Israeli tourists experience mini Israel in Kasol
Sat, Jun 28 02:05 PM
Kasol, June 28(ANI): The sign boards you're looking are from the town of Kasol in Himachal Pradesh. Encouraged by the inflow of tourists from Israel, almost all the business establishments display boards in Hebrew.
Kasol a village situated in Parvati valley has become a favourite destination for tourists from Israel. Israeli tourists are coming here in large numbers, which has turned this small village into a 'mini Israel'.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Windows XP Departs, updates till 2014
Windows XP Departs: Good Riddance or Sad Farewell?
Two of PC World's most opinionated editors weigh in on whether Microsoft Windows XP's departure is bad for PC users or the best thing that could happen to computing.
June 27, 2008
The forced retirement of Microsoft's Windows XP is set--with some exceptions--for Monday. To quell XP separation anxiety and the rancor of seething Vista haters, Microsoft has agreed to offer Windows XP updates and security patches until April 2014.
However, PC retailers such as Dell have pretty much stopped selling computers preloaded with the venerable OS.
XP's disappearance has stirred much conversation. In fact, more than 200,000 people signed a petition to keep XP--a campaign championed by our sibling publication InfoWorld. In the long run, though, Microsoft refused to yield to the entreaties of XP-philes.
We have discussed this issue so vigorously here at PC World--in meetings, in our offices, and in the hallways--that we decided to enlist advocates for the two principle points of view to make their case, and then ask for your input in our Comments section. How do you feel about XP's departure?
Speaking first, in favor of Vista, is Senior Editor Robert Strohmeyer.
Chip TaylorWindows Vista is flawed, to be sure, but I won't shed a tear for the demise of Windows XP.
First let me define my position on the question of XP versus Vista. I don't intend to mount a whole-hearted defense of Vista, because anyone can see that the OS has some problems, but I when I consider the tidal wave of nostalgia that has been swelling over Windows XP lately, I can barely stop my eyeballs from rolling out of their sockets. So let's try to put things in perspective.
When PC World's editors took their first hard look at Windows XP back in 2001, we weren't blown away by any means. In our tests, we "found its performance generally on a par with that of other recent Windows versions."
Among the operating system's annoyances were its activation scheme (which we characterized as a needless burden on law-abiding users), its cute-but-inept canine helper in the search utility (which we saw as an uninvited dog), and the System Tray balloon text (which we termed an intermittent irritation). Meanwhile, we spotted compatibility issues between XP and a slew of devices and apps designed with earlier incarnations of Windows in mind. Ultimately, we gave XP our thumbs up as a marginal improvement on its forebears.
Robert CardinPersonally, I never liked XP. I did run it on my daily workhorse PC out of sheer computer-magazine-editing necessity, but my preferences leaned toward Mac OS X and Linux, both of which offered superior stability, performance, and security even then.
Only when I booted up a beta of Windows Vista--with its streamlined interface, protected kernel, and improved networking tools--did I begin thinking of Windows as a modern OS again.
Vista's Improvements: A Real Difference?
Like Windows XP, Windows Vista improves marginally on its predecessors. My esteemed but mildly delusional colleague Ed Albro asserts below that marginal improvements aren't enough to warrant an OS upgrade. And he may have a point.
I certainly wouldn't recommend that everyone run out and buy a copy of Vista to install on their aging PCs. On the other hand, it's not as though Vista is the first Windows upgrade to make much ado about relatively little. If history has taught us anything, it's that marginal improvements are the norm for new OS launches.
In fact, I can think of only two operating system releases in the past 20 years that have bucked this trend: Windows 95 and Mac OS X, both of which massively revamped their respective platforms.
Revolutionary OS upgrades are occasionally necessary to keep the industry moving forward, but they inevitably cause problems for end users working with legacy hardware and software--and sure enough, the historic launches of Win 95 and OS X left users around the world griping over their suddenly obsolete gear.
Of course, if Ed had his way, 92 percent of us would still be glumly clicking around in a heavily patched and repatched version of Windows 95. But at least we wouldn't have had to upgrade any of our hardware to support pesky new-fangled multimedia features.
I concede the points that Vista runs slowly on older hardware and that it has compatibility problems with aging devices and apps. I feel for anyone who has had to buy a new printer because their old one didn't work with Vista. (I have several printers at home, each from a different vendor, and none of them has ever balked at Vista, but I hear tell that this is a problem for some people.) Still, the fact that Vista runs poorly on my oldest laptop neither bothers nor surprises me. If that thing were a horse, I'd have shot it by now anyway.
And marginal as they are, the improvements in Windows Vista make a real difference to end users (even though many users may fail to notice it).
Most important, Vista is quantitatively more secure than XP. Yes, the User Account Control feature is annoying, but it does protect hapless users from inadvertently loading their PCs with system-wrecking malware. If anything, the UAC isn't annoying enough, since you can still all too easily to click 'Continue' without considering whether you really want to allow some random process to access your hard drive's boot sector.
But we can't have it both ways: Either we accept an OS that nags us when something we're doing is likely to cause trouble, or we keep living in the malware-ridden universe that is XP. Rather than assault Microsoft for trying to strengthen Windows' system security, I'd prefer to encourage the company to continue hardening the OS.
Vista looks better than XP, though that isn't saying much. While the silver trim of XP Pro is tolerable, I find the forced cheeriness of XP Home's blue, green, and red color scheme fundamentally offensive. And though most users have grown accustomed to XP's clunky menu system, I find Vista's more compartmentalized (and customizable) Start menu far simpler to navigate.
In addition, Vista beats XP hands-down on everyday features like photo management, multimedia entertainment, networking, working with mobile devices, searching for files on the hard drive, and calendaring.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Windows Vista is amazingly great. But Vista is certainly competent enough that when XP finally fades out of my life, I don't think I'll miss it one bit.
Ed?
I'll Miss You, XP
And now speaking in favor of Windows XP is Editor Edward N. Albro.
Chip TaylorOkay, so I know how these point-counterpoint duets are supposed to go. I'm supposed to rip into the arguments presented by my opponent, Robert Strohmeyer, and perhaps rip into him, too. But nothing Robert writes inspires me to call him an ignorant slut. (Working with him every day does, but that's another story.)
Robert's argument, in a nutshell, is that XP isn't as great and Vista isn't as horrible as all the gripers out there make them out to be. I'll grant both points--XP has some significant flaws, and Vista makes some marginal improvements.
Here's the problem: Marginal improvements just aren't enough.
Changing your OS is always a major hassle. Your old hardware may be incompatible with it or too slow to accommodate it (and Vista has had more than its fair share of driver problems). Some software makers will force you to buy new versions of their programs for the new OS. And commands, menus, and shortcuts inevitably get moved around (Microsoft engineers seem to take an almost sadistic pleasure in changing the OS's organization for no apparent reason).
Robert CardinIf I'm going to go through that much hassle, it had better be for a good reason. And that's what Vista lacks: a compelling reason for you to upgrade.
Robert cites User Account Control, Vista's more stringent security system. But UAC is an unholy combination of whiny nag and officious bully. Those who can, disable it; those who can't, ignore it.
The interface? If translucent window borders aren't the very definition of a useless change, I don't know what is.
When Microsoft came around to demo Windows Vista before releasing it, the feature they seemed most proud of was Flip 3D, which shows your open windows three-dimensionally, angled off into space. Since acquiring a Vista-based PC, I've used Flip 3D about three times. Though it looks cool, it actually gets in the way of doing your work quickly. In that respect, it's a bit like Vista itself. (Also, if you really like Flip 3D, you can get it in XP.)
Robert cites some other features that he says make Vista superior to XP: photo management, multimedia entertainment, networking, working with mobile devices, searching for files on your hard drive, and calendaring.
I have to disagree on networking, which I find even more opaque and confusing in Vista than in XP--and that's saying something. As for the other features, I'll cite these personal statistics:
* Months I've been running Vista on my desktop and XP on my notebook: 18
* Times I've been working in XP and wished that I had a feature that was available only in Vista: 0
The somewhat discouraging fact is that XP remains the highest expression so far of what Microsoft does. Redmond doesn't do beautiful, and it doesn't do elegantly efficient. That's for the design freaks at Apple. What Windows has always achieved is bureaucratic competence.
It makes lots of devices from lots of different manufacturers work together reasonably well. You'll encounter problems occasionally, and you won't always love the way it works, but generally it gets the job done.
And even 18 months later, XP still gets the job done better than Vista. It's just a better bureaucracy. That's faint praise, I know, but it's reason enough to stick with XP if you can.
Copyright (c) 2006 PC World Communications, Inc.
Two of PC World's most opinionated editors weigh in on whether Microsoft Windows XP's departure is bad for PC users or the best thing that could happen to computing.
June 27, 2008
The forced retirement of Microsoft's Windows XP is set--with some exceptions--for Monday. To quell XP separation anxiety and the rancor of seething Vista haters, Microsoft has agreed to offer Windows XP updates and security patches until April 2014.
However, PC retailers such as Dell have pretty much stopped selling computers preloaded with the venerable OS.
XP's disappearance has stirred much conversation. In fact, more than 200,000 people signed a petition to keep XP--a campaign championed by our sibling publication InfoWorld. In the long run, though, Microsoft refused to yield to the entreaties of XP-philes.
We have discussed this issue so vigorously here at PC World--in meetings, in our offices, and in the hallways--that we decided to enlist advocates for the two principle points of view to make their case, and then ask for your input in our Comments section. How do you feel about XP's departure?
Speaking first, in favor of Vista, is Senior Editor Robert Strohmeyer.
Chip TaylorWindows Vista is flawed, to be sure, but I won't shed a tear for the demise of Windows XP.
First let me define my position on the question of XP versus Vista. I don't intend to mount a whole-hearted defense of Vista, because anyone can see that the OS has some problems, but I when I consider the tidal wave of nostalgia that has been swelling over Windows XP lately, I can barely stop my eyeballs from rolling out of their sockets. So let's try to put things in perspective.
When PC World's editors took their first hard look at Windows XP back in 2001, we weren't blown away by any means. In our tests, we "found its performance generally on a par with that of other recent Windows versions."
Among the operating system's annoyances were its activation scheme (which we characterized as a needless burden on law-abiding users), its cute-but-inept canine helper in the search utility (which we saw as an uninvited dog), and the System Tray balloon text (which we termed an intermittent irritation). Meanwhile, we spotted compatibility issues between XP and a slew of devices and apps designed with earlier incarnations of Windows in mind. Ultimately, we gave XP our thumbs up as a marginal improvement on its forebears.
Robert CardinPersonally, I never liked XP. I did run it on my daily workhorse PC out of sheer computer-magazine-editing necessity, but my preferences leaned toward Mac OS X and Linux, both of which offered superior stability, performance, and security even then.
Only when I booted up a beta of Windows Vista--with its streamlined interface, protected kernel, and improved networking tools--did I begin thinking of Windows as a modern OS again.
Vista's Improvements: A Real Difference?
Like Windows XP, Windows Vista improves marginally on its predecessors. My esteemed but mildly delusional colleague Ed Albro asserts below that marginal improvements aren't enough to warrant an OS upgrade. And he may have a point.
I certainly wouldn't recommend that everyone run out and buy a copy of Vista to install on their aging PCs. On the other hand, it's not as though Vista is the first Windows upgrade to make much ado about relatively little. If history has taught us anything, it's that marginal improvements are the norm for new OS launches.
In fact, I can think of only two operating system releases in the past 20 years that have bucked this trend: Windows 95 and Mac OS X, both of which massively revamped their respective platforms.
Revolutionary OS upgrades are occasionally necessary to keep the industry moving forward, but they inevitably cause problems for end users working with legacy hardware and software--and sure enough, the historic launches of Win 95 and OS X left users around the world griping over their suddenly obsolete gear.
Of course, if Ed had his way, 92 percent of us would still be glumly clicking around in a heavily patched and repatched version of Windows 95. But at least we wouldn't have had to upgrade any of our hardware to support pesky new-fangled multimedia features.
I concede the points that Vista runs slowly on older hardware and that it has compatibility problems with aging devices and apps. I feel for anyone who has had to buy a new printer because their old one didn't work with Vista. (I have several printers at home, each from a different vendor, and none of them has ever balked at Vista, but I hear tell that this is a problem for some people.) Still, the fact that Vista runs poorly on my oldest laptop neither bothers nor surprises me. If that thing were a horse, I'd have shot it by now anyway.
And marginal as they are, the improvements in Windows Vista make a real difference to end users (even though many users may fail to notice it).
Most important, Vista is quantitatively more secure than XP. Yes, the User Account Control feature is annoying, but it does protect hapless users from inadvertently loading their PCs with system-wrecking malware. If anything, the UAC isn't annoying enough, since you can still all too easily to click 'Continue' without considering whether you really want to allow some random process to access your hard drive's boot sector.
But we can't have it both ways: Either we accept an OS that nags us when something we're doing is likely to cause trouble, or we keep living in the malware-ridden universe that is XP. Rather than assault Microsoft for trying to strengthen Windows' system security, I'd prefer to encourage the company to continue hardening the OS.
Vista looks better than XP, though that isn't saying much. While the silver trim of XP Pro is tolerable, I find the forced cheeriness of XP Home's blue, green, and red color scheme fundamentally offensive. And though most users have grown accustomed to XP's clunky menu system, I find Vista's more compartmentalized (and customizable) Start menu far simpler to navigate.
In addition, Vista beats XP hands-down on everyday features like photo management, multimedia entertainment, networking, working with mobile devices, searching for files on the hard drive, and calendaring.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Windows Vista is amazingly great. But Vista is certainly competent enough that when XP finally fades out of my life, I don't think I'll miss it one bit.
Ed?
I'll Miss You, XP
And now speaking in favor of Windows XP is Editor Edward N. Albro.
Chip TaylorOkay, so I know how these point-counterpoint duets are supposed to go. I'm supposed to rip into the arguments presented by my opponent, Robert Strohmeyer, and perhaps rip into him, too. But nothing Robert writes inspires me to call him an ignorant slut. (Working with him every day does, but that's another story.)
Robert's argument, in a nutshell, is that XP isn't as great and Vista isn't as horrible as all the gripers out there make them out to be. I'll grant both points--XP has some significant flaws, and Vista makes some marginal improvements.
Here's the problem: Marginal improvements just aren't enough.
Changing your OS is always a major hassle. Your old hardware may be incompatible with it or too slow to accommodate it (and Vista has had more than its fair share of driver problems). Some software makers will force you to buy new versions of their programs for the new OS. And commands, menus, and shortcuts inevitably get moved around (Microsoft engineers seem to take an almost sadistic pleasure in changing the OS's organization for no apparent reason).
Robert CardinIf I'm going to go through that much hassle, it had better be for a good reason. And that's what Vista lacks: a compelling reason for you to upgrade.
Robert cites User Account Control, Vista's more stringent security system. But UAC is an unholy combination of whiny nag and officious bully. Those who can, disable it; those who can't, ignore it.
The interface? If translucent window borders aren't the very definition of a useless change, I don't know what is.
When Microsoft came around to demo Windows Vista before releasing it, the feature they seemed most proud of was Flip 3D, which shows your open windows three-dimensionally, angled off into space. Since acquiring a Vista-based PC, I've used Flip 3D about three times. Though it looks cool, it actually gets in the way of doing your work quickly. In that respect, it's a bit like Vista itself. (Also, if you really like Flip 3D, you can get it in XP.)
Robert cites some other features that he says make Vista superior to XP: photo management, multimedia entertainment, networking, working with mobile devices, searching for files on your hard drive, and calendaring.
I have to disagree on networking, which I find even more opaque and confusing in Vista than in XP--and that's saying something. As for the other features, I'll cite these personal statistics:
* Months I've been running Vista on my desktop and XP on my notebook: 18
* Times I've been working in XP and wished that I had a feature that was available only in Vista: 0
The somewhat discouraging fact is that XP remains the highest expression so far of what Microsoft does. Redmond doesn't do beautiful, and it doesn't do elegantly efficient. That's for the design freaks at Apple. What Windows has always achieved is bureaucratic competence.
It makes lots of devices from lots of different manufacturers work together reasonably well. You'll encounter problems occasionally, and you won't always love the way it works, but generally it gets the job done.
And even 18 months later, XP still gets the job done better than Vista. It's just a better bureaucracy. That's faint praise, I know, but it's reason enough to stick with XP if you can.
Copyright (c) 2006 PC World Communications, Inc.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
BJP received Rs 1 lakh from Dow chemicals
Expressindia » Story
BJP received Rs 1 lakh from Dow chemicals
Posted online: Saturday , June 14, 2008 at 03:14:42
Bhopal, June 14: Three leading Bhopal Gas Peedit (sufferers) organisations have assailed the ruling BJP party for accepting Rs one lakh donation from Dow Chemicals.
They said this showed the state government's "aggressive efforts" to protect the American Multinational from its environmental responsibilities".
"BBC's report about Dow Chemical's Rs one lakh donation to BJP explains the Madhya Pradesh government's aggressive efforts to protect the American Multinational from its environmental responsibilities in Bhopal", Syed M Irfan, President of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila, Purush Sabgharsh Morcha said in Bhopal.
Presenting Right to Information documents to the Press, he said Rs one lakh donation to BJP is merely the tip of the iceberg as the "favours extended by state government by way of pushing for burning of Union Carbide's toxic wastes, despite the recommendations of experts, is clearly worth a lot more to Dow".
Accusing the BJP government in the state for leading the efforts in the High Court to burn 340 tonnes of Carbides toxic wastes in an incinerator in Anbkleshwar, Gujarat, despite opposition from the Gujarat government and against the opinion of the Expert Committee constituted by the High Court, he said a massive fire-damaged large portion of the Ankleshwar facility on April 3, confirmed the nores of caution in this regard.
Alleging the state government for pushing Dow's agenda of creating a memorial over the lands where more than 10,000 tonnes of toxic wastes lie burried, Irfan said indeed it was the buried waste, rather than the 340 tonnes waste that the government was desperate to burn.
BJP received Rs 1 lakh from Dow chemicals
Posted online: Saturday , June 14, 2008 at 03:14:42
Bhopal, June 14: Three leading Bhopal Gas Peedit (sufferers) organisations have assailed the ruling BJP party for accepting Rs one lakh donation from Dow Chemicals.
They said this showed the state government's "aggressive efforts" to protect the American Multinational from its environmental responsibilities".
"BBC's report about Dow Chemical's Rs one lakh donation to BJP explains the Madhya Pradesh government's aggressive efforts to protect the American Multinational from its environmental responsibilities in Bhopal", Syed M Irfan, President of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila, Purush Sabgharsh Morcha said in Bhopal.
Presenting Right to Information documents to the Press, he said Rs one lakh donation to BJP is merely the tip of the iceberg as the "favours extended by state government by way of pushing for burning of Union Carbide's toxic wastes, despite the recommendations of experts, is clearly worth a lot more to Dow".
Accusing the BJP government in the state for leading the efforts in the High Court to burn 340 tonnes of Carbides toxic wastes in an incinerator in Anbkleshwar, Gujarat, despite opposition from the Gujarat government and against the opinion of the Expert Committee constituted by the High Court, he said a massive fire-damaged large portion of the Ankleshwar facility on April 3, confirmed the nores of caution in this regard.
Alleging the state government for pushing Dow's agenda of creating a memorial over the lands where more than 10,000 tonnes of toxic wastes lie burried, Irfan said indeed it was the buried waste, rather than the 340 tonnes waste that the government was desperate to burn.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
A family that loves using the language in reverse order!
A family that loves using the language in reverse order!
Wed, Jun 11 03:05 PM
Muvatupuzha (Kochi), June 11 (ANI): Believe it or not, the Pottas family residing in Muvatupuzha village near Kochi has cultivated a unique talent to read, write and spell words or sentences, all in reverse order!
This talent has come naturally to the family, as everyone just loves practicing it any time of the day in daily life.
Anyone just needs to utter a word or sentence, regardless of its length, the members are always eager to read, write, type and spell it out in the reverse mode.
One of the family members is the 20-year-old Geordie Job Pottas, who is also a law student. He is stated to possess an ability to relate the exact number of alphabets contained in any word or sentence in any language within seconds.
"My elder son Geordie has a unique talent which even I do not possess. He can count the number of letters in a word or phrase and in a small sentence, which you can read out to him. Nobody in the world so far has claimed such a talent and we want to claim such a record," said Job Pottas, the head of Pottas family residing in Muvatupuzha Village.
Job Pottas, the eldest of the Pottas family, has been an inspiration for the rest of his family. He has also found a place in some book of records for his talent of pronouncing words and sentences in reverse order fluently.
Job, however, reveals his secret saying: "I do not have to practice it. I was a voracious reader and used to read all sorts of books on knowledge right from medicine to law. And through this reading, I also acquired a good vocabulary and never made a mistake. Reading in reverse order became spontaneous and today it's a habit. It is God's gift to me. Plus I have a good verbal memory. All these factors made me possible to achieve this."
Besides, Job can sing any song in reverse mode. He also records in his personal computer that enables him to listen in the correct from.
Job's younger son Jaacs Job Pottas, a standard XII student, and daughter Gemima Job, a standard six student have also imbibed these qualities. They are following their father's footsteps.
"There is nothing like practicing and I think it is just an inborn talent. I can spell backwards and if you ask me, I can spell reversibly," said Jaacs Job Pottas, the younger son.
Job Pottas' talent was revealed when he was in the high school and used to write in reverse to make his secrets.
Today, Pottas family has already bagged several awards and mementoes for demonstrating their talent in various shows at various colleges and schools in India, Singapore and European countries.
Job Pottas attributes his amazing talent to his wife whom he describes to have been the main driving force. But she passed away a few months ago.
In 1992, Job wrote in reverse an entire chapter from the Holy Bible's St. John's Gospel taking just 35 minutes to write 1,200 words. By Juhan Samuel (ANI)
Wed, Jun 11 03:05 PM
Muvatupuzha (Kochi), June 11 (ANI): Believe it or not, the Pottas family residing in Muvatupuzha village near Kochi has cultivated a unique talent to read, write and spell words or sentences, all in reverse order!
This talent has come naturally to the family, as everyone just loves practicing it any time of the day in daily life.
Anyone just needs to utter a word or sentence, regardless of its length, the members are always eager to read, write, type and spell it out in the reverse mode.
One of the family members is the 20-year-old Geordie Job Pottas, who is also a law student. He is stated to possess an ability to relate the exact number of alphabets contained in any word or sentence in any language within seconds.
"My elder son Geordie has a unique talent which even I do not possess. He can count the number of letters in a word or phrase and in a small sentence, which you can read out to him. Nobody in the world so far has claimed such a talent and we want to claim such a record," said Job Pottas, the head of Pottas family residing in Muvatupuzha Village.
Job Pottas, the eldest of the Pottas family, has been an inspiration for the rest of his family. He has also found a place in some book of records for his talent of pronouncing words and sentences in reverse order fluently.
Job, however, reveals his secret saying: "I do not have to practice it. I was a voracious reader and used to read all sorts of books on knowledge right from medicine to law. And through this reading, I also acquired a good vocabulary and never made a mistake. Reading in reverse order became spontaneous and today it's a habit. It is God's gift to me. Plus I have a good verbal memory. All these factors made me possible to achieve this."
Besides, Job can sing any song in reverse mode. He also records in his personal computer that enables him to listen in the correct from.
Job's younger son Jaacs Job Pottas, a standard XII student, and daughter Gemima Job, a standard six student have also imbibed these qualities. They are following their father's footsteps.
"There is nothing like practicing and I think it is just an inborn talent. I can spell backwards and if you ask me, I can spell reversibly," said Jaacs Job Pottas, the younger son.
Job Pottas' talent was revealed when he was in the high school and used to write in reverse to make his secrets.
Today, Pottas family has already bagged several awards and mementoes for demonstrating their talent in various shows at various colleges and schools in India, Singapore and European countries.
Job Pottas attributes his amazing talent to his wife whom he describes to have been the main driving force. But she passed away a few months ago.
In 1992, Job wrote in reverse an entire chapter from the Holy Bible's St. John's Gospel taking just 35 minutes to write 1,200 words. By Juhan Samuel (ANI)
700-Pound Mexican Man Hopes to Stand for Wedding
700-pound Mexican man hopes to be able to stand on his own feet to get married
By MARK WALSH Associated Press Writer
MONTERREY, Mexico June 10, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Manuel "Meme" Uribe, 42, smiles with his girlfriend Claudia Solis, during an interview with the... Expand
Manuel "Meme" Uribe, 42, smiles with his girlfriend Claudia Solis, during an interview with the Associated Press, in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, June 9, 2008. Manuel, who is the worlds heaviest living man according to Guinness, has one wish for his upcoming 43th birthday; to be able to walk his fiance Claudia down the aisle.
Manuel Uribe, who once weighed a half ton but has slimmed down to about 700 pounds, celebrates his 43rd birthday on Wednesday with a simple wish for the coming year: to be able to stand on his own two feet to get married.
Interviewed at his home in northern Mexico, where he can still do little more than sit up on a bed, Uribe said more than two years of steady dieting have helped him drop about 550 pounds from his Guinness record weight of 1,235 pounds.
He hopes Guinness representatives will confirm in July that he holds a second title: The world's greatest loser of weight.
But Uribe is still unable to walk his fiancee, Claudia Solis, down the aisle.
"It frustrates me a little, because it is not easy to get out," said Uribe, who has not been able to leave bed for the last six years.
His most recent attempt to escape the house — to attend Solis' 38th birthday party in March — fell through when a flatbed tow truck brought to transport his reinforced bed got caught beneath an underpass.
But Uribe vowed not to be deterred: "We are in love, and this year my birthday wish is to be able to stand when we get married," he said.
Uribe said he met Solis, a 38-year-old hairdresser, four years ago. They have been together for the last two.
"We are a couple," Uribe said. "We have sex, and in the eyes of God we are already married."
Proudly showing off her sparkling engagement ring, Solis said life with a heavyweight is not always easy.
"I bathe him every day, and we get along very well," she said. "At times, yes, people say things ... that it's a fake relationship, but what we have is real."
Solis said her family initially opposed the match with Uribe, because her first husband, who was also obese, died of respiratory failure.
"They were worried about me being involved with another fat man, because they thought another husband would die on me," she said.
Uribe, a former auto parts dealer, said his birthday party Wednesday will be a low-key dinner with the family.
By MARK WALSH Associated Press Writer
MONTERREY, Mexico June 10, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Manuel "Meme" Uribe, 42, smiles with his girlfriend Claudia Solis, during an interview with the... Expand
Manuel "Meme" Uribe, 42, smiles with his girlfriend Claudia Solis, during an interview with the Associated Press, in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, June 9, 2008. Manuel, who is the worlds heaviest living man according to Guinness, has one wish for his upcoming 43th birthday; to be able to walk his fiance Claudia down the aisle.
Manuel Uribe, who once weighed a half ton but has slimmed down to about 700 pounds, celebrates his 43rd birthday on Wednesday with a simple wish for the coming year: to be able to stand on his own two feet to get married.
Interviewed at his home in northern Mexico, where he can still do little more than sit up on a bed, Uribe said more than two years of steady dieting have helped him drop about 550 pounds from his Guinness record weight of 1,235 pounds.
He hopes Guinness representatives will confirm in July that he holds a second title: The world's greatest loser of weight.
But Uribe is still unable to walk his fiancee, Claudia Solis, down the aisle.
"It frustrates me a little, because it is not easy to get out," said Uribe, who has not been able to leave bed for the last six years.
His most recent attempt to escape the house — to attend Solis' 38th birthday party in March — fell through when a flatbed tow truck brought to transport his reinforced bed got caught beneath an underpass.
But Uribe vowed not to be deterred: "We are in love, and this year my birthday wish is to be able to stand when we get married," he said.
Uribe said he met Solis, a 38-year-old hairdresser, four years ago. They have been together for the last two.
"We are a couple," Uribe said. "We have sex, and in the eyes of God we are already married."
Proudly showing off her sparkling engagement ring, Solis said life with a heavyweight is not always easy.
"I bathe him every day, and we get along very well," she said. "At times, yes, people say things ... that it's a fake relationship, but what we have is real."
Solis said her family initially opposed the match with Uribe, because her first husband, who was also obese, died of respiratory failure.
"They were worried about me being involved with another fat man, because they thought another husband would die on me," she said.
Uribe, a former auto parts dealer, said his birthday party Wednesday will be a low-key dinner with the family.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Smart animals Change People's Understanding of Intelligence.
Animal Smarts: Intelligence in the Wild Kingdom
These Icons Have Changed People's Understanding of Intelligence.
By TUAN C. NGUYEN
June 9, 2008
Throughout history, intelligence has often been considered a quality unique to humans, but that conventional wisdom has been shattered over the years as researchcontinues to turn up examples of animals, birds and fish that can develop vocabularies, communicate and even roast marshmallows over a campfire.
smart animals
The belief that intelligence was human-specific was held by a list of influential thinkers, such as Rene Descartes, who argued that unlike people, animals were simply mindless creatures incapable of any complex thought. Even the scientific classification homosapien, which in Latin translates to "wise man," seems to highlight this distinction.
But several recent studies have challenged this long-held view.
Crows, for instance, invent tools. Researchers have observed them using twigs and wires to snatch food from hard-to-reach places. Octopuses have exhibited their own brand of ingenuity by using rocks to build homes in crevices along the ocean floor. The eight-legged eggheads have also been known for mischief, as one researcher learned when he captured one on video sneaking out in the middle of the night to feast on fish, than returning to its tank as if nothing had ever happened.
A few species, however, deserve special mention for being at the head of the class.
Chimpanzees and bonobos have DNA that is 98 percent identical to ours, and the similarities don't end there. They hunt in groups, invent tools and transfer learned behaviors to others.
This tendency to pass on knowledge within a group has led some researchers to suspect that the primates may also possess a capacity for language. In the '60s, a chimp named Washoe surprised many scientists when she began to acquire sign language. It is believed that she eventually learned to use about 250 signs.
Although Washoe died last year, another ape had already begun showing a prodigious knack for gab. Kanzi, a 27-year-old bonobo, started to pick up language as an infant by watching researchers try unsuccessfully to teach his mother how to use keyboard symbols to communicate.
Within a short time, Kanzi has been able to understand thousands of words. Smithsonian magazine reported that during an outing in the forest, Kanzi used the keyboard to ask for matches and marshmallows. With the items in hand, he prepared a campfire and toasted the marshmallows on a stick.
These Icons Have Changed People's Understanding of Intelligence.
By TUAN C. NGUYEN
June 9, 2008
Throughout history, intelligence has often been considered a quality unique to humans, but that conventional wisdom has been shattered over the years as researchcontinues to turn up examples of animals, birds and fish that can develop vocabularies, communicate and even roast marshmallows over a campfire.
smart animals
The belief that intelligence was human-specific was held by a list of influential thinkers, such as Rene Descartes, who argued that unlike people, animals were simply mindless creatures incapable of any complex thought. Even the scientific classification homosapien, which in Latin translates to "wise man," seems to highlight this distinction.
But several recent studies have challenged this long-held view.
Crows, for instance, invent tools. Researchers have observed them using twigs and wires to snatch food from hard-to-reach places. Octopuses have exhibited their own brand of ingenuity by using rocks to build homes in crevices along the ocean floor. The eight-legged eggheads have also been known for mischief, as one researcher learned when he captured one on video sneaking out in the middle of the night to feast on fish, than returning to its tank as if nothing had ever happened.
A few species, however, deserve special mention for being at the head of the class.
Chimpanzees and bonobos have DNA that is 98 percent identical to ours, and the similarities don't end there. They hunt in groups, invent tools and transfer learned behaviors to others.
This tendency to pass on knowledge within a group has led some researchers to suspect that the primates may also possess a capacity for language. In the '60s, a chimp named Washoe surprised many scientists when she began to acquire sign language. It is believed that she eventually learned to use about 250 signs.
Although Washoe died last year, another ape had already begun showing a prodigious knack for gab. Kanzi, a 27-year-old bonobo, started to pick up language as an infant by watching researchers try unsuccessfully to teach his mother how to use keyboard symbols to communicate.
Within a short time, Kanzi has been able to understand thousands of words. Smithsonian magazine reported that during an outing in the forest, Kanzi used the keyboard to ask for matches and marshmallows. With the items in hand, he prepared a campfire and toasted the marshmallows on a stick.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Lalu Prasad turns a blogger
Now, Lalu turns a blogger
9 Jun 2008, 0450 hrs IST,Madhuri Kumar,TNN
PATNA: Barack Obama has it. So do Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Now railway minister Lalu Prasad has jumped on the blog bandwagon.
But his first blog entry isn't about how well the Indian Railways is doing under him, or even his favourite food roti-dal. It's about the raging Gujjar fire. " Yeh andolan disha hin ho gai hai ...," says Lalu in his very first blog on myPOPKORN.com. "Accepting the demands of the community for scheduled tribe status would trigger similar demands from others, which would lead to a constitutional crisis," he says.
Lalu confirmed to TOI on Sunday that he had turned blogger. " Haan main apne vichar blog ke liye de rahan hoon . Ek de chuka hoon, doosra bhi denewala hoon . Wo log mujhse mere vichar chahte the . (Yes, I am giving my views to the website for the blog. I have already given one and the next will come soon. They had been approaching me and I agreed)," he said over phone from New Delhi. " Are kono truck ya bus se kuch bhejna hai jo koi dikkat hai. Vichar hi to dena hai . (It isn't as if I have to send anything by truck or bus. All they need is my opinion)".
Lalu's blog also has an audio version but the rustic wit that is Lalu's trademark is missing from the entry — it cuts straight to the point.
"Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is the root cause behind the spread of agitation by Gujjars. She promised reservation in the election manifesto and now she is not keeping her word... No amendments can be made in the Constitution to confer special status to some individuals...," Lalu has said in his blog.
Officials of Digital Media Convergence Limited (DMCL), which built the website, have been after Lalu to join the blog for several months. On May 30, Lalu posted his Gujjar blog, say company officials. DMCL CEO Ishwar Jha said the railway minister could post blogs "according to his will". "Lalu Prasad was very excited about the idea of a blog when he realized that it would help him interact more closely with the people. He readily agreed to post and record his views," said Jha. "In fact, my team was with Lalu on Friday to collect his second blog for the site."
The Lalu blog is already making waves. RJD MP from Patna Ramkripal Yadav said he had heard of the blog but was "yet to speak to Laluji on the issue". Party colleague Shyam Rajak, however, accepted that a Mumbai-based organization had approached Lalu for a blog. "Laluji has given his silent nod for it," he said.
The next blog from Lalu is expected to be on how he has turned the Railways around and become a ‘management guru'," said a DMCL official.
9 Jun 2008, 0450 hrs IST,Madhuri Kumar,TNN
PATNA: Barack Obama has it. So do Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Now railway minister Lalu Prasad has jumped on the blog bandwagon.
But his first blog entry isn't about how well the Indian Railways is doing under him, or even his favourite food roti-dal. It's about the raging Gujjar fire. " Yeh andolan disha hin ho gai hai ...," says Lalu in his very first blog on myPOPKORN.com. "Accepting the demands of the community for scheduled tribe status would trigger similar demands from others, which would lead to a constitutional crisis," he says.
Lalu confirmed to TOI on Sunday that he had turned blogger. " Haan main apne vichar blog ke liye de rahan hoon . Ek de chuka hoon, doosra bhi denewala hoon . Wo log mujhse mere vichar chahte the . (Yes, I am giving my views to the website for the blog. I have already given one and the next will come soon. They had been approaching me and I agreed)," he said over phone from New Delhi. " Are kono truck ya bus se kuch bhejna hai jo koi dikkat hai. Vichar hi to dena hai . (It isn't as if I have to send anything by truck or bus. All they need is my opinion)".
Lalu's blog also has an audio version but the rustic wit that is Lalu's trademark is missing from the entry — it cuts straight to the point.
"Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is the root cause behind the spread of agitation by Gujjars. She promised reservation in the election manifesto and now she is not keeping her word... No amendments can be made in the Constitution to confer special status to some individuals...," Lalu has said in his blog.
Officials of Digital Media Convergence Limited (DMCL), which built the website, have been after Lalu to join the blog for several months. On May 30, Lalu posted his Gujjar blog, say company officials. DMCL CEO Ishwar Jha said the railway minister could post blogs "according to his will". "Lalu Prasad was very excited about the idea of a blog when he realized that it would help him interact more closely with the people. He readily agreed to post and record his views," said Jha. "In fact, my team was with Lalu on Friday to collect his second blog for the site."
The Lalu blog is already making waves. RJD MP from Patna Ramkripal Yadav said he had heard of the blog but was "yet to speak to Laluji on the issue". Party colleague Shyam Rajak, however, accepted that a Mumbai-based organization had approached Lalu for a blog. "Laluji has given his silent nod for it," he said.
The next blog from Lalu is expected to be on how he has turned the Railways around and become a ‘management guru'," said a DMCL official.
Friday, June 6, 2008
jail for evading tax: Deepak Gajjar to prison
Man jailed for evading tax
6 Jun 2008, 0410 hrs IST,TNN
AHMEDABAD: A person has been convicted by metropolitan court for committing a fraud to the tune of Rs 44 crore by evading commercial tax.
Deepak Gajjar from Vejalpur was sentenced to four-year imprisonment for raising false bills for business transactions that had never taken place at all. He has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 12,000, said a media release by commercial tax department.
Gajjar was nabbed by sleuths of commercial tax department during a campaign they carried out against the bogus bill raising scams. A flying squad had recovered blank ration cards, 16 cheque books and bank receipts, school leaving certificates, etc. from various premises belonging to Gajjar. It was found out that the accused along with his accomplices was mainly raising false bills showing deals in dyeing chemicals, plastic goods, electronics items, ceramic tiles and plywood.
6 Jun 2008, 0410 hrs IST,TNN
AHMEDABAD: A person has been convicted by metropolitan court for committing a fraud to the tune of Rs 44 crore by evading commercial tax.
Deepak Gajjar from Vejalpur was sentenced to four-year imprisonment for raising false bills for business transactions that had never taken place at all. He has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 12,000, said a media release by commercial tax department.
Gajjar was nabbed by sleuths of commercial tax department during a campaign they carried out against the bogus bill raising scams. A flying squad had recovered blank ration cards, 16 cheque books and bank receipts, school leaving certificates, etc. from various premises belonging to Gajjar. It was found out that the accused along with his accomplices was mainly raising false bills showing deals in dyeing chemicals, plastic goods, electronics items, ceramic tiles and plywood.
Mask Falls: Clinton's Racial Politics
Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper
Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior National Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories.
Clinton-Backing Congressman Says Clinton Camp Pushed Racist Strategy
June 06, 2008 9:03 AM
Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Barack Obama, D-NY, met last night at the home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. -- who is a big supporter, it should be noted, of a joint ticket.
A joint statement came from Obama spox Bill Burton and Clinton spox Jay Carson saying: “Senator Clinton and Senator Obama met tonight and had a productive discussion about the important work that needs to be done to succeed in November.”
But threatening to steal some thunder from the rapprochement comes Rep. Rob Andrews, D-NJ -- fresh from his primary loss to Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ -- who tells the Newark Star-Ledger that it may be tough for the party to unify behind Obama since the Clinton camp "has engaged in some very divisive tactics and rhetoric it should not have."
Before the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, Andrews says, a "high-ranking person" in the Clinton campaign "pushed a strategy of winning by exploiting tensions between Jews and African-Americans.
"There have been signals coming out of the Clinton campaign that have racial overtones that indeed disturb me," Andrews said. "Frankly, I had a private conversation with a high-ranking person in the campaign ... that used a racial line of argument that I found very disconcerting. It was extremely disconcerting given the rank of this person. It was very disturbing."
The Clinton campaign's response, from spox Phil Singer: "Comments like these, coming so soon after Congressman Andrews' crushing defeat, are sad and divisive."
- jpt
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper
Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior National Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories.
Clinton-Backing Congressman Says Clinton Camp Pushed Racist Strategy
June 06, 2008 9:03 AM
Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Barack Obama, D-NY, met last night at the home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. -- who is a big supporter, it should be noted, of a joint ticket.
A joint statement came from Obama spox Bill Burton and Clinton spox Jay Carson saying: “Senator Clinton and Senator Obama met tonight and had a productive discussion about the important work that needs to be done to succeed in November.”
But threatening to steal some thunder from the rapprochement comes Rep. Rob Andrews, D-NJ -- fresh from his primary loss to Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ -- who tells the Newark Star-Ledger that it may be tough for the party to unify behind Obama since the Clinton camp "has engaged in some very divisive tactics and rhetoric it should not have."
Before the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, Andrews says, a "high-ranking person" in the Clinton campaign "pushed a strategy of winning by exploiting tensions between Jews and African-Americans.
"There have been signals coming out of the Clinton campaign that have racial overtones that indeed disturb me," Andrews said. "Frankly, I had a private conversation with a high-ranking person in the campaign ... that used a racial line of argument that I found very disconcerting. It was extremely disconcerting given the rank of this person. It was very disturbing."
The Clinton campaign's response, from spox Phil Singer: "Comments like these, coming so soon after Congressman Andrews' crushing defeat, are sad and divisive."
- jpt
Fr Michael Pfleger suspended for political comments
Church in the World
7 June 2008
United States
Anti-Clinton cleric suspended
Rocco Palmo
AN OUTSPOKEN priest has been temporarily suspended after comments he made attacking Senator Hillary Clinton caused presidential nominee Barack Obama to resign from his Church of 20 years, writes Rocco Palmo.
Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, on Tuesday said he was removing Fr Michael Pfleger from St Sabina's Church on Chicago's South Side "for a couple of weeks" so that the cleric might "put recent events in some perspective". He also appointed a neighbouring priest as temporary administrator of St Sabina's. Despite the cardinal asking for cooperation from church members, laity-led protests took place in the church's sanctuary within hours of the announcement.
Late last month Fr Pfleger condemned what he called Mrs Clinton's sense of "white entitlement and supremacy" in the Democratic presidential nomination contests and termed "America as the greatest sin against God". He later apologised, but added: "There's more to the story."
Fr Pfleger's remarks, made during a routine appearance at Trinity United Church of Christ on 25 May, were denounced as "divisive, backward-looking rhetoric" by Mr Obama, a senator for Illinois and long-time Trinity member who once cited the priest among three "spiritual guides".
In his homily, which has had nearly 400,000 hits on the website YouTube, the priest, who is white, said Mrs Clinton had been on the verge of tears days before the New Hampshire primary in January because she felt "there is a black man stealing my show".
Fr Pfleger has established his mainly African-American parish as an influential force on the black church scene in the city and beyond to a rare degree for a Catholic community. The leader of a host of social-service and community-aid ministries, the priest usually travels with an assistant and bodyguards.
7 June 2008
United States
Anti-Clinton cleric suspended
Rocco Palmo
AN OUTSPOKEN priest has been temporarily suspended after comments he made attacking Senator Hillary Clinton caused presidential nominee Barack Obama to resign from his Church of 20 years, writes Rocco Palmo.
Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, on Tuesday said he was removing Fr Michael Pfleger from St Sabina's Church on Chicago's South Side "for a couple of weeks" so that the cleric might "put recent events in some perspective". He also appointed a neighbouring priest as temporary administrator of St Sabina's. Despite the cardinal asking for cooperation from church members, laity-led protests took place in the church's sanctuary within hours of the announcement.
Late last month Fr Pfleger condemned what he called Mrs Clinton's sense of "white entitlement and supremacy" in the Democratic presidential nomination contests and termed "America as the greatest sin against God". He later apologised, but added: "There's more to the story."
Fr Pfleger's remarks, made during a routine appearance at Trinity United Church of Christ on 25 May, were denounced as "divisive, backward-looking rhetoric" by Mr Obama, a senator for Illinois and long-time Trinity member who once cited the priest among three "spiritual guides".
In his homily, which has had nearly 400,000 hits on the website YouTube, the priest, who is white, said Mrs Clinton had been on the verge of tears days before the New Hampshire primary in January because she felt "there is a black man stealing my show".
Fr Pfleger has established his mainly African-American parish as an influential force on the black church scene in the city and beyond to a rare degree for a Catholic community. The leader of a host of social-service and community-aid ministries, the priest usually travels with an assistant and bodyguards.
Prophet Yisrayl 'Buffalo Bill' Hawkins of Abilene: Doomsday Begins on June 12
Texas Sect Leader: Doomsday Begins Next Thursday, June 12
Thousands Follow Self-Proclaimed Prophet Yisrayl 'Buffalo Bill' Hawkins of Abilene
By BRIAN ROSS and VIC WALTER
June 6, 2008
Nuclear war will begin next Thursday, June 12, or sooner, according to the latest prediction of self-proclaimed prophet Yisrayl "Buffalo Bill" Hawkins, the founder of a religious sect in Abilene, Texas.
Lawmakers investigate a former policeman and his doomsday cult.
"It could be turned loose before then," Hawkins told 20/20 for a report to be broadcast tonight. "You're going to see this very soon, really soon," he said.
Hundreds of truck trailers have been loaded with food and water on the group's 44-acre compound, in preparation for the coming war.
Unfortunately for Hawkins, it is not the first time he predicted the outbreak of nuclear war.
Most recently, Hawkins set Sept. 12, 2006 as the beginning of the end.
His followers produced an on-line video with a countdown to doomsday.
In Kenya, hundreds of his followers actually hid in basement bomb shelters and donned gas masks on the date.
They went home in humiliation when there was no war.
Hawkins says he does not care if people consider him a laughing stock.
"You know, the savior himself, told me not to worry about that. He said, 'They're going to hate you above all people on the face of the earth,' " Hawkins explained.
Other former members say those doomsday predictions led believers to buy emergency food and supplies from a company that Hawkins owns personally, Life Nutrition Products.
"He's been saying just give me two more years, we're right at the end," said former member Miriam Martin who left in 2004.
"Why would you give up now? That's how he controls people, is through fear," Martin said.
Other former members say they are required to buy doomsday food and supplies from a company that Hawkins owns personally, Life Nutrition Products.
"Everything that he preaches has to do with people buying something," said former House of Yahweh elder David Als of New York city.
Like many of the his followers, Als actually legally changed his last name to Hawkins because he became convinced that only those named Hawkins would be saved.
Thousands Follow Self-Proclaimed Prophet Yisrayl 'Buffalo Bill' Hawkins of Abilene
By BRIAN ROSS and VIC WALTER
June 6, 2008
Nuclear war will begin next Thursday, June 12, or sooner, according to the latest prediction of self-proclaimed prophet Yisrayl "Buffalo Bill" Hawkins, the founder of a religious sect in Abilene, Texas.
Lawmakers investigate a former policeman and his doomsday cult.
"It could be turned loose before then," Hawkins told 20/20 for a report to be broadcast tonight. "You're going to see this very soon, really soon," he said.
Hundreds of truck trailers have been loaded with food and water on the group's 44-acre compound, in preparation for the coming war.
Unfortunately for Hawkins, it is not the first time he predicted the outbreak of nuclear war.
Most recently, Hawkins set Sept. 12, 2006 as the beginning of the end.
His followers produced an on-line video with a countdown to doomsday.
In Kenya, hundreds of his followers actually hid in basement bomb shelters and donned gas masks on the date.
They went home in humiliation when there was no war.
Hawkins says he does not care if people consider him a laughing stock.
"You know, the savior himself, told me not to worry about that. He said, 'They're going to hate you above all people on the face of the earth,' " Hawkins explained.
Other former members say those doomsday predictions led believers to buy emergency food and supplies from a company that Hawkins owns personally, Life Nutrition Products.
"He's been saying just give me two more years, we're right at the end," said former member Miriam Martin who left in 2004.
"Why would you give up now? That's how he controls people, is through fear," Martin said.
Other former members say they are required to buy doomsday food and supplies from a company that Hawkins owns personally, Life Nutrition Products.
"Everything that he preaches has to do with people buying something," said former House of Yahweh elder David Als of New York city.
Like many of the his followers, Als actually legally changed his last name to Hawkins because he became convinced that only those named Hawkins would be saved.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III charged in tawdry narcotics indictment
Billionaire Drug Bust
Broadcom's co-founder charged in tawdry narcotics indictment
JUNE 5--A technology billionaire was a drug fiend who trafficked in cocaine, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine, spiked the drinks of business associates and employees, hired prostitutes for himself and others, and maintained several narcotics dens, including one in an underground lair at his Los Angeles mansion, prosecutors charge. In a remarkable federal indictment unsealed today in Los Angeles, Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III is portrayed as an out-of-control wild man who scored drug caches for Super Bowl parties and rock festivals and had his dealer invoice him for these illicit purchases. A copy of the felony drug conspiracy indictment against Nicholas, who is reportedly worth about $2 billion, can be found below. The 48-year-old Nicholas, who was charged with securities fraud in a separate U.S. District Court case, allegedly "used threats of physical violence and death and payments of money to attempt to conceal his unlawful conduct," according to the indictment. Prosecutors allege that, in June 2002, Nicholas and Broadcom entered into a $1 million settlement agreement with an employee who was aware of the executive's "unlawful narcotics activity." The hefty payout, which Broadcom covered, contractually prevented the employee from speaking about Nicholas's drug abuse. The billionaire apparently did little to conceal his drug transactions. On one occasion, in the lobby of Broadcom's southern California headquarters, he directed an employee to provide cash to a courier "in exchange for an envelope containing controlled substances," the indictment charges. On a drug-fueled 2001 private plane flight--during which Nicholas allegedly used and distributed narcotics--the pilot was forced to don an oxygen mask due to the "marijuana smoke and fumes." According to a March 2008 Forbes story, Nicholas, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, is ranked 677 on the list of the world's wealthiest individuals. (18 pages)
Broadcom's co-founder charged in tawdry narcotics indictment
JUNE 5--A technology billionaire was a drug fiend who trafficked in cocaine, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine, spiked the drinks of business associates and employees, hired prostitutes for himself and others, and maintained several narcotics dens, including one in an underground lair at his Los Angeles mansion, prosecutors charge. In a remarkable federal indictment unsealed today in Los Angeles, Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III is portrayed as an out-of-control wild man who scored drug caches for Super Bowl parties and rock festivals and had his dealer invoice him for these illicit purchases. A copy of the felony drug conspiracy indictment against Nicholas, who is reportedly worth about $2 billion, can be found below. The 48-year-old Nicholas, who was charged with securities fraud in a separate U.S. District Court case, allegedly "used threats of physical violence and death and payments of money to attempt to conceal his unlawful conduct," according to the indictment. Prosecutors allege that, in June 2002, Nicholas and Broadcom entered into a $1 million settlement agreement with an employee who was aware of the executive's "unlawful narcotics activity." The hefty payout, which Broadcom covered, contractually prevented the employee from speaking about Nicholas's drug abuse. The billionaire apparently did little to conceal his drug transactions. On one occasion, in the lobby of Broadcom's southern California headquarters, he directed an employee to provide cash to a courier "in exchange for an envelope containing controlled substances," the indictment charges. On a drug-fueled 2001 private plane flight--during which Nicholas allegedly used and distributed narcotics--the pilot was forced to don an oxygen mask due to the "marijuana smoke and fumes." According to a March 2008 Forbes story, Nicholas, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, is ranked 677 on the list of the world's wealthiest individuals. (18 pages)
Man Falls After Receiving Spirit, Sues
Man Falls After Receiving Spirit, Sues
Claims church liable for injuries sustained during healing service
JUNE 5--Last June, Matthew Lincoln was attending an evening service at his nondenominational Tennessee church when he approached the altar where a visiting minister was offering individual prayers for parishioners. Assigned "catchers" were present on the altar in case congregants fainted, fell, or otherwise lost control. When the minister, Robert Lavala, slightly touched his forehead, the Knoxville-area man "received the spirit and fell backwards." Except nobody was there to catch him, Lincoln charges in a $2.5 million lawsuit filed yesterday against Lakewind Church and its pastors. Lincoln, 58, claims that he fell backwards, striking his head against the "carpet-covered cement floor," according to the Circuit Court complaint, which was first reported by Courthouse News Service. A copy of Lincoln's lawsuit can be found below. Since he already suffered from a "degenerative disc disease of his neck and back," Lincoln, a former church board member, contends the fall exacerbated the pre-existing condition and has caused him "severe and permanent" injuries. As a result of the fall, Lincoln, a recording engineer, claims that he is no longer able to care for his disabled daughter. Lincoln alleges that Lakewind and its pastors were "negligent in not supervising the catchers to be sure that they stood behind the person being prayed for...should they have a dizzying, fainting, or falling in the spirit as had occurred on many occasions before." Lincoln's lawyer, J.D. Lee, told TSG that the church's insurer, Zurich of North America, rejected an insurance claim, asserting that Lincoln should have realized that no catchers were situated behind him. (5 pages)
Claims church liable for injuries sustained during healing service
JUNE 5--Last June, Matthew Lincoln was attending an evening service at his nondenominational Tennessee church when he approached the altar where a visiting minister was offering individual prayers for parishioners. Assigned "catchers" were present on the altar in case congregants fainted, fell, or otherwise lost control. When the minister, Robert Lavala, slightly touched his forehead, the Knoxville-area man "received the spirit and fell backwards." Except nobody was there to catch him, Lincoln charges in a $2.5 million lawsuit filed yesterday against Lakewind Church and its pastors. Lincoln, 58, claims that he fell backwards, striking his head against the "carpet-covered cement floor," according to the Circuit Court complaint, which was first reported by Courthouse News Service. A copy of Lincoln's lawsuit can be found below. Since he already suffered from a "degenerative disc disease of his neck and back," Lincoln, a former church board member, contends the fall exacerbated the pre-existing condition and has caused him "severe and permanent" injuries. As a result of the fall, Lincoln, a recording engineer, claims that he is no longer able to care for his disabled daughter. Lincoln alleges that Lakewind and its pastors were "negligent in not supervising the catchers to be sure that they stood behind the person being prayed for...should they have a dizzying, fainting, or falling in the spirit as had occurred on many occasions before." Lincoln's lawyer, J.D. Lee, told TSG that the church's insurer, Zurich of North America, rejected an insurance claim, asserting that Lincoln should have realized that no catchers were situated behind him. (5 pages)
Sri Sri brokered peace between Raje, Gujjars
Sunday, June 2, 2008
Sri Sri brokered peace between Raje, Gujjars
Bangalore: In a significant development, spiritual guru and founder of Art Living Guru Sri Sri Ravishankar has brokered peace between warring Gujjars and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundaraje Scindia to find an amicable solution to the long pending problem of reservation.
Talking to ANI in an exclusive interview in Bangalore at his ashram on Sunday, the spiritual Guru said he had talked to both of them and they have agreed to negotiate in peace.
The initiative of Guru Ravishankar is seen significant in breaking the stalemate of the agitation.
The Gujjars, already considered a disadvantaged group, want to be reclassified further down the complex Hindu caste and status system so that they qualify for government jobs and university seats reserved for such groups.
The Gujjars, who have been protesting for more than a week now, have started to branch out from Rajasthan, the epicenter of the protests, to take their protests across northern India.
The government reserves about half of all seats in state colleges and universities for lower castes and tribal groups to flatten centuries-old social hierarchies, in what has been called the world's biggest affirmative action scheme.
But the scheme has been criticised for accentuating caste identities in India, where discrimination on caste is banned in the Constitution.
A year ago, Gujjars in Rajasthan fought police and members of another caste that already qualifies for job quotas. At least 26 people were killed in that violence.
After these protests, a state government committee said it would spend 2.8 billion rupees for improving schools, clinics, roads and other infrastructure in Gujjar areas. But Gujjars rejected this option.
Source: ANI
Sri Sri brokered peace between Raje, Gujjars
Bangalore: In a significant development, spiritual guru and founder of Art Living Guru Sri Sri Ravishankar has brokered peace between warring Gujjars and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundaraje Scindia to find an amicable solution to the long pending problem of reservation.
Talking to ANI in an exclusive interview in Bangalore at his ashram on Sunday, the spiritual Guru said he had talked to both of them and they have agreed to negotiate in peace.
The initiative of Guru Ravishankar is seen significant in breaking the stalemate of the agitation.
The Gujjars, already considered a disadvantaged group, want to be reclassified further down the complex Hindu caste and status system so that they qualify for government jobs and university seats reserved for such groups.
The Gujjars, who have been protesting for more than a week now, have started to branch out from Rajasthan, the epicenter of the protests, to take their protests across northern India.
The government reserves about half of all seats in state colleges and universities for lower castes and tribal groups to flatten centuries-old social hierarchies, in what has been called the world's biggest affirmative action scheme.
But the scheme has been criticised for accentuating caste identities in India, where discrimination on caste is banned in the Constitution.
A year ago, Gujjars in Rajasthan fought police and members of another caste that already qualifies for job quotas. At least 26 people were killed in that violence.
After these protests, a state government committee said it would spend 2.8 billion rupees for improving schools, clinics, roads and other infrastructure in Gujjar areas. But Gujjars rejected this option.
Source: ANI
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Navi Mumbai to have revised version of tram cars
Blue Star
Wednesday,June 04,2008
Navi Mumbai to have revised version of tram cars
Mumbai: Tram cars that had vanished from Mumbai in 1964 could be resurrected in a new and futuristic version in the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, a senior government official said.
"We are considering a pilot project in Navi Mumbai and have written to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation seeking their approval to carry out feasibility studies," Sanjay Ubale, Secretary (Special Projects) said.
Navi Mumbai, presently with a smaller population than Mumbai, could face problems of congestion in future and trams were expected to help ease them, he said."Navi Mumbai's streets also have the require road width to provide space for the tracks which would make it easier to implement tram systems there,"Ubale said.
The electric tram car in Mumbai operated in 1907 with its first ceremonial journey from the civic headquarters in south Mumbai to the nearby Crawford Market, now renamed the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market.It ran its last route on March 31, 1964.
The re-introduction of trams is also expected to change people's perception of them as being an antiquated mode of transport that cannot be used in the modern age, Ubale said.The model expected to be used is on the lines of tram systems in Europe where air-conditioned trams operate in city centres and are often used to convert areas into no-entry zones for private vehicles, a planner associated with the project said.
Wednesday,June 04,2008
Navi Mumbai to have revised version of tram cars
Mumbai: Tram cars that had vanished from Mumbai in 1964 could be resurrected in a new and futuristic version in the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, a senior government official said.
"We are considering a pilot project in Navi Mumbai and have written to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation seeking their approval to carry out feasibility studies," Sanjay Ubale, Secretary (Special Projects) said.
Navi Mumbai, presently with a smaller population than Mumbai, could face problems of congestion in future and trams were expected to help ease them, he said."Navi Mumbai's streets also have the require road width to provide space for the tracks which would make it easier to implement tram systems there,"Ubale said.
The electric tram car in Mumbai operated in 1907 with its first ceremonial journey from the civic headquarters in south Mumbai to the nearby Crawford Market, now renamed the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market.It ran its last route on March 31, 1964.
The re-introduction of trams is also expected to change people's perception of them as being an antiquated mode of transport that cannot be used in the modern age, Ubale said.The model expected to be used is on the lines of tram systems in Europe where air-conditioned trams operate in city centres and are often used to convert areas into no-entry zones for private vehicles, a planner associated with the project said.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Uncontacted Tribe Spotted in Brazil - Mascho Piro?
Land of the 'Lost'
Disease and Development Threaten Isolated Amazonian Groups, Experts Say
By ASHLEY PHILLIPS
June 3, 2008
When a so-called "uncontacted" tribe was spotted last week in Brazil shooting arrows at a passing plane, global curiosity was piqued. Who were these people covered in black, red and orange paint? And how could they be completely ignorant of modern society?
Mascho-Piro
In September 2007, scientists spotted members of what they believed to be the Mascho Piro tribe in Peru while looking for evidence of illegal logging. Survival International, an indigenous rights group, estimates that there are more than 100 uncontacted groups in the world and about 60 in the Amazon. Collapse
But according to anthropologists and activists, this group is one of many in the Amazon that have chosen isolation as development encroaches upon the land that Indians have called home for centuries.
Brazil released the photos, which were shot in late April and early May, on Friday. Taken from a plane passing overhead, the photos show several nearly-naked Indians painted head to toe and brandishing bows and arrows. Experts know little about the group, a Brazilian Indian protection group told the Associated Press.
Related
These uncontacted Indians of the Ethno-Environmental Protected Area along the Envira river, in the Brazilian state of Acre, were photographed during a flight in May 2008.
This wasn't the first time that a so-called "lost tribe" was spotted from the air. In September 2007, scientists spotted members of what they believed to be the Mascho Piro tribe in Peru while looking for evidence of illegal logging. Survival International, an indigenous rights group, estimates that there are more than 100 uncontacted groups in the world and about 60 in the Amazon.
Others argue that there's no definable number. "That's a number pulled out of almost thin air," said Beth Conklin, an associate professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University who works with the Wari' group in western Brazil. "There certainly are a number of groups in several specific area. No one knows how many people, how many different groups there are."
While the term "uncontacted" is often used to describe these Amazonian tribes, multiple experts say that these groups are fully aware of the outside world, but choose to opt out of it.
Disease and Development Threaten Isolated Amazonian Groups, Experts Say
By ASHLEY PHILLIPS
June 3, 2008
When a so-called "uncontacted" tribe was spotted last week in Brazil shooting arrows at a passing plane, global curiosity was piqued. Who were these people covered in black, red and orange paint? And how could they be completely ignorant of modern society?
Mascho-Piro
In September 2007, scientists spotted members of what they believed to be the Mascho Piro tribe in Peru while looking for evidence of illegal logging. Survival International, an indigenous rights group, estimates that there are more than 100 uncontacted groups in the world and about 60 in the Amazon. Collapse
But according to anthropologists and activists, this group is one of many in the Amazon that have chosen isolation as development encroaches upon the land that Indians have called home for centuries.
Brazil released the photos, which were shot in late April and early May, on Friday. Taken from a plane passing overhead, the photos show several nearly-naked Indians painted head to toe and brandishing bows and arrows. Experts know little about the group, a Brazilian Indian protection group told the Associated Press.
Related
These uncontacted Indians of the Ethno-Environmental Protected Area along the Envira river, in the Brazilian state of Acre, were photographed during a flight in May 2008.
This wasn't the first time that a so-called "lost tribe" was spotted from the air. In September 2007, scientists spotted members of what they believed to be the Mascho Piro tribe in Peru while looking for evidence of illegal logging. Survival International, an indigenous rights group, estimates that there are more than 100 uncontacted groups in the world and about 60 in the Amazon.
Others argue that there's no definable number. "That's a number pulled out of almost thin air," said Beth Conklin, an associate professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University who works with the Wari' group in western Brazil. "There certainly are a number of groups in several specific area. No one knows how many people, how many different groups there are."
While the term "uncontacted" is often used to describe these Amazonian tribes, multiple experts say that these groups are fully aware of the outside world, but choose to opt out of it.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Young Adults Hit by 'News Fatigue'
Study Shows Young Adults Hit by 'News Fatigue'
By KARL RITTER Associated Press Writer
STOCKHOLM, Sweden June 2, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Young adults experience news fatigue from being inundated by facts and updates and have trouble accessing in-depth stories, according to a study to be unveiled at a global media conference Monday.
The Context-Based Research Group, an ethnographic research firm, found that the news consumption behavior of younger readers differs profoundly from that of previous generations.
The research project, commissioned by The Associated Press in 2007, analyzed the news consumption patterns of an ethnically diverse group of 18 men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 in six cities in the United States, Britain and India.
It ultimately helped AP design a new model for news delivery to meet the needs of young adults, who are driving the shift from traditional media to digital news, said Jim Kennedy, AP's director of strategic planning.
"The real value was that it gave us a lasting model of how news is being consumed in the digital space by young people that we can use to improve our own newsgathering and project development," Kennedy said.
That includes what the AP calls "1-2-3 filing," starting with a news alert headline for breaking news, followed by a short present-tense story that is usable on the Web and by broadcasters. The third step is to add details and format stories in ways most appropriate for various news platforms.
Editors at the Telegraph in London are following a similar approach and have seen a big jump in traffic at the newspaper's Web site. The study said the Telegraph has adopted the mind-set of a broadcast-news operation to quickly build from headlines to short stories to complete multimedia packages online to boost readership.
The study's purpose was to obtain a deeper and more holistic understanding of the news consumption behavior of younger audiences. The results were scheduled to be presented Monday in a 71-page report to media executives and editors from around the globe at the World Editors Forum in Goteborg, southwestern Sweden.
By KARL RITTER Associated Press Writer
STOCKHOLM, Sweden June 2, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Young adults experience news fatigue from being inundated by facts and updates and have trouble accessing in-depth stories, according to a study to be unveiled at a global media conference Monday.
The Context-Based Research Group, an ethnographic research firm, found that the news consumption behavior of younger readers differs profoundly from that of previous generations.
The research project, commissioned by The Associated Press in 2007, analyzed the news consumption patterns of an ethnically diverse group of 18 men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 in six cities in the United States, Britain and India.
It ultimately helped AP design a new model for news delivery to meet the needs of young adults, who are driving the shift from traditional media to digital news, said Jim Kennedy, AP's director of strategic planning.
"The real value was that it gave us a lasting model of how news is being consumed in the digital space by young people that we can use to improve our own newsgathering and project development," Kennedy said.
That includes what the AP calls "1-2-3 filing," starting with a news alert headline for breaking news, followed by a short present-tense story that is usable on the Web and by broadcasters. The third step is to add details and format stories in ways most appropriate for various news platforms.
Editors at the Telegraph in London are following a similar approach and have seen a big jump in traffic at the newspaper's Web site. The study said the Telegraph has adopted the mind-set of a broadcast-news operation to quickly build from headlines to short stories to complete multimedia packages online to boost readership.
The study's purpose was to obtain a deeper and more holistic understanding of the news consumption behavior of younger audiences. The results were scheduled to be presented Monday in a 71-page report to media executives and editors from around the globe at the World Editors Forum in Goteborg, southwestern Sweden.
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