visit Site

High Performance Driving Schools

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 12:29 — admin

British Stock car racing is a form of Short Oval Racing. This takes place on shale or tarmac tracks in either clockwise or anti-clockwise direction depending on the class, some of which allow contact. Races are organized by local promoters and all drivers are registered with BRISCA and have their own race number. What classes exist depends on the promoter, so events in Scotland at Cowdenbeath can be very different from an event at Wimbledon Stadium in London.

Production car racing or known in the US as showroom stock, is an economical and rules restricted version of touring car racing, mainly to restrict costs.

http://www.sportscardrivingexperience.com/high-performance-driving-schools.html

Neanderthals Were Few and Poised for Extinction (LiveScience.com)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 12:08 — admin

Neanderthals are of course extinct. But there never were very many of them, new research concludes.

In fact, new genetic evidence from the remains of six Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) suggests the population hovered at an average of 1,500 females of reproductive age in Europe between 38,000 and 70,000 years ago, with the maximum estimate of 3,500 such female Neanderthals.

"It seems they never really took off in Eurasia in the way modern humans did later," said study researcher Adrian Briggs of the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.

The research, which will be published in the July 17 issue of the journal Science, suggests the small population size of our ancestral cousins may have been a factor in their demise.

"Because there never really were millions of them, they probably were more susceptible to some event that made them go extinct, which to me, suspiciously coincides with the emergence of modern humans," Briggs told LiveScience.

Ian Tattersall, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, who was not involved in the current research, said the study "does support notions that toward the end of last ice age, the Neanderthal population was declining as a result of harsh circumstances." He added, "I don't believe Neanderthals would've gone extinct if it wasn't for this new element, the Homo sapiens competing for the same resources."

Savvy Neanderthals

The Neanderthals inhabited the plains of Europe and parts of Asia as far back as 230,000 years ago. They disappeared from the fossil record more than 20,000 years ago, a few thousand years after modern humans appeared on the scene.

Figuring out why Neanderthals died out and what they were like when alive have kept plenty of scientists busy.

Rather than the dumb cavemen characters starring in Geico car insurance ads, accumulating archaeological and genetic evidence shows Neanderthals were pretty sophisticated. They apparently hunted with blades and spear tips rivaling those of modern humans, ate marine mammals like seals and dolphins and sported brains that grew like ours. Their bodies likely looked similar to ours, and some Neanderthals showed off red locks on their heads.

Sparse population

Now, Briggs and his colleagues have used a new method that targets the genetic material of interest, analyzing so-called mitochondrial DNA from the fossils of six Neanderthals, who lived between 38,000 and 70,000 years ago. That genetic material comes from females and so can be used to trace maternal lineages.

To get a sense of the genetic diversity, and ultimately population size, the team compared the Neanderthal sequences with one another. Then, the researchers looked at such genetic information from 50 living humans from around the world, asking, "how different are their genes from one another?"

(Diversity of genes can provide indirect evidence for the number of breeding individuals, because with more people mating more genes are thrown into the mix, and vice versa.)

The Neanderthals had about three times less genetic diversity than the modern humans. Briggs suggests the entire population could be roughly estimated by doubling the number of females, which they set at no higher than 3,500.

In addition, the sequenced genetic material from the Neanderthals did not support any interbreeding among Neanderthals and modern humans. However, with such a small Neanderthal population, even if interbreeding occurred, the few Neanderthal genes thrown into the mix could've been sort of diluted out over time, Briggs said.

The entire Neanderthal genome is expected to be reported later this year and could shed more light on the interbreeding question, he added.

Top 10 Missing Links
Neanderthal News & Information
Neanderthals and Humans: Perhaps They Never Met
Original Story: Neanderthals Were Few and Poised for ExtinctionLiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.

Keep your eyes peeled (The Yahoo! Newsroom)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 07:47 — admin

Five things to watch for during the fourth day of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing to the Supreme Court:
5. DAVID CONE: The former major-league pitcher is scheduled to testify about Sotomayor's role in ending a nearly eight-month baseball strike that wiped out the World Series for the first time in 90 years. The U.S. District Court judge issued an injunction against owners on March 31, 1995.4. FRANK RICCI: The New Haven, Conn., firefighter was on the winning side of a Supreme Court race-discrimination ruling that overturned an appellate court decision in which Sotomayor participated. The hearing has brought Ricci some unwanted attention: As soon as the anti-Sotomayor side listed him as a witness, liberal groups did some digging and are now pointing out that he got his job by filing a discrimination case. 3. SEN. AL FRANKEN: The comic-turned-senator injected some levity into the hearings Wednesday and, with any luck, will do so today. But he's good for more than a laugh: Franken, virtually alone among Democrats, chastised Sotomayor for being so elusive during a frustrating question-and-nonanswer session over voter rights. "So that means you're not going to tell us?" he asked.2. AUGUST: That's when the Democratic Senate leadership plans to put Sotomayor's nomination up for a vote and almost certainly send her to the high court.1. OBAMA'S NEXT PICK: Sotomayor's hearing is less about her than it is about Democratic and Republican efforts to lay the groundwork for the possibility that Obama will some day replace a conservative justice. That could dramatically change the ideological makeup of the divided court. Sotomayor would replace Justice David Souter, who is part of the court's liberal bloc.-Ron Fournier, AP Washington bureau chief

 

RFID Blocking Wallet

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 05:35 — admin

Go

Most major designers including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani offer seasonal and perennial wallet collections of black and brown leather wallets. In the UK, wallets are made by Mulberry, Radley, Paul Smith, Ted Baker, Burberry, Billabong and Aspinal of London. In the US, designers include Guess, Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole and Fossil.

Major retailers usually sell a wide selection of men's wallets . Major retailers (such as the UK's John Lewis Partnership or Neiman Marcus in USA) usually offer branded wallets and house-name wallets.

NYC teen admits to leaving kitten in oven to die (AP)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 04:05 — admin

NEW YORK – A New York City teenager has admitted that she failed to let a kitten out of an oven after a friend put the animal inside and left it to roast to death.
After pleading guilty to charges of animal cruelty and attempted burglary on Wednesday, 17-year-old Cheyenne Cherry confronted a row of animal activists outside the courtroom. Cherry stuck out her tongue and told the activists that the kitten named Tiger Lily was "dead."
Authorities say Cherry and a 14-year-old friend ransacked a Bronx apartment before putting the cat in the oven, where it cried and scratched before dying.
The 14-year-old was charged with aggravated animal cruelty and burglary in the May 6 incident.
Cherry will serve a year in jail under a plea bargain.

Australia's "worst case scenario" 6,000 H1N1 deaths (Reuters)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 03:38 — admin

SYDNEY (Reuters) –
As many as 6,000 people could die from H1N1 in Australia this season in a "worst case scenario" if no preventive measures or vaccines are found, Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said on Thursday.

The H1N1 influenza has killed 21 people in Australia so far and there are 10,387 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Australia's health department.

"We could expect around 6,000 deaths across the country," Roxon told local radio. "That is the really worst case scenario that is being projected at the moment."

Each year a few thousand Australians die from influenza.

The World Health Organization has confirmed 429 deaths and 94,512 cases of H1N1, declared a pandemic last month. But these numbers represent only a fraction of the real cases.

Swine flu is the dominant flu in Australia this southern hemisphere winter and authorities say they have ordered 21 million doses of swine flu vaccine still under development.

They say that should be enough for half the 21 million population with multiple doses.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least a million people have been infected with H1N1 and the virus is spreading out of control.

Disease control experts say the death rate from H1N1 is similar to the death rate from seasonal influenza, which kills anywhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally each year.

(Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Michael Perry and Jerry Norton)

Tsunami warnings canceled after 7.8 quake off NZ (AP)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 03:20 — admin

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Water pipes were broken and fallen power lines lay on the ground Thursday in Invercargill, the southern New Zealand city closest to an earthquake that struck off the coast the night before.
Prime Minister John Key was due to fly to Invercargill later Thursday on a previously scheduled visit.
"All the feedback we've had so far is while it's been a large quake, certainly at this point no reported loss of life which is fantastic, and no great reports of damage," Key told Radio New Zealand.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand's western coast Wednesday, generating a small tsunami. No injuries or major damage were reported.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii warned that a tsunami was generated, but it later said the waves were less than 8 inches (20 centimeters) in height and the warning was canceled after about an hour.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre also issued a tsunami alert for eastern Australia that was canceled overnight.
The quake's epicenter was 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Invercargill, off the west coast of New Zealand's South Island at a depth of 21 miles (33 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It hit at 0922 GMT on Wednesday.
Civil defense officials in Invercargill said phone services were disrupted in some parts of the city, water pipes had broken and power lines had been brought down but damage appeared to be minor. More reports were expected when buildings were surveyed in daylight.
The quake was felt widely across the South Island. Police in the town of Tuatapere said they had reports of minor cracks in buildings and stock falling from supermarket shelves.
However, no reports of serious damage or injuries were received, police said.
GNS Science geologist Bill Fry said the largest danger might be from landslides but noted that the Fiordland and Southland regions were sparsely populated, which reduced the risk of casualties.
"The shallower an earthquake is, the more shaking there's going to be and this was quite shallow," he said.
Scientists with New Zealand's Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences were working with their U.S. counterparts late Wednesday to reconcile their readings with those taken overseas. The quake was reported locally at 6.6 magnitude before reports from the U.S. listed it at 7.8 magnitude and as high as 8.2.
Scientists in New Zealand reported aftershocks, the first of 6.1 magnitude occurring 19 minutes after the main temblor.
New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth's crust where the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates collide and records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, though only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 temblors a year do any damage.
___
On the Net:
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre: http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami/national.shtml

U.S. Geological Survey: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/

Thai 'Yellow Shirts' protest terror charges: police (AFP)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 01:50 — admin

BANGKOK (AFP) –
Thousands of Thai "Yellow Shirt" protesters rallied in Bangkok to denounce terrorism charges levied against members of their group who mounted a crippling airport blockade last year.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is among the 36 supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who face the charge, which carries the death penalty, after the group seized Bangkok airports for nine days in late 2008.

Most of the accused were due to report to police Thursday but refused on the grounds that the terrorism charge was excessive.

"No one turned himself in today as we are protesting against the police charges," the PAD's lawyer Suwat Apaipak told a crowd gathered outside the national Police Club on the northern outskirts of Bangkok.

"We had only hand-clappers -- how could we seize aircraft at Suvarnabhumi? Our demonstration is not an act of terrorism," Suwat added after submitting a written appeal against the charge.

Key PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang told the crowd, estimated at "a few thousand" by police, that the terrorism charge was "not only exaggerated but it's false".

He said that although the airport protestors were armed with wooden sticks, metal rods, baseball bats and golf clubs, the implements could not be considered as weapons.

The group has not protested against other criminal charges, including illegal assembly and breach of aviation law, but insists the blockades of international Suvarnabhumi and domestic Don Mueang airports were within the law.

Foreign Minister Kasit reported to police last week to hear the charges against him but also denies wrongdoing and has refused to resign, so far being backed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Earlier this week Kasit said he "joined the PAD bringing only my words and my pen," and attended the airport rallies to exercise his constitutional rights.

The PAD is an ardent royalist group backed by the country's establishment, whose protests in 2006 helped topple then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup.

The group campaigned again last year to drive Thaksin's allies from government, their protests peaking with the airport seizure, which left hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded and caused huge economic damage.

They abandoned the blockade after the Constitutional Court ordered the pro-Thaksin party from power in December, paving the way for Democrat Party leader Abhisit to become prime minister.

Last October, treason charges against Chamlong and another PAD leader were dropped following further PAD protests in Bangkok.

Clinton urges Iran to negotiate on nuclear program (McClatchy Newspapers)

Thu, 07/16/2009 - 00:53 — admin

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday reaffirmed the U.S. offer to engage directly with Iran's leaders despite last month's post-election violence, but cautioned that the offer isn't open-ended, and urged Iran to respond soon.

"The choice is clear. We remain ready to engage with Iran , but the time for action is now. The opportunity will not remain open indefinitely," Clinton said.

As for the success of such talks, she acknowledged: "The prospects have certainly shifted" following Iran's use of violence to put down large protests against alleged vote fraud by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies.

The Obama administration faces growing domestic pressure to show its preferred strategy of diplomacy with Iran can produce results. President Barack Obama said last week that leading nations will re-evaluate the situation at a late September summit of the G-20 countries in Pittsburgh .

Clinton spoke about Iran as part of a foreign policy address, which attempted to lay out the principles that will guide U.S. foreign policy during the Obama years.

The speech at the Council on Foreign Relations , a Washington policy research organization, came against the backdrop of criticism that Clinton, partially sidelined by a broken elbow she suffered a month ago, has failed to put a personal imprint on American foreign policy and has been overshadowed by the White House .

Clinton aides sharply dispute that assessment, saying she's been active on many fronts, from handling the crisis in Honduras to overhauling U.S. foreign aid and diplomatic operations. She'll leave Thursday on a weeklong trip to India and Thailand .

In the speech, Clinton made clear that her and Obama's default method of dealing with global problems such as climate change, poverty and nuclear proliferation will be multilateral. The U.S., she said, will work through existing international institutions and new groupings of countries.

"Just as no nation can meet these challenges alone, no challenge can be met without America," she said.

A senior State Department official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said the intent is different from former President George Bush's invocation of "coalitions of the willing" such as the narrow one that backed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq .

"This is not a temporary coalition . . . to work with the United States on something the United States has already decided to do," the senior official said.

Clinton's speech, in fact, was peppered with jibes at Bush's foreign policy and the anti-Americanism it often engendered.

"No doubt we lost some ground in recent years, but the damage is temporary. It's kind of like my elbow — it's getting better every day," she said.

Yet the speech left unclear the foreign policy priorities of an administration that has been criticized for trying to do everything all at once, both at home and abroad.

The secretary of state said she had been cautioned by one of her predecessors, whom she did not name, "Don't try to do too much." She rejected that advice, however. "The world does not afford us the luxury of choosing or waiting," she said. "We must tackle the urgent, the important and the long-term all at once."

Clinton acknowledged the need for priorities — and then listed seven.

They are: stopping the spread of nuclear weapons; defeating terrorists and reaching out to the Muslim world; encouraging Middle East peace; spurring a global economic recovery; combating climate change; supporting democratic governments; and standing up for human rights.

On the Middle East , Clinton balanced U.S. pressure on Israel to freeze settlement construction in the West Bank with a call for Arab states to take meaningful steps toward peace. With a nod to Israeli sensitivities, she said: "While we expect action from Israel , we recognize that these decisions are politically challenging."

MORE FROM MCCLATCHY

India , Pakistan attempt to revive dialogue ahead of Clinton visit

Army cancels Afghan tour of soldier who said Obama's not president

Israeli soldiers in Gaza describe a 'moral Twilight Zone'

In Baghdad , the poor have no choice but to beg

Baltimore Back Pain

Wed, 07/15/2009 - 13:02 — admin

After graduation, medical practitioners often undertake further training in a particular field, to become a medical specialist. In North America, this is often referred to as residency training; in Commonwealth countries, such trainees are often called registrars.

Among the English-speaking countries, this process is known either as licensure as in the United States, or as registration in the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and Ireland. Synonyms in use elsewhere include colegiación in Spain, ishi menkyo in Japan, autorisasjon in Norway, Approbation in Germany, and "άδεια εργασίας" in Greece. In France, Italy and Portugal, civilian physicians must be members of the Order of Physicians to practice medicine.

Baltimore Back Pain

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