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| ©Matson - St Louis Post Dispatch |
Summary: The big story last week continued to be the credit meltdown. The crisis is turning out to be much worse than we were told it would be at the beginning. And, if any fool could have predicted this, and if the bankers are by no means fools, why did they let it get this bad? Is it part of a larger plan?
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| ©Mother Jones |
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| ©Unknown |
| Sutcliffe was jailed for 13 murders |
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| ©Unknown |
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| ©Médecins Sans Frontières |
| MSF staff treat the wounds of the survivors onshore. Yemen 2007 |
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| ©Neal N. Boenzi/The New York Times |
| J. Edgar Hoover was F.B.I. director from 1924 to 1972. |
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| ©csis.org |
In 2000, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were not asked about presidential power, and they volunteered nothing about their attitude toward the issue to voters. Yet once in office, they immediately began seeking out ways to concentrate more unchecked power in the White House -- not just for themselves, but also for their successors. . . .
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US: Turkey Has Right to Defend Itself
Sinan Salheddin
Associated Press
2007-12-23 14:24:00
Baghdad -- Turkey has the right to defend itself against Kurdish rebels based in Iraq but must make sure it does not destabilize its neighbor, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said Sunday.
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US military deaths in Iraq at 3,897
Associated Press
2007-12-23 14:04:00
©Jamie Rector/Getty Images
As of Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at least 3,897 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,171 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
Comment: Hostile action indeed! To illegally invade, occupy and destroy another country.
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9-11 Panel Study Finds That C.I.A. Withheld Tapes
Mark Mazzetti
The New York Times
2007-12-22 12:27:00
WASHINGTON - A review of classified documents by former members of the Sept. 11 commission shows that the panel made repeated and detailed requests to the Central Intelligence Agency in 2003 and 2004 for documents and other information about the interrogation of operatives of Al Qaeda, and were told by a top C.I.A. official that the agency had "produced or made available for review" everything that had been requested.
The review was conducted earlier this month after the disclosure that in November 2005, the C.I.A. destroyed videotapes documenting the interrogations of two Qaeda operatives.
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Barbie 'boasted of hunting down Che'
David Smith
The Guardian
2007-12-23 08:48:00
The CIA made use of a Nazi war criminal's anti-guerrilla skills
Oscar-winning British director Kevin Macdonald has raised the intriguing possibility that Che Guevara's capture by the CIA in the forests of Bolivia 40 years ago was orchestrated by Klaus Barbie, the Nazi war criminal called the 'Butcher of Lyon'.
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Gitmo and the Supreme Court: What Happened?
Andy Worthington
AlterNet
2007-12-22 23:31:00
The Supreme Court's decision in June 2004 has been undermined twice by Congress in the intervening years.
The recent Supreme Court showdown over Guantánamo was billed as "probably the most important habeas corpus case in modern history," according to Law.com, and "the most important civil liberties case of the past 50 years," according to the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). This was no understatement. At stake was the validity of the administration's novel contention, first formulated in November 2001, that it can seize foreigners anywhere in the world, designate them as "enemy combatants" -- rather than as criminals or prisoners of war -- and hold them indefinitely, without charge or trial.
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Propaganda Alert! US troops could soon begin partial Iraq pullout: Gates
Agence France-Presse
2007-12-22 08:15:00
WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Friday voiced hope that US troops will soon start returning home from Iraq, saying improved security there will enable five units to pull out by July as planned.
"The situation on the ground, I think, makes it likely that General (David) Petraeus will be able to decide to bring out the first five teams by July," Gates told an end of year press conference.
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Middle East Madness
In Gaza, Santa Is Insolvent
Mohammed Omer
Uruknet
2007-12-24 17:36:00
"Santa Claus is empty handed this year...insolvent," says Father Manuel Musallam, head of the Holy Family School in Gaza City.
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Jewish immigration to Israel at lowest in 20 years
Agence France-Presse
2007-12-24 14:24:00
Jewish immigration to Israel continued to slide in 2007 with the number of newcomers at just 19,700, the lowest level in 20 years, according to figures published on Monday.
Immigration was down six percent from 2006, the immigrant absorption ministry said.
The number of immigrants from former Soviet countries, which made up 30 percent of all newcomers, dropped 15 percent from 2006.
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Gunmen Kidnap 14 Members of Iraqi Family
Alaa Shahine
Reuters
2007-12-24 13:20:00
Gunmen posing as Iraqi security forces kidnapped 14 members of one family in the volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
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Collective punishment begins in Gaza
Marian Houk
Al-Ahram Weekly
2007-12-24 09:49:00
While illegal according to international law, Israel presses ahead in denying Gaza access to fundamental commodities
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Basra: Exit her majesty, enter militias
Nermeen Al-Mufti
Al-Ahram Weekly
2007-12-24 09:45:00
On Sunday, and amid fears of renewed clashes among rival Shia groups, Britain handed over security in the southern city of Basra to local Iraqi authorities. In the past, security handovers in Iraq's southern cities have been followed by assassinations and turbulence. Basra, 580 kilometres south of Baghdad, is unlikely to be an exception. The city is Iraq's only port, produces 70 per cent of the country's oil (and exports 80 per cent of it), and offers opportunities for cross-border trafficking with Iran. Iraqi officials and the Shia parties that control the city vowed to maintain security and cooperate with each other. But reality on the ground appears shaky.
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Wishful thinking: Palestinian aid like 'trying to breed fish in toxic waters'.
Khaled Amayreh
Al-Ahram Weekly
2007-12-24 09:41:00
While the Palestinian Authority is euphoric about the more than $7 billion pledged by the Paris Donor Conference to help rebuild the ravaged Palestinian economy, many Palestinians remain sceptical about whether such a goal is possible under military occupation.
Monday's one-day donor conference was attended by representatives of more than 90 countries. Islamic and leftist camps within Palestine, though, view the Paris pledges as little more than an attempt to buy political concessions from a Palestinian government almost entirely dependent on international aid. Their scepticism will only have been reinforced by the continued killing of Palestinians by the Israeli army -- 10 Palestinians were murdered on Monday alone -- and by relentless settlement expansion in the West Bank, especially in and around East Jerusalem.
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Iraq cover-up claims: MPs call for inquiry
Henry McDonald, Duncan Campbell and Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian
2007-12-24 01:08:00
UK security firm accused of failing to pass on intelligence to army in Basra
MPs called yesterday for a full parliamentary inquiry into the British security company ArmorGroup after allegations made about its operations in Iraq by former employees. Two MPs have issued the call in response to claims that an employee had been told to withhold intelligence from the British armed forces and that the company had exaggerated the numbers of its employees on the ground.
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Hamas says uncovered network of collaborators
Ali Waked
Ynet News
2007-12-23 23:09:00
Palestinian security forces reported Sunday that Hamas' internal security service has uncovered a network of Palestinian collaborators with Israel.
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Agitation Alert: Bahrain rocked by days of clashes
BBC
2007-12-23 19:04:00
©AP Photo Protestors in Bahrain on 20 December. Shias complain of discrimination by the Sunni-led government.
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Provocation Alert: Israel unveils settlement plans on peace talks eve
Adam Entous
Reuters
2007-12-23 17:56:00
Israel unveiled plans on Sunday to build hundreds of new homes on occupied land near Jerusalem next year, drawing protests from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the eve of renewed peace talks.
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Hamas denies reports suggesting truce with Israel
Palestinian Information Center
2007-12-22 14:47:00
Leaving no room for speculations, the Hamas Movement has categorically denied Saturday Hebrew reports suggesting talks between Hamas and Israel to forge truce in Gaza Strip.
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Help! A Cease Fire!
Uri Avnery
Gush Shalom
2007-12-22 14:40:00
FORGET THE Qassams. Forget the mortar shells. They are nothing compared with what Hamas launched at us this week:
The chief of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, has approached an Israeli newspaper and proposed a cease-fire. No more Qassams, no more mortars, no suicide bombings, no Israeli military incursions into the Strip, no "targeted liquidations" of leaders. A total cease-fire. And not only in the Gaza Strip, but in the West Bank, too.
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GI Saves Iraqi Boy in Long-Shot Adoption
Carrie Antlfinger
Guardian
2007-12-23 14:34:00
Mauston, Wis. - Capt. Scott Southworth knew he'd face violence, political strife and blistering heat when he was deployed to one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas. But he didn't expect Ala'a Eddeen.
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'No rule of law in Israel': Ramon's vice premiership challenged once more
Aviram Zino
Ynet
2007-12-23 09:49:00
High Court to hear petition by 17 women's organizations asking that appointment be annulled. 'The fact the government welcomes a convicted sex offender into its midst proves the system is biased,' say plaintiffs.
Seventeen women's organizations have a petition the High Court Sunday, asking it to convene an extended judicial panel to discuss the continuing service in public office of Vice Premier Haim Ramon.
Ramon was convicted of committing an indecent act in January of 2007, and sentenced to 120 hours of community service. His appointment to vice premier was immediately challenged, but the State and the Court have since maintained that there were no legal grounds to prevent the appointment.
©Gil Yohanan 'A disgrace.' Ramon
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'Father Christmas' beaten in West Bank demo
Agence France-Presse
2007-12-21 09:10:00
©AFP/Musa al-Shaer
An Israeli soldier tackles a Palestinian protester dressed as Santa Claus or Father Christmas during at a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the village of Umm Salamunah near the biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem. Israeli guards beat five demonstrators during the protest on Friday, organisers said.
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Israeli guards beat five demonstrators, including one dressed as Father Christmas, during a protest on Friday against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank, organisers said.
About 50 Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists attended the rally in the village of Um Salomona, near Bethlehem, the Biblical birthplace of Jesus that is preparing to celebrate Christmas.
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The Loan Gunmen
Foreign Buyers Snap Up 2nd Homes in US
Leslie Wines
Breitbart.com/Associated Press
2007-12-24 16:35:00
New York - Panden Rota, a Nepalese producer of fine rugs, is about to become a Manhattanite, the owner of a sumptuous apartment in the luxurious downtown neighborhood of Battery Park City.
His primary residence will remain Katmandu, but his new home will allow him to spend more time at U.S. showrooms that display his rugs and with a brother and sister in New York. "I looked at many places and I decided that a Manhattan apartment will always hold its value," he said.
Rota is part of a growing wave of foreigners who buy second homes in the U.S. for work and play and as an investment.
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Singapore to Provide Merrill Lynch with $6.2 Billion Capital Injection
New York Times
2007-12-24 11:47:00
Merrill Lynch said Monday it will take $6.2 billion in investments from the Singapore government and a mutual fund manager to shore up its capital base, as many analysts expect the investment bank to announce a second consecutive quarterly loss next month.
It is the latest instance of a Western bank to seek emergency financing from cash-rich Eastern investment funds, as turmoil in the subprime mortgage market continues to shake up Wall Street.
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Unpaid Credit Cards Bedevil Americans
Rachel Konrad and Bob Porterfield
Associated Press
2007-12-23 14:33:00
Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate, sending delinquencies and defaults surging by double-digit percentages in the last year and prompting warnings of worse to come.
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Britain: Northern Rock crisis deepens
Ann Talbot
World Socialist Web Site
2007-12-21 11:16:00
What began as a crisis of liquidity for one bank has become a major political crisis for the British government. The failure of the attempt to bail out Northern Rock has led to serious political recriminations and conflicts among the political and financial elite as the Labour government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown finds itself pouring money into a bottomless pit.
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Severe food shortages, price spikes threaten world population
Naomi Spencer
World Socialist Web Site
2007-12-22 11:12:00
Worldwide food prices have risen sharply and supplies have dropped this year, according to the latest food outlook of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The agency warned December 17 that the changes represent an "unforeseen and unprecedented" shift in the global food system, threatening billions with hunger and decreased access to food.
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South American trade block signs trade pact with Israel
International Herald Tribune/AP
2007-12-18 05:09:00
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay: South America's Mercosur trade bloc signed a free trade treaty with Israel Tuesday and Venezuela sought new momentum for its stalled bid for full membership in the group.
The agreement with Israel was the first that the four-nation bloc has signed with a country outside the Americas. Leaders said they hoped to use it as a model for treaties with other Mideast nations, South Africa and India.
The treaty calls for a decade-long phase-out of tariffs on most goods and services and took more than two years to negotiate. Eliyahu Yishai, Israel's commerce and industry minister, signed on behalf of his nation.
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Unhappy new year
Economist.com
2007-12-21 04:37:00
More suprime damage is revealed
©Reuters
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Fed: Another $20B Auctioned to Banks
Martin Crutsinger
Associated Press
2007-12-21 21:51:00
The Federal Reserve, working to combat the effects of a severe credit crunch, announced Friday it had auctioned another $20 billion in funds to commercial banks at an interest rate of 4.67 percent. Fed officials pledged to continue with the auctions "for as long as necessary."
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US: Statement Introducing the Free Competition in Currency Act
Rep. Ron Paul, M.D.
2007-12-13 21:32:00
Madame Speaker, I rise to introduce the Free Competition in Currency Act. This act would eliminate two sections of US Code that, although ostensibly intended to punish counterfeiters, have instead been used by the government to shut down private mints. As anti-counterfeiting measures, these sections are superfluous, as 18 USC 485, 490, and 491 already grant sufficient authority to punish counterfeiters.
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Business as Usual as Recession Looms
Peter Morici
CounterPunch
2007-12-21 21:22:00
The stock market remains unsettled, as the nation's economic problems grow. Washington from the White House to Capitol Hill to the Federal Reserve gives us lots of bustle but no truly comforting action.
The Democrats pushed through an energy bill that will likely leave the nation in the desperate in the gasp of Middle East oil exporters. Wall Street banks continue to sell out their shareholders to Chinese and Middle East investors to pay for their big bonuses. The Federal Reserve cracks down on predatory lending on Main Street, when the real crooks work on Wall Street. The recession watch continues.
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The Living Planet
Major Snow Storm Causes Swath of Blackouts
Carrie Antlfinger
Associated Press
2007-12-23 15:10:00
©AP Photo/Topeka Capital-Journal, Mike Burley Greg Weakland, 19, secures a tow hook to a stranded passenger's car to help it up an inclined street as snow blows down in Topeka, Kan.
MILWAUKEE - Highways were hazardous for holiday travelers Sunday and thousands of homes and businesses had no electricity in the Midwest as a storm blew through the region with heavy snow and howling wind.
At least eight deaths had been blamed on the storm.
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Indian authorities say probing mysterious fish deaths
Agence France-Presse
2007-12-19 13:17:00
Pollution authorities in the northeastern Indian state of Assam began Wednesday investigating the mysterious deaths of thousands of fish in the Brahmaputra River, officials said.
More than 1,500 dead fish have been found floating in the river, lifeline of India's northeast this week, fuelling fears that toxic chemicals are being used by fishermen.
Groups of fishermen sometimes use explosives and toxic chemicals to net fish in large quantities, authorities said.
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US: Louisiana lake testing offers some answer for mysterious bubbles
Associated Press
2007-12-23 13:10:00
The bubbles popping up in Lake Peigneur are explosive but apparently natural, says a leader of the group trying to stop expansion of a natural gas storage operation under the lake.
Tests by the U.S. Geological Survey show the bubbles are 70 percent methane and 30 percent air, with more than double the oxygen needed for a volatile mix, said Nara Crowley, vice president of Save Lake Peigneur. She said that doubles both the chance of explosions and the power of any that might occur.
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At least 5 dead in Plains, Midwest storm
Associated Press
2007-12-23 03:09:00
AMARILLO, Texas - A blinding snowstorm blew from the Plains to the Midwest on Saturday, causing at least 5 deaths and dozens of injuries in numerous multi-car pileups and forcing authorities to close portions of several major highways.
In Texas, one person died in a chain-reaction pileup involving more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 40, police said. Authorities said it would take a few days to determine exactly how many were involved.
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Holiday travelers delayed in Chicago
Associated Press
2007-12-22 15:18:00
Dense fog and a low cloud ceiling forced airlines to cancel more than 200 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Friday at the start of the busy holiday travel season.
Travelers also encountered weather-related delays at airports in the New York City area.
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16 dead in Tajikistan avalanche
Agence France-Presse
2007-12-22 08:02:00
At least 16 people died in an avalanche that swept across a road linking Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe with the north of the Central Asian state, the interior ministry told AFP.
A ministry spokesman said "rescue work is continuing and we don't know how many vehicles and people could still be under the many metres thick avalanche".
©Unknown
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China reels from worst drought in a decade
Reuters
2007-12-21 05:19:00
©Unknown
China is suffering its worst drought in a decade, which has left millions of people short of drinking water and has shrunk reservoirs and rivers, state media said on Friday.
Hardest hit are large swathes of the usually humid south, where water levels on several major rivers have plunged to historic lows in recent months.
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Squirrels Use "Snake Perfume" to Fool Predators
Sara Goudarzi
National Geographic
2007-12-22 01:44:00
©Video stills courtesy Barbara Clucas Video stills show a ground squirrel chewing on a rattlesnake's shed skin and then licking its body to apply the masticated mush. The act most likely persuades serpents that another snake, not a squirrel, is in the area. A new study suggests that this behavior is part of a host of tricks the squirrels have evolved to use to avoid predation.
To mask their odor from rattlesnakes, California ground squirrels and rock squirrels chew on sloughed-off snake skin and smear it on their fur, according to a new study.
The act most likely persuades the predators that another snake, not a squirrel, is in the area.
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Most Endangered Duck Finds Refuge on Midway Atoll
usgs.gov
2007-12-21 19:10:00
The most highly endangered duck species, the Laysan teal, had a very successful 2007 breeding season at a refuge that was once part of its historic range, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists. This year's total tally of adult and fledgling Laysan ducks, now residing on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), rose during 2007 to approximately 200 ducks.
This is only the third year since these highly endangered birds, also known as Laysan teal, were trapped in the wild and carefully transported by ship from their only remaining population on Laysan Island to re-establish a second population.
"These rare, wild ducks could not co-exist with rats, migrate, or disperse away from Laysan Island, so a few birds were translocated by ship to restore the species to a larger range," USGS wildlife researcher Michelle Reynolds, coordinator for the project, explained. "Now Laysan ducks are found on three rat-free islands for the first time in hundreds of years and are flying between islands at Midway Atoll."
©unknown Map of study sites: Laysan Island Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Midway Atoll, NWR. The source population occurs on Laysan and the translocated population on Midway Atoll NWR.
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Health & Wellness
Drug contaminated with HIV-AIDS in Iraq
Uruknet
2007-12-24 17:39:00
Fear spread among Babel Province residents after receiving reports from Babel medical officials that the "Albumin" drug was contaminated with HIV-AIDS.
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Food poisoning outbreak affects 53 Siberian children
RIA Novosti
2007-12-24 15:29:00
A total of 53 school children have been hospitalized following an outbreak of food poisoning in Buryatia, a republic in East Siberia, local officials said.
Doctors said the infection could have been caused by salads made from raw vegetables, which were served at the school canteen.
Meanwhile, Russia's consumer rights regulator, Rospotrebnadzor, said Monday that another possibility could be rodents at the warehouse where the vegetables were stored.
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Thanks to testosterone, men are more humorous than women
Chandan Das
NewsLocale
2007-12-24 14:16:00
If you ever wondered why the male comedians outnumber women in showbiz, the scientists now have an answer for you. Findings from a recent study in London claim that men are logically more comedic than women owing of the male hormone testosterone!
The study conducted by Professor Sam Shuster of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, says that testosterones found in males stimulate belligerence and this in turn, develops humor.
It may be mentioned here that nearly two years ago, on the basis of studies of brain patterns scientists at the Stanford University had asserted that a gender divide exists while it comes to appreciating humor.
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Man turns blue after using silver extract to treat a skin condition
Owen Williams
Showbiz Spy
2007-12-24 13:59:00
Paul Karason is feeling blue - literally.
The US man used a silver extract to treat a skin condition. But it ended up changing the colour of his face, leaving him with a deep blue tinge.
The 57-year-old was fair-skinned and freckled 14 years ago, until he developed a bad case of dermatitis caused by stress. When it got so bad that the skin on his face began to peel and crack he began to use a substance called colloidal silver, he told US television.
©Unknown
The product is said to be made by extracting silver from metal into water with an electrical current before it is drunk.
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What Science And History May Owe To Homeopathic Medicine
Medical News today
2007-12-23 23:36:00
A new scholarly written book describes hundreds of well-known and respected physicians, scientists, politicians, corporate leaders, and literary greats who used or advocated for homeopathic medicine.
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Camel 'plague' puzzles scientists
Robin McKie
The Guardian
2007-12-23 23:06:00
An unprecedented number of camels across North Africa and the Middle East died last year, researchers have discovered. The several thousand deaths have baffled scientists who are probing toxins, antibiotic pollution, viruses and even climate change as possible causes.
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The British Are Guzzling 30% More Alcohol Than Previously Thought
Medical News Today
2007-12-23 22:06:00
British people are consuming about one third more alcohol than previous estimates had calculated, mainly because there are more stronger beers, ciders and wines on the market than there used to be. While people's drinking habits/frequencies are not really changing, adjustments have to be made regarding the amount of total alcohol content that consumers are drinking.
©British Pub Crawling The Olde Ship bar
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Short legs signal increased risk of liver disease - But long enough to reach the ground
Reuters Health
2007-12-23 21:57:00
Women with short legs may have a higher risk of liver disease, with both probably caused by diet or other factors early in life, British researchers reported.
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New guidelines boost folic acid recommendations
Andre Picard
Globe and Mail
2007-12-23 21:29:00
Women of childbearing age should increase their intake of folic acid to five milligrams a day to protect against common birth defects, according to new Canadian guidelines.
©Adam, Inc. Women who are thinking of becoming pregnant or who are pregnant often require additional supplementation of folic acid. Adequate folic acid is important for pregnant women because it has been shown to prevent some kinds of birth defects, including neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Many foods are now fortified with folic acid to help prevent these kinds of serious birth defects.
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Flashback: Inconclusive conclusions: Folic Acid in bread is dangerous
Lucy Cockcroft
Telegraph UK
2007-10-31 02:07:00
Adding folic acid to bread in an attempt to cut birth defects may lead to serious health problems, scientists have warned.
©Adam, Inc. Folate (folic acid) is necessary for the production of red blood cells and for the synthesis of DNA (which controls heredity and is used to guide the cell in its daily activities). Folic acid also helps with tissue growth and cell function. In addition, it helps to increase appetite when needed and stimulates the formation of digestive acids.
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'Bubble boy' develops leukaemia
BBC News
2007-12-23 19:48:00
One of the boys with no immune system being treated with pioneering gene therapy at Great Ormond Street has developed leukaemia, his doctors say.
©BBC Without treatment, affected children have to be kept in sterile conditions.
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Study suggests some brain injuries reduce the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorder
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
2007-12-23 13:32:00
A new study of combat-exposed Vietnam War veterans shows that those with injuries to certain parts of the brain were less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Naval Medical Center, suggest that drugs or pacemaker-like devices aimed at dampening activity in these brain regions might be effective treatments for PTSD.
PTSD involves the persistent reliving of a traumatic experience through nightmares and flashbacks that may seem real. Twenty percent to 30 percent of Vietnam vets (more than 1 million) have been diagnosed with PTSD, and a similar rate has been reported among Hurricane Katrina survivors in New Orleans. Public health officials are currently tracking the disorder among soldiers returning from Iraq. Yet, while war and natural disasters tend to call the greatest attention to PTSD, it's estimated that millions of Americans suffer from it as a result of assault, rape, child abuse, car accidents, and other traumatic events.
Previous studies have shown that PTSD is associated with changes in brain activity, but those studies couldn't determine whether the changes were contributing to the disorder or merely occurring because of it.
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New bird flu outbreak reported in Poland
RIA Novosti
2007-12-23 13:07:00
A fresh, eighth, outbreak of H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in the north of the country, where the deadly virus was discovered earlier this month, the chief sanitary official said on Saturday.
Ewa Lech said the virus was confirmed at poultry farms in the village of Sadlowo Parcele, where 190,000 egg-laying hens are found.
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Italian rush for vaccines after meningitis deaths
EuroNews
2007-12-23 12:59:00
Worried residents in northern Italy are flooding vaccination centres after three deaths from bacterial meningitis.
Health authorities in the town of Treviso have already given vaccines to a thousand people and have enough to treat up to 18,000 more.
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Losing Your Hearing? Here's How to Restore Your Hearing Naturally
Mercola.com
2007-12-23 05:52:00
©n/a
If you have trouble hearing, or notice that your hearing is not as good as it used to be, listen up.
Age-related hearing loss may be retrievable, according to Dr. Jonathan Wright, MD, medical director of the Tahoma Clinic in Washington.
By supplementing three patients with the bioidentical hormone aldosterone, all of the men -- who were either losing their hearing or who had lost a lot of their hearing -- were able to regain much of what had been lost.
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Science & Technology
Caught In The Act: The Dynamic Dance Of Enzymes
Medical News Today
2007-12-23 23:53:00
In a new study in Nature, Brandeis University Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Dr. Dorothee Kern and collaborators pull back the curtain on the secret lives of enzymes, the ubiquitous proteins that catalyze chemical reactions in the cell.
©Howard Hughes Medical Institute Dr. Dorothee Kern Ph.D. Professor of Biochemistry
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Small Asteroid Caused Mysterious 1908 Blast, Study Says
Brian Handwerk
National Geographic News
2007-12-21 18:33:00
A huge explosion that devastated a swath of Siberia a century ago was caused by an asteroid that was much smaller than had previously been believed, according to new research.
The blast produced an enormous fireball over the Tunguska region of northwestern Russia in June 1908 (see map). The so-called Tunguska event leveled trees up to 10 miles (16 kilometers) away.
New supercomputer models of the event show that the devastation may have been the result of a surprisingly small asteroid that never hit the ground.
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Bahamas "Blue Hole" Yields Pre-Human Fossil Treasures
Brian Handwerk
National Geographic News
2007-12-17 13:54:00
A unique "blue hole" is giving expert divers and scientists a chance to travel back in time for a rare glimpse of life in the pre-human Bahamas.
©PNAS/National Academy of Sciences The well-preserved skull of an extinct bird called the Bahamas caracara was found in Sawmill Sink, a deep "blue hole" that has yielded a treasure trove of fossils dating from pre-human Bahamas. A new study about Sawmill Sink says that some of the more unusual finds are the remains of ancient tortoises and crocodiles previously unknown to exist in the West Indies. The discovery locations of tortoise ("t") and croc ("C") fossils are indicated in a map of the sinkhole.
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Strange object found on Mars
CNews
2007-12-22 13:43:00
Alexander Novgorodov, the reader of the portal R&D.CNews from Moscow Region, has pointed to an object of unusual morphology found on Mars images made by the spacecraft Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
©NASA Unusual mountain formation on Mars
On the images taken from the orbit an unusual mountain formation is depicted, which seems to have resulted from weathering (erosion) and is located amid the frozen ocean. The given formation drop-like shape (in section), its evidently erosion origin and the unusual structure at the base, which might be conventionally called a 'door' for its physical resemblance, are of interest.
©NASA The door-like structure at the base of the mountain formation.
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How Mars Could Have Been Warm And Wet But Limestone-Free
David Chandler
marsdaily.com
2007-12-23 10:57:00
Planetary scientists have puzzled for years over an apparent contradiction on Mars. Abundant evidence points to an early warm, wet climate on the red planet, but there's no sign of the widespread carbonate rocks, such as limestone, that should have formed in such a climate. Now, a detailed analysis in the Dec. 21 issue of Science by MIT's Maria T. Zuber and Itay Halevy and Daniel P. Schrag of Harvard University provides a possible answer to the mystery.
In addition to being warmed by a greenhouse effect caused by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as on Earth, the early Mars may have had the greenhouse gas sulfur dioxide in its atmosphere. That would have interfered with the formation of carbonates, explaining their absence today.
It would also explain the discovery by the twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, of sulfur-rich minerals that apparently formed in bodies of water in that early Martian environment. And it may provide clues about the Earth's history as well.
©unknown Neither Man nor Limestone.
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Nanowire battery lasts 10 times longer
United Press International
2007-12-23 00:06:00
©u/a disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
U.S. researchers say they've found a way to use silicon nanowires to create a new rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
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Months After Mummy Claim, DNA Still Lags
Anna Johnson
Associated Press
2007-12-22 17:08:00
CAIRO, Egypt - Months after Egypt boldly announced that archaeologists had identified a mummy as the most powerful queen of her time, scientists in a museum basement are still analyzing DNA from the bald, 3,500-year-old corpse to try to back up the claim aired on TV.
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China Raises 800-Year-Old Sunken Ship
Associated Press
2007-12-22 16:53:00
BEIJING - After 800 years at the bottom of the sea, a merchant ship loaded with porcelain and other rare antiques was raised to the surface Friday in a specially built basket, a state news agency reported.
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First Dec. 25 Xmas Tied to Pagan Shrine
Ariel David
Associated Press
2007-12-22 16:27:00
ROME - The church where the tradition of celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 may have begun was built near a pagan shrine as part of an effort to spread Christianity, a leading Italian scholar says.
Italian archaeologists last month unveiled an underground grotto that they believe ancient Romans revered as the place where a wolf nursed Rome's legendary founder Romulus and his twin brother Remus.
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Songbirds offer clues to highly practiced motor skills in humans
Jennifer O'Brien
UCSF
2007-12-22 15:54:00
The melodious sound of a songbird may appear effortless, but his elocutions are actually the result of rigorous training undergone in youth and maintained throughout adulthood. His tune has virtually "crystallized" by maturity. The same control is seen in the motor performance of top athletes and musicians. Yet, subtle variations in highly practiced skills persist in both songbirds and humans. Now, scientists think they know why.
Their finding, reported in the current issue of "Nature," suggests that natural variation is a built-in mechanism designed to allow the nervous system to explore various subtle options aimed at maintaining and optimizing motor skills in the face of such variables as aging and injury.
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Mars rovers find new evidence of 'habitable niche': perilous third winter approaches
Lauren Gold
Cornell Chronicle
2007-12-22 15:41:00
Inch by power-conserving inch, drivers on Earth have moved the Mars rover Spirit to a spot where it has its best chance at surviving a third Martian winter -- and where it will celebrate its fourth anniversary (in Earth years) since bouncing down on Mars for a projected 90-day mission in January 2004.
Meanwhile, researchers are considering the implications of what Cornell's Steve Squyres, principal investigator for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, calls "one of the most significant" mission discoveries to date: silica-rich deposits uncovered in May by Spirit's lame front wheel that provide new evidence for a once-habitable environment in Gusev Crater.
©NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Cornell/Ohio State University Victoria Crater, about 800 meters (one-half mile) in diameter, has been home ground for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity for more than 14 of the rover's first 46 months on Mars. This view shows the rover's path overlaid on an image of the crater taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
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Da Vinci drawings affected by mold
Colleen Barry
Associated Press
2007-12-22 15:22:00
Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of drawings and writings by the Renaissance master, has been infiltrated by mold, officials said Friday.
The extent of any damage is not yet known to the roughly 1,120-page Codex containing his drawings and writings from 1478-1519 on topics ranging from flying machines to weapons, mathematics to botany.
But officials say any conservation measures will be very expensive and there are no funds for the work.
©Unknown Codex Atlanticus
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Asteroid may hit Mars in next month
Alicia Chang
Associated Press
2007-12-22 10:08:00
LOS ANGELES - Mars could be in for an asteroid hit. A newly discovered hunk of space rock has a 1 in 75 chance of slamming into the Red Planet on Jan. 30, scientists said Thursday.
"These odds are extremely unusual. We frequently work with really long odds when we track ... threatening asteroids," said Steve Chesley, an astronomer with the Near Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Mars Magic: Red Planet Shines Bright
Space.com Staff
livescience.com
2007-12-21 19:04:00
Mars is closer to Earth now than any time until the year 2016, offering skywatchers a great look.
The Hubble Space Telescope took advantage of the opportunity, too, photographing the red planet earlier this month. The images were pasted together into a video showing Mars' full rotation.
The red planet is now the brightest "star" in the evening sky, easily visible by mid-evening until dawn. It comes closest to the Earth today at 6:46 p.m. EST, when it will be 54,783,381 miles (88,165,305 kilometers) from us.
Mars looks like an orange star to the naked eye, but it's revealed as a disk with many features in modest telescopes. It will put on a good show all month.
©NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (Cornell University), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute, Boulder) Mars makes its closest approach since 2003 on Dec. 18, 2007 at 6:46 p.m. EST.
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Full Moon Meets Mars
Joe Rao
livescience.com
2007-12-21 18:58:00
If skies are clear in your area on Sunday night, Dec. 23, you'll be able to partake in a rather unusual sight as the full moon appears to glide very closely above the planet Mars.
Mars, which made its closest approach to the Earth on Dec. 18, will be only hours from a Christmas Eve opposition with the sun and is now shining prominently with a bright yellow-orange glow.
And if you're favorably positioned in certain parts of the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, or Alaska, you'll actually see the moon occult (hide) Mars for a short time as the pair sits low above the east-northeast horizon. A similar encounter in 2003 created a great photo opportunity.
©unknown Look east on the evening of December 23 to see the Moon and Mars so close together that you'll be able to see them in the same pair of binoculars.
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Our Haunted Planet
San Diego: Strange lights seen in night sky
signonsandiego.com
2007-12-23 18:26:00
Residents in Oceanside and Point Loma called to ask about mysterious lights that appeared in the sky at sunset Saturday. Both men reported two parallel orange lights that appeared for three or four minutes. One said the lights moved from north to west, then went straight up and disappeared.
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MoD to open British UFO X-files
Aislinn Simpson
Telegraph
2007-12-23 13:47:00
Top-secret details about hundreds of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects are to be released for public viewing in response to the nation's continuing fascination with the subject.
The Ministry of Defence will release a total of 160 files dating back to that time to the National Archives in Kew.
The first files will be made available in Spring 2008 and the process is expected to take three years.
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Flashback: California: Motorist reports strange object in sky above I-5 freeway
North County Times
2007-11-29 13:36:00
A motorist who is a high school football coach is seeking more information about a strange object he says he saw in the skies above Camp Pendleton late Tuesday.
Heading south on Interstate 5 at about 10:45 p.m., Tony Paopao said he and his wife saw what appeared to be a large, brightly lit flying vehicle pass overhead and briefly hover in place, before heading toward the mountains of Camp Pendleton and then out of sight.
"It was about 100 yards up. It was too low to be a plane and it was too fast and too quiet to be a helicopter," Paopao said. "I'm just curious if anybody saw what I saw."
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Don't Panic! Lighten Up!
Baby Jesus statue gets GPS for Christmas
Associated Press
2007-12-24 00:29:00
BAL HARBOUR, Fla. - A baby Jesus statue here is getting a Global Positioning System for Christmas. The statue, part of a nativity scene, will be equipped with the device after the previous statue went missing, even though it had been bolted down.
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Clinton urges Iowa voters to caucus on wrong day
Reuters
2007-12-23 23:34:00
DES MOINES - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton may have shot herself in the foot trying to get Iowa voters to pledge support to her -- she is encouraging them to go caucus on January 14, 11 days too late.
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Pope converts to New Labour
NewsBiscuit
2007-12-23 18:44:00
©NewsBiscuit
Pope Benedict XVI has sent shockwaves throughout the Catholic Church by announcing his conversion to the faith of New Labour.
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One-third of Canadian adults believe in Santa Claus
Winnipeg Free Press
2007-12-23 12:52:00
Yes, Virginia, a whopping eight million Canadians believe in Santa Claus -- and that figure doesn't include children.
According to a national survey that asked adult men and women if they put faith in the Fat Man, nearly one-third of Canucks "personally believe in Santa."
Middle-age Canadians were more likely to profess their allegiance to Old Saint Nick (37 per cent) than those older or younger than themselves (32 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively).
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Satire: Rove Resigns To Spend More Time In Shadows
The Onion
2007-12-22 21:18:00
WASHINGTON - Longtime political adviser and Republican strategist Karl Rove announced Aug. 13 that he would step down from his role as White House deputy chief of staff to spend more time in the shadows and devote his energy to the things he really cares about, such as creeping, slithering, and disappearing for all time into an ever-darkening realm shut off from hope and goodness.
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Santa on Cross Protests Commercialism
Associated Press
2007-12-22 16:56:00
BREMERTON, Wash. - Art Conrad has an issue with the commercialism of Christmas, and his protest has gone way beyond just shunning the malls or turning off his television. The Bremerton resident nailed Santa Claus to a 15-foot crucifix in front of his house.
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Revealed: The seven great "medical myths"
Peter Griffiths
Reuters
2007-12-22 00:52:00
©REUTERS/Yonathan Weitzman A lone traveller reads a newspaper in Ben-Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv March 21, 2007. Reading in dim light won't damage your eyes and is a well-worn theory among seven "medical myths" exposed in a paper published on Friday in the British Medical Journal, which traditionally carries light-hearted features in its Christmas edition.
Reading in dim light won't damage your eyes, you don't need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs won't make the hair grow back faster.
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