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CHINA REALLY BOLEH !!

2012-01-30T21:37:00.000-08:00

The bullet train will soon never stop at a station: How to get on and off the non-stop high speed train!

A new Chinese train innovation - How to get on and off the bullet train without stopping. VERY COOL CONCEPT! Read the note first, then watch the animated video clip.
No time is wasted. The bullet train is moving all the time. If there are 30 stations between Beijing and Guangzhou, just stopping and accelerating at each station wastes energy and time. A mere 5 minute stop per station (elderly passengers cannot be hurried) results in a total loss of 5 min x 30 stations or 2.5 hours of train journey time!
The Chinese are innovative enough to come up with a non-stopping train concept. Now when the train arrives at a station, it will not stop at all. The passengers at a station will embark onto to a connector cabin way before the train arrives at the station. When the train approaches, it does not stop at all. It just slows down a little to couple with the connector cabin which will move with the train on its roof.
While the train is far away from the station, those passengers will board the train from the connector cabin mounted on the train's roof. After fully unloading its passengers, the connector cabin will move to the back of the train so that the next batch of outgoing passengers who want to alight at the next station will board the connector cabin at the rear of the train roof.

When the train arrives at the next station, it simply disengages with the connector cabin and leaves it behind at the station. The outgoing passengers can leisurely disembark at the station while the train had already left. At the same time, the train picks up the incoming embarking passengers on another connector cabin in the front of the train's roof. So the train will always drop one connector cabin at the rear of its roof and pick up a new connector cabin in the front part of the train's roof at each station.
Now, I say, that's INGENIOUS!!

CHINA REALLY BOLEH !!

Harlow's Studies on Dependency in Monkeys

2012-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Harlow's Studies on Dependency in Monkeys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNBEhzjg8I&feature=player_embedded

Smile is important

2012-01-28T22:37:00.000-08:00

Please Google Up

2012-01-10T22:31:00.001-08:00

Make love not war

2012-01-10T22:08:00.001-08:00

Bill Cosby "I'm 83 and Tired"

2012-01-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

Bill Cosby "I'm 83 and Tired"

This should be required reading for every man, woman and child in Jamaica,
the UK , United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and
to all the world...

I'm 83. Except for brief period in the 50's when I was doing my National
Service, I've worked hard since I was 17. Except for some some serious
health challenges, I put in 50-hour weeks, and didn't call in sick in nearly
40 years. I made a reasonable salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my
Income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, it looks as
though retirement was a bad idea, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who
Don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take
The money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I
Can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and
Daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight
Offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't
"believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning
Teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the
Genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries use our oil money to fund mosques
And madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in Australia , New Zealand ,
UK, America and Canada , while no one from these countries are allowed to
Fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia or any other
Arab country to teach love and tolerance..

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global
Warming, which no one is allowed to debate.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help
Support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ
Rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses
Or stick a needle in their arm while they tried to fight it off?

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of all
Parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful
Mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting
Caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

I'm really tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and
Actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination
Or big-whatever for their problems.

I'm also tired and fed up with seeing young men and women in their teens and
Early 20's be-deck themselves in tattoos and face studs, thereby making
Themselves un-employable and claiming money from the Government.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 83.. Because, mostly, I'm not
Going to have to see the world these people are making.I'm just sorry for
My granddaughter and her children. Thank God I'm on the way out and not
On the way in.

Kennecott Utah Copper Blamed By Doctors And Moms For Pollution

2011-12-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

Kennecott Utah Copper Blamed By Doctors And Moms For Pollution
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/26/kennecott-utah-copper-lawsuit_n_1169915.html

SALT LAKE CITY -- When winter comes to Utah and atmospheric conditions trap a soup of pollutants close to the ground, doctors say it turns every resident in the Salt Lake basin into the equivalent of a cigarette smoker.

For days or weeks at a time, an inversion layer in which high pressure systems can trap a roughly 1,300-foot-thick layer of cold air – and the pollutants that build up inside it – settles over the basin, leaving some people coughing and wheezing.

"There's no safe level of particulate matter you can breathe," said Salt Lake City anesthesiologist Cris Cowley, who is among a number of Utah doctors raising the alarm over some of the nation's worst wintertime air.

The doctors and a lobby group of Utah mothers are blaming a company that mines nearly a mile deep in the largest open pit in the world for contributing one-third of Salt Lake County's pollution. The rest is from tailpipe and other emissions.

They have filed a lawsuit against Kennecott Utah Copper, accusing it of violating the U.S. Clean Air Act. The company operates with the consent of state regulators who enforce the federal law.

The company is the No. 1 industrial air polluter along Utah's heavily populated 120-mile Wasatch Front and operates heavy trucks and power and smelter plants. It says the claims are "without merit."

Kennecott cites the blessing of Utah regulators for expanded operations and new controls that hold emissions steady.

Utah's chief air regulator, however, acknowledged Kennecott is technically violating a 1994 plan adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that limited the company to hauling 150 million tons of ore a year out of the Bingham Canyon Mine.

Utah has twice allowed the company to exceed that limit, most recently to 260 million tons, as the company moves to expand a mine in the mountains west of Salt Lake City. In each case, Utah sought EPA's consent, but the EPA didn't take any action.

The lawsuit could force EPA's hand, said Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality.

Bird said the old limit would defeat changes Kennecott made to curb dust and emissions since 1994.

The EPA rules that set production instead of emissions limits puts many companies in a similarly "awkward position" and undermines confidence in Utah's air pollution permits, Bird said.

Kennecott disputes the doctors' figure and says it contributes about 16 percent of Salt Lake County's overall emissions.

An examination by The Associated Press of emissions figures provided by Kennecott to state regulators shows the company's share of pollutants ranges from 65 percent of Salt Lake County's sulfur dioxide emissions to 18 percent of its particulates.

Particulates are tiny flecks of dust that doctors say can attract heavy metals. The particulates are ingested through the nose and lungs and can become lodged in brain tissue. They are especially damaging to the development of children.

Medical research has found that the first few minutes of exposure to air pollution does the most damage, with many people's bodies able to react and fight off longer bouts of exposure, the doctors said.

Yet exposure to dust, soot and gaseous chemicals constricts vessels and send blood pressure soaring, making some people's hearts flutter and spiking emergency hospital visits while putting fetuses in the womb at risk, the doctors say.

"Rio Tinto is making our blood vessels act as if they were seven years older," said Dr. Claron Alldredge, an opthamologist at LDS Hospital. "One year after returning to Utah after practicing elsewhere, I began to have high blood pressure myself."

Kennecott is a subsidiary of the international mining conglomerate Rio Tinto, which posts billions of dollars of profit a year and can afford to clean up its act, said Cherise Udell, founder of Utah Moms for Clean Air.

"This is not an attempt to shut down their mine," she said.

Kennecott said its takes improving air quality seriously, and Bird noted that while Kennecott is Salt Lake County's largest industrial source of air pollution, it has accomplished the largest reductions through better emissions controls.

"Kennecott has and continues to operate within the parameters of its air permits and is consistently in compliance with U.S. EPA and Utah Division of Air Quality regulations, which are based on strict standards for protecting human health," the company said.

The doctors are members of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, which joined Udell's group in the lawsuit filed at Salt Lake City's federal court last week by lawyers for WildEarth Guardians of Santa Fe, N.M.

Christmas around the world

2011-12-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/24/photos-christmas-around-the-world/

The waste from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami

2011-12-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

The waste from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami

On 11 March 2011 there was a legal vacuum in Japan concerning radioactive waste resulting from a nuclear disaster. Current waste management Law places technical and financial responsibility for waste from natural disasters with local authorities. However, this excludes radioactive waste.

The Law on rehabilitation of contaminated soil excludes from its scope radioactive soils and waste. The Law on the management of radioactive materials and waste only concerns those inside the nuclear plants.

No lessons have been learnt from previous accidents on Japanese and Ukrainian soils. The case of a damaged and leaking reactor turning vegetation, buildings, roads, urban, natural, and aquatic areas outside a nuclear plant into radioactive waste had not been considered.

The ash contamination stems from the concentration of radioactivity incorporated into the biomass. Plants, tree leaves, bark, mosses, hedges, herbs and crops serve as the first receptacle for radioactive atmospheric fallout.

It seems that in a reflex action, to safeguard private property, citizens flocked to their lawnmowers, chainsaws, mowers, to significantly get rid of suspect vegetable matter just prior to, or just after the first explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors. Additionally, these items of green waste were burned in household waste incinerators. The ashes concentrate in an order of magnitude of 10 times the radioactivity of the incinerated waste.

Since mid-March, radioactive contamination has spread to the northern half of the archipelago, without triggering a formal warning, technical and behavioural instructions, or even inter-regional solidarity. Furthermore, under an agreement signed 10 days prior to the disaster, incinerators in Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture exported to the remote Akita Prefecture, about 500 km to the north, 40 tons of ash containing nearly 50,000 Bq/kg of caesium-137.

They were partially buried in the municipal landfill in Kosamachi. Six containers were returned unopened to where they had originated. The city of Matsudo opened a temporary storage area in a car park for these ashes, whilst announcing that at the end of August the site would be saturated.

Sludge from water and sewage treatment plants have also became radioactive waste. They concentrated the radioactivity of rain and surface water running off roofs, buildings, roads, cars from both natural and wastewater sources. A rebound of radioactivity is anticipated following the disastrous flooding experienced this summer.

In mid-June, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment finally issued recommendations:

- Between 100 and 8,000 Bq/kg of Caesium-137: ash and sludge may be deposited in household waste landfills. The Tokyo electoral district buried 6000t in a disposal site along the bay.

- Between 8,000 and 100,000 Bq/kg: the waste can be landfilled in secure sites to be designated or existing sites dedicated to industrial waste. Constructive precautions such as roofing, the installation of geomembrane sealing or packaging, such as the encapsulation of drums of waste in concrete, shall be taken to reduce pollution of groundwater.

- Above 100,000 Bq/kg: the waste must be confined in sealed packaging and the storage perimeter will be surrounded by piles of concrete in order to absorb radiation. Sites remain to be designated and local population refusal has begun.

By way of comparison, in France, waste contaminated with 100 Bq/kg caesium-137 is normally considered Very Low Level waste and from 8000 Bq/kg as Intermediate Level waste. All these waste items should be stored in specialised ANDRA (National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management) sites.

As of 30 July, according to information released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, 37,000 tons of sludge are to be treated as radioactive waste.

As of the end of August, the Ministry of the Environment stated that the ash from 42 incinerators exceeds the threshold of 8000 Bq/kg and public service television and radio network Nihon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) surmised that there were now 50,000 tons of radioactive sludge. Some water treatment stations had to suspend their operations, their workers being exposed to unacceptable levels of radioactivity.

It has only been since 28 July that the Japanese government has made plans to develop legislation placing responsibility for radioactive waste scattered in Fukushima Prefecture and other affected prefectures under the technical and financial responsibility of the State. This law has still not been enacted and it would require TEPCO and all nuclear reactor operators to fund waste management.

Having failed to anticipate this type of radioactive contagion, Japan is in the process of simultaneously contaminating its logistical means and its household waste, water and sewage treatment facilities.

2. Per million tons

In May 2011, the government issued a waste management plan for the double disaster of the earthquake and tsunami: classification is encouraged. The roles of the three levels, governmental, prefectural, territorial, were reiterated and defined. Cooperation for the elimination of waste between the prefectures and regions is encouraged. The risks from asbestos, treated wood, dioxins and toxic waste in the wrecks of cars and ships were underlined. No mention about radioactivity.

The overall amount of post-earthquake and post-tsunami waste is still unclear: 25 million tons according to the government; 80 million according to experts at the Japan Research Institute; 100 million tons according to the Japanese national broadcaster; about half of the annual production of household waste throughout the Japanese archipelago according to Kyoto University or 15 times the annual waste production of the three most affected prefectures – Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi.

In the port town of Ishinomachi, the tsunami waste was equivalent to 100 years of collection. The grouping of raw and sorted waste on temporary sites will take, according to estimations, another two to four years not to mention the complex recycling, disposal and monitoring phases which will last two to three decades.

The preliminary phase of consolidation has come up against a crisis regarding available space. Interim storage facilities are installed in parks, stadiums, wasteland, on tarmac. This sudden and significant intake is partly due to a shortage of legal landfills. Recycling of all materials is complicated by the presence or suspected radioactive contamination and salt deposits in plant or demolition waste submerged by the tsunami.

Incineration and co-incineration in cement kilns are encouraged by the government, prefectures and local authorities are eager to reduce waste volumes, while the radioactive contamination and salt deposits slow or prevent these operations.

The excess salt is a pollutant for cement and salt green waste emit dioxins while burning. The accumulation of wood waste could reach 20 million tons. It was also feared and found that around the demolition rubble there was high asbestos level. The Law on the total prohibition of the use of asbestos only dates back to 2006.

In the three tsunami target areas, one million tons of scrap metal would be available if they were to be eventually removed from the demolition magma and sorted, but even still recycling the second melting is going to cause problems with regard to technical acceptability due to radioactivity and subsequent risks for Japanese people and those further afield, should the scrap iron be exported.

This summer, a new aggravating factor emerged. The waste has been invaded by millions of flies and other insects attracted by decaying food and moisture. 200,000 tons of fish and other seafood products stored in ports in industrial freezers were destroyed or damaged.

A massive spraying of insecticide was carried out in June by the army or temporary fishing port workers. The Ministry of the Environment has stated that at least 55,000 tons of decomposing seafood were immersed across 50 miles of coastline.

Sludge and sediment, generated by the tsunami, will be ocean dumped under certain conditions subject to multiple interpretations, which open up new concerns for the sea and its resources. 130 plants processing and storing toxic products have been destroyed or damaged by the tsunami. Hundreds of oil spills have been visible to the naked eye. 25,000 hectares of land, greenhouses and agricultural cooperatives have been washed out. The sludge and sediment are poly-polluted.

Medical bodies have observed that amongst those most at risk from respiratory, asthma, skin and eye problems, a set of conditions had already been noticed after other disasters where the survivors were subjected to inhalation and clouds of toxic compounds and dust. (TerraDaily)

This progress report was produced by Jonathan Senin, Miriam Potter, Charlotte Nithart, Christine Bossard and Jacky Bonnemains.

In Japan, incineration is the major means of waste disposal. There are hundreds of incinerators in urban areas. By the end of March, ash containing 100,000 to 140,000 Bq/kg of an “unknown radioactive substance” was recorded. Before the alert, a portion of the ash had been incorporated, according to usage, into the commercial production of cement.

Christmas not escaping belt-tightening in crisis-hit Europe

2011-12-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas not escaping belt-tightening in crisis-hit Europe
By Andrea Graells
Agence France-Presse

PARIS – Europeans are tightening their belts and spending less on Christmas gifts this year as they struggle with incomes hit by austerity measures or fear the economy could worsen in 2012.

Mother Nature is helping retailers in many countries this year as there have been no snow storms keeping consumers home and playing havoc with deliveries.

Sharp spending cuts and tax hikes due to the debt crisis in countries such as Britain, Italy, Greece and Spain, along with fears of a recession next year, however, are leading many consumers to restrain their spending despite a flurry of promotions.

“Many shoppers this year find they need to consider their spending more astutely, reduce the number of people on their Christmas lists and turn to more practical and useful presents when gift giving,” said Deloitte in its annual Christmas spending survey.

The consulting firm estimated in September that overall Europeans would trim their spending on Christmas gifts, food and entertainment this year by an average of 0.8 percent to 587 euros, although the results vary considerably by country.

With the deepening of the crisis in the past two months the belt-tightening is likely to be even greater.

This is something that many Chinese manufacturers who were left with piles of unsold toys and decorations discovered first hand.

Jean-Emile Rosenblum, a cofounder and vice president of the Pixmania electronics and photo publishing website that operates in 26 countries, estimates a five to seven percent drop in the average sale amount as customers cut back.

“There has been a crisis effect, cheaper products are selling, consumers are looking for the cheapest prices,” he said.

“There are countries where things are getting tougher and tougher,” added Rosenblum, citing in particular southern European countries.

Greeks are celebrating this year their fourth Christmas in recession as the country’s economic contraction accelerates under the effect of tax hikes and spending cuts imposed under its international bailout.

Dimitria, a retired state employee, said pension cuts and higher taxes had led her to settle for “less expensive gifts” this Christmas.

In Spain, which has also imposed stiff austerity measures and where over a fifth of the workforce is unemployed, consumers are expected to cut back holiday spending by 17 percent to an average of 560 euros, according to the Spanish consumer federation FUCI.

– A “modest” Christmas or one “without presents” –

In Portugal, which is also being bailed out and its being forced to impose cuts, many workers have lost special bonuses for buying Christmas presents.

Nuno Camilo, head of the retail association in Portugal’s second city of Oporto, predicts a “Christmas without presents” for many families.

Overall, he expects holiday spending to be down 500 to 600 million euros this year in Portugal.

Expectations that the crisis will worsen are leading two thirds of Italians to trim holiday spending, according to a study by the employers’ association Confesercenti.

It estimated Italians would spend 1.2 billion euros less of their annual bonuses on celebrating the holiday.

Eight out of ten Italians said their Christmas this year would be “modest” in a survey conducted by the retail association Confcommercio.

In Britain, where austerity measures are also biting at consumers, retail sales fell by more than forecast in November at 0.4 percent, which augurs poorly for Christmas.

Shops saw drops in the number of customers in the first week of December, which “shows festive sales are still on a knife edge”, said Stephen Robertson, head of the British Retail Consortium.

A number of British retailers are already forecasting sales to be down.

Retailers active in southern Europe, like Germany’s Metro and France’s Carrefour, have also lowered their forecasts.

While Deloitte was still forecasting in September a modest gain in holiday spending in France at 1.9 percent to 606 euros per household, the CREDOC research group expects spending on gifts will likely fall although food expenses should hold up.

In Germany, holiday spending should drop slightly but still remain at a high level according to the GfK research institute.

“Christmas remains a very traditional holiday and gift-giving is part of that tradition,” said Wolfgang Adlwarth, who conducted GfK’s Christmas survey.

Internet retailers are some of the few to have something to cheer about as bargain-hunting consumers flock to the web.

“In times of reduced spending people turn in particular to e-commerce,” said Xavier Garambois, head of the Amazon in France.

The association of French web retailers expects a 20 percent jump in sales this Christmas to 7.4 billion euros, although this is largely due to an increase in both the number of retailers and consumers.

The growth should still compensate for a lower average sale amount, said Marc Lolivier of the web retailers association FEVAD.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/113427/christmas-not-escaping-belt-tightening-in-crisis-hit-europe

Storm devastates South

2011-12-17T23:34:00.000-08:00

Storm devastates South
Residents ignored warning; in dead of night, ‘Sendong’ hit

“Sendong” came in the dead of night, tearing through swaths of Mindanao not usually in the path of storms, inundating houses up to the rooftops and drowning scores of sleeping residents in the most destructive calamity to hit the South in years.

At press time, the number of dead had risen to 436, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said.

PRC Secretary General Gwen Pang said the latest toll on Saturday was based on a body count in funeral parlors. She said 215 died in the city of Cagayan de Oro and 144 in nearby Iligan, and the rest in several other southern and central provinces, including Zamboanga del Norte and Compostela Valley.

Many of them were women and children confirmed killed in floods and landslides spawned by Sendong.

The Inquirer bureau in Mindanao, based on reports as of 10 p.m. also from funeral parlors, estimated the dead to be over 300.

The Visayas was not spared, with the tropical storm leaving at least 22 persons dead and 14 missing in Negros Oriental.

(For updates, go to Inquirer.net, tune in to Radyo Inquirer 990AM, or text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467.)

Many others remained missing in these areas, officials said.

Cagayan de Oro was at the center of the storm, which could explain why it suffered the most—23 flooded barangays in all, officials said. As much as 180 millimeters of rain fell on the city early Saturday, according to the weather bureau.

The rains triggered floodwaters more than a meter deep, and 95 people have been confirmed dead in the city alone, Col. Leopoldo Galon, spokesperson of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command based in Davao City, said earlier Saturday.

Galon said soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division helped in the recovery of the bodies. Twenty of the victims, many of them children, were found in Tambo, one of the barangays lining the swollen Cagayan de Oro River.

Warning ignored

“Complacency” among Iligan and Cagayan de Oro residents unfamiliar with such levels of rainfall is to blame for the high death toll, Office of Civil Defense Administrator Benito Ramos said in Manila.

Emil Raña, local government operations officer of Cagayan de Oro, said 22 barangays went under water starting late Friday night until 2 a.m. Saturday. The floods were worsened by the high tide, he said.

Oro Alert head Armin Cuenca said residents had been warned early on of the risk of flooding but many refused to leave their homes. He said this worsened the situation when the floodwaters started rising.

Among those who were trapped in their homes in Barangay Tambo were members of the Cabillo family.

Bryan Cabillo said his wife and three children were swept by floodwaters from their home late Friday. He said his efforts to save them proved futile as he too struggled against the strong current.

Senior Insp. Elmer Decena of the Northern Mindanao Regional Public Safety Battalion said rubber boats had to be used to rescue residents starting at 2 a.m., when the floods were at their worst.

Decena said among the bodies that were immediately retrieved were those of family members of a Caucasian surnamed Frierson.

Worse this time

In Iligan City, at least 81 people were killed, among them broadcaster Enie Alzonado of Radyo Mo Nationwide, Mayor Lawrence Cruz said.

He said the floods were worse this time because even areas never flooded in the past were inundated, some more than 1 meter deep. From the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report, at least 24 barangays were affected.

“In the flooded districts, houses were either underwater or washed away. Many families had to be rescued from the roofs of their houses,” Cruz said.

With the floodwaters having subsided, search and rescue efforts can proceed unimpeded, he said.

81 bodies in beaches

The 81 bodies were found in the beaches of Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte, Manticao in Misamis Oriental and Iligan Bay. More than 10 survivors, were plucked from the sea by rescuers, according to Alan Padilla, team leader of the rescue unit of the Iligan City Disaster Risk Riduction Council.

Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City, said soldiers had been deployed to help in the search-and-rescue operations.

Cabangbang said many Iligan residents, a large number of them children, were still on the roofs of their houses when the soldiers arrived early Saturday.

There was still no power and water services in Cagayan de Oro as of Saturday afternoon, and some 20,000 people were being housed in at least 10 evacuation centers, according to Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman.

In Iligan, “thousands” have been displaced but the actual number is still being determined, Mayor Cruz said.

The Iligan Bloggers Society has started a fund drive for the flood victims. Donors may send cash but canned goods, packed food and clothing are preferred, the group said. (For details, log on to http://t.co/9JEEYwGT)

In gold rush area

In Monkayo, Compostela Valley, five people were confirmed killed in a series of landslides that hit the gold-rich area of Mt. Diwata, according to municipal information officer Joan Pintal.

The dead included a 57-year-old woman, three children aged 4, 6 and 14, and a 28-year-old miner, Pintal told the Inquirer by phone.

She said Rosita dela Peña and her wards—Ashlia, Nasser and Rakema Tuan—and miner Julito Lumactod were killed in the landslides that hit Nang district at past 4 p.m. on Friday.

Six other landslides also hit other parts of Mt. Diwata between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., burying houses and displacing some 90 families, Pintal said.

In the lowland barangay of Baylo, 15 houses were destroyed and seven people were injured as the Baylo River overflowed and swamped the community, she said.

The local government of Monkayo has dispatched assistance to the victims. Rescuers were assisted by members of the Army’s 25th Infantry Battalion.

In Zamboanga del Norte, Gov. Rolando Yebes said three drowned in the floods that swamped barangays in Dapitan and Polanco on Thursday, when Sendong’s fury was initially felt.

The floods “reached past a man’s height” and were worsened by the high tide, Yebes said by phone.

2 rivers overflowed

In the Visayas, floods hit Dumaguete City and the towns of Sibulan and Valencia after the Ocoy and Banica Rivers overflowed.

Six persons were killed, including two children in Sibulan. They were Miguel Angel Diputado, 5; Rachel Calijan, 33; Eric Camporedondo, 20; Marsha Rodriguez; a 2-year-old girl; and another unidentified person.

A bridge connecting Barangays Palinpinon and Balabag in Valencia was damaged.

Residents living on the Banica riverbank suddenly found their homes engulfed by floodwaters, prompting their evacuation to higher ground. Others saw their homes swept away by the raging river.

Dikes that were built to protect residential communities also gave way, prompting residents of Habitat for Humanity homes to evacuate to public buildings and churches.

Many parts of Negros Oriental were also powerless for most of the day as trees felled power lines.

Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria said that on Friday, he put all rescue workers and social services on alert in preparation for the storm.

Cargo vessel

Sendong also caused a cargo vessel to capsize in shallow waters.

All 32 passengers and crew of MV Ever Transport III of Kheri Lins Inc. were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard and other groups who arrived 30 minutes after the vessel sent a distress signal.

The nine passengers—one of them a 2-year-old boy—were family members of the crew members.

“Some of our wives and family members came along because it’s Christmas,” said the ship captain, Romeo Cuevas.

The ship, carrying beer and soft drinks, was headed for Tagbilaran City in Bohol to deliver its cargo. It was to head back to Cagayan de Oro but was stranded in Dumaguete because of the storm.

Cuevas said the ship was pulling out from the seaport in Barangay Looc for shelter at around 4 a.m. when its starboard side hit the pier after being battered by big waves.

The vessel lost power and was swept ashore in Barangay Calindagan about 1 kilometer away, where it ran aground and then capsized.

Cuevas said the ship would be salvaged and dry-docked.

Moving away

The NDRRMC said that as of 4 a.m. on Saturday, Sendong was 20 km west northwest of Cagayan de Oro with maximum winds of 65 km per hour, and was moving toward the Palawan area.

The rain has stopped in many areas of Mindanao although drizzles were still being reported in the northern and eastern parts of the island late Saturday.

The storm was moving west at 22 kph and was expected to be 140 km southwest of Puerto Princesa City by today. By Monday morning, Sendong will be 430 km west southwest of Puerto Princesa or out of the Philippine area of responsibility, the NDRRMC. With reports from Allan Nawal, JB Deveza, Bobby Lagsa, Richel Umel, Ryan Rosauro, Julie Alipala, Frinston Lim and Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao; Alex V. Pal, Inquirer Visayas; DJ Yap in Manila, and AP

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/113133/storm-devastates-south

ideal life Vs actual life

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

ideal life Vs actual life

Microchip

2011-12-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

An American, Japanese, and a Sardar (indian Sikh) were sitting in the
sauna naked. Suddenly there was a beeping sound. The American pressed
his forearm and the beeping stopped. The others looked at him
questioningly. "That's my pager," he said, "I have a microchip under the
skin of my arm.

A few minutes later a phone rang. The Japanese lifted his palm to his
ear. When he finished he explained, "That's my mobile phone. I have a
microchip in my hand.

The Sardar felt low-tech and inferior. He didn't know what to do to be
as impressive as the American & the Japanese. He decided to take a break
in the toilet. When he returned, he didn't realize that there was a
piece of toilet paper got stuck and hanging from his backside. The
others raised their eyebrows and said, "Wow! What's that?" Instead of
being embarrassed, inspiration struck his mind. The Sardar explained,
"I'm getting a FAX. The other two fainted.

Ideas to Fight Flood...Made In Thailand...cheap and creative

2011-12-01T22:22:00.001-08:00

Ideas to Fight Flood...Made In Thailand...cheap and creative

THE OTHER 11.11.11: A date that proved tragic for many on the war front

2011-11-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

21 November 2011
THE OTHER 11.11.11: A date that proved tragic for many on the war front

There was some excitement over the date 11.11.11, especially for births and weddings.
In 1918, World War 1 officially ended at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month.

Some 13 million soldiers were estimated to have been killed in the four-year war. Millions more were injured.

Even more tragic was that, although it was known the war was going to end, some military commanders continued offensive operations right up to the last hour.

It was as if they did not want to miss the last opportunity for blood-letting. It is estimated that in excess of 10,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing on this very last day.

One of the last soldiers killed was a French despatch rider, who ironically was carrying the message that the war would end at 11am. He was killed at 10 minutes to 11am.

The last soldier killed was probably an American at two minutes to 11am.

Several countries around the world continue to commemorate Armistice Day at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month every year until now.

Read more: THE OTHER 11.11.11: A date that proved tragic for many on the war front - Letters to the Editor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/the-other-11-11-11-a-date-that-proved-tragic-for-many-on-the-war-front-1.8786#ixzz1eJOlPL8o

Read more: THE OTHER 11.11.11: A date that proved tragic for many on the war front - Letters to the Editor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/the-other-11-11-11-a-date-that-proved-tragic-for-many-on-the-war-front-1.8786#ixzz1eJOfs6Ox

Some new 'FAIL'

2011-11-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

What ? this is NOT women's soccer ?

Would you not prefer the middle seat, Sir ?

I don't care how long you've been teaching yoga, you take your hands away from there NOW !

World Welcomes 7 Billionth Baby

2011-10-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

October 31, 2011
World Welcomes 7 Billionth Baby

Danica Camacho is cuddled by her mother as they are wheeled out of the delivery room of the Government's Fabella Hospital moments after she was born October 31, 2011 in the Philippines.

The world's population hit 7 billion on Monday amid celebrations and concerns about how the growing number of people will impact the earth's resources.

The United Nations chose October 31 to mark the milestone.

Although it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the world's 7 billionth baby, the Philippines was the first country to publicly declare the symbolic feat. Danica May Camacho was delivered just before midnight Sunday in a Manila hospital.

Celebrations were also held in India, which could soon overtake China as the world's most populous nation.

While the population's 7 billion milestone is seen as a sign of increased longevity and improved birth survival rates, experts also warn of the growing population's struggle for resources, including food and water.

Officials with the U.N. Population Fund say many low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa and some in Asia have seen a growth in population that is outpacing economic growth rates.

Fertility rates in many European nations and Japan have dropped below the replacement rate, causing concern that shortages of labor and productivity could threaten the quality of life.

According to the latest U.N. figures, the world’s population is projected to surge past 9 billion before 2050 and reach 10.1 billion by the end of the century if current fertility rates continue at expected levels.

China's population of 1.34 billion is currently the world's highest. India comes in second, with 1.2 billion.

Asia's population of 4.2 billion makes it the world's most populous region.

Africa's population is expected to triple to 3.6 billion people by the start of the next century.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/World-Welcomes-7-Billionth-Baby-132918283.html

Tree Houses

2011-10-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

Have a nut

2011-10-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Vatican rejects Irish parliament child abuse rebuke

2011-10-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Vatican rejects Irish parliament child abuse rebuke
September 03, 2011

ROME, Sept 3 – The Vatican rejected today accusations from the Irish parliament that it had sought to cover up child sex abuse by its priests and undermine child protection laws.

In its first formal response to the rebuke by the Irish parliament, the Vatican said it was “sorry and ashamed” for the sexual abuse of children by priests but added that the accusations were “unfounded”.

“In this regard, the Holy See wishes to make it quite clear that it in no way hampered or sought to interfere in any inquiry into cases of child sex abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne,” the Vatican said in a statement.

“Furthermore, at no stage did the Holy See seek to interfere with Irish civil law or impede the civil authority in the exercise of its duties.”

In July, the Irish parliament passed a motion deploring the Holy See for “undermining child protection frameworks” after a letter to Irish bishops appeared to diminish Irish guidelines on reporting sex abuse by referring to them as “study guidelines”.

The accusation was contained in a report on child sexual abuse by priests in the diocese of Coyne in county Cork.

“In a spirit of humility, the Holy See, while rejecting unfounded accusations, welcomes all objective and helpful observations and suggestions to combat with determination the appalling crime of sexual abuse of minors,” the Vatican said.
– Reuters
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/vatican-rejects-irish-parliament-child-abuse-rebuke/

The World’s Top 10 Fattest Countries

2011-09-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

The World’s Top 10 Fattest Countries

he World Health Organization has recently released the results of health surveys taken between 2000 and 2008 on world obesity, and the news isn’t pretty.

Since obesity rates can be an indicator of a nation’s nutritional trends, health and culture, we thought it might be useful information for the expat to know. Here are the 10 fattest countries of the last decade:

(1) American Samoa, 93.5% (of the population that is overweight)

It’s a staggering number. Many Pacific Island nations have had trouble with weight in modern times mostly because they have abandoned their traditional foods for cheap, easily attained processed foods from the West. Perhaps no other Pacific Island has had such access to these habits as American Samoa.

(2) Kiribati, 81.5%

Like American Samoa, Kiribati has been flooded with processed foods like Spam and mutton flaps (fatty sheep scraps), often sold at lower prices than native food.
(3) U.S.A., 66.7%

Well, the U.S.A. doesn’t top the list, but it’s close, and it falls behind only a small islands nation and one of its own unincorporated territories. The United States of Processed food, high fructose corn syrup and fast food has been high on this list over the last half century.

(4) Germany, 66.5%

The fattest country in Europe no doubt owes their portly woes to lots of beer, fatty foods and inactivity.

(5) Egypt, 66%

Obesity among Egyptian women is particularly high, often attributed to cultural taboos on women exercising or playing sports.
(6) Bosnia-Herzegovina, 62.9%

Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, obesity is dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina, where smoking, drinking and eating unhealthy foods spiked during the war that ravaged the country from 1992 to 1995.

(7) New Zealand, 62.7%

Obesity is a growing concern for New Zealand. While its native Maori have struggled with weight due to loss of traditional culture like other Pacific Islanders– they are mostly just a scapegoat. New Zealand’s entire population is getting fatter at a rapidly increased rate.
(8) Israel, 61.9%

In the past 30 years, the number of obese Israelis has tripled, evidence the country is truly part of the Western world.

(9) Croatia, 61.4%

Croatia, where cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, is also a victim of the globalization of the food market, which tends to suppress traditional diets as cheaper processed foods from the U.S. and Europe flood store shelves.
(10) United Kingdom, 61%

A recent survey ranked Brits among the bottom third of European nations in physical exercise, leading Health Secretary Andy Burnham to comment, “We’re really in danger of being known as the best in the world for watching sport, but one of the worst for getting out there and doing it for ourselves.”

http://www.expatify.com/news/the-worlds-top-10-fattest-countries.html

Urine Test At Walmart

2011-09-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe says to Mike behind him, "My
elbow hurts like **. I guess I'd better see a doctor."

"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replies

"There's a diagnostic computer down at WalMart. Just give it a urine sample
and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it.

It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars - A lot cheaper than a doctor."
So, Joe deposits a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to WalMart.

He deposits ten dollars and the computer lights up and asks for the urine
sample. He pours the sample into the slot and waits.

Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout:

"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy
activity. It will improve in two weeks.. Thank you for shopping @
Wal-Mart.."

That evening, while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe began
wondering if the computer could be fooled.
He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his
wife and daughter, and a sperm sample from himself for good measure.

Joe hurries back to Wal-Mart, eager to check the results... He deposits ten
dollars, pours in his concoction, and awaits the results .

The computer prints the following:

1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9) 2. Your dog
has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo.. (Aisle 7) 3. Your
daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab. 4. Your wife is pregnant.
Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get
better!

Thank you for shopping @ Walmart

Caffeine's buzz chases away women's depression

2011-09-27T00:55:00.000-07:00

Women who drink three or four cups of coffee a day may be less prone to depression, a study finds (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Caffeine's buzz chases away women's depression

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times/For the Booster Shots Blog

September 26, 2011, 4:18 p.m.
Compared with uncaffeinated women, those who drank the equivalent of four or more cups of coffee a day are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes and less likely to volunteer their time in church or community groups. But a new study finds that well-caffeinated women have a key health advantage over their more abstemious sisters: they’re less likely to become depressed.

In the back-and-forth world of research on caffeine’s effects, the latest study suggests that women who get several jolts of java a day may do more than get a quick boost: their mental health may see sustained improvement even as the physical stresses of aging accumulate. Among a large population of women tracked for as long as 18 years each, the women who routinely consumed the highest levels of caffeine were 20% less likely than those who drank little to none to become depressed when they were nearing or in their 60s.

Coffee, which ounce-for-ounce delivers the strongest dose of caffeine, was most women’s pick-me-up of choice. And generally, the more caffeine a woman drank, the more likely she was to be in good mental health. The study was published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“A small amount of coffee may keep you more active and more happy, and that may result in the long run in better brain health,” said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, the senior author of the study. Cautioning that his group’s findings are preliminary, Ascherio added that they should ease concerns among female coffee addicts as they enter midlife; the average age of the participants was 63 years in 1996, when researchers began tracking the incidence of depression among the women.

“There’s no reason, from what we know, for people to cut back on their coffee consumption, unless, of course, it makes them feel bad,” said Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Ascherio was the lead author of a 2003 study that linked high coffee consumption with lower rates of Parkinson’s disease in men, but not in women. That early study, however, did turn up one key warning for women: among heavy coffee drinkers who had taken hormone replacement therapy, the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease rose.

To gauge the link between caffeine consumption and depression, the authors of the latest research drew upon the long-running Nurse’s Health Study. Some 53,739 women who participated in that larger study completed periodic surveys of their eating habits for 14 years. While women with a prior history of depression were included in the study, none of those participating showed significant depressive symptoms, or had a depression diagnosis in 1996, when the researchers began to measure depression rates.

In an effort to gauge caffeine’s long-term, rather than its immediate effect, researchers waited two years after a woman’s last dietary report to begin inquiries about her mental health. At that time also, they asked about health and lifestyle behavior, such as alcohol consumption, tobacco use, exercise, marital status and involvement in social or community groups. Then, at least twice over the next four-year period, they would ask her whether she had been diagnosed with depression or had begun taking antidepressant medication on a regular basis in either of the previous two years.

In addition to their greater likelihood of smoking and drinking alcohol, regular coffee drinkers were less likely to be obese or have high blood pressure or cholesterol levels.

In an editorial comment also published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, Dr. Seth A. Berkowitz called the study the first large-scale study of coffee consumption to evaluate a mental health outcome in women, and as such “makes an important contribution.” Berkowitz is an internal medicine physician at UC San Diego Medical Center.

A number of studies have found, contrary to long-held belief, that coffee consumption may aid cardiovascular health and reduce strokes. The few other studies of coffee consumption and depression have focused largely on men, or on people who committed suicide. Those largely linked caffeine consumption with lower rates of depression and suicide. But since women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men (yet far less likely to take their own lives), the authors of the current study argued that understanding how caffeine affects women specifically is important.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-caffeine-women-depression-20110926,0,3909206.story

Is Facebook killing your privacy? Some say it already has

2011-09-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

Is Facebook killing your privacy? Some say it already has
September 26, 2011

Facebook has murdered privacy.

That's not just the contention of privacy watchdogs. That's Mashable's Ben Parr wringing his hands.

"Facebook has finally done it," Parr wrote. "It's just a few updates away now from euthanizing the concept of privacy."

Last week Facebook unveiled its dramatic redesign of profiles, a time line that charts in chronological order all the information users have shared on the service. Facebook also showed off new third-party applications that -- when enabled -- automatically share every action users take: every song they listen to, article they read and video they watch (not to mention every meal they cook and every jogging route they follow).

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg calls it "frictionless sharing." That kind of sharing is designed to get users to stick around even longer (something that Facebook already does so well that it's got Google and other Internet players plenty worried).

"We're at the point of no return," Parr wrote. "Facebook's passive sharing will change how we live our lives. More and more, the things we do in real life will end up as Facebook posts. And while we may be consoled by the fact that most of this stuff is being posted just to our friends, it only takes one friend to share that information with his or her friends to start a viral chain. Sharing with just your friends doesn't protect your privacy. I know the people at Facebook will disagree and argue that users can control what is shared with whom. But this is simply an illusion that makes us feel better about all the sharing we have done and are about to do. We may not notice the impact on our lives immediately. But it won't be long until your life is on display for all of your friends to see, and then we'll all know what Facebook has wrought."

Not surprisingly, his conclusion is the same one reached by privacy advocates who are calling on federal regulators to take a hard look at the latest changes that Facebook is rolling out.

Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the watchdog group Electronic Privacy Information Center, which has led the charge against Facebook, said he is sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission highlighting his organization's concerns, which he says the agency has so far failed to address.

"It's getting really difficult to evaluate the changes that Facebook makes, and I say that as a privacy professional. I can't imagine what the typical user goes through," Rotenberg said. "Users might opt in to what Facebook is planning to do, but Facebook never gives users that option. It just marches forward and users have to go along."

An agency spokeswoman said the FTC does not discuss investigations unless the subject of an inquiry discloses the investigation.

"Then we can confirm the investigation without providing any details. But Facebook has not done so, so I can neither confirm nor deny that the FTC is investigating Facebook," Claudia Farrell said in an email.

Even as consumers try to digest the latest Facebook changes, another concern has emerged: Hacker Nik Cubrilovic on Sunday accused Facebook of using cookies to track users when they are logged off from the service.

Facebook engineer Gregg Stefancik denied that the company tracked users in a comment on Cubrilovic's post. Stefancik did admit that Facebook alters -- but does not delete -- cookies when users log out. But he says Facebook does that as a safety measure, and does not use the cookies to track users or sell their personal information.

In a written statement, Facebook said: "Facebook does not track users across the Web. Instead, we use cookies on social plug-ins to personalize content (e.g. show you what your friends liked), to help maintain and improve what we do (e.g. measure click-through rate), or for safety and security (e.g. keeping underage kids from trying to sign up with a different age). No information we receive when you see a social plug-in is used to target ads, we delete or anonymize this information within 90 days, and we never sell your information."

Logged-out cookies are used to protect consumers, Facebook said. For example, Facebook says the logged-out cookies are used to identify spammers and phishers, detect when an unauthorized person is trying to access a user's account, help users regain access to an account when it's been hacked and disable registration for underage users who try to re-register with a different birthdate.

The latest privacy backlash comes as Facebook prepares for its highly anticipated initial public offering next year. The growing success of what is already the world's most popular social networking service has led analysts to conclude that it's essentially building a second Internet where it harvests users' personal data to target advertising.

That has raised the hackles of privacy watchdogs who accuse Facebook of putting profit before users. They say users are being pushed to divulge more about their lives than they feel comfortable.

"This redesign is part of Facebook's overdrive effort to boost data collection and ad sales prior to its IPO," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "Under the guise of enhancing the ability of its members to express themselves, Facebook is building a super-charged commercial surveillance system that threatens their privacy."

Tim Whitlock, chief technology officer and co-founder of Brandfeed, says users should think about the consequences now and in the future of sharing information on Facebook.

"Most people understand that sites like Facebook are free to use for a reason. It's not because Mark Zuckerberg loves you, it's because Facebook and its peers make money from your data and from your eyeballs. At least I hope people understand that. At the very least I hope that people understand they're making a trade of some sort and that they're ultimately in control of this arrangement," Whitlock wrote. "Whether this is optimistic or not, if we want to maintain any kind of control over this trade, we need to start thinking beyond what our data is currently used for. We need to start thinking beyond targeted advertising, and wonder what else the information we hand over today might be used for tomorrow."

As reader Rhonda Stanton, a broker associate with Keller Williams Realty Inc., commented on our blog post last week about Facebook's push to get its users to share more: "If I wanted the whole world to know what I was doing, I would friend the whole world."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/09/is-facebook-killing-your-privacy-.html?track=icymi

Idiotic Ways People Prepared For HURRICANE Irene

2011-09-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

Idiotic Ways People Prepared For HURRICANE Irene

Famine in southern Somalia

2011-08-31T22:47:00.000-07:00

The doctor takes a blood sample from undernourished Somali refugee in a field hospital the International Rescue Committee in Dadaab, Kenya. (AP Photo / Schalk van Zuydam)

Suffering from malnutrition, weak-minded child of Somalia is tied to the bed, lest he fall from it. The picture was taken at the field hospital the International Rescue Committee camp Dadaab. (AP Photo / Schalk van Zuydam)

Doctor examines depleted seven-month boy in a field hospital the International Rescue Committee camp Dadaab. (AP Photo / Schalk van Zuydam)

Koufo Ali Abdi is the body of his 3-year-old daughter, who died of measles in a hospital Mogadishu. "I hope that they will be able to save others," - says Abdi, who still had two children. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

Rabotniki warehouse unloading sacks of food in the camp of Dadaab. (AFP PHOTO / Tony KARUMBA)

A Somali refugee woman is driving a herd of goats in the camp of «IFO», which is part of a huge settlement of refugees in Dadaab, Kenya. UN calls on Kenya to open new camp for refugees. Dadaab, had grown to gigantic proportions, is no longer accommodate all the refugees from Somalia. (Photo by Oli Scarff / Getty Images)

Newly arrived Somali refugees settle in the outskirts of the camp «Dagahaley», which is part of a huge settlement of refugees in Dadaab, Kenya. Refugee camp in Dadaab, founded in the early 1990s, near the border of Kenya and Somalia, was originally designed for 90 thousand people, but, according to UN estimates, now live here 4 times more refugees. The civil war and the strongest in 60 years of drought, the lives of nearly 12 million people were in danger. (Photo by Oli Scarff / Getty Images)

Aerial view of the Dadaab camp in Kenya. C the beginning of Ramadan register new arrivals is much slower than usual. The situation is complicated by the fact that many of the refugees, already severely depleted, are determined to comply with the prescribed daily Ramadan fast. (AFP PHOTO / Tony KARUMBA)

The Somalis are in line for humanitarian aid to Mogadishu. Items of humanitarian aid to drought-stricken East African countries are full of thousands of hungry people, many women leave their children die by the wayside, because they can not reach the centers for assistance. (AP (AP Photo / Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

Soldiers of the Interim Federal Government of Somalia border patrol Somali town Dhobli. Thousands of people arrived in Mogadishu in hopes of getting humanitarian aid. Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran said that the organization is unable to feed 2.2 million Somalis are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. (AP Photo / Schalk van Zuydam)

A woman carries a child in temporary housing in Mogadishu. According to the UN, on the brink of survival is about one-third of the Somali population, as well as millions of people in other countries, the Horn of Africa - Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

A child suffering from malnutrition in a hospital in Mogadishu. Associated with "al Qaeda" Islamic group "Jamaat Al-Shabaab" controls much of southern Somalia and does not suffer from hunger for people to leave the country. Islamists established a camp where persons who attempted to flee from areas controlled by the group. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

Every day, about a thousand Somalis from southern regions swell army of destitute in Mogadishu. In the photo: A woman holding a child suffering from hunger and the effects of malnutrition. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

Children on the brink of starvation in a hospital Mogadishu. The current drought - the strongest in East Africa for 60 years. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

People who have fled from their villages, build temporary housing on arrival in the capital of Somalia. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

According to the UN for assistance in urgent need of about 12 million people, not just in Somalia but also in Ethiopia and Kenya - two other countries in the region, whose population suffers from hunger, which resulted from the drought. In the photo: People are building a tent in a makeshift camp in Mogadishu. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

Every day, thousands of Somalis are leaving the epicenter of the crisis and the run to the capital or in overcrowded refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. In the photo: People who have fled their villages, arriving in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

Flies swarmed the person suffering from the effects of malnutrition in hospital, the boy stolitss Somalia. Hunger - not just the result of prolonged drought, but the Islamist group "Jamaat al-Shabab," which ousted from the country's many Western humanitarian organizations, thereby depriving the drought-affected residents needed assistance. The situation is daily becoming more and more difficult - tens of thousands of Somalis have died and more than 500 thousand children are on the brink of starvation. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

The woman next to a child who is suffering from the effects of malnutrition in hospital "Banadir" in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. (Tyler Hicks / The New York Times)

By late August, from famine in southern Somalia will die each day 2,500 people, if not now begin to provide the necessary assistance to the hungry, the UN predicts.
In mid-July, the UN officially declared the famine in the two southern regions of Somalia, and in early August that another six regions close to that line. Famine in Somalia have already recognized one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of this kind in human history. According to current projections, hunger may take away the lives of over 12 million people across Africa.

Awesome Inspirational Quotes

2011-08-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Awesome Inspirational Quotes

My love of watermelon

2011-08-22T23:33:00.001-07:00

Joy of computer LIFE

2011-08-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

So SMILE

2011-07-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

So Smile through your tears the sun will be out tomorrow, Smile at a stranger they might need it,Give a small wave to an old friend or even an enemy, Forgive the little mistakes people have made and mend old feuds, Small fights aren't worth a long time of love,Smile and forgive those who have hurt you because if they hadn't you wouldn't be the amazing person you are today, You make someones day just by getting up in the morning, Even by smiling there is someone in this world who waits to see your smile to see your eyes, You light up someones day like someone lights up yours, Forgive old problems forgive old friends or loved ones, Hold on tight to the ones you love because you never know just how quickly life really does fade, Love as much as you can, Laugh through the pain, Smile even when you wanna cry because someone is watching for that smile to lighten up their day, You mean the world to someone and you'll never know if you give up will ya? So keep fighting through the rough days and Love everyone, The best way to fend off enemies is to kill with kindness, If you need to cry never hold it back cause someone will always be there to hold you, There is someone somewhere in this world that feels your pain that cries when you cry, Just remember you are never alone and there is someone looking out for you someone who waits and would even be late to work or school or an appointment just to watch you walk by with that dearing smile on your face that one that lets them know everything is going to be okay, Love as much as you can never give up and always move on, Don't live in what happened back then or in the 'What Ifs' Lives in the here and now for the people who need you the ones who love you, As alone as you may sometimes feel just remember someone counts on your smile to get through the day and if yours fades then their day is grey ^.^ So smile and watch for the one who brightens your day you never know yours just might brighten theres too [= Love is love and that is all there is to it, Love is many things and many people,Love is the smallest touch or the smallest hint, Love honestly Just is [= Never forget that you are always surrounded by love.

Different Angle Pictures

2011-07-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

what is this? BURGER?

2011-07-13T04:22:00.001-07:00

I Hate Phones!

2011-07-05T22:39:00.001-07:00

I Hate Phones!

Top 10: Most Violent Video Games

2011-06-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Top 10: Most Violent Video Games

No.10 Carmageddon - 1997
The violence in Carmageddon comes from the sheer ability to run people down in the most imaginatively brutal ways with a multi-purposed road hog reminiscent of those seen in the 1975 film Death Race 2000. Ramming pedestrians into steaming piles of bloody flesh, hitting massive roadside bombs (highly unethical given today's “war on terrorism” standards) and obliterating rival vehicles with copious amounts of unnecessary weapons and power-ups -- these are just a few of the items on the menu of this video game. Perhaps the tagline on the box of Carmageddon says it best: “The racing game for the chemically imbalanced.” How very true.

No.9 Soldier of Fortune - 2000
Keeping with the true 3-D environment spirit, the key thing that separated Soldier of Fortune from its other first-person cousins was the use of the GHOUL System, a physics-based game engine that lets you, for a lack of a better term, torture and brutalize enemies at your most sadistic desires. While the game offers an action-packed story of terrorists and nuclear warfare (and the chance to assassinate Saddam Hussein), it's the sick little pleasures of blowing off enemy limbs with a shotgun and watching blood spray and guts spill that make this game one of the most truly violent titles of all time.

No.8 God of War II - 2007
As Kratos, a former member of the Spartan army, you become the ruthless god of war in the pantheon of Greek gods. Sounds simple enough? Probably, but the tale also includes erasing your tormented past, and that includes cutting a violent and deadly path to get your satisfaction. But it's going to take a lot of blood, sweat and tears along the way. Did we mention blood yet? God of War 2 promotes ruthless weapon use, stylized and gory finishing kills to enemies and brutal cut scenes that would make Quentin Tarantino blush (including one final kill where you continually slam a door on another god’s head numerous times). The mythological backstory of the game serves to soften the blow of equating it to modern-day street violence, but then again, ruthless gods probably didn't settle matters over a cup of tea either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3-0TA71cJo&feature=player_embedded

No.7 Gears of War 2 - 2008
Slicing a foe with a chainsaw from the groin upward is gruesome enough; however, getting to use a corpse as a human shield when taking fire takes the cake (not to mention the obtuse and unashamed use of blood that accompanies these techniques). Either way, Gears of War 2 gives the third-person adventurer just enough violence to keep him satisfied, even when between a barrage of bullets (when blood is spilled, it shows up nicely on the screen, obscuring your battlefield view -- just like in real life!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3PApPlO-h4&feature=player_embedded

No.6 Mortal Kombat - 1992
The origins of violent video gaming are about as untraceable as the Loch Ness Monster, but there was no denying the violence when Mortal Kombat debuted in homes everywhere in 1992. The uproar and backlash was unprecedented at the time, as players engaged in 2-D combat with a variety of moves that induced blood loss, explosions and all things gory. While it was a dastardly game designed to sour soccer moms everywhere, kids loved the “fatality” finishers, including uppercutting your opponent only to have him land torso-deep in razor-sharp spikes. “Finish him” also became one of the most recognizable one-liners in the short history of video gaming. It was still gross though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVq1kvXaMMM&feature=player_embedded

No.5 Thrill Kill - 1998
This game was not actually officially released on the PlayStation, as it was originally intended, but many copies have since become available through bootleg channels. Either way, only the truly sadistic would want to track down this game and enjoy it. It involves a four-player 3-D fighting game in which some of its most unsavory characters fight to the death. Armed with syringes, cattle prods, severed limbs, and more, players simply beat the daylights out of one another with grotesque, fetishistic and/or sexual maneuvers, always with the result of too many blood splatters to count.

No.4 MadWorld - 2009
What's black and white and red all over? Your victims as they're splattered against the wall after being skewered on a lamppost. Or perhaps the answer could include disposing of your enemies in a meat grinder, or playing darts using only your opponents and a baseball bat. Whatever the stylish kill, this video game means serious business on the violence factor. Maybe the blood splatter on a black-and-white backdrop really highlights the ferociousness and gratuitous violence, but any game with flavors of The Running Man and a protagonist with a chainsaw on his arm usually have violent potency.

No.3 Manhunt - 2003
As history would repeat itself every time a controversial new video game was introduced to gamers, Manhunt and its producers ran into constant battles with game classifications, angry parents and censorship laws that stirred a fury among critics upon its release (including being the first video game classified as a movie by the province of Ontario in 2004 due to its grotesque nature). Either way, the player sneaks around a 3-D environment and commits heinous acts of murder as part of a sadistic form of entertainment. Decapitation, steel-object-to-the-brain impaling and even the ability to jam a sickle up an unsuspecting victim's ass was part of the Manhunt experience. Violence indeed.

No.2 Grand Theft Auto III - 2001
If Mortal Kombat was the granddaddy of ultra violent gaming, then anything from the Grand Theft Auto series (particularly Grand Theft Auto III) is easily its bastardized offspring. As the title suggests, you're out to make a name for yourself by accomplishing missions in a third-person environment, and stealing cars is the most lighthearted crime you can commit. From massive gangland-style beat downs to barbecuing prostitutes with flamethrowers, nothing is too vile or unrealistic in the face of death, blood and mayhem. Subsequent violence from later sequels (including GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas and GTA IV) was simply adding more fuel to the fire. Once the franchise hit the 3-D third-person perspective, all hell broke loose, and you can blame GTA III for all of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XITzEHcbwP4&feature=player_embedded

No.1 Postal 2 - 2003
Taking the throne of video game violence is a mantle often reserved for only the elite titles, and Postal 2 easily captures the top spot. This is a game in which it is not uncommon to drop-kick grenades and whip scythes at unsuspecting civilians if they refuse to participate in your everyday life story (which is, after all, the plot behind the game). Of course, this includes using cat carcasses as silencers on your gun, hitting people with anthrax-laden cow heads and playing “fetch” with dogs using the severed heads of your dismembered victims. Postal 2 is the epitome of senseless, over-the-top video game violence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU5M-vlm0PA&feature=player_embedded

Freak Animals

2011-06-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Two Headed Kitten

Seven Legged Lamb

Two Headed Snake

Cat With Four Ears

Four Legged Chicken

Cyclops Pig

Six Legged Deer

Two Headed Turtle

Cyclops Kitten!
Read more: http://www.itsnature.org/what-on-earth/10-examples-of-nature-getting-it-wrong/#ixzz1EVDaxjMX

Pig with two feet

2011-06-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

The owner decided not to deprive her of life, and now heaps of tourists are cutting look at the pig and its tricks in person.

Signs that you are too drunk would be...

2011-06-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

Signs that you are too drunk would be...
You lose arguments with inanimate objects.
You have to hold onto the lawn to keep from falling off the earth.
Job interfering with your drinking.
Your doctor finds traces of blood in your alcohol stream.
Career won't progress beyond Senator of Massachusetts.
The back of your head keeps getting hit by the toilet seat.
Sincerely believe alcohol to be the elusive 5th food group.
24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case - coincidence?? - I think not!
Two hands and just one mouth... - now THAT'S a drinking problem!
You can focus better with one eye closed.
The parking lot seems to have moved while you were in the bar.
Your twin sons are named Barley and Hops.
Hey, 5 beers has just as many calories as a burger, screw dinner!
Mosquitoes catch a buzz after attacking you
At AA meetings you begin: "Hi, my name is... uh..."
Your idea of cutting back is less salt.
You wake up in the bedroom, your underwear is in the bathroom, you fell asleep clothed. - hmmm.
The whole bar says 'Hi' when you come in...

Who will stand up to the Bully Boys in Blue?

2011-06-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

Who will stand up to the Bully Boys in Blue?

http://vodpod.com/watch/1510354-video-who-will-stand-up-to-the-bully-boys-in-blue

Greece general strike prompts violent clashes in AthensPetrol bombs thrown as police protect parliamentary vote on austerity cuts needed for IMF and E

2011-06-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

Greece general strike prompts violent clashes in Athens
Petrol bombs thrown as police protect parliamentary vote on austerity cuts needed for IMF and EU bailout
Associated Press
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday 15 June 2011 13.36
BST Article history

Hooded youths on the fringes of a major anti-austerity protest in Athens have thrown rocks and firebombs in violent clashes with police at the Greek parliament.

At a rally of more than 20,000 in Syntagma Square, police responded with teargas to push the protesters away from barricades erected to protect the parliament building where the government is seeking support for new cutbacks required to avoid a debt default.

Other demonstrators who had been part of the previously peaceful gathering also clashed with the violent groups of hooded youths, trying to eject them from their rally.

The protests were part of a 24-hour general strike against the cutbacks, which the country must pass to continue receiving funding from a €110bn (£95bn) international bailout that is preventing Greece from defaulting on its debts.

A large part of central Athens was closed to traffic and pedestrians as police mounted a huge security operation to allow politicians access to parliament by car. Around 5,000 officers, including hundreds of riot and motorcycle police, used parked buses and crowd barriers to prevent protesters from encircling the building.

"Resign, resign," the crowd chanted. The protesters included both young and old, and many brought their children, hoisting them on to their shoulders to shield them from the crush.

Two separate marches organised by trade unions joined the rally in Syntagma. Such demonstrations have often turned violent in the past – three clerks died when rioters torched a bank in Athens last May.

But the latest austerity drive has brought many people on to the streets for the first time.

"What can we do? We have to fight, for our children and for us," said Dimitra Nteli, a nurse at a state hospital who was at the protest with her daughter. "After 25 years of work I earn €1,100 a month. Now that will drop to €900. How can we live on that?"

Her 26-year-old daughter, Christina, said the situation in Greece had led her to leave for the UK to study conflict resolution. "I have no job here. There are no prospects," she said.

A police spokesman, Athanassios Kokalakis, said 10 protesters were briefly detained. About a hundred people booed and heckled as cars carrying the prime minister, George Papandreou, and President Karolos Papoulias swept past for a meeting.

The general strike crippled public services across the country, leaving state hospitals running on emergency staff, disrupting port traffic and public transport, and forced radio and television news programmes off the air during the morning. Journalists' unions called off their strike to cover developments in Athens.

Flights, however, were operating normally after the air traffic controllers' union called off their participation in the strike.

"They keep asking us to give more," said Ilias Iliopoulos, the general secretary of the civil servants' union ADEDY. "Now, again, they will cut our salaries and bonuses, from the little we have left."

The government needs to pass a 2012-2015 austerity programme worth €28bn this month or face being cut off from continued funding from the EU and IMF.

To meet their commitments, Papandreou's Socialists have abandoned a pledge not to impose new taxes and have drawn up a four-year privatisation programme worth €50bn, further fuelling protests against austerity by public utility employees and other affected groups.

Some of the MPs from the governing party have publicly criticised the cuts. One of them defected on Tuesday, reducing Papandreou's parliamentary majority to five in the 300-seat legislature. Another Socialist MP said he would vote against the bill.

With its credit rating slashed, Greece is being kept afloat by the bailout, but will need extra support to cover funding gaps next year as high interest rates will prevent it from tapping the bond market, contrary to what the original bailout agreement had predicted.

On Monday night, Standard & Poor's cut Greece's rating from B to CCC, dropping it to the very bottom of the 131 states that have a sovereign debt-rating. That suggests Greece's creditors are less likely to get their money back than those of Pakistan, Ecuador or Jamaica.

It is an astonishing low for Greece. As recently as January 2009, the country still had a stellar A rating despite a hefty debt burden.

The Socialists' popularity has plummeted in recent weeks. A weekend opinion poll gave the main opposition conservatives a four-point lead, the first time the party has been ahead since 2009. The next general election is scheduled for October 2013.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/15/greece-general-strike-parliament-clashes

Mommy, Why Can't I Get A Job?

2011-06-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Mommy, Why Can't I Get A Job?

Benefits of drinking water

2011-06-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Benefits of drinking water

I took shoez off.....let me in

2011-05-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

I took shoez off.....let me in

Arabs Got Talent طلال منصور

2011-05-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

Arabs Got Talent - Ep1 - طلال منصور

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2F6wrkYQzk&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIV-6I_nDxE&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9qsUGkz1tw&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz8_h05k3F4&feature=related

Text of President Obama's statement to U.S. people

2011-05-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse?blend=6&ob=5#p/u/0/ZNYmK19-d0U

Text of President Obama's statement to U.S. people

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Sunday that the mastermind of the September 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people has been killed in Pakistan by U.S.-led forces.
Following is the text of Obama's statement to America:

Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory. Hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky.
The Twin Towers collapsing to the ground. Black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon. The wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table.
Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace.
Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
On September 11th, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other and our love of community and country.
On that day, no matter where we came from, what god we prayed to or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family. We were also united in our resolve, to protect our nation and to -- to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.
We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda, an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda, to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.
Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort. We've disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense.
In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.
Yet, Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.
And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda. Even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat his network.
Then last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain. And it took many months to run this thread to ground.
I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside Pakistan.
And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.
Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abad Abad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties.
After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies.

The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda.
And his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad.
As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. I've made clear just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11 that our war is not against Islam. Bin laden was not a Muslim leader. He was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries including our own.
So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity. Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done.

But it's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war.
These efforts weigh on me every time I, as commander in chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one or look into the eyes of a service member who's been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are.
And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda's terror, justice has been done.
Tonight we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work nor know their names, but tonight they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11, that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete, but tonight we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history. Whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people or the struggle for equality for all our citizens, our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

(World Desk Americas)

Good advice for forwarding mail

2011-05-17T23:23:00.001-07:00

Good advice for forwarding mail

HOW TO FORWARD E-MAIL APPROPRIATELY
A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails.
Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.

Please also share this with your email buddies!

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? Most of us DO NOT know how.
Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?

Every time you forward an e-mail, there is information left over from the people who got the message before you -- namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every email address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!

How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:

(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever you know how to. It only takes a second. You MUST click the 'Forward' button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't hit the forward button first you won't have full editing functions . I particularly dislike having to scroll through 200 Email addresses before I get to the email.

(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the "To:" or "Cc:" fields for adding e-mail addresses.. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address.
If you don't see your "BCC:" option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'TO:' field of the people who receive it.< /SPAN>
That way you aren't sharing all those addresses with every Tom, Dick or Harry.

(3) Remove any 'FW:' in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.

This one is very important - please read and heed
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. These are the ones that often end up having picked up a virus from somebody. This is really important!

(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses.
A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just ain't so!)

(6) One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, 'Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen.' Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen.
IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could this be why I haven't won the lottery??)

(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for Years!
Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes. com/

It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.

Finally, here's an idea!!! Let's send this to everyone we know (but strip my address off first, please!).
This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.

Mass Muslim Marriage in Gaza

2011-05-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

Muhammed married a six year old bride. But Islam has evolved in 1500 years. In Hamas land, in 2009, the brides are almost seven.

450 Grooms Wed GIRLS Under Ten In Gaza
By Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.
Thelastcrusade! .org

A gala event has occurred in Gaza .

Hamas sponsored a mass wedding for four hundred and fifty couples.
Most of the grooms were in their mid to late twenties; most of brides were under ten.
Mass Muslim Marriage in Gaza

Poor kids - what a terrible fate to be born as a girl in a Muslim country

Muslim dignitaries including Mahmud Zahar, a leader of Hamas, were on hand to congratulate the couples who took part in the carefully staged celebration.
We are saying to the world and to America that you cannot deny us joy and happiness, Zahar told the grooms, all of whom were dressed in identical black suits and hailed from the nearby Jabalia refugee camp.

Each groom received a gift of 500 dollars from Hamas.

The pre-pubescent girls, dressed in white gowns and adorned with garish make-up! , received bridal bouquets.

We are presenting this wedding as a gift to our people who stood firm in the face of the siege and the war, Local Hamas strongman Ibrahim Salaf said in a speech.

The wedding photos tell the rest of the sordid tale.

The International Center for Research on Women now estimates that there are 51 million child brides now living on planet earth and almost all in Muslim countries.
Twenty-nine percent of these child brides are regularly beaten and molested by their husbands in Egypt ; twenty six percent receive similar abuse in Jordan .

Every year, three million Muslim girls are subjected to genital mutilation, according to UNICEF. This practice has not been outlawed in many parts of America

7 Million Fans Like Leo Messi’s Facebook Page in 7 Hours

2011-04-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

7 Million Fans Like Leo Messi’s Facebook Page in 7 Hours

by Sarah Kessler

Seven hours after Argentine soccer player Leo Messi started a Facebook Page, he has almost 7 million Likes as of Wednesday afternoon.

To put that number into perspective, it’s nearly 40% as many Likes as U.S. President Barack Obama has on his Facebook Page and about 30% as many as Justin Bieber fans have contributed to the pop star’s Facebook Page — but Messi’s Likes were gathered in hours, not years.

Messi, who plays for FC Barcelona and is considered by many to be the best soccer player in the world, wrote in a translated welcome message on the page, “Hola! Welcome to everyone. Thank you very much for the great number of messages that I have received. I am so excited! From now on we will be more closely connected … through Facebook.”

Lady Gaga beat Obama to 10 million Likes last summer, but we can’t remember another celebrity nearing the milestone so quickly. We’ve reached out to Facebook about whether Messi has set a Facebook record.

Update: Some commenters have suggested that Messi may have automatically transferred fans from his unofficial pages to his official page. While Facebook allows businesses to merge place pages with fan pages and to turn personal profile pages into fan pages, there’s not a public option to merge multiple fan pages. We’ve reached out to Facebook about whether Messi’s page administrator negotiated a merge with a Facebook representative.

Mercedez Benz car with PENs

2011-04-06T20:57:00.001-07:00

Costas Schuler saw a book about art cars 5 years ago and was fascinated by them. He knew he wanted to make one of his own but didn’t know where to start, until one morning he woke up and knew he wanted to do something with pens. So he started covering his old 1981 Mercedes -Benz with pens, and he’s been doing it ever since using pens donated from people all around the world.

http://funniez.net/Funny-Pictures/pen-covered-mercedes-benz.html

Good & Bad Fucking Lessons From Porn Movies

2011-04-04T00:15:00.001-07:00

Good & Bad Fucking Lessons From Porn Movies

In addition to its ability to cheer you up in times of need, porn has some useful lessons to impart to its viewers. On the other hand, some of these are hideous faux pas that every man should avoid like the plague -- or gonorrhea, for that matter. Then there are the great lessons porn has to offer us all.

Pornography is generally a healthy staple of any man’s life, but beware: Not all porn is helpful to your sex life. Watching porn with your girlfriend can be a great way to learn about each other and have a laugh. Although you'll probably learn most lessons on your own, if you're lucky, you may get to "study" with a partner as well. And by "lucky," we mean she will be there to stamp out any silly ideas you might get from overenthusiastic actors and actresses who give you the wrong impression of what good sex is.

Negative Effects Of Porn

There are things that happen in adult movies that you should not apply to your real sex life. Here are few don'ts:

Don’t Be A Jackhammer

This is one of porn’s greatest downfalls. In order for the camera to capture what’s happening, the men hammer in and out of the women. Don’t do this all the time! Jackhammering desensitizes her (and you) and is often just a waste of time -- if not for you, then usually for her. Most girls like the weight of your body on them and the pressure of your whole groin against theirs. You don’t need to constantly go in and out to bring your girl to orgasm -- it's usually the opposite.

Sometimes you should stay in and move just slightly. If you need to go fast to get anything out of it, stop every once in a while to take a breather and let her enjoy the pressure of your body against hers. Quality goes further and achieves more than bouncing away. She will be back for more if you do it less like a porn star and more like the great guy you are.

Don’t Be Too Aggressive With Your Touch

The actresses in pornography are trained professionals. This is what they do for a living, so they can handle -- and often enjoy -- a bit of rough play. The camera can’t see a delicate caress, but it can see a strong grope or thrust of the tongue. Just be aware that this is for the screen, and things are exaggerated for effect. Grabbing her head and slamming her against your groin as she gives you oral sex will ensure that she will never want to do it again.

Don't Play Rough

Smacking her hard on her bottom will probably hurt her quite a lot, and she may not think favorably of you afterward (though the opposite can be true, you should always wait for her to ask for it). Holding her down and being forceful with her won’t do you any favors. In fact, she will think you are too rough and she will not be inclined to come back for seconds. Be gentle: She is a woman, not a football. If she wants to be roughed up, no doubt she will tell you. Boisterous sex may be her thing, but just take it easy to start with and pay attention to her signals.

Don’t Get Mechanical And Routine

You need to feel her. This means both feeling out what she likes as well as physically feeling her all over. Doing what you think probably feels good because that’s what they do in the movies is not going to work, and you will end up with a very unsatisfied lover. You may be touching her in all the right places, but your touch needs to be filled with a million nerve endings so you can observe her reactions. Don’t think that if you do the same thing you did last time (or with the last girl) she will react the same way. Women are like the wind -- very changeable.

Don’t Ejaculate Just Anywhere On Her

She doesn’t necessarily want to feel like she is your sperm dumping ground, so always ask before dropping your protein-enriched gift onto -- or into -- any place if she hasn’t already given you permission to do so. Stomachs, breasts and backs are reasonably safe zones, but her vagina, bottom, face, or head (especially her hair!) are expressly ask-first places.

Don’t Dissect Her

Women can be at their most self-conscious during sex, so if you watch everything from all different angles it can be very off-putting for her. Pornography often exposes every crease, nook and cranny on women. Whatever you do, don’t make a big show of gawking. Doing things like spreading her butt cheeks while you are behind her can be distressing and embarrassing for her, and it won’t encourage her to do it again. She probably won’t say anything, but she will lose her mood as soon as an insecure feeling comes up. Don’t make her feel like she is your personal sex object -- she is the woman you are having sex with, not the toy you bought that you can dismantle and stare at.

Benefits Of Porn

There are definite lessons you can and should learn from watching porn that can improve your lovemaking skills. Consider the following examples:

Make It Fun, Not Serious

One of the best things about watching porn is that sex is never taken too seriously. How could it be? With hideous acting, crappy music and massive body parts, it can easily swing toward the bizarre. Porn is lighthearted: Nobody is in love -- and they don’t have to pretend to be. Porn is about pleasure for everyone. Keeping it light is a good way to approach sex -- it should be fun and silly sometimes. Unbridled passion and reckless abandon will come your way, but so should irrepressible smiles and giggles. Sex should not be a solemn occasion.

Masturbate In Front Of Each Other

Getting each other -- and yourselves -- off with your hands is fun, and leaves a lot of room for experimentation. Watching her bring herself to orgasm is often very arousing, and has the added benefit of a free lesson for you in what turns her on, and vice versa. Pornographers love masturbation because it’s very much a visual thing. You can see exactly what the person is doing. You can do it to yourselves or to each other. It’s also very mobile. Porn should inspire you to get your partner to masturbate in front of you -- a very healthy addition to your sex life.

My Angel

2011-04-03T23:44:00.001-07:00

Earthquake hits Myanmar near China and Thailand borders

2011-03-29T23:18:00.001-07:00

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/24/myanmar.quake/index.html

Earthquake hits Myanmar near China and Thailand borders
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 24, 2011 -- Updated 1547 GMT (2347 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: A second quake hits with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8
First quake has a magnitude of 6.8, the U.S. Geological Survey reports
It is only about 6 miles below the surface
No tsunami is expected because the epicenter is far inland

Were you affectecd by the earthquake in Myanmar? Share images, video and information with CNN's iReport. Don't do anything that could put you at risk.

(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake hit Myanmar Thursday near its borders with China, Thailand and Laos, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake hit in eastern Myanmar, about 55 miles (89 km) north of Chiang Rai, Thailand, the survey reported.

It had a magnitude of 6.8, the survey said, revising the estimate down from an initial reading of 7.0.

It was a relatively shallow quake, which can be very destructive.
The Geological Survey initially said the quake had a depth of 142 miles (230km), but it later revised its estimate to say the quake was 6 miles (10 km) deep, putting it fairly close to the surface.

A second quake hit about half an hour later, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The center of the quake was 589 km (365 miles) northeast of Rangoon, the capital of Myanmar, and 772 km (479 miles) north of Bangkok, Thailand.

It was 104 miles (168 km) south-southwest of Yunjinghong, Yunnan, China.

A destructive tsunami is not expected, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. In advice to government agencies, the center said the quake "is located too far inland and too deep inside the earth to generate a tsunami in the Indian Ocean."
Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, has been badly hit by natural disasters in the past few years.

A powerful cyclone in 2008 left an estimated 100,000 people dead, and another one two years later left 70,000 people homeless, the United Nations estimates.
The quake was significantly less powerful than the one that hit Japan two weeks ago, causing a tsunami, leaving thousands dead or missing, and prompting fears of a nuclear meltdown.

It was roughly comparable in magnitude and depth to last year's Haiti earthquake, which measured 7.0. More than 200,000 people died in the Haiti earthquake, and millions were affected.

That quake's center was only 9 miles below the surface and near congested population centers. Scientists said if the quake had been centered deeper down, the damage would not have been as severe.

CNN's Moni Basu and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

Automobile Design – World’s First Bamboo Car

2011-03-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

Automobile Design – World’s First Bamboo Car
Posted by Recent News on March 20, 2011 ·

This first bamboo car in the world is made by a Filipino designer.

By Thelma Sioson San Juan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

World-renowned Filipino furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue has designed what must be the first and only bamboo and rattan car in the world, and it’s drawing considerable curiosity and rave in an exhibit in Milan, Italy.

“Phoenix”—the name Cobonpue has given his automobile design—has a form made of rattan, bamboo, steel and carbon fiber. It projects this era’s thrust towards artisanship and craftsmanship, biodegradability and environment-friendliness, as opposed to assembly-line production and high technology—the contrast between man’s handiwork and machine. By coincidence, the car is unveiled at a time when the world is facing the horrors of potential nuclear calamity, the fallout from a technology reduced at the mercy of nature.

Last month Phoenix was sent off to the “Imagination and Innovation” exhibit in Via Tortona in Milan. The exhibit has invited designers and artists from all over to display their works in a museum-like setting. Cobonpue is among them. When the organizers saw Phoenix, they decided to display it in the front section of the exhibit area on the ground floor.

Multi-awarded Filipino furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue is well known for his bold creations, and the latest from his arsenal is the first and only bamboo and rattan car in the world, which is turning heads in an exhibit in Milan, Italy. The car dubbed ‘Phoenix’ boasts a form made of rattan, bamboo, steel and carbon fiber. The project speaks high of craftsmanship, biodegradability and environment-friendliness, against assembly-line production and high technology.

The Phoenix bamboo and rattan car was shown at the “Imagination and Innovation” exhibit in Via Tortona in Milan last month. The organizers of the event were pretty impressed with his work, and decided to give the prototype the front section of the exhibit area on the ground floor.

The Phoenix resembles a bird ready to fly. It has a ’spine’ that runs to its back where it forms into a splay of rattan coupled with LED rods to emit light. The engine is in the rear. The sides are meant for the glass windows.

A design apprentice from Germany helped Cobonpue during the project, which took months to complete. The car was built in Cobonpue’s factory in Cebu in 10 days. Anyway, the car doesn’t has an engine yet, which Cobonpue says isn’t an insurmountable task. He says…

This is to show people that our design aesthetic goes beyond furniture, that as Asian we can extend even to designing transportation.

Cobonpue himself is a car lover. He collects and tinkers with vintage cars, and with a group of vintage car collectors in Cebu. But, the very thing that has inspired him to design a car is his environment consciousness. Cobonpue further says…

It’s a challenge. When you think about it, car building has been all about high technology, robots. But maybe you don’t need all that. It can be handmade. Cars outlive their purpose. How long do you keep a car? Five years or a little more? Then it goes to the junkyard.

It is not environment-friendly. The cost of recycling (a car) is prohibitive. So why not build from a biodegradable material, the shell you can replace?

Cobonpue thinks of Phoenix as only a creative exercise, and hasn’t thought of making it to the production.

Kenneth Cobonpue has earned himself a name with his stunning designs in natural fibers and materials, using rattan, buri, bamboo, and abaca. His furniture pieces have been featured in many movies, such as Ocean’s Thirteen, Made of Honor and Spread. He has sold pieces to Queen Rania of Jordan and Hollywood’s hot couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Via: Inquirer599434

World Dreams of Peace and Stability

2011-03-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

World Dreams of Peace and Stability
Posted by Recent News on March 20, 2011
Over the past week, the world saw a devastating earthquake in New Zealand, continuous unrests or clashes in some countries in the Middle East and Africa as well as formidable oil price spirals. Peace and stability are what the world is most craving for.

On Tuesday, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s South Island city of Christchurch. The confirmed death toll there rose to 145 on Saturday evening, while the number of missing people surpassed 200.

Although the authorities have started to clean the ruins of the quake, people are still expecting any miraculous return of those missing people, including 23 Chinese nationals.

Also, families in various countries are waiting to meet their family members or relatives who have been withdrawn or will be withdrawn from turbulent Libya, a key oil producing country located in North Africa.

So far, more than 20,000 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Libya safely due to swift, efficient efforts made by the Chinese government.

Influences caused by social unrests were even worse.

In Cote d’Ivoire which is mired in disputes over the country’s presidency, violence has been escalating in the past week and the security situation is deteriorating.

Since the presidential election in November last year, conflicts caused by the disputes over the election results have left more than 300 people dead. Prospect of mediation by the African Union is dim and the Western African country comes closer to the brink of civil war.

The security situation in the Middle East and North Africa is also uncertain, bringing about great social impacts and economic losses.

As the world’s main oil producing area, the disturbance in this region has made global oil prices soar and world stock markets plunge, casting a heavy shadow on the global economic recovery.

In turbulent Tunisia, its pillar industries, including tourism, have been significantly hurt and the direct economic loss suffered by the North African country has amounted to more than 2 billion U.S. dollars.

Political turmoils in Egypt also have cost the country 17 billion dollars.

In the past week, the daily oil production in the world slumped sharply due to the escalation of domestic instability in Libya, spurring the world oil price above 100 dollars per barrel for the first time since October 2008.

http://www.newsbalita.com/world-dreams-of-peace-and-stability/?utm_source=category&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Search+engine+query+in+WP+widget&utm_term=Articles

Radiation Exposure – How to Avoid Radiation Exposure

2011-03-20T22:54:00.001-07:00

Radiation Exposure – How to Avoid Radiation Exposure
Posted by Recent News on March 15, 2011 · 4 Comments

Radiation exposure is a real danger. As Japan is battling its worst nuclear crisis ever following the March 11 earthquake, nuclear radiation leak threatens the health of the entire humanity. In Time Magazine, Prof. John K.C. Leung gives advice on radiation exposure – how to avoid radiation exposure. Remember nuclear radiation exposure can travel through clouds. It doesn’t really matter where you are. If the radioactive atomic materials can travel through air, then it can go anywhere.

TIME spoke to John K.C. Leung, a radiation expert at Hong Kong University. He explained the general protocol for those who find themselves at risk of nuclear exposure:
—Stay indoors. The walls will provide some measure of protection from the radiation.
—Shut all the windows and doors and turn off ventilation systems. Breathing inside air is better.
—Keep away from the windows and walls. The further you are away from them, the less radiation you’ll be exposed to.
*Please note, this is general advice. People should heed the advice of local authorities.

http://www.newsbalita.com/radiation-exposure-how-to-avoid-radiation-exposure/

All toilet paper gone - No Toilet Paper in Japan

2011-03-20T00:00:00.001-07:00

Identity Verification + FAKE GOOGLE

2011-03-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Valued Member,

This is an important information to all of our members. We are experiencing congestion on our system due to anonymous registration of our email service, as a result of that, we are upgrading our security systems and making sure all users are using our services legally. To prevent your account from disability you will have to update your informations by clicking the reply button and filling the space below.

Account ID
Password
Confirm Password
Registered Year
Country

This warning is only for Google members, your account will not be interrupted after providing the above information and your email service will continue to work as normal

Thank you using Google!

Source: Fun Email

Favourite Animals

2011-02-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

From National Geographic

A long way to go yet for Indonesia

2011-02-11T02:50:00.000-08:00

A long way to go yet for Indonesia
2011/02/10
By Farish A.Noor

WHILE the world's attention has been focused of late on the developments in Egypt and across the Arab world, a smaller, though no less important event, took place in Indonesia less than a week ago. In the small village of Cikeusik, only a few hours' drive from Jakarta, a mob of several hundred people encircled a home where a small congregation of Ahmadis had gathered and threatened them with violence unless they disbanded immediately. In the melee that ensued, several of the Ahmadis were killed by the mob in broad daylight, and to add insult to injury, their deaths were caught on video and then circulated on the Internet.

That the Ahmadis have been the focus of many attacks and controversies over the years is old news by now. For decades, their liminal status as non-Muslims has been disputed by activists, laymen and scholars alike. But what shocked so many observers this time was the fact that a small group of Indonesian citizens could have been targeted by a much larger group, which attacked them and murdered some of them in the open, in full view of onlookers and passersby.

Has Indonesia reached a point where murder in the public domain has become routine and normal? And what does this say about Indonesia's ambition to be a key player in the Asean region and Asia in general?

Of late, many Indonesian intellectuals and politicians have opined that the country has grown bigger than the Asean boat, and that the time has come for Indonesia to step onto the global stage as a major international power. It is undeniable that thanks to its geographical location, size and mass of its population and resources, Indonesia is indeed an economic powerhouse in the making. Already, Indonesia is the apple in the eye of Chinese and Indian diplomats, who see the country as playing a key diplomatic and strategic role as both the Asian giants extend their feelers deeper across Southeast Asia.

And yet, while Indonesia seeks a bigger role for itself in the G-20 group, in Asean, and other regional and international forums, it still has to deal with the problem of routinised violence and the reality of its urban gang culture that has been allowed to grow out of control over the past three decades.

It was the scholar John Sidel who, in his work Riots, Pogroms and Jihad in Indonesia, noted that violence in Indonesia had never been spontaneous or contingent, but that it had always been well-orchestrated, managed and even financed by powerful lobby groups and even political parties.

Today, decades of normalised violence threatens to undermine the image and standing of Indonesia as it seeks to rid itself of the stigma of communal violence that it was once associated with, dating back to the religious violence in Sulawesi and the Moluccas and culminating in the Bali bombings that did so much damage to the image and reputation of that country.

The issue here is not one of theology. For whatever position one may take with regards to the Ahmadiyyah question, the fact remains that murder in broad daylight is not the way to deal with theological or doctrinal differences. One does not even have to entertain the Ahmadis' claim that they are Muslims -- for that has been disputed by Muslim scholars worldwide -- to accept the fact that every state and every government has the obligation to control the use of violence by its own citizens, and is obliged to protect those who happen to be in a persecuted minority.

It is clear that despite the many attempts to resolve the Ahmadi issue amicably, there remain certain radical groupings in Indonesia who do not believe in the legal process or the rule of law, and are prepared to murder their fellow citizens to make their point.

If this vicious and wanton attack was meant to defend the faith of the aggressors, one could argue that it has only done more damage to the image of Islam and Muslims in Indonesia and the Muslim world in general.

But the weight of responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of the government that has to play its rightful role as the protector of all citizens, and to ensure that the culture of violent vigilantism does not spread any further across the country.

Already external observers are wondering aloud about why the authorities have remained silent over the rise of some of the more vocal and radical groups like the Fron Pembela Islam (FPI), which has been responsible for clashes in and around Jakarta over the past few years.

How many more Indonesians have to die before the authorities do what is necessary, and deal with these radical violent groups for what they are -- violent, radical groups who happen to be the real threat to the image and standing of Indonesia internationally, and the harmony and safety of its citizens domestically?

Dr Farish A Noor is a Senior Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU, Singapore

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17egpts/Article/#ixzz1De92QHL6

Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In The Crosshairs

2011-02-11T02:46:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2011

Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In The Crosshairs
The horrific killing of six people in Arizona, and the wounding of a dozen more, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, generated a wave of discussion on the impact of violent political rhetoric. A leading article in The Times commented:

"American politics has a strain of mean-spiritedness that, when it connects to disturbed individuals, can have terrible consequences."

True enough, although Britain certainly has its own "strain of mean-spiritedness". It is possible to disagree with others "in a reasonable way", The Times observed, without giving "unintended succour to those on the fringes who harbour extreme views and even worse methods". (Leading article, 'A Mean Spirit,' The Times, January 10, 2011)

In August 2002, Times journalist Michael Gove – variously, the paper's comment, news, Saturday and assistant editor - wrote:

"We have no alternative but to launch a pre-emptive war against Iraq to prevent Saddam completing his drive to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Massive military force must be deployed to remove Saddam's regime." (Gove, 'We need Bush and not Saddam calling the shots,' The Times, August 28, 2002)

Gove suffered no ill effects from this expression of "extreme views and even worse methods" - he is now Secretary of State for Education.

In January 2003, also gunning for war, David Aaronovitch wrote in the Guardian:

"If I were an Iraqi, living under probably the most violent and repressive regime in the world, I would desire Saddam's demise more than anything else. Or do we suppose that some nations and races cannot somehow cope with freedom?"

Again, extremism was given no "unintended succour" – later that year, the judges of the 2003 What the Papers Say awards made Aaronovitch columnist of the year, commenting:

"At a time when most left-leaning commentators were opposing the war in Iraq, he took a brave and consistent stand, presenting the case for action in the most coherent and persuasive manner."

Speech that incites violence against individuals at home is unacceptable. Speech that incites mass death and destruction against entire nations is met with indifference, and/or high office and awards!

In Mediaspeak, the word 'violence' actually refers to crimes committed by the 'bad guys' against the 'good guys', 'us'. 'We' do not commit violence, 'we' deploy 'assets' to 'neutralise' 'targets'. 'We' 'intervene' to bring 'security' and 'humanitarian relief'.

Because 'we' don't commit violence, it is fine for 'us' to non-violently kill 'our' enemies. Thus, columnist Jeffrey T Kuhner wrote in the Washington Times last month:

"We should treat Mr Assange the same way as other high-value terrorist targets: Kill him."

William Kristol, former chief of staff to vice president Dan Quayle, pleaded:

"Why can't we act forcefully against WikiLeaks? Why can't we use our various assets to harass, snatch or neutralize Julian Assange and his collaborators, wherever they are? Why can't we disrupt and destroy WikiLeaks in both cyberspace and physical space, to the extent possible?"

The net hosts numerous articles with titles like '5 Reasons The CIA Should Have Already Killed Julian Assange.'

On the BBC website, Matt Frei praised Barack Obama's mollifying response to the Arizona massacre:

"The president kept it personal and poignant. He reined in the attack dogs on all sides and called for a more civil, gentle tone. The tragedy has allowed him to play the role of consoler-in-chief with conviction."

Perhaps not on all sides. The "consoler-in-chief" had nothing to say about the crosshairs hovering over Julian Assange.

Of Wikiblokesphere And Lying Feminist Slags
Responding to the killings in the Independent, Joan Smith lamented the state of political debate, recalling "a concept I'm very keen on but haven't heard much in recent years: civility". The abuse is rampant:

"Among the online-abuse community, it's beyond question that Julian Assange's accusers are lying feminist slags."

There was precious little civility in this ugly distortion. If a minority of bigots do perceive Assange's accusers this way, they have not been contributing to the rational, awesomely well-informed discussions we have seen.

John Pilger has commented on the playing of what might be called 'the feminist card' in the WikiLeaks debate. The gambit has form. In December 2007, we found that, over the previous 12 years, the terms 'Taliban' and 'women's rights' had been mentioned in 56 Guardian articles. Of these, 36 had appeared after the September 11, 2001 attacks. As Pilger noted last month in the New Statesman:

"The invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 was supported by leading feminists, especially in the US, where Hillary Clinton and other false tribunes of feminism made the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women the rationale for attacking a stricken country and causing the deaths of at least 20,000 people while giving the Taliban new life."

Something similar is happening now, Pilger writes, "as a group of media feminists joins the assault on Julian Assange and WikiLeaks... From the Times to the New Statesman, apparent feminist credence is given to the chaotic, incompetent and contradictory accusations against Assange in Sweden".

Some of the worst examples have appeared in the Guardian, one of WikiLeaks' "media partners". Libby Brooks identifies an "unlikely alliance between leftwingers and the misogynists of the Wikiblokesphere," which has seen them "indulge in the basest slut-shaming and misogyny".

Again, if this is true somewhere, it is not true of serious, left online debate, where words like "slut" are simply abhorred. In a similarly one-sided Guardian report, Amelia Gentleman quoted Swedish tabloid journalist Oisin Cantwell, who argued, quite outrageously, that the "celebrity support for Assange was similar to the support offered by Hollywood stars to Roman Polanski when he was arrested last year, accused of raping a 13-year-old..."

Nick Davies, the leading Guardian reporter who originally organised the Guardian-WikiLeaks partnership with Assange, before the two sides fell out, wrote a piece titled: '10 days in Sweden: the full allegations against Julian Assange.'

This included salacious tidbits such as:

"Another friend told police that during the evening Miss A told her she had had 'the worst sex ever' with Assange: 'Not only had it been the world's worst screw, it had also been violent.'"

And:

"Police spoke to Miss W's ex-boyfriend, who told them that in two and a half years they had never had sex without a condom because it was 'unthinkable' for her."

Bianca Jagger noted in Huffington Post that Davies had published "selective passages from the Swedish police report, whilst omitting exculpatory evidence contained in the document".

Assange was, Jagger wrote, being "subjected to a 'trial by newspapers,' in an effort to discredit him".

Assange's former barrister James Catlin commented:

"The complete absence of due process is the story and Davies ignores it. Why does due process matter? Because the massive powers of two arms of government are being brought to bear against the individual whose liberty and reputation are at stake."

With "media partners" like these, WikiLeaks hardly needs enemies.

Blood On The Guardian's Hands?
Worse was to come from the Guardian. On December 27, Africa correspondent David Smith reported:

"Zimbabwe is to investigate bringing treason charges against the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, and other individuals over confidential talks with US diplomats revealed by WikiLeaks."

Treason charges could mean the death penalty, which, one would guess from this article, could mean blood on WikiLeaks' hands.

One week later, on January 3, James Richardson, an "account services director for Hynes Communications", wrote an opinion piece in the Guardian claiming: "now, with the recent release of sensitive diplomatic cables, WikiLeaks may have committed its own collateral murder, upending the precarious balance of power in a fragile African state and signing the death warrant of its pro-western premier..."

WikiLeaks, Richardson argued, should just shut up:

"Before more political carnage is wrought and more blood spilled – in Africa and elsewhere, with special concern for those US-sympathising Afghans fingered in its last war document dump – WikiLeaks ought to leave international relations to those who understand it – at least to those who understand the value of a life."

Political analyst Glenn Greenwald commented on Salon:

"There was just one small problem with all of this: it was totally false. It wasn't WikiLeaks which chose that cable to be placed into the public domain, nor was it WikiLeaks which first published it. It was The Guardian that did that."

In fact the Guardian decided to publish the cable about Tsvangirai, not WikiLeaks, which only published the leak after the Guardian had done so.

The reaction in the US press was predictable enough. An article in the Wall Street Journal was titled, 'Julian Assange's reckless behavior could cost Zimbabwe's leading democrat his life.' Who was to blame? "Julian Assange of WikiLeaks." A piece in the Atlantic observed: "WikiLeaks released [this cable] to the world" and so "provided a tyrant with the ammunition to wound, and perhaps kill, any chance for multiparty democracy". (Ibid.)

Responding to criticism, the Guardian amended Richardson's opinion piece, noting:

"This article was amended on 11 January 2011 to clarify the fact that the 2009 cable referred to in this article was placed in the public domain by the Guardian, and not as originally implied by WikiLeaks."

The Guardian's deputy editor, Ian Katz, worked hard to explain why David Smith had reported that WikiLeaks, rather than the Guardian, had published the Tsvangirai cable. Katz wrote: "it would be fair to describe us as joint publishers of any cables we have selected, with joint responsibility for any consequences of their release". Using the WikiLeaks name was "a piece of widely understood journalistic shorthand. The material was routinely referred to as a 'WikiLeaks revelation'".

If the term "WikiLeaks revelation" is "shorthand" that is "widely understood" to refer to the Guardian's status as joint publishers with WikiLeaks, why did David Smith not turn to his own editor for comment on the Guardian's shared responsibility in the news piece reporting that Morgan Tsvangirai faced a treason inquiry? Has any Guardian journalist ever turned to the Guardian editor for comment on allegations that the Guardian-WikiLeaks partnership had endangered life? We asked Ian Katz on Twitter but he failed to reply. It seems clear that the Guardian has not rushed to advertise its shared responsibility – we suspect it will be news to many people.

The crucial point, in light of the Guardian's amendments, is that mainstream media outlets have shown flat zero interest in accusing the Guardian of having blood on its hands for publishing the Tsvangirai cable. But why? There is only one explanation: the earlier media outrage was motivated, not by a desire to protect life in Zimbabwe, but by a desire to demonise and destroy Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

A related propaganda theme is that WikiLeaks has recklessly "dumped" a "flood" of diplomatic cables on the web, so endangering lives. Arch-war monger John Bolton wrote in the Guardian:

"WikiLeaks has yet again flooded the internet with thousands of classified American documents, this time state department cables" which was the "third document dump."

The Daily Mail reported: "Then this week he [Assange] disclosed around 250,000 cables from U.S. embassies, many containing sensitive information."

This, also, is nonsense. In reality, WikiLeaks has, so far, slowly and carefully released only about 2,000 documents in close cooperation with its media partners.

Greenwald explains the rationale behind the selective outrage and false claims:

"To justify this assault, the U.S. Government needs to claim that WikiLeaks is somehow distinct from what other press outlets do. So it invents outright falsehoods to do so: unlike newspapers, WikiLeaks indiscriminately dumps diplomatic cables without editorial judgment; unlike newspapers, they refuse to be transparent about their methods (nobody is less transparent about what they do than large newspapers); and now, WikiLeaks endangers people's lives by recklessly publishing a cable which leaves democratic leaders in Zimbabwe vulnerable to attack, even though it wasn't published by them at all, but by The Guardian."

Once again, the mainstream media has distorted and deceived to manufacture, isolate and target a 'threat' for destruction. Certainly WikiLeaks is embarrassing the powers that be much more effectively than mainstream journalism. But mainstream outlets also publish government leaks, including 'Top Secret' information, which the diplomatic cables are not. Assange is a journalist and he is engaging in journalistic activity. The "collateral damage" of his destruction might well involve the freedoms enjoyed by the very journalists currently seeking that outcome.

Suggested Action
The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. If you do write to journalists, we strongly urge you to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.

http://medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=598:collateral-damage-wikileaks-in-the-crosshairs&catid=24:alerts-2011&Itemid=68

My Home

2011-02-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have had the priceless opportunity to see how these amazing builders erected their "home" from start to finish - from the base of the leaves until the last few twigs. И все это ради того, чтобы ублажить даму сердца. And all this in order to appease the lady of the heart. (Jiri Slama) Ссылка на источник: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://bigpicture.ru/%3Fp%3D118206&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiFvt9EhUEnJFrH5v1Dz-RBrA9_ew

I am a lady

2011-02-05T23:03:00.001-08:00

Nemain Ravenwood

Japanese Styrofoam House

2011-01-29T22:54:00.001-08:00

The newest building block in contemporary homes is Styrofoam, 'the fourth-generation building material' after wood, iron, and concrete," according to prefab home maker International Dome House Inc. This company, based in Japan, has developed a modern house design that's accompanied by a long list of benefits.

Happy Valentine's day

2011-01-24T21:04:00.001-08:00

Space Launch as Seen from the Windows in Russia

2011-01-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

Space Launch as Seen from the Windows in Russia

Happy Chinese New Year from Camelia

2011-01-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

China Building a 15 storey hotel in 6 days

2011-01-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

China Building a 15 storey hotel in 6 days
Watch this time lapse replay of the entire process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNv13fY_3jY

NASA spots tiny Earth-like planet, too hot for life

2011-01-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

11 Jan, 2011, 04.05AM IST,AGENCIES
NASA spots tiny Earth-like planet, too hot for life

WASHINGTON: NASA has spotted a tiny, rocky planet about the size of Earth doing a speedy orbit of a star outside our solar system, but its scorching temperatures are too hot for life, the space agency said Monday.

The exoplanet, named Kepler-10b , is the smallest-ever planet discovered outside our solar system, and was located by NASA's Kepler spacecraft.

It is about 1.4 times the size of Earth and spins around its star more than once a day, an orbit much too close for life to survive.

"Kepler-10b is definitely NOT in the habitable zone as we define it. The dayside temperature of the planet is expected to be higher than 2,500 F (1,371 Celsius)!!" NASA expert Natalie Batalha said in a web chat to describe the discovery.

"That's hot enough to melt iron!" she added.

"It wouldn't be a very nice place for organisms like those on Earth to live. Carbon-based chemistry wouldn't thrive there. Molecules comprising RNA and DNA couldn't stay intact in such extreme temperatures."

The planet completes a full orbit once every 0.84 days, and is 23 times closer to its star than Mercury is to our sun.

According to Douglas Hudgins, Kepler program scientist at NASA, the discovery is promising even though no life could exist there.

"The discovery of Kepler 10-b is a significant milestone in the search for planets similar to our own," said Hudgins.

"Although this planet is not in the habitable zone, the exciting find showcases the kinds of discoveries made possible by the mission and the promise of many more to come," he said.

The new planet has a mass 4.6 times that of the Earth, and an average density of 8.8 grams per cubic centimeter, similar to an iron dumbbell, NASA said.

The findings are described in the Astrophysical Journal.

Batalha, a professor at San Jose State University and deputy science team lead for NASA's Kepler Mission, said that there is evidence of another potential planet in the same star system, but little is yet known about it.

"There is actually already a very compelling signature of another potential planet in this system," said Batalha.

"There is a transit event that recurs once every 45 days and is suggestive of a planet a bit larger than two times the radius of the Earth."

Kepler is NASA's first mission in search of Earth-like planets orbiting suns similar to ours.

It launched in 2009, equipped with the largest camera ever sent into space -- a 95-megapixel array of charge-coupled devices -- and is expected to continue sending information back to Earth until at least November 2012.

The space telescope is searching for planets as small as Earth, including those orbiting stars in a warm, habitable zone where liquid water could exist on the surface of the planet.

NASA defines the habitable zone, in part, to have a temperature below the boiling point of water and higher than the freezing point.

Kepler is not equipped to detect signs of life, such as the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere, but mainly aims to locate Earth-size planets outside our solar system.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/NASA-spots-tiny-Earth-like-planet-too-hot-for-life/articleshow/7256987.cms

Plastic is replacing metal in automobiles

2011-01-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

Plastic is replacing metal in automobiles
Posted By: Shailendra Singh, Deputy Manager

Is plastic a better material for cars than metal? This is a question many in the auto industry have been asking themselves for the past few years. Today, we thought we’d discuss this in some detail, and show you why plastic is increasing replacing metal in today’s automobiles.

When auto engineers design cars today, they are looking for a couple of key attributes in addition to attractive looks and functionality. These are fuel-efficiency and safety. Plastics win over metals in both of these attributes. Carbon-fiber reinforced plastics and other innovative plastics are strong and light and can be molded into virtually any shape. Since they are light, they increase fuel efficiency as well as range of the vehicles. The toughness of carbon fiber increases the safety of these vehicles.

In fact, today it is possible to make a care almost entirely of plastic. An example of a car that is almost completely reinforced plastic is the Porsche Carrera GT.

Lightweight and high-strength reinforced plastics were designed by chemical engineers and are a tribute to chemistry. They were first used in the aerospace industry. Today they are widely used in automotive doors, fenders, and chassis and also in hoods and support frames for the engine and transmission.

LANXESS offers two high performance plastics, Durethan and Pocan, for use in automobiles. LANXESS has also patented a hybrid technology which involves successfully using a plastic-metal combination.

We are optimistic about the use of plastics by the automobile industry in India and are gearing up to fulfill the demand. We believe that India is going to be the third largest consumer market for plastics (with USA being the largest, and China being second), driven by demand for automobiles.

More than 40 million hybrid components in 70 vehicle classes can now be found on roads around the world. The main benefit of this plastic-metal hybrid technology is its excellent integration and weight-reducing potential. In addition to car front-ends made of lightweight nylon composites in combination with aluminum, plastic-metal hybrid technology is now also used to make roof frames and brake pedal blocks.

We foresee a day in the future when a car could be made of nothing but plastic.

http://blogs.lanxess.in/en/blog/?tx_wecdiscussion[detail]=919&tx_wecdiscussion[show_cate]=0

Kissing Competitions in China

2011-01-03T00:10:00.001-08:00

Life Is Like A Cup of Coffee

2010-12-25T23:43:00.001-08:00

Life Is Like A Cup of Coffee - Inspirational Video Movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NgzQ9Pcsg&feature=fvw

600 million lack toilets in India

2010-12-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

600 million lack toilets in India
AFP, Nov 19, 2009

MUMBAI: No one would ever call Radha Jagarya fortunate. The 45-year-old widow and her four children live on the pavement in an upmarket south Mumbai suburb, scraping a living by selling flowers to passing motorists.

But in terms of public toilet provision, the family is well-served compared with other areas, with an adequate communal block a five-minute walk away near the US Consulate and another under a busy road in the opposite direction.

In slum areas, where more than half of Mumbai lives, an average 81 people share a single toilet. In some places it rises to an eye-watering 273. Even the lowest average is still 58, according to local municipal authority figures.

Unsurprisingly, it is still common to see people squatting by roads and railway tracks or along the coast, openly defecating in the city that drives India's economy and where some of the world's richest people live.

The UN estimates that 600 million people or 55 percent of Indians still defecate outside, more than 60 years after the scrupulously clean independence leader Mahatma Gandhi first talked of the responsible disposal of human waste.

Jack Sim takes a very keen interest in such matters. As the founder and president of the World Toilet Organization (WTO), he has made it his mission to improve sanitation across the globe.

For him, India has "a lot of work to do" to improve sanitation, not just because of its impact on health and the spread of diseases like diarrhoea, which UNICEF says kills 1,000 Indian children aged under five every day.

It also tarnishes the image of a country that likes to portray itself as an emerging world economic superpower, the Singapore businessman told AFP on a visit to Mumbai, where he was promoting World Toilet Day on November 19.

In particular, Sim questioned whether the authorities in New Delhi were doing enough to provide adequate public toilet facilities for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which will draw tens of thousands of foreign visitors.

"If you don't have good toilets to welcome tourists, they don't come and won't go to all your beautiful sites," he said.

Public toilet provision in Mumbai -- and other cities -- faces the same problem affecting housing, water and other basic services: supply cannot keep up with demand as India's population explodes.

In March, Mumbai's municipal authorities said there were 77,526 toilets in slum areas and 64,157 more were needed. Work is in progress on only 6,050.

Yet the UN's Mumbai Human Development Report 2009, published earlier this month, points out that even where public toilets exist, most have no running water, drainage or electricity, making them unhygienic and unusable.

Embarrassment means women and girls often wait all day until it is dark to go to the toilet, increasing their chances of infections and exposing them to violence or even snake bites as they seek out remote places.

Poor sanitation and the illnesses it causes cost the Indian economy 12 billion rupees (255 million dollars) a year, according to the health ministry.

Sim, who sees links between public lavatories and social development, wants the issue pushed up the political agenda, urging people to "talk more about toilets."

"People go to the toilet more often than they have sex," he said. "Everybody has to go.

"It needs to be a very nice experience. It needs to be safe, it needs to be hygienic, it must not cause problems to your health and we need to feel emotionally engaged with the toilet."

Private sector involvement could help cut the number of people in India and other developing countries who have no sanitation -- estimated at 2.6 billion -- while more schemes are needed to make open defecation socially unacceptable, he said.

In Haryana state, north India, a successful "No Toilet, No Wife" campaign has been running, urging women to turn down suitors if they cannot provide them a house with a lavatory.

"Every problem is a business," said Sim, adding there would be a benefit for the entire city and the country's economy if every slum-dweller had access to proper sanitation.

"People who are healthy are able to produce more, they get out of poverty, they get into the middle class, they move up and consume more," he said.

"Business is, I think, the fastest and the cheapest way... The private sector will come up with innovations. Let them compete to serve the poor."

600 million lack toilets in India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/600-million-lack-toilets-in-India/articleshow/5246171.cms#ixzz18iseiAiV

Guy lives with 100 sex dolls

2010-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

Guy lives with 100 sex dolls
He has given up on dating and says he loves his sex dolls. He has paid up to $6000.00 for one doll!

http://www.flicklife.com/5547001b765878e7b015/Guy_lives_with_100_sex_dolls.html

London Calling resumes its attack on the "capitalising" of Nature

2010-12-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

London Calling resumes its attack on the "capitalising" of Nature
Published Date: 24-07-2010
Source: Nostromo Research, Reuters
Source Date: 16-07-2010

Should a price be put on the planet?

Absolutely not, according to a commentary we made on MAC last month: http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10166

Maybe, perhaps, perhaps not. That's the apparent (lack of) conclusion to a study called "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)", released last week and foreshadowed in our earlier report.

If there's any "firm" conclusion reached by this meeting of minds as diverse as conservationists and mining companies, it's that damage to the planet's natural capital can be set at between US$2 and US$4.5 trillion each year.

The estimate is hopelessly broad and correspondingly vague. But, instead of asking what the figure ought to be, the key question is: who stands to benefit from fixing a price at all?

The IUCN embarked on highly ambivalent, and somewhat similar, negotiations with the mining industry some years ago, which foreshadowed the "swap" approach now being advocated by companies like Rio Tinto in alliance with Fauna and Flora International.

Put simply, this justifies digging up and despoiling one particular area, provided another of a compatible size and resource abundance is purchased elsewhere. The scheme is now being passed off as "compensatory afforestation". Little matter that, when doing the first, you're extinguishing irreplaceable resources that themselves form an integral part of our "natural" world.

At least the IUCN acknowledges a problem in "assessing [nature's] various services [sic] using economic markets " and seems to agree that "most biodiversity cannot be valued or traded directly."

But this doesn't prevent it conjecturing that, though it's inadvisable to adopt a carbon offset trading type of scheme, some of "nature's services" could be traded as commodities, "such as proposed 'rainforest bonds' ".

According to IUCN's chief economist: "We should probably be thinking about biodiversity... more like a real estate market, these are very distinctive, unique assets, they can be graded and valued but they're not interchangeable."

Natural "capital" now being viewed on a par with real estate? Doubtless this had to come, but what a perilous and retrograde step it is!

Oscar Wilde once described a cynic as someone who "knows the price of everything and value of nothing".

Were he alive today, the Irish wit might well count some conservationists within that damning definition.

[London Calling is published by Nostromo Research. Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily shared by anyone else, including the editors' of this website. Permission to reprint is welcomed, provided full acknowledgment is given to Nostromo Research and to sources used.]

Analysis: New U.N. Body To Put Value On Planet

2010-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

Analysis: New U.N. Body To Put Value On Planet

Reuters

16 July 2010

The world relies on a range of services nature provides -- water filtration by forests, pollination by bees and a supply of wild plant genes for new food crops or medicines.

If nature charged for these, how much would it cost?

Most such values are excluded from measures of national economies and from prices and markets which would force businesses and governments to recognize them, and the result has been a bias toward development over conservation.

U.N. states have proposed a new body, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), to advise on valuing nature and conservation targets.

An early priority should be measurement, said Pavan Sukhdev, study leader for The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) U.N. initiative, which published a business and biodiversity report this week.

"For a country to say 'let's increase biodiversity', it's quite difficult because it's not measuring biodiversity," Sukhdev said.

"That is a big challenge for the IPBES, to create a right set of metrics. The logical sequence is first establish what is biodiversity, what are you measuring, agree on it, so that countries are doing it pretty much the same way."

The U.N. General Assembly is expected officially to endorse IPBES later this year.

"It's bringing the world's best scientists together under an inter-governmental body, so governments can commission specific questions to that body, to provide them with guidance," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program.

In a further political step, on the agenda at a U.N. meeting in October in Japan is an "access and benefit-sharing" regime for countries which are home to plants and other species valued by agriculture or the pharmaceutical industry.

The idea is to give such countries a share of profits from product development.

"It has major implications for the economic benefit of conserving biodiversity," said Steiner.

Markets

Damage to natural capital including forests, wetlands and grasslands is valued at $2-4.5 trillion annually, U.N. reports estimate, a figure excluded from measures of the global economy, or GDP.

Of 48,000 species assessed for extinction risk as of 2009, some 2 percent were already extinct or extinct in the wild, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Part of the difficulty in recognizing nature is the problem of assessing its various services using economic markets.

In the fight against climate change, a pure market approach has been devised to put a value on carbon-free air in the European Union's emissions trading scheme, by generating tradable carbon permits.

While some of nature's services could be similarly traded as commodities, such as proposed "rainforest bonds" which would pay for forests' wildlife, fresh water and carbon storage, most biodiversity cannot be valued or traded directly.

"We should probably be thinking about biodiversity less like the carbon market and more like a real estate market, these are very distinctive, unique assets, they can be graded and valued but they're not interchangeable," said Joshua Bishop, chief economist at the IUCN.

"It's not a commodity like carbon dioxide."

Less direct, private sector opportunities indirectly tied to conservation are booming, such as eco-tourism and organic food, UNEP argued this week in its business and biodiversity report.

And forest markets were still on track, said Sukhdev, pointing to a deal to raise about $4 billion to pay tropical forested countries not to chop their trees.

"It is complex but at the same time I think there is a huge willingness," said Sukhdev. "It will take time."

Merry Christmas Everybody

2010-12-18T19:41:00.001-08:00

Funny English translations

2010-12-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

Funny English translations

10 Most Disturbing Bugs

2010-12-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

10 Most Disturbing Bugs

Lymantrid moth (Dasychira pudibunda)

The Lymantrid moth (Calliteara pudibunda) is widespread in Danish beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests. The species has one generation in Denmark, with the dull grey moth flying during June. Each female can lay 300-400 eggs which she normally does very near the place where she emerged from the pupae. The small caterpillar is very hairy and can easily be transported by the wind. In late autumn the caterpillar is fully grown, is about 5 cm long and is very beautifully coloured. Pupation takes place among leaves on the ground where a silken cocoon is made.

Devil's Flower Mantis (Idolomantis Diabolica)

The Idolomantis Diabolica is sometimes known as the "King of all mantids" for the obvious reason: it's beauty, size and rarity, is one of the largest species of praying mantis that mimic flowers.

Damselfly (Ischnura heterosticta)

Damselfly is the common name for any of the predaceous insects comprising the suborder Zygoptera of the order Odonata, characterized by an elongated body, large multifaceted eyes that are widely separated, and two pairs of strong transparent wings, which at rest typically are held folded together above the abdomen or held slightly open above the abdomen. They commonly fly in tandem during mating. For humans, they are a popular subject of art and culture in various nations, and their grace, often striking colors, and unique mating behaviors add to the beauty of nature.

Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

Also known as the "Robin Moth", Cecropia moths are the largest moth found in North America, often achieving a wingspan of six inches. They range across the entire eastern two-thirds of the continent to the Rocky Mountain range. They are a member of the Saturniidae family, or giant silk moths. Females with a wingspan of 130 mm or more have been documented. The larvae of these moths are most commonly found on Maple trees, but they have been known to feed on Wild Cherry and Birch trees among many others.

Calleta Silkmoth (Eupackardia calleta)

The Calleta Silkmoth (Eupackardia calleta) is a moth of the Saturniidae family. Found in Mexico, Guatemala and the southernmost part of the United States, it’s the only species in the Eupackardia genus. The larvae mainly feed on Fraxinus species, Leucophyllum frutescens, Sapium biloculare and Fouquieria splendens.

Orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatu)

The Hymenopus coronatu, aka Orchid mantis, is a variety of flower mantis usually found in Malaysia and Indonesia. Doesn’t the mantis pictured look just like an orchid? They hide in the flowers they resemble, waiting for other delicious insects to alight. (Photo by: Paul F. Wagner)

Hercules Beetle (Dynastes Hercules)

A species of rhinoceros beetle that lives in South America, the Hercoles Beetle can grow to over 6 inches in length (counting its horns), but its claim to fame is its strength: it can support 850 times its own weight on its shell! This beetles eats only vegetation and is not aggressive, except to other Hercules beetles, when males fight each other over females. (Photo by: Tomas Libich)

Giant Camel Spider (Arachnid Solifugae)

Perhaps we would never --or rarely-- have heard of such a creature if it was not because of the tales and photos the United States Servicemen in the Persian Gulf War and afterwards the Iraq War carried back home. It was said that a giant camel spider crawled into the sleeping bag of a soldier, biting the man while he was asleep. Fortunately, the giant desert camel spiders native to Iraq aren't venomous. It uses its claws to catch its prey, which is never bigger than the arachnid itself. They are also known for being fast. Giant Camel Spiders have been known to run around 10 MPH. This creature real name is Arachnid Solifugae. "Solifugae" means, in Latin, "flee from the sun". (Photo by: dwl)

Giant Water Bug (Belostomatidae)

Belostomatidae is a family of insects better known as "giant water bugs" or "toe-biters." Most species in the Belostomatidae family are relatively large and nearly reaching the dimensions) of some of the larger beetles in the world. All of them are fierce predators which stalk, capture and feed on aquatic crustaceans, fish and amphibians. They often lie motionless at the bottom of a body of water, attached to various objects, where they wait for prey to come near. They then strike, injecting a powerful digestive saliva and suck out the liquefied remains. Yum! Their bite is considered one of the most painful that can be inflicted by any insect. The saliva liquefies muscle tissue. In rare instances, their bite can do permanent damage to humans. So don't get drunk and pass out with your face near one of these guys. Occasionally when encountered by a larger predator, such as a human, they have been known to "play dead" and emit a fluid from their anus to make them look less appetizing.

Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)

The Giant Leopard Moth or Eyed Tiger Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) has a distinct pattern of black rings, reminiscent to those found in its namesake the leopard. The moth’s unmistakable colorings is aposematic, meaning that they are actually "advertising" the bug’s unpalatability to potential predators. (Photo by: Normanack)

Brilliant Improvisation

2010-12-15T22:42:00.001-08:00

How many dogs can fit into the 2011 Ford Explorer?

2010-12-10T21:22:00.001-08:00

How many dogs can fit into the 2011 Ford Explorer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uz4x3byvUg&feature=player_embedded

Funny Caricatures of Celebrities

2010-12-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

How fast are you?

2010-12-06T22:19:00.001-08:00

Meet Sign Maker.

2010-12-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

Wanna a dollar bill

2010-12-06T21:54:00.000-08:00