Thenews's Blog

Former state Gov. Dick Thornburgh has two words of encouragement for the backers of the latest bill to dismantle the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board: "Keep plugging."

Thornburgh is credited with coming the closest to permanently shuttering the state liquor store system. That effort was in the mid-1980s.

This month, Sen. Robert C. Wonderling, R-Montgomery County, filed the latest in a series of bills aimed at dismantling the state's $1.6 billion booze system in favor of stores run by private businesses.

"Do we think public monopoly state stores are a core function of a modern Pennsylvania government? I don't think they are," Wonderling said.

He has advocated auctioning or selling all state store liquor licenses, with the proceeds going to pay for health care in Pennsylvania.

But it looks as if Wonderling's bill, like others before it, will face stiff opposition.

The bill probably would not withstand scrutiny from social, financial and economic arguments, Liquor Control Board Chairman Patrick "P.J." Stapleton said Tuesday at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee.

"I don't know that there are any better arguments to privatize today than there were in [the 1990s]," Stapleton told committee Chairman Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia. "We have a number of questions regarding the fiscal viability of the bill."

Any plans to privatize the system will have to get past the Independent State Store Union, which represents workers in the more than 600 state run liquor stores, President W. David Wanamaker said.

"Historically, we've been opposed to efforts at privatization," he said. "We also believe in the control philosophy, that it works."

Source:www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/inde x.ssf?/base/news/1203556205 229930.xml&coll=1 

TIJUANA, Mexico -- A singer and two members of his staff were found tortured and killed just south of the California border, apparently the latest victims in a string of slayings of Mexican musicians, state prosecutors said Wednesday.

Jesus Rey David Alfaro Pulido, 26, known as "El Gallito," was found strangled and shot in the head last week in Tijuana, said a spokeswoman for the Baja California attorney general's office who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter. His body was apparently frozen, the spokeswoman said.

Reports had first emerged of the deaths of Alfaro, manager Israel Flores, and his assistant, Jose Guadalupe Topete on Friday. Prosecutors confirmed the deaths on Wednesday.

The killings may have been linked to three others in Tijuana last week, including that of a municipal police officer, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

Many of the bodies bore signs of torture and were left with written notes common in execution-style killings. No arrests have been made in the killings.

Alfaro was the latest Mexican musician killed in a string of murders that include the December death of Sergio Gomez, lead performer for the top-selling group K-Paz de la Sierra, and the November 2006 slaying of Valentin Elizalde.

Some of the dead were singers of so-called "narcocorridos," ; or drug ballads.

Alfaro mostly sang accordion-based music associated with northern Mexico variously known as "banda" or "grupero" at Tijuana nightclubs. He never made a recording. But he gained local fame for covering some of Elizalde's most famous songs.

Also Wednesday, Mexican authorities said a bus belonging to the grupero band Pesado crashed on a road in Puebla state after its driver fell asleep.

A member of the band's staff was killed and another seriously injured in the Monday night crash, police said. Band members suffered only minor injuries.

-- Associated Press writers Istra Pacheco and Jessica Bernstein-Wax in Mexico City and Edmundo Velazquez in Puebla contributed.

Source:www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/02/21/n ews/state/16_36_502_20_08 .txt 

ConsumerAffairs.com visited the Toy Industry Association's American International Toy Fair in New York this week to examine and play with many of the latest toys, most of which were prototypes that will hit store shelves this summer or fall in anticipation of the Christmas surge.

Whether it was the remote control car that runs on hydrogen or the interactive animatronic triceratops, it was clear that almost all manufacturers are banking on children begging their parents to buy them the latest gadget in 2008.

“Technological toys are always on the upswing,” said Zach Oat, editor of the toy magazine ToyFare. “As kids get more and more used to technology, they're looking for toys that can actually do something and that they can interact with. Traditional toys will never go away but everyone's looking for the next big thing.”

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the showroom of the world's second largest toy manufacturer, Hasbro.

“Certainly technology is something that's happening,” Wayne Charness, senior vice president of corporate communications at Hasbro said. “We're always reinventing, reimagining our toys.

Kota & Smores

Hasbro's most advanced toys were headlined by a series of animatronic pets lead by Kota the triceratops and Smores the pony. Kota and Smores will come equipped with more than 10 sensors that make them react when you pet them in certain places or put food in front of their faces. They move their heads, open and close their eyes, wag their tales, munch on a leaf and can even accommodate a child-sized rider or two, but they don't actually walk. They will retail for $300 and the smaller robotic Golden Retriever named Biscuit will go for $150.

Following in the trend of competing with the Nintendo Wii's get-kids-off-the-couch interactive controls, Hasbro developed two dance games.

The first, for three-year-olds and up, is the $40 Dance Cam which plays music and displays silly backdrops through a TV. It comes equipped with a camera so children can stand in front of the TV and see themselves dance and follow simple dance moves or create their own.

Hasbro's second dance game, U-DANCE, which is sponsored by pop star Chris Brown and is intended for teenagers, is similar to the internationally popular video game, Dance Dance Revolution. The $75 U-DANCE requires the dancers to wear tracking devices on their feet and follow the dance instructions that appear on the TV screen.

The idea is to get children to brush their teeth for the two minutes recommended by the American Dental Association. Tooth Tunes is the best-selling toothbrush in the U.S.

Mr. Electronic Potato Head

Hasbro now offers electronic versions of many of its traditional toys, such as Mr. Potato Head and, most notably, its board games.

“Now you can play Monopoly on the board game like you did when you were a kid,” Charness said. “You can play it on your cell phone. You can play it online. So our job is really to offer toys wherever and whenever you want.”

Hasbro's latest take on the classic Trivial Pursuit board game is particularly fascinating as its new video interface and DVD database of question cards adds considerable longevity and specialization to the game. The DVD version comes with 1800 cards while the original has 60. It also has the option to draw cards based on the players' particular knowledge. So if the game is between history buffs or pop culture junkies, the game can cater to those skills.

Fuel cells

Automakers should take notes from the U.K.'s Corgi toy company which has created a remote control car that runs 100 percent on hydrogen fuel cells.

The H2Go comes with a converter that turns tap water into hydrogen and inflates a small balloon in the car with the Hydrogen that feeds the fuel cells. The car zips along at six miles per hour for five minutes before the balloon needs to be re-inflated. The $130 package, expected to be released July or August, comes with a solar panel to operate the converter and recharge the remote control.

Despite Spin Master's 2007 recall of 4.2 million Aqua Dots that contained date rape drug ingredients, the company has rebounded with a host of award-winning high-tech toys.

Leading the way is the Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle remote control mini helicopters. The helicopters won 2007 Toy of the Year at the fair and are mounted with lasers so that two children can temporarily shoot down the other's helicopter with invisible beams. The two-helicopter Havoc Heli package retails for $100.

Along the same line is the Air Hog Zero Gravity remote control car. Using vacuum suction, the car can be raced on walls and ceilings. It is expected to be released in the fall and will retail for $30.

Tactile

While most of the high tech toys at the fair were targeted at eight-year-old boys and included at least one circuit board, some of the most fascinating toys took advantage of the tactile sensations that pre-schoolers enjoy.

Most notable was Spin Master's Moon Sand which won the Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year. While Moon Sand looks and feels like brightly colored sand, it can be molded into any shape like clay when pressed together. Best of all for parents, the $20 Moon Sand can be swept up and doesn't stain.

Irwin Toy company also hopes to take a cut of the activity toy craze created by the Wii when it releases its Me2 in the spring. Me2 is an online world filled with games, puzzles and stratagems that children's avatars can only operate in once they have collected so many points generated by walking, riding a bike or just about any other physical activity in the real world.

Children average 4,000-5,000 steps a day according to Irwin Toy marketing manager Jessica Gavin. Me2 uses an advanced pedometer that senses other motions associated with exercise and children must walk about 10,000 steps a day in order to advance to different islands and play games in Me2's online world.

After a day of physical activity, a child can connect his or her pedometer via USB cable to a computer and transfer any points collected to Me2's world. It's expected to retail for $35-$40, quite a bit less than comparable games.

Hannah Montanna 

While technological toys grabbed most of the headlines at the fair, it was impossible to avoid the powerful presence of Disney's pop sensation, Hannah Montana.

“It seems like every single booth I walked by had a big cardboard cutout of Hannah Montana,” Oat said. “Everybody wants to have something that is tied into a brand that kids love whether it's note pads or school supplies or book bags or bean bags.”

Both large manufacturers, such as Mattel, and small, such as Brand New, based in Chicago, have profited from the teen idol who has created frenzies and sold out performances across the nation.

Brand New specializes in and is known for large collectible Pez dispensers, but their most profitable item by far is Hannah Montana's Bubble Blast, a three-foot roll of bubble gum that comes in a collector's tin, said the company's co-owner, Kelly Faso.

“It's on fire,” Faso said. “We sell Star Wars (Pez dispensers) and that's always great selling. But right now people are really seeking out Hannah Montana.”

“She's a phenomenon,” Faso continued. “There hasn't been anything like Hannah Montana in a long time. They're comparing her phenomenon to the Beatles. This is a crazy time that we're living in and there's not a lot of role models, but she's definitely hitting that plus it's just the wholesomeness of her character.

---

Source:www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/02/toy_sa fety_nyc2.html 

Efem Nkanga in this report of the just concluded Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM) World Congress, examines the growing influence of emerging markets and the role Ericsson is playing in the new technologies and solutions that will ensure the spread of broadband globally, especially with the unveiling of the smallest radio base station

Nigeria’s telecommunications sector has been growing in leaps and bounds in the last six years, largely enabled by the introduction of the GSM technology, which has seen the nations’ subscriber base exploding from less than half a million to over 42 million. The ongoing explosion of subscriber numbers has left operators seeking for solutions that will enable them cope with numbers that has torn to shreds their business plans and left them running helter-skelter in a bid to expand capacity to accommodate the rise.
The first challenge that the growing subscriber base and lack of capacity has enabled is very poor quality of service (QoS) from the stable of operators, which is currently frustrating Nigerians.  The issue of QoS has degenerated to the extent that lawmakers and concerned Nigerians have debated and called for several urgent measures to arrest the ugly trend. The fact that 97 per cent of subscribers in the country use mobile phones has not helped the situation. The nation’s regulator, the NCC at a recent forum through its vice president, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe disclosed that Nigeria will need about 40,000 base stations to ensure good QoS. This is a far cry from the less than 10,000 base stations currently available through the combined efforts of the three major operators in the country.
These issues of poor quality services and growth challenges faced by operators in emerging economies of which Nigeria is one came up at the just concluded GSM world Congress in Barcelona, Spain. This focus on emerging markets is not surprising, given the fact that the mobile phone market in developing economies is growing faster than any other in the world and is projected to grow further at 40 per cent a year over the next five years in terms of subscribers as rural areas in these emerging economies in Asia, and Africa are still largely unconnected to vital communication technologies.
This concern for the unconnected has seen the GSMA through the years unfold several initiatives geared at helping to bridge the digital divide in theses areas.
In emerging markets across the globe today, the concern and focus of stakeholders is not only on targeting subscribers in rural areas but also the provision of quality service to a people long deprived of a critical service that has the potential to radically change lives.
At the congress, Ericsson, one of the leading global telecoms equipment infrastructure supplier and end to end solutions provider, unveiled several new technologies that will not only help operators drive access into the rural areas but will also help them give quality services to their subscribers at minimal costs.
Before a participating audience of over 55,000 delegates that attended this year‘s conference, Ericsson unveiled its one of a kind radio base station, the smallest in the world that will help operators transform service delivery and increase their capacities. Another unique unveiling of Ericsson at the congress is its Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology that has been described as the next big thing to ever happen to telecommunications.
The unveiling of these technologies is timely given the numerous challenges operators are currently facing in the drive to ensure global connectivity.
For example, the smallest radio base station, a compact, modular design, apart from promising to make operators' investments future-proof, also promises to radically change the way and manner in which mobile technology is delivered to people everywhere.   Base stations are needed for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals to and from mobile telephones. The base station antennas are often placed high on a house roof or on a mast, to be able to cover a wide area. Since the number of mobile phone users is growing, more base stations are needed.
The maximum output power level varies from a few watts in urban areas up to about 100 watts for base stations in rural areas. The intensity of radio waves is drastically reduced with increasing distance from a base station antenna. When less than a few meters away from a typical outdoor antenna, the radio wave exposure is below the recommended limits.
 The new RBS 6000 radio base stations from Ericsson, no larger than a 32 inch colour television in size is designed to enable operators use the same enclosure, operation and maintenance system for multiple radio standards: be it GSM, WCDMA, HSPA or LTE. This solution is unique because the increasing demand for both mobile broadband and mobile voice calls around the world makes it necessary for operators sooner or later to have to support multiple radio technologies in their networks. This new technology from Ericsson’s stable is also according to the Chief Executive Officer of Ericsson, Carl Svanberg essentially targeted at helping operators meet their needs and reduce cost of providing the much needed services that will on a day to day basis help transform how humans beings live, interact or play and earn a living.
 Ericsson also unveiled the LTE touted as the next step in the evolution of the user experience. The LTE apart from providing superior experience will boost operators' service offering. Though the commercial launch of the new technology is expected in 2009, a buzz has already been generated by Ericsson‘s success in making the first live phone call using a handheld device enabled by LTE Evolution. The new technology, which interoperates with existing cellular systems is expected to support a superior, mass-market user experience and will enhance demanding applications such as mobile video, blogging, advanced games, rich multimedia telephony and professional services.
On these new offerings, especially the base station, Ulf Ewaldsson, Head of Product Area Radio within Business Unit Networks at Ericsson, reiterated that “The RBS 6000 series will meet the needs of all operators. It proves that we are continuing to invest in the next generation of GSM with a new building practice while at the same time facilitating low-cost expansion of WCDMA and HSPA. He added that the RBS station will also make migration to LTE less costly, thus ensuring that ,with RBS 6000, LTE will be just another radio technology module for an existing cabinet.”
For Nigerian operators who are currently grappling with quality of service issues, Ericsson through its Vice President, Product and Portfolio Management, Mikael Back reiterated that the RBS 6000 series, which include a wide range of enclosures, from large macro base stations to main-remote solutions and wall-mounted units, will offer operators the opportunity to reduce site-acquisition and operating costs significantly. The radio’s components will be fully compatible with existing platforms of the operators thus ensuring that available existing base stations continue to provide operators with a scalable option that will move them forward and not backward.
Aside from reducing operating costs for operators, the smallest radio base station due to its modular design, complete site integration and common building practice will also significantly lower total ownership costs for operators.  This solution will no doubt help ameliorate some of the challenges operators face daily especially in the light of the fact that in emerging economies, parameters such as high maintenance and operation costs in addition to high energy consumption, which operators in Nigeria says constitute 90 per cent of their challenges. Ericsson has promised that it‘s new radio base station with its integrated design will help push the total cost of ownership for the operator on all frontiers as low as possible, especially in the area of sustainability and its propensity to help reduce energy consumption significantly.
With the first RBS radio base expected to be commercially available towards the end of this year, coupled with the expected impact competition from new operators like Visaphone and Mudabala, the days of poor quality service delivery by operators currently being experienced by Nigerians may soon be over.

Source:www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=103834 

Around, around and around they go, and where they end up nobody knows. Well, actually they do. They'll end up on Ann Arbor's northeast side where the city plans to build a traffic circle this summer.

To accommodate this, the city is holding a public meeting on the project on March 5. The plan is to build a traffic circle, or roundabout, at the intersection of Nixon Road and Huron Parkway, replacing a four-way stop where the shopping center and neighborhood meet. The idea is to make the intersection friendlier to pedestrians, wheelchair users, motorists, bicycles and buses.

City officials say a roundabout will do a better job of managing traffic than a traffic signal because of other nearby traffic lights and bus stops. The city expects to finish the project before the end of the summer.

Modern roundabouts include a central island to guide the vehicular traffic and splitter islands at each leg of an intersection to provide refuge for pedestrians. Roundabouts also involve one-way traffic moving around a central island where entering traffic must yield to the traffic in the roundabout.

These traffic circles slow and calm traffic, resulting in fewer accidents. They also decrease delays and cut down on the number of idling vehicles, reducing air pollution.

They are common throughout Europe and have been appearing more frequently in North America in recent years. More common on the coasts, roundabouts and traffic circles have been popping up in southeast Michigan's suburbs in recent years, including a handful at the Maple Road exit on Ann Arbor's northwest side.

The meeting will be held in the cafeteria of Clague Middle School, 2616 Nixon Rd, at 6:30 p.m. For information, contact Igor Kotlyar at Ikotlyar@a2gov.org or at (734) 994-6087.

Source:www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/a2trafficcirc le0052.aspx 

ennifer Aniston is reportedly romancing her latest co-star. Jennifer and Aaron Eckhart are said to have become inseparable while filming 'Traveling' together in Vancouver, Canada.

A source said: "They're getting along so great that everyone on the set is convinced they are more than just friends. They're just so in sync all the time."

'Erin Brokovich' star Aaron - who recently split from his long-term girlfriend Ashley Wicks - reportedly put Jennifer forward for the role. The source added to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper: "Jen's entire reason for doing this movie was Aaron. She's wanted to work with him for years and was completely flattered that she was his first choice to be the leading lady in this movie."

The pair are keen to keep their budding romance a secret. The source said: "I think the fact that both of them have been single for a couple of months is contributing to the chemistry they have on this film, even when they aren't shooting. They genuinely enjoy each other's company. "But if they're actually hooking up, they're doing it as quietly as possible."

Since splitting from husband Brad Pitt in January 2005, Jennifer has dated Vince Vaughn and been romantically linked to model Paul Sculfor and actor Jason Lewis.

Source:www.javno.com/en/lifestyle/clanak.php?id=125244 

 
How Never to Withdraw from Iraq

Think of the top officials of the Bush administration as magicians when it comes to Iraq. Their top hats and tails may be worn and their act fraying, but it doesn't seem to matter. Their latest "abracadabra," the President's "surge strategy" of 2007, has still worked like a charm. They waved their magic wands, paid off and armed a bunch of former Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda terrorists (about 80,000 "concerned citizens," as the President likes to call them), and magically lowered "violence" in Iraq. Even more miraculously, they made a country that they had already turned into a cesspool and a slagheap -- its capital now has a "lake" of sewage so large that it can be viewed "as a big black spot on Google Earth" -- almost entirely disappear from view in the US

Of course, what they needed to be effective was that classic adjunct to any magician's act, the perfect assistant. This has been a role long held, and still played with mysterious willingness, by the mainstream media. There are certainly many reporters in Iraq doing their jobs as best they can in difficult circumstances. When it comes to those who make the media decisions at home, however, they have practically clamored for the Bush administration to put them in a coffin-like box and saw it in half. Thanks to their news choices, Iraq has for months been whisked deep inside most papers and into the softest sections of network and cable news programs. Only one Iraq subject has gotten significant front-page attention: How much "success" has the President's surge strategy had?

Before confirmatory polls even arrived, the media had waved its own magic wand and declared that Americans had lost interest in Iraq. Certainly the media people had. The economy -- with its subprime Hadithas and its market Abu Ghraibs -- moved to center stage, yet links between the Bush administration's two trillion dollar war and a swooning economy were seldom considered. It mattered little that a recent Associated Press/Ipsos poll revealed a majority of Americans to be convinced that the most reasonable "stimulus" for the US economy would be withdrawal from Iraq. A total of 68% of those polled believed such a move would help the economy.

Anyone tuning in to the nightly network news can now regularly go through a typical half-hour focused on Obamania, the faltering of the Clinton "machine," the Huckabee/McCain face-off on Republican Main Street, the latest nose-diving market, and the latest campus shooting without running across Iraq at all. Cable TV, radio news, newspapers -- it makes little difference.

The News Coverage Index of the Project for Excellence in Journalism illustrates that point clearly. For the week of February 4-10, the category of "Iraq Homefront" barely squeaked into tenth place on its chart of the top-ten most heavily covered stories with 1% of the "newshole." First place went to "2008 Campaign" at 55%. "Events in Iraq" -- that is, actual coverage of and from Iraq -- didn't make it onto the list. (The week before, "Events in Iraq" managed to reach #6 with 2% of the newshole.)

True, you can go to Juan Cole's Informed Comment website, perhaps the best daily round-up of Iraqi mayhem and disaster on the Web, and you'll feel as if, like Alice, you had fallen down a rabbit hole into another universe. ("Two bombings shook Iraq Sunday morning. In the Misbah commercial center in the upscale Shiite Karrada district, a female suicide bomber detonated a belt bomb, killing 3 persons and wounding 10… About 100 members of the Awakening Council of Hilla Province have gone on strike to protest the killing of three of them by the US military at Jurf al-Sakhr last Sunday, in what the Pentagon says was an accident… Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that officials in Baqubah are warning that as families are returning to the city, they could be forced right back out again, owing to sectarian tensions...") But how many Americans read Juan Cole every day... or any day?

On that media homefront, the Bush administration has been Houdini-esque. Left repeatedly locked in chains inside a booth full of water, George W. Bush continues to emerge to declare that things are going swimmingly in Iraq:

"…80,000 local citizens stepped up and said, we want to help patrol our own neighborhoods; we're sick and tired of violence and extremists. I'm not surprised that that happens. I believe Iraqi moms want the same thing that American moms want, and that is for their children to grow up in peace… The surge is working. I know some don't want to admit that, and I understand. But the terrorists understand the surge is working. Al Qaeda knows the surge is working…"

Having pulled the "surge" rabbit out of his hat -- even stealing the very word out of the middle of "insurgent" -- Bush then topped that trick by making Iraq go away for weeks, if not months, on end. Talk about success!

Forever and a Day

If you're wondering why in the world this matters -- after all, won't the Democrats get us out of Iraq in 2009? -- then you haven't come to grips with Bush's greatest magic trick of all. Though a lame-duck president sporting dismally low job-approval ratings, he continues to embed the US in Iraq, while framing the issue of what to do there in such a way that any thought of a quick withdrawal has... Poof!... fled the scene.

Admittedly, somewhere between 57% and 64% of Americans, according to Rasmussen Reports, want all US troops out of Iraq within a year. We're not talking here about just the "combat troops" which both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seem prepared to withdraw at a relatively stately pace. (Obama has suggested a 16-month schedule for removing them; Clinton has only indicated that she would start withdrawing some of them within 60 days of coming into office.) Combat troops, however, represent perhaps half of all US military personnel in Iraq -- and Republicans are already attacking even their withdrawal as cut-and-run-ism, if not outright treason.

Americans may not have noticed, but the policy that a large majority of them want is no longer part of polite discussion in Washington or on the campaign trail. The spectrum of opinion in the capital, among presidential candidates, and in the mainstream media ranges from Senator McCain's claim that even setting a date for withdrawal would be a sure recipe for "genocide" -- and that's the responsible right -- to those who want to depart, but not completely and not very quickly either. The party of "withdrawal" would still leave American troops behind for various activities. These would include the "training" of the Iraqi military. (No one ever asks why one side in Iraq needs endless years of "training" and "advice," while the other sides simply fight on fiercely.) In addition, troops might be left to guard our monstrous new embassy in Baghdad, or as an al-Qaeda-oriented strike force, or even to protect American security contractors like Blackwater.

Hard as it is for the audience to separate the mechanics of a magician's trickery from the illusion he creates, it's worth a try. Before the surge began in February 2007, as five combat brigades were dispatched mainly to Baghdad, there were perhaps 130,000 American forces in Iraq (as well as a large contingent of private security contractors -- hired guns -- running into the tens of thousands). The surge raised that military figure to more than 160,000.

The Bush administration's latest plans are to send home the five combat brigades, but not all the support troops that arrived with them, by the end of July. This will still leave troop levels above those of February 2007. At that point, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates suggested only last week, the administration is likely to "pause" for at least one to three months to assess the situation. In other words, when Americans enter their polling places this November 4th, there will probably still be more troops in Iraq than at the beginning of 2007.

TIME Magazine typically put the matter this way:

"The pause, which could last up to several months, would be designed to ensure that the smaller US footprint in Iraq doesn't embolden insurgents to reignite the civil war that ripped the country apart in 2006 and the first half of 2007."

That smaller footprint, however, will be marginally larger than the one that preceded the surge. So consider this a year-long draw-up, not a drawdown. In the meantime, though the mainstream media has hardly noticed, the Pentagon has been digging in. In the last year, it has continued to upgrade its massive bases in Iraq to the tune of billions of dollars. It has also brought in extra air power for an "air surge" that has barely been reported on here -- and nobody in Washington or on the campaign trail, in the Oval Office or the Democratic Party, has been talking about drawing down that air surge, even though there has recently been a spate of incidents in which Iraqi civilians, and some of those "concerned citizens" backing American forces have died from US air strikes.

The Bush administration is also quietly negotiating a Status of Forces Agreement with the weak Iraqi government inside Baghdad's Green Zone. It will legally entrench American forces on those mega-bases for years to come. In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, Secretary of Defense Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied that the administration was trying to bind a future president to Bush's Iraq policies. ("In short, nothing to be negotiated in the coming months will tie the hands of the next commander in chief, whomever he or she may be.") This, however, is obviously not the case. The agreement is also being carefully constructed to skirt the status of a "treaty," so that it will not have to be submitted to the Senate for ratification. All of this, in the grand tradition of Vice President Cheney, might be thought of as the Bush administration's embunkerment policy in Iraq.

In the surge year, when administration officials and top commanders speculated about withdrawal, they increasingly emphasized the Herculean task involved and the need to take the necessary time to carefully remove every last piece of military equipment in-country. "You're talking about not just US soldiers, but millions of tons of contractor equipment that belongs to the United States government, and a variety of other things," Secretary of Defense Gates told Pentagon reporters last July. "This is a massive logistical undertaking whenever it takes place."

As TIME Magazine's Michael Duffy described it, included would be "a good portion of the entire US inventory of tanks, helicopters, armored personnel carriers, trucks and humvees… They are spread across 15 bases, 38 supply depots, 18 fuel-supply centers and 10 ammo dumps," not to speak of "dining halls, office buildings, vending machines, furniture, mobile latrines, computers, paper clips and acres of living quarters." Some top military commanders claimed that it would take up to 20 months just to get part of the American force out. More recently, it has been suggested that it would take "as many as 75 days" for each combat brigade and all its equipment to depart -- and this would, of course, be done one brigade at a time.

When it comes to withdrawal, the highest priority now seems to be frugality in saving all US property. In other words, as the Bush administration continues to dig in, each of its acts makes leaving ever more complicated.

If the subject at hand weren't so grim, this would be hilarious. An analogy might lie in an old joke: A boy murders his father and mother and then, arrested and brought to court, throws himself on the mercy of the judge as an orphan.

The administration that rashly invaded Iraq, used it as a laboratory for any cockamamie scheme that came to mind, and threw money away profligately in one of the more flagrantly corrupt enterprises in recent history, now wants us to believe that future planning for draw-downs or withdrawals must be based on the need to preserve whatever we brought -- and are still bringing -- into the country.

In the land the Bush administration "liberated," violence remains at a staggering daily level; electricity is a luxury; the national medical-care system has been largely destroyed; perhaps 4.5 million Iraqis have either fled the country or become internally displaced persons; approximately 70% lack access to clean water; and 4 million, according to the UN, don't know where their next meal is coming from. Yet, even with such a record before us, the logic of the moment in Washington and in the media remains clear: The last thing we should be doing is getting out of the country with any alacrity. After all, if we do, a disaster, a bloodbath, even genocide might happen.

Put another way, the most self-interested party in the "withdrawal" debate continues to set the terms of that debate. Imagine if, in football, the quarterback calling plays for his team also had the power to assess penalties, declare first downs, and decide whether a ball was caught in or out of bounds.

In the meantime, since the antiwar movement remains relatively moribund, there are no "out now" or "bring the troops home" chants ringing in the streets of our country. You have to look to the fringes for perfectly reasonable suggestions on getting out. Take Professor Immanuel Wallerstein, who wrote an essay, "Walking Away: The Least Bad Option," which you won't find in your local paper. To him, "walking away" would mean "a statement by the US government that it will withdraw all troops without exception and shut down all bases in Iraq within say six months of the date of announcement." He adds: "US withdrawal would mark the first step on the long and difficult path to healing the United States of the sicknesses brought on by its imperial addiction, the first step in a painful effort to restore the good name of the United States in the world community."

Right now, however, any form of "walking away," itself a polite euphemism for retreat from a desperate stalemate or even a lost war, is off that "table" on which this administration has so often placed "all options." As a result, if either Clinton or Obama were to win the next election, enter office in January 2009, and follow his or her present plan -- a relatively long period of drawdown not leading to full withdrawal -- he or she would, within months, simply inherit the President's war. At that point, the present war supporters would turn on the new president with a ferocity the Democrats are incapable of mustering against the present one, attacking her or him as a cut-and-runner of the first order, even possibly even a traitor.

We Don't Do Permanent

Sen. John McCain made a small stir recently by saying that he doesn't care if American troops stay in Iraq "100 years" as long as "Americans are not being injured, harmed or killed." In fact, as Mother Jones' David Corn reported, the senator later elaborated on that statement, adding "a thousand years," "a million years." The President and various top administration officials have offered similar, if more restrained formulas, speaking vaguely of "years" in Iraq, or a "decade" or more in that country, or simply of the "Korea model," a reference to our garrisoning of the southern part of the Korean peninsula for well over half a century with no end yet in sight.

Of course, this administration has already built its state-of-the-art mega-bases in Iraq as well as a mega-embassy, the largest on the planet, to suit such dreams. Yet in April 2003, the month Baghdad fell to American forces, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld first denied that the US was seeking "permanent" bases in Iraq. Ever since then, administration officials have consistently denied that those increasingly permanent-looking mega-bases were "permanent."

Just the other day, the President again told Fox News, "We won't have permanent bases… [but] I do believe it is in our interests and the interests of the Iraqi people that we do enter into an agreement on how we are going to conduct ourselves over the next years." Dana Perino, White House press spokesperson, offered further clarification by indicating that we do not actually have permanent bases on Planet Earth, even in Korea more than half a century later. "I'm not aware," she said, "of any place in the world -- where we have a base -- that they are asking us to leave. And if they did, we would probably leave." (She made a singular exception for Guantanamo.)

Consider this a philosophic position. Evidently, we don't do permanent because all things are evanescent; everything must end. Where, after all, are the Seven Wonders of the World? Mostly gone, of course.

Such a position might be applied to far more than the permanency of bases. Let me offer two linked predictions based on impermanency:

As a start, the surge-followed-by-pause solution the Bush administration whipped up is a highly unstable, distinctly impermanent strategy. It was never meant to do much more than give Iraq enough of the look of quiescence that the President's war could be declared a modest "success" and passed on to the next president. It relies on a tenuous balancing of unstable, largely hostile forces in Iraq -- of Sunni former insurgents and the Shiite followers of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, among others. It is unlikely to last even until the November presidential election.

And let's remember that those on the other side(s) are just as capable of reading drawdown -- and election -- schedules, of gauging weakness and strength, as we are. It's likely that by the fall the surge effect will have worn off -- signs of this are already in the air -- and Iraq will be creeping back onto front pages and to the top of the TV news.

Given that Senator McCain is so tightly linked to the surge's "success," as well as the war itself, he is likely to prove a far weaker Republican candidate than now generally imagined. Similarly, it may be far harder to Swift Boat the Democrats over Iraq by this fall -- if, that is, the Democratic presidential candidate doesn't move so close to McCain on the war as to take the sting out of his situation. Already, as Gary Kamiya has written at Salon.com, the Democrats' "timid, Republican-lite approach to Iraq and the 'war on terror' has put the country to sleep… Indeed, polls show that the main reason the public has such a low opinion of Congress is that it failed to force Bush to change course in Iraq."

Iraq is a deeply alien land whose people were never going to accept being garrisoned by the military of a Western imperial power. It was always delusional to think that our situation there could be "enduring," no matter how many permanent-looking structures we built. It is no less delusional for Senator McCain to imagine a 100-year garrisoning -- in fact, one of any length -- in which Americans will not be "injured, harmed or killed."

The time for withdrawal from Iraq has long passed. In those endless years in which withdrawal didn't happen, the Bush administration definitively proved one thing: We are incapable of "solving" Iraq's problems, "building" a nation there, or preventing an endless string of horrific things from occurring. After all, it was under US occupation and in the face of the overwhelming presence of American forces that Iraq devolved and massive ethnic cleansing occurred. It was during the months of the President's surge in 2007, with US troops flooding the streets of the capital, that many of Baghdad's mixed neighborhoods were most definitively "cleansed."

It is a delusion to believe that the US military is a force that stands between Iraqis and catastrophe. It is a significant part of the catastrophe and, as long as Washington is committed to any form of permanency (however euphemistically described), it cannot help but remain so.

Every day that passes, the Bush administration is digging us in further, even though surge commander General David Petraeus recently observed that "there is no light at the end of the tunnel that we're seeing." Every day that passes makes withdrawal that much harder and yet brings it ineradicably closer.

Getting out, when it comes, won't be elegant. That's a sure thing by now; but, honestly, you don't have to be a military specialist to know that, if we were determined to leave, it wouldn't take us forever and a day to do so. It isn't actually that hard to drive a combat brigade's equipment south to Kuwait. (And there's no reason to expect serious opposition from our Iraqis opponents, who overwhelmingly want us to depart.)

When withdrawal finally comes, the Iraqis will be the greatest losers. They will be left in a dismantled country. They deserve better. Perhaps an American administration determined to withdraw in all due haste could still muster the energy to offer better. But leave we must. All of us.

Tom Engelhardt, who runs the Nation Institute's Tomdispatch.com, is the co-founder of the American Empire Project. His book, The End of Victory Culture (University of Massachusetts Press), has just been thoroughly updated in a newly issued edition that deals with victory culture's crash-and-burn sequel in Iraq.

Source:www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=24433&nbs p;

The broad market continued to be a roller-coaster ride for investors last week as we waded through a sea of negative economic data and some less-than-heartening comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Yet, despite the wild gyrations of stocks and the weakening economic picture, the overall performance of the market was positive. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week with a gain of 1.36%, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) added 1.4%

Warren Buffett kicked things off last week when he offered to reinsure $800 million in municipal bond portfolios. Meanwhile, Bernanke testified before the Senate Banking Committee that the credit squeeze should continue to dampen growth, while noting that he sees no end in sight to the downturn in the housing sector. Bernanke reiterated that the Fed stands ready to act. But the economy continues to struggle, in need of more interest-rate cuts, while the Fed is standing on the sidelines. The two-year Treasury note yield remains below 2.0% as the Fed Funds rate sits at 3.00%.

Economic weakness can be seen in data that hit the Street last week. While retail sales posted an impressive rise of 0.3% in January (against expectations for a 0.3% drop), much of that increase was due to higher gasoline prices. What's more, the latest Empire State manufacturing survey plunged to -11.7, falling below zero for the first time since May 2005. This low reading points to a significant slowdown in manufacturing activity in the New York region. Adding to economic woes are U.S. import prices, which escalated by 1.7% in January, boosted by a 5.5% jump in imported petroleum prices and an increase in food costs. Rising import prices add more fuel to the fears of rising inflation amid the current economic slowdown.

During the past six weeks, the Dow has churned sideways between resistance at the 12,800 level and support in the 12,100 region. Overhead, the Dow's 10-week moving average is falling into the area and could continue to cap the average's rally attempts.

Elsewhere, the SPX is holding above the key 1,300 level. This round-number level also marks the home of the index's rising 195-week moving average, potentially strengthening this area as support. Furthermore, the S&P finished the week above its 160-week trend line, after spending the past five weeks dancing around this moving average and holding in a narrow range between 1,300 and 1,350. The index is also facing potential resistance areas in the week ahead. Specifically, the 2007 lows on the SPX at the 1,363 level could work to keep the index capped.

The Nasdaq Composite lags the other indexes, as it tacked on only 0.73% last week. However, the index is still clinging to support at the 2,300 level.

The small-cap Russell 2000 Index (RUT) also struggled to make some headway, as it gained just 0.37% to close the week back above the 700 level. However, the RUT must still overcome resistance at its 10-week moving average (at 723). This trend line halted the index's rally attempt last week and has guided the RUT lower since late October. If 700 on the downside is taken out, 680 would be the next area of potential support, as there is fairly heavy put open interest at that strike in the March series. Currently, more than 15,200 puts reside at the March 680 strike.

The CBOE Market Volatility Index (VIX) retreated 14% last week and is drawing closer to its 32-week and 40-week moving averages. We continue to monitor the VIX's 32-week moving average, as this trend line has marked bottoms in the past. The 32-week is currently perched at 23, or roughly 8% south of current levels. As we've stated previously in this column, a break of this trend line would be a win for the bulls, but a bounce off this trend line would be indicative of more challenging times ahead for the market, as we saw with the lows around this trend line in October and December. Unfortunately, the VIX's 32-week and 40-week moving averages have been staunch support this year and last. It concerns me that the various stock indexes are trading barely above their lows, even as the VIX trades just above these longer-term trend lines.

While the market locked in some impressive gains during the week, one concern remains the breadth of the action. Recently, positive trading sessions have not seen particularly strong market breadth, while down days have suffered from extremely weak breadth, indicating that fewer traders are jumping back into the market on strong sessions. For example, on Wednesday when the S&P was up 1.36% and the RUT was up 2.33%, net breadth was only 1005. On the other hand, while the S&P was down 0.73% and the RUT was down 1.36% on Thursday, net breadth had come in at -1413. If the market is to see a sustainable rally, we will need to see net breadth improve significantly during positive trading sessions.

Checking in on options trading, we saw a potential shift in sentiment among speculators. The all-equities call/put index at the International Securities Exchange dropped to 106 on Wednesday, while the market staged an impressive rally. This low reading indicates that traders were actively buying up puts on the ISE in the face a rally. The index tagged an all-time low of 100 in March 2007. Meanwhile, the 10-day moving average for the all-equities call/put index is currently at 122. On Jan. 18, this moving average hit 118 and marked a short-term bottom. So while the current level might suggest a short-term bounce could be in the making, the lasting sustainability of such a bounce should be called into question, as we still may need to see this reading take out its lows before a meaningful rally can take place.

Another place that we are seeing a significant rise in investor and analyst skepticism is in the various sentiment polls that are released on a weekly basis. The latest Market Vane reveals that 44% of respondents are bearish, while the latest Association of American Individual Investors survey shows that 34% of those polled are bearish. The last holdout remains those surveyed by Investors Intelligence, as 36.7% of newsletter advisers are bearish. However, this poll shows that the percentage of bears and the percentage of bulls are converging, which has been a bullish omen in the past. Investor Intelligence bullishness was very stubborn in the wake of the sharp market decline (and was rightly a concern for the bullish case). Ideally, I'd like to see a bullish/bearish cross, where the percentage of bearish advisers is more than the percentage of bullish advisers.

Just like last week, economic reports could again dictate the day-to-day action in the stock market, as the market gyrates in a narrow band between the support and resistance levels discussed above. On Wednesday, the Street will be hit with the latest Consumer Price Index as well as January housing starts and building permits. In addition, the minutes from the January Federal Open Market Committee minutes will be released, giving a closer look at the thoughts of the Fed surrounding its decision to cut rates by 50 basis points.

Slideshow: Commodity Plays for 2008

Thursday will bring the release of January leading indicators along with the Philadelphia Fed index. Another weak report similar to last week's Empire State index could shake up trading. Meanwhile, the earnings calendar is filled with a number of blue-chip companies reporting. Some of those companies filling the spotlight: Home Depot, Wal-Mart Stores and Hewlett-Packard.

Source:http://sify.com/finance/fulls...;

in the Safety & Security industry. The exhibition will feature domestic and international companies displaying an unrivalled safety and security technology and services. It includes an investment of efforts towards strengthening the hands of safety and security on the whole with the help of cross boundary awareness in general and in different related industries towards the latest technologies, products and advancements in the same fields.

Source:business.maktoob.com/News-20070423141346-S ECURE_2008_Exhibition_Con ference_Mumbai_India.aspx 

Italian tennis player Giorgio Galimberti was found guilty Monday of betting on tennis and was suspended 100 days and fined $35,000.

The ATP said he bet on tennis from June 2003 to January 2006 but did not specify whether he bet on his own matches. Galimberti is ranked No. 1,009 and his career singles record is 9-21.

Tennis has been hounded by match-fixing rumors since online betting exchange Betfair, in an unprecedented move, voided bets on a match in Poland last year.

While Galimberti is a relative unknown, here are some of sports' most infamous suspensions:

PETE ROSE

The Cincinnati Reds manager and baseball's all-time hit king accepted a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball in 1989 for betting on games, as detailed in an investigation by lawyer John Dowd. Rose hasn't been eligible for entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame because of his ban.

ADAM "PACMAN" JONES

The Tennessee Titans cornerback was suspended for the season in 2007 for numerous off-the-field incidents and trouble with the law. The main inciting incident was a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club during the 2007 NBA All-Star weekend. A member of Jones' entourage was alleged to have shot into a crowd during a fight outside the club, hitting three people, including a former professional wrestler, who was paralyzed from the waist down.

LATRELL SPREWELL

The Golden State Warriors player was unhappy with coach P.J. Carlesimo's criticism during practice, so he proceeded to choke the coach for 15 to 20 seconds before his teammates separated the two. He officially received a 10-day suspension, but ultimately he missed the remainder of the 1997-98 season.

PAUL HORNUNG AND ALEX KARAS

The NFL players for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, respectively, were suspended indefinitely by commissioner Pete Rozelle for betting on NFL games. Ultimately, they both missed one full season, in 1963. Both players' images went largely untarnished after they were reinstated in 1964. In his first season back, a story emerged about Karas refusing to call a coin toss because he said he would no longer gamble.

RON ARTEST

An on-court tussle with the Pistons' Ben Wallace escalated when a fan threw a cup of beer on Artest, who was lying on the scorer's table. Artest went into the stands, setting off one of the most famous melees in sports history at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Artest was suspended for the rest of the 2004-05 season.

MARTY MCSORLEY

The Boston Bruins player struck the Vancouver Canucks' Donald Brashear in the helmet with his stick, causing Brashear to fall and hit his head on the ice. Brashear got a concussion, and McSorley was suspended for the rest of the 1999-2000 season. McSorley was charged with assault in court and never again played in the NHL.

Source:chronicle.augusta.com/stories/021908/oth_18 7895.shtml 

Don't let that rather dated exterior fool you, because the newly announced Nokia 3120 Classic cell phone comes equipped with all the latest technology that you've come to expect from the Finnish phone-maker.

It's a pretty standard-looking candybar with a large color display, five way navigator, and a rounded bottom (the bottom is similar to the 8800, except this is obviously not a slider).

A look at the features, however, will quickly unearth some totally acceptable and respectable specs. In addition to the quad-band GSM/EDGE radios, the Nokia 3120 Classic also gets North America-friendly WCDMA 3G radios (850/1900) for a high-speed connection on the go. Alternate configurations bring up 3G radios for Europe and Australia/South America. The other wireless connection comes by way of Bluetooth 2.0.

The compact Nokia 3120 makes use of the Series 40 platform and boasts features like a 2 megapixel camera, a secondary VGA camera for video calls, FM radio, MP3 player, microSD expansion, 2.5mm headset jack, Opera Mini browser, and your choice of three color schemes. Look for it in Q2 for about $222.

Source:www.htlounge.net/articles/5239/1/Nokia -3120-Classic-cell-phone- comes-with-all-the-latest -technology 

A former bishop is leading in what promises to be a very tight presidential election next April in Paraguay. The latest polls published this Sunday in the capital Asunción media shows ex bishop Fernando Lugo with 31.2% of vote intention followed by a former Army general Lino Oviedo with 25.3% and the outgoing administration candidate and ex Education minister Blanca Olevar with 24.3%

The public opinion poll was done last week by First Analisis y Estudios consultants involving 1.107 interviews in 12 of the country’s 17 provinces. Businessman Pedro Fadul figures a distant fourth with 3.5% of vote intention and 11.1% remain undecided.

The poll also shows that the former commander of the Army Oviedo has a greater acceptance (45%) among the poor sectors of the Paraguayan society, while Lugo and Ovelar have a stronger support in the middle and upper classes.

In the previous poll from last September, General Oviedo was leading with 31.37% of vote intention, followed by Blanco Ovelar, 27.7% and Fernando Lugo, 27.1%.

According to the latest electoral roll, Paraguay has six million voters registered to cast ballots next April 20.

Outgoing President Nicanor Duarte belonging to the Colorado Party which has dominated Paraguayan politics uninterruptedly for the last six decades leaves office on August 15.

The former bishop Lugo, suspended a year ago in divinis by the Vatican for involving himself in politics leads a conglomerate of parties and movements from left to right of the spectrum basically longing for a change in the ruling system and elite.

Lino Oviedo, who was jailed several years for an attempted coup and has a strong backing among rural and indigenous areas because of his command of the Guarani language, has his own party Unace. Blanca Olevar is a trusted aide and advisor of president Duarte and the first woman presidential candidate in Paraguay.

Source:www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=12661&formato=H TML
 

Watching Picture Tree's latest commercial for Food and Trees for Africa, one might be fooled into thinking that Simon Gear has got his timing horribly wrong. A 30-second weather update in the middle of your comedy hour? Surely this is a scheduling error? On closer inspection, you see Bloemfontein now has a harbour, Cape Town is an isolated island in the middle of the Atlantic and the Kruger Park is now a desert.

consequences of global warming to our attention. Commissioned by agency Pie Street, the commercial, shot by Picture Tree's Alan Irvin and edited by Left Post Production, exposes the calamities of global warming, delivering the shocking message through a medium that many South Africans know and trust.

The Picture Tree team is no stranger to the cause of Food and Trees for Africa. In December, Picture Tree took part in the planting of 100 trees in Soweto, as part of FTFA's National Tree Planting Programme. The worthy cause sees businesses contributing to a sustainable quality of life through environmental awareness and greening programmes.

As passionate supporters of the Food and Trees for Africa cause, Picture Tree undertook a simple exercise recently to calculate the carbon footprint created by the average commercials production staff member. For example, if the average Production Manager catches eight return flights a year, travels 35 000km by car and uses two reams of paper per month, they would emit in excess of 11236 kg of CO² over a year, requiring a staggering 13.2 trees to be planted to offset the habits of a single production manager. Picture Tree's latest tree planting activities have contributed to reducing the carbon footprint of their staff, and they encourage other companies to consider doing the same.

Source:www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/17/22068.html 

For nearly twenty-five years, Dr. Novick has been featured throughout the country on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and ESPN network television and radio and has also been widely quoted in the national and international press. He has appeared with Oprah Winfrey, Paula Zahn, Denise Austin, Matt Lauer and Joan Hamburg. He has also served as a medical resource for CNN's popular Anderson Cooper 360, ABC's 20/20, Good Morning America and NBC's Dateline. Skincare-News.com's latest article, "Featured Expert: Dr. Nelson Lee Novick," explores Dr. Novick's unique background. http://www.skincare-news.com/experts.php?ExpID=6" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/experts.php?ExpID=6" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) February 18, 2008 -- Dr. Nelson Lee Novick has been listed in Consumer Research Council of America's Guide to America's Top Physicians - 2003 and 2005 and Guide to America's Top Dermatologists - 2007. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious American Academy of Dermatology's Leadership Circle medal and Mount Sinai Medical Center's awards for "Outstanding Service," "Exceptional Patient Care" and "Teaching Excellence."

Dr. Novick is the author of nine mainstream trade books, including You Can Look Younger At Any Age - A Leading Dermatologist's Guide (Henry Holt, 1996); Baby Skin - A Leading Dermatologist's Guide to Infant and Childhood Skin Care (Clarkson N. Potter,1991); Super Skin - A Leading Dermatologist's Guide to the Latest Breakthroughs in Skin Care (Clarkson N. Potter, 1988); Skin Care for Teens (Franklin Watts, 1988); and an audiotape series. In addition, he has been the senior editor and author of several medical textbooks and the lead author of numerous articles for the medical literature.

He has also written by-lined articles for many popular magazines and newspapers, such as Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, The New York Post, Reader's Digest, Lear's,Woman's Day, Bottom Line Health and Bottom Line Personal. He has also been a frequent by-line contributor to such Internet venues as nycms.org, msnyuhealth.org, myskinmd.com, AskPhysicians.com and WebMd.com, where he has also served as an Ask The Expert consultant for consumer Q & As.

In 1991, he was one of the first cosmetic physicians to use Botox for cosmetic purposes. He coined the term "lunchtime beauty fix" years ago and has successfully treated sagging necklines, droopy nasal tips and bagginess under the eyes all in the time period of a lunch hour, without any cutting or surgery.

Over the last six months, Dr. Novick has been developing a protocol for reconstituting the Botox solution in order to reduce and perhaps eventually eliminate the discomfort of Botox treatments. Additionally, this reconstituted formula makes Botox 20 percent more effective. He hopes to make this technique of preparation and administration available to the public soon.

In addition, Dr. Novick is currently investigating an in-office, minimally invasive surgical technique to stimulate hair regrowth in both men and women. He is also in the process of creating a variety of topical treatments that are enormously successful in maintaining hair density and promoting new hair growth

Skincare-News.com covers all skincare and beauty topics from head to toe. Check out these latest articles:

Cosmetic Packaging 101: More than Just the Ingredients
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=501" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=501" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
Skincare and cosmetic containers and bottles are more than just utilitarian these days. While state-of-the-art packaging and labeling makes these bottles a joy to use, it does not make them immune to common problems such a clogging or breaking. Maintenance of cosmetic bottles and containers may not seem like a very beautiful chore, but it can make life easier. Read on and learn a few tips on how to take care of, and even repair, the beauty outside the bottle!

Out with the Old, In with the New: Clearing Bathroom Clutter
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=506" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=506" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
Most people unknowingly purchase duplicate products, because their bathrooms are so messy that they can't keep track of half the cosmetic items they own! Clear out bathroom cabinets to make space for new products as well as keep track of the old ones. But clearing out the clutter doesn't simply make room for new purchases - it can potentially save people money in the long run. De-stress and de-clutter by transforming any bathroom into a place to be enjoyed, rather than an overstocked mess of half-filled bottles and tubes.

The Skinny on Seaweed
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=510" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=510" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
More than 20,000 species of seaweed or algae, its biological name, can be found. Over the years, scientists have reported that seaweed is rich in vitamins and minerals, including A1, B1, B2, B6, C, E, K, folic acid, niacin, potassium, calcium, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. From skin care and cosmetic products to spa treatments, seaweed, with its naturally cleansing, exfoliating and purifying benefits, is worth checking out!

A Happier Man: In Three Steps or Less
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=512" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=512" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
For some men, skincare can mean anything from a bar of deodorant soap all the way up to expensive cleansers and moisturizers with the latest ingredients. But what about for the average guy who wants to take care of his skin, but is overwhelmed with the plethora of choices on today's skincare shelves? Keep it simple! Simplicity, and lots of it, is a great way for a man to approach skincare and, to get great results in the process.

About SkinCare-News.com -- "Your Source for Intelligent Skin Care"
Skincare-News.com is the online source for consumers seeking intelligent beauty and skin care news, advice, tips and articles. Founded in 2005, SkinCare-News.com features articles, news items and frequently asked questions on skincare and beauty related issues. SkinCare-News.com is located in Sacramento, California, but receives visitors from all around the world. For more information, visit http://www.skincare-news.com" title="http://www.skincare-news.com" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com.

Source:www.prweb.com/releases/2008/2/prweb 700723.htm

NEW YORK -- When it comes to identity theft, most people think they're especially vulnerable when they're working on their computers, or when fraudsters hack into big databases and steal card numbers.

In fact, consumers are far more likely to be victimized if their wallet, checkbook or credit card is lost or stolen, according to a new study released last week by Javelin Strategy & Research.

The research group, which is based in San Francisco, also found that as financial institutions and retailers have improved their in-store and online security, ID thieves have turned to more-traditional channels of theft, especially the telephones and the mail.

While the incidence of ID fraud through in-store and online purchases declined in the latest survey, conducted last October, from a similar study in 2006, the portion of fraud stemming from mail or telephone purchases jumped to 40 percent from 3 percent.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses an individual's personal identifying information, such as a credit card number, without the person's permission to commit fraud or other crimes. Javelin's study covered incidents ranging from a one-time misuse of someone's credit card number to the takeover of a person's account or creation of new accounts in a person's name.

James Van Dyke, president of Javelin, said in an interview that many Americans are too trusting on the phone.

"In a typical situation, unsuspecting consumers receive phone calls from parties claiming to represent nonprofit organizations, billing institutions or other financial institutions," Van Dyke said. "Far too many of these consumers provide the callers with personal information, such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and credit card numbers."

With that information, criminals can open accounts in the victim's name, empty existing bank accounts, even buy cars or homes.

While the Javelin study found that overall ID theft was falling, it also found that the cost for consumers to resolve the resulting fraud was rising.

The latest study indicated that 8.1 million Americans were victims of ID fraud in 2007, down from 8.4 million a year earlier and 10.1 million in 2003.

The total cost of ID fraud also dropped, to $45 billion in the latest study from $51 billion a year earlier and $56 billion in 2003.

But the average cost for a consumer to resolve the problem rose to $691 in 2007 from $554 a year earlier.

The biggest sources of personal identification information for thieves included: 33 percent from the loss or theft of a wallet, check or credit card; 23 percent from in-store, mail or telephone purchases; 17 percent from misappropriation of information by friends, relatives or in-home employees; 8 percent from computer viruses, spyware or hackers; 7 percent from data breaches, and 6 percent from stolen paper mail.

Source:www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218 /BUSINESS/802180314/1003/ BUSINESS 

Program agendas and details are now available online for the 2008 Localization Certification Program and Localization Project Management Certification presented by California State University, Chico, Center for Regional and Continuing Education, the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), and the Localization Institute.

Seattle, WA (18 Feb 2007) - Program agendas and details are now available online for the 2008 Localization Certification Program and Localization Project Management Certification presented by California State University, Chico, Center for Regional and Continuing Education, the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), and the Localization Institute. The well-established program features newly revised materials that include the latest industry research and a highly experienced list of speakers, including professionals from Microsoft, Cisco, and KLM, as well as Bert Esselink, author of A Practical Guide to Localization.

Limited space is still available for the Localization Certification Program, which will be offered on the campus of EUROMED Marseille École de Management, Marseille, France, March 31-April 2, and on the campus of Saint Louis University, at the Boeing Institute of International Business, St. Louis, USA, June 16-18.

The Localization Project Management Certification immediately follows the general certification program. It will be presented April 3-4 at EUROMED Marseille École de Management and June 19-20 at Saint Louis University.

Now in its third year, the Localization Certification Program was developed by industry experts, representing the leading professional associations, publishers, and academic institutions in the field, in response to the growing demand from localization professionals. More than 150 professionals have now received certification through the program.

This year's program will combines experience with the latest industry know-how. All materials, including the class videos, have been reorganized and updated with the latest information. "We have just made the program smarter and stronger with our new materials," commented Nitish Singh, professor of International Business, Saint Louis University John Cook School of Business.

The Localization Certification Program and the Localization Project Management Certification consist of a mix of online coursework leading to onsite workshops with practitioner-led lectures and lab sessions culminating with a certification exam.

Individuals who successfully complete the Localization Certification Program will be eligible for American Translators Association (ATA) continuing education credits.

Translators, product marketing managers, Web project managers, business development executives, Web developers and designers, Web application developers, global entrepreneurs, localization professionals, international trade representatives, educators and students in the field are encouraged to take advantage of these certification programs.

The program is made possible through the support of industry companies: Jonckers is the primary supporter; Lionbridge and across are activity supporters.

For more information on the Localization Certification Program and the Localization Project Management Certification please visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/localize" title="http://rce.csuchico.edu/localize" target="_blank"http://rce.csuchico.edu/local... or call the California State University, Chico Continuing Education office at +1-530-898-6105.

About GALA
GALA is an international non-profit association that promotes translation services, language technology and language management solutions. The member companies worldwide include translation companies, localization service providers, globalization consultants, internationalization specialists and technology developers. GALA companies share a commitment to quality, service, and innovation in helping clients reach global markets. For more information about GALA visit www.gala-global.org

About The Localization Institute
The Localization Institute offers quality training for software localization and internationalization. Founded in the fall of 1996, the Institute offers public events and private consulting engagements that help companies reduce the cost and time required to deliver localized products and services. Localization Institute facilitators have years of direct personal involvement in the specializations they represent, have a passion for sharing their expertise, and are skilled at doing so.

About CSU, Chico Continuing Education
Founded in 1887, California State University, Chico is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in California. Ranked as one of the top public universities in the west, CSU, Chico has built a tradition of excellence in teaching, scholarship, research, and service. To extend the mission of the university, CSU, Chico Continuing Education delivers educational programming and services to more than 10,000 students and professionals annually.

Source:www.emediawire.com/releases/2008/2/prweb 701353.htm 

New weighing electronics from HBM enable digitization without any loss of information, enabling certification as Class III weighing machines with the maximum permissible number of 10,000 divisions

The performance of the two devices, the AED9401A and AED9501A, has been confirmed by independent tests issued by an independent notified body. Both devices allow strain gauge (SG) transducers to be digitally connected to standard fieldbus systems using either CANopen or DeviceNet interfaces.

The electronics can be fully PC-controlled and provide integrated, electrically isolated control inputs and outputs ensuring that they can be used for both static and dynamic measurements.

The AED9401A/9501A offers a crucial advantage for plant engineering and automation companies seeking to install a customer-specified bus system for export.

The CANopen protocol is preferred in Europe while DeviceNet systems are widespread in the American and Asian markets.

With the AED9401A/9501A both CANopen and DeviceNet can be used as interfaces, depending on the specification, with changeover via a software command.

Both devices are fitted with an array of special features including different filters, sampling rate adaptation, works and user characteristics, linearisation as well as over 100 structured commands that enable access to the connected strain gauge transducer or system.

Other features include smart optimisation functions and control functions required for repetitive processes, for example for automatic weighing machines.

Panel software suited to service, development, start-up and parameterisation are additionally available.

The system is supplied with 18 to 30 V in compliance with international industry standards. Request a free brochure from HBM UK....

Source:www.processingtalk.com/news/hbm/hbm104.html 

Washington (ANI): Paris Hilton's latest film, 'The Hottie and the Nottie,' is the Worst Movie Of All Time, according to users of IMDb. With 2,190 votes, the former jailbird's movie now rests at the bottom of the IMDb user charts, reports Usmagazine.com.

Out of five, four of her movies are ranked in IMDb's Bottom 100. The hotel heiress only movie that did well was 2005's 'House of Wax.' Hilton's latest flick comes even below the American Idol movie, 'From Justin to Kelly: With Love and Daddy Day Camp.'

Source:entertainment.oneindia.in/hollywood/top-stories/ scoop/2008/paris-movie-vo ted-worst-ever-180208.html 

THE LATEST political foray into health care came last week when Gov. Bill Ritter announced his “Building Block for Health Care Reform” program.

Key elements of the proposal are to expand eligibility in the state’s Children’s Health Plan Plus to include 55,000 more children while increasing outreach efforts to families whose children already are eligible; centralize the CHP+ and Medicaid program to make enrollment easier; and increase reimbursement rates to get more doctors who will provide care to children.

The plan calls for allocating $25 million from this year’s budget for kids’ care. Whether that amount would be enough to fund the plan’s key elements is the question.

And the governor has said in the past he wants to see the estimated 160,000 children in the state who are not covered by health insurance to be placed in the state’s program within two years. Where that money would come from is not clear, other than through some form of new taxation.

While we are glad the current proposal is rather modest, it still has the feel of the camel’s nose under the tent on the way to a single-payer health system. We’ve documented what a hash similar systems have made of health care in Canada and Great Britain.

Beware of incrementalism toward a destination that would prove undesirable.

Source:www.chieftain.com/editorial/1203318326/ 2 

BMW and MINI’s market positions as the number one premium cars within their segments in London were strengthened today with the Mayor of London’s announcement of a new charging structure for entering the capital in a car.

New legislation that comes into effect in October means drivers of vehicles emitting less than 120g/km will be Congestion Charge exempt. Drivers of cars emitting between 120g/km and 225g/km will continue to pay the standard £8 a day fee, while those driving vehicles that record more than 225g/km will pay an increased daily charge of £25.

The change in charging structure means BMW and Mini owners will be financially better off than owners of other prestige cars. All MINIs and most BMWs will remain within the £8 threshold, but there was further good news for many BMW and Mini owners. The BMW 118d, the Mini Cooper D and the Mini Clubman D all fall into the new sub 120g/km Congestion Charge free bracket. This means that from October 2008 an owner of one of these models will save £2,040 a year driving in the capital compared to owners of non-exempt rival products.

BMW 118d three- and five-door, Mini Cooper D and Mini Clubman D exempt from Congestion Charge
Four of BMW Group’s most fuel efficient production cars of modern times have set a new benchmark courtesy of advanced engineering. The three- and five-door BMW 118d now record an impressive 62.8mpg on the combined cycle with CO₂ emissions of 119g/km – putting it into the Band B category for Vehicle Excise Duty. The BMW 118d now costs just £35 a year to tax.

The 110hp Mini Cooper D and Mini Cooper D Clubman both better these impressive figures. The Mini Cooper D is currently BMW Group’s most fuel-efficient car recording 72.4mpg on the combined cycle and CO₂ emissions of just 104g/km. The Mini Cooper D Clubman nearly matches these statistics recording 68.9mpg and 109g/km. Both cars are Band B in relation to Vehicle Excise Duty tiers and cost just £35 a year to tax.

All four vehicles employ technologies such as Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop and Electric Power Steering under the EfficientDynamics banner to help cut fuel bills and emissions. An optimum gearshift change indicator is included to encourage economical motoring. These innovations are in addition to high-precision direct injection engines on some models that further aid engine performance.

Jim O’Donnell, Managing Director of BMW (UK) Ltd, said: “While other manufacturers might claim to be environmentally-friendly, it is BMW who has followed through on its promise to lower CO₂ emissions. Instead of producing one-off models or the odd concept car BMW has introduced EfficientDynamics across almost all of its range in 2007.

“No other manufacturer comes close to BMW in terms of combining the benefits of good fuel economy and low emissions while at the same time offering improvements in output and performance. This position was backed up recently in Autocar, who stated that BMW and Mini combined cut CO₂ emissions in 2007 by nearly as much as all other manufacturers combined. Quite an achievement.”

Diesel-powered BMW X5 and X6 owners celebrate and save £4,335 a year
The BMW X5 3.0d and 3.0sd are now the only conventionally-powered vehicles in the segment with automatic transmissions as standard with CO₂ emission figures that fall below the 225g/km band for Congestion Charging.  The X5 3.0d has a CO₂ emission figure of 214g/km, while the sportier twin-turbo X5 3.0sd posts a 216g/km figure.

The introduction of new legislation means the owner of a new diesel-powered X5 will save £4,335 a year in Congestion Charge fees compared with rival, non-hybrid Sports Activity and Sports Utility Vehicles. The low emissions rating for the X5 3.0d and 3.0sd also qualify it for Band F instead of Band G Vehicle Excise Duty, saving owners a further £95 a year. This benefit is set to increase to £190 a year from 1 April 2008 when the VED charge for Band G cars increases. The cost savings for X5 owners are considerable as diesel-powered models account for 95 per cent of annual UK sales.

The BMW X6, the world’s first Sports Activity Coupé, is another model from the BMW line-up to slip under the 225g/km threshold for Emissions Related Congestion Charging in London. The BMW X6 xDrive30d and the X6 XDrive35d have CO₂ emissions figures of 217g/km and 220g/km respectively. Despite boasting rakish looks and on-paper specification and handling akin to a sports car, BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology ensures that these exciting high-performance diesels remain in the £8-a-day charging tier.

Cleaner than a London black cab
By comparison the latest diesel-powered BMW X5s emit less CO₂ than the Mayor of London’s preferred means of transport, the black cab. While the X5 3.0d and X5 3.0sd emit 214g/km and 216g/km respectively, the very latest LTI Vehicles TX4 2.5 produces 233g/km. By contrast the biggest selling BMW X3, the 2.0d automatic, produces just 178g/km.

It’s a similar story with regard to fuel consumption. On the combined cycle the X5 3.0d achieves 34.9mpg compared to a black cab’s 32mpg. The X3 2.0d trumps this by recording 42.2mpg. The X5 covers 9% more Miles per gallon and emits 8.2% less CO₂ than the black cab while the X3 covers 32% more Miles per gallon and emits 23.6% less CO₂. The average owner of a BMW X5 will do less than 10,000 Miles a year, while the average London black cab will cover considerably more.

BMW Group cuts car CO₂ emissions more than any other manufacturer
Independent research* has revealed that BMW is the manufacturer which cut its UK new car CO₂ emissions the most between 2006 and 2007. Figures show that BMW and Mini together managed to slash CO₂ emissions by 48,496 tonnes in a 12-month period following the widespread introduction of EfficientDynamics measures on its cars.

To calculate the figures researchers took the average CO₂ of each manufacturers’ models offered between 2006 and 2007 then multiplied that number by the number of cars sold. The resulting figure was then multiplied by an average annual mileage of 10,000 Miles per car to calculate the overall CO₂ figures and the savings.

In stark contrast to the efforts of the BMW Group some rival manufacturers actually increased their CO₂ output during the same period.
*Autocar, 6th February, 2008

Source:www.duemotori.com/news/eco_cars/22937_B MW_and_MINI_customers_bea t_new_Emissions_Related_C ongestion_Charge_in_Londo n.php 

Today is perhaps the coolest day on the London Fashion Week schedule with Gareth Pugh, Giles Deacon and Henry Holland all hitting the catwalk.

Nicole Farhi kicks things off with the early slot but with her 20 years of catwalk experience surely it's just another day as she shows her latest collection of timeless designs.

Amand Basi wraps up the morning closely

The afternoon sees the Fashion Forward winners strut their stuff with Jen Laugensen kicking things off following up his very successful spring/summer collection.

Richard Nicoll is next up with his second show as part of the BFC initiative. His funky structure dresses and strong tailored suits are already popular among the trendy London set so we're expecting a lot for his eigth season in London.

Roksanda Ilincic last of the Fashion Forward crew to show. Although shes been running her own label for a good few years now it's the first time Ilincic has won this support so we can't wait to see what shes done with it.

This afternoon will also host Gareth Pugh's follows up to his spooky futristic Wizard of Oz spring/summer collection and Henry Holland finally goes alone with his debut on-schedule solo show.

London favourite Giles Deacon also hits the catwalk today and will no doubt be entertaining another celeb- filled front row with his quirky yet flattering creations.

Lulu Kennedy's Fashion East babies will also be unveiling their latest creations at the E1 venue. Louise Gray and Noki will be returning to the Old Truman Brewery venue where they will be joined by newcomer David David.

Caz Moss- Female First

Source:www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/styl enews/london-4496.html 

Skincare-News.com finds that for some people, jewelry can cause unpleasant skin problems like allergies or irritation. Find out how to manage these reactions.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) February 13, 2008 -- Reactions to jewelry are a form of allergic contact dermatitis. Skincare-News.com's latest article, "When Jewelry Causes Skin Problems," investigates the many symptoms that may be noticed when this condition occurs. Skin may become itchy, dry and irritated. It may turn red, flaky or scaly. Worse, people may even develop a rash, blisters or sores. Knowing the warning signs and why this condition occurs can prevent reactions from happening and help those with sensitivities choose the right kinds of jewelry. http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=511" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=511" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...

Jewelry can cause skin problems for many different reasons, including the metals found in the jewelry, tarnishing, perspiration, product build-up and medication. Most jewelry contains metals like nickel or copper to help add strength. Gold and silver are soft metals, so nickel and copper are added to make the jewelry stronger and more durable. But added metals are often the culprits behind allergic reactions and skin irritation.

Jewelry -- especially sterling silver -- will tarnish because of a reaction with environmental hydrogen sulfide gas. As a result, the jewelry becomes discolored (usually black). Not surprisingly, when people wear the discolored piece, the skin becomes discolored too. Perspiration can also cause skin allergies. Salt found in sweat interacts with the metal found in jewelry, which can cause a reaction between the jewelry and the skin, triggering an allergic reaction. In fact, when a person isn't perspiring (so, the sweat-and-metal interaction doesn't exist), he or she can wear that same jewelry without having an allergic reaction.

Avoid and Manage Irritation
Over-the-counter topical treatments like hydrocortisone cream can relieve itchiness and inflammation. For a stronger prescription treatment, consult with a dermatologist.

Use a dusting of powder on skin before putting on jewelry. Powder will absorb moisture and perspiration, reducing the chances for skin irritation or allergic reactions.

Put a coat of clear nail polish on the parts of the jewelry that will come in contact with the skin. Using clear polish provides a protective barrier and prevents the metals in jewelry from irritating the skin.

When it comes to gold jewelry, consider buying a higher karat. For example, if 10 karat gold irritates the skin, try 14 or 18 karat gold. Gold jewelry with a lower karat value contains greater amounts of other metals, like nickel or copper, which can irritate skin. Conversely, gold jewelry with a higher karat contains smaller amounts of other metals and has a higher percentage of gold, making it less likely to cause irritation.

When buying jewelry, look for pieces that are nickel-free or hypoallergenic. Jewelry made from other metals like surgical stainless steel or titanium is a good option for people with skin sensitivities and allergies.

Make sure all jewelry is clean. Dirt, bacteria, oil or tarnish that builds up on jewelry can affect the skin. To clean jewelry, use warm water, gentle soap and a toothbrush. Rinse and pat dry with a soft clean cloth. Alternatively, purchase a special jewelry cleaner.

Skincare-News.com covers all skincare and beauty topics from head to toe. Check out these latest articles:

Makeup Tips for Glowing Winter Skin
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=467" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=467" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
Its easy to change a makeup routine from playful summer hues to dramatic winter shades! These tips on colors and products will have any woman looking radiant and beautiful this season. Although the weather outside may be cold and dreadful, the appearance doesn't have to follow suit! With the right skin care products and considerations, the face will be glowing all season long.

A Cleaner Clean?
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=462" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=462" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
One of the most important steps to any skincare regimen is also one of the most easily misunderstood: cleansing. From choosing the proper product for a particular skin type, to correct application to amount of times per day to cleanse, a smart cleansing routine will set the foundation for skincare, and--give any woman the most beautiful, glowing complexion in town!

Making Sense of Menopause and Troublesome Skin
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=457" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=457" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
After the adolescent years, people reveled at the notion that blemishes were long gone with the teenage angst, high school cliques, and unflattering hair styles. But as women are going through menopause -- a time they believe is surely blemish-free -- many may be shocked to see the resemblance of one (or three!) on the face. But adult acne is actually quite common, especially during the hormone imbalanced times of menopause, which can also involve other skin conditions. Learn all about the skin and what can be done to treat those problematic spots.

Melanoma: Preventing the Most Serious Type of Skin Cancer
http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=453" title="http://www.skincare-news.com/articles.php?ArtID=453" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com/...
Even though the fall is officially here, some of us in the warmer climates are still hitting the beach, enjoying hours of sun exposure, too busy sculpting our tans into even golden-brown masterpieces. For others residing in cooler locations, the summer clothes have been put away, along with the sunscreen. But whether people are out sunbathing for hours wearing sunscreen or running around doing errands without, they are exposed, and their risk for a deadly skin cancer is very much present.

About SkinCare-News.com -- "Your Source for Intelligent Skin Care"
Skincare-News.com is the online source for consumers seeking intelligent beauty and skin care news, advice, tips and articles. Founded in 2005, SkinCare-News.com features articles, news items and frequently asked questions on skincare and beauty related issues. SkinCare-News.com is located in Sacramento, California, but receives visitors from all around the world. For more information, visit http://www.skincare-news.com" title="http://www.skincare-news.com" target="_blank"http://www.skincare-news.com.

# # #

Source:www.prweb.com/releases/2008/2/prweb 688543.htm 

Araby.com, the world's first search engine that offers advanced Arabic-language capabilities to users worldwide has maintained its notable success in 2007. This success can primarily be attributed to its ability to provide informative Arabic language content to its diversified visitor base. This search engine is the first in the region and the world at large that provides political, social and religious content all in the Arabic language.

The engine's administrators released a study this month showing the most popular search trends of Araby.com's users throughout the year 2007. This study revealed that Araby.com users were mostly interested in reading up on topics relevant to politics, economics, sports, religion, the arts, science, technology, medical news, celebrity news and jokes.

Every category on Araby.com covers a variety of sub topics. It is precisely this diversified coverage that has attracted myriads of people to this search engine in particular.

Saddam Hussein's execution was the number one topic researched by the site's users. It had the biggest number of queries for year 2007. The unfortunate series of events that took place in "Naher El-Bared" Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and the death of Husni Mubarak although a rumor, were the other popular topics researched by site users.

In terms of religious topics, users frequently visited websites that elaborated on the Holy Koran and its miracles. Users were also interested in science and technology and especially in topics concerning medicine, well-being and contagious diseases. Users showed an interest in computers and internet related topics. They frequently researched topics relevant to compute programming, blogs, chat and online graphic design.

In the field of sports, users looked up information about their favorite players. Kaka the Brazilian footballer playing for A.C. Milan was an especially popular search topic. He received the prestigious award Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. Users were also interested in looking up their favorite teams including Real Madrid, Al-Ahli Club as well as international soccer players including Ronaldo from Brazil and the retired French player Zinedine Zidane.

On the media and TV series front, top queries were for Bab Al-Hara, a Syrian series that was screened throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan, Karkar, an Arabic comic movie and Adam, a TV show that is broadcasted on MBC. Visitors of course were also interested in the latest gossip relating to their favorite artists including Kathem Al-Saher, Tamer Husni, Elisa, Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wehbi and Amr Diab.

Users were also interested in a variety of other topics such as marriage, songs, music, latest books, video games and the weather. The number of search engine visitors increased by 120% over a period of 6 months, as recorded in October 2007. Less than a year after Araby.com's launch the search engine won ‘The Best Arabic Website' and the silver award in the ‘Directories and Info Services' at the Pan Arab Web Awards in April 2007.

The search engine, Araby.com , indexes Arabic web pages and employs unique processing techniques to serve search requests with the related content. Araby's understanding of the language and the search needs enables better technology tuning and flexibility that accounts for a more reliable and faster service.

The General Manager of Araby.com Mr. Esam Bayzidi said "This search engine has provided people from across the globe with the Arabic content that they needed. We launched Araby.com after a comprehensive study that examined the need for an Arabic search engine".

The search engine aims to be known as the best Arabic search engine in the world by providing very accurate information to its visitors, and updating itself with all the improved functions and up gradations wherever required.

Notes and contacts

About Araby.com

Araby.com (www.araby.com), the first Arabic search engine that offers advanced Arabic-language capabilities to users worldwide, it's a tool that searches the web through specific verticals such as news, Islam, forums, blogs, music, video and images. It was launched by Maktoob Group in September 2006.

About Maktoob Group

Maktoob Group comprises a network of leading online media companies and websites. In addition to the Arab world's leading portal, www.maktoob.com, the Maktoob Group network includes Souq.com (www.souq.com) auctions and marketplace, Araby.com (www.Araby.com) the first Arabic search engine, and cashU (www.cashu.com) the electronic payment solution, in addition to several other leading sites and services in the region. In 2005, Abraaj Capital, a leading regional private equity firm, acquired a stake in Maktoob.

At first glance, the two Toyotas pictured may appear to be the colour red. A serious motoring fundi might even be able to identify them as red mica metallic and solar red, but unfortunately in both instances the viewer would be mistaken. These two cars are in fact green.

The new Auris seen here is a lovely shade of 1AD-FTV turbodiesel green, while the Prius is indeed the rich hue of 1NZ-FXE ETCS-I series-parallel green.

Sounds like a mouthful doesn’t it? Not to worry. In both cases that techno-jargon engine code lingo can easily be translated to ‘low emission or fuel efficient’. In a world that’s slowly suffocating on noxious fumes created by resource guzzling transportation, many motorists are searching for ways to reduce their respective carbon footprints and do their part in earth conservation.

Well here’s two prime examples of such ways. Originally launched seven years ago with a major revision in 2004, Toyota’s Prius is actually old news. But over those past few years this car has led the way in fuel efficiency and pollution reduction, so we just had to see how it compares to Toyota’s latest green offering with all the cutting edge turbodiesel technology available in a modern passenger car.

The challenger here is the new Auris 2.0-litre D-4D.

After spending a couple of days with both cars, the results became very clear to me. Please excuse the pun but it’s really a case of six litres per hundred kays of one, and half a dozen for the other.

I drove both cars over a test period that included fairly equal amounts of morning and afternoon traffic, some highway stuff and a bit of lunch break material in between. Both cars returned such similar fuel consumption results that they’re pretty much on par with each other in this particular category. Interesting, especially considering the vast difference in propulsion methods.

Okay, to be really fair, the Prius did edge out the Auris by a margin slimmer than the hair on your chinny chin-chin. I averaged between 5.8 and 6.0l/100km in the Prius, while the Auris gave me between 6.0 and 6.2. I must mention that I drove both cars as I would normally. No economy run style here. I just went with the flow like everyone else.

Ingenious combination

The Prius uses this ingenious combination of petrol and electric engines to achieve these results. It’s actually one of the eeriest feelings I’ve ever had driving a car. Put the key in the slot and press the ‘power’ button. Nothing happens except for the illuminating of a few dash lights.

However, she’s ready to go. Flick the tiny gear lever into reverse or drive and start moving. Well, hovering actually. Sounds exactly like a golf cart as up to a certain speed and load, propulsion in provided by only the 500 volt electric motor.

But when more oomph is needed for accelerating or overtaking, another electric motor starts the 57kW 1.5-litre petrol engine on the fly, quicker than you can say “green peace”. So whilst driving normally, a 32-bit microprocessor is constantly deciding whether to use electric, petrol or both motors to propel the car. There’s also a nifty display setting in the centre console indicating what’s currently happening between the wheels, motors and batteries in real-time.

The really clever thing though is that the batteries that power the electric motors are charged either by the petrol motor or the driven wheels while coasting. What I discovered is that with exactly the right throttle input at any given time, you can get the petrol engine to drive the wheels as well as charge the batteries at the same time. That’s what the display was indicating to me anyway.

More conservative approach

The Auris takes a much more conservative approach. No electric motors other than the ones that work the windows. It does however utilise the latest in common rail fuel injection technology. Watch your head, here comes some more of that jargon.

The fuel injection system operates under a pressure of 1700 bar in conjunction with a variable nozzle turbo charger, while at the same time an oxidation catalytic converter reduces fuel emissions. Phew, did you get all that? In English that means – fill the car with diesel when it’s empty, drive for approximately 900km, and repeat.

Two different approaches to obtain essentially the same results. What really differentiates these two is the packaging and performance. Auris still has the edge, especially when it comes to overtaking acceleration on the open road. It’s a different story when it comes to image.

Driving a Prius is a blatant statement in eco-conservation. There’s no hiding in this car. You might as well be piloting a flying saucer through rush hour. While on the other hand the Auris allows for complete anonymity.

Think of high profile Angelina Jolie doing her part to save starving babies in Ethiopia versus quiet little Annelie Jooste from Kriel making an anonymous donation to Unicef. Something like that.

Source:motoring.iafrica.com/carsinaction/shootout /859830.htm 

FOXBORO - A national designer shoe chain hopes to open its first local store at Patriot Place in April.

Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse Tuesday became the latest tenant announced for Patriot Place, the 1.3-million-square-foot mixed-use development under construction next to Gillette Stadium on Route 1.

Off Broadway Shoe will stock 30,000 to 50,000 of its latest designer brand men's and women's shoes in a 21,000-square-foot space next to Staples in the south plaza, Patriot Place General Manager Brian Earley said.

Staples anticipates opening its office supply store in late March, Earley said. The more than 20,000-square-foot store will be next to Circuit City.

Off Broadway Shoe is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga. It has three Massachusetts locations: Plymouth, Medford and Burlington.

Source:www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/02/13/n ews/news7.txt 

Like millions of us, Michael Booth was seduced by the glossy pages of celebrity cookbooks. But why did his efforts to recreate their masterpieces always leave a bad taste? He asks: Could there be a way to create great food – without recipes?

Want to cook like a pro? Lesson one: don’t listen to TV chefs...

Recipes don't work. We don't need them. There, I've said it. Someone had to. I've been wanting to for years, but never had the courage. I thought it was just me, you see. I thought I had some kind of blind spot when it came to cooking, or had somehow always missed something in the dozens of TV chefs' cookbooks that I had spent years religiously, slavishly cooking my way through. There was obviously a reason my sauces tasted like creosote and my soufflés imploded, and the reason was me. I just assumed that I didn't have the cooking gene.

After all, surely the 10,000 or so people a week currently paying £25 each for Nigella Express to learn how to drizzle honey over cocktail sausages, and other recipes of our time, and the billions who will buy Delia's latest, which features instant mash and ready-made sauces, can't all be wrong, can they? Well, not wrong as such. It's more that we're all suffering from some kind of collective culinary lobotomy.

These days, the media's cooking coverage has polarised into two camps: the megalomaniacal Michelin-starred chefs with their impossible-to-recreate recipes that we admire from afar with fearful awe; and the super-simple, "on the table in seconds" TV cooks with their recipes based – in the case of Delia's latest – on McCain Crispy Bites, instant mash and Sainsbury's cheese sauce (et tu, Delia!).

There has to be a middle way – and there is, although it is a little drastic. A while back, fed up with life as a foodie-by-numbers, addicted to "rip it up and shove it down your gob" recipes (why are all cooking shows aimed at people who want to spend as little time as possible cooking?); annoyed as hell with cooking with one eye on a page; and tired of all the same old recipes for "quick salads with fig, mozzarella and Parma ham", I took all my recipe books, along with the reams of recipes I'd torn from the Sunday supplements and downloaded from the internet, I took all my beloved Jamie Olivers, my precious Delias and Keith Floyds, my Two Fat Ladies, Rick Steins and my Gordon Ramsays, all that glossy, seductive, lavishly photographed food porn, out of the kitchen and into the garden, and burnt the lot.

It was the start of a journey – told in my new book, Sacré Cordon Bleu – What the French Know About Cooking, a rip-roaring roller coaster of emotion, wit and searing culinary insight, since you ask – that took me and my family to live in Paris, where I enrolled at the world- famous Cordon Bleu cookery school. After a year, I graduated top of my class and went on to test my skills in two Michelin-starred restaurants, one of them belonging to Joël Robuchon (which is where things started to go wrong, although that's another story).

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At the school, I learnt the myriad, often arcane, but essential ways of classic French cuisine. Above all, what I learnt was that, for all their step-by-step promises, recipes are doomed to failure. In fact, when you stop and think of how many factors militate against their success, it is a wonder that we ever trusted them in the first place.

The first reason they fail is plain old human error: recipes can be badly written, obliquely explained, or not properly tested; mistakes may have been made with measurements, temperatures or the order you do things; or there are simply typos in the text. Then there are the missing ingredients or missing steps – I've experienced them all, and I bet you have, too.

Spend some time on the internet and you'll find a whole army of people who would like a quick word in a dark alley with Nigella and a stiff spatula, about her "freewheeling" approach to recipes. "Can ANYONE cook Nigella's recipes?" asked the Daily Mail recently. Quite. Yet even the most respected food writers get it wrong from time to time. Have you ever tried to follow an Elizabeth David recipe? It's like deciphering the wisdom of an ancient Sufi prophet. My mother has banished Nigel Slater – one of the best food writers of his generation –from her kitchen, on the grounds of a chocolate-brownie recipe that has twice failed her.

There are just too many unpredictable variables involved in preparing food. How can Delia know how ripe your tomatoes are when she advises that, in order to remove their skins, you put them in boiling water for exactly one minute? In my experience, that'll turn most tomatoes to mush. How can Jamie know how thick the base of your frying pan is, and so what level of heat you should use? Or Gary Rhodes know how hot your grill can get, the temperature of your ingredients before you start to cook, or, for that matter, the temperature of your kitchen itself?

They can never know how tough your piece of meat is, or the moisture levels in your fruit; they can never know the depth and width of your pan, to give accurate times for reducing sauces; and one thing no recipe writer can assess is how efficient your oven is. Innumerable are the occasions on which I have held frustrated vigil by my oven door waiting for something to be done beyond the recipe time; or worse, been summoned by the egg timer to find that a cremation has taken place. I suspect most recipe writers are fortunate to have state-of-the-art ovens, but the rest of us make do with whatever was on special offer at John Lewis. (Which is why one of the most important lessons the chefs taught me at school was "Get to know your oven".)

Meanwhile, rubbing your failure in your face are the glossy, art-directed photographs that make up half the pages in food books these days. If they were honest, the first line of most recipes would be: "First, take your food stylist and renowned studio photographer..." And, I don't know about you, but I never have all the right ingredients.

You don't need a licence to write a recipe book. There is no Recipe Monitoring Board, and no legislation to invoke when things go wrong. Where is Antony Worrall Thompson when you are slumped, sobbing over the kitchen table?

But imagine, if we could be free from the tyranny of the TV chef and learn to cook by ourselves without their help. We could skip gaily through our local farmers' market or supermarket, choosing whatever is in season, on special offer or just takes our fancy and, once at home, create our own meals.

I realise that not everyone is able – or stupid enough – to throw their lives up in the air, uproot their families and move to Paris to attend a cookery school, but I do believe that anyone can learn the essentials of cooking, the whys and the hows, the basic techniques, and if they do, their culinary lives will be enriched beyond the dreams of Escoffier.

Imagine the wonders it would do for our kitchen confidence. If we just learnt a few cooking basics, then we could: 1) shop more economically, because we decide what to buy, not the recipe – out go all those costly recipe-book favourites like lobster, foie gras, exotic fruits, smoked salmon and scallops; 2) shop more healthily – again, you control what you cook; if you don't want to eat mascarpone, bacon, cheese, butter or cream, you don't have to (although, you will be utterly miserable, and still probably die); and 3) shop for locally grown produce, instead of wandering up and down the aisles with Pukka Tukka, trying to find tamarind paste.

There would be far less waste because you wouldn't be lumbered with those special ingredients – African tsire powder, miso paste, or whatever – that you bought for a particular recipe and that sit festering in your cupboards for months afterwards. And a proper cook knows how to use every scrap – parsley stalks, for instance, are prized in professional kitchens for adding an aromatic background flavour to stocks and sauces. And if a vegetable doesn't look nice, how – it's not difficult – to turn it into a purée or a soufflé.

And let's not forget: if you learn how to cook for yourself, you need never be worried about those food scare stories that appear in the media daily, which are invariably concerned with processed foods. I call it Common Sense Cooking.

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So, where do we begin on our road to empowerment?

Recipes usually only refer to seasoning vaguely, in passing, but it is the single most important part of cooking, and the most difficult. Most TV chefs use Maldon sea-salt flakes indiscriminately, but it is an awfully expensive way to salt water, and there are other salts out there. Sometimes you need a fine salt – if you want to distribute it more evenly over the surface of meat, for instance, or dissolve it in a dressing. Meanwhile, when you add the salt can be as important as how much. Don't add salt to boiling potatoes or dried pulses at the start of cooking, but halfway through – too early and you can toughen their outer layer – but with green vegetables, like broccoli or beans, you want the salt there right from the start to keep them green. If you are braising vegetables like fennel or spinach, hold off the salting until halfway, when the cell structures have collapsed a little and the volume has reduced. That way you'll find it easier to judge how much salt you really need.

You should salt meat as soon as you get it home, even if you aren't going to cook it for a couple of days. I mean it. You may think it will dry it out, but the latest research shows that salting meat early makes it taste better and keeps the moisture in because it changes the cell structure in the meat. It also reduces bacteria on the surface. Just rinse it off and dry the meat before cooking.

I am not advocating that you burn your recipe books. Frankly, I was a bit drunk when I did it and underestimated the enthusiasm of the assembled friends and family. I hoped they'd hold me back in a "Don't do it, Michael, they're not worth it!" kind of way. So my bonfire has to go under the heading, "Stretching a point to make a point". Recipes can be useful (and there are some in my book – if they don't work, don't say I didn't warn you), mainly for inspiration, as a starting point, for you to adapt according to what's in season or in your larder. Or, in the case of the ones you know you can trust, as a useful reminder of ratios and measurements.

But it wouldn't hurt to equip yourself with a little knowledge. Just think, if you could kick your recipe dependence, you'd never again need to listen to an unfathomably rich ad executive's wife, sitting in her fake home in some Chiswick warehouse studio, telling you how to jazz up your cocktail sausages.

Sacré Cordon Bleu– What the French Know About Cooking by Michael Booth is published tomorrow by Jonathan Cape, priced £12.99. To order it at the special price of £11.69 with free postage and packaging, call Independent Books Direct on 0870 079 8897 or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk.

* www.michael-booth.com

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Lesson two: how to use a frying pan

Something really simple that I never seemed to get right at home was browning things in a pan – whether it was a steak, pork chop, scallops or noodles. No book I had read had explained the simple principles behind this; they'd all just assumed I knew.

First, you have to ensure that whatever you are frying is totally dry. Pat meat dry with kitchen paper; leave scallops standing on paper for an hour; let noodles drain for the same time. Second, don't try to fry too much at once – crowding the pan cools it ,which means your food will steam, not fry. Third, resist the urge to toss and poke your food in a flamboyant TV-chef manner. Leave it be – again, the food will cool and it won't brown.

Fourth, get rid of your non-stick pan. You want stick! Leave the Teflon for cooking eggs (although, in fact, used properly, a steel pan with a thick bottom will cover all eventualities). And finally, leave the olive oil for dressings. The post-Jamie's Italy home-cooking revolution has brainwashed us into believing olive oil is good, all other oils are bad, but it has a much lower burning point than peanut or sunflower oil, so it is harder to brown things with – and besides, it has too dominant a flavour for most dishes.

This browning is called the Maillard reaction, after the French physician, Louis Camille Maillard, who discovered it. It is not a "sealing" of the meat (as even the usually irreproachable Rowley Leigh still insists on calling it), and anyway, juices don't leak out of meat when you cook it, they retreat to the centre, which is why resting the meat after cooking to let the juices redistribute is so important. Browning can only happen at high temperatures, way above the boiling point of water (if your food is wet, it won't brown). It is the second most important flavour element of cooking, after seasoning.

You can use browning as the basis for a stunning sauce worthy of the greatest restaurant on earth. It is a basic principle you can employ for virtually any meat or poultry. Here's how:

Get the pan hot, add the oil, turn the heat down slightly and add the meat. Leave the meat be for a while so that the surface in contact with the oil has time to build up a good brown crust. When that surface is nicely browned, turn the meat and move it to another part of the pan. You will notice that it will have left brown bits on the surface of the pan. It looks like a washing-up nightmare, but this is manna to a cook. By the time you've browned the meat on all sides, you want the entire surface of the pan to be covered with brown sticky bits. If you don't have enough meat to build up a good crust, throw in some trimmings, bones, or, if it's chicken, some chopped wings.

Next, degrease by tipping the trimmings or bones into a sieve and dabbing excess oil from the pan gently with kitchen paper, being careful not to dislodge the brownings (I always imagine I am restoring an old master). Add a mirepoix of chopped celery, carrot, onion and garlic – around 20 per cent of the volume of meat; fry gently so it softens and browns too; add the trimmings again and deglaze with wine or the alcohol of your choice (perhaps not Baileys), or even just water.

From there, you can make a simple jus by adding just an inch or so of water then reducing it; or add the same amount of stock and reduce as the first stage for dozens of classic sauces. Whichever course you choose (for every day, I just use water, then swirl in a little chilled, cubed butter), you will have a sensational sauce that will politely introduce the flavours of the vegetables to those of the meat to create a wondrously harmonious plate.

Source:www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-dr ink/features/how-to-cookw ithout-using-recipes-7814 12.html 

She was named a first-team provincial all-star last season and, later, an All-Canadian. For those accomplishments, Jaclyn Nazareno has now received a Premier’s Athletic Award.

Nazareno, a guard for the UNBC Northern Timberwolves women’s basketball team, has certainly garnered her share of recognition for the terrific year she had in 2006-07.

And the awards? They never get boring.

“They don’t,” she said with a laugh during a Tuesday media conference at UNBC. “I’m definitely honoured with every single one and almost surprised every time. It’s nice to be recognized. It not only recognizes me but the program and my team as well.”

In the 2006-07 B.C. Colleges Athletic Association season, Nazareno finished second in league scoring average with 20.06 points per game. From her shooting guard position, she led the Timberwolves to an 11-5 record.

Nazareno, a 21-year-old product of Maple Ridge, was in Vancouver on Monday to receive her award from Premier Gordon Campbell. She was one of 99 athletes in 56 different sports to be honoured.

Nazareno was presented with a commemorative plaque and had her picture taken with Campbell.

The Premier’s gathering was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the downtown core. The ceremony was extra special for Nazareno because her parents, Suzanne and Joe, were in attendance.

“It was nice to share it with them because they are a huge part of what I accomplish,” Nazareno said.

This was the second time since last fall that Nazareno had been in the same room as Campbell. She also saw him when he was in Prince George in September for the grand opening of the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.

This time, Campbell told Nazareno “to keep up the good work.” Nazareno said Campbell “also mentioned how beautiful the (Sport Centre) facility was.”

Nazareno, now in her fourth season with the Timberwolves, was nominated for the Premier’s Athletic Award by her head coach, Loralyn Murdoch.

“I’m extremely happy for her,” said Murdoch, who put forward the nomination in December.

“She works extremely hard. This award is strictly athletic but, as an all-around student, she’s a B-average student, has top grades and is out in the community doing everything. To get an award like that from the premier of our province is pretty special.”

Nazareno, a history student, also got words of praise from UNBC president Don Cozzetto on Tuesday.

“She’s clearly a leader on our team and she also epitomizes the role that athletes play at the university, in the sense that she is engaged in our university community and she does very well academically as well,” Cozzetto said. “She has the kinds of leadership skills and academic skills that will stand her in very good stead as she moves forward once she graduates from here.”

Nazareno was the only female college basketball player to receive the award. The male award went to Andrew Sturgeon, a former UNBC forward who moved on to play for the Douglas College Royals of New Westminster.

Five other local athletes also picked up Premier’s awards on Monday. They were: Elisha Williams (wheelchair basketball); Robert Hedges (wheelchair basketball); Matt Neumann (biathlon); Kenny Lally (boxing); and Jennifer Simm (freestyle skiing

Source:www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&am p;task=view&id=117895 &Itemid=564 

The Tiger population has declined by more than half in the country. According to the government's tiger census report, there are only 1411 tigers are now left in the wild. The report was released in New Delhi yesterday. This is a massive fall from 2002 when the tiger population was estimated to be 3642

.

Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Rajesh Gopal, said that the new and additional methods have been used for tiger census this time. He pointed out that there were some slippages in the last census as it was based on pugmark. He, however, said, that currently tigers are spotted largely in the forest areas of 17 states in the country, Madhya Pradesh topping the list with 300 tigers.
Earlier inaugurating the two-day conference of State Forest Ministers and officials in New Delhi during the day, the union Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Mr.S Raghupathy said, steps have been taken for strengthening the tiger conservation and wild life habitats in the country.

Meanwhile the Assam Chief Minister, Mr. Tarun Gogoi has reviewed the security scenario in the Kaziranga National park. Government has rushed additional one hundred armed Home Guards to counter the challenges posed by rhino-horn poachers. As many as twenty rare and endangered one-horned rhinoceros were killed by poachers in the park and taken away their precious horns during last one year. The forest guards have captured five poachers and handed them over to the state police.
Kaziranga was declared as a National Park in 1974.

Source:www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=national&id=N N825 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Tens of thousands of troops fanned out across Pakistan on Tuesday to bolster security ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, but senior military officials say they would not try to interfere with the vote.

Underscoring concerns that violence could mar the election, at least nine people were wounded Tuesday in a bomb blast near the office of a candidate in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. It was the latest in a string of attacks that have overshadowed the campaign.

"The bomb was planted in a bicycle parked near the election office where Sardar Aslam Bizenjo was preparing to address a press conference," said Hamid Shakeel, the police chief in Khuzdar, 185 miles south of Quetta.

The candidate was unhurt and there were no immediate claims of responsibility.

There are concerns that militants could launch attacks during the Feb. 18 vote, seen as key to Pakistan's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the war against terrorism.

But the main fear is a major outbreak of political violence if there are allegations of vote rigging.

Interior Ministry spokesman, Jawed Iqbal Cheema said provincial officials had asked for the troops to help maintain peace and order during the election, but promised that none would be stationed at voting stations — a move which could serve to intimidate voters.

The army had earlier said it would only deploy if it was asked to do so by civilian authorities.

Arif Ahmad Khan, the home secretary in the southern province of Sindh, said around 24,000 troops would be deployed there alone.

Furqan Bahadur, home secretary in Baluchistan, said security forces there would be placed on standby, responding only if violence flared.

"We do not want to reach a point where we have to say the situation is out of our control," Khan said.

Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani has sought to refocus the military away from politics since he took over the top job last November when Musharraf resigned gave up the post.

Last month, Kayani issued a directive barring officers from unauthorized meetings with politicians and said last week the army would limit its role in the elections to providing security.

Over the weekend, dozens of people were killed in a suicide bombing and an attack Monday wounded a candidate while he was campaigning.

Security forces also were searching for Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan, who was missing and feared kidnapped as he traveled in a volatile Pakistani tribal region.

The security threat has heightened at a time when public support for Musharraf has plunged to an all-time low. Opposition parties loyal to the late Benazir Bhutto and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appear poised for a landslide victory, recent polls showed.

Musharraf is not a candidate but needs commanding majority in the new parliament to block any moves to impeach him.

He is grappling with rising Islamic extremism in his country, especially in northwest regions bordering Afghanistan.

He also faces political dissent following his move late last year to oust Supreme Court judges seen as a challenge to his rule, raising fresh questions Tuesday about the credibility of the vote.

The deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, and his family remain under house arrest in Islamabad. Several other senior independent-minded judges are also restricted to their homes.

"Days before Pakistan goes to the polls, its lawful chief justice and his children remain under illegal house arrest, as do many lawyers who would likely challenge election-rigging in the courts," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement released Tuesday.

"Musharraf's systematic destruction of legal institutions has seriously compromised the upcoming elections."

Source:ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIE0IUn 4WIiaMBpjG8SI_6H5RXzgD8UO NSJ80 

Investigations into whether Diana, Princess of Wales, was murdered have cost British taxpayers about £6 million.

The figure comes on top of the reported £3.6 million spent by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens' Operation Paget investigation into the case.

The money does not include costs run up by Mohamed al Fayed, the father of Dodi, also killed in the car crash in Paris. Mr al Fayed is reportedly paying for three separate legal teams at the inquest.

Mr al Fayed's Ritz Hotel in Paris is represented at the High Court proceedings, which is funding lawyers for the family of the driver Henri Paul, the jury has heard.

Lord Stevens launched Operation Paget in 2004 at the request of Michael Burgess, the Royal Coroner who was overseeing the future Diana inquest at the time.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/1 2/ndiana212.xml 

The Sony Ericsson W960i is a 3G handset that is designed specially for music lovers. Features like 3 mega pixel camera with auto focus, flash and video recording are some of the impressive features that add to its USP. The Sony Ericsson W960i is a 3G handset that is designed specially for music lovers. Features like 3 mega pixel camera with auto focus, flash and video recording are some of the impressive features that add to its USP.

Earlier, mobile phones were considered just a luxury. But things have changed now. These tiny gadgets have become an important part of our life. Whether you wish to browse the web, play games, listen to music or click pictures, these devices are the only choice that provides us all these facilities . The feature-rich mobile phones include cameras, music systems, gaming devices and lots more.

The UK mobile phone market is overflowing with the latest technology gadgets at competitive prices and deals. A great way to obtain these devices is through online mobile shops. This is the most convenient way to get the latest handset at a reasonable price.

The Sony Ericsson Mobile phones  Walkman series is famous for its advanced music features and technology. Great quality music has been made possible with dedicated music software and user-interface. These music oriented phones from Sony offer incredible sound quality. The walkman phones are becoming very popular among the music lovers throughout the world.

The Sony Ericsson W960i  is a 3G phone with features like a 2.6 inch touchscreen display with advanced handwriting recognition, web browsing,and a 3 mega pixel camera with auto focus, flash and video recording. The 8GB of storage space is enough for your essential files.

The handset is designed to suit the needs of music lovers. This slim and lightweight handset offers an excellent music experience with its advanced walkman player interface, multiple file format support, megabass, Bluetooth with A2DP, music tones in MP3 and AAC, PlayNow and TrackID features. The enhanced media player is very impressive as is its camera.

The touch-sensitive screen supports 262,144 colours at a resolution of 240x320 pixel. The handset runs on advanced Symbian OS and supports Wi-fi, GPRS, RSS and full version Opera web browser.

The handset is the best companion for the music lovers and for those who love to carry their favourite music on the move. This portable device has a feature called TrackID that gives back the name of the artist, the name of the album and the name of the song. You have the flexibility to store around 8000 songs in the handset. Transfer music, photos and videos to compatible handsets.

You can easily acquire this handset with attractive deals and offers from the online mobile shops.

Source:www.freepressreleases.co.uk/Press_Releases/Telecom s_News/Sony_Ericsson_W960 i:_An_impressive_gadget_2 008021112261/ 

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI), on which the Government sets inflation targets, rose last month from 2.1% in December.

Inflation has reached its highest level since July 2007 and remains above the 2% target set by the Treasury, meaning the Bank of England may have acted prematurely when it cut rates earlier this month.

Some analysts were expecting a bigger jump in inflation following two base rate cuts in the past three months, but the Bank of England is likely to remain concerned about inflation and further rate cuts seem unlikely in the near future.

According to the National Office of Statistics, petrol prices rose 1.3p in January to 103.9p per litre, the latest in a string of petrol price rises.

Source:www.ifaonline.co.uk/public/showPage.html?page=700882 

Greater co-operation between business and schools could help improve skills and education in Leicester, a conference heard last night.

People from community and voluntary groups, campaigners and other members of the public came to discuss how the city should change over the next 25 years.

The event was the latest in the series of People's Panels held at the City Rooms, in Hotel Street, to help the city council develop its vision for the next quarter of a century.

The main theme of the latest conference was how to give the people of Leicester the skills they need to deal with the challenges of the future.

Ideas raised at the meeting included trying to encourage university graduates to stay in Leicester after finishing their studies, opening more sport and play areas for children and increasing discipline in schools.

Other people said more private businesses should help schools by providing expertise, running vocational training courses and offering work experience.

John Cheetham, of Wing Production House, a Leicester-based performing arts company, said students had to be given a greater variety of options to study in schools and colleges.

He said: "Not all young people are academic and we really need to push vocational courses to increase their skills.

"Some parents might see this as failure, but we've got to get over to them that it is not at all."

Darren Hines, chairman of Greater Humberstone Community Development, said more had to be done to provide play areas for children. He said: "Youngsters are overrunning the streets and that's because we've taken away all their play facilities. We need to get respect back by providing more things for them to do."

The city council has already drawn up an action plan to transform learning and raise standards in education over the next few years.

The People's Panels are gathering responses from people to form a vision for a longer period of time.

Eddie Playfair, the principal of Regent College, Leicester, said raising standards needs to be seen as everyone's duty and it could not be done in isolation.

He said: "One of the most exciting developments is that, when the exam results come out this year, city schools are going to talk in terms of city-wide results rather than saying 'My school is better than another one'. Nobody can say 'It's not my problem'."

Kim Blower, a city councillor who represents Eyres Monsell, said she hoped that within 25 years people would have a different view of Leicester's youth.

She said: "The young people in the city are looked upon in a bad light and adults see them as yobs causing a nuisance.

"I hope that, within 25 years, there's a shift in culture and we look at them much more positively and, if we see young people with nothing to do in the street, we realise it's our fault for not providing them with anything."

Phillip Parkinson, the chairman of Leicester Partnership, which is running the consultation with the city council, said he hoped the whole city would take an interest in its future.

Source:www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=132384&com mand=displayContent&s ourceNode=232710&home =yes&more_nodeId1=132 393&contentPK=1985168 7

BAGHDAD - Twin car bombs targeted a meeting of Sunni tribal leaders Monday, killing as many as 22 people in the latest attack against U.S. allies who have turned against al-Qaida in Iraq.

The U.S. military blamed al-Qaida in Iraq.

The attackers managed to penetrate heavy security to leave bomb-rigged cars near a Baghdad compound hosting chieftains from the western Anbar province, where the so-called Awakening Council movement against al-Qaida emerged last year.

The blasts were also near the offices of one of Iraq's most powerful Shiite politicians, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim. But Iraqi authorities said the apparent target was the Sunni tribal heads.

Insurgents _ either led or inspired by al-Qaida _ have stepped up assaults against fellow Sunnis who are credited with helping drive out extremists from key parts of Baghdad and surrounding areas.

Sheik Ali Hatem al-Sulaiman, deputy chief of Anbar province's biggest Sunni tribe and a leading member of the Anbar Awakening Council, said six of their bodyguards were among those killed. At least 20 were wounded, he said.

He also blamed al-Qaida in Iraq, which has increasingly targeted Sunnis who have turned against it.

The Anbar sheiks often meet in Baghdad. They also have lobbied parliament in recent days over stalled draft legislation that would set a date for provincial elections.

"Al-Qaida and those who assist al-Qaida are targeting our offices. We ask the government not to diminish our role," al-Sulaiman told The Associated Press, insisting on a tribal right to revenge.

"It has become a reprisal issue now and we don't want the government or the U.S. forces to interfere," he said. "It is an open war against those criminals, and we will fight in our own way."

A dense cloud of black smoke filled the air as firefighters hosed down dozens of charred vehicles. The blasts ripped a crater two yards wide in the asphalt.

The chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, said an explosives-laden minibus and a sedan blew up nearly simultaneously _ the first near a gas station and the second within minutes near the tribal chiefs meeting.

Iraqi police and hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information, said at least 22 people were killed and 42 wounded. But the U.S. military gave a lower casualty toll, saying 15 people were killed and 29 wounded in the blast in the predominantly Shiite Karradah district.

The first blast occurred at an intersection, killing 10 Iraqi civilians and wounding 20, while the second struck a gas station, killing four civilians and one Iraqi soldier, and wounding nine, the military said in a statement released Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military pressed forward with its campaign against Shiite extremists who have refused to follow a cease-fire ordered by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who controls the most powerful Shiite militia faction. The cease-fire expires later this month.

American soldiers captured a suspected Shiite militia commander and one other suspect Monday in the latest of several days of raids in Shiite holy cities south of the capital.

The suspect was allegedly involved in coordinating weapons shipments and planning attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces in the Iraqi provinces of Wasit, Babil and Najaf, the military said. It did not give details on the second suspect.

Sadrist lawmaker Ahmed al-Masaoudi, however, insisted the two men arrested in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, were one of his guards and his brother, and he demanded their immediate release.

CBS, meanwhile, reported that two of its journalists had gone missing in the predominantly Shiite southern city of Basra. CBS did not name the journalists but said all efforts were under way to find them and requested "that others do not speculate on the identities of those involved."

Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, has seen fierce fighting between rival Shiite militias as part of a power struggle in the oil-rich south.

The British military turned over responsibility for the province to the Iraqis in December but maintains forces near the city, about 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Also Monday, the U.S. military announced the death of an American soldier, killed in a roadside bombing a day earlier. At least 3,960 American troops have died in Iraq since the war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Associated Press writers Hamid Ahmed and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

Source:www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/02/12/a p/headlines/d8uokr800.txt 

Nokia presents it latest upgraded N95 8GB model with demanding features. It has 2.8 inch screen bright display screen, digital camera, integrated FM player, GPS navigation system and other attractive astounding functions. Nokia presents it latest upgraded N95 8GB model with demanding features. It has 2.8 inch screen bright display screen, digital camera, integrated FM player, GPS navigation system and other attractive astounding functions.

Nokia is credited for designing and developing several sophisticated mobile phone models. Its latest Nokia N95 8GB  model is an upgraded version of N95. This 3G smartphone has slide-opening mechanism. This ultimate device comes in an attractive design and exhibits excellent performance. Available in two colours, it ensures construction solution to the users. Its dual slider function allows easy switching to keypad and music player.

It is very light and weighs only 120 gms. This phone is quite slim and measures 99 X 53 X 21 mm. With unique display TFT screen supporting16 million colours, the handset offers unlimited storage facility and has internal flash memory of 8GB. You can store innumerable photos, videos, music and files. For amateur and laggards, the mobile offers unique photography experience as, it is equipped with 5 mega pixel camera powered with an integrated flash, digital zoom, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens and auto focus. The mobile also allow sharing of images and videos with friends. Accompanied with editing options like video image editors, you can modify the images.

For the music fans, Nokia N95 8GB has Visual radio, Stereo FM and music player supporting all music formats like MP3, AAC+, AAC, M4A, WMA and EAAC+. It can be considered as a stunning entertainment gadget with range of features like embedded Java games, video call, PIS, quad-band phone, Bluetooth 2.0 extending A2DP, etc. It has 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz frequency bands allowing global connectivity. For swift internet connectivity, the phone has GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, Infrared port, direct VoIP support and mini USB connector.

The mobile has enough capabilities to remain in touch with your close ones like SMS, MMS and emailing. Send text messages, enjoy 3G video-calling and see the person with whom you’re talking. The 3.5 mm Jack, QVGA display and two way slider make it more user-friendly. This device has internal memory of 160 GB which can be extended to 2GB by inserting a MicroSD card slot. Featuring GPS navigation system , it displays maps of over 100 countries. The other added functionality are push to talk, office document viewer, TV output, and voice dial.

Source:www.freepressreleases.co.uk/Press_Releases/Telecom s_News/Nokia_n95_8gb:_Gre at_Style_2008021112257/&n bsp;

THE Under-12s visited title challengers Whinney Banks and got off to a flying start before tiring to a 7-2 defeat after the break.

Playing with the wind, Town went 1-0 up after a free-kick from Daniel Rowe was saved and Jordan Laverick was on hand to stroke in the rebound from close range.

Soon afterwards, a great through ball from Jack Bennetts teed up Laverick for his second.

For the rest of the half, Town battled hard in midfield and defended resolutely at the back, conceding only one to go into the break 2-1 up.

After the break, Whinney Banks upped the pace and took advantage of playing with the wind as they stormed back to take a 3-2 lead. As Town tired towards the end of a tough game, the home side added a further four goals to seal a 7-2 victory.

Under-11Bs travelled to Cargo Fleet and attacked at pace in the first half with the wind behind them.

Town should have taken the lead but chances for Liam Ferguson and Joal Wardell were well saved by the keeper.

Against the run of play Cargo Fleet broke away and grabbed the opener.

Town kept up the pressure and got a deserved leveler when Ferguson broke into the box and squared the ball to Wardell to rifle home.

The home side came out after the break the stronger team and they grabbed the lead through a deflected shot.

Fleet continued to forage forward looking to extend their lead but Town stopper Jack Foster put in a man-of-the-match performance with some fine saves to deny them.

Town had their chances in the second half but went down 2-1 in a excellent game.

Source:ts23.gazettelive.co.uk/2008/02/billingham_tow n_junior_footbal.html 

The FINANCIAL -- LG Electronics (LG), a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced that it will demonstrate its almost market-ready Long Term Evolution (LTE) – a top contender to become the standard technology for 4G mobile networks – in cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, Spain from February 11 through 14.

"The wireless LTE technology LG will showcase this year is two to three times faster than the wired technology it demonstrated last year. With download speeds of up to 60 Mbps and uploads at up to 40 Mbps, this LTE technology is fully capable of real time high definition video streaming, with no choppiness or buffer time. It is fully six times faster than HSDPA (High Speed Download packet Access) and eight times faster than HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access). This means that phones built for LTE networks could download a 700 megabyte movie in 90 seconds or a three megabyte MP3 file in 0.4 second." LG reports.

The technology demonstration will use an LTE handset platform developed by LG and base station technology from Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel. This is not a laboratory simulation and will demonstrate how close to commercialization LTE is. The demonstration will use real mobile phone frequency ranges and components that can be further miniaturized for use in actual handsets. It will also show how LTE can be used in real-life situations like video conferencing, uploading user generated content to the internet and streaming security camera video.

“This demonstration shows that we are fully on track for commercializing Long Term Evolution technology,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “This demonstration clearly shows LG’s advantage in developing Long Term Evolution micro receivers for handsets. We at LG have drawn up the blueprints for the future of wireless technology and these new networks will allow us to better provide our customers with the services and content they demand.”

LTE is likely to become the next standard for high speed wireless networks, as it can be added to existing WCDMA and HSDPA networks without the need to build additional infrastructure. This demonstration shows the leading roles played by LG, Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel in moving LTE toward commercial use.

To further promote the speedy commercialization of LTE technology LG has joined the Next Generation Mobile Network, an association dedicated to the creation of networks suitable for the competitive delivery of mobile broadband services and cost-efficient eventual replacement of existing networks.

LG is also the first Korean company to join the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI), an association promoting the early adoption of the Third Generation Partnership Project’s Long Term Evolution technology, or 3GPP LTE.

To see this technology demonstration in person, visit LG’s booth during the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Hall 8 of Fira de Barcelona.

Source:finchannel.com/index.php?option=com_content&am p;task=view&id=6247&a mp;Itemid=51

First time buyers witness house prices fall in latest DCLG UK house price stats (November 2007)

The mix-adjusted average house price in the UK in December 2007 stood at £219,591, up from £218,662 in November 2007 (not seasonally adjusted). UK annual house price inflation in December 2007 was 9.1 per cent, down from 9.7 per cent in November 2007. Annual house price inflation in London was 13.5 per cent in December, down from 14.5 per cent in November...

This is the second consecutive month that the annual house price inflation rate has fallen. The UK annual house price inflation rate for the 3 months to December was 10.0 per cent and 15.2 per cent in London.

House Price Inflation: Regional

The UK house price inflation rate fell from 9.7 per cent in November 2007 to 9.1 per cent in December 2007. Between November and December there was a rise of 0.4 per cent in the prices index of properties bought compared with a larger rise of 0.9 per cent over the same period last year resulting in a decrease in the inflation rate

The rise in UK prices between November and December can be attributed to increases in average prices for detached houses (1.0 per cent), terraced houses (0.6 per cent), flats (0.5 per cent) and semi-detached houses (0.2 per cent). It is partly offset by a fall in the price of bungalows (2.3 per cent).

England, Scotland and Northern Ireland saw decreases in house price inflation in December 2007. In England annual house price inflation fell from 9.3 per cent in November to 9.0 per cent in December; In Scotland annual house price inflation fell from 14.1 per cent in November to 10.8 per cent in December; In Northern Ireland annual house price inflation fell from 17.4 per cent in November to 12.0 per cent in December. Wales, though, saw an increase in house price inflation from 6.0 per cent in November to 6.1 per cent in December.

House price inflation fell in five of the English regions and rose in the other four regions.

The highest inflation rate was in London (13.5 percent) followed by the South East (11.0 per cent), and the East (8.4 per cent). Inflation rates were lower in the South West (8.0 per cent), East Midlands (7.4 per cent) and the North West (6.7 per cent). The lowest inflation rates were in Yorkshire and the Humber (5.8 per cent), the North East (4.4 per cent) and the West Midlands (4.0 per cent).

House Prices: Regional

Mix-adjusted average house prices in December were £227,765 in England, £167,739 in Wales, £163,206 in Scotland and £219,698 in Northern Ireland.

The English region with the highest average house price in December remains London at £340,631. The lowest average price was in the North East at £151,085. Of the English regions, only the East, London, South East and the South West had average prices above the UK average.

House Price Inflation: Type of Buyer

The UK house price inflation rate for first time buyers fell from 9.8 per cent in November to 9.5 per cent in December. There was a rise of 0.5 per cent in the prices index between November and December in the properties bought by first time buyers compared with a larger rise of 0.8 per cent over the same period last year.

The inflation rate for former owner occupiers fell from 9.7 per cent in November to 9.0 per cent in December. There was a rise of 0.4 per cent in the prices index between November and December in the properties bought by former owner occupiers, compared with a rise of 1.0 per cent over the sameperiod last year.

The average price paid by first time buyers across the whole of the UK was £166,734 in December, while the average price paid by former owner occupiers was £245,522.

Source:firstrung.co.uk/articles.asp?pageid=NEWS&artic lekey=9023&cat=44-0-0  

Washington, Feb 09: Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt has slammed reports claiming that his and partner Angelina Jolie’s biological child Shiloh is the target of death threats.

‘Life & Style’ magazine had recently revealed that Pitt and Jolie have beefed up their security because their daughter Shiloh has been getting death threats.

However, the 44-year-old actor insisted that such claims were "reckless and dangerous".

“This is absolutely not true and reckless and dangerous to put these ideas out into the world," Usmagazine quoted Pitt, as saying.

This flawed report in Life & Style is the latest in a series of bogus stories by Bauer Publishing, which also publishes In Touch.

Last month, In Touch falsely claimed that Britney Spears had written a suicide note and Jamie Lynn Spears was "dumped."

Source:www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=423432&sid=EN T&ssid=1 

Site founder has big plans for soci-able.ca

Are you soci-able.ca? Students have been bombarded with that question at metro's university campuses for the last few months.

For anyone who doesn't know what it means, it's advertising for a blog that dishes up cheeky commentary on campus news from across Canada.

Dalhousie University student Luke Acker launched the blog for the city's 20,000 full-time university students in the fall.

"For this many students in one town, there needed to be a common forum for gathering news and hopefully sharing news and current university issues," said the 21-year-old from Herring Cove.

The site focuses on things students talk about: student loans, sky-high tuition, the price of beer and what's on YouTube.

Animal testing

Some of its latest updates criticize the province's recent announcement to save students two per cent on their loan interest. It snipes at the idea of a new book about "hooking up" on campus with a link to a Q&A with the author.

It sums up a controversial article about animal testing at University of British Columbia and posts a link to watch students' reaction at the Vancouver school. The blog also posts a link to an outrageous 1955 education film about why women need science as much as men - to keep house, plan nutritious meals and take care of babies.

"We try to stay on top of issues that are worth reading," Acker said. "We try to steer very clear of university gossip."

Acker says he gathers news from student newspapers and Maclean's magazine, and promotes through "viral marketing," such as sidewalk chalk designs and Post-it note murals in libraries and on commuter routes. So far, he said the site has attracted about 2,000 readers a day.

The third-year management student, who's taking a year off to get the blog off the ground, says he wants it to be a hub of university news in the region, and eventually for the nation.

It isn't making any money yet, though.

Acker says he plans to approach local businesses after the site has been up for a year.

Source:www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=106970&sc=89

Energy provider E.ON yesterday became the latest firm to unveil inflation-busting price rises for gas and electricity customers.

The German-owned company, which used to be called Powergen, said gas prices will go up by 15% and electricity by 9.7% from today. The changes will affect nearly 5million customers.

E.ON's announcement follows other large price increases this year by four other energy firms - British Gas, Scottish Power, Npower and EDF.

E.ON said 550,000 families on fixed-price deals would be unaffected by the rises which will be delayed until April 1 for 670,000 "vulnerable" customers.

They have gone up by 60% over the past year, it said.

A customer's average dual fuel bill will go up from pounds913 to pounds1,031.

Chancellor Alistair Darling was urged last night to earmark a windfall increase in revenue from VAT on soaring gas and electricity bills to subsidise insulation and central heating for the poorest households.

The plea came from West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Liberal Democrat MP Sir Robert Smith. He said the government should channel the extra income "into schemes that make it easier for vulnerable households to keep their homes warm".

He put down a motion in Westminster noting other increases by Scottish Power, Npower, EDF and British Gas and suggested pounds175million revenue expected should be earmarked for these schemes.

SNP energy spokesman Mike Weir, MP for Angus, said the latest increases strengthened the case he has made for an inquiry into why the energy market is not working for the consumer.

(c) 2008 Press and Journal, The Aberdeen (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source:www.redorbit.com/news/business/1248255 /eon_gas_and_electricity_ prices_to_soar/ 

The Food and Drug Administration's warning includes both Botox, a wrinkle-specific version called Botox Cosmetic, and its competitor, Myobloc, drugs that all use botulinum toxin to block nerve impulses, causing them to relax.

In rare case

,

the toxin can spread beyond the injection site to other parts of the body, paralyzing or weakening the muscles used for breathing and swallowing, a potentially fatal side effect, the FDA said.

Botox is best known for minimizing wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles — but botulinum toxin also is widely used for a variety of muscle-spasm conditions, such as cervical dystonia or severe neck spasms.

The FDA said the deaths it is investigating so far all involve children, mostly cerebral palsy patients being treated for spasticity in their legs. The FDA has never formally approved that use for the drugs, but some other countries have.

However, the FDA warned that it also is probing reports of illnesses in people of all ages who used the drugs for a variety of conditions, including at least one hospitalization of a woman given Botox for forehead wrinkles.

The FDA wouldn't say exactly how many reports it is probing.

"We're not talking hundreds. It's a relative handful," said Dr. Russell Katz, FDA's neurology chief.

But the agency warned that patients receiving a botulinum toxin injection for any reason — cosmetic or medical — should be told to seek immediate care if they suffer symptoms of botulism, including: difficulty swallowing or breathing, slurred speech, muscle weakness, or difficulty holding up their head.

"I think people should be aware there's a potential for this to happen," Katz said. "People should be on the lookout for it."

Friday's warning came two weeks after the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to strengthen warnings to users of Botox and Myobloc — citing 180 reports of U.S. patients suffering fluid in the lungs, difficulty swallowing or pneumonia, including 16 deaths.

Nor is it the first warning. The drugs' labels do warn about the potential for botulinum toxin to spread beyond the injection site and occasionally kill, but the warnings link that side effect to patients with certain neuromuscular diseases, such as myasthenia gravis.

That's what's different about these latest cases, said FDA's Katz: The botulism toxin seems to be harming people who don't have that particular risk factor. (Cerebral palsy involves a brain injury, not a disease.)

Still, the FDA cautioned that its investigation is in the early stages. It has asked Botox maker Allergan Inc. and Myobloc maker Solstice Neurosciences Inc. to provide additional safety records.

Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said children with cerebral palsy receive far larger doses injected into their leg muscles than the doses given adults seeking wrinkle care.

In a statement, Solstice said it supports FDA's probe but stressed that the agency hasn't concluded the drug poses any new risk.

While the FDA said the problems may be related to overdoses, it also has reports of side effects with a variety of doses.

Public Citizen's Dr. Sidney Wolfe criticized FDA's warning as falling short. He asked that the agency order a black-box warning, the FDA's strongest type, be put on the drugs' labels and require that every patient receive a pamphlet outlining the risk before each injection.

"Every doctor needs to notified about this, every patient needs to be notified," Wolfe said. "Children are showing the way, unfortunately some dead children."

He said drug regulators in Britain and Germany last year required that sterner warnings be sent to every doctor in those countries.

Source:ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iPIcKUv nY5taSrr2y_KWPTml4gSAD8UM N7K01 

iPhone World is proud to announce the latest addition to its features designed to maximize the news delivery process to Apple iPhone owners with a new iPhone news e-mail service.

As of now, daily iPhone World news and articles compilation is available to everyone that has an e-mail account and subscribe to this service.

Sent once a day between 5am to 7am EST, it will provide iPhone enthusiasts with their morning iPhone news fix that includes the latest general and technical iPhone news, iPhone rumors, new iPhone products (such as iPhone accessories, webapps, games, and more), iPhone hacking tools and news, and more.

Source:www.iphoneworld.ca/announcements/2008/02/ 09/iphone-news-in-your-e- mail/ 

SHAMELESS star Jody Latham faced the naked truth in the middle of a council estate while filming his latest role.

For once, it wasn't the Chatsworth estate he had to worry about, but a tough area of south London.

"It caused quite a stir. I'm sure there were some gunshots going off as well," says the Salford-based actor, better known as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher - eldest son of Frank - in the hit Channel 4 show.

He takes on a new character as petty thief Calum McKenzie in six-part ITV1 drama series The Fixer, due on screen next month.

It stars Bolton actor Andrew Buchan - who was local carpenter Jem Hearne in Cranford and Scott Foster in Party Animals - as hitman for the State John Mercer, plus Peter Mullan, Tamzin Outhwaite and Liz White. One episode sees Calum out cold after a drink and drugs binge.

John gives him a wake-up call by leaving him in his birthday suit on a ground floor bench in the middle of the London tower blocks.

"Fortunately, they got us a personal trainer because they wanted us in shape. So when it came to getting naked, I'm in pretty reasonable shape, regardless of the fry-ups we had every morning on set," explains Jody.

"I kind of secretly enjoyed it - it was fun, because I had loads of women running round holding coats around me. We had extra costume girls on and there were the make-up girls," he grins.

"And because I was naked, everyone was like, `Oh, we'll cover you up.' And I was saying, `Oh, quick, quick, I'm cold. Come on.' So I had four women around me at any one time, keeping me warm. I loved it."

The first episode in the current series of Shameless (Channel 4, Tuesdays, 10pm) saw Lip having to deal with a surprise visit from his university lover. It also came as quite a shock to long-term girlfriend Mandy Maguire (Samantha Siddall), mother of his young daughter Katie.

Lip is now back at college pursuing his studies, enabling Jody to work on other things. But he hopes to return to the Wythenshawe-based drama to guest in one or two episodes in the next series.

A further 16 episodes are due to start filming in April or May, this time with David Threlfall as an executive producer, as well as his current role of both playing Frank and directing a number of the weekly visits to the Chatsworth estate.

"I decided way before I even got involved in The Fixer that I wanted to work on other projects," explains Burnley-born Jody, 26. "Some of the previous cast have disconnected themselves from Shameless. I didn't want to do that.

"One reason is because I owe it to the audience. By disconnecting yourself, it's almost like you're saying you're never coming back. And that wasn't the decision I wanted to make.

"And also my respect to the production. Shameless was a massive job for me and my career. It's done a lot for me. But it was taking up a lot of time and a lot of commitment out of my career, and I just wanted to do other stuff."

That includes the role of associate producer on new feature film Act of Grace, recently made over 22 days in Liverpool. The cast includes Gerard Kearns, who plays Ian Gallagher in Shameless.

Jody's role in The Fixer meant he had to move to London for three months, the longest time he has spent working away from home. "That was the only negative thing. But, other than that, I've had the time of my life.

"I found out I'd got the part when I was on holiday in Ibiza. I was four days into it and I got a phone call from my agent saying I'd got the job. So I booked a flight and came straight home."

As with Lip, Calum appears to have a way with the ladies. "I don't actually know any actors who've had more sex scenes than I have, or stole more cars on screen than I have," he laughs.

"I've stole 12 cars on screen. I don't know how many sex scenes I've had, but I'm sure it's double that. I wish I was as lucky in real life."

Source:www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and _tv/s/1035687_public_stri p_was_so_shameless 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Swiss-based Xstrata <XTA.L> on Friday raised its cash offer for Australian coal miner Resource Pacific Ltd <RSP.AX> by 12 percent to A$1.08 billion ($964 million) and declared it final.

The offer, increased by A$0.35 to A$3.20 a share, was extended until February 22.

Resource Pacific Managing Director Paul Jury told Reuters the new offer was "unimpressive" and his board was advising its shareholders against taking any immediate action while it prepared a formal response to the sweetened offer.

"I see Xstrata's offer as a sign of desperation," Jury said.

Xstrata in December launched its first offer for Resource Pacific at A$2.85 a share, trumping an all-share offer from another Australian coal miner, New Hope Corp <NHC.AX>. Resource Pacific earlier on Friday formally rejected that offer. A company spokeswoman said a response to the latest offer was under discussion by the company.

Resource Pacific has said that an independent assessment had valued the firm's shares at between A$3.56-A$4.09 a piece, with a preferred value of A$3.82 a share.

Shares in Resource Pacific, which has a market value of about A$1 billion, ended 0.7 percent higher at A$2.98, with the increased offer coming after the close of trade on Friday.

Xstrata <XTA.L> has been one of the most acquisitive-minded foreign companies in the Australian resources industry since buying MIM Holdings' zinc and copper mines in 2003, and its move on Resource Pacific Holdings <RSP.AX> comes as coal prices rocket amid a supply shortage.

Resource Pacific operates the Newpac coking and thermal coal mine, which neighbors Xstrata mines in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales state.

Rising coal prices have triggered a stampede among producers to gain berths at Australia's over-taxed export terminals. Resource Pacific holds a coveted 4 million tonnes annual shipping quota allocation.

"Given the (Xstrata) offer is now final, it allows us to go out and actively explore all of the options available to us," Jury said.

Analysts have mentioned collieries including Felix Resources <FLX.AX>, Centennial Coal <CEY.AX>, Whitehaven Coal <WHC.AX> and Peabody <BTU.N> as other potential bidders for coal resources. ($1=A$1.12)

(Reporting by James Regan; Editing by James Thornhill)

Source:www.boston.com/business/articles/200 8/02/08/xstrata_ups_bid_f or_resource_pacific_to_a1 1_bln/ 

FASHION stars of the future went from the classroom to the catwalk with their latest collections yesterday.

Art and design students at Central Newcastle High School for Girls unveiled their latest work as part of their studies.

The three-show collection draws inspiration from themes from nature to construction.

The Jesmond school, which boasts its own fashion studio, will showcase the work from both A-level and GCSE students in front of hundreds of family and friends during the show, which finishes tonight.

Head of Art Alison Goldie said the girls’ work was just a snippet of what’s to come in the future.

She said: “They are doing this because it’s really nice for them to see their work on the catwalk and so that they can actively show all the hard work they have been producing.

“There are some amazing designs and they have just pulled it together so quickly. It has been challenging and they can easily achieve bigger things in the future.”

Past pupils of the school include Fiona Sinha, who runs the Sinha-Stanic label along with her Croatian partner Aleksandar Stanic.

She was awarded the prestigious Fashion Forward sponsorship by the British Fashion Council and Westfield London last year.

Source:www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays -news/2008/02/08/designer s-of-the-future-61634-204 51414/ 

The Gerald Peters Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition John Coffer: The Daily Tintype, March 27 to April 25, 2008, with an artist's reception scheduled for March 27, 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The gallery is located at 24 East 78th Street, New York, NY.

New York, NY (Vocus) February 8, 2008 -- The Gerald Peters Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition John Coffer: The Daily Tintype, March 27 to April 25, 2008, with an artist's reception scheduled for March 27, 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The gallery is located at 24 East 78th Street.

John Coffer is a twenty-first century master of an age-old photographic medium known as the wet plate collodion process. Referred to in popular parlance as the nineteenth-century tintype, this technique was used to create photographic portraiture during the mid 1800s. These portraits were cheap, they were fast, they were durable, and, up until recently