He'd Better Hope He Doesn't Get Sick

Jun 3, 2004 8:57 am ET 

LONDON  - A British man with a fetish for medical items has become the first person to be banned from every hospital in England and Wales, the government said on Wednesday.

Unemployed Norman Hutchins, 53, has harassed and abused medical staff more than 40 times since January in his quest for surgical masks and gowns, a court in the northern city of York was told.

The court banned him from all private and state-run National Health Service hospitals and doctors' and dentists' offices.

Hutchins tried to obtain medical items by feigning illness, or claiming to need them for a fancy dress run or an amateur play, the Times newspaper reported.

"(He has) caused harassment, alarm and distress to NHS staff when attempting to obtain gowns and surgical masks in person or on the phone," an NHS spokesman said in a statement.

More than 30 local health organizations banned him with civil injunctions, but Hutchins kept moving to new areas.

Hutchins' lawyer Harry Bayman said his client "was not a well man," but accepted the court's decision.

If he needs medical treatment, Hutchins will be allowed to visit hospitals or doctors under strictly controlled conditions or with prior written consent. 

U.S. Election: the Video Game

Jun 3, 8:58 am ET 

By Ben Berkowitz

LOS ANGELES  - The typical video game calls for shooting aliens, racing cars and beating enemies into submission, but publisher Ubi Soft Entertainment has decided gamers may also enjoy stumping for votes at a nursing home somewhere in Ohio.

The company said on Wednesday it has signed a deal to publish "The Political Machine," a new game for PCs that puts players in control of the 2004 presidential campaigns of either incumbent President Bush or Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry.

Players will also have the option of creating their own Republican or Democratic candidate or managing the campaign of a historical figure like Ronald Reagan or Franklin Roosevelt.

The game will allow players to raise funds, barnstorm for votes and join candidate debates.

"We figured it would be kind of fun to be able to go around the country and try to take out ads, debate on the issues that are out there ... and see how different candidates played up against each other," Brad Wardell, the game's designer told The News Source.

Taking turns against the computer or another live player, budding "campaign managers" will have to manage a budget, coordinate strategy and give interviews on spoof political TV shows like "60 Seconds" and the "O'Maley Factor."

Most of the game's demographic data is gathered from the U.S. Census, and candidates rise in the polls by appealing to states on the issues judged most important to them.

That will require players to finesse their message to gain the backing of special interest groups and get the most states possible on board with their candidate, Wardell said.

"A player who's not a political junkie quickly learns why real-world candidates seemingly flip-flop on the issues," Wardell said.

The game is expected to be released sometime this summer, between the Democratic convention in July and the Republican convention in August.

Wardell said the public seemed to be more evenly split between the two parties and the candidates than in the past, which made the game potentially more interesting.

"We wanted to do this before the 2000 election but our models said Al Gore was going to win, so we decided not to do it," he said.

And while the game is clearly fallible as a predictive tool, Wardell said it offered some insight into real life politics.

"According to our model, Kerry should pick Gephardt as his VP," he said, referring to Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt, who he said could deliver states like Iowa and Missouri.

So what about the outcome in November? "Right now, according to the model, Bush is going to lose by quite a bit," Wardell said. 

Models Allege Price-Fixing by N.Y. Cos. 

Wed Jun 2,10:03 PM ET 
Add U.S. National - 

By LARRY NEUMEISTER, News Source Writer 

NEW YORK - Modeling companies conspired for three decades to set the same high fees for young women seeking work, a lawyer charged Wednesday at the opening of the price-fixing trial of Click Model Management. 

But the attorney representing Click scoffed at the notion of a conspiracy, saying the industry was so "full of hatred," companies would have never been able to conspire. 

In opening statements, lawyer Merrill Davidoff said aspiring models as young as 14 signed contracts for a shot at fame and fortune. "They're trusting, naive and vulnerable," he said. 

Davidoff is seeking millions in damages against Click. Other modeling companies have either settled or been severed from the trial. The trial is expected to last three weeks. 

Davidoff said modeling companies require all but a few elite models to pay a 20 percent fee. 

Aaron Richard Golub, a lawyer for Click, said the plaintiffs "can't get a penny because they can't prove an ounce of conspiracy against Click." 

"This is a business so full of hatred, there's no way they ever could have conspired," he said. 

Golub said modeling management companies rely on models who go from job to job - and that everybody in the industry knows what everybody else is making. He claimed the lawsuit was brought by malcontent models who thought they had been given a "raw deal." 

"You're not going to meet Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell," he added. 

Carolyn Fears, 34, who signed with Ford Models when she was 19, testified that although she was told of the standard rate, "I didn't really read the rest of the contract." 

"They said they'd like to sign me. That was very exciting," she said. 

As her career developed, she said she once asked an employee why she was charged $1,500 as a fee each year her picture was recycled in Ford's catalogue of models. She said Ford co-founder Eileen Ford, standing behind her, snapped: "Who do you think you are? You're not on the cover of Vogue. If you don't like it, you can get out." 

"I ran into the bathroom in tears," Fears said. 

Ford Chief Executive Officer Katie Ford said the company had reached an amicable settlement of the lawsuit. 

As for the comments about Eileen Ford, she said: "Eileen let Carolyn stay in her house for free, eat for free and Carolyn made, I believe, well over a million dollars modeling. So I don't think that's so bad." 

Mexico's Sad Clown Says 'Adios' to Morning TV

Jun 2, 1:18 pm ET 

By Lorraine Orlandi

MEXICO CITY  - Brozo, a foul-mouthed clown with a green wig and a shiny red nose who was one of Mexico's hottest newscasters, bowed out of morning television on Wednesday with the usual cheap laughs and a touch of tragedy.

"El Mananero," a daily morning romp on the Televisa network that has influenced Mexican politics at the highest level, was aired for the last time after Brozo this week decided to end the program after the death of his wife.

A parade of well-wishers including President Vicente Fox, former President Carlos Salinas, the nation's attorney general, lawmakers, journalists and entertainers bid farewell in on-air phone calls and cards.

Actor Victor Trujillo created Brozo, the "gloomy clown," for a cabaret act decades ago and hit the big time with the Televisa slot in 2002.

For Mexicans accustomed to groomed, tailored and stiff newscasters, Brozo's irreverent approach was refreshing and the show was seen as serious news commentary despite its antics.

"Brozo understood the psychology of Mexicans -- in order not to cry we tell jokes," said columnist Guadalupe Loaeza.

Like many funny men, Brozo was tinged with sadness. His wife, Carolina Padilla, the show's producer, died last month after a long illness.

At the close of the final broadcast, Trujillo removed his wig and nose and, flanked by his daughters and co-workers, paid homage to "Carolina, my wife, my companion, my accomplice."

The program, featuring plenty of bathroom humor and a curvaceous news assistant, offered a fresh and often cynical take on power and politics and quickly became a cultural phenomenon.

Its name, El Mananero, is Mexican slang for quick morning sex.

Brozo proved his political influence this year when he brought a leading leftist lawmaker on the show and aired a secret videotape showing the politician taking stacks of money from a city contractor.

The ensuing uproar fed a corruption scandal around popular Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist favored in the 2006 presidential race.

Last year, first lady Marta Sahagun, who is also seen as a presidential contender, went on the show to defend herself against a biographer's portrayal of her as an ambitious schemer and devotee of witchcraft.

The end of "El Mananero" does not mean Brozo will hang up the wig: he's due to cover the Summer Olympics for Televisa. 

Euthanasia Campaigner Writes Guide to a Good Death

Jun 2, 11:06 am ET 

LONDON  - Inspired by guidebooks for the discerning consumer, a right-to-die campaigner has compiled a "Good Euthanasia Guide," listing organizations that help people end their lives and the relevant laws around the world.

Euthanasia has been a topic of hot debate in Britain after a handful of high-profile cases last year when ill Britons traveled abroad to be helped to commit suicide.

"I was in a pub and I was eating dinner and they had a bookshelf full of guides -- the 'Good Hotel Guide', the 'Good Restaurant Guide' and so on -- and I thought, that's what we need," Derek Humphry said in an interview.

"It's a book of information for intelligent people who want to make an informed decision about their death," said Humphry, a former Sunday Times journalist who founded a pressure group called the Hemlock Society in 1980.

Humphry has written several books on euthanasia, including his 1991 guide detailing how to end your own life called "Final Exit," which has sold over a million copies and includes chapters on self-starvation and "Bizarre Ways to Die."

Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium all have assisted dying or euthanasia laws. Assisted suicide has been allowed in the US state of Oregon since 1998. 

You SURE We're Only Going 50?

Jun 2, 10:58 am ET 

DETROIT  - Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is recalling nearly 8,200 model year 2004 motorcycles because of a computer glitch that could prompt their drivers to go too fast, federal safety regulators said on Tuesday.

The program error causes the digital speedometer on some of the motorcycles to understate actual vehicle speed by about 25 percent, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

"This condition can result in the vehicle being driven at an illegal or unsafe speed," NHTSA said in an advisory on its Web site.

It did not elaborate, but state police may already have noticed a disproportionate number of people breaking speed limits lately on late-model Honda motorcycles. 

Climate Change Faster Than Expected 28-May-2004 On the weekend of the opening of The Day After Tomorrow, researcher James Lovelock says climate change may be proceeding much more quickly than previously thought. This report comes at a time when the main criticism of the film is that everything happens much faster than it will in reality.

In the Independent, Michael McCarthy writes that Lovelock's conclusion is due to two recent climatic events: the increasingly rapid melting of the Arctic ice-sheet covering Greenland, which will raise global sea levels, and the extreme heat wave in Europe last summer, which caused 20,000 deaths of mostly elderly people in France.

"There's no question in any reasonable scientist's mind that [the heat wave] was the first real bad event of global warming," says Lovelock. "But the media picked it up only as a story about the wickedness of the French in not looking after their old people." He is just as alarmed about the Greenland ice sheet, which is "melting far faster than we expected.

"I think in the past we thought more in terms of, it would get hotter, things would change, you might be able to grow Mediterranean plants in Britain and things like that, it didn't seem at all too bad; you knew there'd be some places that wouldn't be fine, but others would be nicer than they were. Now there's a growing awareness that global warming is far more serious than we ever realized, that it is proceeding more quickly, and that it poses a threat to future generations and even to civilization itself." 

Alien Caught on Film? 28-May-2004 Scott Corrales quotes Chilean civil engineer Germ‡n Pereira as saying, "On May 10 this year, I decided to take some photos at Parque Forestal, taking 10 shots which I downloaded to my PC the following day." When he looked at them, he was surprised to see the image of an alien.

"I thought it would be interesting to photograph a group of Carabineros (state police) on horseback patrolling the sector... It was a cloudy day and the sun was hidden, for which reason my digital camera (Kodak DX6490) adjusted to low speed (1/10 seg.)," he says. "...This is the reason why the photo shows motion...I employed the camera's optical zoom (10x) which added to the blurred result." The white spot in the middle of the photo may have been caused by the streetlights, which began to turn on and off in sequence (the way they often do for UFO Experiencers).

He says, "The fact is that I am very impressed by this image. I attest to the fact that it is not a fraud nor anything similar. For this reason I have made it public and I contacted the staff of CIFAE Chile. I would like to know the true nature of the image that appears in it and if anyone has ever caught anything similar in a photo."

The photo cannot be analyzed effectively because the blurring of the low-resolution image makes it impossible to tell whether or not the figure was digitally inserted.

It could be that this is a child whose appearance has been distorted by the shaking of the camera. The fact that the small being is more blurred than the horses would be explained by the idea that the child is running across the path and the horses are moving slowly.

Unfortunately, there is no way to draw a final conclusion about this image. It is provocative, but not proof positive. 

Hybrid Savings: It Depends on How You Drive 27-May-2004 Some owners of new hybrid cars can't figure out why they don't get the 55 or higher miles per gallon they've been promised. It turns out you won't save much on gas unless you drive the right way. Honda spokesman Chris Naughton tells Civic Hybrid owners not to drive too fast or brake too hard, and says, "Be mindful that (fuel-efficiency) can vary."

John Gartner writes in wired.com that Toyota Prius drivers have reported lifetime fuel-efficiency from 36 to 58 mpg, while Honda Civic Hybrid owners claim to get between 32 and 56 mpg. But some drivers report getting 40 miles per gallon or less.

Toyota engineer Dave Hermance says weather, driving conditions and driver habits can cut fuel-efficiency by up to 30%. How you stop is important: Drivers who roll through intersections using "California stops," instead of actually stopping, are decreasing their mileage. He says, "If you don't stop, you don't get the free energy of regenerative braking." But braking too hard can also cause you to lose some of the benefits of regenerative braking, which captures energy from slowing the car to charge the battery. If the battery's charge falls below a certain level, then the car will rely more heavily on the gas engine than the electric motor.

The weather plays a part as well. According to Toyota, cold weather can reduce fuel-efficiency by up to 35%, especially if you don't allow the car to warm up before driving it.

How you accelerate also counts. Prius owner Bill Gausman says, "If you use long, slow acceleration, your mileage sucks." But the easiest way to reduce fuel-efficiency is to speed. He says, "If I'm doing more than 70, then I'll definitely get less than 50 mpg."

Secret of the Blue Rose 18-May-2004 Roses come in a wide variety of colors, but that's not enough for some folks-they're determined to create a blue rose. There are plenty of blue flowers in the world, but no one has yet been able to persuade a rose bush to produce blue flowers. But now, using an enzyme found in the human liver, they may be able to genetically engineer one. Flowers which are naturally blue have a pigment called delphinidin. Exactly the right balance of acidity is needed inside the cells of the plant to create the right shade of blue. "The rose is not easy to work with," says rose geneticist David Byrne. "It has no blue pigments and it can't seem to go through the transformation process."

In 1986 an Australian biotech company called Florigene decided to create a blue rose. They've come close, with a lavender-like color, but still haven't succeeded. "It depends on how you describe blue," says researcher John Mason. "This is a very sensitive topic for us and unfortunately I cannot comment further."

Biochemist Peter Guengerich, who is studying the human liver, says, "When we moved the enzyme into bacteria, the bacteria turned blue. It was a complete surprise."

The technique of inserting the liver gene into a rose to create a blue bloom hasn't been perfected yet. "The first time we tried we got blue spots on the stems," Guengerich says. "Those probably aren't going to be too marketable."

Music Teachers Going Deaf 26-May-2004 A new study shows that music teachers are routinely exposed to noise levels that could result in hearing loss. Researcher Hans Kunov says, "The hair cells of the inner ear simply crumble under the load, and they don't grow back again."

According to Canadian law, noise levels on the job should not exceed 90 decibels, which is the equivalent of a power lawn mower being run over eight hours in a 24-hour period.

Researcher Willy Wong measured the noise exposure of 18 music teachers at 15 high schools in Toronto and found that the peak noise level exceeded 85 decibels for 78% of them. During an average eight-hour day, 39% of them experienced harmful noise levels.

Part of the problem is that most classrooms are constructed with concrete blocks and linoleum, providing a highly reflective sound surface. "The world is louder than we think," says Wong. "Schools might consider protective measures such as sound baffling and carpet and teachers might... consider [getting] periodic hearing checks."

When the world gets too loud, the rest of us can wear earplugs, but teachers-especially music teachers-can't.

Warning: Your Computer May be Tapped 17-May-2004 You know your phone can be tapped, but you probably think you have complete privacy when typing on your computer keyboard. However, spies can eavesdrop on what you're writing by listening to the sounds of your keystrokes.

IBM research scientist Dmitri Asonov says that every key on computer keyboards, telephones and even ATM machines makes a unique sound as it's pressed and released. All you need to listen is $200 worth of microphones and sound processing software. Asonov says he can decipher keystrokes with 80% accuracy.

The sounds are made because keyboards and keypads all have a rubber membrane underneath the keys. Asonov says, "This membrane acts like a drum, and each key hits the drum in a different location and produces a unique frequency or sound that the neural networking software can decipher."

Thank China for Spam 20-May-2004 We get many low cost imports from China, and one of these is computer spam. When internet researchers tracked spam messages, they found that 71% of them come from China.

Gideon Mantel, who tracks e-mail traffic, says most of those messages telling you how to increase your penis size or get a discount mortgage are linked to websites based in China. "We're talking now about 350,000 to 400,000 unique spam attacks a day," he says. "Since Jan. 1, we've seen probably a 30% to 40% increase" in spam traffic. Each "unique spam attack" goes to at least 50,000 recipients. "The numbers are amazing," says Mantel. "When we saw them, I was so shocked, we checked and rechecked the numbers three times."

It's not hard to identify an IP address as Chinese, since they all have about 10 digits and the first two or three identify the country. While the Chinese internet is heavily censored, it's inexpensive to host a website there.

This doesn't mean that the spammers themselves are Chinese, only that they're using Chinese websites. Mantel says, "Maybe the host computer in China is sending [user traffic] to Korea, or somewhere else, to confuse law enforcement."

Pesticides Inside our Bodies 18-May-2004 Most of us have unhealthy levels of pesticides inside our bodies, from yards (or own and others) and the food we eat, as well as air and water. There's no way to avoid being exposed to them.

When the Pesticide Action Network looked for levels of 23 different pesticides in data on over 2,500 people, they found that the average person had at least 13 of them in their blood and urine. Margaret Reeves of PAN says, "A growing body of research suggests that even at very low levels, the combination of these chemicals can be harmful to our health."

Children between the ages of 6 and 11 are exposed to the nerve-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos at four times the acceptable level. Chlorpyrifos kills insects by disrupting their nervous system.

Dow is the largest pesticide manufacturer in the country. Spokesman Garry Hamlin says, "Chlorpyrifos is widely used, and studies by the Centers for Disease Control suggest that people are exposed to chlorpyrifos at very tiny levels...When people are exposed, the product breaks down readily and is eliminated from the body in a matter of days."

The PAN report shows that women carry "significantly" higher levels of three pesticides called organochlorines, which can reduce birth weight and disrupt brain development in infants. It also found that Mexican Americans carry higher levels of the insecticides lindane, DDT and methyl parthion than other ethnic groups. 

Girls Pushing for Modest Fashion Options 

Wed Jun 2, 6:51 PM ET 
By KRISTEN GELINEAU, News Source Writer 

REDMOND, Wash. - During a recent shopping trip to Nordstrom, 11-year-old Ella Gunderson became frustrated with all the low-cut hip-huggers and 
skintight tops. So she wrote to the Seattle-based chain's executives to complain. The industry has been getting the message: A more modest look is in, 
fashion experts say. 

The shy, bespectacled redhead has since become an instant media darling, appearing on national television over the past two weeks to promote modest 
fashions instead of the saucy looks popularized by the likes of Britney Spears. 

"We like to call this new girl Miss Modesty," said Gigi Solif Schanen, fashion editor at Seventeen magazine. "It's such a different feeling but still very 
pretty and feminine and sexy. It's just a little more covered up." 

Shoppers are starting to see higher waistlines and lower hemlines, and tweeds, fitted blazers and layers are expected to be big this fall, Schanen said. 

"It's kind of like a sexy take on a librarian," she said. "I think people are tired of seeing so much skin and want to leave a little more to the imagination." 

The Web sites ModestApparelUSA.com and ModestByDesign.com - where the slogan is "Clothing your father would be proud of" - report that sales 
have skyrocketed over the past 18 months. 

Many youngsters are frustrated by the profusion of racy teenage clothing, according to Buzz Marketing, a New Jersey-based firm that compiles feedback 
from teen advisers. 

"There is just sensory overload. Kids are going to say enough already," said Buzz's 24-year-old chief executive, Tina Wells. "The next big trend I see is 
kids are going to look like monks." 

In 2002, a group of Arizona teens submitted a petition to the Phoenix division of the Dillard's department store chain asking for more modest clothes. The 
chain began carrying more conservative styles. 

Nordstrom spokeswoman Deniz Anders said the company has been hearing for about two years from customers who want more modest looks, and 
Nordstrom tries to carry a broad array of styles in its stores. 

The arrival of the modest look is good news for Ella, who last week participated in a sold-out "Pure Fashion" show in Bellevue with 37 other girls 
belonging to a Roman Catholic youth organization. 

Ella, who paraded down the catwalk in a long-sleeved pink top and a shiny pink skirt, hopes the fashion show - and her letter - will prompt some 
change. 

"There can be more than one look," the Redmond youngster said in an interview while wearing a loose Pure Fashion T-shirt, jeans and hot pink flip-flops. 
"Everybody should have lots of choices." 
___ 

On the Net: 

Wholesome Wear: http://www.wholesomewear.com 

ModestApparelUSA: http://www.modestapparelusa.com 

Modest By Design: http://www.modestbydesign.com 

Nordstrom: http://www.nordstrom.com 

Clinton Filmmaker Defends Documentary 

Wed Jun 2, 2:24 PM ET

By DAVID HAMMER, News Source Writer 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A film that claims to expose "the 10-year campaign to destroy Bill Clinton (news - web sites)" is scheduled for its first public screening June 15 in Little Rock. 

"The Hunting of the President," a 90-minute documentary that re-creates interviews for the New York Times best-selling book by the same name, has already played at four film festivals and will premiere by invitation only in New York on June 11. The movie's general release date is June 23. 

But the first public showing, at $50 a ticket, will be at a 1,500-seat ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, a short walk from where Clinton celebrated his two presidential election victories. 

Director Harry Thomason, who is from Hampton, Ark., profiled Clinton in a glowing light in "The Man from Hope" for the then-Arkansas governor's 1992 presidential campaign. He says the latest piece about his old friend seeks journalistic impartiality, acknowledging that some people would likely dismiss the film as more Clinton propaganda. 

"Of course, the fact that I'm a friend of the Clintons will make a lot of people skeptical," Thomason said in a telephone interview from his Los Angeles home Tuesday. "I knew we would have no validity if we didn't tell about some of the president's indiscretions, his lapses. And so we never intended to let him off the hook. We stuck to the facts." 

The film purports to uncover a right-wing manipulation of the media, which Thomason says began with President Nixon's call to counter liberal messages in the 1970s. Thomason said the impact of Clinton's ties to Hollywood pales in comparison to the reach of conservative radio. 

"I may be wrong but I don't think the film will get everyone riled up," he said. "I hope conservatives will see it and say, 'Those people have a point.' Everyone in this country needs to speak to each other in softer tones." 

Thomason said he went to great pains to avoid discussing the film's progress with Clinton, even though the two talk frequently. Clinton called Thomason frequently for advice or editing input for his 900-page memoir, due out later this month. 

Thomason will attend the Little Rock premiere and is to be joined by the authors of the book, journalists Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, as well as some of those interviewed in the film, including Whitewater figure Susan McDougal. 

Oscar-nominated actor Morgan Freeman (news) is the film's narrator.

Russia sacks top TV journalist after Chechnya interview

Thu Jun 3, 9:40 AM ET  - Chicago Tribune 

By Alex Rodriguez Tribune foreign correspondent 

Leonid Parfyonov, a leading Russian television journalist, has never been the kind of reporter to be cowed by his government's manhandling of the media. 

In 2002, he rankled the Kremlin when he hired a lip reader to decipher what Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) was telling an official on soundless videotape after a Chechen rebel takeover of a Moscow theater. Last year, he planned a segment on a Kremlin reporter's tell-all book that painted an unflattering portrait of Putin. NTV, the state-controlled network he worked for, squelched the report. 

Parfyonov's recent decision to air an interview with the widow of a Chechen separatist leader against the wishes of Russia's intelligence community appeared to be the last straw. NTV said this week that it had fired Parfyonov and shut down his top-rated newsmagazine program, Namedni. 

Denounced by Moscow journalists and liberals as censorship, Parfyonov's dismissal was the latest in a long line of episodes that signal a steady erosion of media freedoms in Russia. 

Every national television network is now state-owned or state-controlled. Coverage of the country's recent parliamentary and presidential campaigns was heavily slanted in favor of Putin and his party, United Russia, and all but ignored their opponents. 

At the center of the debate over media freedom in Russia has been NTV, once an independent network that drew the Kremlin's ire for its probing coverage of Putin's attempts to crush the separatist rebellion in Chechnya (news - web sites). 

In 2001, Russia's state-controlled energy monopoly, Gazprom, wrested control of NTV. Its owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, fled the country in the face of fraud charges most observers said were meant as political punishment for NTV's sharp-edged coverage. 

Since then, NTV has softened its tone. Parfyonov was an exception. He freely criticized Putin and the Kremlin, even going as far as using a Harry Potter (news - web sites) character called Dobby the house elf to caricature the Russian leader. An estimated 110 million Russians regularly tuned in to Namedni, which is Russian for "The Other Day." 

"Russian authorities can no longer stand even splinters of free speech on television," said Igor Yakovenko, secretary general for the Russian Union of Journalists. "This dismissal is absolutely political." 

The segment that led to Parfyonov's firing featured an interview with Malika Yandarbiyeva, the widow of a former Chechen president, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev. 

One of the leaders of a separatist insurgency to break Chechnya away from Russia, Yandarbiyev fled to Qatar in 1999. He was killed by a car bomb in February that Qatari officials allege was planted by two Russian intelligence agents. Those agents are now on trial in Doha, Qatar's capital. 

The five-minute interview was far from controversial, according to text published in the Russian newspaper Kommersant. The wife spoke of her family's grief, read her husband's poetry and described her thoughts when she saw the Russian agents in court. 

Nevertheless, several days before its scheduled airing, Russia's security services asked NTV management to delay its broadcast because the trial was ongoing, according to Kommersant. 

On Sunday, Parfyonov went on the air with the segment. It appeared in Russia's time zones east of the Ural Mountains but, at the request of a top NTV executive, was removed from the show's broadcast in Moscow and the rest of western Russia. 

Parfyonov's superiors at NTV were angered when an internal memo that they gave to Parfyonov about the interview appeared in Kommersant. NTV officials did not respond to a request for an interview Wednesday. A news release issued by the network stated that the 44-year-old newsman was fired for "violating the labor agreement under which he was obliged to support the policy of NTV management." 

"Leonid Parfyonov is certainly one of the most talented journalists on the modern Russian television," the release said. "However, it is not the first time such an incident has happened. Therefore, we had no choice other than to make this decision." 

Parfyonov could not be reached for comment Wednesday. In an interview published Tuesday in the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Parfyonov said he doubted that the segment's airing could have influenced the trial in any way. "I don't think that decisions in Qatar are made after watching Namedni reports," he said. 

Parfyonov's firing caused an outcry from Russian liberals. 

"Parfyonov was the last source of good information on Russian television," Yakovenko said. "There will be major consequences as a result of this. Journalists will now realize that if they want to stay on television, they must remain loyal to authorities. And self-censorship will become more pervasive." 

Many Russians would welcome such censorship, polls suggest. A survey conducted by the Romir organization last year indicated that 76 percent of Russians believe the media should be censored. That same poll asked Russians what public institutions they trust. Nine percent said the country's mass media; 50 percent said Putin. 

Earthquake Changed Yellowstone 02-Jun-2004 An 7.9 earthquake in Alaska in 2002 set off 200 smaller earthquakes 2,000 miles away in Yellowstone National Park. Now scientists have discovered that it also changed the schedule of some of Yellowstone's geysers and hot springs, which are near where most of the quakes occurred.

Seismologist Robert B. Smith says, "We did not expect to see these prolonged changes in the hydrothermal system... Several small hot springs, not known to have geysered before, suddenly surged into a heavy boil with eruptions as high as [39 inches]. The temperature at one of these springs increased rapidly from [about 108 to 199 degrees Fahrenheit] and became much less acidic than normal. In the same area, another hot spring that was usually clear showed muddy, turbid water."

Yellowstone has more than 10,000 geysers, and scientists monitored how often 22 of them erupted after the quake. They found that 8 of them "displayed notable changes in their eruption intervals." Smith believes the quake's waves affected the geysers by the changing water pressure underground that feeds them.

Could a earthquake closer to Yellowstone trigger huge explosions? Steam-and-hot water explosions occurred there in prehistoric times and blasted out a hole that now is Mary's Bay on Yellowstone Lake. One such explosion has occurred about every 1,000 years since the glaciers receded from Yellowstone 14,000 years ago, and another one is overdue. Smith says there is no evidence that prehistoric quakes triggered those blasts, so their origin is still a mystery. 

What Gorillas Watch on TV 02-Jun-2004 The five western lowland gorillas in the Dallas Zoo are being kept away from the public, since one escaped on March 18 and injured three people before being killed by police. The remaining gorillas are stressed from being kept indoors, and zoo officials are trying to ease this with television. The gorillas each have their favorite shows.

The Dallas Morning News reports that fourteen-year-old Patrick likes cartoons, public television, and National Geographic specials, but sports bore him. Keeper Cindy McCaleb says, "We tried to put on sports, even though we were concerned it might generate aggressive behavior, but he really wasn't interested."

All the gorillas like Disney cartoons, and "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" are their favorites. "They don't follow the story, of course," says McCaleb. "They like the music, the color and the movement." Patrick watches more TV than the older gorillas.

Some gorillas prefer radio to TV. "I tend to go classical," McCaleb says. "It tends to mellow them out." 

Report: al-Qaida Ranks Swelling Worldwide

1 hour, 34 minutes ago

By BARRY RENFREW, News Source Writer 

LONDON - Far from being crippled by the U.S.-led war on terror, al-Qaida has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered around the world and the war in Iraq (news - web sites) is swelling its ranks, a report said Tuesday. 

 

Al-Qaida is probably working on plans for major attacks on the United States and Europe, and it may be seeking weapons of mass destruction in its desire to inflict as many casualties as possible, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its annual survey of world affairs. 

Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s network appears to be operating in more than 60 nations, often in concert with local allies, the study by the independent think tank said. 

Although about half of al-Qaida's top 30 leaders have been killed or captured, it has an effective leadership, with bin Laden apparently still playing a key role, it said. 

"Al-Qaida must be expected to keep trying to develop more promising plans for terrorist operations in North America and Europe, potentially involving weapons of mass destruction," IISS director Dr. John Chipman told a press conference releasing "Strategic Survey 2003/4." 

At the same time it will likely continue attacking "soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis, and aiding the insurgency in Iraq," he added. 

The report suggested that the two military centerpieces of the U.S.-led war on terror the wars in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq may have boosted al-Qaida. 

Driving the terror network out of Afghanistan in late 2001 appears to have benefited the group, which dispersed to many countries, making it almost invisible and hard to combat, the story said. 

And the Iraq conflict "has arguably focused the energies and resources of al-Qaida and its followers while diluting those of the global counterterrorism coalition that appeared so formidable" after the Afghan intervention, the survey said. 

The U.S. occupation of Iraq brought al-Qaida recruits from across Islamic nations, the study said. Up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi insurgents, the survey said. 

Efforts to defeat al-Qaida will take time and might accelerate only if there are political developments that now seem elusive, such as the democratization of Iraq and the resolution of conflict in Israel, it said. 

It could take up to 500,000 U.S. and allied troops to effectively police Iraq and restore political stability, IISS researcher Christopher Langton told the news conference. 

Such a figure appeared impossible to meet, given political disquiet in the United States and Britain and the unwillingness of other nations to send troops, he said. 

The United States is al-Qaida's prime target in a war it sees as a death struggle between civilizations, the report said. An al-Qaida leader has said 4 million Americans will have to be killed "as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory," the survey said. 

"Al-Qaida's complaints have been transformed into religious absolutes and cannot be satisfied through political compromise," the study said. 

The IISS said its estimate of 18,000 al-Qaida fighters was based on intelligence estimates that the group trained at least 20,000 fighters in its camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al-Qaida fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said. 

Al-Qaida appears to have successfully reconstituted its operations by dispersing its forces into small groups and through working with local allies, such as the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front in Turkey, the report said. 

"Al-Qaida is the common ideological and logistical hub for disparate local affiliates, and bin Laden's charisma, presumed survival and elusiveness enhance the organization's iconic drawing power," it said.

Star Birth Gone Wild in 'Cosmic Hurricane'

Tue May 25, 9:54 AM ET 
Add Science - Space.com 

By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer, SPACE.com 

A shower of hot gas spewed from a galaxy loaded with pockets of intense star formation offers a window to the more violent early universe.

The rapid-fire star birth in M82 was triggered by a collision with another galaxy, and the tremendous activity fuels a "cosmic hurricane is travelling at more than a million miles an hour [447 kilometers per second] into intergalactic space," said Linda Smith of the University College London.

The gas travels in two opposite directions and extends thousands of light-years. Traced back to their sources, the two plumes are revealed to originate in the many separate clumps of star formation and the quick, explosive deaths of massive stars that generate new elements.

"Our goal here is to understand the structure of the wind's plumes, which are key factors in the evolution of this galaxy and the eventual pollution of nearby intergalactic space with new chemical elements," Smith said.

An image of the scene was released Friday. It was created by combining Hubble Space Telescope (news - web sites) observations that detail the inner part of the galaxy with a view from the WIYN Telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona, which showed the extended winds, explained Mark Westmoquette, also of the University College London.

It is not unusual to see jets or plumes of material escaping along the rotation axis of stars, a black hole or an entire galaxy. But M82 is noted for its "superwinds," as astronomers call the bipolar outflows. 

"The M82 wind is made up of gas jets from multiple chimneys, each of which is relatively distinct," said Jay Gallagher of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, another member of the study team. "We hypothesize that these originate from individual star-forming clumps within M82."

Some of the clusters contain as much mass as a million Suns packed within 30 light-years of space, Gallagher said earlier this month in discussing his group's work at an astronomy meeting at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

M82 is about 10 million light-years away, which is relatively close in space and time. Gallagher said the scene can help astronomers understand what occurred in the early universe, when star birth was rampant. Because primordial galaxies are incredibly far away -- billions of light-years -- detailed examination of their structures is not practical with current telescopes.

Yet astronomers have seen enough to know that there are big differences between early galaxies and most of the mature galaxies closer by.

"Observations of the distant universe have really shown us now -- and we have to confront this -- that star formation in early epochs was really intense," Gallagher said. "The universe has gone from an intense mode of star formation in galaxies to a lazier mode nowadays."

So it is imperative, he said, to understand the mechanics of so-called starburst galaxies like M82.

In particular, Gallagher told SPACE.com, the distinct clumping of star formation in M82 is thought to be similar to how it worked when some of the earliest galaxies were under construction. 

The impetus for star formation in M82 came from a collision with another galaxy, M81, about 300 million years ago, astronomers say. Collisions were common when the universe was younger and smaller, and are thought to have played an important roll in star birth. Here's what happens in a typical collision:

"Huge amounts of gas are funneled into dense regions faster than the galaxy can get rid of it," Gallagher explained. "The galaxy overheats and explodes into stars."

Saint, Peace Seeker, Hero by Turns

Tue Jun 1, 7:55 AM ET

By Paul Watson Times Staff Writer 

HODAL, India - Barreling down a sizzling-hot road, in a cloud of diesel fumes and dust, Ludkan Baba is on a serious roll. 

He lies flat on the ground, turning himself over and over like a runaway log, limbs flailing as he bumps across potholes, splashes through mud puddles and falls deeper into a spiritual trance. 

Like any sadhu, or Hindu ascetic, he undertakes severe penance to liberate his soul from reincarnation's endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Stretched out in the middle of the road, rolling hour after hour, mile after mile through crowds and heavy traffic, he is making his trip to eternal bliss. 

But this is no ordinary holy roller. He is also on a mission to bring peace to the world. His devotion, and alms-raising power, has earned him several disciples, many admirers and the title Ludkan Baba - the Rolling Saint. 

He has rolled thousands of miles in the last 19 years, turning round and round so many millions of times that just pondering the thought can make your head spin. 

Yet to the 55-year-old sadhu, the constant turning is refreshing. He says he feels no pain. And except for a few blisters from rolling at high noon along gritty asphalt in 110-degree heat, his taut skin is baby-smooth. 

When he stands, he is barefoot, around 5 feet tall, with a mop of matted black hair and a long black beard flecked with gray. He doesn't look to be carrying more than an ounce of fat on his body. 

When he left the road for a midday break recently, the faithful gathered to be healed with his swishes of a peacock-feather broom and sachets of blessed ashes. The sadhu said he had not suffered a single accident or serious injury in nearly two decades of long-distance rolling. 

"I move during cyclones, during blazing summers and cold winters," he said. "I think of God, I think of Mother Earth, and then I roll and roll and roll. I don't feel dizzy. I don't consume any food, just tea and cigarettes. At night, I eat fruits, roti [bread], whatever I can lay my hands on." 

As a sadhu, the Rolling Baba is a wanderer who survives on alms. In his quest for moksha, or release from the cycle of reincarnation, he must reject the comforts of ordinary life. 

But sometimes even a sadhu can't resist a good gadget. One member of the Rolling Baba's small entourage carries a silver clamshell cellphone. So as long as there's a good signal, the Rolling Baba is never out of touch. 

He believes God's hand propels him. How else, he asks, could a man spin round and round, along unforgiving ground, for months on end and suffer no injuries? 

"All I do is put coconut oil on my hair at night, and even that, only when I feel like it," the Rolling Baba said, between draws on a cigarette. "This is the power of nature, the power of the divine." 

He was born Mohan Singh in the northern Indian town of Dungarpur, and as a barefoot boy of 12, he rubbed the hands of a dying boy and saved his life, the Rolling Baba said. After performing that miracle, he said, he went to a temple, renounced the world and became a sadhu. 

In 1973, he said, he entered a cave and stayed there, surviving on grass and water for 12 years, until a divine voice told him to start rolling for peace. 

His first journey lasted just under 25 miles. On his third trip, in 1994, he rolled about 2,500 miles across India. Today, as he rolls toward Pakistan, the sadhu thinks he might go to Iraq (news - web sites) next. 

A 17-year-old girl, a disciple whom the Rolling Baba and his entourage call the Young Saint, said she joined his holy journey, or yatra, because she believed the example of his strength through suffering would move the world to be more loving. 

"He has so much love within him that even streets - the same streets that we walk on and which we consider one of the worst places to lie down upon - become an object of love," the Young Saint said. 

"Just like a baby rolls on a mother's lap, similarly this man rolls on the streets. So if he can do this, what is it that prevents others from loving each other?" 

This is the Rolling Baba's sixth yatra. He is heading toward the Pakistani city of Lahore, where he hopes to meet President Pervez Musharraf and urge him to reach a lasting peace with India. 

So far, the Rolling Baba doesn't have an appointment. He doesn't have a passport, either, or a visa to cross the border. But those are problems for another day, some 380 miles, several weeks and countless rolls away. 

"To make passports and obtain a visa is the job of the Indian government," he said. "After all, I am not going there for professional reasons or to further any business interests. I am going there as a messenger of peace. If they want peace, then both nations will give me the chance to carry out my yatra." 

The Rolling Baba began his 800-mile journey on Jan. 28 at his home in India's central Madhya Pradesh state. When he reached Hodal, a town 50 miles south of New Delhi, India's capital, on Wednesday, he was roughly halfway to his goal. 

The Rolling Baba travels light. Since becoming a child sadhu, he has worn nothing more than a dhoti, a cloth loosely wrapped around his groin, hips and buttocks. He made an exception to the sadhu's rule of austere dress and wore a beige suit with a Nehru jacket and new shoes during a 1994 visit to London to help promote a documentary film about himself. 

He still travels with pictures of himself - standing - in Piccadilly Circus, outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and at other London landmarks. The snapshots are tucked into a small photo album that is inscribed "Sweet Memories" on the cover, above a heart-shaped window. 

While rolling, the only protection he wears is a blue T-shirt, wristbands and stretch bandages on his upper legs and forearms. He also holds tightly on to both ends of a strip of cloth, to help build up some torque as he spins. 

He rolls right down the middle of the road, through cow dung, rotting garbage and cigarette butts. Two disciples walk in front and kick away the more dangerous bits, such as steel bolts, chunks of glass and sharp stones. 

The Rolling Baba handles most potholes and puddles on his own, but when he nears an especially deep, mucky one, a disciple unfolds a yellow tarp and lays it down to ease the holy man's path. 

He rolls each day from 7 a.m. until noon and then from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., to escape the worst heat, which can reach 120 degrees or more. He takes short breaks, sitting entranced at the roadside, blessing crowds of people who press in to touch his feet and receive the blessing of a gentle swat from his cloth. They drop donations, usually a small coin, in two tin boxes. 

The Rolling Baba clocked his pace at about 6 mph in this farm town, where traffic and well-wishers slowed him down. But when he hits open highway, or the down slope of a good hill, his speed reaches about 15 mph, he said. 

After completing his morning spins and getting the dirt mopped off by a disciple one recent day, the sadhu sat in a steel-framed chair in the shade of a tree at a government high school. The sick and disabled gathered on a red and black striped carpet at his feet. 

More than 60 people came for faith healing, including a blind boy, a boy with a lame leg, an old woman with a headache and a man with piles. 

The Rolling Baba swept them all with his peacock-feather broom. He gently poked a few patients' bellies with a curved, blunt-tipped sword, and made a whooshing sound, as if he had killed whatever ailed them and blown it away. 

After each treatment, he handed out what one of his disciples said were holy ashes. Two men sat at the end of the carpet, spooning the gray powder onto pages torn from a school biology text and neatly folding them into packets. 

"Have a bath with this for three days," the Rolling Baba instructed an old man with heart trouble, who wheezed for each breath. "And don't use soap." 

As they got up to leave, each patient dropped coins or bank notes in the slot of a donation box with a small padlock at the Rolling Baba's dusty feet. 

"Whatever blessings I have earned through my meditation, I distribute amongst the masses," he said. "And it is because of these blessings of the Almighty that they get relief from their various ailments. It is on the strength of my sufferings that they are cured. The blessings that I earn are passed on to them."

U.S. agencies collect, examine personal data on Americans

By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040528-122605-9267r.htm

Numerous federal government agencies are collecting and sifting 
through massive amounts of personal information, including credit 
reports, credit-card purchases and other financial data, posing new 
privacy concerns, according to the General Accounting Office (GAO). 
The GAO surveyed 128 federal departments and agencies and found that 52 
are using, or planning to implement, 199 data-mining programs, with 131 
already operational.

The Education, Defense, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Health and 
Human Services, Interior, Labor, Justice, and Treasury departments are 
among those that use the contentious new technology to detect criminal 
or terrorist activity; manage human resources; gauge scientific 
research; detect fraud, waste and abuse; and monitor tax compliance. 
The audit released yesterday shows 36 data-mining programs collect and 
analyze personal information that is purchased from the private sector, 
including credit reports and credit-card transactions. Additionally, 46 
federal agencies share personal information that includes student-loan 
application data, bank-account numbers, credit-card information and 
taxpayer-identification numbers. 
The Defense Department is the largest user of data-mining technology, 
followed by the Education Department, which uses private information to 
track the life of student direct loans and to monitor loan repayments. 
"Mining government and private databases containing personal 
information creates a range of privacy concerns," the report said. 
Data-mining technology can sift through massive amounts of information 
to uncover hidden patterns and subtle relationships to make 
predictions. 
The technology "has led to concerns about the government's use of data 
mining to conduct a mass 'dataveillance' - a surveillance of large 
groups of people - to sift through vast amounts of personally 
identifying data to find individuals who might fit a terrorist 
profile," the GAO report said. 
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat and ranking member of a 
Governmental Affairs financial management, budget and international 
security subcommittee, requested the nearly yearlong audit. 
The most widely reported data-mining project - the Pentagon's Total 
Information Awareness (TIA) program - was shut down by Congress because 
of widespread privacy fears. The project sought to use credit-card, 
medical and travel records to search for terrorists and was dubbed by 
privacy advocates as a "supersnoop" system to spy on Americans. 
"We always knew that the [TIA] program was not the only 
data-surveillance program out there, but it now appears possible that 
such activities are even more widespread than we imagined," said Barry 
Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 
technology and liberty program. 
Bob Barr, chairman of the American Conservative Union Foundation's 
21st Century Center for Privacy and Freedom and a former congressman 
from Georgia, said the use of data mining to spy on American citizens 
will continue to grow until Congress addresses the issue. 
"Many in Washington cheered when it appeared the Congress killed TIA. 
However, as I said at the time and have repeated since, it is not dead, 
only renamed and resurfaced elsewhere," Mr. Barr said. 
"We cannot rely on this or any other administration to pull back on its 
own. The executive branch likes information on citizens far too much to 
voluntarily stop developing ever more and expanded databases," he said. 
The ACLU said some programs appear to be a "dragnet on the general 
population," including a Homeland Security program that "correlates 
events and people to specific information" and a Defense Intelligence 
Agency data-mining program to "identify foreign terrorists or U.S. 
citizens connected to foreign terrorism activities." 
Data mining is used by the Health and Human Services Department to 
monitor food and drug safety. The department is developing a 
data-mining tool to track and report "adverse incidents" involving 
food, cosmetics, and dietary supplements. 
Homeland Security is developing an "incident data mart," which will 
"look through incident logs for patterns of events." Incident is 
defined as "an event involving law enforcement or government agency for 
which a log was created (e.g. traffic ticket, drug arrest, or firearm 
possession)." The system will "look at crimes in a particular 
geographic location, particular types of arrest, or any type of unusual 
activity." 
The GAO report did not include classified programs, and some agencies 
did not respond to its request for information, including the CIA, 
National Security Agency and the Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission. 
James Dempsey, executive director of the Center for Democracy & 
Technology, said it is likely that there are data-mining programs not 
listed in the report. 
"More and more agencies are relying on complex data-mining techniques 
and commercial data, a combination that has significant potential to 
threaten civil liberties," Mr. Dempsey said.

Many Wireless Networks Lack Security

Tue Jun 1, 7:13 AM ET

By MATTHEW FORDAHL

SAN JOSE, Calif. - With a laptop perched in the passenger seat of his Toyota 4Runner and a special antenna on the roof, Mike Outmesguine ventured off to sniff out wireless networks between Los Angeles and San Francisco. He got a big whiff of insecurity.

While his 800-mile drive confirmed that the number of wireless networks is growing explosively, he also found that only a third used basic encryption - a key security measure. In fact, in nearly 40 percent of the networks not a single change had been made to the gear's wide-open default settings.

"They took it out of the box, powered it up, and it worked. And they left it alone," said Outmesguine, who owns a technical services company. He frequently goes out on such "wardrives" in search of insecure networks. And while Outmesguine says he doesn't try to break in, others aren't so benign.

While Wi-Fi is hot, security is not.

Even the makers of Wi-Fi routers, access points and other gadgets privately say that as many as 80 percent of home users don't bother to enable basic encryption or other protections against connection theft, eavesdropping and network invasion.

Experts say that while Wi-Fi hardware makers have made initial setup easy, the enabling of security is anything but. Meanwhile, average users are no longer tech savvy. The gadgets are mainstream, appearing on the shelves of Wal-Mart and other mass retailers.

During his wardrive, Outmesguine counted 3,600 hot spots, compared with 100 on the same route in 2000. Worldwide, makers of Wi-Fi gear for homes and small offices posted sales of more than $1.3 billion in 2003, a 43 percent jump over 2002, according to Synergy Research Group.

The result? A lot of wide-open networks that offer anyone within range of the Wi-Fi signal free access to a high-speed Internet connection. Any hacking is unlikely to be noticed, while illegal activity would be traceable only to the name on the Internet account.

To make matters worse, users who don't secure their networks are often the very people who don't keep their computers up to date with the latest security patches and antivirus software.

"What we probably really have here is a whole bunch of very vulnerable systems exposed to attack or infection over a network that has no access control," said Al Potter, manager of technical services at the security firm TruSecure's ICSA Labs.

Companies that sell Wi-Fi products want their hardware to be simple and interoperable, especially as more than just computers - wireless TV monitors, digital music receivers, DVD players and game consoles, for example - are wirelessly connecting to home networks.

At the same time, they want to keep support calls and returns low, so they turn off security by default.

"We've been putting friendly front ends in front of technology for a long time," said Peter Evans, vice president of business development at AirDefense Inc., a wireless security firm. "I'm not sure why the industry has not yet made those tools much easier to use."

Yet even knowledgeable consumers find it frustrating to set up security. It can involve punching in dozens of characters as the passphrase for each connected device, and navigating screens filled with a dizzying set of acronyms for encryption and authentication.

Typically, there isn't much explanation about what they are and why they're needed.

Problems grow when consumers try to mix a laptop wireless card from one vendor with a Wi-Fi access point from another. With security turned off, everything works fine. With basic encryption turn on, the headaches begin.

Because his Linksys access point and Gateway notebook used different techniques for generating the "key" to scramble and unscramble the data, Victor Miller of Princeton Junction, N.J., learned he had to twice punch in dozens of characters using the hexadecimal numbering system.

That process is prone to typing errors, which aren't apparent since Windows XP (news - web sites) doesn't display the characters as they're entered. Also, Miller said, the user guides did not say that the computer would require a restart.

Miller, who is a cryptography expert, eventually got it working.

"I'm not sure many people would have the fortitude to actually copy down 26 hex digits twice," he said. "They'd just say, `To hell with it.'"

Some manufacturers are beginning to tout security features as a selling point, just as they market faster speeds and greater signal range. Microsoft Corp., for instance, made the transfer of keys fairly easy by copying the key and other settings to a floppy disk that could then be used to configure wireless laptops. The company, though, announced in May that it was getting out of the Wi-Fi hardware business.

Buffalo Technology Inc. has introduced a one-touch security system that exchanges keys between wireless devices and the wireless access point within a two-minute window after a button is pressed. Critics point out, however, that the system requires the manual entry of keys on non-Buffalo devices. And not all of Buffalo's products support the technology, called AOSS.

Meanwhile, Broadcom Corp., the leading supplier of Wi-Fi chips, has announced a software feature called SecureEZSetup that generates the encryption key based on answers to simple, easy-to-remember questions. Still, any device that's not supported must be manually set up, and only one vendor - Belkin Corp. - has so far publicly committed to using the technology.

The Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group that certifies Wi-Fi-labeled gear, has posted educational videos on its Web site and recommends that vendors use automated setup tools in their products. But it has stopped short of mandating specific interfaces, said Frank Hanzlik, the group's managing director.

In addition, not all vendors agree there's a major problem.

"Key to our strategy is consumer education," said Darek Connole, media relations manager at D-Link Systems Inc. "If the consumer knows why it's important, why it's easy to do, it becomes something they implement."

That's no excuse for not making setups more simple, objects Potter of TruSecure.

"The right instructions, the right help screens that ask the right question at the right time can go an awfully long way to keep those eyes from glazing over," he said.

___

On the Net:

Wi-Fi Alliance: http://www.wi-fi.org 

Easy-to-Spot Air Security Might Be Easy Target

Mon May 31, 7:55 AM ET 
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Times Staff Writer 

WASHINGTON - As they settled into first class on American Airlines Flight 1438 from Chicago to Miami, they were supposed to be the last line of defense against terrorists - two highly trained U.S. air marshals who would sit unnoticed among the ordinary travelers but spring into action at the first sign of trouble. 

Imagine their chagrin when a fellow passenger coming down the aisle suddenly boomed out, "Oh, I see we have air marshals on board!" 

The incident, detailed in an intelligence brief, is an example of something that happens all too often, marshals say. The element of surprise may be crucial to their mission, but it turns out they're "as easy to identify as a uniformed police officer," the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Assn. said in a complaint to Congress. 

The problem is not security leaks. It's the clothes. 

In an era when "dressing down" is the traveler's creed, air marshals must show up in jackets and ties, hair cut short, bodies buffed, shoes shined. 

Jack Webb would be proud, but the marshals say they stand out like shampooed show dogs among the pound pups. 

And the tipoff provided by their appearance is magnified by a set of boarding procedures that make them conspicuous. 

Since they're armed, the marshals can't go through the initial security screening with the rest of the passengers. Instead using the entry points set aside for airport employees, the marshals often must go through the "exit" lanes - marching against the flow of arriving passengers, at times in full view of travelers. 

"They lose the advantage" of being undercover, said John Amat, a spokesman for the marshals within the federal law officers group. 

Officials with the Federal Air Marshal Service, however, defended their sartorial standards. 

"Professional demeanor, attire and attitude gain respect," spokesman David M. Adams said. "If a guy pulls out a gun and he's got a tattoo on his arm and [is wearing] shorts, I'm going to question whether he's a law enforcement officer." 

As for the boarding procedures, Adams said, the agency is working to address the problems. Air marshals "are not undercover like Serpico," he added, referring to the legendary New York detective. "The director refers to them as 'discreet.' " 

The air marshal service has grown from about 30 officers at the time of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to several thousand today, operating under a $600-million annual budget. 

With the expansion has come an infusion of federal law enforcement culture. The director of the air marshals, Thomas D. Quinn, who took over in January 2002, spent 20 years with the Secret Service. 

"Secret Service people are notoriously known for being snappy dressers," said Capt. Steve Luckey, security chairman for the Air Line Pilots Assn. 

And it was after Quinn took over, marshals said, that the strict rules on dress and grooming were instituted, including a ban on beards, long hair and jeans. 

But today's airliner is a come-as-you-are environment. Even "if you go in first class, you see the whole gamut," Luckey said, from people in cut-off jeans to those in suit and tie. "I think you can go overboard with the professionalism.... The mission dictates flexibility and some relaxed dress standards." 

Many marshals interviewed - who requested anonymity because they are not allowed to talk to the media - agree. 

What makes them uneasy is the prospect of being spotted by terrorists and disabled or killed before they could react. 

"This is what I foresee," said one marshal, a two-year veteran. "Two of us get on the plane and we've been under surveillance the whole time. There's a minimum of four bad guys.... My partner goes to the bathroom and they come after me with a sharp pen, stab me in the neck or in the brain and take my weapon," he continued. "When my partner comes out, they shoot him. Then they've got 80 rounds of ammunition and two weapons." 

Adams called such a scenario "highly unlikely." 

Yet a congressional General Accounting Office (news - web sites) study of a two-year period from 2001 to 2003 found an average of about one case a week in which marshals reported their cover was blown. 

The passenger on American Flight 1438 told the marshals "he picked them out because of their attire and the fact that they were on board before the other passengers," an agency report on the Nov. 15, 2003 incident said. The report did not say whether the government took action against the man, although others who have outed air marshals have been prosecuted. 

One marshal with previous military and law enforcement experience said that "a bad guy on a plane can quickly narrow the pool of potential marshals. They're not wearing jeans, they're not wearing cargo pants.... There will not be an air marshal who is unshaven. You eliminate the unknown element." 

Additional clues to their identity can be gleaned by observing airport check-in and boarding, several marshals said. 

At the ticket counter, marshals must present an official leather credential case that is much bigger than a driver's license and looks different than a passport. 

"You can stand 20 feet away from the ticket counter and see it," said the marshal with military experience. Ticket agents sometimes hold it up to the light to study the hologram on the picture, he added. 

After they get their tickets, marshals head for the boarding gate. At their home airports, they can use a special access card to bypass the security checkpoint. But at other airports, they must go through the passenger exit lane. 

"Everybody sees you standing there," one marshal said. "Everybody sees you show your ID. They see you are being escorted through an exit lane, bypassing security." 

At the boarding gate, the marshals must again show their credentials to the airline agent. Then, because marshals have to brief flight crews in person, at least one team member has to board before the other passengers. That often takes place in full view. 

"You see physically fit men in their mid-30s getting on an airplane early, and you know they're not doing that because they need more time to get down the jet way," said Patricia Friend, president of the Assn. of Flight Attendants. 

The marshals have petitioned Congress for help in changing the rules. Several lawmakers are following up on the complaints. Among them is Sen. Herbert H. Kohl (D-Wis.), who talked with Quinn about the boarding procedures. And Rep. Peter DeFazio (news, bio, voting record) (D-Ore.) has asked the General Accounting Office to take another in-depth look at the agency. DeFazio is the ranking Democrat on the House aviation subcommittee. 

Changes would largely be a matter of administrative action, but congressional pressure could force the issue. 

In the meantime, some air marshals have found ways to adapt. The marshal with military experience said he deliberately acts as the more visible member of his team. He walks down the jet way before the passengers. If someone stares at him, he stares back. By becoming the focus of attention, he figures he's helping protect his partner's anonymity. 

"If they come after me first, he might be able to save my bacon," the marshal. "At least one guy may be able to do something to defend the aircraft." 

* 

(Begin Text of Infobox) 

Air marshals 

Gender: 96% male; 4% female. 

Race and ethnicity: 73% white; 13% Latino; 9% African American; 2% Asian American; 1% Native American; 1% other or not reported. 

Age: 22% 30 and younger; 65% 31 to 40; 10% 41 to 50; 4% 51 and older. 

Dress: Suit and tie or sport coat, collared shirt, dress slacks and dress shoes. Equivalent attire is required for female air marshals. 

* 

Sources: General Accounting Office, Los Angeles Times 

* 

Note: Totals may not add to 100% because of rounding. 

* 

Los Angeles Times

Private Rocket Will Try and Reach Space 

Wed Jun 2, 7:48 PM ET

MOJAVE, Calif. - A privately developed manned rocket will attempt to reach space this month, its builders said Wednesday. It would be the first non-governmental flight to leave Earth's atmosphere. 

Missed Tech Tuesday?
Watch this: Tomorrow's TV displays will be flat and portable, your DVR will disappear, and you may even want to use TV to flip through future e-books. 

SpaceShipOne, created by aviation designer Burt Rutan and funded by billionaire Paul Allen, will attempt to reach an altitude of 62 miles on a suborbital flight over the Mojave Desert on June 21. 

The rocket plane reached an altitude of about 40 miles during a test flight May 13. 

Suborbital flights are essentially up and down. The craft does not reach speeds fast enough go into orbit around the Earth. 

If the attempt is successful, SpaceShipOne will compete for the Ansari X Prize, a competition in which $10 million goes to the first reusable rocket able to carry three people into space on a suborbital flight, return them safely to Earth, and repeat the feat within two weeks with the same vehicle. 

A number of other private organizations are also developing contenders for the prize. 

"Every time SpaceShipOne flies we demonstrate that relatively modest amounts of private funding can significantly increase the boundaries of commercial space technology," Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, and founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc., said in a statement. 

The cost of SpaceShipOne has not been revealed. 

SpaceShipOne is carried aloft by a specially designed jet aircraft and then is dropped into a glide at an altitude of about 50,000 feet. The pilot then fires the rocket motor and pulls up into a vertical climb. 

The June attempt will involve an 80-second rocket firing that will accelerate the craft to Mach 3. It will then coast up to the target altitude before falling back to Earth. The pilot will experience weightlessness for more than three minutes. The glide back to the ground will take 15-20 minutes.

AP: Administration Freed Terror Suspect 

32 minutes ago 
Add U.S. National - 

By JOHN SOLOMON, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - Nabil al-Marabh was No. 27 on the FBI (news - web sites)'s list of terror suspects after Sept. 11. He trained in Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s militant camps, sent money to a roommate convicted in a foiled plot to bomb a hotel and boasted to an informant about plans to blow up a fuel truck inside a New York tunnel, FBI documents allege. The Bush administration set him free - to Syria - even though prosecutors had sought to bring criminal cases against him and judges openly expressed concerns about possible terrorist ties. 

Slideshow: September 11 AP: Administration Freed Terror Suspect 
(AP Video)

Al-Marabh served an eight-month jail sentence and was sent in January to his native Syria, which is regarded by the United States as a sponsor of terrorism. The quiet disposition of his case stands in stark contrast to the language FBI agents used to describe the man. 

Al-Marabh "intended to martyr himself in an attack against the United States," an FBI agent wrote in a December 2002 report obtained by The News Source. A footnote in al-Marabh's deportation ruling last year added, "The FBI has been unable to rule out the possibility that al-Marabh has engaged in terrorist activity or will do so if he is not removed from the United States." 

One FBI report summarized a high-level debriefing of a Jordanian informant named Ahmed Y. Ashwas that was personally conducted by the U.S. attorney in Chicago, signifying its importance. The informant alleged al-Marabh told him of specific terrorist plans during their time in prison. 

Even the judge who accepted al-Marabh's plea agreement on minor immigration charges in 2002 balked. "Something about this case just makes me feel uncomfortable," Judge Richard Arcara said in court. The Justice Department (news - web sites) assured the judge that al-Marabh did not have terrorist ties. 

A second judge who ultimately ordered al-Marabh's deportation sided with FBI agents, federal prosecutors and Customs agents in the field who believed al-Marabh was tied to terrorism. 

"The court finds applicant does present a danger to national security," U.S. Immigration Judge Robert D. Newberry ruled, concluding al-Marabh was "credibly linked to elements of terrorism" and had a "propensity to lie." 

Neither the courts nor al-Marabh's lawyers were given access to the most striking allegations provided by the Jordanian informant. 

Asked to explain the decision to free al-Marabh, Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra said the government has concerns about many people with suspected terror ties but cannot effectively try them in court without giving away intelligence sources and methods. 

"If the government cannot prosecute terrorism charges, another option is to remove the individual from the United States via deportation. After careful review, this was determined to be the best option available under the law to protect our national security," he said. 

But a Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) scoffed at the explanation. "It's hard to believe that the best way to deal with the FBI's 27th most wanted terrorist is to send him back to a terrorist-sponsoring country," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. He said the Justice Department could have used a military tribunal or a classified criminal. "This action certainly raises a lot of questions and demands a lot of answers," Schumer said. 

Internal FBI and Justice Department documents reviewed by AP show prosecutors and FBI agents in several cities gathered evidence that linked al-Marabh to: 

_Raed Hijazi, the Boston cab driver convicted in Jordan for plotting to blow up an American-frequented hotel in Amman during the millennium celebrations of 1999. Al-Marabh and Hijazi were roommates at the Afghan training camps and later in the United States, and al-Marabh sent money to Hijazi. 

_The Detroit apartment where four men were arrested in what became the administration's first major terror prosecution after Sept. 11. Al-Marabh's name was still on the rental unit when agents raided it. The men were found with false IDs and documents describing alleged terror plots. 

_Several large deposits, withdrawals and overseas wire transfers in 1998 and 2000 that were flagged as suspicious by a Boston bank. The Customs Service first identified al-Marabh in 2001 for possible terrorist ties to Hijazi. 

FBI documents said Al-Marabh denied being affiliated with al-Qaida. But he acknowledged receiving "security" training in rifles and rocket-propelled grenades in Afghan mujahedeen camps, sending money to his friend Hijazi, using a fake address to get a truck driving license and buying a phony passport for $4,000 in Canada to sneak into the United States shortly before Sept. 11. 

Al-Marabh's attorney, Mark Kriger, said Wednesday he had never seen the Jordanian informant report and still doesn't believe his client had anything to do with terrorism. He said his client broke ties with Hijazi years ago after a falling out. 

Kriger said he found it unbelievable "that the government, if it believed Ashwas, would have deported Mr. al-Marabh rather than indict him." 

The Justice Department's criminal division chief, Chris Wray, expressed concern to Congress last month that some suspects were being deported to freedom. "It may be more difficult than people would expect" to make a case against a suspect, even when he or she trained at terror camps, he said. 

"We may be able to deport the person under the immigration laws," Wray added. "And while that should give us some comfort, the fact is, if we go that route, the person is removed to another country and turned loose there, and we have no ability to make sure that they're not engaged in further terrorist activity." 

At one point in late 2002, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in Chicago drafted an indictment against al-Marabh on multiple counts of making false statements in his interviews with FBI agents. Justice headquarters declined prosecution. Fitzgerald declined through a spokesman to discuss the reasons. 

Fitzgerald then tracked down Ashwas, the Jordanian who because of minor immigration problems had spent time with al-Marabh in a federal detention cell in 2002. Fitzgerald had the man flown to Chicago and oversaw his debriefing along with FBI agents from Chicago and Detroit, documents show. 

Ashwas alleged that during one of his encounters he helped persuade the prison psychiatrist to prescribe al-Marabh an anti-anxiety drug called Claripan and that al-Marabh began talking more freely, the FBI reported. 

The FBI summarized Ashwas' allegations: 

_Al-Marabh said he aided Hijazi's flight from authorities and sent him money, plotted a martyrdom attack in the United States and took instructions from a mystery figure in Chicago known only as "al Mosul," which means "boss" in Arabic. 

_Al Mosul asked al-Marabh to attend a driving school in Detroit with Arabic instructors so he could get a commercial truck driver's license, and arranged for al-Marabh to live in the Detroit apartment later raided by the FBI as a terror cell. 

_Al-Marabh said he and Hijazi planned to steal a fuel truck from a rest stop in New York and New Jersey and detonate it in the heavily traveled Lincoln or Holland tunnels, but the plan was foiled when Hijazi was arrested. 

_Al-Marabh acknowledged he had distributed money - as much as $200,000 a month - to the various training camps in Afghanistan in the early 1990s. 

The FBI and prosecutors confirmed some aspects of Ashwas' account, including that al-Marabh had been at the Detroit apartment, had trained at at least one Afghan camp and had gotten the truck driver's license. 

Fitzgerald wasn't alone in his efforts to try to bring a case against al-Marabh 

Prosecutors and FBI agents in other states sought to get enough evidence to prosecute him. 

In Detroit, prosecutors developed evidence but weren't allowed to bring a case connecting al-Marabh to the terror cell there. 

One of those prosecutors, longtime career Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino, recently sued Ashcroft, alleging the Justice Department improperly interfered with prosecuting terrorists. Justice says Convertino is under investigation for possibly withholding a piece of evidence from defense lawyers in the Detroit terror case. 

When al-Marabh's name surfaced in the Detroit trial in March 2003, an FBI agent said al-Marabh remained under investigation for terrorism but hadn't been charged. 

"Mr. Al-Marabh was listed No. 27 on the FBI Watch List," agent Michael Thomas testified. "He was a known associate, a former roommate of Mr. Raed Hijazi." 

Less than 10 months after Thomas' testimony, al-Marabh was freed from custody and put on a plane to Syria.

Bush May Hire Lawyer in Probe Over CIA Leak

1 hour, 11 minutes ago 
Add Politics 

WASHINGTON  - President Bush (news - web sites) has sought a lawyer to represent him in the criminal probe into who was responsible for a leak that was seen as retaliation against a critic of the Iraq (news - web sites) war, the White House said on Wednesday. 

"The president has had discussions with an outside attorney, and in the event that he needs advice he would retain him," said White House spokesman Allen Abney, naming the lawyer as Jim Sharp. 

A federal grand jury has been hearing testimony since January from administration and government officials in an attempt to establish who leaked the name of CIA (news - web sites) operative Valerie Plame to the media last year. 

Plame is the wife of Joe Wilson, a former ambassador who was asked by the CIA to travel to Niger in February 2002 to check reports that Iraq had tried to buy enriched uranium from the African country. 

Wilson dismissed the reports as unfounded, but Bush nevertheless included a reference to the supposed deal in his State of the Union speech in 2003, citing it as one of the reasons to invade Iraq. 

The CIA later acknowledged that the uranium reports were based on forged documents and the White House said they should not have been mentioned in the State of the Union speech. 

A newspaper columnist disclosed Plame's identity in July last year and Wilson accused the Bush administration of having leaked the information to pay him back for having publicly taken issue with the president's uranium claim. 

It is illegal under U.S. law to disclose the name of a covert agent who has served outside the country in the previous five years. 

Reports that Bush had contacted an attorney were first carried on Wednesday by CBS Evening News.

Study: Dieting Can Weaken Immune System 

Wed Jun 2, 7:14 AM ET 
By KRISTEN GELINEAU, News Source Writer 

SEATTLE - A new study has found that "yo-yo dieting" - repeatedly losing, then regaining weight - may harm a woman's immune system. The study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center also found that maintaining the same weight over time appears to have a positive effect on a woman's immune system, according to one of the lead researchers. 

Researchers in the study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, interviewed 114 overweight but otherwise healthy sedentary, older women about their weight-loss history during the past 20 years. The women had to have maintained a stable weight for at least three months before joining the study, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute (news - web sites). 

The study, which found that long-term immune function decreases in proportion to how many times a woman has intentionally lost weight, measured natural killer cell activity in the women's blood. Natural killer cells are an essential part of the immune system, killing viruses and leukemia cells, said Cornelia Ulrich, senior author and an assistant member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division. 

Low natural killer cell activity has been associated with increased cancer rates and a higher susceptibility to colds and infections, she said. 

"While one weight-loss episode of 10 pounds or more in the previous 20 years was not associated with current natural killer cell activity, more frequent weight-loss episodes" were associated with a significant decrease in such activity, Ulrich said. 

The study found that women who maintained a fairly stable weight over several years had higher levels of such cells than those whose weight frequently fluctuated. 

Those who reported losing weight more than five times had about a third lower natural killer cell function, the study found. Conversely, women who maintained the same weight for at least five years had 40 percent greater natural killer cell activity as compared to those who maintained their weight for fewer than two years. 

Though no men participated in the study and further research is needed, Ulrich said the immune systems of male dieters would likely be affected the same way. 

The findings, while intriguing, are preliminary, cautioned Ulrich, who is also a research assistant professor in epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. 

Researchers had to rely on the participants' own reports of their weight loss histories and the analysis was based on blood samples collected at a single point in time, representing a narrow sample. 

A long-term study could provide more conclusive results, said Ulrich, who is planning to collaborate with Canadian researchers who have been working on a similar study. 

Although the study suggests that yo-yo dieting is harmful, Ulrich stopped short of saying that people should stop attempting to lose weight. 

"There's clearly evidence that weight loss is beneficial for your health," she said. "What we're concerned about is this pattern of weight cycling where women go up and down." 

Exercise has been shown to boost immunity and temper some of the negative effects of weight loss on the immune system, Ulrich said. 

Despite its preliminary nature, the study is significant, said Katherine Tallmadge, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association in Washington, D.C. Although dietitians have known for years the negative psychological effects of yo-yo dieting, this appears to be the first study to examine the long-term impact of such dieting on immunity, she said. 

People should avoid popular low-carb and low-fat diets that can produce initial weight loss but rarely work in the long term, Tallmadge said. 

"Study after study shows that more moderate restrictions are more likely to last permanently," Tallmadge said. "That's why we registered dietitians are urging people not to do the fad diets, and just try small changes that they're more likely to be able to live with - even if the weight loss is slower." ___ 

On the Net: 

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center http://www.fhcrc.org/ 

American Dietetic Association: http://www.eatright.org/Public/ 

National Cancer Institute: http://cancer.gov/

Kraft Backs Off Plan to Reduce Portions 

2 hours, 39 minutes ago 
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NORTHFIELD, Ill. - Kraft Foods Inc. has abandoned its plan to reduce some portion sizes, citing consumer research that shows shoppers prefer to have the choice of whether to go with smaller packages. 

The nation's largest food company disclosed the decision in a progress report on the anti-obesity initiatives it announced last July. With the food industry facing growing consumer health concerns and the risk of obesity lawsuits, Kraft had pledged to change some product recipes, reduce portions in some single-serve packages, quit marketing snacks via giveaways at school and encourage healthier lifestyles. 

"When we spoke with consumers about what they wanted with single-serve, what they told us was that they didn't want us to reduce the size because they wanted to have more choice," Kraft spokeswoman Kris Charles said Wednesday. "Different people have different body sizes and activity levels, and it made more sense to provide different portion choices." 

Kraft said it would offer a broad range of portion-size choices, including snacks in small packages such as its new Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs. It also said it will give nutrition information for entire packages, rather than just for individual portions, "so consumers don't have to do the math themselves." 

That move, Kraft said, should support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites)'s recent call for food companies to enhance labeling on packages in a way that helps consumers make informed choices. 

The company also said it has reduced the fat content and made other changes to about 200 products it sells in North America. That accounts for about 5 percent of its products, and Kraft called it "just a beginning." 

"Our ongoing actions are part of a broader societal response to growing health and wellness concerns, including obesity," CEO Roger Deromedi said. "It's going to take a comprehensive approach that involves many sectors of society to truly accelerate the change that's needed. We're ready, as are many other food companies, to collaborate and cooperate with governments, policy experts, industries and communities around the world." 

Kraft shares rose 15 cents to close at $30.05 on the New York Stock Exchange (news - web sites). 

___ 

On the Net: 

www.kraft.com 

NY Attorney General Sues Glaxo on Paxil

2 hours, 39 minutes ago 
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NEW YORK  - N.Y. state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Wednesday he sued British pharmaceuticals group GlaxoSmithKline Plc, claiming fraud over its antidepressant drug Paxil. 

The lawsuit alleges that starting in 1998, Glaxo engaged in a concerted effort to withhold negative information about Paxil and misrepresented data concerning its safety and efficacy in children and adolescents. 

The suit claims Glaxo conducted at least five studies on the use of Paxil in children and adolescents but published only one, which had mixed results. It claims the company suppressed negative results from the other studies, which did not show that Paxil worked and may even have suggested an increased risk of suicide. 

Glaxo officials were not immediately available for comment. 

In the suit, filed in N.Y. State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Spitzer asked that Glaxo give up all profits obtained through the claimed misconduct. 

The suit also claims Glaxo misrepresented the results of its research to its sales representatives, saying it had "remarkable efficacy and safety in the treatment of adolescent depression." 

More than 2 million prescriptions for Paxil were written for children and adolescents in the United States in 2002, even though the drug is approved by U.S. regulators only to treat adult depression. Physicians, however, have the ability to prescribe Paxil for children.

Ladies Night' Discount Axed in N.J. Bars 

Wed Jun 2,11:05 AM ET 
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TRENTON, N.J. - The state's top civil rights official has ruled that taverns cannot offer discounts to women on "ladies nights," agreeing with a man who claimed such gender-based promotions discriminated against men.

David R. Gillespie said it was not fair for women to get into the Coastline nightclub for free and receive discounted drinks while men paid a $5 cover charge and full price for drinks. 

In his ruling Tuesday, J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the state Division on Civil Rights, rejected arguments by the nightclub that ladies nights were a legitimate promotion. Commercial interests do not override the "important social policy objective of eradicating discrimination," he ruled. 

The ruling specifically addressed the weekly ladies nights at the Coastline in Cherry Hill, but it carries the force of a court decision and applies statewide. Vespa-Papaleo said state officials would write formal rules after a public hearing. 

The restaurant's attorney, Colleen Ready, did not immediately return a telephone message left Wednesday by The News Source. 

Courts in other states have issued divergent opinions on such promotions. 

Judges in Pennsylvania and Iowa have said similar events are illegal, but courts in Illinois and Washington state have said that ladies nights are permissible because they do not discriminate against men but rather encourage women to attend.

Stunned Japan Agonizes Over Schoolgirl Stabbing

Wed Jun 2, 8:41 AM ET 
Add World 

By Elaine Lies 

TOKYO  - A stunned Japan was searching for answers on Wednesday after an 11-year-old schoolgirl killed a classmate by slashing her throat, the latest in a string of violent crimes by children. 

Japan, which had long prided itself on being relatively crime-free, has in recent years been confronted by an increasing number of gruesome youth crimes that have prompted it to lower the age of criminal responsibility. 

Teachers and friends said the 11-year-old had shown no sign of trouble and described her as just like any other girl, adding to the shock. 

"It is difficult to imagine how such a very serious incident could come from such an ordinary girl from an ordinary family," said the head of a child welfare center that took custody of the girl. 

Twelve-year-old Satomi Mitarai died from loss of blood after she was attacked by the classmate, said to be her friend, with a knife during the lunch break on Tuesday at their primary school in Sasebo, 980 km (610 miles) west of Tokyo. 

There was no obvious motive for the attack, but Japanese media said the 11-year-old told police that she had been upset at Satomi for posting a message about her on a Web site and that she had intended to kill Satomi over it. 

The Yomiuri Shimbun daily reflected the general bewilderment, asking in an editorial, "What sort of connection did these two have? What set it off? Nothing is known." 

Police said the 11-year-old had called Satomi to a study room where she attacked her and then returned to the classroom with her clothes bloodstained. 

Child welfare workers said the girl repeatedly apologized for the crime, covering her face with her hands as she wept, according to media reports. 

The victim's widowed father, who lived alone with her and her older brother, said he was in shock. 

"That my daughter could no longer be with me is unbelievable. But the unbelievable has happened," Kyoji Mitarai, the local bureau chief of the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, told reporters. 

"She was like air to me," he said. 

RISING CRIME, TIGHTER LAWS 

The killing appeared especially shocking because of the age of the children involved and the fact that both were girls. 

Officials said the girl in Tuesday's incident would appear before a family court, which could send her to a special reformatory for children. 

Children under 14 cannot be prosecuted. 

In 1997, a 14-year-old schoolboy horrified the nation by murdering two children and leaving the severed head of one of them outside the gates of a school in Kobe, western Japan. 

That crime prompted calls for harsher penalties against juveniles, and a law was enacted in 2001 lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14. 

The number of serious crimes by juveniles has continued to rise, however, with the ages of offenders falling. 

Last year, a 12-year-old boy in the city of Nagasaki, which is near Sasebo, confessed to abducting and murdering a four-year-old by pushing him off the roof of a garage. 

According to police figures, the number of minors aged 14 to 19 who committed serious crimes such as murder and robbery rose 11.4 percent to 2,212 in 2003, while the number of offenders under 14 rose 47.2 percent to 212, topping the 200 level for the first time in 16 years. 

There have been eight cases where primary school children have committed or attempted murder in the last 15 years. 

Police have drawn up new guidelines on fighting juvenile crime, but editorials on Wednesday said more fundamental measures may be needed. 

"We must make children understand even more the basic importance of life," the Yomiuri said.

Sasser, Netsky Continue To Dominate Tue Jun 1, 4:06 PM ET Add Technology - NewsFactor 

Erika Morphy, www.enterprise-security-today.com

Authorities may have arrested those responsible for the destructive Sasser and Netsky e-mail worms -- but their effects still linger, according to security firm Sophos.

"Sasser proved to be a major nuisance in May, affecting even more users than even the Netsky worms," said Chris Kraft, senior security analyst. "Requiring no user intervention and taking advantage of a relatively new Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) hole, it sneaked onto unprotected PCs, inundating Internet connections."

Young and Powerful

Sasser, apparently launched by an 18-year-old young man from Germany, wound up disrupting not only countless home users' PCs, but also systems at Delta Airlines and the Coast Guard. Indeed, the story of Sasser is a sorry lesson for all concerned, illustrating that even the slightly skilled now are able to disrupt corporate networks.

At least that is what Panda Software CTO Patrick Hinojosa finds so maddening about Sasser. "It is very simple to write these things," he told NewsFactor, "and with some worms -- e-mail worms in particular -- it takes hardly any skill at all. You can do it from a kit, in fact."

The Sasser worm easily could have been stopped in its tracks from the outset, Hinojosa says, as Microsoft identified the vulnerability and offered a patch for it a few weeks before the worm appeared. "This element of network security is not rocket science -- it is a default configuration."

Keep On Coming

The situation is not getting any better, according to Sophos. "Both Sasser and Netsky may have captured the headlines, but there were many other viruses written this month -- 959 in total," Kraft said. "In the month of May, we saw a considerable increase in cyber-criminal activity, which suggests that even the arrest of Sven Jaschan, the German teenager who has owned up to writing Sasser and Netsky, has done very little to limit the problem."

The 959 new viruses Sophos identified in May represent the highest number of new viruses discovered in a single month since December 2001, the firm said. 

Drunk Students Adrift on Raft at Sea

Jun 1, 10:38 am ET 

AMSTERDAM  - A band of drunk Dutch students taking a break from exams had to be rescued at sea after a raft they built from empty jerrycans went adrift on the North Sea, the Hague police said Friday.

"The students had made a kind of floating island and ventured out to sea under the influence of alcohol. They were carried into the open sea by the current and had to be rescued," a police statement said.

The group of 15 to 20 students was let off with little more than a stern warning from police who accused them of "irresponsible behavior."

Forget Splitting Atoms, Split a Banana for Energy

Jun 1, 9:51 am ET 

SYDNEY  - Australian scientists have discovered what sportsmen and women around the world have known for years: bananas are a great source of instant energy.

A new government-funded study is investigating the possibility of harnessing bruised or spoilt bananas -- deemed not worth selling to consumers -- to provide energy for 500 homes.

"It's not a hoax," Australian Banana Growers' Council Chief Executive Tony Heidrich said on Tuesday.

Reminiscent of the pig-powered town in the futuristic movie Mad Max Thunderdome, bananas would be combined with bacteria to produce methane. Pipes would take the gas to a turbine which could be plugged into the main electricity grid.

"It's like a big stomach. You open the lid, you put the stuff in and seal the lid and...away you go," said Heidrich by telephone from the nation's banana-growing state of Queensland.

"Essentially it's just like a big composting bin. It's a waste product and currently we're not doing anything else with it. This would harness the electrical capacity that it can bring," he said.

However, Heidrich said other fruit-powered homes, such as apricot, pineapple or kiwi-fruit, were unlikely anytime soon.

"Initially I think they'll stick to bananas but potentially you could use other fruit," he said.

Ethanol from sugar cane has already been tested for commercial energy use and the husks of Australia's native Macadamia nuts have been used as fuel to make electricity.

Power Plant Shut -- to Tune Piano

May 28, 10:49 am ET 

OSLO  - One of the Nordic region's biggest power stations shut Friday to let an expert tune a grand piano for a concert undisturbed by the hum of huge hydroelectric generators.

"When you put a big piano in there, you also need to tune it, and that is very difficult if the machines are running," said Tron Engebrethsen, senior vice president at Norwegian power company Statkraft.

The generators will be switched back on after Friday evening's concert which is being staged in an enormous underground hall at the 1,120-megawatt Sima power plant.

The hall, built in a rock cavern inside a mountain in the scenic Hardanger fjord in western Norway, is renowned for its acoustics.

Engebrethsen said a concert was held at the plant about once a year, but it was the first time they had shut down production to tune a piano.

The program includes music from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and Stravinsky's "Agon."

The generators, which will be down for nine hours, will be switched back on at 2200 local time.

This Movie Is SO Bad...

May 28, 10:09 am ET 

LOS ANGELES  - It may go down in movie marketing history: "Gigli," a film deemed so bad that one cable television network is trumpeting its poor reviews to sell it to audiences looking for a laugh.

The Starz Encore network is marketing "Gigli," a box office flop starring former lovers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, as a film that has been so maligned by critics and moviegoers that "you know you want to see it."

In marketing materials sent to reporters, Starz Encore calls "Gigli," "The Most Talked About Movie of the Year," then adds, "(OK, not all of our movies can be award-winning blockbusters).

"Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," said Starz Encore's Steve Belgard, director of programing publicity. "If we promoted it like a good film, our credibility would be shot."

Belgard dreamed up the idea.

Accustomed to seeing ads filled with reviews claiming a movie is "the year's best," Starz offers reporters this from the San Jose Mercury News: "A rigli, rigli bad movie," or this from the San Francisco Examiner: "Viewers (read: victims) will want to talk and comfort each other afterwards."

"Gigli" is pronounced zhee-lee.

In the movie, Affleck plays a thug who falls in love with a gangster, Lopez, who also happens to be a lesbian. It debuted in August 2003, and racked up $6 million at domestic box offices.

In real life, the pair were engaged to be married and their every move was dogged by paparazzi and tabloid press. They have since broken up.

Belgard said it was about time Ben and Jen -- sometimes dubbed Bennifer -- got back together, at least on the screen.

"We've missed them, haven't we?" he asked, rather dryly.

Giant Mushroom Baffles Experts in Congo

May 28, 9:57 am ET 

BRAZZAVILLE  - A giant three-tiered mushroom which measures a meter (yard) across and was found in the tropical forests of the Republic of Congo has left experts in the capital Brazzaville scratching their heads.

"It's the first time we've ever seen a mushroom like this so it's difficult for us to classify. But we are going to determine what it is scientifically," Pierre Botaba, head of Congo's veterinary and zoology center, told reporters on Thursday.

The giant fungi stands 18 inches high and has three tiered caps on top of a broad stem. The bottom cap measures one meter across, the second one 60 cm and the top one is 24 cm wide, Botaba said.

The bizarre-looking mushroom was found in the village of Mvoula about 38 miles from Brazzaville and transported carefully to the capital by the local chief.

Police Weed Out Art Exhibition

May 28, 9:46 am ET 

STOCKHOLM  - A Swedish art exhibit featuring cannabis plants may have to be canceled after police confiscated the plants in a drugs bust.

The exhibition, due to open on Saturday in the university town of Lund and titled "Counterclockwise Circumambulation," was partially destroyed when police cut the plants to take them away as evidence, artist Sture Johannesson said.

The plant is grown in the region for its fibers and Swedish media said Johannesson's hemp was not the type used by smokers. He could replace the plants, but said they had already begun to grow back. "They will have to come back on a regular basis to prune," he said on Friday.

Amorous Swedes to Get Emergency Condom Deliveries

Jun 1, 10:50 am ET 

STOCKHOLM  - A Swedish aid organization will roll out a new line of defense to the country's emergency services next week -- the condom ambulance.

From Friday, June 4, amorous couples can call the telephone number 696969 and a white van featuring a large red condom with wings as a logo will deliver them a packet of 10 prophylactics.

"We need to increase the usage of condoms," said Carl Osvald, marketing manager for the Swedish Organization for Sex Education, the non-governmental organization behind the initiative. "It is 50 percent about pregnancy and 50 percent about sexually transmitted diseases."

The ambulances will operate in Stockholm and the southern cities of Malmo and Gothenberg. The service, aimed at young people, will run until June 25 and be available between four in the afternoon and nine at night.

A packet of 10 condoms will cost 50 crowns ($6.72), less than they cost on average in the shops.

The incidence of sexually transmitted disease is increasing rapidly in Sweden and not enough young people use condoms, Osvald said.

"We need to change attitudes to condoms," he said. "If we need to get out in to the bedrooms to make things better we will do it."

U.S.: Suspect Sought to Blow Up Buildings 

1 hour, 17 minutes ago

By LARRY MARGASAK, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member held as a terrorism suspect for two years, sought to blow up hotels and apartment buildings in the United States in addition to planning an attack with a "dirty bomb" radiological device, the government said Tuesday. 

U.S.: Suspect Sought to Blow Up Buildings 
(AP Video) 

The Justice Department (news - web sites), under pressure to explain its indefinite detention of a U.S. citizen as an "enemy combatant," detailed Padilla's alleged al-Qaida training in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and contacts with the most senior members of the terrorist network, his travel back into the United States and preparations to rent apartments and set off explosives. 

Deputy Attorney General James Comey called the chronicle of Padilla's plotting "remarkable for its scope, its clarity and its candor." 

The department released documents, based in part on interviews with Padilla, saying he and an unidentified al-Qaida accomplice planned to find as many as three apartment buildings supplied with natural gas. 

"Padilla and the accomplice were to locate as many as three high-rise apartment buildings which had natural gas supplied to the floors," the government summary of interrogations said. The alleged accomplice is in custody. 

"They would rent two apartments in each building, seal all the openings, turn on the gas, and set timers to detonate the buildings simultaneously at a later time," the papers alleged. 

Comey said Padilla suggested to his handlers that he detonate a nuclear bomb that he thought he could make from instructions on the Internet, or that he set off a dirty bomb that would release deadly radiation in a small area. His handlers did not think either was feasible, Comey said, and wanted him to focus instead on the apartment-building plot. 

Top al-Qaida officials "wanted Padilla to hit targets in New York City, although Florida and Washington, D.C. were discussed as well," the summary said. 

One of Padilla's lawyers, Andrew Patel, characterized Comey's information as "an opening statement without a trial. We are in the same position we've been in for two years, where the government says bad things about Mr. Padilla and there's no forum for him to defend himself." 

The Supreme Court is deciding whether the war on terrorism gives the government power to seize Americans such as Padilla and hold them without charges for as long as it takes to ensure they are not a danger to the nation. Comey denied the timing of the disclosure was an attempt to influence the court. 

Comey said Padilla's partner in the attacks was to be Adnan El Shukrijumah, one of seven suspected al-Qaida operatives who the Justice Department cited last week as planning attacks on the United States. Nicknamed "Jafar the pilot," the Saudi native once lived in Florida and has been sought by federal authorities for more than a year. 

While Comey said the two broke up the partnership because they couldn't get along, the official said the information learned from Padilla and others about Jafar's role makes his capture imperative. 

"We need to find that guy," Comey said. 

Comey said release of the information had no connection to criticism from some members of Congress and some administration officials that Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) overstated the al-Qaida threat. 

Rather, Comey said, he acted "because every place I went to speak, people would say, 'We agree with you with the war on terror but we've got a problem with this Padilla thing. I wish I knew more about it.' And I very much wanted people to know what I knew about Jose Padilla to address those questions." 

Comey told a news conference that when Padilla stepped off a plane in Chicago in May 2002, he was a highly trained and fully equipped "soldier of our enemy" who had accepted his al-Qaida assignment to kill hundreds of innocent people in apartment buildings. 

"We have decided to release this information to help people understand why we are doing what we are doing in the war on terror and to help people understand the nature of the threat we face," he said. 

He asserted that if Padilla had been handled by the usual criminal justice system, he could have stayed silent and "would likely have ended up a free man." 

Padilla was to conduct an Internet search on buildings that had natural gas heating, open a bank account and obtain documents needed to rent an apartment, the government said. The plot called for blowing up 20 buildings simultaneously, but Padilla allegedly said he could not rent multiple apartments under one identity without drawing attention. 

The information was provided in response to a query from Senate Justice Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Comey said it took significant time to compile the information and denied the timing had anything to do with the court case. 

"If it was done sooner it would have been released sooner," he said. 

Comey said there are no plans to file the information as an addendum to the arguments the administration made in the case. And he said there are no plans to use the material to try to seek a criminal indictment against Padilla. 

Comey traced Padilla's alleged transition into a terrorist as beginning in earnest in March 2000, when he joined a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and met an al-Qaida recruiter. Two months later, he met someone in Yemen who arranged training for him in the Afghan terrorist camps, Comey said. 

He said Padilla signed an application joining al-Qaida in July 2000. During his training, Comey said, Padilla met senior al-Qaida officials including Abu Zubaydah, the network's operations chief in Afghanistan; and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks

NASA Discovers Likely Youngest Planet

1 hour, 21 minutes ago

By MARCIA DUNN, News Source Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - One of NASA (news - web sites)'s space telescopes has discovered what scientists believe may be the youngest planet ever spied - a celestial body that at 1 million years old or less is a cosmic toddler.

In its first major findings, announced Thursday, the Spitzer Space Telescope also has shown that protostars, or developing stars, "are as common as the cicadas in the trees here on the East Coast" and that the planetary construction zones around infant stars have considerable ice that could produce future oceans.

"Oh, my goodness, it knocked our socks off," University of Wisconsin astronomer Ed Churchwell said of the trio of discoveries.

Spitzer is an infrared telescope has been orbiting the sun and studying the universe since last summer. It did not actually "see" the toddler planet, but yielded evidence that enabled scientists to infer its existence.

The object is in the constellation Taurus, 420 light-years away - quite close by astronomy standards. It is believed to be on the inner edge of a planet-forming dusty disk that encircles a 1-million-year-old star.

University of Rochester astronomer Dan Watson said a sharply defined hole in the middle of the disk suggests that a planet created the opening. That gaseous planet would have been formed sometime since the star's formation.

By comparison, the Earth and the rest of the solar system are 4.5 billion years old. And up until now, the youngest planets observed around other stars were a few billion years old.

Astronomer Deborah Padgett at the Carnegie Institution of Washington cautioned that instead of a planet, the gap in the dusty disk could be caused by asteroid formation or a smaller unseen stellar companion. She said it is also possible that the heat and light of the star are forming the gap by blowing all the dusty material out.

However, she said that it is "very likely" a planet, and that additional research by Spitzer and future spacecraft should settle the debate.

The Hubble Space Telescope (news - web sites) previously observed the star - named CoKu Tau 4 - but could not make out such details.

Watson also reported that for the first time, Spitzer has shown without ambiguity all the icy organic materials in the planet-forming disks surrounding infant stars, or those that are only hundreds of thousands of years old. He called these the building blocks of what might end up as a solar system like our own.

As for the proliferation of developing stars, Spitzer revealed more than 300 star formations in one region in the constellation Centaurus, 13,700 light-years away.

"It's kind of blown our minds," Churchwell said.

Anne Kinney, director of NASA's astronomy and physics division, likened the preponderance of protostars to the cicadas.

Scientists compared Spitzer to Smarty Jones, the young horse that next week may become a Triple Crown champion.

"Spitzer has beaten Smarty Jones considerably. It has already won the Triple Crown for 2004 by virtue of having made these three discoveries," said astronomer Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Spitzer is the fourth and final spacecraft in NASA's Great Observatory series, which began with Hubble and continued with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, now gone, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The 14-year-old Hubble was the only one designed for astronaut repairs, and its future has ignited a fierce debate in and outside NASA. NASA has decided to forgo any more shuttle missions to Hubble, citing post-Columbia safety concerns, and instead may send robots on a life-prolonging mission.

On Thursday, a petition signed by 26 astronauts, most of them retired, was sent to President Bush (news - web sites) by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. The astronauts - "we, the real risk-takers" - urged that the shuttle mission to Hubble be reinstated.

List Linking Smoking to Diseases Expands 

Thu May 27, 9:08 PM ET

By NANCY ZUCKERBROD, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - The list of diseases linked to smoking grew longer Thursday. Add acute myeloid leukemia, cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach, abdominal aortic aneurysms, cataracts, periodontitis and pneumonia. 

"We've known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that it's even worse," said Surgeon General Richard Carmona, announcing his first official assessment of the effects of tobacco. 

The report said current evidence is not conclusive enough to say smoking causes colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer or erectile disfunction. Some research has associated those diseases with smoking, but Carmona said more proof is needed. 

The evidence suggests smoking may not cause breast cancer in women but that some women, depending on genetics, may increase their risk of getting it by smoking, the report said. 

Diseases previously linked to smoking include cancer of the bladder, esophagus, larynx, lung and mouth. Also tied to smoking was chronic lung disease, chronic heart and cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, peptic ulcers and reproductive problems. 

About 440,000 Americans die of smoking-related diseases each year. The report said more than 12 million people have died from smoking-related diseases in the 40 years since the first surgeon general's report on smoking and health was released in 1964. 

That report linked smoking to lung and larynx cancer and chronic bronchitis. Subsequent reports, such as the one released Thursday, have expanded the list of diseases linked to smoking. 

Carmona's report said treating smoking-related diseases costs the nation $75 billion annually. The loss of productivity from smoking is estimated to be $82 billion annually. 

On average, the surgeon general said, smokers die 13 years to 14 years before nonsmokers. 

The number of adults who smoke has dropped from about 42 percent in 1965 to about 22 percent in 2002, the last year for which such data is available, according to the surgeon general. 

The government has set a goal of 12 percent by 2010, but is having trouble getting the rate to come down as quickly as sought. The smoking rate is declining by less than one-half of a percentage point annually. 

Cheryl Healton, president of the anti-smoking American Legacy Foundation, said officials have failed to act on recommendations made by a government-appointed scientific panel last year. Among its proposals was raising the federal tax on cigarettes from 39 cents per pack to $2.39. 

The Bush administration did agree with the proposal to establish a national hot line to counsel smokers. That should be set up next year. 

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, said the surgeon general's report demonstrates the need for the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) to regulate cigarettes. That has been proposed in Congress. 

Carmona said he was briefed on the legislation, which would set strict rules for marketing and manufacturing cigarettes. While he stopped short of endorsing the bill, he said it was "wonderful" that lawmakers were considering it. 

Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson has said he thinks tobacco ought to be regulated. 

When President Bush (news - web sites) asked recently if he thinks more regulation of the industry is needed, he reaffirmed his position that the emphasis ought to be on preventing teenagers from smoking. 

The administration recently signed a treaty that would put new restrictions on cigarette manufactures worldwide. Public health officials complain that the administration has not yet submitted the treaty to the Senate for ratification. 

___ 

On the Net: 

Surgeon General: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/sgoffice.htm

Report: 1 of Every 75 U.S. Men in Prison

1 hour, 18 minutes ago Add U.S. National - 

By CONNIE CASS, News Source Writer

WASHINGTON - America's inmate population grew by 2.9 percent last year, to almost 2.1 million people, with one of every 75 men living in prison or jail.

The inmate population continued its rise despite a fall in the crime rate and many states' efforts to reduce some sentences, especially for low-level drug offenders.

The report issued Thursday by the Justice Department (news - web sites)'s Bureau of Justice Statistics attributes much of the increase to get-tough policies enacted during the 1980s and '90s, such as mandatory drug sentences, "three-strikes-and-you're-out" laws for repeat offenders, and "truth-in-sentencing" laws that restrict early releases.

Whether that's good or bad depends on who is asked.

"The prison system just grows like a weed in the yard," said Vincent Schiraldi, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute, which pushes for a more lenient system.

Without reforms, he said, prison populations will continue to grow "almost as if they are on autopilot, regardless of their high costs and disappointing crime-control impact."

But Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) said the report shows the success of efforts to take hard-core criminals off the streets.

"It is no accident that violent crime is at a 30-year low while prison population is up," Ashcroft said. "Violent and recidivist criminals are getting tough sentences while law-abiding Americans are enjoying unprecedented safety."

There were 715 inmates for every 100,000 U.S. residents at midyear in 2003, up from 703 a year earlier, the report found.

The nation's incarceration rate tops the world, according to The Sentencing Project, another group that promotes alternatives to prison. That compares with a rate of 169 per 100,000 residents in Mexico, 116 in Canada and 143 for England and Wales.

Russia's prison population, which once rivaled the United States', has dropped to 584 per 100,000 because of prisoner amnesties in recent years, the group said.

The U.S. inmate population in 2003 grew at its fastest pace in four years. The number of inmates increased 1.8 percent in state prisons, 7.1 percent in federal prisons and 3.9 percent in local jails.

In 2003, 68 percent of prison and jail inmates were members of racial or ethnic minorities, the government said. An estimated 12 percent of all black men in their 20s were in jails or prisons, as were 3.7 percent of Hispanic men and 1.6 percent of white men in that age group, according to the report.

The report also said:

_The number of women in state and federal prisons grew by 5 percent, compared to a 2.7 percent increase for men. Still, men greatly outnumber women: 1.36 million to 100,102.

_Local jails held 691,301 inmates.

_The inmate population in 10 states increased at least 5 percent. Some of the smallest state prison systems saw the largest increase: Vermont's grew by 12.2 percent, Minnesota was up 9.4 percent and Maine 9.1 percent.

_Only nine states logged a decrease in prison population, led by Rhode Island with a 3.4 percent drop; Arkansas, 2.2 percent; and Montana, 2.1 percent.

___

On the Net:

Bureau of Justice Statistics: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs 

Student Teaches Robot to Fold Paper 

Mon May 24, 8:15 AM ET

PITTSBURGH - Most people can fold a piece of paper by the time they're in kindergarten, but it's not child's play for a robot, which must use complex mathematical formulas to accomplish the task. 

That's why officials at Carnegie Mellon University are excited about a graduate student who has developed a robot capable of doing origami - the traditional Japanese art of folding paper to make figures or sculptures. 

Matthew Mason, a professor of computer science and robotics, thought building such a robot would be so daunting that he didn't encourage Devin Balkcom's plans to do so in January 2003. But today, Balkcom has a robot that can make paper airplanes and hats and is scheduled to earn his doctorate with the project in August. 

"Origami is way out there - it's like a space shot," Mason said. 

Origami has important research applications because although robots have been taught to manipulate rigid objects such as golf clubs, they struggle when the objects are flexible, like paper or the human tissues that surgical robots must navigate. 

As a result, robot origami help measure a robot's ability to manipulate flexible objects, much as playing chess has become a way of measuring a computer's intelligence and speed, Mason and Balkcom said. 

"To make a swan would be 10 Ph.D.s worth of work," Balkcom said. 

So if a child can learn how to make a folded paper swan, why is it rocket science for a robot? 

Balkcom's robot may look fairly simple - a small robot arm attached to a table that's something like a sheet metal press - but every manipulation of the paper, and even the physical properties of paper itself, must be converted into the only language a robot understands: mathematics. 

For example, paper might appear to be two-dimensional, because it is so thin. But it has thickness that must be expressed mathematically so that the robot can account for what happens when the paper is folded. (Answer: it gets thicker.) 

As a result, the robot must be programmed to "understand" that paper can only be folded so much (about seven times is the limit), and that paper stretches ever so slightly when it is folded. 

And that doesn't even take into account fingers. Robots don't have them, so they don't have the nerves that allow a human to feel the paper. They also don't have the stereoscopic vision allows humans to watch themselves fold the paper. 

As a result, Balkcom's robot does origami in a manner different from that of a typical 8-year-old. It uses a suction cup to pick and move the paper, which is manipulated over a gutter, or rut, on the metal surface. The paper is then pushed down into the gutter using a straightedge ruler attached to the robotic arm, and the gutter closes on the paper to crease it. 

A visiting Japanese professor, Yasumichi Aiyama of Tsukuba University, is working in Mason's robotics lab using two small, fingerlike robots, to see if they might perform origami more like humans do. 

___ 

On the Net: 

http://www.cs.cum.edu/-devin

Entertainment - The News Source

Hollywood Mystery Man 'Rance' Has Internet Abuzz Thu May 27, 2:51 PM ET Add Entertainment 

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES  - He skewers Hollywood and the cult of celebrity on an anonymous Web log that has spawned a cult following. He claims to be an A-list actor, writing under a pseudonym, but admits he may not be believed.

Who, exactly, is "Rance?"

Could he really be, as some believe, Owen Wilson (news), Ben Affleck (news), Jim Carrey (news) or even George Clooney (news)?

The answer may perhaps be found somewhere in the entries on his Weblog -- or "blog" -- which applies a trenchant wit and jaundiced insider's eye in chronicling the life of a Hollywood celebrity. Then again, it could all be a hoax.

Though Rance granted an interview with The News Source, he responded to questions only via email, using pseudonymous dead-end accounts for both himself and the reporter and never offering a glimpse into his real identity.

Asked if he was, in fact, a well-known actor, he responded: "Or a well-known actress perhaps. Just not Donald Trump."

In the blog's first-ever post last December, Rance introduced himself this way: "Suffice it to say I know what its like to see your picture on the magazine rack every now and again when you pay for groceries."

Rance's blog has since spawned a furious guessing game on the Internet and beyond, becoming a regular topic at Hollywood parties.

Xeni Jardin, a writer on the "Boing-Boing" blog, recently told her readers that Rance was rumored to be "Starsky and Hutch" star Owen Wilson, a claim that the actor's publicist has denied.

BEN AFFLECK? GEORGE CLOONEY? JIM CARREY?

The anonymous editor of Hollywood gossip site Defamer suggests it could be Ben Affleck -- a conjecture built around the supposed link between a cryptic quiz on Rance's blog and an Affleck tattoo.

Others have surmised that Rance is Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Benicio Del Toro (news) or Luke Wilson (news), Owen's brother. And one of Rance's readers recently sent him a comment that read simply: "You are, in fact, Matthew Perry (news). Game on?"

Meanwhile, a Defamer reader tried to unmask Rance by researching the term "Captain Hoof," which appears in the Web address. She came to the conclusion that he was a San Francisco man who worked at an ad agency and once ran a Web site with a similar name -- possibly dedicated to an imaginary horse.

The man, who no longer works for the agency, could not be contacted for this story.

For his part, Rance offers the electronic equivalent of a shrug to the endless chatter about his identity, saying that it was never his intention to play hide-and-seek with the world.

"The guessing game distracts from any message I might have," he told The News Source. "Then again, I'm not yet sure I have a message and in any case the amusement makes it all worth it. More than once I've seen items that upon first glance suggested the game might be up and I felt my stomach plummet."

Rance said he set up the Web site on a whim with help from a computer-savvy friend, seeing it as a "really good way to bitch about my job" without suffering any career repercussions. He chose the name "Rance" as a pun on "rants."

The diverse themes of the Web log revolve around pitch meetings and parties, the machinations of Hollywood at work and play and its fascination with sex and celebrity.

Rance loves shrimp and logic puzzles. He's tolerant of paparazzi but tough on gossips. He's bored by Shakespeare and the summer blockbuster "Troy" but admires Joan Rivers.

And through it all he's amused by life in Los Angeles -- the way a birthday party in the suburbs can turn into an unexpected meeting with a dominatrix and a late-night nude dip in the Chateau Marmont pool can be interrupted by an SUV crash on Sunset Boulevard.

"It is tough in L.," Rance says of the city. "The good news is there are Fatburgers."

Though he has received two "serious" proposals from people in publishing to turn his blog into a book, Rance said he has not yet pursued that idea, content for now to communicate to the outside world through the Internet.

"With no disrespect intended, media in general seldom if ever permits a person, be he actor or President, to present himself the way he would like -- and certainly not to the degree a blog does," Rance said.

"Still, there's a megabyte or two's worth of irony in my situation," he said.

'Buffalo Spammer' Sentenced to 3-1/2 to 7 Years 2 hours, 39 minutes ago Add U.S. National 

WASHINGTON  - A New York state man who sent out millions of "spam" e-mails was sentenced to 3-1/2 to seven years in prison, the state attorney general's office said on Thursday.

Howard Carmack, known as the "Buffalo Spammer," received the maximum sentence for 14 counts of identity theft and forgery, a spokesman for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.

Carmack sent out 825 million bulk e-mail messages using stolen identities and forged addresses, the court found, and was the first defendant to face charges under the state's new identity-theft statute.

He was found guilty in April.

The forgery conviction fetched the longest sentence, while the other convictions drew shorter sentences of one year to four years. All will be served concurrently, Spitzer spokesman Brad Maione said.

Carmack could be out in 3-1/2 should he behave in prison, Maione said.

Internet provider EarthLink Inc (Nasdaq:ELNK - news). won a $16.5 million judgment against Carmack last year, and EarthLink officials testified in the criminal trial as well.

"We're satisfied that today's sentencing sends a strong message to spammers, and EarthLink will continue to investigate spammers and work with law enforcement," said EarthLink assistant general counsel Karen Cashion in a statement.

Unwanted bulk messages now account for roughly 83 percent of e-mail traffic, according to filtering company Postini Inc.

Many of Carmack's alleged activities are illegal under a national anti-spam law that took effect in January, seven months after he was charged. 

Fla. Man Sues Co. Promoting Atkins Diet

Thu May 27,10:55 AM ET 

By JILL BARTON, News Source Writer

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A 53-year-old man sued the company that promotes the Atkins Diet and the estate of its founder Dr. Robert Atkins, alleging that following the high-fat meal plan clogged his arteries and threatened his health.

Jody Gorran of Delray Beach said he believes the Atkins diet books and products should contain a warning label that one-third of the population is at risk for developing health problems when they eat meats and other foods endorsed by the diet that are high in saturated fat.

The advocacy group, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which is assisting Gorran, says the suit is the first to recently question the merits of the Atkins diet. The Washington-based group promotes a vegan diet - no meat, fish, dairy or egg products.

Gorran said Thursday he started the diet in May 2001 after his 50th birthday because his weight had increased to 148 from 140, but says it caused him to need heart angioplasty to clear his arteries.

"I came very close to dying and this is from a diet I thought was marvelous. For 2 1/2 years, I extolled the virtues of this diet to anyone who listened because I was losing weight and I felt great," said Gorran, who filed his suit Wednesday seeking $15,000 in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. "But when I started I had no idea I was making a deal with the devil for trying to keep a 32-inch waistline."

Atkins Nutritionals Inc., which responded to Gorran's suit in a statement, questioned the motivation of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In 1979, a New York jury rejected an elderly, overweight woman's lawsuit claiming that the Atkins Diet caused her heart disease.

"We should not let the real issue, providing people with a scientifically validated nutritional choice in the face of a worldwide obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic, be manipulated by this extremist animal rights vegan group," the statement said. "As always Atkins stands by the science that has repeatedly reaffirmed the safety and health benefits of the Atkins Nutritional Approach."

Doctors and nutritionists have for years debated the Atkins diet, which allows up to two-thirds of calories from fat, or more than double the usual recommendation. Dr. Atkins argued that carbohydrates generate too much insulin, which makes people hungrier and encourages them to put on fat.

Atkins' best-selling book, "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution," advocates meat, eggs and cheese and discourages bread, rice and fruit. His books sold 15 million copies and attracted millions of followers. 

Ex-Rite Aid CEO Gets 8-Year Prison Term

32 minutes ago Add Business - 

By MARK SCOLFORO, News Source Writer

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A federal judge sentenced former Rite Aid Corp. chief executive Martin L. Grass to eight years in prison Thursday for conspiring to falsely inflate the company's earnings and cover up the scheme.

Grass, 50, who headed the nation's third-largest pharmacy chain in the late 1990s before being forced out in October 1999 and is the son of the company's founder, also was fined $500,000 and given three years' probation.

Before U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo handed down the sentence, Grass apologized to Rite Aid, its stockholders and employees.

"For the harm caused to them, I am truly sorry," he said. Grass was indicted by a federal grand jury two years ago but on the eve of trial pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud Rite Aid and its shareholders and conspiracy to obstruct justice, in a deal that required him to cooperate with prosecutors.

At the time of his plea, prosecutors said Grass admitted to a series of illegal activities, from backdating contracts and severance letters to misleading the company and federal investigators about a $2.6 million real-estate deal. They said he also met with employees who were called to testify before the grand jury and encouraged them to lie.

During Martin Grass' time at the head of the Camp Hill-based company founded by his father, Alex Grass, its stock price soared as Rite Aid engaged in an aggressive expansion effort. But the grand jury said the booming years were accomplished by "massive accounting fraud, the deliberate falsification of financial statements, and intentionally false SEC filings."

Less than a year after Grass left the company, the new management team was constrained to retroactively lower reports of the company's net earnings in 1998 and 1999 by $1.6 billion. Rite Aid recently recorded its first profits since the Grass years.

"As it turns out, I tried to do too much, too fast," Grass told Rambo on Thursday.

When the company's finances took a turn for the worse in early 1999, he said, "I did some things to try and hide that fact."

"Those things were wrong. They were illegal," he said. "I did not do them to line my own pockets." 

Feds Indict Former Alabama Gov. Siegelman

42 minutes ago Add U.S. National - 

By JAY REEVES, News Source Writer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Former Gov. Don Siegelman and two others were indicted in a bid-rigging scheme involving a maternity-care program, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

The charges accused the Democrat and his former chief of staff, Paul Hamrick, of helping Tuscaloosa physician Phillip Bobo rig the bids while Siegelman was governor.

Siegelman and Hamrick were accused of moving $550,000 from the state education budget to the State Fire College in Tuscaloosa so Bobo could use the money to pay off a competitor for a state contract for maternity care.

Siegelman's attorney, Doug Jones, said he was still trying to learn details of the indictment and had no immediate comment.

Siegelman was narrowly defeated for re-election in 2002 by Republican Bob Riley, who ran on a campaign of ethics in government.

The indictment refers to numerous unindicted coconspirators, who were identified only by their positions, including members of Siegelman's transition team, lobbyists and the acting commissioner at the time of the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

Bobo, Siegelman and Hamrick are each charged with conspiracy, health care fraud and program fraud, which involves theft from a federally funded program. Bobo is also charged with witness tampering, wire fraud, lying to the FBI (news - web sites) and perjury.

The charges stemmed from the same investigation that earlier led to charges against Bobo of committing fraud while trying to secure a contract for providing maternity services to Medicaid recipients. Bobo was convicted of those charges in 2001, but the conviction was later thrown out by a federal appeals court.

Siegelman has claimed the investigation was partisan. U.S. Attorney Alice Martin denied that Thursday.

"We don't ever look to see if there is an R or a D behind anyone's name," said Martin, a Republican appointee.

The Medicaid contracts were part of a $100 million statewide program to provide maternity care for low-income women. 

Snow Red-Faced Over Investment Mistake 

Thu May 27, 4:32 AM ET 


By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, News Source Economics Writer 

WASHINGTON - Oops. A red-faced Treasury Secretary John Snow, who has been going around the country preaching the importance of financial literacy, can now point to himself as a glaring example of what not to do. 

It turns out his investment adviser made a $10.87 million mistake. Snow didn't catch it because he didn't bother to read his financial statements for more than a year. 

Snow had told the adviser to invest the money in U.S. Treasury securities. Instead, the adviser used the money to buy bonds held by the biggest players in the mortgage market: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. 

These government-sponsored enterprises just happen to be the targets of an intense administration campaign led by Snow to bring them under tighter government regulation. 

"The secretary views this as very regrettable," said Treasury spokesman Robert Nichols. "He is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and he is upset." 

Treasury ethics officials uncovered the error on May 10 after Snow asked them to review his annual financial disclosure statement, a document that all top government officials and members of Congress are required to file. 

Snow then ordered the bond holdings in the mortgage companies sold. He incurred a loss of $478,000, Nichols said, even though a Treasury Department (news - web sites) ethics officer ruled that the holdings did not represent a conflict of interest. 

Nichols described the mistake as the result of a misunderstanding between Snow and his investment adviser. 

Snow took the Treasury post last year after heading up railroad giant CSX Corp. and told his adviser to invest in Treasury bonds to avoid any conflict of interest. 

The adviser, however, thought he had the power to invest in the bonds of such companies as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks as well as U.S. Treasury bonds. And so, without Snow's knowledge, he purchased $10.87 million of the corporation's bonds for Snow's portfolio, Nichols said. 

Snow has been receiving periodic financial statements over the past year that showed he owned the mortgage company bonds, but Nichols said he never bothered to open them - conduct that Snow as head of the government's financial literacy campaign would certainly frown upon. 

Treasury ethics officer Kenneth Schmalzbach ruled that Snow's holdings did not constitute a conflict of interest, but he did recommend Snow sell the mortgage bonds to avoid even the appearance of one. 

To be sure, Snow asked the Treasury Department's independent general counsel in a letter to conduct his own review of the holdings to determine if there was any conflict of interest. 

Snow said in the letter released by Treasury that he was making the request to demonstrate "my commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct for myself and the department." 

Treasury also released Snow's 34-page financial disclosure form. It estimates he was worth between $43 million and $128 million last year. 

This may be something else Snow will want to take up with his financial adviser since these amounts were well below the ranges for the previous year. He had assets worth between $77 million and $295 million, according to his financial disclosure form for 2002. 

Assets only have to be reported in broad ranges. 

According to his latest financial disclosure form, Snow, who led CSX Corp. for 14 years, received CSX-related income of $72.2 million last year, with $33.2 million of that in a special retirement pension. 

Snow relied on an investment adviser to restructure his portfolio to avoid any conflict of interest with his holdings and his new job as treasury secretary, Nichols said. 

Snow succeeded Paul O'Neill, who was fired in December 2002 in a shake-up of the administration's economic team. He promised during his Senate confirmation hearings to sell his extensive stock holdings in CSX and 60 other companies to avoid conflicts of interest in his Cabinet post. 

Nichols said the mix-up had not changed the administration's position on Fannie Mae and the other big mortgage players. 

The administration supports legislation to create a new federal regulatory body to monitor the companies in an effort to increase oversight. But it opposes one portion of a measure that has cleared the Senate Banking Committee because it would allow Congress to overrule a decision by the new regulatory body to take over the companies if they got into serious financial trouble.

Ark. Family Marks Birth of 15th Child

1 hour, 51 minutes ago 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Michelle Duggar's family says that the mother is all smiles after delivering her 15th child.

Both the baby and mother were doing well, although Michelle was feeling some discomfort because the birth was her second by Caesarean section, said father and former state legislator Jim Bob Duggar's mother, Mary Duggar.

"She's a trooper. She's just all smiles," Mary Duggar said in a telephone interview Monday.

The baby boy, Jackson Levi Duggar, was born at 10:52 a.m. Sunday. He weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and is 20 inches long.

"She was wanting to do it naturally," Mary Duggar said. But the delivery was by C-section because one of Jackson's shoulders was presenting first.

"I call him Jumping Jack because he would go in a circle," she said.

Home briefly from the hospital later Monday, Jim Bob, 38, sounded a bit tired but happy. He said his wife and new son were doing fine. He said he leaves the decision up to Michelle on whether to have more children.

"I have always left it up to Michelle because she's actually the one that carries them and does all the labor," he said. "But we both love children. Even yesterday, she said she would like to have some more."

Michelle, 37, probably will be in Washington Regional Medical Center for three or four days, said her mother-in-law, who is taking care of the 14 other children.

Michelle, who home schools her children and is helping to build the family's new home in Tontitown from the ground up, started having her babies when she was 21, four years after she and Jim Bob married. He is a real estate businessman and a former state representative.

Their children include two sets of twins, and the parents have stuck to the letter "J" for their names. There is Joshua, 16; Jana and John-David, 14; Jill, 13; Jessa, 11; Jinger, 10; Joseph, 9; Josiah, 7; Joy-Anna, 6; Jeremiah and Jedidiah, 5; Jason, 4; James, 2; and Justin, 1. 

Iraqis Say U.S. Soldiers Steal During House Raids 1 hour, 47 minutes ago  

By Luke Baker

BAGHDAD  - Besides the prisoner-abuse scandal, there is another, more pervasive problem Iraqis say they suffer daily at the hands of U.S. troops -- theft of money and other property during aggressive American raids.

Over the past 14 months of occupation, U.S. forces have carried out literally thousands of raids on homes across the country, routinely seizing money, jewelry and other property from Iraqis suspected of "anti-coalition activities."

Items are generally confiscated on suspicion they could be used to finance attacks against U.S.-led forces, and the U.S. military says it has had some success in cutting off funding for insurgents via the policy.

But Iraqis say the raids often target the wrong people, are carried out in an aggressive, even destructive manner and complain that lifetime savings, precious jewelry and family heirlooms are regularly stolen in the process.

Adel Alami, a lawyer with Iraq (news - web sites)'s Human Rights Organization, says the majority of the cases his group deals with involve Iraqis seeking compensation for lost property and cash.

"It's a huge problem, almost everyone has something to say about gold, money and other valuables going missing and they don't believe they'll ever get them back," he told The News Source.

Last year, Wajiha Daoud, an 80-year-old widow, had her house in a middle-class neighborhood of old Baghdad raided by U.S. troops who said they had "high-level intelligence" that the home was a safe house for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) loyalists.

During the raid, which lasted around 30 minutes, the woman and her family, who live across the street, were kept outside.

"When we went back in, the house was half-destroyed," said her son Musadaq Younis, an English-speaking computer technician.

"All the furniture was slashed with knives, tables and chairs were broken and the windows smashed. They didn't need to break down the front door -- I told them I had the key."

SAVINGS GONE

But that was not the worst. When Younis' sister arrived she immediately rushed upstairs to a small cabinet and found it empty -- $5,000 in cash, gold and other jewelry, including her wedding ring, were missing. "She went white," said Younis.

The family filed a claim against the U.S. military -- a complex process that took nearly three months to get a reply. In response, the military said the raid was justified and no compensation was owed. The officer who commanded the raid told Younis: "My soldiers aren't thieves."

Being comfortably well-off and employed, the impact of the loss on the family was not too great, but for hundreds, if not thousands of other Iraqi families, raids on their homes can prove devastating, socially and financially.

"Confiscation and theft during raids is rampant," said Stewart Vriesinga, a coordinator for Christian Peacemaker Teams, a non-profit group that documents abuses in Iraq.

"Soldiers don't seem to understand the Iraqi custom of not using banks -- a lot of people keep fairly substantial sums of money at home. A soldier from Kentucky or wherever sees that and thinks the person must be up to no good, so he takes it.

"We sure don't know how much money has been taken from (Iraqis)...but it's enough to have serious socio-economic consequences," he told The News Source.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said he was aware of Iraqi complaints of theft during raids and said some U.S. soldiers had been disciplined for "inappropriate conduct." But he said the problem was "very rare, extremely rare."

"We're aware of it... But there's also the possibility of Iraqis making malicious claims," said Captain Mark Doggett.

Doggett said when are items are confiscated, a receipt is always given. If the owner is eventually found to be innocent, items can be recovered, he said. But many people who have had property confiscated say no receipts were written.

Vriesinga estimates that in nine out of 10 raids, the home owners raided are innocent, but suffer huge consequences.

"If the husband is hauled off as a suspect, the family has lost its breadwinner and often lost its savings and cash as well," he said, citing a recent Red Cross report which referred to up to 90 percent of Iraqi detainees being innocent.

If Iraqis file complaints, it comes down to a case of the Iraqi suspect's word against the American soldier's, he said.

"If there's any doubt, then it's assumed the Iraqi is lying -- the Americans are creating enemies by the score." 

Iraqis Say U.S. Soldiers Steal During House Raids 1 hour, 47 minutes ago  

By Luke Baker

BAGHDAD  - Besides the prisoner-abuse scandal, there is another, more pervasive problem Iraqis say they suffer daily at the hands of U.S. troops -- theft of money and other property during aggressive American raids.

Over the past 14 months of occupation, U.S. forces have carried out literally thousands of raids on homes across the country, routinely seizing money, jewelry and other property from Iraqis suspected of "anti-coalition activities."

Items are generally confiscated on suspicion they could be used to finance attacks against U.S.-led forces, and the U.S. military says it has had some success in cutting off funding for insurgents via the policy.

But Iraqis say the raids often target the wrong people, are carried out in an aggressive, even destructive manner and complain that lifetime savings, precious jewelry and family heirlooms are regularly stolen in the process.

Adel Alami, a lawyer with Iraq (news - web sites)'s Human Rights Organization, says the majority of the cases his group deals with involve Iraqis seeking compensation for lost property and cash.

"It's a huge problem, almost everyone has something to say about gold, money and other valuables going missing and they don't believe they'll ever get them back," he told The News Source.

Last year, Wajiha Daoud, an 80-year-old widow, had her house in a middle-class neighborhood of old Baghdad raided by U.S. troops who said they had "high-level intelligence" that the home was a safe house for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) loyalists.

During the raid, which lasted around 30 minutes, the woman and her family, who live across the street, were kept outside.

"When we went back in, the house was half-destroyed," said her son Musadaq Younis, an English-speaking computer technician.

"All the furniture was slashed with knives, tables and chairs were broken and the windows smashed. They didn't need to break down the front door -- I told them I had the key."

SAVINGS GONE

But that was not the worst. When Younis' sister arrived she immediately rushed upstairs to a small cabinet and found it empty -- $5,000 in cash, gold and other jewelry, including her wedding ring, were missing. "She went white," said Younis.

The family filed a claim against the U.S. military -- a complex process that took nearly three months to get a reply. In response, the military said the raid was justified and no compensation was owed. The officer who commanded the raid told Younis: "My soldiers aren't thieves."

Being comfortably well-off and employed, the impact of the loss on the family was not too great, but for hundreds, if not thousands of other Iraqi families, raids on their homes can prove devastating, socially and financially.

"Confiscation and theft during raids is rampant," said Stewart Vriesinga, a coordinator for Christian Peacemaker Teams, a non-profit group that documents abuses in Iraq.

"Soldiers don't seem to understand the Iraqi custom of not using banks -- a lot of people keep fairly substantial sums of money at home. A soldier from Kentucky or wherever sees that and thinks the person must be up to no good, so he takes it.

"We sure don't know how much money has been taken from (Iraqis)...but it's enough to have serious socio-economic consequences," he told The News Source.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said he was aware of Iraqi complaints of theft during raids and said some U.S. soldiers had been disciplined for "inappropriate conduct." But he said the problem was "very rare, extremely rare."

"We're aware of it... But there's also the possibility of Iraqis making malicious claims," said Captain Mark Doggett.

Doggett said when are items are confiscated, a receipt is always given. If the owner is eventually found to be innocent, items can be recovered, he said. But many people who have had property confiscated say no receipts were written.

Vriesinga estimates that in nine out of 10 raids, the home owners raided are innocent, but suffer huge consequences.

"If the husband is hauled off as a suspect, the family has lost its breadwinner and often lost its savings and cash as well," he said, citing a recent Red Cross report which referred to up to 90 percent of Iraqi detainees being innocent.

If Iraqis file complaints, it comes down to a case of the Iraqi suspect's word against the American soldier's, he said.

"If there's any doubt, then it's assumed the Iraqi is lying -- the Americans are creating enemies by the score." 

Smoking: Cutting Back Doesn't Help 24-May-2004 Most smokers find it much easier to cut down their number of cigarettes a day than they do to quit smoking entirely. Now scientists know why: they're actually still getting the same amount of nicotine and cancer-causing agents because they've unconsciously changed their smoking style so that the inhale more deeply.

Cancer researcher Karen Ahijevych says, "The human body really is a miracle. It knows when it is not getting what it's used to, and it automatically does something about it."

When she studied a group of women smokers, she found that when they were allowed fewer cigarettes, "they took larger drags and smoked more of the cigarette before putting it out. In addition, when smoking fewer cigarettes, the women produced more CO in their exhaled air per cigarette, compared to when they smoked their regular number of cigarettes or increased use."

"We were surprised at how much the very efficient smokers could increase their levels of CO and nicotine even further," says Ahijevych. "And the interesting thing is that most of these women were totally unaware that they were changing the way they were smoking to make up for fewer cigarettes."

"...Millions of people want to quit, and they often see cutting back as the first step in a long-term strategy. Unfortunately, our research suggests that this may be giving them a false sense of security."

Climate Change Makes World a Duller Place 23-May-2004 Climate change will affect the world's poor more drastically than rich nations, but the rich will suffer too. For all of us, the world will become a much duller place.

Many of the impacts of global warming are not life- threatening for humans, but will reduce the quality of life. Dan Whipple writes, "A lot of these components-free-ranging wildlife, water to irrigate the golf course, coral reefs to explore while snorkeling-might indeed be things we could get along without, but they also represent things that make life varied and interesting."

Plant ecologist Nina Leopold Bradley has traced the seasonal behavior of 300 species of plants and animals in Wisconsin over 70 years, and notes that about half of them are being affected by global warming. Plants are blossoming earlier and birds are migrating sooner. Eventually they may become extinct.

Biologist Camille Parmesan has studied checkerspot butterflies in California, and found that they've become extinct in areas where they previously lived. The healthy populations of butterflies are now found farther north. She also found that 63% of the butterflies in Europe have shifted their ranges to the north by 20 to 140 miles.

Baby Boy Born from Sperm Frozen Record 21 Years

Mon May 24, 7:01 PM ET 
Add Health 

By Patricia Reaney 

LONDON  - A baby boy was born after being conceived with sperm frozen 21 years earlier in what scientists said Tuesday was a new record. 

The case will give hope to young men about to undergo treatment for cancer which may leave them infertile. 

The boy's father had his sperm frozen when he was 17 before starting successful treatment for testicular cancer in the early 1980s. 

"I'm 99 percent sure that it is the oldest frozen sperm sample used (for a live birth)," said Greg Horne, a senior embryologist at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, England, which treated the baby's parents. 

The man's sperm was stored in liquid nitrogen nearly two decades ago and was not thawed until he married and decided to start a family. 

Scientists injected a single sperm into the mother's eggs in a technique called intractoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to create embryos. The boy was born two years ago following four attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

"Even after 21 years of storage, the percentage of motile sperm after thawing was high," said Horne, who reported the case in the journal Human Reproduction. 

The man and his wife, who chose to remain anonymous, wanted their case publicized to encourage young cancer patients to have hope for the future. 

Young men diagnosed with cancer may become infertile following treatment but they can store sperm beforehand. In Britain sperm can be stored until the man reaches 55. 

"This case provides evidence that long-term freezing can successfully preserve sperm quality and fertility. This is important to know because semen stored by young cancer patients is undertaken at a time of great emotional stress when future fertility is unlikely to be an immediate priority," Horne added. 

Testicular cancer affects 50,000 men each year and the incidence is increasing. It is most common in 15 to 44-year-olds. If treated early the survival rate is very good. 

Horne said advancements in fertility treatments, particularly ICSI, have improved the chances of former cancer patients becoming fathers. 

Although there have been suggestions that freezing and thawing can damage DNA in sperm, he said there was no evidence that damage was increased by the length of time the sperm was stored.

Music buyers gravitate toward legal downloads: survey Wed May 19,12:48 PM ET Add U.S. National - NEWS SOURCE 

NEW YORK (NEWS SOURCE) - US music consumers are sharply increasing their interest in legal downloads and diminishing their use of free song-swapping over the Internet, a survey showed.

The survey by the NPD Group found about five percent of those who have purchased music CDs also used a legal Internet service to purchase music in the first quarter of 2004, or triple the percentage in the same period a year ago.

Among music buyers who purchased both CDs and a song download from a legal service, the likelihood that they also downloaded a song illegally fell dramatically, from 64 percent last year to 42 percent in 2004, the survey found.

The surge in use of legitimate online music services comes as a growing number of companies have set up sites with song downloads for roughly one dollar. At the same time, the music industry has been cracking down on file-swapping with lawsuits alleging copyright infringement.

"Paid services like (Apple's) iTunes and (RealNetworks') Rhapsody appear to be attracting core music buyers, which can create a firm foundation for legal digital music purchases," said Russ Crupnick, president of NPD Music.

"To date, NPD data shows that there has been a small reduction in sales of CDs; however, that decline might be offset by the overall value of the digital customer and the downturn in illegal file sharing."

Consumers who downloaded from a legal service or became paid members of subscription services showed only a small reduction in the number of CDs that they purchased at retail. The average consumer who paid for digital music as well as CDs purchased less than one fewer CD in 2003 compared to 2002, the survey found.

"Our research shows that it's the people who are really into music that are beginning to adopt paid digital services as an additional way of acquiring and enjoying music, and so far these services are living side by side with traditional CDs," Crupnick said.

"As the industry matures and digital music becomes even more main stream, it remains to be seen just how much paid digital music will affect the market for CDs."

Nerve Fibers Regrown in Spines of Rats

Mon May 24, 5:58 PM ET 

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, News Source Writer

WASHINGTON - A combination of therapies helped damaged spines regrow nerve fibers, researchers report in a study of rats.

Three separate therapies, each of which had shown promise in earlier tests, were combined in the new effort by a team at the University of Miami, according to Sunday's online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

The combination therapy was designed by Damien D. Pearse and Mary Bartlett Bunge, who were looking for a way to help damaged nerve cells overcome signals that limit their growth after an injury.

They combined cell grafts with the administration of a messenger molecule and the drug Rolipram in animals with spinal injuries. The therapy, they found, helped protect nerve fibers from dying and promoted new growth of fibers into, as well as beyond, the area of injury.

"This work opens up new possibilities for treatments for spinal cord-injured humans," Bunge said in a statement.

Naomi Kleitman, director of spinal cord injury research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said that in the future "it should be feasible to consider developing a clinical trial in this area" for injured people.

Each part of the therapy was hailed in its own day as promising, but none provided much nerve growth, Kleitman said.

The new work combining them is significant, added Kleitman, who formerly worked at Miami but was not part of the research.

The therapy included administration of the drug Rolipram near the time of injury and, up to one week later, transplantation of nerve cells called Schwann cells and administration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, or cAMP. The Rolipram helped protect the damaged nerve cells from further injury. The Schwann cells and cAMP spurred regrowth.

The research was supported by the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Buoniconti Fund.

___

On the Net:

Nature Medicine: http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine

Mossad Goes On-Line to Recruit Spies...and Waiters

May 24, 10:29 am ET 

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM  - The Israeli spy agency Mossad emerged from the shadows on Monday when it launched a Web site to attract recruits for "special tasks" -- as well as intelligence analysts, waiters and drivers.

Long a secretive elite, Mossad is raising its profile to compete with the private sector in the search for talent.

"Mossad's mainstay is its people," reads the site's (www.mossad.gov.il) foreword by agency chief Meir Dagan, posted next to backlit photographs of unnamed intelligence analysts at their desks.

The launch of the site is the spy agency's second break with the era of the old-boy network whereby veteran agents would tap their friends when job openings appeared.

Dagan's predecessor Efraim Halevy began the trend in 2000 by placing advertisements for case officers in the Israeli press -- a big change for an agency whose motto is the biblical proverb "Without subterfuge, the nation falls."

Halevy argued market forces took precedence over mystique.

"The days when a security career was seen as the be-all and end-all of Israeli citizenship are over," he told The News Source. "Now we are an open society, and Mossad has had to appeal to the widest range of talented applicants who might otherwise head for hi-tech or other private sectors."

For decades, Mossad had a reputation for deadly derring-do.

In 1960, its agents captured Nazi fugitive Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. After 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Mossad hunted for the masterminds, killing some of them.

But Mossad has also been embarrassed by a series of bungles. In 1997 its agents botched an attempt on the life of a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Jordan. In 1998 a Mossad team was arrested in Switzerland while spying on a local man believed linked to Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas.

Mossad's U.S. counterpart, the Central Intelligence Agency, has had a Web site since 1995. But Yossi Melman, senior security correspondent for Haaretz newspaper, said it was too early to trumpet a new American-style transparency in Mossad.

"This is basically a belated employment move which Mossad is making the most of," Melman said, noting that the Web site advertises for English-speaking waiters and bus drivers as well as analysts, translators and agents for "special tasks."

Hitler Heir Doesn't Want 'Mein Kampf' Royalties

May 24, 9:50 am ET 

BERLIN  - A German historian said Sunday a distant relative of Adolf Hitler could sue the state of Bavaria for royalties from the Nazi dictator's book "Mein Kampf" but the retired Austrian engineer said he wants no part of it.

Werner Maser told Bild am Sonntag that Peter Raubal, whose father Leo Raubal was a nephew of Hitler, would have a strong chance of winning the copyright from Bavaria, which was given the German rights to the book by the postwar occupying powers.

"Peter Raubal is the only heir of Hitler that I know of," Maser said. "As the closest relative alive, he could claim royalties from Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf'. Raubal would have to sue Bavaria. I am quite certain he would win."

Hitler died with no immediate heirs but Leo Raubal was one of his half-sister Angela Raubal's children. Maser said Leo Raubal long considered such a lawsuit before his death in 1979. Bild am Sonntag said royalties could be worth millions of euros.

"Yes I know the whole story about Hitler's inheritance," Peter Raubal told Bild am Sonntag in what the paper said were his first public comments on the issue. "But I don't want to have anything to do with it. I will not do anything about it. I only want to be left alone."

In Germany, it is illegal to distribute "Mein Kampf" except in limited circumstances. Nazi symbols like the swastika and the stiff-armed Hitler salute are also banned. "Mein Kampf" is available online and in most countries, including Israel.

Hitler dictated the tome to his secretary Rudolf Hess while in prison in Bavaria following the failed Munich "Beer Hall" putsch of 1923. It outlines a doctrine of German racial supremacy and ambitions to annex vast areas of the Soviet Union.

Published in 1925, it became a school textbook after Hitler won power in 1933. All German newlyweds also received a copy.

Now, purchasers who can prove an academic purpose may secure an existing copy but otherwise sales are banned and Bavaria refused to authorize new copies. The Allied Control Commission assigned Bavaria the rights to Hitler's assets in 1946.

Homer's 'Iliad' Now in 'Messenger Speak'

May 24, 9:37 am ET 

LONDON  - Homer's ancient Greek poem "The Iliad," the basis for Hollywood blockbuster "Troy," has been compressed for a new generation too lazy to see the film let alone read the 24-book epic that runs to over 15,000 lines.

The first five books of the centuries-old tale, set in the final year of the Trojan War -- which began when Trojan Paris snatched Helen (the face that launched a thousand ships) from Greece -- are now available in the language people use when sending instant messages, Microsoft said on Monday.

Book Two is reduced to just 24 words of 'messenger speak', losing some of the lyricism of the original. "Agamemnon hd a dream: Troy not defended. Ordered attack! But Trojans knew they were coming n were prepared. Achilles sat sulking in his tent."

The translation, designed to publicize Microsoft's messenger product, is not written in Homer's dactylic hexameters but it does use 'emoticons' little faces or images -- to emphasize intense moments.

First Janet Jackson, Now Nipple Video Banned

May 21, 11:42 am ET 

DUBLIN  - Four months after Janet Jackson outraged the United States by bearing her breast on TV, Ireland has banned a video to encourage voting in next month's European elections because it shows a bare nipple.

In Britain, where bare breasts are shown daily in tabloid newspapers, the film will be shown in censored form. The breast-feeding sequence survives but shots of the offending nipple have been edited out.

The 45-second film was produced by the European Parliament's audio-visual department and shows a suckling baby trying to decide which of its mother's breasts to feed from.

The idea is to show people making choices -- like voters at the ballot box.

While the sight of a baby suckling at its mother's breast is considered acceptable for hundreds of millions of other Europeans, Irish officials believe it would cause offence in Roman Catholic Ireland.

"I decided that due to sensitivities here, this is not the right image to promote anything in Ireland, unless it is of a medical or scientific nature," the head of the European Parliament's Irish office, Jim O'Brien, said.

Ireland, where over 90 percent of the population is Catholic, is traditionally conservative on issues of sexuality. Abortion is illegal and homosexuality was decriminalized only in 1993.

Jackson caused a furor in February when in a Super Bowl halftime performance her duet partner Justin Timberlake ripped open her costume to expose her right breast during a live coast-to-coast telecast by American network CBS.

In Britain, film advert regulators found the suckling shot racy, likening the image to "the sort of breast shot you would associate with a men's magazine."

A member of the four-man, four-woman Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) panel, which took the decision, said they found that they ended up looking at the breast and not the baby.

"It was literally the breast full screen size with an erect nipple side on and the infant gazing across at them," said Greg Lyons, a copy consultant at the CAA.

"The panel found themselves looking at something that was very difficult for them," he said. "The infant was contemplating the breasts in rather an adult way."

Rosie Dodds, policy research officer for Britain's National Childbirth Trust, said the advert could have been innovative and striking.

"I do think it is a pity that we make the link between the sexuality of breasts and their nutritive function," she said.

'Good Thief' Leaves Apology for Burgled Charity

May 21, 11:25 am ET 

AMSTERDAM  - A Dutch thief left an apologetic letter and promised a donation after he realized he was burgling a charity that helps the poor and elderly.

The thief's remorseful handwritten letter praised charity group Humanitas for its work and agonized over the effect the burglary would have on his conscience.

"I have only eaten some biscuits from the tin and some Easter eggs. When I'm less hard up I will make a small contribution to your account," said the account of the letter published on the Humanitas Web site (www.humanitas.nl).

Humanitas said it has no plans to file a police report on the break-in at its office in Arnhem, near the German border.

"Of course it's a nuisance there was a burglary, but it leaves a good feeling that there are still good thieves," the Web site said.

What Is She Thinking About During Sex?

May 21, 11:08 am ET 

BERLIN  - Women watching erotic films are stimulated in a part of the brain associated with planning and emotion, research from scientists in Germany said Friday.

When scientists from Essen University put volunteers in a brain scanning tube and showed them pornography they found both men and women showed activity in the temporal lobes linked to memory and perception, but only women used their frontal lobes.

Unfortunately the researchers were not able to determine if their findings meant that while men lost themselves in the moment the busy modern professional woman was also planning her wardrobe, scheduling the vacation and juggling her tax receipts.

"We don't know why these differences between men and women exist. They just do," said institute director Michael Forsting.

War College Predictions Proving Accurate

Mon May 24, 6:27 PM ET Add U.S. National - 

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, News Source Writer

WASHINGTON - In the months before the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites), some senior faculty members at the Army War College predicted several of the problems the Bush administration is facing more than a year into the occupation.

A paper, "Reconstructing Iraq: Insights, Challenges, and Missions for Military Forces in a Post-Conflict Scenario," was published in February 2003, written by Conrad C. Crane and Andrew Terrill for the college's Strategic Studies Institute.

Parts of it seem prescient, suggesting that any U.S. occupation would face increasing resistance as time passed. The authors suggested the occupation would have roughly a year of goodwill before resentment mounted. The U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003.

"After the first year, the possibility of a serious uprising may increase should severe disillusionment set in and Iraqis begin to draw parallels between U.S. actions and historical examples of Western imperialism," the authors wrote.

The paper also predicted U.S. forces would face suicide bombings and resistance tactics aimed at eroding public support for the occupation.

"Any expansion of terrorism or guerrilla activity against U.S. troops in Iraq will undoubtedly require a forceful American response. Such U.S actions could involve a dramatic escalation in the numbers of arrests, interrogations, and detentions of local Iraqis. While such actions do improve security and force protection, they seldom win friends among the local citizenry. Individuals alienated from the U.S. occupation could well have their hostility deepened and increased by these acts," the paper warned.

The dangers in Iraq are magnified by the fact that most Americans have little understanding of the society there, the report said.

One piece of advice from the authors was not followed, when occupation forces disbanded the Iraqi regular army.

"To tear apart the army in the war's aftermath could lead to the destruction of one of the only forces for unity within the society," the report said. "Breaking up large elements of the army also raises the possibility that demobilized soldiers could affiliate with ethnic or tribal militias."

With the exception of disbanding the Army, the U.S. government generally seems to be following the reconstruction strategy described in the paper, rebuilding infrastructure and setting up police forces.

"The possibility of the United States winning the war and losing the peace in Iraq is real and serious," it warned. "Rehabilitating Iraq will consequently be an important challenge that threatens to consume huge amounts of resources without guaranteed results."

___

On the Net:

http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/pubs/2003/reconirq/reconirq.htm 

France Rejects God Reference in EU Draft

1 hour, 22 minutes ago Add World - 

By CONSTANT BRAND, News Source Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium - France said Monday it could not accept references to God and Christianity in a European Union (news - web sites) constitution.

France and Belgium have been most opposed to religious references in the charter, while Italy and Poland, backed by Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II, want the charter to acknowledge Christianity's role.

"I think the text as is, is a balanced one," said French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said. "The text already includes a mention to heritage."

The 25 EU foreign ministers set down for a new session of negotiations, one week after talks failed to narrow deep differences over a constitutional draft, which should be finalized by the June 17-18 summit of government leaders.

The constitution seeks to simplify decision-making in the EU and prevent a minority of states from blocking decisions.

The place of religion in the charter's preamble has been hotly debated since negotiations on the constitution began in early 2002.

Foreign ministers from Poland, Italy, Portugal, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and the Czech Republic proposed a "further attention to a reference to the Christian roots of Europe," at an EU meeting to overcome difference on the constitution.

"The amendment we ask for is aimed to recognize a historical truth," the seven ministers said in a statement. "We do not want to disregard neither the secular nature (of the EU) ... nor the respect of any other religious or philosophical belief."

France wants to stick to the current text which says the EU draws "inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also backed the current text, warning that any mention of Christianity would mean "we have to bear in mind other religions as well."

___

On the Net:

Future of the Europe Union: http://europa.eu.int/futurum/index_en.htm 

Briton is first to fly microlight around Everest 49 minutes ago

LONDON (NEWS SOURCE) - A British adventurer laid claim to being the first to fly around Mount Everest (news - web sites), at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) the world's highest peak, in a microlight aircraft.

Richard Meredith-Hardy, 46, took off from a base camp 25 kilometres (15 miles) away, then braved potentially dangerous downdrafts to reach the summit where he waved to "a shedload of climbers" and snapped photos.

"This place is seriously big," he said, according to a statement from his ground crew sent to NEWS SOURCE in London, "and we were lucky to get a break in the weather just days before we have to go home."

Meredith-Hardy, a two-time World Microlight Champion, made his flight in a British-built Pegasus XL-S powered by a Rotax turbo engine that was specially rigged to keep his flying suit warm.

His account of his feat, and photos, have been posted on www.flymicro.com. 

We must speak the truth about terror. Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th; malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists, themselves, away from the guilty. To inflame ethnic hatred is to advance the cause of terror. 
November 10, 2001 
- President Bush Speaks to United Nations 

Tape Details Nixon Drinking Incident 

Wed May 26, 9:01 PM ET 
Add U.S. National - 

By CALVIN WOODWARD, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - As his presidency unraveled, Richard Nixon was too "loaded" to take an urgent call during the Arab-Israeli war and joked darkly about bombing Congress during impeachment hearings, according to transcripts of foreign policy chief Henry Kissinger's phone calls. 

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¥ Transcript of Kissinger Call (The Smoking Gun)

With Watergate bearing down and resignation just months away, Nixon also pushed ideas that Kissinger feared could start a war, according to phone calls among more than 20,000 pages of transcripts released Wednesday by the National Archives. 

Kissinger, who was Nixon's national security adviser and then secretary of state, guarded the privacy of the records for three decades before agreeing to let them go to the Archives for public consumption. They had been held sealed at the Library of Congress (news - web sites). 

Kissinger, now a foreign policy consultant, had secretaries tape the calls and make transcripts or listen and take shorthand. The calls spanned the monumental events of the time - the Vietnam War, the secret opening to China, crackling superpower tensions, Middle East conflict and Nixon's downfall. 

On the night of Oct. 11, 1973, just days into the Arab-Israeli War and with the United States and Soviet Union on a seeming collision course, British Prime Minister Edward Heath tried to reach Nixon by phone to discuss the crisis. 

"Can we tell them 'No?'" Kissinger asked his assistant, Brent Scowcroft, who had told him of the request from 10 Downing Street. "When I talked to the president, he was loaded." 

"We could tell him the president is not available and perhaps he can call you," Scowcroft replied. 

Kissinger said Nixon would be available in the morning. 

In March 1974, a month after the House voted to press ahead with impeachment proceedings and five months before Nixon resigned, Kissinger fretted about the president's state of mind in a phone call with White House aide Alexander Haig. 

"I am calling you about something the president said this morning which rather disturbed me," Kissinger said. "He was in a rather sour mood." 

"Yes, that is conceivable," Haig said. 

Kissinger went on to complain that Nixon was being too tough on Israeli allies and "has been just waiting for an opportunity to lay into them. ... Now I tell you if he goes publicly after the Israelis, he might as well start a war." 

Haig said Nixon was, "just unwinding," and mentioned that the president had told him to fetch the "football" - the briefcase with the codes to unleash nuclear weapons. 

"For what?" Kissinger asked. 

"He is going to drop it on the Hill," Haig said. "What I am saying is, don't take him too seriously." 

At the time, Kissinger was doubling as national security adviser and secretary of state, his dual titles testifying to his influence with Nixon. 

But Nixon did not tell him everything. On Oct. 12, 1973, the day after Nixon's supposed night with the bottle, Kissinger knew Nixon was announcing a new vice president to replace Spiro Agnew, who had resigned. But Kissinger did not know whom Nixon had chosen. 

On the phone with Haig, Kissinger said he could go along with Nelson Rockefeller - "that gives me no pain" - or anyone except former Texas Gov. John Connally - "a no-no." Nixon picked Gerald Ford. 

A window into detente, the transcripts also show the rapport Kissinger and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin developed even in times of extreme tension and bitter public words. 

The two men established a channel as early as 1969, often meeting without secretaries or interpreters. 

Indeed, Kissinger was having lunch with Dobrynin when Democratic Sen. Hubert Humphrey called to complain about the Soviet's rearming Arabs faster than Washington was sending planes to Israel. 

"How do we know the Russians aren't fooling us?" Humphrey demanded. 

"If the Russians are fooling us, we know what we will have to do," Kissinger replied. 

The records show his Soviet guest was in the dining room with him during this talk. 

Although Kissinger's days were piled high with foreign crises, he found time for show biz stars, chatting with Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Warren Beatty and other Hollywood figures. John Wayne called to tell him he had an eye problem - one iris was opening faster than the other. 

"It's not just politics, but also in many respects about American culture," said Karl Weissenbach, who oversaw the opening of the records as director of the Nixon presidential materials staff at the Archives. 

In 1973, Kissinger was helping Beatty pitch an idea to the Soviets and told him to send it in a letter to the Soviet Embassy, "and if you send me a copy, I can sort of keep an eye on it." 

Records from the final months indicate the degree to which Nixon was distracted and his staff was glum. 

"The president has approved this thing," Kissinger said of some unspecified proposal on Aug. 3, 1974, five days before Nixon's resignation. "Although I am not quite sure he knew what he was approving." 

A few days later, another caller asked Kissinger if the president was "rational." 

"It's pretty rough," Kissinger replied. He went on to say: "Some awful mistakes were made by the president but he doesn't deserve this."

Physicist: Cosmos Is Shaped Like the Eiffel Tower

Wed May 26, 1:47 PM ET 
Add Science 

BERLIN  - The universe looks like the Eiffel Tower topped with a never-ending spire, a German physicist said Wednesday. 

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Researchers in Ulm, birthplace of Albert Einstein, have developed a model of the universe as an elongated triangle like the Paris landmark, but with a spire going on and on. 

The team at Ulm University hopes their model will revolutionize understanding of the universe. Visualisations are difficult because scientists have mathematical proof the universe has an infinite form but a finite volume. 

"Previously, scientists have dodged fundamental problems to create models of the universe but all existing knowledge of quantum physics supports our model," Frank Steiner, professor of theoretical physics, said when asked about an Internet report on the team's work. 

"This research has not been published yet but the unofficial response in the scientific world so far has been positive," he told The News Source. 

Earlier models, such as one in which the cosmos looks like a huge football, have been widely disputed by physicists.

Use Roses to Ward Off Burglars, British Police Say

May 27, 8:04 am ET 

By Jeremy Lovell

LONDON  - Homeowners who strategically use roses, cockle shells and high fences in their gardens will provide a first line of defense against burglars, British police at London's annual Chelsea Flower Show said.

To illustrate the point, the Metropolitan Police have constructed a show garden at this year's London flower fest, the place to be seen at the start of the British summer calendar.

"Traditionally people have believed that their defense perimeter began at the house. We are pointing out that it in fact starts at the garden fence," detective inspector Paul Anstee told The News Source at the premier social event.

Garden fences should be at least 1.6 meters high and topped by something prickly, sheds should be double-locked, outside lights on all night, pathways made of something that makes a noise and garden ornaments alarmed, Anstee said.

There is even a climbing rose specially named "New Scotland Yard" after the Metropolitan Police Service's London headquarters, and the garden path is made of cockle shells which make a crunching noise when stepped on.

"Instead of barbed wire on top of the fence we suggest you could plant climbing roses or holly -- something aesthetic used in a creative way to supplement your barrier," Anstee said. "It makes it secure and is attractive as well."

Theft of garden tools and ornaments is a common nuisance during the northern hemisphere summer and also a danger, since such stolen tools often provide would-be thieves with a means of access to the house.

"We show how you can secure garden ornaments or wire them up so they set off an alarm if they are moved," Anstee said.

Moonlighting Cops Star in Porn Movie?

May 27, 7:56 am ET 

SAN FRANCISCO  - Two San Francisco police officers have come under investigation after their departments discovered they had starred in a pornographic movie entitled "Bus Stop Whores" that is circulating on the Internet.

The officers, Kelly Francisco of the San Francisco Sheriff's Department and Darryl Watts of the city's police department, play a prostitute and a john in the film, whose teaser is, "These girls won't ride a bus today!" according to local news reports.

The two are being investigated for any violations of criminal law or administrative rules, but have not faced disciplinary action, department representatives said on Wednesday.

Watts has been taken off patrol duty and reassigned to an administrative position pending the outcome of the investigation, said Maria Oropeza, an SFPD spokeswoman. Francisco continues to work as an institutional officer at San Francisco General Hospital, said Sheriff's Department chief of staff Eileen Hirst.

Attempts to reach the two officers for comment were unsuccessful.

Used Underwear...Get Your Used Underwear...

May 27, 7:49 am ET 

By Christine Kearney

NEW YORK  - In the latest act of sanitizing New York's mean streets, lawmakers want to rid the city of a scourge most people are not even aware of -- previously worn lingerie being sold as new merchandise.

Council members are mulling the proposed legislation after watching a local television news broadcast which claimed leading department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's, had tried to resell returned undergarments.

Under current law, stores do not have to state whether undergarments on sale, including women's panties and thongs, have been bought and returned, although certain stores have developed their own policies.

"This is a major consumer and health issue in that the amount of bacteria that can be transported from one person to another in just one wearing can be a health hazard," said council member Tony Avella.

"When you talk about it people start to giggle as it is a tough subject to discuss."

Spokeswoman Elina Kazan said Macy's does not sell worn undergarments and posts signs in changing rooms that intimate apparel should not be tried on for size on top of bare skin.

"We train our associates to inspect the merchandise upon return and if in salable condition, return it to the sales floor," she said. "Any items that are soiled ... are not returned to the floor."

The council plans further discussions to decide if the bill should exclude brassieres, undershirts, socks and bathing suits, before being put to a council vote later this year.

Saks did not return calls for comment.

Donald Halperin of the New York Metropolitan Retailers Association said the issue was mainly about women's undergarments because women care more about such issues more than men.

Jaguar Chided for Sexy Marketing Letter

May 26, 11:17 am ET 

LONDON  - Luxury automaker Jaguar went too far with a steamy promotional mailing to prospective customers, UK advertising regulators said on Wednesday.

The Valentine's Day letter was signed "Elizabeth Jones" in a version sent to men and "Ian Major" in another sent to women.

It read: "So, what might drive you wild? Could it be the touch of skin on your fingertips? A long, honed body? Firm sensuous curves? A deep, responsive purr? ... I think I have the perfect match for you. I'll send you a photograph next week."

A subsequent mailing contained information on Jaguar's XKR sports car.

Dozens of people who received the letter complained to Britain's Advertising Standards Authority, which ruled that the mailing was "sexually suggestive and, because it did not make clear that it was a marketing communication, was likely to offend or distress some recipients."

Jaguar apologized and agreed not to send similar mailings in the future.

It has been a bumpy week for the automaker's marketing department. On Sunday a $200,000 diamond affixed to the nose of a Jaguar Formula One car as part of a sponsorship deal went missing when the team's rookie driver crashed into a guardrail during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Law on Pizza Purity a Mouthful

May 26, 11:15 am ET 

By Philip Pullella

ROME  - It may be too early to talk about Pizza Police, but Italian legislators are mulling a detailed draft law laying down rules to protect real Neapolitan pizza.

The draft law to separate pure pizza from the putative kind -- all three pages, eight articles and six sub-clauses of it -- was published under the state seal in the Official Gazzette on Tuesday.

It decrees that a Nepolitan pizza must be round and no more than 35 centimeters in diameter. The center should not be higher than 0.3 cm and the crust cannot rise over two centimeters.

The law specifies what kind of flour, salt, and yeast and tomatoes have to be used. The sub clauses go even further.

Margherita, the classic type, must be topped not with just any type of mozzarella but mozzarella "from the southern appenine" mountains.

And restaurateurs beware, you can't call a pizza a "Margherita extra" unless it is topped with mozzarella made from buffalo milk -- a southern Italian specialty.

Rolling pins are blasphemous and dough machines are heretical. The law says the dough must be kneaded by hand. Take a whiff of this phrase from a government document that usually offers the latest on tax brackets and bilateral trade:" On the whole, the pizza must be soft, elastic and easily foldable in half to form a 'libretto"'

If made to specifications, restaurants can label their pizzas STG, or Guaranteed Traditional Specialty.

Neapolitan pizza makers convinced the agriculture ministry to work up the law to protect their craft from bogus copies.

The law, which can be modified ahead of becoming effective, makes provisions for "controls" on restaurants but gives no details.

In a front-page story Wednesday, Italy's leading financial daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, gave it a half-baked review.

"It's useless to close the stable door now that the horse has bolted," the paper said, noting that people and restaurants the world over were making pizza any way they wanted.

If Your Husband Has a Porsche, Follow Him

May 26, 11:09 am ET 

BERLIN  - Don't trust a man with a fast car.

Porsche drivers are less faithful than any other group of car owners, with almost 50 percent of them cheating on their partners, a survey published in German magazine "Men's Car" has revealed.

Among German men, Porsche drivers were the least faithful, with 49 percent admitting infidelity, followed by BMW drivers at 46 percent. Among women, Audi drivers were the least reliable, 41 percent admitting to affairs.

The most faithful group were owners of Opel-Vauxhall cars, with only 31 percent of male and 28 percent of female drivers in Germany having committed adultery.

The survey was carried out by Hamburg-based opinion poll institute Gewis, which questioned 2,253 male and female drivers aged 20 to 50. The results follow similar findings from the same magazine showing that male BMW drivers had the most sex.

Playing with Their Food

May 26, 10:58 am ET 

HAMBURG, Germany  - The sound of 90 pounds of finely tuned cucumbers, leeks, potatoes, radishes, peppers, aubergines and marrows entertained a German audience at a weekend concert by the Viennese Vegetable Orchestra.

The nine-piece orchestra plays a range of original compositions on instruments constructed from vegetables -- including a flute made from a carrot, a saxophone carved out of a cucumber and a pumpkin converted into a double bass.

"I would never have thought you could get sound out of a cucumber," a young woman at the concert said. Others commented on the raw vegetable aroma accompanying the melodies.

The Austrian ensemble, three women and six men, said their instruments are freshly sliced and put together only an hour before each performance to enhance the sound. Size, texture and water content are vital to achieving the correct sound.

"Ordinary vegetables work better together than organic vegetables," said Matthias Meinharter, who plays a violin fashioned from leeks.

The musicians must also work against the clock. To protect their instruments from drying out during the performance, they place damp cloths around the vegetables when they're not in use.

At the end of the performance, the instruments were turned into vegetable soup.

Snail Mail Takes 3 Years to Travel 30 Miles

May 27, 7:46 am ET 

DHAKA  - Red-faced postal officials in Bangladesh are investigating why it took almost three years to deliver a letter just 50 km (30 miles) to a mill worker who had died in the meantime.

The family of rice mill worker Assiruddin Moral posted the letter in northwestern Dinajpur district on June 13, 2001. It reached his workplace in the nearby Nilphamari district, only 50 km away, on Monday.

Managers at the mill refused to take the letter, saying that Moral had died 15 months ago, local officials said on Thursday.

They said snail mail in Bangladesh often meant letters failed to reach intended recipients, who may have left their jobs or moved to other areas while the mail was in the post.

But the latest delay was the first known case in recent times of the recipient having died before receiving the letter.

Postal officials said they had launched an investigation.

Delivery People Urged to Rat Out Minors 

2 hours, 12 minutes ago

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - The long arm of the law may be ringing your doorbell and holding a pizza. 

Police in Portsmouth hope to enlist pizza delivery people and hotel clerks to help cut into underage drinking and parents who allow it. 

Under a new law, it's illegal for the owner or occupants of a home or hotel room to host a gathering of five or more minors who are drinking or using drugs. Teens as young as 17 who throw a party could be tried as adults. 

Portsmouth Police Sergeant Mike Schwartz said the program is called the "Booze Bounty." He said food delivery people and hotel clerks would receive $50 if their anonymous tips of suspicious activity leads to the arrest of a party host. 

"The message being sent to parents is that it's not safe for them to host a party," said Jackie Valley, of the Community Diversion Program in Greenland, which works to keep at-risk youths out of trouble with the law. "This doesn't change the fact that youths using alcohol is still illegal."

Pentagon surprised by Bush pledge to destroy Abu Ghraib: report 56 minutes ago Add Politics - NEWS SOURCE 

WASHINGTON (NEWS SOURCE) - Pentagon (news - web sites) officials were caught by surprise by President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s announcement on Tuesday that the notorious Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad was to be torn down.

"This office was not aware of any plans to raze Abu Ghraib or build another prison," a Pentagon spokesman told The New York Times, insisting that he remain anonymous lest he was seen as contradicting the president.

A White House official, who also asked not to be identified, told the daily it was Bush's idea to include the announcement in a speech Tuesday, in which he outlined his strategy to hand over power to an interim Iraqi government on June 30.

The official said Bush had discussed the idea of destroying Abu Ghraib, which has become a symbol of the US military's abuse of Iraqi prisoners, with his war cabinet and US overseer in Iraq (news - web sites) Paul Bremer.

Bremer, in turn, consulted with Iraqis and General Geoffrey Miller, who is in charge of detention operations in Iraq, and replied to Bush that it was a good plan, the White House official said.

It was unclear if Bush's war cabinet included Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, or, if it did, whether Rumsfeld passed on the information on Abu Ghraib to his subordinates at the Pentagon.

Bush's announcement also surprised US lawmakers, including the Senate subcommittee which oversees reconstruction spending in Iraq, the daily said.

Separately, The New York Times on Thursday quoted Miller as saying that Abu Ghraib, already used during the regime of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) as a torture and execution center, would be vacated by US forces by August. 

Immigrants Outlive U.S.-Born Residents

32 minutes ago Add U.S. National - 

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD, News Source Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Immigrants who come to the United States live an average of three years longer than people born here, new research shows in a surprising finding that challenges some common beliefs.

A growing body of evidence indicates the life span difference reflects both immigrants' innate vitality and their reluctance to embrace Americans' drive-thru, drive-everywhere mentality. They also smoke less.

The life expectancy deficit is true for all races but is most dramatic among blacks. Immigrant black men live nine years longer than black men born in the United States, according to an analysis by a National Institutes of Health (news - web sites) researcher.

The study reviewed millions of death and health records from 1986-94. Though the numbers are old, more limited studies of recent data suggest the same patterns hold true, although life expectancy is generally rising.

The records showed the average American-born black man could expect to reach 64, while a black man born overseas would likely live beyond 73 if he immigrated. In the case of an African-born man remaining in his homeland, he might well have died before his 50th birthday.

Perhaps most astonishing is that immigrants outlive the U.S.-born population even though they're more likely to be poor and less likely to see a doctor, often a prescription for a shorter life.

Such results may seem counterintuitive, but their explanation makes sense.

Lifestyle is a powerful factor. Black immigrants are three times less likely to smoke than American-born blacks, according to NIH research, and far less likely to be obese. Black immigrants drink less and exercise more, according to other federal research.

It is not surprising, then, that national health statistics show black immigrants are far less likely than U.S.-born blacks to die of everything from lung cancer to liver cirrhosis.

Obesity, too, is far more prevalent among American-born residents. Data from the mid-1990s showed that 22 percent of adult immigrants were obese, compared to 28 percent of U.S.-born adults. (Recent numbers suggest about 30 percent of all U.S. residents are obese.)

The smoking numbers were even more dramatic: 18 percent of immigrants smoked, compared to 26 percent of U.S.-born adults.

There are other factors, too, experts say: Immigrants are likely the most physically active, vigorous citizens in their homelands. They must be resilient to journey here and spread roots. They tend to benefit from stress-reducing social support networks and an outlook that, even when poor, they're better off than before.

Some doctors have long suspected that immigrants live longer. But the findings surprise some immigrant advocates who focus more on federal policies other than health.

"People have a misconception that immigrants have poorer health, but when you look at the empirical data ... you almost always find they do better than their U.S.-born counterparts," says Gopal K. Singh, an NIH statistician. His research, published this month in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, reported that immigrant life expectancy surpassed 78, while U.S.-born life expectancy hovered at 75. (Current U.S. life expectancy is over 77 years.)

Singh found that immigrants tend to live longer, regardless of race. The difference is greatest among blacks and Hispanics, who have nearly a four-year gap between immigrants and native-born. Implicated to a lesser extent are whites and Asians/Pacific Islanders, the group with the longest life expectancy.

As they assimilate, however, many immigrants adopt bad health habits. Research by Singh and others suggest that, over time, immigrants behave like the American-born population - more smoke, drink and gain weight.

"Assimilation often means assimilation into eating too much Cheez Whiz," says Mark Krikorian, executive director Center for Immigration Studies.

In the end, however, immigrants appear to pass on to their children some of the health advantages they enjoy. Not that it's a piece of cake.

"There is tension over giving their child what they want - chips, fries or soda - when they know that's not the best thing to be eating," says Dr. Elena Fuentes-Afflick, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and pediatrician at the city's main public hospital.

Parents such as Mexican-born Gricelda Aguilar must brace their own impulses against pressures to indulge their kids, who see classmates relishing fast food.

"I prefer to prepare food in the home, like my mama taught me," the mother of four says as she waits at San Francisco General Hospital for a doctor to diagnose her daughter's stomachache.

The fact that Aguilar's 15-year-old, Marili, is seeing a doctor is itself unusual. Just 26 percent of low-income Hispanic kids who aren't U.S. citizens have health care, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

As when she grew up, Aguilar grows essential ingredients, including corn and lettuce, in a garden patch at her home. A typical dinner of rice, beans, chicken and salad has something like 600 calories, nutritionists estimate. A hamburger-fries-and-soda splurge at Denny's or Sizzler like her U.S.-born daughter of 12 enjoys would tally a few hundred extra calories.

In part because of her diet, Mexican-born women like Aguilar can expect to live past 83, according to new data from the Public Policy Institute of California. Their U.S.-born daughters can expect to die before reaching 82. 

Full Moon Not to Blame for Epileptic Seizures

Wed May 26, 9:54 AM ET 
Add Science - Space.com 

By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer, SPACE.com 

The Full Moon has been blamed for many things, most often in error. And now another myth has apparently been cleared. Researchers at the University of South Florida report that the extra gravitational tug exerted during a Full Moon does not influence the frequency of epileptic seizures. 

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"Contrary to the myth, epileptic seizures are not more common during a Full Moon," said Selim Benbadis, associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the university's College of Medicine. "In fact, we found the number of epileptic seizures was lowest during the Full Moon and highest in the Moon's Last Quarter." 

The Sun, Earth and Moon line up in space to create a Full Moon. Ocean tides, created by both the Sun and Moon, are higher during a Full Moon (they're higher during the Moon's new phase, too). Even Earth's crust is constantly lifted and shifted by these tidal forces.

Supposed effects on humans and animals rarely if ever bear out in serious research.

Yet patients were claiming their seizures were triggered or worsened by the Full Moon, Benbadis said, and "even some health care professionals believe this, but it's never been scientifically tested."

So Benbadis and his colleagues analyzed 770 seizures recorded over three years at Tampa General Hospital, sorting them into epileptic seizures and other types. Of the epileptic seizures, 152 occurred during the Moon's Last Quarter and 94 when Earth's natural satellite was full. Another type of seizure, called psychogenic nonepileptic, increased slightly -- but not significantly -- during the Full Moon.

The study was announced yesterday and will be published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior.

Other studies comparing the lunar phases to births, deaths, suicides and psychiatric hospital admissions have similarly found little or no connection. A study of dog behavior in 2001 yielded mixed results. Yet the history of epilepsy is not all medical. Its seizures were once pinned on witchcraft and possession by demons, Benbadis notes. Myths die hard.

"Some people still seem to like poetic, mysterious and irrational explanations for puzzling diseases like epilepsy," he said.

Florida Woman, 90, Earns Belated Diploma 

2 hours, 53 minutes ago

By JILL BARTON, News Source Writer 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Uceba Babson used to trudge through flooded plains for more than a mile to reach her one-room schoolhouse, her lunch pail full of syrup-covered biscuits. 

That was before buses and roads came to rural Pahokee, and the swampy land made getting to school an adventure. But in 1931, Babson gave up her daily commute through Florida swamps to marry a vegetable farmer. 

She now has 81 grandchildren and great-grandchildren to hear her schoolgirl tales, but the end of the story always troubled her. So after outliving three husbands and letting seven decades pass since her last high school class, Babson decided it was time to go back to school. 

After two years of heard work, never missing a day of class, she took part in a graduation ceremony Tuesday night, a few months after her 90th birthday. She received a rousing standing ovation, a bouquet of red roses and a congratulatory letter from Gov. Jeb Bush. 

Babson - born before World War I broke out, before Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic Ocean, before women won the right to vote - now has new stories of getting to school. 

"I studied and studied, and then I learned I actually passed," Babson said. "A lot of it was memorizing. You had to remember the rules and at 90, it's hard." 

She tells of days that begin at 4 a.m. with a hot shower and water bottles to get her knees working. She drove herself in a 1997 Mercury on roads that didn't exist in her childhood. 

Inspired by a book about a man who was in his 90s when he started high school, Babson dove into her math, English, science and social studies courses. 

"I thought, 'If he can do it, there's no reason why I shouldn't,'" Babson said. "It gave me a purpose and I said, 'If it takes me five years, I'm going to do it.'" 

She spent many hours a day studying, learning in social studies about the wars that she had lived through and in science about the photosynthesis that helped her family's cornstalks grow. 

"I couldn't even pick up a magazine because I felt guilty because I thought I should pick up my books for school," Babson said. 

On her first day at the Adult Education Center, her classroom was nearly unrecognizable from the one-room schoolhouse in Pahokee she had left behind. The desks had computers and the seats were filled with people from Jamaica, Haiti and Latin America. 

"We all just blended together. It was wonderful," Babson said. 

The center helps students as young as 16 study for their high school equivalency diploma and helps others take exams and brush up on their English or writing skills. 

For Babson, whose quick gait and proud posture make her appear decades younger than she is, putting on her blue cap and gown and picking up her diploma is the culmination of a dream. 

"This is something I promised myself a long time ago," Babson said. "It's been a challenge, but a wonderful challenge."

Amnesty slams 'bankrupt' vision of US in damning human rights report 2 hours, 43 minutes ago  - NEWS SOURCE 

LONDON (NEWS SOURCE) - The United States has proved "bankrupt of vision and bereft of principle" in its fight against terrorism and invasion of Iraq (news - web sites), Amnesty International charged.

In its 2004 report on the state of human rights around the globe, the London-based group cited grave violations in dozens of other nations.

But it targeted in particular the "war on terror" initiated by US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001 for sanctioning human rights abuses in the name of freedom.

The unilateral nature of the conflict to unseat Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) in Iraq had additionally "virtually paralyzed" the United Nations (news - web sites)' role in guaranteeing human rights on a global level, the Amnesty report said Wednesday.

The 339-page document, detailing the human rights situation in 157 nations and territories, reserved the most column inches for the United States, with almost as many critical words also meted out to Russia and China.

Other perennial violators were also highlighted such as North Korea (news - web sites), Cuba, and the central Asian state of Turkmenistan where Amnesty summarised the situation simply as "appalling".

"The global security agenda promulgated by the US administration is bankrupt of vision and bereft of principle," wrote Amnesty's secretary general Irene Khan in the report's introduction.

"Sacrificing human rights in the name of security at home, turning a blind eye to abuses abroad and using pre-emptive military force where and when it chooses have neither increased security nor ensured liberty."

The notion of fighting a campaign against terrorism so as to support human rights, while simultaneously trampling on them to achieve this, was no more than "double speak", she said.

"The United States has lost its moral high ground and its ability to lead on peace and human rights elsewhere," Khan added at a press conference in London to launch the annual report.

The report also stated that events in 2003 had "dealt a mortal blow" to the UN's vision of universal human rights, with the global body "virtually paralysed in its efforts to hold states to account" over the issue.

"Not since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 has there been such a sustained attack on (its) values and principles," Khan told the press conference.

While the report only briefly dealt with damning allegations that US and British troops tortured Iraqi prisoners -- these first came to light just last month -- it had harsh words about the two nations' overall record in Iraq.

"Coalition forces failed to live up fully to their responsibilities as occupying powers, including their duty to restore and maintain public order and safety, and to provide food, medical care and relief assistance," it said.

Elsewhere, Amnesty detailed a long list of abuses in Russia, where security forces "continue to enjoy almost total impunity for serious violations of human rights and international law" in the breakaway republic of Chechnya (news - web sites).

China, despite a new Communist government under President Hu Jintao, had made "no significant attempt" to end the use of torture and other abuses, which "remained widespread".

In the Middle East, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) were taken to task, with Amnesty saying that some actions by the Israeli army, such as the destruction of property, "constituted war crimes".

One of the most damning assessments was handed to Cuba, which saw a "severe deterioration in the human rights situation" during 2003, most notably through the jailing of dozens of dissidents after "hasty and unfair" trials. 

Panel blames indoor mould for coughs, wheezes

Last Updated Tue, 25 May 2004 18:26:56 

WASHINGTON - Mould and damp conditions are associated with coughing, wheezing and asthma symptoms but there is no hard evidence of a link to other health problems, a U.S. scientific panel has concluded. 

Panelists from the Institute of Medicine reviewed the health effects of mould and recommended ways to prevent dampness and correct the problem in buildings. 

Excess dampness can promote the growth of fungal moulds, bacteria and dust mites. 

It was difficult to separate the health effects of mould exposure from other indoor environmental factors, said panel chair Noreen Clark, dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. 

The panel concluded there is an association between damp buildings and upper respiratory tract symptoms in asthmatics who are sensitive to mould. 

But the committee said it was unable to find evidence linking mould to fatigue, neuropsychiatric disorders and other health problems some lawsuits have attributed to fungi. A connection cannot be ruled out, the panel added. 

Some indoor moulds produce toxins and damp spaces can support the growth of bacteria that can have toxic and inflammatory effects, the report said. 

Guidelines for preventing dampness should be promoted nationally for people who design, build and manage buildings, the panel said. 

The institute advises the U.S. government on scientific matters. The study was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. 

Written by CBC News Online staff

In Video Games, Everything Old Is New Again

Sun May 23, 3:40 PM ET 
Add Technology 

By Ben Berkowitz 

LOS ANGELES  - Hold on to something long enough, the theory goes -- a car, a tie or even a hairstyle -- and eventually it will be cool again. 

And so it goes with video games, where today's fans can't get enough of games that were popular when their parents were kids, and quarter-a-game arcade machines now sell for thousands of dollars each. 

In a nod to the nostalgia boom for classic video games, the Electronic Entertainment Expo -- E3 -- the industry's major trade show, a forum devoted to hyping the latest in game technology, last week also organized a tribute to old-school pixilated fun. 

Featuring classic arcade cabinets like "Ms. Pac-Man," "Popeye," "Donkey Kong," "Punch-Out" and "Space Age," and well-loved home consoles like the Nintendo (news - web sites) Entertainment System, Sega Genesis and 3DO, this year's expo drew fans nostalgic for the days when playing a game meant little more than mashing one or two buttons over and over again. 

"These games are designed to be addictive," said Keith Robinson, president of Intellivision Productions, lamenting the fact that modern games are designed more for sneaking around dark corners and exploring vast mostly fictitious lands than the simple fun of trying to rack up high scores. 

Robinson, one of the original programers for the 1980s' Intellivision game system, is one of the "Blue Sky Rangers," a tight-knit group of former Intellivision programers who continue to work together on various projects. 

WHAT'S OLD IS NEW AGAIN 

In fact, even as the modern games industry gets bigger and bigger, classic gaming is very much in vogue. 

Collections of throwback arcade games are available for consoles, handhelds, personal digital assistants and cell phones, and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) has announced it will launch an arcade featuring some classics such as the race favorite "Pole Position" on its Xbox (news - web sites) Live online gaming service later this year. 

One of the organizers of the Los Angeles Classic Gaming Expo, Joe Santulli, said the adults who own and play today's games grew up playing the kinds of games he has on display. 

"There's the memories," he said. "Naturally, a childhood should bring happy thoughts of a simpler time." 

And while new versions of old games are popular sellers, the originals are worth more money than some ever imagined. 

At the E3 event, the organizers offered a flyer from a southern California shop selling pinball machines, redemption games and arcade cabinets from about $400 to nearly $7,000. 

On eBay, a brisk business in old consoles has some systems, bundled with games and accessories, selling for well over $300, some of them even in various stages of disrepair. 

PSSST, WANT TO BUY A VIDEO GAME? 

Commercially, games have come a long way from the early 1980s, when game developers, like early underground hip-hop DJs, resorted to selling their wares out of the trunks of their cars, often packaged in plastic baggies. 

"We didn't have advertising -- you found these things in a Laundromat," said George Sanger, a legend in video game history for his work on game audio whose nickname "Fat Man" belies his slight frame. 

"We started in Mom's basement," Sanger said. "We had nothing to work with but two bits and a six-pack of Jolt." 

But he said some of the creativity has been lost in modern games, vast and expensive undertakings that involve dozens of people that can make or break entire companies. 

"It's impossible to do art under those conditions," Sanger said. 

Though the Atari system and others like it are long gone, the names remain, and the head of the company that now carries the Atari name (Nasdaq:ATAR - news) said the old games are an irresistible draw for some people, much like the child's sled that is the object of a media mogul's yearning in the film classic "Citizen Kane." 

"It's like 'Rosebud,"' Bruno Bonnell, Atari's chief executive, said.

Moore's Politics on Center Stage at Cannes 

Sunday May 23 12:55 PM ET

"Fahrenheit 9/11" put Michael Moore's politics at center stage at the Cannes Film Festival. And there they stayed, right up to the closing act, when he accepted the top prize. 

The message of Moore's film that White House foreign policy since the Sept. 11 attacks has been disastrous generated so much sympathy here that jury president Quentin Tarantino worried Moore might misinterpret the jury's intentions. 

"When I was on stage with Michael Moore, I knew all this politics crap would be brought up," the "Kill Bill" director said Sunday, a day after awarding Moore the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor. 

So "I just whispered in his ear and said, `I just want you to know it was not because of the politics that you won this award,'" Tarantino said. "`You won it because we thought it was the best film that we saw.'" 

The whispered exchange between the two Academy Award winners underlined how much effect Moore's politics had on this festival. 

The awards ceremony started out with a political statement inspired by Moore. Belgian director Jonas Geirnaert, a winner for his short film, used his first big break as a filmmaker to talk about Moore's movie and urge Americans not to vote for President Bush. 

Moore's Cannes appearances have given him a much wider following internationally, including in Europe, where people love his anti-Bush message and are charmed by his folksy all-American image. His documentary about gun culture in America, "Bowling for Columbine," won a special prize here two years ago. 

The new movie had one of the longest standing ovations in recent memory which may have had something to do with his politics as well as his filmmaking. But Moore says he wants to be judged on his skills as a director. 

"If I wanted to make a political speech, I'd run for office," Moore told The News Source in a telephone interview. "I'm a filmmaker, and I wanted to make a movie for people to go see it." 

"Fahrenheit 9/11" accuses the Bush camp of stealing the 2000 election, overlooking terrorism warnings before Sept. 11 and fanning fears of more attacks to secure Americans' support for the Iraq war. 

Moore's assault on U.S. policy got him into trouble with Disney, which refused to let subsidiary Miramax release "Fahrenheit 9/11." 

He is still trying to work out a deal for U.S. distribution but thinks the win at Cannes will guarantee him an American audience. He also cites the makeup of the nine-member jury four out of nine are Americans as proof of the strong reaction the film could have in the United States. 

"I would be surprised within the next 24 hours if we don't have somebody," Moore said. "Miramax has been fielding calls all day." 

He hopes to have the film in U.S. theaters by July. But he is cynical about how much impact it could have on the U.S. presidential election in November. 

"If some of those (viewers) end up going and deciding to become good citizens by exercising the right to vote, great," he said. "But let's be honest. ... You have to start with pretty low expectations in terms of the political end of this when you live in a country where half the people don't vote." 

The new movie is darker in tone than "Bowling for Columbine," and includes grisly war footage. But the filmmaker also mixed in humor to get his point across a talent that the jury singled out in explaining what made Moore special. 

Moore's sense of humor came out on awards night, too, when he couldn't resist thanking his "cast" the U.S. Cabinet, and particularly Bush, whose speaking blunders turn up in the movie. 

"He's got the funniest lines in the film," Moore joked. "I'll be eternally grateful to him."

EBay Pulls Schwarzenegger's Cough Drop 

Sat May 22, 3:39 PM ET

By The News Source 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A seller on eBay tried to auction off a cough drop that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news) allegedly used, then tossed into a trash can - listing the item under the heading "Schwarzenegger's DNA." 

But the ad posted on the popular Web site Friday was quickly yanked after eBay decided it fell into the category of "body parts," which the Web site will not list for sale. 

The original listing was accompanied by two photos of a half-consumed cough drop and the words, "Own a piece of DNA from the man himself." The seller indicated she or he had seen Schwarzenegger discard the lozenge at a recent public event and had retrieved it. 

"Like many people who collect items from international stars this is a must have," the ad stated. 

The California governor's office confirmed Schwarzenegger routinely sucks on cough drops, but would say little more. 

An eBay spokesman said the seller, identified only as "AMF814," could put the item back up for sale if he or she reclassified it as a collectible. As of Saturday, it was not among the 115 Schwarzenegger collectibles listed.

Gaddafi Walks Out, Boycotts Arab Summit

2 hours, 52 minutes ago

By Lamine Ghanmi 

TUNIS  - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (news - web sites) walked away from an Arab summit on Saturday, damaging the unity of the Arab League to protest against its agenda and failure to take up his proposal for a single Israeli-Palestinian state. 

Slideshow: Mideast Conflict

Gaddafi did not immediately pull his country out of the 22-member league, but said he hoped Libya's basic people's congresses, local councils which theoretically decide Libyan policy, would agree to withdrawal. 

"Unfortunately Libya is forced to boycott the summit because it does not agree to the agenda of the Arab governments. Libya wants the agenda of the Arab peoples," Gaddafi told a rambling news conference after leaving the opening session. 

Libya has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the league and Gaddafi was a reluctant participant in the Tunis meeting, the last to arrive on Saturday morning after Arab leaders telephoned to press him to turn up. 

Gaddafi is famous for creating drama at international meetings and his walkout was the only glitch in a meeting carefully prepared to prevent unwelcome surprises. 

Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki said he hoped the withdrawal would not affect the preparations, which followed an abortive attempt to hold a summit in Tunis in March. 

Gaddafi left the conference hall as Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, a controversial figure who has irritated conservative Gulf Arab leaders, defended the league from what he said were attempts to undermine it. 

"WHITE PAPER" PROPOSAL 

"Some voices have risen up, calling for getting rid of the Arab League, or breaking it up," he said, also criticizing Arab governments for failing to pay their dues. 

Gaddafi's main concern appeared to be the Arab League's failure to adopt his "white paper" proposal for a single Israeli-Palestinian state, instead of the widely accepted alternative of Israeli and Palestinian states side by side. 

Thirteen heads of state and three prime ministers, as well as representatives from the six other Arab countries, took part in the opening session at a heavily guarded conference center in the Tunisian capital. 

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), who is trapped in the West Bank town of Ramallah by Israeli forces, spoke by video-link, condemning attacks on Israeli and Palestinian civilians and denouncing recent Israeli actions in Gaza. 

The Tunisian government unexpectedly called off the first attempt at a summit in March, arguing that some Arab governments were obstructing the reforms which the world expected. 

This time, Arab foreign ministers have tried to ensure a success by agreeing all the key documents in advance. 

But the two-day summit takes place at a time of deep pessimism in the Arab world about the ability of Arab leaders to help Palestinians under Israeli rule or end the occupation of Iraq (news - web sites) by the United States and its allies. 

Moussa reflected the mood in his speech, saying the world's problems had grown worse because of violence and the use of force, mismanagement of policy and "double standards." 

"This has affected the Arab world, which sees an unprecedented collapse of the chances of peace and a reversal in hopes of a stable and safe regional future," he said. 

Diplomats say the Arab leaders will not call for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq or add any substance to the Middle East proposal they made in 2002, when they offered peace and normal relations in return for Israeli withdrawals to the borders that existed before the 1967 war. 

An Arab diplomat said the summit would criticize the "immoral and inhumane practices and crimes of the coalition forces" in Iraq and call for the trial of all those responsible, not just the U.S. guards at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. 

"The resolution says the occupation should end as soon as possible and that the United Nations (news - web sites) should have a role that is central and effective in rebuilding institutions," he added. 

Arab diplomats say the summit will endorse democracy and human rights, but activists say that without a timetable or a plan of action their promises could turn out to be empty.

Newly Married Lesbian Couple Files Suit 

1 hour, 52 minutes ago 
Add U.S. National - 

BOSTON - One day after getting married, a lesbian couple filed a medical malpractice lawsuit asking that one of the women receive damages because doctors failed to detect breast cancer in her spouse. 

The lawsuit filed Friday claims "loss of consortium" for Cindy Kalish, 39, because of the advanced breast cancer in new wife Michelle Charron, 44. 

Loss of consortium is a legal claim long available to spouses, but only newly available to gay and lesbian couples since the state began allowing same-sex marriage Monday. The lawsuit provides a glimpse into the kinds of legal battles involving gay and lesbian unions that Massachusetts courts can now expect. 

"I think there will be tons and tons of incidental issues, and this apparently is the first one," said Boston lawyer Steven Schreckinger. 

Charron and Kalish were seventh in line on Monday to apply for a wedding license, and were married Thursday. The lawsuit contends that two doctors affiliated with Fallon Clinic failed to order a biopsy for a lump in Charron's breast, which she first brought to their attention in December 2002. 

By the time the biopsy was performed nearly eight months later, Charron's lump had grown and she was diagnosed with advanced cancer that had spread to her liver and sternum. Doctors have given her 10 years to live. 

A spokeswoman for Fallon Clinic declined to comment on the case. 

The Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that unmarried partners cannot bring lack of consortium claims, said David White-Lief, a specialist in personal injury law and a former chairman of the Massachusetts Bar Association's civil litigation section. 

Schreckinger said the lawsuit's timing could be challenged, because the alleged negligence was before the couple was married. But the couple's lawyer, Ann Maguire, said the court will view the case differently because marriage was not an option before Monday. The couple had a commitment ceremony in 1992.

Sergeant `flagged' for telling news media about prison abuses

Sat May 22, 9:40 AM ET  - Chicago Tribune 

By Mike Dorning Washington Bureau 

The Army on Friday disciplined a military intelligence analyst who told The Tribune about the mistreatment of a 16-year-old boy and other abuses by interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (news - web sites). 

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Sgt. Samuel Provance, 30, said his battalion commander instructed him to turn in his top-secret clearance and was informed he would be reassigned. 

Provance said he also was told his record is "flagged," meaning he cannot receive promotions, awards or honors. He added that he was warned he might be subject to further disciplinary action for discussing abuses at the prison with the news media. 

"It's in reference to what's happened--for going public," the sergeant said. "It's not unexpected." 

Now stationed in Germany, Provance recently completed an assignment at Abu Ghraib, outside of Baghdad. He also gave on-the-record interviews describing interrogators' roles in the abuses to ABC News, the Washington Post and The News Source. 

A lawyer familiar with the case said Provance also was ordered Friday not to discuss abuses at the prison with other government agencies, which the lawyer said appeared intended to bar him from giving information to congressional investigators. 

Army spokesman Paul Boyce said he could not discuss the sanctions, saying that Pentagon (news - web sites) policy is to keep personnel actions private. 

But he said Provance is considered a material witness in the investigation of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison and has been admonished not to discuss matters that could come up in future testimony to a court-martial. 

This week Provance described how interrogators abused the 16-year-old to end his father's resistance to questioning. The teen was stripped naked, thrown in the open back of a truck, driven around on a cold night, splattered with mud and then presented to his father, he said. 

The father then broke down and cried after the incident, and told interrogators he would tell them what they wanted, Provance said.

U.S. National - AP
Berkeley Professor Denounced for POW Memo 

Sun May 23, 9:55 AM ET 
Add U.S. National - 

By TERENCE CHEA, News Source Writer 

BERKELEY, Calif. - Some graduating University of California law students used their commencement Saturday to denounce a professor who helped the Bush administration develop a legal framework that critics say led to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. 

About one-quarter of the 270 graduates of Berkeley's Boalt School of Law donned red armbands over their black robes in a silent protest of a legal memo law professor John Yoo co-wrote when he served in the U.S. Justice Department (news - web sites)'s Office of Legal Counsel. 

Outside the ceremony, they also passed out fliers denouncing Yoo for "aiding and abetting war crimes." Yoo said beforehand he didn't plan to attend the graduation. 

"I respect freedom of thought, but I think he should abide by some basic moral standard," said Andrea Ruiz, 35, one of the armband-wearing students. "Respect for human persons is at the core of what the law is about." 

The Jan. 9, 2002, memo, first reported by Newsweek magazine Monday, laid out the legal reasons why the United States didn't have to comply with international treaties governing prisoner rights. It argued that the normal laws of armed conflict didn't apply to al-Qaida and Taliban militia prisoners because they didn't belong to a state. 

Yoo, who worked for the Justice Department between 2001 and 2003, wouldn't comment on the memo or his government work, but said the students have a right to express their opinions. 

"I'm happy to listen to their viewpoints. Beyond that I'm not going to change what I think," Yoo, 36, said during a telephone interview Friday. 

A petition signed by nearly 200 law students and alumni since Thursday alleges that Yoo's memo "contributed directly to the reprehensible violation of human rights in Iraq (news - web sites) and elsewhere." 

"We're embarrassed that he's at our institution," said law student Abby Reyes, who launched the petition. "We came to law school in order to uphold the rule of law, not to learn ways to wiggle our way out of compliance with it." 

The student petition urges Yoo to repudiate the memo, declare his opposition to torture and encourage the Bush administration to comply with the Geneva Conventions that protect the rights of prisoners of war. Otherwise, he should resign, the petition says. 

Yoo said he had no plans to resign. 

"To the extent that the petition goes beyond expressing views, I worry that it's an unfortunate effort to interfere with academic freedom," he said. 

Interim Dean Robert C. Berring Jr. said the law school had no plans to discipline Yoo. 

"The image of Berkeley is the very progressive image," Berring said, "but I think you'd find at Berkeley a pretty wide range of opinions. Professor Yoo is certainly not the only conservative on campus or at the law school." 

During a May 13 appearance on "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," Yoo said he thought the pictures of prisoners being abused at the Baghdad prison showed clear violations of the Geneva Conventions. 

"So the question is not whether the Geneva Conventions apply or really whether they're violated or not but how we're going to remedy the situation, and the military is undertaking that," he said, adding that violators should be punished and tried.

Salt Getting Overlooked in Health Craze 

Sun May 23, 1:57 PM ET 


DES MOINES, Iowa - Amid the flurry of efforts by restaurant chains to serve healthier food, one key ingredient is being largely overlooked: Salt. 

Medical experts agree that Americans consume excessive quantities of sodium, which makes up 40 percent of table salt, or sodium chloride. 

"On average we take in about twice the recommended amount," said Paul K. Whelton, a physician at Tulane University in New Orleans. Earlier this month he co-authored a study that found increasing evidence of high blood pressure among American children and adolescents. One in four American adults, or perhaps 50 million people, has high blood pressure, the National Institutes of Health (news - web sites) has estimated. 

Health professionals say public ignorance about sodium is a major challenge. 

"We can see our bellies getting bigger, so we know we should do something about our weight," Whelton said. Not so with salt. 

Yet while high sodium intake has long been associated with hypertension, stroke and other health risks, there are few indications that either fast-food or casual-dining restaurants are making lower sodium levels a high priority. 

Indeed, at times the opposite seems to be true. 

When Wendy's International Inc. rolled out a line of Chicken Temptations sandwiches last month, each contained more sodium than the sandwich it replaced. The fast-food chain's new spicy chicken fillet sandwich, for example, has 1.48 grams of sodium - 0.26 grams more than the previous spicy chicken version. Wendy's new Ultimate Chicken Grill sandwich contains 1.1 grams of sodium, a 50 percent increase from the former grilled chicken sandwich. 

"Our research showed that consumers wanted bigger, bolder taste above all else," said Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini, describing the products' development process. He attributed the higher sodium counts to changes in the sandwiches' breading and marinade. 

Still, the hamburger chain is "actively working with our suppliers to find ways to minimize the level of sodium in our products, while meeting our customers' high taste expectations," said Bertini. "For example, our R&D team is exploring ways to reduce the sodium in our salad dressings and other menu items." 

But the emphasis at most chains today is on obesity. Because of growing public and government attention to what is perceived as a serious national health problem, restaurant operators are focusing their attention on reducing fat, calories and carbohydrates. 

Although the recommended government guideline for a healthy American adult is no more than 2.4 grams of sodium a day, or about one teaspoon of salt, several studies suggest much lower amounts. The Institute of Medicine (news - web sites) of the National Academy of Science recently concluded that 1.5 grams daily is sufficient for most individuals. The body uses sodium to regulate blood pressure and blood volume, and it is critical for the functioning of muscles and nerves. 

But a meal out can deliver one day's quota in a single sandwich. For example, the club sandwich at Denny's Inc. family restaurants contains 2.45 grams of sodium. The Italian submarine sandwich at Arby's restaurants comes with 2.44 grams of sodium, while the Deli Trio Pannido at Jack In The Box Inc. stores has 2.53 grams. 

That favorite American food, the hamburger, also can deliver a hefty dose of sodium. McDonald's Corp.'s Big Mac contains 1.05 grams, or 44 percent of the recommended daily intake. Burger King's flagship Whopper, served with a slice of cheese, has 1.45 grams of sodium, or 60 percent of the recommended total. 

Salads, touted for their healthful attributes, nonetheless may make it difficult for customers to shake the sodium habit. The Greek salad at Jack In The Box includes 2.625 grams of sodium, the chain's Southwest chicken salad 2.155 grams. 

Dressings often are the culprit. At Burger King, the Fire-Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with creamy garlic Caesar dressing has 1.61 grams of sodium. Holding the dressing cuts that by 0.71 grams. 

Customers may be hard-pressed to learn the amount of sodium in their food when they dine out. Most restaurants don't post nutritional analyses of their fare, and some of those who do have it on Web sites but not on the premises. 

Among chains that do disclose it, McDonald's is among the most advanced. Besides using its Web site, plus tray liners and brochures in its restaurants, the fast-food giant is considering printing a meal's nutritional components on the customer's sales slip. While the information would come too late to affect that purchase, it might alter those on future visits, the thinking goes.

U.S. to Launch Intelligence-Sharing Plan

2 hours, 30 minutes ago

By CURT ANDERSON, News Source Writer

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department (news - web sites) is putting together a nationwide system to allow federal, state and local law enforcement officials to share information more efficiently about terrorism and other crimes.

"This plan represents law enforcement's commitment to take it upon itself to ensure that the dots are connected, be it in crime or terrorism," Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) said Friday.

The National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan will include information from groups representing 1.2 million law enforcement officials at all levels of government. Under the plan, the Justice Department and FBI (news - web sites) will share information more routinely with state and local officials.

In addition, it will open pathways for state and local police to provide intelligence about terrorism and major crime suspects to the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.

"We recognize there is no one agency that can be successful on its own," FBI Director Robert Mueller said. "In order to address these threats, we must change."

The failure to share information about terror threats among federal, state and local agencies has been cited repeatedly as a prime reason the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were not detected or disrupted. In the years since the attacks, the FBI has put the gathering, analysis and sharing of intelligence among its top priorities.

The bureau has put in place a new policy to ensure that more of its information can be disseminated broadly to law enforcement officials by reducing the amount classified as top secret or secret. The policy also seeks to overcome turf squabbles and jurisdictional problems that long have blocked information sharing, especially between the FBI and other agencies.

"We're knocking down these barriers each and every day," said Melvin Carraway, chairman of a panel that developed the plan and superintendent of the Indiana State Police.

The new intelligence plan also urges all law enforcement agencies to adopt safeguards for privacy rights and civil liberties, which critics of post-Sept. 11 police tactics say are being threatened in the name of countering terror.

"With this initiative, we will save American lives and we will protect American liberties," Ashcroft said.

___

Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov 

Moderate Drinking May Raise Healthy Hormone Levels

Fri May 14, 2:16 PM ET 
Add Health 

By Merritt McKinney 

NEW YORK (The News Source Health) - Moderate drinking may boost levels of a hormone that is believed to help protect against artery disease. The findings could help explain some of the cardiovascular benefits of moderate drinking. 

"People consuming alcohol in moderate amounts may have a healthier hormone status," Dr. Henk F.J. Hendriks at TNO Nutrition and Food Research in the Netherlands told The News Source Health. 

"The implication of this piece of research is that it further substantiates the notion that moderate alcohol consumption is consistent with a healthy lifestyle," Hendriks said. 

Many studies have shown that moderate drinking is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Moderate tippling may lower the risk of artery disease through its effects on inflammation, blood clotting and on the way the body metabolizes fats in the blood. 

There is growing evidence that sex hormones also may be involved in the development artery disease. For example, some studies suggest that high levels of a hormone called DHEAS, or dehydroepiandrosterone, may help keep blood vessels healthy. Levels of DHEAS naturally decline with age. 

Hendriks and his colleagues set out to measure the effect of moderate drinking on levels of DHEAS and other sex hormones. 

The study included 10 middle-aged men and 9 postmenopausal women, all of whom were healthy nonsmokers and moderate drinkers. 

For 3 weeks while on a standardized diet, volunteers consumed moderate amounts of beer or nonalcoholic beer with dinner each night. Participants completed another 3-week cycle during which they switched the type beer they drank. 

After drinking regular beer for 3 weeks, blood levels of DHEAS were almost 17 percent higher than after drinking nonalcoholic beer, the researchers report. The increase in DHEAS was similar in men and women. 

In contrast, levels of testosterone dropped about 7 percent in men after drinking beer. Women's testosterone levels stayed steady throughout the study. 

Levels of a type of estrogen called estradiol remained steady in both men and women throughout the study. 

But levels of HDL cholesterol, which is associated with better cardiovascular health, increased about 12 percent in both men and women. 

The results of the study bolster the idea that moderate drinking may boost blood levels of DHEAS, the researchers conclude. The rise in this hormone may help explain some of the beneficial cardiovascular effects of moderate drinking, the authors note in the May issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 

Hendriks said that he and his colleagues now would like to study alcohol's effect on other hormones, such as hormones that regulate the uptake and distribution of sugar in the body. 

The Dutch researcher noted that the combination of increasing body weight and greater longevity means that more and more people are developing diabetes. Hendriks said that one of the next steps would be to study the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on several hormones that are influenced by the development of diabetes. 

"These studies should further substantiate the suggestions from epidemiological studies that moderate alcohol consumption may protect against diabetes type II," Hendriks said. 

The current study was funded by the Dutch Foundation for Alcohol Research. 

SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, May 2004. 

Stasi's 'Rosewood' Files to Yield New Secrets

Sun May 16, 8:39 AM ET

By Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent 

BERLIN  - It was the last great spying feat of the Cold War. 

In circumstances never explained, microfilm copies of hundreds of thousands of index cards from the files of East Germany's notorious security service, the Stasi, found their way into the hands of the CIA (news - web sites). 

They belonged to the Hauptverwaltung Aufklaerung (HVA), the Stasi department responsible for foreign espionage, and contained a vast trove of data on the identity of its agents and their targets. 

It has taken until now -- 15 years after the Berlin Wall fell -- for the reunified Germany to get copies from the Americans, fix thousands of errors in the U.S.-built index system and start to analyze the so-called "Rosewood" files in detail. 

The new information paves the way for yet another round of checks on politicians and public workers. Several former East German states have said they will vet their staff again. 

That process has already started, despite doubts in some quarters about the value of raking through the past yet again. 

For Marianne Birthler, federal commissioner for the Stasi files, the checks -- which, by law, can take place only until 2006 -- are a vital part of Germany's healing process. 

"It makes absolute sense, in many cases, as a trust-building measure," said Birthler, whose own staff will also face fresh checks. 

"There's another argument: people who harbor a compromising piece of their past have the potential to be blackmailed ... If they work in important public functions, that is a risk for all of us," she told The News Source in an interview. 

VICTIMS AND VILLAINS 

In the case of Rosewood, though, it is painstaking work to sift out the villains from the victims. 

The original microfilmed files were transferred by the Americans onto 381 CD-ROMs and delivered to Germany between 1999 and 2003, although they sent back only the index cards on German citizens -- and not the cards on foreigners, which would have provided an insight into who the Stasi was spying on abroad. 

The records can be searched only with the help of a comprehensive database, but the one supplied by the CIA was strewn with errors -- largely because of the difference between the characters on U.S. and German computer keyboards. 

Where a German name contained a vowel with an 'umlaut' (the two dots above an 'a', 'o' or 'u' which alter its sound), or the letter like a Greek 'beta' which denotes a double 's', U.S. typists had entered it in the database with some other symbol like an asterisk (*) or forward-slash (/). 

It took 50 of Birthler's staff six months to pick their way through the 280,000 names and fix up the database. Other problems arise from the difficulty of reading some entries in the actual file cards, either because the Stasi officer's writing was illegible or because the microfilm was scratched. 

Next the archivists had to deal with another peculiarity of Rosewood. 

Like the 'F16' index cards used in other divisions of the Stasi, the HVA's F16s could be used either to register either an agent -- known as an Informelle Mitarbeiter (IM) or unofficial collaborator -- OR a person on whom the service was spying. 

Unlike other departments, the HVA would often record more than one person under the same registration number -- for example, an agent and his or her close colleagues, friends, family or housekeeper. 

WHO WERE THE SPIES? 

"You can't tell in every individual case which of eight people with a single registration number was actually the IM. You can only do that with the help of other records," Birthler said. 

Of the 280,000 names in Rosewood, it turned out that fewer than 10 percent were HVA agents -- about 6,000 in the former West Germany and more than 20,000 in the East. Of those, about 1,500 in the West and 10,000 in the East were still active by the time the Wall came down in 1989. 

For Birthler, the number of agents the HVA possessed on home soil -- despite the fact it dealt with foreign intelligence gathering -- was "significantly bigger than expected," and represented the biggest surprise in the Rosewood files. 

"For example, there were East German citizens who were allowed to travel on business. Not all, but some of them were used for procuring information." 

The new revelations on the size and membership of the HVA network will help Birthler's researchers as they build up a fuller picture of the Stasi's overseas spying operations, a work which is still in progress. 

Birthler says those expecting the unmasking of prominent public figures as Stasi agents are likely to be disappointed. Nor are fresh prosecutions likely. 

Since 1990, some 3,000 former West German citizens have been investigated for spying for the Stasi, of whom 365 were convicted. Former East Germans cannot be prosecuted for working for their own security service, unless they committed other crimes in the course of their duties. 

STASI TAINT 

So Rosewood may not put more people behind bars, but it still has the power to wreck careers and reputations. 

Fifteen years on, revelations of Stasi links still carry a bitter taint. Last year, for example, senior officials heading Leipzig's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games (news - web sites) were forced to step down over allegations that they had collaborated with the security police. 

"Dictatorships cast long shadows," said Birthler. 

"If you take both dictatorships (Nazi and Communist), then for over half a century in East Germany there was no critical public opinion ... no free press, no freedom of speech in schools and universities. For civil society that caused very considerable long-term damage. This is a generational task ... 

"More important for many people is the possibility to see what the Stasi collected on them. That enables many who had to suffer under Stasi measures to really leave the past behind them for the first time." 

By law, anyone who was spied on by the Stasi has the right to access his or her files. Applications to do so are still running at about 8,000 a month, mainly from former East Germans. 

Birthler disputes the suggestion, sometimes heard, that the Stasi's agents were themselves its victims in the sense that it exploited and dehumanized them. 

"I would not say that ... there are tragic stories ... A friend found out from his files that his mother spied on him for many years and delivered reports on her son to the Stasi. I can't describe such a mother as a victim." 

Asked what is her greatest frustration, she replied after a long pause: 

"That we can only give very limited help to those people who were the real victims. We can help them to discover the truth as far as that emerges from the files, but we can't give them back their lost lives."

Filmmakers Worry About Tibet Film Footage 

Sun May 16, 2:07 PM ET

By ANGELA DOLAND, News Source Writer 

CANNES, France - Two filmmakers at Cannes took extreme precautions Sunday to make sure the people they interviewed for a rare documentary filmed in Tibet would not face a crackdown by Chinese authorities. 

To make sure the footage did not fall into the wrong hands, moviegoers were searched at the door for cameras and recording devices. 

"What Remains of Us," playing at the Cannes Film Festival (news - web sites), offers a rare and moving look at ordinary people in Tibet talking frankly about the hardships of the Chinese occupation. 

Over eight years, two Canadian filmmakers posed as tourists to make risky trips into Tibet, interviewing people in monasteries, tents, fields and homes. They have been cautious to ensure their subjects cannot be identified and punished by Chinese authorities. 

Despite the dangers, most Tibetans were happy to speak, even on camera, said one of the directors, Hugo Latulippe. 

"The world doesn't listen much to their story," Latulippe said. "So when foreigners come, they want to speak about their problems." 

The filmmakers put themselves at risk by smuggling in a video message from the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader exiled in India. People in Tibet can be arrested merely for having a photo of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is peacefully pressing for Tibetan autonomy. 

The movie's premise is simple: The filmmakers stored the Dalai Lama's message in a tiny laptop and secretly showed it to Tibetans. Then they recorded people's reactions. 

The most moving scenes show Tibetans crouched around the tiny computer screen. One elderly woman with a deeply lined face weeps as she clutches a small child. Stylish teenage girls in a city apartment break into tears. 

In a cold and wind-swept field, a family kneels on the grass around the screen, hands pressed together in prayer. 

In the message, the Dalai Lama says that while China is still deeply repressive, it is in the midst of change. He also asks people to study and work hard to prepare for a better future. 

"Tibet, and we the Tibetans, deserve respect," he says. 

To protect the identity of the listeners, the filmmakers shot many of their scenes in hard-to-reach areas. They also interspersed footage from different regions to make it tougher to guess where scenes were shot. Since the film wrapped, they have made as few copies as possible. 

Latulippe and fellow director Francois Prevost, who also is a doctor, teamed up with a young Canadian of Tibetan origin, Kalsang Dolma, who was born in a refugee camp in India. She was the filmmakers' guide, translator and narrator, and she also sang traditional songs on the soundtrack. 

The movie played at Cannes in a critics' showcase. It already has been shown at a lower-profile documentary festival in Toronto, also under tight security. 

The filmmakers are looking for international distributors in Cannes. But any deals will be contingent on guarantees of thorough searches at theater entrances. 

"We're not naive about it," said Jacques Bensimon, film commissioner and chairman of the National Film Board of Canada. "But we want to protect as much as possible the people who agreed to be in the film."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040516/ap_en_mo/film_cannes_tibet_1

Pediatrician Warns Parents About Cicadas

Fri May 14, 1:04 PM ET 
Add U.S. National 

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent 

WASHINGTON  - First there was the girl who fell off her bike fleeing a flying cicada. Then a boy trying to swat a cicada out of the air with a baseball bat instead hit his friend in the nose. 

The News Source 

Slideshow: Buzzing Mass of Cicadas Get Ready for East Coast

The final straw came when another child hurt his hand trying to squish a cicada under a car's tires. Dr. Ray Baker of Cincinnati Children's Hospital was convinced -- cicadas can be a safety hazard to children. 

Starting this week and lasting into June, billions and possibly even trillions of cicadas will emerge across much of the eastern half of the United States. 

The thumb-sized insects are harmless, but they are large, noisy and clumsy. They climb out of their underground homes en masse after 17 years of slow development with only one goal in mind -- finding a mate. 

The last time this happened at such a scale was in 1987, and Baker was working in the emergency room of Cincinnati Children's. 

"We just noticed when this all started, children were coming in and having injuries related to cicadas," Baker said in a telephone interview. 

"After the third or fourth one we decided to keep a list." 

They noted 12 injuries that were fairly significant, Baker said. He wrote a letter to the journal Pediatrics afterward, outlining the cases. 

"They were all related to kids trying to get away from what they perceived as cicadas flying at them, or the children were trying to kill them," Baker said. 

"They do freak people out. They are big. They are bigger than most other flying things and they really don't seem to have any tremendous purpose in which direction they are flying." 

Several children fell off bikes, Baker said. "We had a concussion, a 9-year-old who was fleeing a cicada on her bicycle and fell off," he said. 

Another child hit his head on a brick wall while he was running away from one of the insects. 

"We had a stab wound to the arm from a kid who was trying to kill a cicada on the arm of another child but unfortunately he was using a knife," Baker added. 

"Another kid tried to kick one under a lawn mower and cut his foot, and we saw a crush injury to the hand when a kid tried to put a cicada under the wheels of a moving car." 

All parents can do is try and supervise their children and remind them that that the cicadas are harmless, Baker advised. 

"There's a lot on the news, but I think that just gets kids kind of excited," he said. "Kids don't always do what they are told."

New Overtime Changes Spark Confusion 

15 minutes ago 


By LEIGH STROPE, News Source Labor Writer 

WASHINGTON - New federal overtime regulations will not take effect automatically in 18 states, provoking widespread confusion among state officials, employers and workers, and sparking political battles over how to respond. 

Those states have their own overtime requirements, some of which mirror the old federal rules being replaced in August. Legislative action is required in some states to make changes, complicating an already complex and politically turbulent issue in an election year. 

"It's absolute craziness," said Camille Olson, a labor lawyer with the firm Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. 

The Labor Department (news - web sites) regulations issued last month will go into place automatically in 32 states and the District of Columbia, according to a Seyfarth Shaw analysis. Elsewhere, it is not so simple. 

"We're in a wait-and-see mode," said John Andrew, chief of the Labor Standards Bureau in Montana's Labor and Industry Department. 

New federal definitions of some white-collar jobs would not apply in Montana without changes to state law or state administrative rules, he said. The Legislature may have to act, but it does not meet again until January. 

The federal rule is a minimum standard. States can have their own requirements, but they cannot be less generous with overtime eligibility. 

The rule rewrites definitions of white-collar workers exempt from overtime pay under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. 

Labor Department officials say the changes were needed for clarification and to reduce the number of workers' lawsuits against employers. The rule, which takes effect Aug. 23, will exempt about 100,000 workers now eligible for overtime pay, officials said. Democrats and labor unions say the number will be much higher. 

Underscoring the election-year importance of pocketbook issues, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 52-47 to require that overtime eligibility be guaranteed for all workers who currently qualify. Democrats want to force a vote in the House; GOP leaders acknowledge it will be close. 

Department officials said they are working with states, employers and workers to answer questions and ease the confusion. An enforcement task force was created. Fact sheets and videos are posted on the department's Web site - http://www.labor.gov/ 

In Wisconsin, which has its own overtime requirements, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's administration said the state may chose to ignore the new federal rules in favor of the old. 

Watching closely is Barb Altschwager, the human resources manager of BelGioioso Cheese Inc. in Denmark, Wis. 

"I'm trying to get my hands on guidelines so that I don't charge down a path that really isn't the right path," Altschwager said. "I think if they're trying to reduce litigation, I do think they could have done a better job of providing a full package for human resources professionals." 

Workers, too, are looking for answers. 

Chris Vota, who has worked for the Pathmark grocery store chain for almost 30 years, is concerned he might lose his overtime pay when his union negotiates a new contract next year. 

He wonders if some of his duties might be considered supervisory, and therefore exempt, under the new rules, and whether New Jersey's overtime requirements would nullify changes. 

"As time goes on, it gets more and more confusing," said Vota, 46, of Eastampton, N.J., who stocks the store's frozen food section, has customer service responsibilities and fills in for his department manager. 

Some states may decide not to act, viewing parts of the old rule as more favorable to workers. As a result, employers in those states ultimately could be required to comply with portions of state law and both the old and new regulations, said Olson, the labor lawyer. 

The Bush administration thinks the new federal rules are more favorable to workers than the old and should be followed. But officials acknowledge they cannot force states to make changes. 

"There may be a few states where their existing rules may provide more protections, but those who claim that the old federal rules are more protective than the new federal rules are just wrong," Labor Department spokesman Ed Frank said. 

Among the states: 

_Illinois passed a law last month keeping the old definitions of administrative, professional and executive employees. "What we don't want to do is be caught off guard by rules that hurt Illinois workers," said state Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate who led the effort, 

_In Minnesota, "the state does not have to endorse or bless these changes nor will the state regulations automatically change," said Roslyn Wade, assistant commissioner of the state Labor and Industry Department. 

_Arkansas is examining whether it wants to change its rule to match the federal one to make it easier on employers, said Denise Oxley, the state Labor Department's chief counsel. If it decides to act, it can do so through regulation, not legislation, she said. 

"How many in Arkansas will either lose or start getting overtime? That's the big question. I can't tell you," Oxley said. 

_In Connecticut, the state probably "will stick with its own set of regulations" because they are more generous than the federal ones, said Anthony J. Palermino, a Hartford lawyer. 

Other states where the federal rules will not take effect automatically: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and West Virginia.

'Doonesbury' Strip Shows Head on Platter 

Fri May 14, 6:05 PM ET

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, News Source Writer 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The distributor of "Doonesbury" called it an "unfortunate coincidence" that a strip depicting a man's head on a platter will run in newspapers Sunday - days after the release of a videotape showing an American's beheading by Iraqi militants. 

Latest headlines: 
á Official: Iraq Abuse Hurt MP's Reputation 
AP - 17 minutes ago 
á France Wants Iraq to Control Its Security 
AP - 43 minutes ago 
á Powell: U.S. Would Leave if Iraq Requests 
AP - 46 minutes ago 
Special Coverage

Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate said Friday the strip was drawn before Nicholas Berg's death in Iraq; it will offer a substitute comic strip. 

Berg's headless body was found last Saturday in Baghdad. Three days later, a videotape posted on an al-Qaida-related Web site showed him decapitated. Berg was buried Friday in Pennsylvania. 

In Sunday's strip, the character Joanie, angry about her friend's firing from her university coaching job, begins daydreaming. In the last frame, she's pictured carrying a platter with the head of the university president on it. He says, "What's this." She responds, "A good start." 

"Given its timing following the recent grisly tragedy in Iraq (news - web sites) and the realities of Sunday color production cycles, we felt we should call this to your attention," Lee Salem, editor of Universal Press Syndicate, told newspaper editors in a statement. 

The Pulitzer Prize-winning strip by Garry Trudeau appears in 1,400 newspapers. 

"I regret the poor timing, and apologize to anyone who is offended by an image that is now clearly inappropriate," Trudeau said. 

Several newspapers said the distributor's warning came too late. 

"We may write some sort of letter to our readers the day the strip runs explaining that fact that we didn't receive notice until after the comic was printed and ready to go," said Andrea Buck, interim editor of the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune. 

David Green, managing editor of The (Nashville) Tennessean, said a final decision hadn't been made, but he anticipated the paper also would include a note. 

Mike Needs, public editor of The Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio, said the strip would run. 

"We have looked at it, and while we think the timing is unfortunate, the content of the strip is not related to the Iraq War situation and therefore we are going to go ahead with publishing that comic strip," he said.

Poker Novice Betting on Beginner's Luck

Fri May 21, 4:28 AM ET Add U.S. National - 

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, News Source Writer

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gerry Drehobl took a nice family vacation to Las Vegas and won $365,000 on a pair of kings at the poker table. Not bad for a guy who only took up the game last Thanksgiving.

On Sunday, Drehobl, 49, begins play in the finals of the World Series (news - web sites) of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Sin City. The $10,000 entry fee was no problem, not after April 28 when he won the $1 million pot at another WSOP tournament at Binion's.

"I'm still a novice. I don't pretend to be anything different," Drehobl said in a telephone interview Wednesday from Las Vegas. "To win a tournament like that, you've got to be sort of lucky."

It helped that Drehobl felt he had little to lose when he faced some of the best players in the world.

"I took a lot more chances than they would," Drehobl said. "Why risk all their chips on one hand when they can grind it out?"

Drehobl, who runs a corporate aircraft maintenance service, got hooked on cards sitting around with his wife's family on holidays. They all played and he didn't, but he wanted to be part of the group. Then he started watching tournaments on television and reading books about poker.

Around Thanksgiving, Drehobl taught himself the wildly popular Texas Hold 'em, and took to playing at local Indian casinos.

But he had few hopes of a major score when he wandered down to Binion's during vacation last month and joined a poker game by putting up $200. He won, getting $2,000 in chips that bought him into a WSOP tournament.

He finished 40th and used the $4,400 to buy into another WSOP preliminary. After 26 straight hours of play, Drehobl won the big pot. (He got to keep only 35 percent; the top 30 finishers divvied up the much of the rest.)

Drehobl's wife, Ann, immediately took $10,000 and signed her husband up for the world championships.

"She was absolutely thrilled when I won," he said. "She ran up on stage and fell into my arms."

This year's championship, which starts Saturday and runs through next Friday, could draw as many as 2,000 players vying for the $3.5 million first prize. Last year, Chris Moneymaker was the winner among 839 players, getting $2.5 million.

"I don't want to be operating under illusions," Drehobl said of his poker success. "There is some luck involved in the game. But you see the same top players make the final table over and over and over."

Those players don't fluster Drehobl any more.

"I'm having a great time," he said. "There's no reason for me to be nervous anymore." 
'

N. Korea to Release Japanese Relatives

27 minutes ago

By ERIC TALMADGE, News Source Writer

TOKYO - North Korea (news - web sites) agreed Saturday to release the family members of Japanese citizens kidnapped by Northern agents, and Japan pledged aid to the impoverished country at a summit between the two nations' leaders. Five children of the abductees arrived in Tokyo hours later.

The agreement marked a breakthrough in what had been an emotional standoff between the two Asian neighbors. Talks on normalization of ties between them have been stalled by disagreement over the fate of the abductees' families and other issues.

North Korea admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens in the 1980s and 70s. Pyongyang said eight had died, but allowed the five survivors to return to Japan. Tokyo has since pressed for the release of the eight family members left behind: seven children and one husband.

In the 90-minute summit, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he also pressed the enigmatic North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on his nuclear weapons programs, won a pledge from North Korea to continue a moratorium on missile tests and urged Kim to work with wealthier nations for the sake of his impoverished population.

"I emphasized strongly to Kim Jong Il that there is very little to gain in terms of energy aid or food aid by possessing nuclear weapons," Koizumi told reporters in Pyongyang. "But if you abandon nuclear weapons, you can gain the international community's cooperation."

Koizumi agreed to extend 250,000 tons of food aid and $10 million worth of medical supplies and humanitarian aid to North Korea, which is desperate for assistance.

He also told Kim that Japan would not impose economic sanctions on Pyongyang, despite recent legislation allowing them.

Koizumi said the aid pledge was being made through and at the request of international organizations and should not be considered an exchange for North Korea's release of the family members. It seemed likely, however, that the pledge of aid was key in winning their release.

Koizumi returned to Tokyo on Saturday night, and five children of former abductees followed about 30 minutes later. He was expected to have a meeting with them later after they were reunited with their families.

Pyongyang also praised the summit, calling it "sincere and candid" through its official Korean Central News Agency. The statement was unusually conciliatory for a nation that regularly vilifies Japan.

It said the talks "mark an important and historic event in restoring the confidence, improving the relations between the two countries and promoting peace and stability in Asia and the rest of the world."

American Charles Jenkins, who is married to one of the former abductees, is accused of deserting his U.S. Army unit in 1965 and defecting to the North. He told Koizumi in an hour-long meeting Saturday that he and his two daughters would rather remain in North Korea than face possible extradition and prosecution in the United States.

Koizumi said Jenkins reacted favorably, however, to Kim's idea of meeting his Japanese wife Hitomi Soga in Beijing.

Kim also promised to investigate the fates of other abductees, including the eight that Pyongyang says are dead and two who are unaccounted for. Some in Japan believe that dozens of other possible kidnapping victims may still be alive in North Korea.

The former abductees in Tokyo said they had mixed feelings about the deal. Some expressed frustration that Jenkins and his daughters would not be coming to Japan, while relatives of those believed dead were furious that aid had been offered without a full accounting of the victims.

"The outcome is the worst we had expected," said Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter Megumi is one of the eight who were said to be dead. "At the news (of the agreement), the voices of our anger filled the room."

The one-day trip was Koizumi's first visit to Pyongyang since an unprecedented meeting with Kim in September 2002.

Both leaders had an interest in a favorable outcome. Kim was eager to get foreign aid for his collapsed economy and Koizumi wanted to resolve the emotional dispute over Japanese kidnapping victims ahead of parliamentary elections in July.

The results also boded well for potential moves to establish diplomatic ties.

"We must normalize this abnormal relationship," Koizumi said, adding, however, that the two sides had not set a date for talks on normalization.

Kim and Koizumi greeted each other in front of the summit room with a simple handshake.

"I believe it is a good thing that you have returned and I welcome you," Kim said as they met. Koizumi bowed slightly and answered "I am fine," when Kim inquired about his health.

The two countries have never had formal diplomatic ties. Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colony from 1910 until its World War II defeat in 1945, and distrust between it and North Korea runs deep.

Some analysts believe another motive for Kim may be to undermine multilateral talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. They say Kim might believe that a deal with Japan could soften Tokyo's support for the tough stance pursued by Washington.

Tokyo, however, is highly wary of North Korea's nuclear weapons program because virtually all of Japan is within range of the North's missiles.

Tokyo announced in October 2000 that it was donating 500,000 tons of rice to North Korea through the United Nations (news - web sites), but has not sent food aid since then because of the nuclear and abductions issues. Japan did, however, send medical supplies for a recent train explosion near North Korea's border with China.

Kerry Urging Energy Independence in U.S.

38 minutes ago

By NEDRA PICKLER, News Source Writer

BOSTON - With the start of the summer driving season approaching and gasoline prices soaring, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) said the United States should strive for energy independence.

"There are two reasons why we cannot be asleep at the wheel during this current energy crisis," Kerry said in the weekly Democratic radio address. "First, soaring energy prices are putting our economy at risk and second, our dependence on Middle East oil is putting our national security at risk. But it doesn't have to be this way."

In the short term, the Massachusetts senator said, the United States should divert oil being used to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and bring it to market. The White House says, though, that would have only a negligible impact on pump prices. Kerry also said the country's leaders should demand that Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations increase supply.

He said his long-term strategy as president would include investments in alternative fuels and new technologies that are more fuel-efficient. He said he would establish tax credits to help make fuel-efficient cars more affordable.

"Our dependence on foreign oil is a problem we must solve together the only way we can - by inventing our way out of it," Kerry said.

The average price per gallon rose to $2.017 this week, the first time the national average has exceeded $2. Kerry and other Democrats blame President Bush (news - web sites) and Republican leaders for allowing prices to rise so high, and his radio address reiterated the case he made earlier this week on the campaign trail.

"We're at war and families are struggling to make ends meet, especially with rising gas prices," Kerry said. "For our security, our economy and our environment, we must make America energy independent."

Chalabi handed US secrets over to Iran: report

28 minutes ago 
Add World - NEWS SOURCE 

WASHINGTON (NEWS SOURCE) - Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi faced accusations that he passed classified US intelligence to Iran as the United States faced strong criticism from the Iraqi Governing Council over a raid on Chalabi's home. 

NEWS SOURCE Photo 

CBS television, quoting senior US officials, said the former Pentagon (news - web sites) favourite personally handed Iranian intelligence officers sensitive information that could "get Americans killed." 

It quoted the officials as saying that the evidence against Chalabi was "rock solid." 

The Wall Street Journal also quoted a US official as saying that Chalabi passed sensitive information to Iran. "That's absolutely true," the official said on condition of anonymity. 

The reports said the US administration has started a high-level inquiry to determine who could have given the information to Chalabi. 

An aide to Chalabi, who is head of finance for the Iraqi Governing Council as well as leader of the Iraqi National Congress, dismissed the accusations as "nonsense". He said they were part of a strategy by the Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites) to discredit Chalabi. 

The council on Friday came to the defence of Chalabi over a raid on his Baghdad home and office by Iraqi police and US forces. 

Documents, computers, personal belongings and weapons were seized during the operation. 

After the raid, a furious Chalabi, who was once considered Washington's favourite to become Iraq (news - web sites)'s post-war leader, said he was breaking ties with the US-led coalition authorities. 

The governing council held a special meeting on Friday and blamed the coalition for the raids. 

"The Governing Council unanimously condemned the raids on Mr. Chalabi's home and holds the coalition authorities responsible," said Samir al-Askari, deputy council representative for Shiite member Mohammed Bahr al-Ulum. 

But in Washington, General Richard Myers, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Iraqi authorities are handling the case against Chalabi. 

"It was the Iraqi police who conducted the activity, that the role for US forces was as an outer cordon, not part of the activity in any of the facilities," Myers told the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee. 

"It's Iraqis doing what they should be doing. And I don't know about the facts in the case about Chalabi and so forth, but to have the minister of interior, the police and the court connected, doing things they think are important, is a good sign." 

Askari said however that neither interior minister Samir al-Sumaydai nor justice minister Hashem Abderrahman al-Shibli were aware of the raids. 

Myers was asked about reasons for the US administration's break with Chalabi but he would only say that information provided by Chalabi's organisation was "useful in many cases." 

Chalabi, a wealthy Shiite banker and politician, has fallen from grace in Washington amid allegations his party provided false information ahead of last year's invasion of Iraq.

AP: Kerry Considers Delaying Nomination

31 minutes ago

By NEDRA PICKLER and SHARON THEIMER, News Source Writers

BOSTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) is considering delaying his acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's July convention so that he can keep spending the millions of dollars that he raised during the primaries, The News Source has learned.

If Kerry were to delay acceptance of his nomination for a month, he would even the playing field with President Bush (news - web sites), who is planning to accept the nomination at the Republican National Convention five weeks later. The party convention would still be held at the end of July, but Kerry would officially accept the nomination at a later date under such a plan.

Kerry and Bush are expected to use federal funding for their general election campaign and will be limited to spending the roughly $75 million in federal funds given to each candidate once they accepts the nomination. At that point, neither candidate would be able to raise or spend private funds.

"We are looking at this and many other options very seriously because we won't fight with one hand behind our back," Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Friday.

Cutter said other options being considered include having the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) or local and state Democratic parties raise money to support Kerry's candidacy. However, Kerry would not have control of much of the money raised by the party. By law, the DNC cannot coordinate more than roughly $16 million of spending with Kerry's campaign in the general election. Delaying the nomination would be a dramatic move and is believed to be the first time a candidate would ask his party to reschedule his nomination so he could stop the clock from ticking on his general-election government financing. Kerry and Bush skipped public financing for the primary-election season, enabling them to spend as much as they wish until their parties officially nominate them at conventions this summer. Since becoming the party's presumptive nominee in early March, Kerry has broken Democratic fund-raising and spending records. He raised roughly $31 million last month alone, pushing his campaign total to a Democratic record $117 million. Kerry started May with $28 million in the bank, far less than President Bush's $72 million but still a Democratic record. Bush has raised more than $200 million so far. Both Kerry and Bush are expected to accept $75 million in full government financing for the general-election phase of their campaigns, which starts for each when he is nominated. If Kerry is nominated in late July as the party planned, he will have to make his $75 million check last five weeks longer than Bush. Because the Republican convention is timed later than the Democratic gathering, Bush will have about a month more to raise money from private contributors than Kerry. When the Democratic Party scheduled its convention, it didn't know it would have a nominee who opted out of public financing for the primaries and the $45 million spending limit the program imposes through the spring and summer. At the time, the party anticipated it would face the same situation it has in previous elections: a nominee who emerged from the primaries hovering at the spending limit and had to limp through several months awaiting the convention and the campaign-sustaining government financing. _____ News Source Writers Liz Sidoti and Ron Fournier contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: http://www.johnkerry.com http://www.georgewbush.com
Civil rights panel mired in internal fights Fri May 21, 9:40 AM ET Add Top 

By Kristina Herrndobler Washington Bureau While civil rights advocates spent this week celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ruling that integrated public schools, the federal commission charged with upholding civil rights collapsed in disarray, unable to even discuss its own longstanding dysfunction. The commission was supposed to spend its monthly meeting discussing its internal problems, but instead its members engaged in a heated debate about why the meeting was abruptly adjourned by the chairwoman. The truncated meeting on Monday, the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, was just the most recent in a long series of internal battles that plague the commission and make critics wonder if it can fulfill its purpose. Congress has launched several investigations into the management structure of the commission and its performance. "They have a responsibility to promote civil rights in this country and to report to the public on civil rights," said Rep. Steve Chabot (news, bio, voting record) (R-Ohio), chair of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution. "Rather than performing that important function, they have really become a public spectacle." The commission investigates civil rights complaints and publicizes its findings, although it has no enforcement power. Four of the commissioners are appointed by Congress and the other four by the president. Currently the panel has four members appointed by Republicans and four by Democrats, which often leaves the commission evenly divided on any issue. The arrangement makes it difficult for the commission to generate a majority position on anything. Commissioner's analysis "The big problem with the commission is its structure," said Republican Commissioner Russell Redenbaugh. "In having an even number of commissioners, you can't break a deadlock, so in that alone there is a major design flaw." While most of the commissioners agree that their even number contributes to their problems, they also point fingers at one another for being partisan and closing their minds to debate. "The commission is supposed to be independent, and the commissioners are supposed to be people who care about civil rights and not party," said Mary Frances Berry, the commission chairwoman. Berry says she is a registered independent. She was appointed chairwoman by President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) in 1993. She has been at the center of some of the commission's most public controversies. In December 2001, President Bush (news - web sites) named Peter Kirsanow to be the fourth Republican on the commission, but Berry and a majority of commission members refused to let him take his seat. The commission argued that Kirsanow should not be seated because the term of the Democratic commissioner he was replacing had not expired. Federal marshals escorted him to his seat in May 2002, after an appeals court unanimously ordered that he be seated. Berry appealed to the Supreme Court, but it refused to hear the case. "I think people of good will, regardless of party, can work together for a common good independent of ideology, but that isn't happening here," Kirsanow said. Commission violated rights Last year, in another spot of trouble, the commission was ordered by a court to pay $165,000 in damages and other costs for violating the civil rights of an Hispanic employee. Created in 1957, the commission has not had an increase in its $9 million budget for almost a decade, and has not had an audit of its spending in at least 13 years. "It is not a surprise that Congress has kept our money flat all these years," Redenbaugh said. "We haven't done very well with the little money they have given us and we haven't even submitted an audit." Earlier this month, Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch (news, bio, voting record) (R-Utah) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) complained that the commission's staff director was refusing to meet with investigators from the General Accounting Office (news - web sites), the investigative arm of Congress. At the direction of Congress, the GAO is looking into the commission's spending and trying to understand the commission's lines of authority. Commission staff director Les Jin and GAO representatives met Thursday in what both sides called a cooperative session to discuss how the investigation will be carried out. On Monday, Berry adjourned the commission's meeting just minutes after it began because the four Republican commissioners were not present. They walked in moments later, but Berry refused to reconvene, saying the meeting had already been adjourned. The commissioners said they planned to use June's meeting to discuss their internal disputes--which was supposed to be the agenda of the May meeting as well. Mindy Barry, a staff member of the House Judiciary Committee's oversight council, said the commission does nothing to promote civil rights. "I just wish that someone could have been there with a camera on Monday to take a picture of the empty meeting room and say, `This is what the Civil Rights Commission was doing on the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education,'" she said. 

Vatican Warns Catholics Against Marrying Muslims

1 hour, 50 minutes ago

By Shasta Darlington 

VATICAN CITY  - The Vatican (news - web sites) warned Catholic women on Friday to think hard before marrying a Muslim and urged Muslims to show more respect for human rights, gender equality and democracy. 

Slideshow: Pope John Paul II

Calling women "the least protected member of the Muslim family," it spoke of the "bitter experience" western Catholics had with Muslim husbands, especially if they married outside the Islamic world and later moved to his country of origin. 

The comments in a document about migrants around the world were preceded by remarks about points of agreement between Christians and Muslims but they seemed likely to fuel mistrust between the world's two largest religions. 

The document said the Church discouraged marriages between believers in traditionally Catholic countries and non-Christian migrants. 

It hoped Muslims would show "a growing awareness that fundamental liberties, the inviolable rights of the person, the equal dignity of man and woman, the democratic principle of government and the healthy lay character of the state are principles that cannot be surrendered." 

When a Catholic woman and Muslim man wanted to marry, it said, "bitter experience teaches us that a particularly careful and in-depth preparation is called for." 

It said one possible problem was with Muslim in-laws and advised future mothers that they must insist on Church policy that children born of a mixed marriage be baptized and brought up as Catholics. 

If the marriage is registered in the consulate of a Muslim country, the document said, the Catholic must be careful not to sign a document or swear an oath including the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith, which would amount to converting. 

DIFFERENT APPROACHES 

The document highlighted the contrasting approaches the Vatican has taken in recent years toward Islam, which has emerged as a strong rival for souls, especially in Africa. 

Pope John Paul (news - web sites) has broken ground in dialogue with Muslims and even prayed in a mosque in Damascus. He won plaudits in the Muslim world for his strong opposition to the Iraq (news - web sites) war. 

But Vatican officials and leading Catholic prelates have expressed increasingly critical views about the spread of Islam and the challenge this poses for Catholicism. 

The Vatican's top theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, said earlier this week the West "no longer loves itself" and so was unable to respond to the challenge of Islam, which was growing because it expressed "greater spiritual energy." 

The migration document also discouraged churches from letting non-Christians use their places of worship. 

This issue arose last month when Muslims in Spain asked to be able to pray in Cordoba cathedral, which was once a mosque. A senior Vatican official said this would be "problematic."

U.K. Paper Apologizes for Fake Photos 

1 minute ago

LONDON - The Daily Mirror newspaper apologized Friday for publishing faked photographs of alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by British forces, and the editor stepped down. 

"The Daily Mirror published in good faith photographs which it absolutely believed were genuine images of British soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner," the newspaper said. 

"However, there is now sufficient evidence to suggest that these pictures are fakes and that the Daily Mirror has been the subject of a calculated and malicious hoax." 

The government had denounced the photos as fake on Thursday, and the regiment involved said it had conclusive evidence that a truck seen in the photos had never been in Iraq (news - web sites) - where the Daily Mirror had claimed the photos were taken. 

The newspaper said it would be "inappropriate" for Piers Morgan to continue as editor, and he had stepped down with immediate effect. 

Second Snakehead Found in Potomac River 

Fri May 14,10:17 AM ET

By STEPHEN MANNING, News Source Writer 

ROCKVILLE, Md. - A second northern snakehead has been caught by a fisherman in the Potomac River, Maryland officials said, a sign that the destructive alien species may have invaded the Washington area's largest river. 

Missed Tech Tuesday?
Explore super fast 64-bit computers, check the top ten list of desktops with the quicks and get an answer to the question: Is the Apple Power Mac G5 the world's fastest PC? 

The 12-inch immature female was found in the river Wednesday just south of Fort Washington by an angler who turned it over the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The agency confirmed that the fish was a northern snakehead, a nonnative species imported from China. 

The discovery comes nearly a week after a fisherman caught a similar sized snakehead May 7 in a small tidal creek near Mount Vernon, Va., just across the river from Fort Washington. 

That has led state environmental officials to worry that the voracious fish that can destroy an ecosystem and live out of water may be spawning in the Potomac. 

"Two fish, same size, same area. It makes you start to wonder about the origin," said Steve Early of DNR's fisheries division. "Our concern ratchets up." 

One snakehead was caught in a Wheaton lake earlier this year and thousands were discovered in a Crofton pond in 2002. The Wheaton lake was drained and declared snakehead free while the Crofton pond was poisoned to kill the fish. 

But it would be impossible to use those kind of control methods in the Potomac, a large river that forms the border between Virginia and Maryland and flows into the Chesapeake Bay. 

Early urged fishermen to watch out for snakeheads in the area. He said anglers should kill the fish by freezing it or clubbing it and then alert DNR. The agency planned to place signs at all access points within a 10 mile radius of Marshall Hall, the point on the river where the fish was caught. 

"It was at least inhabited by two (snakeheads)," he said. "We want to find out if it is inhabited by more." 

He said state officials are unsure if the two fish were released independently of each other or if there is a reproducing population of the fish in the Potomac. DNR believes the fish found on the Maryland side was hatched in 2003. 

Native to China, snakeheads are voracious predators, sitting on the top of the food chain and devouring smaller fish. They are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, and were often sold in Asian markets or kept in tanks by collectors. They are harmless to humans. 

In 2002, the Department of the Interior banned the import of 28 species of snakehead, including the northern variety. Those who owned snakeheads before that time could keep their fish but were barred from transporting them across state lines, he said. 

After the Wheaton discovery, Montgomery County drafted its own law making it illegal to possess a nothern snakehead.

Gang Members Indicted on Terror Charges Fri May 14, 4:49 AM ET 

By LUKAS I. ALPERT, News Source Writer NEW YORK - Nineteen members of a street gang accused of menacing their neighborhood have been indicted on murder and other charges as acts of terror, believed to be the first use of the state's anti-terrorism law against a gang. Five of the 19 gang members indicted by a grand jury were arrested Thursday, police said. The other 14 were still being sought. Charging that the St. James Gang acted with "the intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population," Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said the grand jury was justified in adding the terrorism stipulation to several counts including conspiracy, murder and gang assault. Johnson said it was the first time he was aware of that the terrorism statute had been used in such a way. The law, passed by the state Legislature six days after the Sept. 11 attack, allows for more severe sentences. Edgar Morales, 22, who was arrested Thursday, faces the most serious charge, second-degree murder as a terrorist act, for the shooting death of a 10-year-old girl in August 2002 at a baptism party. Prosecutors allege 12 members of the gang crashed the party and confronted a man they believed was a member of a rival gang. The gang members chased the man outside and started shooting, hitting the girl with a stray bullet, prosecutors said. If convicted on that charge, Morales, who also faces several other charges, would face a mandatory life sentence without parole. The charge without the terrorism stipulation would carry a sentence of 25 years to life. The four other men arrested Thursday were charged with conspiracy and could face as much as 25 years in prison if convicted.

Frogman Living in Bog Arrested for Arson

May 14, 8:04 am ET 

BERLIN  - A German frogman who lives on a swampy island and wears a combat-style diving suit and black face paint has been arrested for suspected arson attacks on two yachts, Berlin police said on Friday.

Authorities found the man's camp, equipment and a boat with a silencer on its engine after a tip-off from a forester.

"He wore combat-style aquanaut camouflage and launched his attacks from a swampy island," wrote Bild newspaper on Friday.

Police believe the man, 36, abandoned his flat in eastern Berlin in March to live in a tent on the boggy island in a lake south of the city.

A judge issued an arrest warrant after the two yachts were destroyed by fire, causing an estimated $118,000 in damage. He had already been arrested in March for breaking and entering a pleasure boat.

Slippery Grease Bandits Make Slick Getaway

May 14, 7:52 am ET 

OKLAHOMA CITY  - Oklahoma police are looking for grease bandits who made off with 5,000 pounds (2268 kg) of used cooking oil and grease from three restaurants.

Police in Edmond, north of Oklahoma City, said on Thursday the grease bandits have hit an area of Mexican, Chinese and steak restaurants over the past three months.

The robbers took the used cooking grease that was stored in large cylinders in back of the restaurants.

The restaurants were planning to sell the grease to a recycling company and the total value of the stolen goods was about $380.

Glynda Chu, a spokeswoman for the Edmond police said the bandits had a good idea of how to get money in the used grease market, but she thinks it odd that anyone would put so much effort into making off with so much cooking byproduct.

"It would be a big chore to haul that smelly stuff away," Chu said. "They did, however, make a slick getaway."

Fear of Idolatry Sparks Wig Ban

May 14, 7:45 am ET 

JERUSALEM  - An ultraorthodox Jewish sage has issued a ritual ban against natural hair wigs from India, saying they may have been made from tresses shorn from women during Hindu ceremonies, Israeli newspapers reported on Friday.

Many Orthodox Jewish women, who adhere to rules of modesty by allowing only their husbands to see their natural hair, responded to the ruling by switching to synthetic wigs or hats, the Yedioth Ahronoth and Haaretz dailies reported.

The edict, issued by the spiritual leader of an ultraorthodox sect, said some hair in wigs sold in Israel may have come from women who took part in Hindu haircutting ceremonies, which was tantamount to idol worship.

Fugitive Who Faked Suicide Is Found Alive

May 13, 3:52 pm ET 

PHILADELPHIA  - A Tennessee man who faked his suicide 13 years ago to avoid fraud and burglary charges has been found alive and well in California, a law enforcement official said on Thursday.

Mark Paisley, now 34, left a suicide note in his car parked by the Delaware River near Philadelphia in 1991 after being sought for credit card fraud in Pennsylvania and burglary in Tennessee, said Pennsylvania State Trooper Glenn Blue.

Because no body was ever found, Blue, who works for the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, said he always suspected Paisley had not killed himself. As a result, he made periodic checks on the case over the last three years and found Paisley's brother, Joseph, was living in Tennessee.

After initially suspecting Joseph was the fugitive, Blue discovered another Joseph Paisley living in San Francisco. The man turned out to be Mark Paisley using his brother's name.

Mark had been arrested in California on minor fraud and theft charges, Blue said, and was arrested again as a fugitive earlier this week, when he admitted his true identity.

Paisley is expected to be returned to Pennsylvania within the next 30 days and will face the original charges plus one of flight to avoid prosecution.

Blue cases where fugitives are caught after living under an alias happen once or twice a year, but the Paisley case -- with its faked suicide -- was special.

"It is unusual for it to be quite this elaborate," he told The News Source.

City Declares 'No Communist' Zone

May 13, 9:02 am ET 

LOS ANGELES  - A Southern California city known as "Little Saigon" because of its large Vietnamese population has become the first U.S. city to declare itself a "no Communist" zone.

The city council in Garden Grove, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles, passed a resolution on Tuesday saying it "does not welcome, or sanction high-profile visits, drive-bys or stopovers by members or officials of the Vietnamese Communist government."

The resolution, passed to cheers from a crowd of about 200 Vietnamese residents, also urged city officials to refrain from "initiating engagements with or facilitating" visits by Vietnamese Communists.

Garden Grove and the neighboring city of Westminster are home to some 90,000 residents of Vietnamese descent -- the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam. Many are political refugees and visits by visiting Vietnamese government delegations are frequently met with large protests and demonstrations.

"It is a provocation," said councilman Van Tran, who came to southern California from Vietnam as a 10 year-old refugee. "They claim they want reconciliation with the Vietnamese community here but they drive through Little Saigon in motorcades with lights blazing and with motorcycle escorts as if they own the place."

The State Department was forced to cancel a visit to Garden Grove last month by a leading Vietnamese official because police and local officials said the 24 hour notice was insufficient time to provide adequate security.

In 1999, a local video store owner who displayed a Vietnamese flag and a portrait of Ho Chi Mich provoked demonstrations by thousands of people lasting 53 days.

Smoking Soldiers Ignited Ammo Disaster

May 13, 8:56 am ET 

KIEV  - Two smoking soldiers set off tons of ammunition that killed five people, caused $725 million in damage and sent debris showering across southern Ukraine last week, the emergencies minister said on Tuesday.

A series of blasts hurled debris as far as 25 miles after fire broke out last Thursday at a warehouse complex where 92,000 tons of artillery ammunition was stored.

Blasts were still heard on Tuesday, emergencies minister Hryhory Reva told parliament.

"At about 12 o'clock on Thursday, two servicemen, who were stocking military ammunition, began smoking at their working site. It caused the fire and set off the explosions," he said.

The blasts caused some $725 million in damage to the defense ministry and population in the Zaporizhya region, he said. They destroyed buildings in a two-mile radius, including a local railway station.

A minor gas pipeline was also damaged. Metal fragments and other debris were thrown 40 km, causing fires in nearby towns.

Authorities evacuated some 7,000 people from the surrounding area. People started to return home on Tuesday, five days after the initial blasts.

Some parliamentary deputies have demanded Defense Minister Evhen Marchuk resign because of his inability to turn around the ex-Soviet state's struggling armed forces.

The Ukrainian army has seen its reputation battered in recent years following a series of disasters.

Drunken Priest Shoots Mayor Dead

May 13, 8:54 am ET 

MEXICO CITY  - A Catholic priest shot to death the mayor of a town in western Mexico early on Wednesday after the pair got drunk and began punching each other during a religious festival, state officials said.

After exchanging blows, the priest whipped out a 9mm pistol and fired four bullets into Lorenzo Ruiz, mayor of Chalpatlahuac, an indigenous town nestled in mountains 138 miles west of the Guerrero state capital of Chilpancingo, authorities said.

"It seems they were arguing, these two men. They were at a get-together, they had words and the priest shot the mayor. They were apparently both in a state of drunkenness," said Guerrero state spokesman Jesus Nava.

Local newspapers said the priest, whom they identified as Lorenzo Cuellar, was arrested after he also shot the mayor's son, injuring him.

The priest was in Chalpatlahuac to celebrate a local religious festival which started on Tuesday evening and lasted into Wednesday morning.

Guerrero is one of the poorest and most violent states in Mexico.

Ukrainian Giant Battles Poverty, Loneliness

May 13, 8:52 am ET 

By Olena Horodetska

PODOLYANTSI, Ukraine  - All Leonid Stadnyk wants is a simple, quiet and inconspicuous life. But the 33-year old Ukrainian is just too tall for that.

At a height of eight feet four inches, Stadnyk may be the world's tallest man and he keeps on growing.

Measurements by the Ukrainian branch of the Guinness Book of World Records show he is already taller than Tunisia's Radhouane Charbib, who is listed by the book as the tallest living man.

The local and foreign press have descended on his village, making him a minor celebrity. He gets paid for some of the interviews and has been offered help in getting shoes and clothes that might fit him.

Stadnyk says his height has brought him little joy.

"For my entire life I wanted to be shorter. I was bowing down, stooping," Stadnyk said, sitting in his house in the tiny village of Podolyantsi in central Ukraine. "I have always wanted to be in the shadows. I tried not to stand out, but now..."

Stadnyk remembered happier times when he was about the same size as his classmates in the village school, even a bit shorter. But then at the age of 14 he started growing rapidly. At first nobody seemed to take much notice of the tall, awkward boy with a shy smile. But then his first problems began. "There were no shoes, no clothes for me in the shops. When I was undergoing medical checks, they could not measure my height, the scale ran out. Then I became self-conscious," he said, blaming a hormonal imbalance for his growth despite never having proper medical tests to diagnose his condition. Ordering made-to-measure clothes is not easy in former Soviet Ukraine, where often a simple transaction can require dozens of documents. Money is scarce after he had to quit his job as a veterinarian due to poor health. He said his arms are very strong but complains his legs are getting weaker under his weight of about 440 lbs. "For my job, I had to travel seven kilometers (4 miles) every day. With my height I could move only by horse, on a cart." "It did not matter whether it was winter frost or summer heat, animals fell ill and I had to go. I did not have proper shoes and my feet froze. I had to stop working." Now his mother is the breadwinner in the family, while Stadnyk stays at home and takes care of the house, land and cattle.

The family house is crumbling. He walks cautiously with a bowed head to avoid the ceiling. He curls in a small armchair with his knees nearly reaching his chin. He sleeps on two beds.

Stadnyk gets a pension worth about $28 a month while needing at least $200 just to order a pair of shoes. They last about four months, he said.

Mother and son rely mostly on home-grown fruit and vegetables.

"Life is difficult. We are working, working very hard to earn our bread," he says. "With every year it is getting more difficult. Years pass by, my health gets weaker."

And he says he is lonely.

Stadnyk's village is isolated. Most youngsters have left to find work in bigger cities. Houses cry out for a coat of paint and are circled by half-broken fences.

He dismisses local media frenzy around him, saying he has no plans to capitalize on his extreme size and move into show business. He wants to stay near his mother, his best and only friend at the moment, and work in the garden.

"I do not smoke, do not drink. Every penny I can save I spend on buying seeds and seedlings. The garden is a place for me. Height doesn't matter there."

Riots Took Toll on Sex Drive

May 13, 8:42 am ET 

ROME  - Riots that dominated a G8 summit in Genoa in 2001 suppressed the sex drive of its residents and led to a sharp decline in births in the city, a study showed on Wednesday.

In the ninth month after the riots, birth rates dropped off 29 percent compared to the average birth rate on the same dates over the three previous years, the study carried out by San Martino hospital showed. Even 11 months after the clashes, birth rates were 20 percent lower.

"Violent demonstrations can cause a stress reaction with negative consequences for sexual drive and reproductive activity," the author of the study, Aldo Franco De Rose, told Italian news agency ANSA.

As part of the study, 402 residents were asked if they had had less sex after the riots. A third of respondents said yes and just over half said they suffered from anxiety.

The three-day G8 summit in July 2001 was marred by widespread rioting in which one protester was killed and hundreds injured during pitched street battles with police.

Coming to a Store Near You: Chinese Cola

May 13, 8:37 am ET 

SHANGHAI  - China's largest beverage maker is going where no other Chinese firm has gone before -- it has shipped the first retail batch of its own cola to the home of the carbonated soft drink, the United States.

Hangzhou Wahaha Group, whose 170,000-bottle shipment is on the way to New York and Los Angeles, will have to slug it out with giants PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola Co in the mammoth $64 billion market.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo own eight of the top 10 soft drink brands in the United States, while British sweets and drink maker Cadbury Schweppes Plc claims the remainder.

"We have sent our first shipment of Future Cola to the United States and it should get there in June," the spokesman said.

Wahaha, which translates as "laughing baby" and comes from a popular children's folk song, decided to enter the U.S. cola market following the success of its milk exports last year, on which the spokesman declined to provide details.

She also declined to say what the U.S. retail price of Future Cola would be, but a 600-ml bottle sells for about two yuan (24 U.S. cents) in China.

Wahaha is regarded as a private enterprise despite the state holding a passive stake, and has attracted plant investment from French food group Danone totaling $120 million.

Its products include bottled water, teas, milk drinks and Future Cola, whose label bears a red-and-white color scheme similar to that of Coke.

Coca-Cola dominates the Chinese market with a share of 24 percent in 2003, while Future Cola had a seven percent share, the official English-language Shanghai Daily said.

British courts say women are the 'better' drivers

2 hours, 25 minutes ago

LONDON (NEWS SOURCE) - Women, much-maligned by the opposite sex for their supposed lack of ability behind the wheel, make far safer 
and more law-abiding drivers than their male counterparts, British officials said. 

Of those found guilty of all driving offences by courts in England and Wales in 2002, 88 percent were male motorists, according to 
statistics published by the Home Office. 

Men committed almost all the most serious offences, such as causing death and dangerous driving, but women's share of speeding 
offences rose from 13 percent in 1998 to 17 percent in 2002. 

The category in which women committed the highest number of offences was obstruction, waiting and parking -- being responsible 
for 23 percent of such cases in 2002. 

Women committed just six percent of the death or bodily harm offences in 2002 and just three percent of dangerous driving 
offences. 

But female offences relating to driving with excess alcohol or drugs in the system increased -- up from nine percent of the total in 
1998 to 11 percent in 2002. 

Men were responsible for 96 percent of vehicle thefts and 97 percent of offences relating to motorcyles. 

Overall, women's share of motoring offences rose only one percent between 1998 and 2002. 

Chlamydia May Affect More Than Thought 

Tue May 11, 4:00 PM ET 
CHICAGO - More than 4 percent of young adults in the United States are infected with chlamydia, and the sexually transmitted 
disease is six times more common in blacks than in whites, researchers say. 

In a nationally representative study of 14,322 people ages 18 to 26 conducted in 2001-02, University of North Carolina researchers 
found that 4.7 percent of women and 3.6 percent of men had chlamydia. The overall prevalence was 4.2 percent. 

The researchers said their figures are slightly higher than some previous nationwide estimates, which were based on different 
methodology. 

The prevalence was lowest among whites - 1.94 percent - and highest among blacks - 12.54 percent. Other infection rates were 
10.4 percent of Native Americans, 5.9 percent of Hispanics and 2 percent of Asian-Americans. 

Similar racial and gender disparities have been found in previous studies. 

While current screening strategies focus on testing young women, the high rates found in men suggest better methods are needed, 
said lead author Dr. William C. Miller of UNC-Chapel Hill. 

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association (news - web sites). 

The UNC study is based on in-person interviews with young adults and analysis of urine specimens. 

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease nationwide, with an estimated 3 million people infected each 
year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites). 

Chlamydia infections can be cured with antibiotics. Left untreated, they can cause pelvic pain and infertility in women and increase 
susceptibility to the AIDS (news - web sites) virus in men and women. 

In 2002, 834,555 cases of chlamydia were reported in the United States. 

Human papilloma virus, which can cause cervical cancer, is the most common sexually transmitted disease nationwide, with more than 
5 million new cases each year, according to the CDC. 
___ 

On the Net: 

JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org 

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov 

The Real Thing
Tuesday May 11, 3:02 am ET 
Kelly Cramer, Miami Daily Business Review 

A Miami consumer attorney has filed a lawsuit against Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, claiming the soda giant engaged in deceptive trade practices by not telling the public that Diet Coke sold through store fountains is different from the same product sold in cans and bottles. 

Lance A. Harke of Harke & Clasby filed the suit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in March on behalf of Bartimous Berry, a Miami longshoreman. He is seeking class action status. Dan Schafer, a company spokesman in Atlanta, called the suit "frivolous and without merit." 

"We will contest it vigorously," he said Monday. 

Coke's South Florida counsel, Steven E. Siff, a partner at McDermott Will & Emery in Miami, declined comment. 

The lawsuit is one of several similar actions filed nationwide against Coca-Cola. The suit claims the company uses a saccharin and aspartame mix rather than just aspartame in the fountain version of the world's most popular diet soda. The lawsuit was filed under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. 

Saccharin was once thought to cause cancer in laboratory rats. For years, the Food and Drug Administration required a warning label on all products containing the artificial sweetener, but later studies led to President Bill Clinton signing a bill allowing no label. 

"There are lots of consumers who don't have interest in drinking a saccharin beverage," Harke said. "But the primary problem is that the company is selling something different from what they say they're selling ... Coke advertises the product in a 'unified' manner -- you'd have to be a lawyer or scientist to somehow dig for the information that the formulation is very different for fountain Diet Coke. 

"But there are numerous point-of-sale opportunities, such as at or near the soda fountain, on the cups, at the check-out counters, in the advertising campaigns generally in print and TV media, lots of ways to get the information out -- if Coke wanted to," he said. 

Coca-Cola acknowledges on its Internet site that it uses a saccharin/aspartame mix in the fountain version of its soda. "Why is the U.S. fountain version of Diet Coke sweetened with aspartame and saccharin?" is how the question is posed on the Web site. 

"Because aspartame by itself is heat and pH sensitive (meaning it loses its sweetness over time), the concentrated fountain syrup causes aspartame to lose its sweetness faster than it would in a finished beverage," the Web site says. "Fountain diet drinks, therefore, are sweetened with a blend of aspartame and saccharin to assure maximum product quality." 

Harke said that Coca-Cola added that the company's Internet site's disclosure, on a frequently asked questions page, came shortly after one of the lawsuits was filed over the sweetener. 

The lawsuit seeks to include everyone who bought Diet Coke from a fountain in Florida between Nov. 30, 1984, and March 12, 2004, the day the lawsuit was filed. 

According to the complaint, before November 1984, Coca-Cola sweetened all Diet Coke with saccharin or a mix of both saccharin and aspartame. 

In the 1970s, concerns were raised that saccharin causes cancer and, by the 1980s, the FDA issued a requirement for a warning label on all saccharin products cautioning that the artificial sweetener caused cancer in lab rats. After that, Coca-Cola publicly announced it was switching to NutraSweet, the brand name for aspartame. 

Initially, Coca-Cola included the NutraSweet logo on its diet sodas and prominently displayed it in television and print ads. But according to the lawsuit, sometime in 1993 some of the ads began to say in small print that the fountain version was not sweetened with 100 percent aspartame; the statement did not mention saccharin. 

Once Coca-Cola began using generic aspartame in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the language in the ads about a difference in the fountain version of the drink disappeared, according to the lawsuit. 

"They're saving money on this and cheating their customers," Harke said, because saccharin is cheaper than aspartame. 

A lawsuit filed in Illinois was settled a few years ago and others filed across the county are in the preliminary stages, Harke said.

Mass. Town to Let Out-Of-State Gays Wed 55 minutes ago Add U.S. National - 

By JENNIFER PETER, News Source Writer BOSTON - Officials in Cape Cod's gay tourism mecca of Provincetown voted to offer marriage licenses to out-of-state same-sex couples, potentially setting the stage for another legal battle over gay marriage. Thumbing their nose at Republican Gov. Mitt Romney's stance, the town's selectmen unanimously decided Monday to issue marriage certificates to all couples as long as they attest that they know of no legal impediment to their union. Romney immediately issued a statement Monday threatening legal action against city and town clerks statewide who defy his interpretation of the law. Romney's office has warned clerks that they will be required to seek proof of residency or the intention to move to Massachusetts from all couples - gay and straight - who are seeking to marry as of Monday, when same-sex weddings become legal. "We are a nation of laws," Romney said in the statement. "If they choose to break the law, we will take appropriate enforcement action, refuse to recognize those marriages, and inform the parties that the marriage is null and void." Provincetown town clerk Doug Johnstone did not return a call for comment early Tuesday, but in the past he has resisted Romney's instructions to obtain proof of residency from couples before issuing marriage licenses. Romney based his decision on a 1913 Massachusetts law that says couples cannot be married here if such a marriage would be void in the state in which they live. And no other state currently recognizes gay marriages. But the Provincetown Board of Selectmen said gay couples who live outside Massachusetts and have no intention of moving here will still be issued marriage licenses, as long as they attest that they know of no legal impediment to their union. Huge crowds are expected in Provincetown on Monday, the day that the decision by the Supreme Judicial Court, the state's highest court, takes effect that legalizes gay marriage in Massachusetts. For months, business owners and hoteliers in the gay-friendly seaside town at the tip of Cape Cod have been preparing for an anticipated summer rush of gay weddings. Romney's office has said the consequences of an illegal marriage could be severe for the couple, particularly if they have children, because of legal questions of support and custody. There also could be legal consequences for the clerks. Under state law, officials who issue a license "knowing that parties are prohibited" can face a fine of $100 to $500 or a prison sentence of up to a year. Attorney Mary Bonauto, who represented several gay couples whose case led to the court decision legalizing gay weddings, said Romney's interpretation of state law should bar marriage to gay couples only from those states that have laws on their books that declare gay marriages "null and void." She estimates that only about 20 states have that type of law. "It's because of his personal beliefs that he is applying the law to all 49 (other states)...," Bonauto said. "I find it sad that the Massachusetts governor would penalize a town for recognizing that Massachusetts has no business denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples whether they are Massachusetts residents or not." The Legislature has given preliminary approval to a constitutional ban on gay marriage, but it must still receive an additional round of approval from lawmakers during the 2005-2006 session and then by voters in November 2006. The constitutional amendment would simultaneously legalize civil unions. ___ On the Net: http://www.provincetowngov.org

Unmarried, Female and Turned Off by Politics Mon May 10, 7:55 AM ET

By Robin Abcarian Times Staff Writer SEATTLE - Adriana Maza is an articulate 23-year-old nanny who hopes one day to attend medical school. She has dabbled in grass-roots politics, has opinions about the war in Iraq (news - web sites), the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the presidential candidates and even considers herself a feminist. But she does not vote. "I guess I don't really feel like there's much of a choice," she said. "Until I feel there is a candidate who really represents my views, someone who can represent something positive, I don't feel compelled to vote." In this, she is part of a larger phenomenon. According to pollsters, when single women are compared with married men, married women and single men, they account for the largest number of Americans who are, in essence, voluntarily disenfranchised. More than 21 million single women - almost half of those eligible - did not cast ballots in the last presidential election. Although each election cycle brings its catchy, pollster-coined demographic fad - soccer moms, waitress moms, NASCAR (news - web sites) dads - no one has systematically studied the "single woman" vote until recently. The group, which encompasses women who have never married, are divorced or are widowed, has seemed too diffuse to lump into one electoral niche. "This population of single women covers a lot of categories, across race, across ages, across incomes, so ... it's more complicated to make a broad statement about these women," said Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Because of their large numbers, she added, they have "the potential of changing the outcome of an election, particularly in a close race." With the country politically polarized and polls showing a virtual dead heat between President Bush (news - web sites) and his presumed Democratic challenger, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, the November election will be hard-fought and probably cost record-breaking sums. Although some think the side that best energizes its base will win, others argue that the key to victory is identifying and motivating voters at the margins - the undecided and the previously unengaged. Many analysts predict that registering single women - and then getting them to vote - could result in a big payoff for Democrats. As a group, unmarried women tend to have liberal views on social issues such as abortion, gun control and gay rights, pollsters say. When single women vote, they generally vote Democratic. This was what struck Page Gardner after the 2000 election. A liberal political activist and consultant in Washington, Gardner decided to examine exit polling data, census data and a variety of public opinion studies. "I thought everyone was sort of missing the point in terms of the post-election analysis," she said. As she began crunching numbers with her husband, Ron Rosenblith, a political consultant and former aide to Kerry, she discovered that single women and men were not registering to vote in numbers that reflected their proportion of the population. "We looked at demographic changes in this country, and it became clear that more and more unmarried men and women were not participating in the process," Gardner said. "Heads of households are becoming increasingly unmarried. In the 1950s, 80% of households were headed by married people, now it's a 50-50 split. There is a whole growing group of people on the sidelines of our democracy. The numbers literally jump out at you." For Gardner's purposes, it was the single women who were of particular interest. Had this group voted in the same proportion as married women in the 2000 election, she discovered, an additional 6 million votes would have been cast around the country (including an estimated 202,000 in Florida, which Bush carried by 537 votes). With Christina Desser, a political strategist and environmental lawyer in San Francisco, Gardner launched Women's Voices, Women Vote, a legally nonpartisan effort. The group hired the Democratic polling firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Inc. to conduct a national survey last fall on the voting attitudes of 1,036 single women under age 65 - whom it dubbed "women on their own." The firm also convened focus groups in three demographically diverse states - Missouri, Florida and Washington - to help figure out how to encourage single women to vote. "The challenge is to craft a message that reaches subgroups in this population," Mandel said. "Clearly, the message to a woman in her 20s, a recent college graduate looking for a job in New York City, is going to be different from the retired widow who is concerned about Medicare and Social Security (news - web sites)." However, despite such diversity, said pollster Anna Greenberg, "One of the most surprising things is how homogenous they are" in their thinking about politics. "Healthcare was the biggest issue - this is a major source of stress for them," Greenberg said. "Younger women tend to be a little more worried about education; for older women, they tend to worry about retirement. Overall, they are consumed by their own economic security." In the survey, 65% of single women said they viewed the country as "seriously off on the wrong track." (During the same period, 50% of all respondents to The Times Poll agreed with that statement.) Many single women are alienated from the political process, Greenberg said, because they don't see connections between elections and their own lives. Or they think their votes don't matter. Maza, the nanny, said she was turned off to politics after Seattle residents voted against a major sports venue and the stadium was built anyway. "That's the perfect example where people obviously don't want something and it happens anyway," she said. Many single women have a skeptical, if not cynical, view of the way government works. "Over and over, they used expressions like male politicians have never walked in their shoes," Greenberg said. "The spontaneous use of that phrase was rather interesting.... The whole challenge is to get them to see they have a stake." Take, for instance, Belinda Rogers, an unemployed single mother waiting at a downtown Seattle bus stop recently when a local citizens group was registering voters. Rogers, 45, emphatically declined to sign up. She has no time for politicians. "The ones on the top of the ladder should come down to the bottom of the ladder to see what it's really like," she said before hopping a bus to school. Sometimes, Greenberg said, single women simply don't feel informed enough to choose among candidates. This view was expressed by Heather Reuble, 25, a single massage therapist walking briskly down Seattle's Union Street. She did not stop when she was approached to register. "Why don't I vote?" she repeated, when asked. "Good question. I know I should. I choose not to. It's really intimidating." Single women are not "enthusiastic" about the war in Iraq, Desser said, but they are not consumed by it either. Abortion was not a primary concern, the survey found. "I don't want to minimize how important choice is to these women," Desser said, "but I think it has long been believed that that's the only issue used to mobilize women, and the fact is that issues that mobilize women are not that different from issues that mobilize men." Gardner said one of the most striking findings in the focus groups was the reaction single women had when they learned that there were so many of them. "A light bulb went off. They got that if they participated, they could literally change the course of the nation." This was the logic that motivated Regina Owens, a divorced Seattle mother, to begin voting recently after a nearly 20-year hiatus. "I really felt like it didn't matter," said Owens, 43, who is an independent. "The corporate honchos, the policymakers ... I just felt like, well, they go do lunch and talk among themselves and make deals." When a canvasser from a citizens group came to her door in 2001 and asked Owens to get involved in an effort to stop cuts to food stamps, she said she suddenly understood the connection between voting and her life. "I felt like I was personally affected. I had always wondered, what can I do to make a difference? I wasn't voting, so that wasn't helping." Since then, she has become a volunteer with Washington Citizen Action, has personally registered 47 others and is looking forward to voting in her first presidential election in many years. Women's Voices, Women Vote is compiling lists of single, voting-age women in 12 states. Some, such as Florida, Ohio and Missouri, are considered swing states. Others, such as South and North Carolina, are not. In each state, however, more than half of heads of household are single and there is a significant difference in voter registration between married and single women. Desser said Women's Voices, Women Vote has amassed about $1 million of the $3 million it hopes to raise. According to the group's website, funding has come from the Heinz Family Foundation (part of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, which is chaired by Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry); the anti-Bush group MoveOn.org; and the Bauman Foundation, known for its environmental focus. Heinz Kerry's chief of staff, Jeff Lewis, is on the advisory committee, as are Democratic activist John Podesta, the Ms. Foundation's Marie Wilson and Kim Gandy of the National Organization for Women (news - web sites). Although Republicans are not specifically targeting single women, they are refusing to cede the battle over their vote. "We're definitely reaching out to register women," said Christine Iverson, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee (news - web sites). "But we're not focusing on one demographic group." This week, the Bush reelection campaign is launching a program called "W Stands for Women." The volunteer effort by women around the country will "communicate the president's message and record of achievement, especially on the issues that women care most about - making America more secure, strengthening the economy, making healthcare more accessible and more affordable," said campaign spokeswoman Ali Harden. The Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) has a similar program aimed at helping Kerry. Ultimately, Desser said, the effort to reach single women is not just about one election, it's about civic engagement: "This is about how you make voting part of the culture within which these women live." * (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX) The voting gender gap Women traditionally vote in greater numbers than men, but a huge bloc of single women steered clear of the ballot box in 2000. Several groups are working to encourage more turnout by single women in this year's presidential election. --- 2000 election voter turnout 186.3 million eligible* voters 60% voted (110.8 million) 53.5% women (59.3 million) 46.5% men (51.5 million) --- A closer look at eligible voters, broken down by marital status: 44.8 million single women: 52% voted (23.4 million) 48% did not vote (21.4 million) Voted for: Al Gore (news - web sites) (D) 66%** George W. Bush (R) 30% Ralph Nader (news - web sites) (G) 4% -- 34.9 million single men: 44% voted (15.5 million) 56% did not vote (19.4 million) Voted for: Gore 48% Bush 45% Nader 7% -- 52.8 million married women: 68% voted (35.9 million) 32% did not vote (16.9 million) Voted for: Gore 49% Bush 49% Nader 2% -- 53.8 million married men: 67% voted (36 million) 33% did not vote (17.8 million) Voted for: Bush 58% Gore 40% Nader 2% *Eligible voters are U.S. citizens age 18 and older. **Voter returns based on exit poll data. Numbers are rounded to nearest decimal place. Sources: U.S. census, Los Angeles Times exit poll

U.S. tipped to Holocaust in '42

Fri May 14, 6:08 AM ET  - USATODAY.com 

By Richard Willing, USA TODAY 

U.S. intelligence officials learned within months of the U.S. entry into World War II that Nazi Germany planned mass killings to eliminate Jews, scholars reviewing newly declassified reports said Thursday.

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But the U.S. government gave the information low priority in August 1942, the scholars concluded, not acknowledging that Germany had a plan to exterminate Jews until six months later. (Related site: National Archives group)

"It was an intelligence failure," said Richard Breitman, an American University Holocaust historian who studied the documents. "The early information was not assimilated or used correctly."

Breitman was part of a team of scholars, citizens and government officials who reviewed more than 240,000 pages of documents at the National Archives related to Nazi and other World War II-era crimes. The material was from files of the FBI (news - web sites), CIA (news - web sites) and its predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services.

The documents show a federal intelligence unit was formed to interview Jews who immigrated from Axis countries in 1941 and 1942. One, Joseph Goldschmied, described how Germans seized money and property from Jews in his hometown, Prague, Czechoslovakia, and sent thousands to die in the Theresienstadt detention camp.

"If Hitler remains true to his program of destroying all European Jewry - he will have achieved this goal soon," Goldschmied said in August 1942.

The scholars said the declassified documents also show:

¥ The CIA recruited as intelligence sources 23 Germans who appeared to have perpetrated war crimes.

¥ The U.S. Army protected an additional 100 German spies, including their leader Reinhard Gehlen, who had knowledge of Soviet Russia.

¥ The FBI and CIA helped Nazis or Nazi collaborators with intelligence value elude war-crimes prosecution.

¥ The agencies pressured the Immigration and Naturalization Service to let war criminals working with American authorities resettle in the USA. 

American intelligence recruited the ex-Nazis in the Cold War fight against communism, some documents show. The professors say many of the ex-Nazis had little long-term value.

The documents include a previously unknown description of a tea party hosted by Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944, that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini attended. Hours earlier, Hitler had just missed being assassinated by a bomb planted by some of his senior officers.

The firsthand account from a translator, said Hitler gobbled candy-colored pills and raved for a half-hour "in a fit of frenzy" with "foam on his lips," questioning whether "the German people are worthy of my great ideas." 

"I don't know why I didn't go over to the Allies there and then," said the translator, Eugen Dollmann, in a conversation after his capture in 1945.

NBC Closes Merger With Universal 

47 minutes ago 
Add Business - 

By SETH SUTEL, News Source Business Writer 

NEW YORK - NBC closed its deal to merge with the Universal entertainment businesses Wednesday, creating a new media conglomerate that will take its place alongside giants such as Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. 

The new company, to be known as NBC Universal, will be led mainly by NBC executives including Bob Wright, the NBC chairman who will become chairman and CEO of the company. Wright will also continue as vice chairman of General Electric Co., NBC's parent company. 

The deal brings together television's top-rated network among the 18-49 age group, which advertisers try hardest to reach; a major movie studio; a television production studio; a handful of cable TV channels including USA, Sci-Fi, CNBC and Bravo; and a group of 29 television stations. 

Wright said the combination presented a "tremendous growth opportunity for our viewers, advertisers, employees, and GE shareowners." 

While not as diverse or large as some of the other major conglomerates, NBC Universal will own several top-quality properties, not least of which is the powerful "Law & Order" franchise, a cash cow for NBC which is produced by Universal's television arm. 

The deal also gives NBC a major TV studio, ensuring the network a stable pipeline of future shows and giving it more bargaining power among other media conglomerates in negotiating for shows of its own. 

GE will own 80 percent of NBC Universal, while the French media and telecommunications conglomerate Vivendi Universal will own the remaining 20 percent. Vivendi is also getting $3.4 billion in cash in the deal. 

Ron Meyer, the head of Universal Studios, will remain at the company as head of the Hollywood studio as well as its associated theme parks. 

Several NBC executives will take on larger responsibilities in the new conglomerate, including Randy Falco, who will oversee the company's operations. Rising star Jeff Zucker will oversee all TV programming except for sports, which will be handled by NBC sports chief Dick Ebersol.

Raiders Haven't Hired 'Apprentice' 

Tue May 11, 8:48 PM ET

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Oakland Raiders said they haven't hired Nick Warnock, who made it to the final episodes of Donald Trump's NBC hit reality show, "The Apprentice," but the team hadn't ruled out employing him in the future. 

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Raiders spokesman Artie Gigantino said Tuesday that reports last week that Warnock had finalized a job with the Raiders were "premature." 

The Raiders met with Warnock, 27, last week about selling luxury suites at the Oakland Coliseum, which is a part-time job with the franchise. 

For now, Warnock will be working for Jason Binn's Niche Media Holdings, publisher of several high-end magazines. He will sell advertisements and will be based in Los Angeles. 

"No deal has been completed," Gigantino said. "The way it was left, Nick was going to fulfill prior commitments and when he was done we'd revisit what the next step was." 

Warnock, a native of New Jersey, was among 16 candidates on "The Apprentice" who competed for a high-paying job with Trump. In the last episode, Trump hired Internet entrepreneur Bill Rancic, who will oversee the construction of a 90-story building project in Chicago.

U.S. to Build World's Fastest Computer 

Tue May 11, 8:35 PM ET

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - Viewing supercomputers as crucial to scientific discovery, the Energy Department will announce plans 
Wednesday to build the world's fastest computer at a research laboratory in Tennessee. 

The supercomputer to be built at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be funded over the initial two years by federal grants totaling 
$50 million. 

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (news - web sites) was to make the formal announcement in a speech Wednesday, in which he 
will call development of the world's fastest computer for general science "critical to our nation's competitiveness." 

The News Source obtained a copy of Abraham's announcement Tuesday. 

The project submitted by Oak Ridge scientists envisions a computer capable of sustaining 50 trillion calculations per second. 

The Energy Department project will involve Cray Corp., International Business Machines and Silicon Graphics Inc., all private 
companies that have been deeply involved in high-performance computing research. 

The program will attempt to develop a computer that will surpass Japan's Earth Simulator, built by NEC in 2002 and capable of 
sustaining nearly 36 trillion calculations per second. Some computers have reached many times that speed, but not on a sustained 
basis. 

With the NEC computer in 2002, Japan became the world leader in having the most powerful computer for scientific research - one 
even faster than computers used at the government nuclear weapons laboratories. 

"This computer will propel the United States into the global lead in high-speed computers aimed at scientific discovery," according to 
Abraham. 

Ultra-fast supercomputers are considered essential in today's scientific research, from analyzing climate change and developing fusion 
energy to understanding cellular structures, Energy Department officials said. 

With the development of the Earth Simulator, many officials believed the United States had lost the lead in scientific computation, 
although U.S. universities and federal research labs still have many of the fastest computers now operating. 

Superfast computers do more than solve complicated sets of equations. They allow for sophisticated simulations that lead to scientific 
discoveries once only found through lengthy experimentation. For example, supercomputers are key in the Energy Department's 
attempt to simulate the forces of a nuclear explosion, replacing actual bomb testing. 

"We are making this significant investment in America's scientific infrastructure with the expectation that it will yield a wealth of 
dividends, major research breakthroughs, significant technological innovations, medical and health advances, enhanced economic 
competitiveness and improved quality of life," Abraham will tell a group at the Council on Competitiveness in Washington. 

While the Japanese are to be congratulated for their accomplishment, the United States "must make the commitment necessary to 
regain the clear-cut lead" in supercomputing, he contends. 

"This is exactly what we are going to do," promises Abraham. 

The department chose the Oak Ridge proposal from among four finalists. The others were submitted by the Lawrence Berkeley 
National Laboratory in California, Brookhaven National Laboratory (news - web sites) in New York and the Stanford Linear 
Accelerator Center in California. 

Microsoft Warns of 'Important' Windows Flaw Tue May 11, 7:31 PM ET Add Technology 

By Spencer Swartz SAN FRANCISCO  - A flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) almost universally used Windows operating system could allow hackers to take control of a PC by luring users to a malicious Web site and coaxing them into clicking on a link, the company warned on Tuesday. The world's largest software maker issued the warning as part of its monthly security bulletin, along with a patch to fix the problem. The security warning was rated "important," the second most serious on Microsoft's four-tiered rating scale for computer security threats. The highest is "critical." Anti-virus software company Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC - news) called the vulnerability a "high risk" due to the impact the flaw could have if successfully exploited. The security flaw affects the latest versions of Windows, including Windows XP (news - web sites), and software for networked computers such as Windows Server 2003, Microsoft said. Vincent Gullotto, vice president of the anti-virus emergency response team at Network Associates Inc. (NYSE:NET - news), said he did not believe the vulnerability was a high risk but said computer users should retrieve security patches from Microsoft's Web site. Stephen Toulouse, a manager at Microsoft's Security Response Center, said that while the vulnerability would not allow for the automatic spread of a virus in the way the recent Sasser worm spread across global networks, it could still have serious consequences. "The net result of an attack would be for an attacker to be able to do anything you already do on your computer," he said. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains a Web page used to exploit the vulnerability and then persuade the user to visit the Web site and perform several actions before the attacker could take over a computer, Toulouse said. The fast-moving Sasser computer worm hit PC users running the ubiquitous Microsoft Windows 2000 (news - web sites), NT and XP operating systems a little over a week ago, afflicting computer users around the world by causing automatic reboots and slowing down Internet connections. The suspected author of the Sasser worm was caught in Germany this past weekend. Tuesday's security bulletin is the 15th issued so far this year by Microsoft, of which seven have identified "critical" flaws in its software. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft issued 51 security bulletins in 2003. Last year, Microsoft adopted a new monthly patch release program, which it said would let customers apply software fixes for security bugs more easily.

Mass. Town May Have Earliest Baseball Law Tue May 11, 4:22 PM ET 

By ADAM GORLICK, News Source Writer PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Officials and historians in this western Massachusetts city released a 213-year-old document Tuesday that they believe is the earliest written reference to baseball. The evidence comes in a 1791 bylaw that aims to protect the windows in Pittsfield's new meeting house by prohibiting anyone from playing baseball within 80 yards of the building. That bylaw would have been produced well before Abner Doubleday is said to have written the rules for the game in 1839. Historian John Thorn was doing research on the origins of baseball when he found a reference to the bylaw in an 1869 book on Pittsfield's history. He shared his find with former major leaguer and area resident Jim Bouton, who told city officials about the ordinance. A librarian found the actual document in a vault at the Berkshire Athenaeum library. Its age was authenticated by researchers at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. "It's clear that not only was baseball played here in 1791, but it was rampant," Thorn said. "It was rampant enough to have an ordinance against it." The long-accepted story of baseball's origins centers around Cooperstown, N.Y., where Doubleday is said to have come up with the rules for the modern game. That legend long legitimized the Baseball Hall of Fame's presence in Cooperstown, although later evidence pointed to the first real game being played in Hoboken, N.J., in 1846. In 2001, a librarian at New York University came across two newspaper articles published on April 25, 1823, that show an organized form of a game called "base ball" was being played in Manhattan. The Pittsfield group hopes their find puts to rest the debate about the game's origins. "Pittsfield is baseball's Garden of Eden," Mayor James Ruberto said. But experts say it may be impossible to say exactly where and when baseball was created because it evolved from earlier games, such as cricket and rounders, another English game played with a bat and ball. "There's no way of pinpointing where the game was first played," said Jeff Idelson, a spokesman for the Hall of Fame. "Baseball wasn't really born anywhere." Still, Idelson said if the Pittsfield group's document is authentic, it would be "incredibly monumental." Pittsfield might be a sensible home for the sport. Some historians have documented "the Massachusetts game" as a precursor to modern baseball, where runners were thrown out if they were hit by a ball. Bouton, whose decade-long career as a pitcher included stints with the New York Yankees (news) and Houston Astros (news), lives in nearby Egremont and is helping to restore Pittsfield's Wahconah Park, the former home of several minor league teams. He hopes the discovery helps bring attention to the project. "We thought this was a lucky stroke," said Bouton, whose 1970 book "Ball Four" offered a scandalous look behind the scenes of professional baseball. "I'm sure Pittsfield will live off this for a while." For now, the document will be kept in a vault until city officials figure out how to properly display it. A copy will be hung at Wahconah Park, one of the nation's oldest ballparks.

N.Y. Removes Controversial Parking Meter 

Tue May 11, 5:53 PM ET 
Add U.S. National - 

By KAREN MATTHEWS, News Source Writer 

NEW YORK - The city wasted no time in mollifying motorists angry over a case of meter madness. A parking meter in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn was so close to a fire hydrant that parking there meant risking a $115 ticket. 

State law requires that cars park at least 15 feet from hydrants - leaving only 12 feet, 5 inches between the meter and the buffer zone. Only a tiny car such as the Mini Cooper, measuring just 11.9 feet, could fit in that space; a Ford Taurus would be about 4 feet too long. 

The city removed the meter on Tuesday, following a front-page headline in the Daily News. 

"We took the meter out," said Tom Cocola, a spokesman for the city Department of Transportation. "We try to listen to the public." 

That was too late for George Akopoulos, 47, who co-owns a restaurant nearby. He said he got a ticket a month ago but paid it to avoid a hassle. Others, such as Bob Restaino, 64, have unsuccessfully fought their tickets. 

"This is a disgrace. I put money in the meter, went to lunch and got a ticket. I was parked legally," Restaino told the Daily News. 

Restaino, who is retired, called the newspaper in frustration after spending three hours in parking court Monday. 

But Tuesday was a new day for him. He was autographing copies of his picture in the paper for neighborhood residents and fielding calls from the BBC, the British broadcasting network. 

"I never actually in my wildest dreams figured it would go this far," he said. 

Cocola said anyone who got a ticket at the meter should plead innocent and mail a copy of the Daily News story with the ticket. "I think they'll be successful," he said. 

He said he didn't know how the meter and the fire hydrant were installed so close together in the first place. "It may have been a miscalculation," he said.

Study: Brain Prefers Working for Cash 

Thu May 13, 1:05 PM ET 
By DANIEL YEE, News Source Writer 

ATLANTA - It's nicer when you actually earn it. 

Missed Tech Tuesday?
Explore super fast 64-bit computers, check the top ten list of desktops with the quicks and get an answer to the question: Is the Apple Power Mac G5 the 
world's fastest PC? 

Lottery winners, trust-fund babies and others who get their money without working for it do not get as much satisfaction from their cash as those who earn it, a 
study of the pleasure center in people's brains suggests. 

Emory University researchers measured brain activity in the striatum - the part of the brain associated with reward processing and pleasure - in two groups 
of volunteers. One group had to work to receive money while playing a simple computer game; the other group was rewarded without having to earn it. 

The brains of those who had to work for their money were more stimulated. 

"When you have to do things for your reward, it's clearly more important to the brain," said Greg Berns, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral 
science. "The subjects were more aroused when they had to do something to get the money relative to when they passively received the money." 

Berns and other researchers said the study has broader real-world implications, particularly in the age of multimillion-dollar lottery jackpots. 

He said that other studies have shown "there's substantial evidence that people who win the lottery are not happier a year after they win the lottery. It's also 
fairly clear from the psychological literature that people get a great deal of satisfaction out of the work they do." 

In the Emory study, published Thursday in the journal Neuron, volunteers played a computer game in which they had to push a button every time a triangle 
appeared. The 16 volunteers played while their brains were scanned by a magnetic resonance imaging machine, or MRI. 

The researchers found that some reward centers of the brain were activated whenever a volunteer received money. However, the striatum was activated only 
when volunteers worked for their reward. 

Berns suggested that the brain is wired this way by nature. 

"I don't think it ever evolved to sit back and sit on the couch and have things fall in our laps," he said. 

The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

"This part of the brain is a fascinating part. It's associated with drug abuse, a number of diseases," Berns said. "It's no coincidence we're finding it to be very 
important in almost everything that we do." 

___ 

On the Net: 

Emory University: http://www.emory.edu

Officials Unaware of Interrogation Rules 

2 hours, 16 minutes ago 


By PAULINE JELINEK, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon (news - web sites)'s No. 2 general and the deputy defense secretary said they were unaware of interrogation rules approved for use in Iraq (news - web sites) allowing the use of dogs or days of sleep deprivation. 

Slideshow: Iraq Prisoner Abuse Investigation

Latest headlines: 
á Senator grills Wolfowitz on US prisoner interrogation 
NEWS SOURCE - 6 minutes ago 
á US overseer for Iraq says US does not stay where "not welcome" 
NEWS SOURCE - 14 minutes ago 
á Militia Move Around City of Nassiriyah 
AP - 14 minutes ago 
Special Coverage

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz appeared Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites). The panel is trying to determine if the prisoner abuse was limited to a small group of soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison or if the problem was more widespread and military leaders were involved. 

Photos of hooded, naked Iraqi prisoners being sexually humiliated and apparently injured by their American captors have touched off an international outcry. Pentagon officials say the treatment in the pictures goes well beyond approved interrogation techniques. 

But the approved techniques have also raised concerns on the committee. A summary of "Interrogation Rules of Engagement" provided to senators by Army officials says that, with a general's written approval, prisoners could be subjected to stressful positions for up to 45 minutes, isolation for more than 30 days, military dogs and up to 72 hours of "sleep management." 

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said he believed the policy would allow prisoners to be held "naked, with a bag over their head, squatting with their arms uplifted for 45 minutes." 

Both Pace and Wolfowitz said such treatment would appear to violate the Geneva Conventions. But they said they weren't familiar with the interrogation techniques approved for use in Iraq. 

The Pentagon late Thursday issued a statement saying the scenario Reed described would be "contrary to our regulations. Senator Reed is mistaken." 

As senators pursue their inquiry, they are expected to call other top military officials. Senators have particularly expressed interest in hearing from Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith; Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. commander in Iraq; and Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the commander of Abu Ghraib. 

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Miller defended his role in advising U.S. authorities last fall on how to set up a detention and interrogation system in Iraq that could yield useful intelligence on the insurgency. 

"I'm absolutely convinced we laid down the foundations for how you detain people humanely," said Miller, former commander of the U.S. prison compound at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 

Miller gave a tour of Abu Ghraib on Thursday to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who made a surprise visit to Iraq in hopes of containing the scandal. 

Rumsfeld called the controversy surrounding the prison a "body blow for all of us" and said the people who did wrong will be punished. 

"You can be absolutely certain that the abuses of a few are not going to change how we manage this force," Rumsfeld told troops. "We need all of you to make this thing work for our country." 

Rumsfeld also held out hope to his war-weary audience that international troops may soon arrive to augment their ranks. He said U.S. officials were engaged in talks with nations "that have capabilities to bring forces in," and those discussions were going well. 

"I'm encouraged. I think we'll find that we will get additional forces," Rumsfeld said. He did not specify which or how many countries are involved, saying only "we're probably talking to a couple of handfuls, maybe three handfuls of nations."

Fast-Food Breakfast May Inflame Blood Vessels Wed May 12,12:44 PM ET Add Health 

By Amy Norton NEW YORK (The News Source Health) - Downing a big fast-food breakfast may spur a temporary but large inflammatory response in the blood vessels, a small study suggests. Researchers say that while an occasional indulgence in such high-fat, high-carbohydrate fare probably poses no concern, the new findings suggest that making it a regular routine could lead to chronic blood vessel inflammation and complications, such as heart attack and stroke. The study included nine healthy, normal-weight adults who were fed a breakfast of one Egg McMuffin, a Sausage McMuffin and two servings of hash browns from McDonald's. The meal weighed in at 910 calories, 81 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of fat and 32 grams of protein. While the hearty breakfast may be on the supersize side, lead study author Dr. Ahmad Aljada of the State University of New York at Buffalo said it reflects what many Americans order up at fast-food restaurants. "We wanted to look at a typical American meal," he told The News Source Health. "We're not targeting McDonald's." Dr. Catherine Adams, corporate vice president of worldwide quality at McDonald's and a registered dietitian, cautioned against reading too much into the findings. The normal metabolic response to eating involves some inflammation and the production of molecules called oxygen free radicals. Any heavy meal, compared with water, will generate a much greater inflammatory response, Adams noted. And no one, she told The News Source Health, advocates regularly consuming a 900-calorie fast-food breakfast. However, Aljada said additional research suggests that it's not the size, but the content of the breakfast that may be the problem when it comes to inflammation in the blood vessels. He said he and his colleagues found that 900 calories' worth of an American Heart Association (news - web sites) (AHA)-endorsed breakfast high in fruit and fiber did not produce the inflammatory responses seen with the fast-food breakfast. "The number of calories is not the issue," Aljada said. "It's the type of food." There may be something about the metabolism of fat, for example, that spurs significant inflammation, according to the researcher. In past studies, he and his colleagues found that both pure glucose (sugar) and fat trigger greater inflammatory responses than protein does. The AHA-based breakfast, while high in carbohydrates, contains complex, fiber-rich carbs, as well as antioxidant vitamins that may ward off inflammation, Aljada explained. For the new study, the researchers gave nine adults the fast-food breakfast and another eight a glass of water after an overnight fast. They took blood samples before the meal or drink, then again one, two and three hours afterward. The blood samples showed that in the fast-food diners, markers of inflammation and free-radical production rose and remained high for hours after the meal. Chronic inflammation is key in the development of the artery disease atherosclerosis, a hardening and narrowing of the arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Aljada said that the concern is that, over time, repeated inflammatory responses like those seen in the study could lead to chronic inflammation in the blood vessels. He said his advice to fast-food fans is to "eat moderately." "And," the researcher added, "you may want to look into eating more fruit and fiber." Adams echoed the call for moderation, saying fast-food fare can fit into a balanced diet. Ordering that Egg McMuffin with a glass of orange juice-rich in free radical-squelching antioxidants is one way to strive for better balance, she noted. Aljada said he and his colleagues are studying the inflammatory effects of other types of food as well, including Atkins-style high-fat, high-protein meals, and foods with a high glycemic index. Foods in this latter group are digested quickly to glucose and cause a swift surge in blood sugar; they include carbohydrates such as white bread and potatoes. SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (news - web sites), April 2004.

Lemurs Aren't So Dumb After All, Study Finds

Wed May 12, 5:31 PM ET 
Add Science 

WASHINGTON  - Lemurs, once believed to be cute but basically stupid, show startling intelligence when given a chance to win treats by playing a computer game, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. 

Missed Tech Tuesday?
Explore super fast 64-bit computers, check the top ten list of desktops with the quicks and get an answer to the question: Is the Apple Power Mac G5 the world's fastest PC? 

The study will help shed light on how humans became sophisticated mathematically, the Duke University team said. 

So far, it suggests primitive animals such as lemurs need a good reason, such as a treat, to bother trying to count. Humans and monkeys, in contrast, will stretch their minds simply out of curiosity. 

Lemurs are primates, as are monkeys, apes and humans. But they are considered far less intelligent. "The little bit of research that's out there suggests their learning capacities are not as sophisticated as those of monkeys," said psychologist Elizabeth Brannon, who led the research. 

"So initially, I thought it very unlikely that I was going to get any cognitive experiments to really work with them." 

But she found a combination of greed and the lure of a touch-screen computer worked to get the long-tailed animals to cooperate. 

"If a task involves a food reward, they can be amazing," she said. "They'll work for a couple of hundred trials because they want these sugar pellets, even though we do not deprive them of food in any way." 

Although lemurs are social, they would often stop what they were doing to play on the computer. 

"Occasionally, one animal would come over and finish the sequence started by another to get the reward," said Brannon. 

Unexpectedly, the lemurs could remember sequences. For instance, they showed they could remember the order of appearance of random images by touching them in order when they reappeared as a group. 

"It shows that the animal is actually learning some kind of strategy above and beyond what they're learning about the individual pictures in a given set," Brannon said. 

But the lemurs were not especially dexterous. "While monkeys will use their fingers, the ringtails (lemurs) use their nose or mouth to touch the screen, sometimes kind of kissing it," Brannon said.

Lemurs Aren't So Dumb After All, Study Finds

Wed May 12, 5:31 PM ET 
Add Science 

WASHINGTON  - Lemurs, once believed to be cute but basically stupid, show startling intelligence when given a chance to win treats by playing a computer game, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. 

Missed Tech Tuesday?
Explore super fast 64-bit computers, check the top ten list of desktops with the quicks and get an answer to the question: Is the Apple Power Mac G5 the world's fastest PC? 

The study will help shed light on how humans became sophisticated mathematically, the Duke University team said. 

So far, it suggests primitive animals such as lemurs need a good reason, such as a treat, to bother trying to count. Humans and monkeys, in contrast, will stretch their minds simply out of curiosity. 

Lemurs are primates, as are monkeys, apes and humans. But they are considered far less intelligent. "The little bit of research that's out there suggests their learning capacities are not as sophisticated as those of monkeys," said psychologist Elizabeth Brannon, who led the research. 

"So initially, I thought it very unlikely that I was going to get any cognitive experiments to really work with them." 

But she found a combination of greed and the lure of a touch-screen computer worked to get the long-tailed animals to cooperate. 

"If a task involves a food reward, they can be amazing," she said. "They'll work for a couple of hundred trials because they want these sugar pellets, even though we do not deprive them of food in any way." 

Although lemurs are social, they would often stop what they were doing to play on the computer. 

"Occasionally, one animal would come over and finish the sequence started by another to get the reward," said Brannon. 

Unexpectedly, the lemurs could remember sequences. For instance, they showed they could remember the order of appearance of random images by touching them in order when they reappeared as a group. 

"It shows that the animal is actually learning some kind of strategy above and beyond what they're learning about the individual pictures in a given set," Brannon said. 

But the lemurs were not especially dexterous. "While monkeys will use their fingers, the ringtails (lemurs) use their nose or mouth to touch the screen, sometimes kind of kissing it," Brannon said.

New Prison Abuse Photos Outrage Lawmakers 8 minutes ago 

By KEN GUGGENHEIM, News Source Writer WASHINGTON - Fresh photos showing American soldiers brutalizing Iraqi prisoners with snarling dogs or forced sex left members of Congress angry and disgusted, but apparently with few new clues about how widespread the abuse was and who ultimately should be held accountable. In separate private screenings on Capitol Hill, House and Senate members saw photos and video Wednesday of Iraqi corpses, military dogs menacing cowering Iraqi prisoners, Iraqi women forced to expose themselves and other sexual abuses. Some lawmakers said the pictures included forced homosexual sex; others said the quality of the photos were too poor to discern what was happening. The 1,600-plus photos, which included scenes of abuse mixed in with travelogue-type snapshots, were in addition to the those that already surfaced publicly depicting abuse and sexual humiliation at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. The photos have created international condemnation and threatened to undermine U.S. military and rebuilding efforts in Iraq (news - web sites). Lawmakers differed over whether the new batch of photos should be released - a decision likely will be left up to the Bush administration. Some said they feared releasing photos would only further inflame international passions; others argued it would demonstrate the openness of American society and limit the damage caused by the gradual leaking of photos to media outlets. They also disagreed about whether the photos they saw were much worse than the ones already made public. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said, "It was significantly worse than anything that I had anticipated. Take the worst case and multiply it several times over." But Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., said, "Anything like this is shocking ... but it's generally the same as what's in the public domain - no huge surprises." The viewing came a day after Islamic militants, in a video, showed the beheading of an American in Iraq to avenge the prison abuse. President Bush (news - web sites) said "there's no justification" for the killing of Nicholas Berg, 26, and that it would not shake U.S. resolve to bring democracy to Iraq. The private Capitol Hill screening marked the latest turn in a scandal that has prompted Bush to apologize to the victims and Democrats to demand the dismissal of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. The Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites) has been holding hearings to determine whether prisoner abuses were limited to the Abu Ghraib facility. The committee also wants to see whether responsibility went beyond a small group of enlisted soldiers and their immediate supervisors, who the Army says provided inadequate training and supervision. Among the uncertainties is whether military intelligence officials directly or indirectly encouraged the abuse in order to "soften up" detainees for interrogations. The Defense Department is investigating the abuse, and the courts-martial of three military police guards have been ordered. Lawmakers said the new photos showed small groups of soldiers - fewer than a dozen - abusing the prisoners. Many of the soldiers' faces were already familiar from photos published worldwide. It wasn't clear whether all the abuse took place at Abu Ghraib or at other locations, they said. Senators said the photographs were presented as a rapid slide show on a screen in the classified hearing room. Pentagon (news - web sites) officials were present, but did not answer questions about the pictures, apparently fearing they might interfere with the any prosecutions. The photos were seized from service members and included many shots unrelated to the investigation, such as pictures of historic sites. Some photos showed what appeared to be soldiers having sex. Because of the vast number of photos - and members coming and going - not all saw the same slides, and impressions varied. "I saw cruel, sadistic torture," said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., who added that some of the images were of male prisoners masturbating. She said she saw a man hitting himself against a wall as though to knock himself unconscious. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said he did not see acts of violence, but what appeared to be "results of acts of violence." He said he saw people in body bags and a person with a face "virtually gone." He saw "people being stitched up above the eyebrow apparently unconscious." Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said, "There were people who were forced to have sex with each other." Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., said, "There were some pictures where it looked like a prisoner was sodomizing himself" with an object. He said blood was visible in the photograph. But House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said he thought "some people are overreacting." "The people who are against the war are using this to their political ends," he said. At a Senate hearing earlier Wednesday, Rumsfeld said Pentagon lawyers had approved methods such as sleep deprivation and dietary changes as well as rules permitting prisoners to be made to assume stressful positions. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told senators the military has taken steps to correct the problems that led to abuses, including replacing the military police unit that took some of the photos.

Weinsteins, Disney Reach Deal on 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Wed May 12, 4:53 PM ET Add Movies 

LOS ANGELES  - Miramax Films said on Wednesday it has reached a deal with Miramax's owners, the Walt Disney Co., allowing it to find a new distributor for director Michael Moore (news)'s controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," which Disney refused to distribute. "We are very happy that Disney has agreed to sell 'Fahrenheit 911' to Bob and Harvey," Miramax spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said in a statement, referring to Miramax co-chiefs Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Under the agreement, the Weinstein brothers would acquire the rights to the film that chronicles America's response to the Sept. 11 attacks and looks at links between the family of President Bush (news - web sites) and prominent Saudis, including the family of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites). Hiltzik said the Weinsteins are providing a "term sheet" to Disney based on a similar deal for a previous, controversial Miramax film "Dogma," and that the brothers "look forward to promptly completing this transaction." The Weinsteins would then be free to find a new distributor to release the documentary into theaters, possibly as soon as July. Disney, Miramax's corporate parent, had previously refused to distribute the movie that Miramax had funded. Disney's decision, which it said it had made as long as one year ago, spurred headlines last week when Moore, the filmmaker behind 2002's Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine," went public with it.

Accused Soldiers Face Global Condemnation Wed May 12, 4:28 PM ET Add U.S. National - 

By ROBERT TANNER, News Source National Writer 

They are neighbors, relatives, co-workers. One fixed cars; another might've bagged your groceries, if you'd stopped in her small West Virginia town. Seven soldiers, volunteers drawn by money or duty or the chance to get out of town. They got called up to Iraq (news - web sites) and entered another world. And now they're being condemned by everyone from the president to the Vatican (news - web sites). The photos of Iraqi detainees being humiliated can't be argued with. But what about these soldiers behind them? Families and friends say there's an explanation, others to blame, orders given. The soldiers' lives offer scant clues. If you picked a handful of people off the street, you'd probably find roughly similar stories, most mundane, some troubled: growing up in small towns and suburbs, dreams of college and careers, marriages, kids, a strife-filled divorce, money worries. What's striking, ultimately, is not so much how they stand out from the crowd, but how much they blend in. Seven of roughly 1.2 million part-time troops, they're reservists from the 372nd Military Police Company in Cresaptown, Md., sergeants and specialists, in their 20s and 30s, four men and three women. The first to go before a military tribunal - Spc. Jeremy Sivits - faces a special court-martial next week. The 24-year-old from Hyndman, Pa., apparently took some of the photographs. He could get up to one year in prison. Back in Hyndman, Sivits worked at a window-blind factory. He married two years ago, lived with his wife's parents. His love is baseball, playing catcher, first and third base in school and adult leagues, said Jamey Ringler, the best man at Sivits' wedding. His family and friends, like those of the other soldiers who have been charged in the scandal, don't buy the allegations against Sivits - or say someone higher-up is more to blame. "I'd bet my house on it, he's not that type of person," said Ringler. His friend, Ringler said, was well-mannered and obeyed the rules. "It was always, 'Sir, yes sir, yes ma'am.'" "He was just following instructions," said his father, Daniel Sivits, a veteran himself. Yellow ribbons wave from his porch. Sivits might be first to face justice, but two of the soldiers getting a great deal of scrutiny are both prison guards in civilian life - Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick II, 37, of Buckingham, Va., and Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr., 35, of Uniontown, Pa. Frederick is the oldest, with 20 years in the Reserves. He signed up in high school and was the senior enlisted soldier at the Abu Ghraib prison between last October and December, when the alleged crimes occurred. His six years as a prison guard were virtually spotless, said his wife, Martha. He even was cited for saving the life of a prisoner who tried to hang himself, she said. The warden at the Virginia prison wouldn't comment on Frederick's record. Frederick claims the abusive treatment - inmates stripped naked, cuffed to their cells - was orchestrated by military intelligence officers, not MPs, according to a diary his family made available. For Graner, his history turns up uncomfortable echoes - allegations of brutality at the prison where he worked in western Pennsylvania, threats of violence against his ex-wife. In lawsuits brought by inmates, he was accused of using excessive force and of planting a razor blade in a plate of potatoes, causing an inmate to cut his mouth. Both suits were dismissed. He divorced his then-wife in 2000, a marriage that brought two children. She sought legal protection a year later, and alleged in court documents that he dragged her by the hair out of their son's room, and tried to throw her down the stairs after an argument. But perhaps the soldier who has received the most notoriety is Spc. Lynndie England, 21. The sight of the slight woman in Army gear, holding a naked prisoner by a leash or pointing at a prisoner's genitals, has spurred widespread revulsion. She was headstrong, family and friends said, and dreamed of becoming a storm-chaser who studies tornadoes and other, catastrophic weather. She joined the Reserves to see the world beyond her one-stoplight hometown of Fort Ashby, W. Va. England worked at a local grocery, and, later, nights on the line at a chicken-processing plant. She married at 19 and divorced within two years. Now her family can't stand to see the pictures anymore, her story the ugly flipside to Jessica Lynch, another small-town West Virginian girl caught up in this war - but one who came home a hero. England "really wasn't involved," insisted Destiny Goin, a friend so close she considers herself a sister. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." The other two women joined the Reserves after Sept. 11. Spc. Sabrina D. Harman, 26, was an assistant manager at a pizza chain, while Spc. Megan Ambuhl, 29, was a lab technician, both from northern Virginia, according to published reports. Harman is one of two smiling soldiers in a photo standing behind naked, hooded Iraqi prisoners stacked in a pyramid. At Ambuhl's home in Centreville, Va., no one answered the door. A sticker on the window declares: "Freedom Isn't Free." Sgt. Javal Davis, 26, ran track in college but didn't graduate, married, is raising two children, is called a devout Baptist. His father insists the accusations can't be true. "My son is a good kid, a good man," said Jonathan Davis. "He's a very good provider, a good father, a very spiritual man. And my family and I just want him to come home safe." Seven lives that might never have been noticed, and an eighth that perhaps deserves more: Spc. Joe Darby. Darby, 24, studied forestry in high school but became a car mechanic in Virginia after marrying. He grew up poor, friends said, polite, but had a bit of a temper. The difference between Darby and the others? When he saw the photos, he told prison superiors.

Climbing Everest? Don't Forget to Dress for Dinner

May 12, 11:17 am ET 

HUDDERSFIELD, England  - Seven men who enjoyed duck and caviar at more than 22,000 feet in the Himalayas pitched a claim for the record highest altitude formal dinner.

One Australian and six British men made it to the top of the 23,113-feet Tibetan peak Lhakpa Ri near Mount Everest carrying tables, chairs and white tie dinner suits earlier this month. Gales forced them back to 22,326 feet for the sumptuous meal.

"Great party," team leader Henry Shelford said Tuesday by telephone after returning to Britain. "Shame about the atmosphere."

The month-long expedition raised more than $44,000 for the British Lung Foundation for research into the lung disease sarcoidosis, from which Shelford has suffered.

The Guinness World Records said it was verifying the claim that the team, who did not have previous mountaineering experience, had broken the previous record of 22,204 feet for the highest formal dinner, set by Australian climbers in 1989.

Scotsman Robbie Aitken wore a kilt -- but he broke with the tradition of wearing nothing underneath. "He was not a true Scot, otherwise he would not have come back in one piece," Shelford told The News Source.

Talking Windows?

May 12, 11:14 am ET 

HULL, England  - Whispering shop windows will soon be exported to Germany by a small British company that says they will turn heads and draw customers into shops.

"Whispering Windows" are made by Hull-based company FeONIC and have already been used by British retail chains to attract custom, finance director Jeremy Lee told The News Source Wednesday.

"What we have is a device which converts store windows into loudspeakers," he said. Two or four devices are attached to the windows, making them vibrate and so producing sound.

The windows monitor ambient noise in the street and only produce sound a couple of decibels louder in order to avoid excessive noise pollution, he said.

Lee said that FeONIC had received its first order from its German distribution partner, worth more than 150,000 pounds ($265,800). In Britain, the windows were usually rented out to shops.

"As with any advertising campaign, the impact tends to wear off after a couple of weeks," he said.

British travel agents Lunn Poly had used the windows to play the sounds of waves breaking, children laughing and crickets chirping to tempt January shoppers into buying summer holidays.

"They had both an increase in footfall and an increase in the number of bookings," he said.

U.S. Troops Raid Chalabi's House in Iraq 

28 minutes ago

By HAMZA HENDAWI, News Source Writer 

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police raided the residence of Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi on Thursday, and aides accused the Americans of holding guns to his head and bullying him over his criticism of plans for next month's transfer of sovereignty. 

Latest news: 
á U.S. Warns Iraqi Insurgency Could Grow 
AP - 1 minute ago 
á U.S. Soldiers Raid Chalabi's Home in Iraq 
AP - 3 minutes ago 
á Two new photos taken at Iraqi prison shown on US television 
NEWS SOURCE - 4 minutes ago 
Special Coverage

There was no comment from U.S. authorities, but American officials here have complained privately that Chalabi - a longtime Pentagon (news - web sites) favorite - is interfering with a U.S. investigation into allegations that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime skimmed millions in oil revenues during the U.N.-run oil-for-food program. 

A Chalabi aide, Haidar Musawi, accused the Americans of trying to pressure Chalabi, who has become openly critical of U.S. plans for how much power to transfer to the Iraqis on June 30. 

"The aim is to put political pressure," Musawi told The News Source. "Why is this happening at a time when the government is being formed?" 

He said the Americans also raided other offices of Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress. 

Salem Chalabi, nephew of Ahmad Chalabi and head of the Iraqi war crimes tribunal, said his uncle told him by telephone that Iraqi and American authorities "entered his home and put the guns to his head in a very humiliating way that reminds everyone of the conduct of the former regime." 

The younger Chalabi said the reason for the raid was unclear but "they must be afraid of his political movement." 

American soldiers and armed U.S. civilians could be seen milling about Chalabi's compound in the city's fashionable Mansour district. Some people could be seen loading boxes into vehicles. Aides said documents and computers were seized without warrants. 

Musawi said the U.S.-Iraqi force surrounded the residence about 10:30 a.m. while Chalabi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council was inside. They told Chalabi's aides that they wanted to search the house for Iraqi National Congress officials wanted by the authorities. 

The aides agreed to let one unarmed Iraqi policeman inside to look around. 

"The Iraqi police were very embarrassed and said that they (the Americans) ordered them to come and that they didn't know it was Chalabi's house," Musawi said. "The INC is ready to have any impartial and judicial body investigate any accusation against it. There are American parties who have a list of Iraqi personalities that they want arrested to put pressure on the Iraqi political force." 

Abdul Kareem Abbas, an INC official, said Chalabi's entourage objected to the raid but "we couldn't because they came with U.S. troops." 

"They came this morning, entered the office of Dr. Ahmad Chalabi and said that they were looking for people," said Abbas. He said they wanted to make arrests. 

Another official, Qaisar Wotwot, said the operation was linked to Chalabi's recent comments demanding full Iraqi control of oil revenues and security after the June 30 transfer of power. 

"It's a provocative operation, designed to force Dr. Chalabi to change his political stance," he said. 

For years, Chalabi's INC had received hundreds of thousands of dollars every month from the Pentagon, in part for intelligence passed along by exiles about Saddam's purported weapons of mass destruction. 

Chalabi has come under criticism since large stockpiles of such weapons were never found. Chalabi, a former banker and longtime Iraqi exile, was convicted of fraud in absentia in Jordan in 1992 in a banking scandal and sentenced to 22 years in jail. He has repeatedly denied the charges. 

Chalabi has complained recently about U.S. plans to retain control of Iraqi security forces and maintain widespread influence over political institutions after power is transferred from the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority to an Iraqi interim administration at the end of June. 

Musawi said Chalabi "had been clear on rejecting incomplete sovereignty ... and against having the security portfolio remain in the hands of those who have proved their failure." 

However, U.S. and coalition officials have recently accused him of undermining the investigation into the oil-for-food program. The U.S.-backed investigation has collected more than 20,000 files from Saddam's old regime and hired an American accounting firm Ernst & Young to conduct the review. 

Chalabi has launched his own investigation, saying an independent probe will have more credibility. Chalabi took an early lead in exposing alleged abuses of the oil-for-food program and has been trying to force the coalition to give him the $5 million in Iraqi funds set aside for the probe to pay for his effort. The move was strongly resisted by the U.S. governor of Iraq (news - web sites), L. Paul Bremer. 

Chalabi's backers have hired a different firm, KPMG, to do its audit, but they want Bremer's administration to pay the bill from the Iraqi funds it controls. The money comes from a fund of mostly seized Saddam assets and Iraqi oil sales. 

The United Nations (news - web sites) is conducting a third investigation led by former Federal Reserve (news - web sites) chairman Paul Volcker.

Israel Continues Offensive Despite Outcry 

37 minutes ago

By KHALIL HAMRA, News Source Writer 

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops pushed deeper into the Rafah refugee camp Thursday in search of gunmen and weapons smugglers, killing seven Palestinians and demolishing several buildings despite an international outcry over a deadly tank attack on a group of protesters. 

Slideshow: Mideast Conflict Israelis Protest Against Rafah Attacks 
(AP Video)

At least eight Palestinians, many of them children, were killed by Israeli fire Wednesday as they demonstrated against the military operation. The sight of bloodied children and reports of overwhelmed doctors treating dozens of wounded people on blood-drenched hospital floors added to world anger. 

Israel apologized for the deaths, saying its troops did not deliberately fire on marchers. A preliminary army investigation concluded that a warning shot fired by a tank flew through a building and hit the crowd, security sources said on condition of anonymity. 

Israel also blamed the Palestinians, saying gunmen infiltrated the crowd of about 3,000 people protesting the incursion into the Rafah refugee camp. Witnesses denied militants were among the marchers, and Palestinian leaders denounced the incident as a massacre. 

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution condemning the loss of life and Israel's demolition of homes. The United States abstained, the first time in nearly two years it did not exercise its veto on a resolution sharply critical of Israel. 

Also Thursday, an Israeli court in Tel Aviv convicted Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti of overseeing militant attacks that killed five people. Barghouti, a potential successor to Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), was acquitted of planning other attacks in which 21 Israelis died. 

Barghouti's sentencing is set for June 6, and prosecutors asked for five consecutive life terms. 

Brig. Gen. Ruth Yaron, the army's chief spokeswoman, said Thursday the Rafah offensive - dubbed "Operation Rainbow," it is the largest in Gaza in years - would continue until troops obliterate weapons-smuggling tunnels and round up militants along the Gaza-Egypt border. 

By Thursday, the army moved into five neighborhoods in the camp, which is home to about 90,000 Palestinians. Exchanges of gunfire were reported, and Israeli Apache helicopters flew overhead. 

Residents said Israeli troops demolished eight homes overnight and bulldozers moved into a street Thursday, knocking down two homes and a shop. 

"I saw women and children running in the street," resident Mofed Matar said. "They were not able to evacuate any of their belongings." 

The army, which said it was checking the report, said it only destroyed homes to uncover tunnels or flush out gunmen using them to attack Israelis. 

Matar said the army ordered Palestinian men between the ages of 16 and 45 to surrender at a local school, waving white flags. The army said it was checking that report, too. 

A similar mass surrender was ordered in another part of the camp Wednesday. The army said Thursday it had no Rafah men in custody. 

Early Thursday, an Israeli missile strike killed three militants in the Rafah camp. The army said the gunmen were approaching Israeli forces. 

Hours later, troops fired a tank shell and killed two militants, Palestinian doctors said. 

Elsewhere, Rafah hospital director Dr. Ali Mousa said a 37-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to the head and two others, ages 29 and 22, were wounded. Relatives said the men were shot when they ventured onto the roof of their apartment building to check a water tank. 

Another body was brought to the hospital Thursday, and the army said troops shot a gunman when he approached Israeli forces in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah. 

Israel raided the refugee camp less than a week after Palestinian militants killed 13 soldiers in Gaza, including seven along the Egyptian border. 

Since Israel launched its operation early Tuesday, 39 Palestinians, including several children, have been killed. Dozens have been wounded, and refugee camp residents have faced power outages and a lack of water. 

Local officials warned of a looming humanitarian crisis unless electricity and water supplies were restored. 

Water from a well in Tel Sultan could not reach other parts of Rafah because there was no power, said Ashraf Ghonem of the Rafah water department. Israeli tanks prevented workers from repairing generators, he said, and he asked the army to guarantee safe passage to the workers. 

"We want water to save our life. Is that too big to ask?" said Tel Sultan resident Salman Abu Jazar, 30. "My wife boiled the lavatory water to prepare the milk for our 11-month-old son." 

Humanitarian groups called on Israel to ease its grip on Rafah. The International Committee of the Red Cross called on Israel to exercise "the greatest restraint" and ensure the wounded had access to adequate medical facilities. 

Physicians for Human Rights said it petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to allow medical personnel to move freely and let the wounded be evacuated from Rafah. 

It also accused the army of using a bulldozer to bury an ambulance that was headed to treat a mother and three children wounded by tank fire. 

The army said the bulldozer was trying to clear the way for the ambulance, and it was working "24 hours a day" to facilitate humanitarian aid. 

Near the West Bank town of Tulkarem, the army said it killed a Palestinian gunman after a shootout. Palestinian hospital workers confirmed that one man had been killed. 

Palestinian officials also said a 13-year-old was shot dead by troops near the West Bank town of Hebron. The army said it fired on a Palestinian throwing a firebomb at soldiers. 

In the West Bank town of Qalqilya, the army said troops killed an armed fugitive who tried to flee. It said it wounded a second militant who threw a firebomb, but it had no details on his condition.

Lot's of these, so I'm putting them together...

T

___

Music buyers gravitate toward legal downloads: survey

Wed May 19,12:48 PM ET

Add U.S. National - NEWS SOURCE 

NEW YORK (NEWS SOURCE) - US music consumers are sharply increasing their interest in legal downloads and diminishing their use of free song-swapping over the 
Internet, a survey showed.

NEWS SOURCE/Illustration Photo

The survey by the NPD Group found about five percent of those who have purchased music CDs also used a legal Internet service to purchase music in the 
first quarter of 2004, or triple the percentage in the same period a year ago.

Among music buyers who purchased both CDs and a song download from a legal service, the likelihood that they also downloaded a song illegally fell 
dramatically, from 64 percent last year to 42 percent in 2004, the survey found.

The surge in use of legitimate online music services comes as a growing number of companies have set up sites with song downloads for roughly one dollar. 
At the same time, the music industry has been cracking down on file-swapping with lawsuits alleging copyright infringement.

"Paid services like (Apple's) iTunes and (RealNetworks') Rhapsody appear to be attracting core music buyers, which can create a firm foundation for legal 
digital music purchases," said Russ Crupnick, president of NPD Music.

"To date, NPD data shows that there has been a small reduction in sales of CDs; however, that decline might be offset by the overall value of the digital 
customer and the downturn in illegal file sharing."

Consumers who downloaded from a legal service or became paid members of subscription services showed only a small reduction in the number of CDs that 
they purchased at retail. The average consumer who paid for digital music as well as CDs purchased less than one fewer CD in 2003 compared to 2002, the 
survey found.

"Our research shows that it's the people who are really into music that are beginning to adopt paid digital services as an additional way of acquiring and 
enjoying music, and so far these services are living side by side with traditional CDs," Crupnick said.

"As the industry matures and digital music becomes even more main stream, it remains to be seen just how much paid digital music will affect the market for 
CDs."

___

Sony unveils online music service

Sheryl Crow helped launch Connect with an in-flight concert on Tuesday

Sony has entered the digital music market by launching an online music download service in the US.

Sony's Connect offers more than 500,000 tracks from major and independent label artists from $0.99 (£0.55) per song.

Like Apple, whose iTunes music service boosted sales of its iPod digital players, Sony hopes Connect will boost sales of its own audio players.

"Apple did an excellent job in cultivating this new market," said Sony spokesman Mack Araki.

"We believe we can expand the market to a much broader audience with a broader line of devices and an easy-to-use service."

Compatibility

Connect offers tracks from both major and independent label artists, selling entire albums from $9.99 (£5.55).

Its songs are sold in ATRAC3 format, which will play on Sony's own brand of audio devices but is not compatible with Apple's iPod or many other digital 
music players.

Sheryl Crow, whose songs are available via Connect, helped launch the service with a live performance on a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Santa Monica-based Sony Connect Inc, which runs the service, says the online music market is still developing and that there is room for Sony to make its 
mark.

Last week, Apple's online music store iTunes marked its first anniversary by announcing it had sold more than 70 million songs in the US in its first year.

In Europe, rival Napster is racing to launch ahead of Apple, while in the UK, MyCokeMusic and services such as HMV and Virgin are beginning to get a 
foothold in the market.

___

Apple Sells 3.3 Million Songs on iTunes in Week

Wed May 5, 4:27 PM ET

Add Technology 

LOS ANGELES  - Apple Computer Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news) on Wednesday said it has sold 3.3 million songs on iTunes since the online music 
store's relaunch one week ago, with nearly as many downloads of its upgraded music player software.

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Missed Tech Tuesday?
Europe and Japan get all the hot new technology first. Here's a look at the pipeline of future tech -- plus some gadgets that didn't travel well and a wishlist of 
cool things.

The company also said users had downloaded more than 500,000 free songs during a promotion giving away tracks by popular artists including Courtney 
Love and Nelly Furtado.

Apple, whose iPod dominates the portable music player market, also said users published more than 20,000 custom playlists to the music store in the week 
since it was upgraded with that new feature and others.

Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of applications marketing, reported 3 million downloads of iTunes 4.5, the music player software that includes the music 
store, since its release last week.

The 3.3 million songs sold, Schoeben said, compares to a prior peak of 2.7 million in a week.

Executives said the timing of the release helped boost sales on days that would have otherwise been slow.

"Because we rolled out on a Wednesday, we increased traffic on days that would have been slightly slower for us," Eddie Cue, Apple's vice president of 
applications, told The News Source. The music store's busiest days have been Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, he said.

Apple's announcement came a day after Sony Corp (news - web sites). (6758.T), the pioneer in portable music, launched its own online music store, Sony 
Connect. That store features pricing similar to Apple's and like Apple offers the ability to copy songs to portable players or burn them to CDs.

On April 28 Apple said it had sold 70 million songs through the store in its first year, well short of its original goal of 100 million but more, the company said, 
than any other digital music service.

___

Sony Takes Aim at Apple But iPod Seen Safe for Now

Tue May 11, 4:43 AM ET

Add Technology 

TOKYO  - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) (news - web sites) has created a buzz with the unveiling of a new digital music player, but analysts say it 
has a long way to go before it challenges the industry dominance of Apple Computer's popular iPod.

Sony unveiled the new portable music player on Monday along with a slew of new VAIO-brand computers.

Dubbed "Vaio pocket," it features a hard-disk drive capable of storing 13,000 songs and can store digital camera images too.

The "VAIO pocket" will be the first portable music player with an embedded hard-disk drive to be sold under the Sony brand name when it hits stores in 
Japan next month.

Sony said that overseas launch dates have not been set.

Industry watchers say Sony will struggle to gain a stronger footing in the fast-growing industry now dominated by Apple.

The U.S.-based company has nearly 50 percent of the market for digital MP3 music players thanks to the iPod's success.

"In terms of actually attacking Apple it's only a start. I don't see any major shake down in the industry right now," said Standard & Poor's equity analyst John 
Yang.

"I just don't see how Sony could really turn the whole thing upside down with iPod."

Sony's new product will have a 20-gigabyte (GB) hard drive and retail for about 53,000 yen ($465). In terms of price, that puts it close to the top-of the line 
iPod, which has a 40 GB hard drive, holds about 10,000 songs, and sells for $499.

Apple also offers an "iPod mini" which has a 4GB hard drive and goes for $249. It also sells players in between.

But Sony, which pioneered the market for portable music with its Walkman player 25 years ago, is hoping to attract consumers with more than just price.

The "VAIO pocket" can be connected to a digital camera and display photos on a 2.2-inch color liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

"More than just a digital audio player, it enables the user to catalog audio tracks with images whereby they can quickly retrieve and enjoy their favorite tunes," 
said Sony spokesman David Yang.

Sony declined to give sales targets for the new machine.

Earlier this year, Sony introduced eight new MP3 music players -- six flash memory and two hard disk models -- for sale under its Aiwa brand. Aiwa was a 
subsidiary completely absorbed by Sony in December 2002.

Sony Chairman Nobuyuki Idei has said he sees an opportunity to use Aiwa for a multiple brand strategy, similar to auto giant Toyota Motor Corp's efforts to 
create a premium "Lexus" brand and a less expensive "Scion" brand.

Sony shares closed down 0.5 percent at 4,000 yen, underperforming the Nikkei average, which rose 0.21 percent.

___

The World's No.1 Science & Technology News Service

Anonymous file-swapping programmer arrested

16:12 11 May 04 
NewScientist.com news service 
A professor at Tokyo University in Japan has been arrested and charged with copyright offences after developing a computer program that promises to let 
users share files with anonymity.

Isamu Kaneko, a 33-year-old academic, wrote a file-sharing program called "Winny". This promises users the ability to share audio and video files through a 
network built on top of ordinary internet traffic, but without revealing network address of their computer to other users. Kaneko was arrested on suspicion of 
offering copyrighted material for download through the program himself.

In Japan, violating copyright law can be punished with a maximum sentence of three years in prison or a fine of up to 3 million yen ($27,000). A survey 
carried out by the Japan's Association of Copyright for Computer Software suggests that Winny is used by around 250,000 people in Japan.

Outside of Japan, the best-known anonymous file-trading program is FreeNet. This program uses encryption and clever routing to prevent an outsider from 
determining who has requested a particular file or where it is stored but it requires some technical expertise to use. Winny is easier to operate and borrows 
some of the techniques implemented in FreeNet.

Preserving anonymity

But it is unclear how good the Winny network is at preserving anonymity. In November 2003 two users were arrested for allegedly offering copyright movies 
and computer games using the program. Japanese police have not revealed how these users were traced.

Across the world, internet file-sharing has become a major headache for entertainment companies. In the US and Europe programs such as Kazaa and 
Morpheus are used by millions of people to share digital copies of copyrighted music, films and software files without permission.

But these popular programs do not protect the identity of their users, meaning an outside can find a user's (IP) internet protocol address and trace them 
through their internet service provider. 
Legal attack

In the US, the Recording Industry Association of America, a lobby group representing the world's largest record labels, has exploited this fact to track down 
individual music traders and sue them for allegedly copyright infringement.

Julian Midgley, of the UK think-tank Campaign for Digital Rights, says anonymous file-trading will probably increase as traders face growing legal pressure. 
"If people provide simple tools it would seem to be the obvious thing to happen," he told New Scientist.

But he notes that in some countries it easier for investigators to demand that internet service providers hand over information that could be used to trace users 
trying to mask their activities.

___

iTunes in China
http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5215000.html

___

Opensource downloads
http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5216033.html

___

Ibuprofen May Help Treat Colon Cancer - Study

Wed May 19, 4:27 PM ET 
Add Health 

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent 

WASHINGTON  - A cheap headache pill may not only help prevent colon cancer, but may turn out to be an effective therapy, U.S.-based researchers said on Wednesday. 

Mice with cancer that were given small daily doses of ibuprofen had smaller tumors and were less likely to die of colon cancer, they told a meeting. 

"Now we want to do some more studies," said Dr. Michael Wolfe, a gastroenterologist at the Boston University School of Medicine, who led the study. 

"What was really, to us, remarkable is the dose we used in these animals is equivalent to 100 mg of ibuprofen in a human." 

That is about half the amount contained in a standard tablet of ibuprofen. 

Several studies have shown that people who take aspirin, ibuprofen and related drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, have a lower risk of colon cancer. 

The mechanism seems to be compounds called COX-1 and COX-2, both of which NSAIDS interfere with. 

But Wolfe said no one had tested NSAIDS as a potential cancer therapy. 

Ibuprofen seemed to affect tumor cells in lab dishes, so he tried using laboratory mice that had been infected with colon cancer cells. These mice always develop tumors and die if not treated. 

They treated the mice for 21 days with either ibuprofen alone, or with ibuprofen added to the standard colon cancer drugs irinotecan, sold by Pfizer under the brand name Camptosar, or 5-fluororacil. 

By day 50, all the untreated mice had died. But 20 percent of the mice treated with ibuprofen alone died, compared to 20 percent given Camptosar and just 10 percent given ibuprofen plus Camptosar. But 70 percent of the mice that got 5-fluororacil alone or with ibuprofen died. 

Ibuprofen and 5-fluororacil seem to interfere with one another, Wolfe said. The findings were presented on Wednesday to a meeting in New Orleans of cancer and digestive experts called Digestive Disease Week. 

"I'd love to see a study done for the actual treatment of cancers," Wolfe said. But because ibuprofen is cheap, he feared it was "not sexy enough" for any big drug company to sponsor. 

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States after lung cancer, and will kill 57,000 people this year, according to the American Cancer Society (news - web sites).

'Da Vinci Code' Author Left Out Material 

Wed May 19, 3:34 PM ET

By KATE McCANN, News Source Writer 

CONCORD, N.H. - Though "The Da Vinci Code" was contentious enough to produce 10 books attempting to discredit it, its author said he left out what likely would have been the most controversial part. 

Related Links
¥ Dan Brown - official site

Dan Brown said that when he wrote the best seller that dissects the origins of Jesus Christ and disputes long-held beliefs about Catholicism, he considered including material alleging that Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion. 

While speaking at a benefit Tuesday for a New Hampshire writers' group, Brown said the theory is backed by a number of "very credible sources," but that he ultimately decided it was too flimsy. 

"For me, that was just three or four steps too far," he told the crowd of more than 800 people. 

Brown's discussion of his book, during which he answered audience questions, was a rare public appearance for him. He has declined most requests for media interviews this year, saying he is focusing on writing the sequel to his book. 

He said the new book, set in Washington, D.C., would focus on the Free and Accepted Masons, a secretive fraternal organization. He said the architecture in Washington is soaked in symbolism and plays a major role in the novel. He also said the dust jacket of "The Da Vinci Code" contains a code that reveals information about the sequel. 

But Brown spent much of the evening discussing the controversy that has surrounded "The Da Vinci Code." 

Since the book was published in March 2003, liberal and conservative writers have cited numerous errors. A key assertion in "The Da Vinci Code" - that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and that sinister Christians suppressed information about it - comes from a 1982 book titled "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," which a New York Times reviewer called "rank nonsense." 

Brown said he is grateful his book is generating so much debate. He said apathy is a constant threat to the study of the uncomfortable relationship between science and religion. 

The book casts unflattering light on the Catholic Church, accusing church leaders of demonizing women for centuries and of covering up the truth about the Holy Grail, which Brown says is Mary Magdalene herself. 

Many critics have taken issue with Brown's claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child who was whisked away to France after Jesus' crucifixion. 

But Brown, who was raised Christian, said that theory does not detract from Christianity's message. 

"In my mind, the possibility that Jesus might have married Mary Magdalene in no way undermines the beauty of Christ's message," he said. 

"The Da Vinci Code" has sold 7.5 million copies worldwide and is expected to be made into a movie.

AP: Database Measured 'Terrorism Quotient'

1 hour, 35 minutes ago

By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, News Source Technology Writer

NEW YORK - Before helping to launch the criminal information project known as Matrix, a database contractor gave U.S. and Florida authorities the 
names of 120,000 people who showed a statistical likelihood of being terrorists - sparking some investigations and arrests.

The "high terrorism factor" scoring system also became a key selling point for the involvement of the database company, Seisint Inc., in the Matrix project.

Public records obtained by The News Source from several states show that Justice Department (news - web sites) officials cited the scoring 
technology in appointing Seisint sole contractor on the federally funded, $12 million project.

Seisint and the law enforcement officials who oversee Matrix insist that the terrorism scoring system ultimately was kept out of the project, largely 
because of privacy concerns.

However, new details about Seisint's development of the "terrorism quotient," including the revelation that authorities apparently acted on the list of 
120,000, are renewing privacy activists' suspicions about Matrix's potential power.

"Assuming they have in fact abandoned the terrorist quotient, there's nothing that stops them from bringing it back," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the 
technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites), which learned about the list of 120,000 through its own records 
request in Utah.

Matrix - short for Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange - combines state records and data culled by Seisint to give investigators fast access 
to information on crime and terrorism suspects. It was launched in 2002.

Because the system includes information on people with no criminal record as well as known criminals, Matrix has drawn objections from liberal and 
conservative privacy groups. Utah and at least eight other states have pulled out, leaving Florida, Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The AP has received thousands of pages of Matrix documents in records requests this year, including meeting minutes and presentation materials that 
discuss the project in detail.

Not one indicates that Matrix planners decided against using the statistical method of determining an individual's propensity for terrorism.

When the AP specifically requested documents indicating the scoring system was scrapped, the general counsel's office for Florida state police said it 
could not uncover any.

Even so, people involved with Matrix pledge that the statistical method was removed from the final product.

"I'll put my 26 years of law enforcement experience on the line. It is not in there," said Mark Zadra, chief investigator for the Florida Department of Law 
Enforcement.

He said Matrix, which has 4 billion records, merely speeds access to material that police have always been able to get from disparate sources, and does not 
automatically or proactively finger suspects.

Bill Shrewsbury, a Seisint executive and former federal drug agent, said the terrorism scoring algorithm that produced the list of 120,000 names was "put on the shelf" after it was demonstrated immediately following Sept. 11, 2001.

He said the scoring system requires intelligence data that was fed into the software for the initial demonstration but is not commonly available. "Nor are 
we interested in pursuing that," he said.

The Utah documents included a Seisint presentation saying the scoring system was developed by the company and law enforcement officials by reverse 
engineering an unnamed "Terrorist Handbook" that reveals how terrorists "penetrate and in live our society."

The scoring incorporated such factors as age, gender, ethnicity, credit history, "investigational data," information about pilot and driver licenses, and 
connections to "dirty" addresses known to have been used by other suspects.

According to Seisint's presentation, dated January 2003 and marked confidential, the 120,000 names with the highest scores were given to the Immigration 
and Naturalization Service, FBI (news - web sites), Secret Service and Florida state police. (Later, those agencies would help craft the software that queries 
Matrix.)

Of the people with the 80 highest scores, five were among the Sept. 11 hijackers, Seisint's presentation said. Forty-five were identified as being or 
possibly being under existing investigations, while 30 others "were unknown to FBI."

"Investigations were triggered and arrests were made by INS and other agencies," the presentation added. Two bullet points stated: "Several arrests within 
one week" and "Scores of other arrests." It does not provide details of when and where the investigations and arrests took place.

Phil Ramer, who heads Florida state police's intelligence division, said his agency found the list a useful starting point for some investigations, though he 
said he could not recall how many. He stressed that the list was not used as the sole evidence to make arrests.

"What we did with the list is we went back and found out how they got on the list," Ramer said.

Dean Boyd, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a descendant of INS in the Department of Homeland Security, said he could 
not confirm that INS used or was given the list.

Although Seisint says it shelved the scoring system - known as high terrorist factor, or HTF - after the original demonstrations in the wake of Sept. 11, 
2001, the algorithm was touted well into 2003.

A records request by the AP in Florida turned up "briefing points," dated January 2003, for a presentation on Matrix to Vice President Dick Cheney (news 
- web sites) and other top federal officials delivered jointly by Seisint, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida's top police official.

One of the items on Seisint's agenda: "Demonstrate HTF with mapping." Matrix meeting minutes from February 2003 say Cheney was briefed along 
with Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

In May 2003, the Justice Department approved Seisint as sole data contractor on the project, citing the company's "technical qualifications," including 
software "applying the `terrorism quotient' in all cases."

"The quotient identifies a set of criteria which accurately singled out characteristics related to the perpetrators of the 9-11 attacks and other terrorist 
events," said a memo from an Office of Justice Programs policy adviser, Bruce Edwards. "This process produced a scoring mechanism (that), when applied 
to the general criminal population, yields other people that may have similar motives."

A spokeswoman for the Office of Justice Programs declined to comment.

Ramer, the Florida agent, said the scoring system was scrapped because it was "really specific to 9/11," and not applicable for everyday use. Also, he said, 
"we didn't want anybody abusing it."

Seisint Inc., is a Boca Raton, Fla., company founded by a millionaire, Hank Asher, who stepped down from its board of directors last year after revelations 
of past ties to drug smugglers.

___

On the Net:

http://www.matrix-at.org

http://www.aclu.org/privacy

FBI Whistleblower Disputes OKC Report Thu May 20, 5:29 AM ET Add U.S. National - 

By TIM TALLEY, News Source Writer McALESTER, Okla. - An FBI (news - web sites) whistleblower testifying at the state murder trial of Terry Nichols claimed a government scientist lied about key physical evidence found at the Oklahoma City bombing. Frederic Whitehurst told jurors Wednesday that FBI forensic scientist Steven Burmeister, whom he trained, had told two lies: that ammonium nitrate crystals found on bombing debris had been embedded by the force of the blast and that the crystals came from the kind of fertilizer believed used in the bombing. Whitehurst said there was not enough evidence to support either of Burmeister's conclusions about the bomb that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people. "He is my student. And I trust him like a brother. But he lied under oath," Whitehurst said of Burmeister. Testimony was to resume Thursday, when Nichols' attorneys plan to rest their case. Prosecutors plan to question more than a dozen rebuttal witnesses Thursday and Friday, authorities said. Judge Steven Taylor told jurors that closing arguments are tentatively scheduled to begin Monday afternoon. Whitehurst said he questioned Burmeister's truthfulness after reviewing transcripts of his testimony at the federal trials of Nichols and McVeigh, who was executed in 2001. Burmeister said substantially the same things when he testified at Nichols' state trial April 29. Whitehurst's allegations in the mid-1990s divulged shoddy work at the FBI laboratory in Washington and led to widespread changes. The Justice Department (news - web sites) inspector general's office investigated the lab for 18 months and subsequently criticized the facility for flawed scientific work and inaccurate, pro-prosecution testimony in major cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing. A lab spokeswoman, Special Agent Ann Todd, declined to respond to Whitehurst's testimony, saying it wasn't appropriate to comment during a trial. The News Source last year reported that Burmeister himself alleged to the Justice Department's inspector general that the bombing evidence was tainted by shoddy work and contamination problems, then recanted the allegation a few months before he testified in the McVeigh trial. Whitehurst's testimony focused on a shredded piece of plywood that authorities believe came from the cargo container of the Ryder truck that delivered the ammonium-nitrate-and-fuel-oil bomb. The debris, recovered two days after the bombing in a parking lot across the street from the federal building, is the only direct evidence of the explosive. Whitehurst said Burmeister began referring to the crystals as embedded after meeting with federal prosecutors who asked whether the crystals were embedded. Burmeister said then he could not tell, Whitehurst said. "They were not embedded in that surface," Whitehurst said. "They were simply adhering to the surface." Nichols, 49, could face the death penalty if he is convicted on 161 state counts of first-degree murder. He is already serving a life prison sentence on federal charges in the deaths of eight federal law enforcement officers. The state charges cover the other 160 victims and one victim's fetus. 

Defense Rests in Nichols' Okla. Trial Fri May 21, 6:19 AM ET Add U.S. National - 

By TIM TALLEY, News Source Writer McALESTER, Okla. - Prosecutors called rebuttal witnesses to attack key elements of the defense put forth for Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols at his state murder trial. Nichols' lawyers rested their case Thursday, after which the government questioned six people. Eight more were to testify Friday, and closing arguments are tentatively scheduled to begin Monday afternoon. Defense lawyers called 96 witnesses, many of them directly supporting Nichols' assertion that other conspirators gave executed bomber Timothy McVeigh (news - web sites) substantial help in planning the explosion that killed 168 people. Nichols was at his home in Herington, Kan., when the 4,000-pound fertilizer and fuel oil bomb was detonated. But prosecutors allege Nichols gathered bomb components, including explosive ammonium nitrate fertilizer, and helped McVeigh pack the homemade device into a Ryder truck. Testifying for the defense Wednesday, Rodney Johnson told jurors that moments before the bombing he had to swerve his catering truck to avoid hitting two men who hurried together away from the building. He identified one of them as McVeigh. But John Hippard, a retired FBI (news - web sites) agent who interviewed Johnson two days after the April 19, 1995, bombing, said Johnson could not positively identify either of the figures at the time. His descriptions of their clothing also differed from his testimony, he said. Three days after the bombing, Hippard also interviewed Dena Hunt, a service technician for the Oklahoma City Police Department who said she saw McVeigh and one or two other people in a Ryder truck a few blocks from the federal building about 30 minutes before the explosion. At the time, Hippard said, she could not positively identify McVeigh but said the man she saw resembled him. William Franklin Holdson testified he drove a Ryder truck through downtown Oklahoma City and parked it just one block away from the federal building on the morning of the deadly blast. Holdson, who managed a production crew for a merchandising company at the time, was questioned to help explain why defense witnesses reported seeing a Ryder truck in various parts of the city on the morning of the bombing. Prosecutors also called a defense witness, Joan Rairden, back to the witness stand. Rairden, an assistant manager at a McDonald's restaurant in Junction City, Kan., in 1995, testified two weeks ago that McVeigh came into the restaurant on April 13 or 14, 1995, with a group of other people, including a dark-skinned man with slicked-back black hair. On Thursday, Rairden said McVeigh does not appear on security videotapes of the restaurant on those dates, but that she still believes he was there. Nichols, 49, is serving a life prison sentence after a federal jury convicted him in 1997 of conspiracy and the involuntary manslaughter of eight federal law enforcement agents in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. In Oklahoma, Nichols is charged with 161 counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the other 160 victims and one victim's fetus. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. McVeigh was convicted of federal murder charges and executed in 2001.

Possible Causes of Sudden Cardiac Death Found Thu May 20, 7:04 PM ET HealthDay 

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, May 20 (HealthDayNews) -- Researchers say they may know why a young American man or woman unexpectedly goes into cardiac arrest and dies. A study of more than 6 million U.S. military recruits, including over 100 cases of sudden cardiac death, has found that the primary causes were cardiac arrhythmia and a structural problem in the coronary arteries. Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death in the United States, taking more than 400,000 lives each year. "This finding is revolutionary," said lead researcher Dr. Robert E. Eckart, a cardiologist from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. "Previously, it was thought the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in younger people was abnormal muscle thickening of the heart." Eckart said the cause of sudden cardiac death varies by country. In Italy, for example, the main cause is a unique type of heart muscle problem. "We thought it would be important to look at a population that would be more representative of the U.S. as a whole," he said. In their study, Eckart and his team collected data on 6.3 million military recruits spanning 25 years, from 1977 to 2002. During this period, there were 127 sudden cardiac deaths, according to the data presented Thursday at the Heart Rhythm 2004 meeting in San Francisco. "We found that the leading cause of sudden cardiac death was a coronary artery problem," Eckart said. "This anomaly is when one of the coronary arteries takes off from the aorta in an abnormal fashion." The second leading cause of sudden cardiac death in people with seemingly healthy hearts was the development of a deadly heart rhythm, known as an arrhythmia. Eckart believes this problem is genetic. Given these findings, Eckart said he has changed his approach to treating young people who complain of chest pain. Before, he screened these patients with an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart, to look for abnormal heart muscle. But now he does an electrocardiogram (EKG) to look for abnormal electrical activity in the heart. Eckart also looks at the condition of the coronary arteries to see if there is any abnormality. "By doing those two simple things, we are going to make a larger impact on sudden cardiac death in this young population," Eckart said. More research is needed to identify people with a genetic susceptibility to deadly heart rhythms, he added. Eckart strongly recommends that young patients with a family history of premature sudden cardiac death have an EKG to look for the problems that can cause these deadly heart rhythms. Dr. Ramon Brugada is a cardiologist and director of molecular genetics at the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory in Utica, N.Y. He said, "This study points out the importance of screening young people with EKGs." However, many of these conditions can appear normal on an EKG, he cautioned. "You have to catch it at the right time," he said. "If you have a family history of sudden death, if someone in the family died at 20 or 25 with no previous medical problems, that should raise a red flag that there is some inherited disease. Other family members should have an EKG screening," Brugada advised. More information The American Heart Association (news - web sites) can tell you about sudden cardiac death, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has a section on heart disease.

NASA to Launch Robot Aircraft Program Thu May 20, 7:32 PM ET 

By ANDREW BRIDGES, News Source Science Writer LOS ANGELES - NASA (news - web sites) said Thursday it is launching a program that could place robot planes and aircraft flown by human pilots in the same airspace by 2008. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are now limited primarily to restricted test or military airspace. "The fundamental underpinnings of this program are, how can we safely introduce this class into the national airspace system?" said Jeff Bauer, manager of the $360 million program for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. An industry association, the UAV National Industry Team, as well as the Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites), are also participating in the five-year program to deliver proposals and recommendations to the FAA. Participants acknowledge that many technical and policy hurdles and much testing lie ahead. In recent years, robot planes have been involved in some high-profile mishaps, including in combat in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites). In the United States, prototype drones have landed on a freeway, cratered in the desert and crumbled in the skies over Hawaii. Perfecting the technology - and figuring out how to ensure the drones' safe operation - could open up the use of robot planes in civilian and commercial applications, including firefighting, border patrol, domestic security and communications. Industrial partners in the program include Boeing, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems and Aerovironment Inc. ___ On the Net: http://www.uavnas.aero/

Insurance Exec Sues Strip Club Over $28,000 Tab

May 20, 4:37 pm ET 

NEW YORK  - A New York insurance executive slapped an upscale strip club with a lawsuit after it charged him $28,000 for a night of champagne and partying with a dozen exotic dancers.

Mitchell Blaser, who is the Chief Financial Officer of the Americas division of insurer Swiss Re, filed suit on Tuesday demanding that strip club Scores pay back the $28,000 because that does not accurately reflect his spending at the Manhattan nightspot.

But a Scores spokesman said that, during his December visit, Blaser ordered five magnums of the club's most expensive champagne, a 1990 Krug Clos du Mesnil, for $3,200 each. He also spent $7,000 for lap dances and the company of 12 girls who surrounded him for hours.

"Obviously, he's pouring the champagne for all the girls and playing superstar," Scores spokesman Lonnie Hanover said.

Hanover called the suit "frivolous" and said Scores has three signed receipts from Blaser over the course of the night. He said American Express investigated the matter and found the charges were valid and paid the $28,000.

In his lawsuit filed with the Supreme Court in Manhattan, Blaser said he and his friend were intimidated into signing an invoice for $8,615 by Scores' staff, which threatened to keep his credit card. Scores then tacked on an additional $4,000 gratuity without his signature, the suit said. It also said Blaser promptly complained to American Express.

A $28,000 tab, while sky high, is not unheard of at Scores, Hanover said. The club has catered to foreign heads of state, athletes and Wall Street executives. But he said this was the first time anyone ordered more than one bottle of its most expensive champagne.

Blaser's lawyer was not immediately available to comment. A Swiss Re spokesman declined to comment, saying it was a personal matter.

Insurance Exec Sues Strip Club Over $28,000 Tab

May 20, 4:37 pm ET 

NEW YORK  - A New York insurance executive slapped an upscale strip club with a lawsuit after it charged him $28,000 for a night of champagne and partying with a dozen exotic dancers.

Mitchell Blaser, who is the Chief Financial Officer of the Americas division of insurer Swiss Re, filed suit on Tuesday demanding that strip club Scores pay back the $28,000 because that does not accurately reflect his spending at the Manhattan nightspot.

But a Scores spokesman said that, during his December visit, Blaser ordered five magnums of the club's most expensive champagne, a 1990 Krug Clos du Mesnil, for $3,200 each. He also spent $7,000 for lap dances and the company of 12 girls who surrounded him for hours.

"Obviously, he's pouring the champagne for all the girls and playing superstar," Scores spokesman Lonnie Hanover said.

Hanover called the suit "frivolous" and said Scores has three signed receipts from Blaser over the course of the night. He said American Express investigated the matter and found the charges were valid and paid the $28,000.

In his lawsuit filed with the Supreme Court in Manhattan, Blaser said he and his friend were intimidated into signing an invoice for $8,615 by Scores' staff, which threatened to keep his credit card. Scores then tacked on an additional $4,000 gratuity without his signature, the suit said. It also said Blaser promptly complained to American Express.

A $28,000 tab, while sky high, is not unheard of at Scores, Hanover said. The club has catered to foreign heads of state, athletes and Wall Street executives. But he said this was the first time anyone ordered more than one bottle of its most expensive champagne.

Blaser's lawyer was not immediately available to comment. A Swiss Re spokesman declined to comment, saying it was a personal matter.

Traffic Is Horrible! I'll Just Think About Sex...

May 20, 9:40 am ET 

BERLIN  - A third of German motorists fantasize about sex when stuck in traffic while only 10 percent think of finding an alternate route, according to a motor club survey published Thursday.

Eight percent think about how much petrol they have, seven percent about their next meal, and seven percent about going to a toilet. Six percent think about their careers.

One in ten caught focus on their families, seven percent on shopping lists and another seven percent worry about the damage the traffic jam might do to their clutch. Only six percent said they don't think about anything in traffic jams.

The Auto Club Europa (ACE) in Stuttgart said 1,833 motorists took part in the Internet survey on what occupies their thoughts when traffic comes to a standstill.

Malta Moon Rock Goes Missing

May 20, 8:35 am ET 

VALLETTA  - A small moon rock donated to Malta in 1970 by then U.S. President Richard Nixon has been stolen from the island's National Museum of Natural History.

In-Nazzjon newspaper said Wednesday it was not clear how the theft occurred. The stone was found missing Tuesday.

Pull Mercury from Mouths of Dead

May 20, 8:20 am ET 

STOCKHOLM  - Amalgam tooth fillings made with mercury should be pulled out before people are cremated to cut emissions of the highly toxic metal, a Swedish government agency report proposed on Wednesday.

Mercury, also known as quicksilver, has been linked to neurological problems and is especially harmful to young children and fetuses.

It would be "difficult from the ethical point of view, but it is nevertheless desirable to be able to decrease the emission of quicksilver," the Chemical Inspectorate report said.

It calculated that since three quarters of Swedes have amalgam fillings, the population carries some 2.8 tons of mercury in their mouths.

In Sweden 70 percent of the dead are cremated, so about 1.9 tons end up in the air or in crematorium gas purification systems, the report said.

A Stradivarius as a CD Holder?

May 19, 10:22 am ET 

By Gina Keating

LOS ANGELES  - A Los Angeles nurse found a stolen Stradivarius cello worth $3.5 million next to a dumpster and planned to turn it into a CD cabinet until she discovered it was the instrument the whole town was searching for, her lawyer says.

The "General Kyd" cello, made in 1684 and named for the man who brought it to England, was returned on Saturday to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which owns it and offered a $50,000 reward for its return, attorney Ronald Hoffman said Tuesday.

Police said the cello was taken from the porch of principal cellist Peter Stumpf on April 24 by a thief riding a bicycle.

Three days later, nurse Melanie Stevens spotted the cello peeking from its silver case beside a dumpster while she waited at a red light. "She recognized it as a musical instrument case because she plays guitar. She wasn't thinking that it was old," Hoffman said.

Stevens, 30, asked a homeless man to help load it into her car and took it home to show her cabinetmaker boyfriend, Igal Asseraf, to see if he could fix a crack in it. "She said if you can't fix it, we can turn it into a CD case," Hoffman said.

"We are very lucky that Igal was not a person that works real quickly."

The instrument sat in the couple's spare bedroom until last Friday, when Stevens caught the end of a TV news report on the missing cello, and realized she had found the instrument that all of Los Angeles was looking for.

The couple met detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's art theft detail, who interviewed them extensively to make sure they were not involved with the theft, the lawyer said.

They also contacted officials at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, who were "jubilant" at the rare instrument's return, Hoffman added.

He said Stevens was thrilled to learn that she may receive the $50,000 reward for not turning the cello into a CD case.

Ban on Force-Fed Foie Gras Nears

May 19, 10:11 am ET 

SAN FRANCISCO  - Force-feeding of ducks and geese to make foie gras, a delicacy to some and an outrage to others, is a step closer to being outlawed in California after the state senate's passage of a bill.

The bill proposed by John Burton, the state Senate's top Democrat, would also ban the sale of foie gras made from the enlarged livers of force-fed geese and ducks.

The bill, passed Tuesday on a vote of 21-14, now goes to the California Assembly, where one lawmaker has also proposed a bill to ban farm-raised salmon in the state.

Only one farm in California currently produces foie gras. If Burton's bill becomes law, it would become effective in seven and a half years and would impose fines of $1,000 for force-feeding birds in foie gras production.

Foie gras from the livers of birds fed normally would not be affected by the bill.

"It's the process not the product we're after," said Dave Sebeck, Burton's spokesman.

Foie gras has become controversial in recent years in California despite the state's reputation for fine cuisine.

Animal rights activists have made foie gras production one of their most visible causes, seeking a ban in California to its production and sale. Vandals last summer trashed a Sonoma County restaurant north of San Francisco and threatened its co-owner at his home for serving foie gras.

Pa. Scientists Discover New Dinosaur Thu May 20, 3:03 PM ET 

By JOANN LOVIGLIO, News Source Writer PHILADELPHIA - A curious piece of bone spotted by a University of Pennsylvania professor during a horseback ride in southern Montana led to the discovery of a new dinosaur with a long neck, a whip-like tail and a mysterious extra hole in its skull. The new find - a Suuwassea emilieae - is a sauropod, a classification of plant-eating dinosaurs with long necks and tails, small heads, and four elephant-like legs. At 50 feet long, it's a smaller cousin of better-known sauropods Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. The 150-million-year-old creature is described by scientists in the current issue of the paleontology journal Acta Paleontologica Polonica. "It has a number of distinguishing features, but the most striking is this second hole in its skull, a feature we have never seen before in a North American dinosaur," said Peter Dodson, senior author of the research study and anatomy professor at the university's veterinary school. The Jurassic-age find was first spotted by William Donawick, emeritus professor of surgery at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine, while on a horseback ride in fall 1998 in far southern Montana, not far from his daughter and son-in-law's Wyoming ranch. He returned to Philadelphia with a piece of bone for his colleague Dodson, who found it tantalizing enough that an expedition got under way the following summer. Researchers have named the dinosaur Suuwassea emilieae (SOO-oo-WAH-see-uh eh-MEE-LEE-aye), after a Crow Indian word meaning "ancient thunder" and for the late Philadelphia socialite Emilie deHellebrath, who funded the digs that unearthed more than 50 bones. They ranged from a 43-inch shoulder blade and a 53-inch rib to the two-holed skull that has scientists stumped. "The extra hole in the skull is still a mystery," said Jerry Harris, study co-author and Penn graduate student researcher. "It has only been seen before in two dinosaurs from Africa and one from South America." While its Diplodocus relatives have a single hole on the top of the skull for the nasal cavity, Suuwassea second hole's purpose is unknown, he said. The bones were unearthed in 1999 and 2000 but had to be coaxed from their rocky enclosures, cleaned up, and subjected to a lengthy process of measurements, comparative studies, published papers and peer review before passing muster as a new dinosaur, Dodson said. Suuwassea emilieae's new home is the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, where it will be available for teachers, researchers and students to study. It may even be assembled and displayed one day, said academy paleontologist Ted Daeschler. Suuwassea was found on what once was waterfront property that looked onto a body of water called the Sundance sea. The location of the find is unusual, researchers said, because most of the dinosaur bones have been found in drier parts of the Morrison Formation farther south. "It's from a time period and a place that makes it relatively unique," Daeschler said. The creature's final resting place was in a fossil-rich area that paleontologists call the Morrison Formation, which stretches from Montana to New Mexico. Suuwassea emilieae is the first new sauropod from that geological formation in more than a century, Dodson said, but many more are likely to come as archaeological research continues to intensify in the United States, China and Argentina. "We're living now in a golden age of dinosaur paleontology," he said. "They're being found at a startling rate all over the world." ___ On the Net: Journal article: http://app.pan.pl/acta49/app49-197.pdf University of Pennsylvania: http://www.upenn.edu Academy of Natural Sciences: http://www.acnatsci.org

Bible Proofreaders Sweat the Small Stuff 1 hour, 57 minutes ago Add U.S. National - 

By LOUISE CHU, News Source Writer PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - Thank the Lord - and the proofreaders at Peachtree Editorial and Proofreading - that the Bible refers to "our ancestors" instead of "sour ancestors," and calls for an end to "factions" - not "fractions." The proofreading service caught those typos and others before the latest edition of the Holy Book went to press. At Peachtree, attention to detail is more than a job description. It's a calling. "Bible readers are less forgiving of errors because they expect perfection in the Bible text," said June Gunden, who founded the business along with her husband, Doug. Peachtree Editorial and Proofreading Service is believed to be the only one of its kind in the nation - and one of only a few in the world - to specialize in proofreading Bibles. "As many words as there are in the Bible, you can imagine all the kinds of things that could go wrong," said David R. Shepherd, publisher of the Holman Christian Standard Bible. "It would be devastating to have a typo in the wrong place or a word left out." A list hangs in the Gundens' office as a reminder of just how much rides on their work. The list, a collection of notorious typos found in the Bible, features one prominent error from a 1631 King James edition: "Thou shalt commit adultery." "Obviously, you try to make sure anything that says, `You shall not,' you make sure you have the `not,'" Doug Gunden said. While such long-ago errors are good for a chuckle, the Gundens, who have been in the proofreading business for more than 25 years, realize that proofreading a Bible is serious stuff. With an ordinary book, "you can put up with more because it's not something you're basing your whole life on," June Gunden said. "It's information, but it's not really life-changing information. It's not something you believe to be infallible." The best-selling book of all time has reached even greater heights in recent years, with Bible sales accounting for almost $140 million last year, an 8 percent increase over 2002, according to the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, which tracks sales at Christian stores. Publishers have been producing new, annotated editions with study notes and graphics - all of which require the Gundens' services. "In the last three months, we've had more calls for new Bibles that people want us to get on our schedule than I can remember," June Gunden said. Wall-to-wall bookshelves at the Peachtree office display the hundreds of Bibles that have passed under the eyes of the 17-person staff. The staff recently finished one of its largest projects, the Holman Christian Standard Bible, the latest of only a dozen English translations produced since the 15th century. The 20-year, $10 million project employed about 100 biblical scholars, linguists and editors to translate the Bible from the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic into modern English. For the last two years, the project was in the hands of the Peachtree staff, which combed each page repeatedly, looking for such things as typos and punctuation errors. Peachtree's employees incorporate their faith into their work, starting each project with a prayer. "If you work on these projects and you don't have an appreciation for this gift that God has given us - his word - it's a little more difficult for you to recognize the magnitude of the project," Doug Gunden said.

Continental Airlines raises fares to offset high fuel prices 2 hours, 6 minutes ago Add U.S. National - NEWS SOURCE 

HOUSTON, United States (NEWS SOURCE) - Continental Airlines announced an immediate worldwide fare increase of up to 20 dollars a flight and said it was considering job cuts to help offset record fuel prices. Fares went up by 20 dollars each way for flights over more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) and by 10 dollars each way for shorter flights, the carrier said in a statement late Tuesday. The new ticket prices would likely cover only 15 to 20 percent of impact of the record fuel costs, it said. Continental, the world's sixth largest airline with a staff of 41,000, said it was considering extra furloughs, wage and benefit concessions and reduced pension funding. "We worked hard to generate 900 million dollars of operating income improvements by removing non-value added expense and generating additional revenue over the past two years. We originally expected that this would let us break even in 2004," chairman and chief executive Gordon Bethune said in a statement. "While we may be faring better than our financially weaker competitors, none of us can afford to operate with these high fuel costs," he added. "If we are not successful in passing along these exorbitant fuel costs through higher fares, we will ultimately be forced to seek significant wage and benefit concessions and furloughs of our dedicated and hard working coworkers in order to survive." Light, sweet crude for delivery in June has declined only a little since Monday when it spiked at a record high 41.85 dollars a barrel in electronic trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Continental said it had expected jet fuel prices to average 68 cents a gallon when it originally laid out plans last year to break even in 2004. Instead, a gallon of jet fuel now cost about 1.14 dollars, increasing Continental's annual operating expenses by about 700 million dollars. "With fuel prices at these levels and the current weak fare environment, the company expects to post a loss in the quarter ending June 30 and a significant loss for 2004 and beyond," the airline said. Continental said it expected to end the second quarter with an unrestricted cash and short term investment balance of between 1.5 billion and 1.6 billion dollars. "However, continued record high fuel prices without an offsetting improvement in the revenue environment will result in continued pressure on the company's cash balances," it warned. Unless fuel prices fall quickly or sales surge, Continental said it expected to have no choice but to shed additional employees and seek wage and benefit cuts from all its employees." Continental said it was "reevaluating" whether to fund its pension plan above the minimum amount of 17 million dollars required for 2004. It had originally expected to contribute 300 million dollars this year. 

Protester Throws Powder at Tony Blair 1 hour, 53 minutes ago By ED JOHNSON, News Source Writer LONDON - A protester hit British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) with a purple powder in the House of Commons on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to suspend proceedings and evacuate. House authorities said the powder was "benign" - colored corn starch - and lawmakers resumed their session shortly afterward. Blair was not injured but the incident was a major security breach in Parliament, which recently put up a bulletproof screen to protect members from possible attacks from the public gallery. London's Metropolitan Police said two men were arrested but were not immediately charged. Fathers 4 Justice, a group which campaigns on child custody issues, claimed responsibility. A man in a suit stood up in the public gallery and was heard to shout "do you realize" and "five years." Blair visibly flinched as he was hit by the powder. Speaker Michael Martin immediately suspended the weekly session of prime minister's questions. A purplish haze was seen in the chamber as members evacuated. Blair's office said the prime minister was fine. "He is OK. He walked out," a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity. The suspect and an apparent accomplice were grabbed by security officers, and Martin immediately suspended the session. The man who threw the power was standing in a part of the gallery reserved for guests of members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The ordinary public is behind a security screen to prevent such disruptions. The second man was seen holding up a sheet of letter size paper, but it was unclear what message was on it. Fathers 4 Justice campaigns on behalf of fathers denied access to their children and has drawn attention to the issue with a series of high-profile stunts. One member, David Chick, dressed as Spiderman and climbed atop a crane beside London's Tower Bridge in November, forcing police to close the busy traffic route and leading to huge traffic jams. Four members of the group - dressed as Spiderman, Superman, Batman and Robin - also climbed Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge in February, leading to its closure. There has been a public focus on security at the Houses of Parliament since two anti-Iraq (news - web sites) war protesters scaled the tower housing the Big Ben bell, part of the legislative complex, in March. Peter Hain, the leader of the House of Commons, said last month that British intelligence had clear information about a danger to Parliament. He warned lawmakers that terrorists could attack the chamber with germs or deadly gas.

Violence in Iraq puts advertisers on edge Tue May 18,12:48 PM ET Add Business - USATODAY.com 

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY As broadcast and cable networks enter the crucial "upfront" season, when they try to sell ad time for the upcoming season, there is worry that the flood of grisly images flowing into living rooms from Iraq (news - web sites) and elsewhere will discourage advertisers. Generally, Madison Avenue tries to avoid having ad messages juxtaposed with horrible news or violent imagery. The most extreme example: Networks lost over $1 billion in ad revenue after the Sept. 11 attacks. Even after networks resumed normal schedules, some advertisers yanked ads for fear of being seen as insensitive. While recent images of beheaded hostage Nick Berg, abused Iraqi prisoners, sarin nerve gas attacks and burned corpses of Americans dangling from bridges have been disturbing, so far advertisers haven't pulled back. General Motors, the nation's largest advertiser, "would not advertise on a TV program (just) about atrocities in Iraq," says spokeswoman Ryndee Carney. However she says, "When you buy news media, you take what you can get. The news is the news." But if violence keeps coming - or worsens - watch out, experts warn. "You don't want to run a humorous commercial next to horrific images and stories," says Brad Adgate, senior vice president of media buyer Horizon Media. Bad news from Iraq could shift upfront ad dollars to media outlets viewed as "safe havens," says Jack Myers, editor of Jack Myers Report. Among likely beneficiaries: The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Hallmark Channel and Oxygen. "There's a positive glow on the networks that are seen as safe and secure," he says. News sales executives, however, assert that the Sept. 11 attacks and two wars have made marketers tougher about what they think audiences can handle. Through last week, no advertisers had called CNN to pull commercials, says ad sales chief Greg D'Alba. "Five years ago when there was a breaking story, you'd have 20 advertisers call and say 'pull me.' But the news environment has changed. This is must-see television. You have to know." Paul Rittenberg, senior vice president of advertising for Fox News, agrees. "It seems to be having more of an impact on newspapers and magazines." Ford Motor Co.'s. Ford brand hasn't changed its TV schedule, but it is watching images in news magazines with its ads, says spokeswoman Paige Johnson. "We're monitoring the content and will make decisions based on the nature of the content. But we don't have a lot of control." In fact, the war on terror is making it difficult for Madison Avenue "to find shelter from the storm" anywhere, says Allen Adamson, managing director of image consultancy Landor. "This is a new state of normalcy. The intensity and violence depicted in global news is increasing."

Average price of gas goes above $2 Tue May 18,12:54 PM ET By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the USA topped $2 for the first time Monday, the government said, confirming the pain drivers everywhere are seeing at the pump. Gasoline prices rose more than 7 cents a gallon in the past week, to $2.017 Monday, the Energy Department said. That was up 20 cents from a month ago and nearly 52 cents from this time a year ago. (Related story: Other prices rise as companies try to offset fuel costs) The increase comes as millions prepare to hit the road for summer trips. Gasoline costs - although not near the prices paid in past decades when adjusted for inflation - have also become an issue in the presidential campaign. At $2.35 a gallon, Los Angeles had the highest average price for regular gasoline in the country. Drivers were paying more than $2 in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Miami, New York City and Seattle. Gasoline prices have been rising in response to elevated oil prices, which make up nearly half the cost of gas. Monday, the price of crude oil trading in New York rose 17 cents to a record $41.55 a barrel in part because of worries about terrorism and uncertainty about oil producer Iraq (news - web sites). The good news: Some oil analysts say the worst for the climb in gasoline costs is probably over, provided oil costs don't increase much more. The rising gas costs are making Sean Zielenbach, 36, feel better about his decision to buy a Honda gas/electric hybrid car about two months ago, despite the higher cost compared with the all-gas model. "This is looking like a better and better deal," the Arlington, Va., non-profit consultant says.

US soldier alleges cover-up in prison abuse 1 hour, 39 minutes ago Add Politics - NEWS SOURCE 

WASHINGTON (NEWS SOURCE) - A member of US military intelligence said that the army tried to cover up the extent of detainee abuse in Iraq (news - web sites), a US television network reported. Sergeant Samuel Provance told ABC television that dozens of soldiers had been involved in the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Seven soldiers have been charged. The first will face a court-martial Wednesday in the Iraqi capital. "There's definitely a cover-up," Provance said in an interview with the World News Tonight programme released in advance of the broadcast. "People are either telling themselves or being told to be quiet." Provance, 30, was part of the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion stationed at Abu Ghraib last September. ABC said the soldier, who is now in Germany, gave the interview despite orders from his commanders not to. "What I was surprised at was the silence," Provance was quoted as saying. "The collective silence by so many people that had to be involved, that had to have seen something or heard something." Provance ran the military intelligence computer network at the prison. He said he did not see the abuse that has brought international criticism on the US military but that interrogators admitted they directed the military police to be rough with prisoners. "Anything (the MPs) were to do legally or otherwise, they were to take those commands from the interrogators," Provance said. The seven charged so far, who include three women, are all from a military police company. Some have said they acted under orders but military officials have said the abuse seen in photos of naked prisoners at Abu Ghraib was limited to a few MPs. Provance said the sexual humiliation began as a technique ordered by military intelligence. "One interrogator told me about how commonly the detainees were stripped naked, and in some occasions, wearing women's underwear," Provance said. "If it's your job to strip people naked, yell at them, scream at them, humiliate them, it's not going to be too hard to move from that to another level." Provance told how US soldiers struck prisoners around the neck and inmates were knocked out. "Then (the soldier) would go to the next detainee, who would be very fearful and voicing their fear, and the MP would calm him down and say: 'We're not going to do that. It's okay. Everything's fine,' and then do the exact same thing to him." Provance also described how two drunken interrogators took a female Iraqi prisoner from her cell in the middle of the night and stripped her to the waist. The men were restrained by another MP. The role of US military intelligence in the abuse is being investigated by Major General George Fay, the army's deputy chief of staff for intelligence. Provance said that when Fay interviewed him, he seemed interested only in the military police, not the interrogators, and seemed to discourage him from testifying. Provance said Fay threatened to take action against him for failing to report what he saw sooner. "I feel like I'm being punished for being honest," Provance said. "You know, it was almost as if I actually felt if all my statements were shredded and I said, like most everybody else, 'I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything. I don't know what you're talking about,' then my life would be just fine right now."

ere's a little fun to bring a laugh into these dark times:

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

GEORGE W BUSH
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to
know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken
is either against us or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image
of the chicken crossing the road.

HANS BLIX
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been
allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road I am now against it!

RALPH NADER
The chicken's habitat on the other side of the road had been polluted by
unchecked industrial greed. The chicken did not reach the unspoiled
habitat on the other side of the road because it was crushed by the wheels
of a gas-guzzling SUV.

PAT BUCHANAN
To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

RUSH LIMBAUGH
I don't know why the chicken crossed the road, but I'll bet it was getting
a government grant to cross the road, and I'll bet that somebody out there
is already forming a support group to help chickens with crossing-the-road
syndrome. Can you believe this? How much more of this can real Americans
take? Chickens crossing the road paid for by their tax dollars. And when I
say tax dollars, I'm talking about your money, money the government took
from you to build a road for chickens to cross.

MARTHA STEWART
No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had
a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price
dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

JERRY FALWELL
Because the chicken was gay --- isn't it obvious? Can't you people see the
plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the
'other side'. That's what they call it the other side. Yes, my friends,
that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too.
I say we Boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the
liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other
side."

DR SEUSS
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the
chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY
To die in the rain. Alone.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without
having their motives called into question.

GRANDPA
In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody
told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS
Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the
chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it
experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life
long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON
Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together - in peace.

ARISTOTLE
It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

KARL MARX
It was an historic inevitability.

RONALD REAGAN
What chicken?

CAPTAIN KIRK
To boldly go where no chicken has ever gone before.

SIGMUND FREUD
The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the
road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.

BILL GATES
I have just witnessed eChicken2003, which will not only cross roads, but
will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook,
- and internet explorer is an integral part of chicken.

ALBERT EINSTEIN
Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the
chicken?

BILL CLINTON
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of
chicken?

AL GORE
I invented the chicken!

THE BIBLE
And God came down from heaven, and he said unto the chicken THOU SHALT
CROSS THE ROAD. And the chicken didst cross the road, and there was much
rejoicing.

COLONEL SANDERS
Did I miss one?

Eminem Suit Against Apple, MTV to Proceed Tue May 18, 8:39 AM ET DETROIT - A federal judge says rapper Eminem (news - web sites)'s copyright infringement claims over use of his song "Lose Yourself" in a commercial for Apple Computer Inc. can go forward. Apple featured a 10-year-old boy singing the Oscar-winning theme song to the rapper's movie "8 Mile" in an ad on MTV for the computer company's iPod music player and iTunes music service. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled that the suit brought by Eminem's publishing company can proceed against several companies, including MTV parent company Viacom and advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day. Taylor threw out two state law-based claims of unfair competition and unjust enrichment. The television ad appeared many times during three months beginning in July 2003 and on Apple's Web site, despite the fact that the computer company had unsuccessfully sought Eminem's permission for the campaign. Herschel Fink, a Detroit lawyer for the defendants, said no viewer would think Eminem was endorsing the iTunes service. Eminem's lawyers say he has never nationally endorsed any product. ___ On the Net: Eminem: http://www.eminem.com MTV: http://www.mtv.com Apple Computer Inc.: http://www.apple.com 

Jets Release Details on Manhattan Stadium 2 hours, 34 minutes ago By KAREN MATTHEWS, News Source Writer NEW YORK - The New York Jets (news) released details of their planned West Side stadium Tuesday, featuring wind turbines and solar collector tubes to generate much of its own electricity and hot water. "We envision this as being the greenest building to date," said William Pedersen of Kohn Pedersen Fox, the New York-based architecture firm designing the project. In addition to housing the Jets, the $1.4 billion stadium would be integral to the city's bid for the 2012 Olympics, which got a boost Tuesday with the news that New York was chosen as one of five finalists to host the games. Pedersen called the Olympic announcement "tremendously exciting" and said, "We feel we have a stadium that sets the right tone for it." The stadium would be a rectangle bounded by 11th and 12th avenues and 30th and 33rd streets on the far West Side of Manhattan. Pedersen said its design, which differs from the typical circular or oval stadium, is meant to fit seamlessly into the city's grid. "It should feel as if it's very much connected into this particular place and as opposed to a stadium simply looking as if it could be anywhere, like a UFO landing from space," he said. The south facade of the stadium would contain 25,000 solar collector tubes and the walls would be topped by 34 wind turbines, each 40 feet tall. Pedersen said the windmills would generate almost all of the energy for the facility when it is being used as a football stadium and about 25 percent when it is being used as a convention and exhibition hall. The Jets, whose lease at the Meadowlands in New Jersey expires in 2008, have committed to spending $800 million in private funds on the stadium. The city and state would add $300 million each to build a retractable roof and a deck over the existing rail yards. The project, officially called the New York Sports and Convention Center, would anchor the city's plan to redevelop a large swath of that area. Backers say the stadium would create 7,000 permanent jobs and 18,000 construction jobs and would be a good deal for the city and state. But community groups and many elected officials oppose using tax dollars for a sports facility when schools and city services are facing a budget crunch.

Enron Tapes Hint Chiefs Knew About Power Ploys Tue May 18,11:09 AM ET 

By Jonathan Peterson Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON - Enron Corp. employees spoke of "stealing" up to $2 million a day from California during the 2000-01 energy crisis and suggested that their market-gaming ploys would be presented to top management, possibly including Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay, according to documents released Monday. The evidence of apparent scheming - in one recorded conversation, traders brag about taking money from "Grandma Millie" in California - is in a filing by a utility in Snohomish County, Wash. The municipal power unit north of Seattle wants refunds for alleged overcharges made by Enron during the electricity market meltdown. The utility obtained transcripts of routinely recorded trader discussions from the Justice Department (news - web sites), which seized them in its Enron investigation. While it has long been established that Enron engaged in market-gaming tactics - two top traders have pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges for manipulating California's energy market and a third awaits trial - the 450 pages of recorded conversations provide another vivid look into the organization's exploitive subculture. They also suggest that knowledge of alleged wrongdoing may have reached the level of Skilling, Enron's former chief executive, and Lay, the former chairman. In a Sept. 14, 2000, conversation, an employee named "Sue" from Enron's governmental affairs operation checks in with a trader named "Bob" for information that could be used in an in-house presentation to corporate executives. "This is the time of year when government affairs has to prove how valuable it is to Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling," Sue said, according to the transcript. The Snohomish utility identified Sue as Susan J. Mara, Enron's California director of regulatory affairs until December 2001, when she and thousands of others lost their jobs as the result of Enron's financial collapse. In talking with Bob, whose identity couldn't immediately be learned, Mara touts Enron's success in delaying a lowering of energy price caps by state officials. Then, still seeking helpful material for the planned executive presentation, she asks: "Do you know when you started overscheduling load and making buckets of money on that?" Overscheduling load - a tactic that Enron traders famously dubbed "Fat Boy" - involved purposely overstating how much electricity would be needed in the future, creating the appearance of power shortages and leading to inflated prices. Mara, who is now an energy consultant, said Monday that the recorded conversation came about as she gathered information for a budget presentation to be made to executives at corporate headquarters in Houston. "We had to show what our accomplishments were for the year," she said. Mara said she didn't recall what the final presentation contained or which executives heard it. The presentation was not prepared expressly for Skilling and Lay, she said, even though her statement in the recorded conversation implied that they would hear it. The trading tactics discussed on the recording weren't considered illegal or manipulative by Enron, Mara added. Asked Monday about the transcripts, Enron spokeswoman Karen Denne declined to comment, save to say: "We have been and we're continuing to cooperate with all investigations." Skilling's lawyer, Bruce Hiler, declined to comment. Earl J. Silbert, an attorney for Lay, could not immediately be reached. Federal prosecutors in February brought a range of fraud charges against Skilling for his actions when he was at the helm at Enron, but none was related to trading in the California market. Lay has not been charged. In a different conversation in the transcripts, Enron's West Coast trading chief, Timothy N. Belden, discusses the profitability of the company's strategies in California, particularly those executed by a trading desk led by Jeffrey S. Richter: "Well he makes ... between one and two [million] a day, which never shows up on any curve shift.... He steals money from California to the tune of about a million - " At this point the other speaker interrupts, asking Belden to rephrase what he just said. "OK," Belden says. "He, um, he arbitrages the California market to the tune of a million bucks or two a day." Asked about the transcript Monday, Belden's lawyer, Chris Arguedas, said that it was not possible to draw conclusions about the meaning of Belden's remarks without a better sense of the whole conversation. "You can't understand words spoken unless you see the context in which they are spoken," she said. In October 2002, Belden pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge and has been cooperating with the government. Richter pleaded guilty to similar charges the following February. A spokesman for California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said the state was continuing to investigate Enron. "The comments made in these transcripts, if they're accurate, contain the kind of information that could bolster" a case against Enron, said spokesman Tom Dresslar. Eric Christensen, a lawyer for the Snohomish utility, said the transcripts strongly suggest top Enron executives knew of the trading ploys used in California. "It was common knowledge at least in the government relations unit, and they reported to upper management in Houston," he said. * Times staff writer Nancy Rivera Brooks in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

FBI Probes Possible Cisco Software Theft 1 hour, 12 minutes ago Add U.S. National 

CHICAGO  - The FBI (news - web sites) is investigating the possible theft of source code from networking equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO - news), the agency said on Tuesday. "We're aware of the situation and we're working with Cisco regarding the potential loss of proprietary data," said Paul Bresson, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirming the probe. He said Cisco asked the bureau to look into the matter, but he declined to discuss the case further. Cisco said on Monday it was looking into reports that some of the software code used to run its gear that directs Internet traffic may have been stolen. The company did not say whether any of its code was actually stolen, or if so how much. Source code, the underlying blueprint of computer software, determines how programs work. Companies like Cisco and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) zealously guard their source code as the lifeblood of their business. Hackers who steal source code could potentially harm Cisco's Internetworking Operating System, but hundreds of versions of the system exist, so any potential damage could be limited. Russian Web site SecurityLab.ru reported on Saturday that the code was stolen from Cisco's corporate network, with some leaked onto the Internet. The Russian site estimated about 800 megabytes of source code was taken. Last year, Cisco in a lawsuit accused Huawei Technologies, China's largest telecom equipment maker, of unlawfully copying its operating software. That lawsuit was suspended last October after the two companies reached an agreement.

Team Claims Success With Rocket Launch 

2 hours, 36 minutes ago

By The News Source 

A team of rocketeers led by a Bloomington, Minn., man has claimed success in their goal of launching the first amateur rocket into space, sending a 21-foot rocket an estimated 70 miles above the Nevada desert. 

What's Next in Tech Gadgets?
Do Europe and Japan get all the hot new technology first? Here's a look at the pipeline of future tech -- plus some gadgets that didn't travel well and a wishlist of cool things. 

Ky Michaelson, 65, a former Hollywood stuntman, had been working since 1995 to blast an amateur rocket into space, defined as 62 miles above the earth. His first two attempts, in 2000 and 2002, failed. The third time was the charm. 

"I just freaked out," Michaelson said of Monday's successful launch. "All those emotions after all those years came out of me. I just couldn't believe it." 

This year's model, dubbed the GoFast Rocket, was built in six different states and assembled at the launch site in northwestern Nevada. 

About 25 members of the team that built the rocket, Civilian Space eXploration Team, or CSXT, were on hand to watch the launch at 11:12 a.m. Everyone held their breaths as the countdown reached liftoff, he said. 

"I was concentrating on watching the motor," Michaelson said. "If the motor blows up, it's all over." 

Michaelson said they were still working to recover the rocket on Tuesday, and that its telemetry package should tell them the exact altitude. But he said it reached 4,200 miles an hour in 10 seconds, so the laws of physics would have taken it up about 70 miles. 

"Once you hit 4,200 miles an hour, that thing's gone into space," he said 

The Federation Aeronautique Internationale in Lausanne, Switzerland, the governing body that certifies international aviation records, doesn't have a specific category of records for such accomplishments, but sometimes establishes one after a precedent is set, said Thierry Montigneaux, assistant to the secretary general. He said he didn't think the FAI had a record of such a previous unmanned amateur rocket flight in its archives. 

Michaelson founded CSXT in 1998, bringing together amateur rocketeers including teachers, students and real rocket scientists. In 2000, they launched a rocket that reached 3,205 mph before wind shear snapped off a fin at 45,000 feet. In 2002, they launched a rocket that soared for three seconds before the motor burned through the casing and it exploded. 

Other amateur groups are competing to blast though the same door. Last week, a group led by Burt Rutan launched a piloted rocket from a plane that climbed to 211,400 feet, becoming the first privately funded manned vehicle to reach the edge of space. 

The launch in the Black Rock Desert was monitored by the Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites). 

Donn Walker, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, noted that many private companies already have launched spacecraft such as those carrying satellites. He said CSXT is essentially engaged in a purely amateur space race but has earned the respect of federal regulators. 

"They're very legitimate and they do know what they're doing, absolutely," Walker said. 

Michaelson, who has more than 200 movies and TV shows to his credit, has been obsessed with rockets all his life. As a young man, he owned a rocket-propelled motorcycle that led to his nickname "The Rocketman." 

Michaelson's 4-year-old son is named Buddy Rocketman Michaelson, and Michaelson says his son calls himself "Rocketman Buddy." He also has a 6-year-old daughter, Miracle. 

Now that he's reached his longtime goal, Michaelson says, he plans to return home to Minnesota and spend the summer with his wife, Jodi, and their children. They plan to rent a motor-home and visit Alaska. 

"Do some fishing," Michaelson said. 

___ 

Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http:// www.twincities.com

Commission: Fire, Police Rivalry Hurt 9/11 Rescue

1 hour, 50 minutes ago

By Ellen Wulfhorst 

NEW YORK  - Rivalry between New York's police and fire departments and conflicting advice from emergency teams on Sept. 11, 2001, hampered efforts to save lives as the Twin Towers collapsed in a heap of smoke, the commission investigating the attacks said on Tuesday. 

The News Source 

Slideshow: September 11

The panel, meeting less than 2 miles from the former site of the World Trade Center, said the "long-standing rivalry" between the two departments meant they considered themselves "operationally autonomous" and failed to work together in the largest rescue operation in New York's history. 

"This rivalry has been acknowledged by every witness we have asked about it," a commission staff report read out at the public hearing said. 

The report also said emergency operators answering distress calls from the burning towers gave conflicting advice or were unable to provide even the most basic information, such as the floors affected by the attacks. 

While some evacuees were told to return to their offices, others were told to leave the building. 

Faced with choking black smoke, insufferable heat and no prospect of relief, some of those trapped in the towers jumped from the building, the staff report said. 

To help analyze what went wrong on Sept. 11, the independent commission presented dramatic footage of the day nearly 3,000 people, including around 343 firefighters and 23 police officers, died in the suicide airplane attacks on New York and Washington. 

The videos of the crashes also included statements from fire and police officials on duty that day. 

Hundreds of victims' relatives were attending the hearings, some with pictures of their lost loved ones pinned to their shirts. Gasps filled the auditorium as the commission showed footage of the low-flying passenger planes smashing into the World Trade Center and erupting into balls of fire. 

"I feel a responsibility to know everything that impacted my brother. He died without anybody to give him the information. I need to give him that respect," said Wells Noonan, whose brother Robert Noonan, 36, worked on the 103rd floor of one tower and died in the attacks. 

POOR COMMUNICATIONS 

The commission report said rescue efforts were also hampered by communications equipment that was damaged in the attacks or was not "interoperable" between departments. This meant rescue teams had little idea what was going on on other floors, in other buildings, or outside the towers. 

For example, forces inside the towers did not know about the damage visible from police helicopters circling overhead. 

The commission report said rescue officials did not anticipate the towers would collapse, and certainly not so quickly. The two towers imploded within roughly 1-3/4 hours of the first airplane impact. 

"We didn't have a lot of information coming in. We didn't receive any reports from what was seen from the helicopters," said Joseph Pfeifer, a battalion chief for the New York Fire Department who was at the disaster site that day. 

"It was impossible to know how much damage was done on the upper flowers, whether the stairwells were intact or not ... As a matter of fact, what you saw on TV, we did not have that information," he said of the video footage. 

When the first tower collapsed in a tremendous roar, rescue officials in the remaining North Tower had no idea what had happened. Unaware of the extent of the disaster, rescue officials lacked a uniform sense of urgency to evacuate the remaining building, which collapsed about half an hour later.

Diet, Alcohol Linked to Nearly 1/3 of Cancer Cases 2 hours, 30 minutes ago Add Health 

By Patricia Reaney HARROGATE, England  - Diet is second only to tobacco as a leading cause of cancer and, along with alcohol, is responsible for nearly a third of cases of the disease in developed countries, a leading researcher said on Tuesday. Dr Tim Key, of the University of Oxford, told a cancer conference that scientists are still discovering how certain foods contribute to cancer but they know that diet, alcohol and obesity play a major role. "Five percent of cancers could be avoided if nobody was obese," he said. While tobacco is linked to about 30 percent of cancer cases, diet is involved in an estimated 25 percent and alcohol in about six percent. "We know that obesity and alcohol are important," said Key. Obesity raises the risk of breast, womb, bowel and kidney cancer while alcohol is known to cause cancers of the mouth, throat and liver. Its dangerous impact is increased when combined with smoking. Both alcohol consumption and obesity rates are rising in many countries. Key told the meeting of the charity Cancer Research UK that other elements of diet linked to cancer are still unknown but scientists are hoping that the EPIC study, which is comparing the diets of 500,000 people in 10 countries and their risk of cancer, will provide some answers. Early results of the study have revealed that Norway, Sweden and Denmark have the lowest consumption of fruit and vegetables among European countries while Italy and Spain have the highest. Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is recommended to reduce the risk of cancer. Key, principal scientist on the EPIC study, said it is looking at dietary links to some of the most common cancers including colorectal, breast and prostate. So far it has shown that obesity is linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, while processed and red meat also probably raise the chances of developing the disease and eating lots of fruit and vegetables decrease the odds. "Hormones are the key factor in breast cancer. There is currently about a five-fold variation in breast cancer rates around the world. Much of that variation is due to parity, the number of children (a woman has) and breast feeding," Key said. But he added that obesity and alcohol can also raise the risk of the disease. Scientists working on the study have not positively identified any dietary factors associated with prostate cancer. 

Pope Marks Birthday With Launch of Book Tue May 18, 6:29 AM ET 

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, News Source Writer VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II marked his 84th birthday Tuesday with publication of his new book, which mixes memories from his native Poland, a touch of self-criticism and a defense of priestly celibacy. "It will be a regular working day and above all a thanks to God for the gift of life," said Vatican (news - web sites) spokesman Joaquin-Navarro Valls. He reported that the Vatican has been flooded with birthday greetings for John Paul. The pope has kept up a busy schedule despite Parkinson's disease (news - web sites) and hip and knee ailments. He received visiting American bishops and Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso of Portugal, whose delegation broke into "Happy Birthday" in Portuguse. In the evening, John Paul was scheduled to meet with the president of Poland. "To the ever young custodian of peace," said the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano in its birthday greeting. In bookstores in Italy and elsewhere, John Paul's latest literary work "Get Up, Let Us Go" went on sale. It is a sequel to "Gift and Mystery," an account of the pontiff's early priesthood that was released in 1996. It came out a decade after publication of the heavily autobiographical "Crossing the Threshold of Hope," which sold 20 million copies around the world. The latest book draws on the pope's years in Krakow, where - as Karol Wojtyla - he served as bishop and then archbishop, but also touches on his years since his election as the first Polish pope in 1978. He recalls his passion for the theater and being told he would have been a "great actor," but said the suffering around him from World War II led him to abandon a career on the stage, The pope said that those contesting celibacy have raised the issued of the loneliness for priests, but that he personally never felt lonely. In 1958, the pope recalls, he was on a canoeing trip when he was called to Warsaw by the head of Poland's Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, to be told he was being named a bishop of Krakow. Wojtyla made his way by canoe and then in a truck full of flour sacks to the nearest train station for the overnight journey. On hearing of his appointment, he told Wyszynski: "Your eminence, I am too young - I am only 38." "The primate responded: `This is a weakness of which we are quickly cured. Please do not oppose the Holy Father's wish,'" the pope wrote. Wojtyla then returned to Krakow and asked his archbishop for permission to resume the canoeing trip. "You are welcome, but please get back for the consecration," replied the archbishop, Eugeniusz Baziak. The book recounts communist efforts to suppress the church in Poland, Wojtyla's clashes with authorities to protect it and of clandestine meetings he organized with intellectuals and scientists. The pope recalls a "constant fierce struggle" to get a church built in the industrial Krakow suburb of Nowa Huta, designed as a model socialist town with a steelworks at its heart. Communist authorities gave, and then revoked, permission for a new church - a decision that resulted in a fight between security forces and residents who had erected a cross. "In the long term, the battle was won, but at the price of a long war of nerves," the pontiff writes. John Paul says he viewed his first trip as pope - to Mexico in January 1979 - as "a pass that could open the way to a pilgrimage to Poland." "I thought the communists in Poland would not be able to refuse me a visit to my homeland if I were received by a nation with a secular constitution, such as Mexico had," he added. That June, the pope made his first visit to Poland. In a moment of self-criticism, the pope notes that "a part of a pastor's role is to admonish" and says that maybe he failed to be strict enough during his time in Krakow. "Maybe I should reproach myself that I did not try to rule enough" in those years, he writes. "But it stems from my character." The pope wrote the book in March-August 2003, writing some parts himself in Polish and dictating others. Italian publisher Mondadori says it is still negotiating the rights for the English-language edition. The royalties from it will go into a special fund for charitable use, Navarro-Valls said.

David Reimer, subject of 'sex reassignment,' dead at 38 

Los Angeles Times

David Reimer, the Canadian man raised as a girl for the first 14 years of his life in a highly touted medical experiment, committed suicide May 4 in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was 38.

David Reimer, who became the unwitting subject of "sex reassignment," at 8 months of age, later underwent a double mastectomy and eventually developed into a muscular, handsome young man.Dr. Milton Diamond, a University of Hawai'i sexologist who helped expose the experiment for the failure it was and became a friend, called Reimer's death a tragedy.

"I hope people learn from it that you don't do something that dramatic to someone without their informed consent," said Diamond, a professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. "You also have to deal with people with honesty. He was lied to by physicians and parents, the two groups you want to trust the most."

At 8 months of age, Reimer became the unwitting subject of "sex reassignment," a treatment method embraced by his parents after his penis was all but obliterated during a botched circumcision. The American doctor whose advice they sought recommended that their son be castrated, given hormone treatments and raised as a girl. The physician, Dr. John Money, later wrote a paper declaring the success of the conversion.

But Money's experiment was a disaster for Reimer that created psychological scars he never overcame.

Reimer's story was told in the 2000 book "As Nature Made Him," by journalist John Colapinto. Reimer said he cooperated with Colapinto so other children might be spared the miseries he experienced.

Reimer was born Aug. 22, 1965, 12 minutes before his identical twin brother. His parents named him Bruce and his brother Brian.

After Bruce was maimed in the botched circumcision, the Reimers turned to Money, a Harvard-educated native of New Zealand who had established a reputation as one of the world's leading sex researchers. He told them that raising Bruce as a girl was the best course, and that they should never tell him about having been a boy.

About six weeks before his second birthday, Bruce became Brenda on an operating table at Johns Hopkins. After bringing the toddler home, the Reimers began dressing her like a girl and giving her dolls.

Brenda rebelled from the start. She tried to rip off the first dress her mother sewed for her. When she saw her father shaving, she wanted a razor, too. She favored toy guns and trucks over sewing machines and Barbies.

Money insisted that continuing on the path to womanhood was the proper course for her.

Money already was the darling of radical feminists such as Kate Millett, who in her best-selling "Sexual Politics" had cited Money's writings as proof that "psychosexual personality is therefore postnatal and learned."

But Money's experiment proved the opposite - the immutability of one's inborn sense of gender. Money stopped commenting publicly on the case in 1980 and never acknowledged that the experiment was anything but a success.

Diamond had long been suspicious of Money's claims. He found Reimer through a Canadian psychiatrist who had treated Reimer.

In an article published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in 1997, Diamond and the psychiatrist, Dr. H. Keith Sigmundson, showed how Brenda had rejected her reassignment from male to female, and, at 14, refused to continue living as a girl.

When she confronted her father, he broke down in tears and told her what had happened shortly after her birth. Instead of being angry, Brenda was relieved. "For the first time, everything made sense," the article by Diamond and Sigmundson quoted her as saying, "and I understood who and what I was."

She decided to take male hormone shots and undergo a double mastectomy and operations to build a penis with skin grafts. She changed her name to David, identifying with the Biblical David who fought Goliath. "It reminded me," he told Colapinto, "of courage."

David developed into a muscular, handsome young man. But the grueling surgeries spun him into periods of depression and twice caused him to attempt suicide.

When he was 25, he married a woman and adopted her three children. Diamond reported that while the phallic reconstruction was only partially successful, David could have sexual intercourse and experience orgasm.

His life began to unravel with the suicide of his brother two years ago. Brian Reimer had been treated for schizophrenia and took his life by overdosing on drugs.

David is survived by his wife, Jane, his parents and stepchildren

He said he did not blame his parents for their decision to raise him as a girl. As he told Colapinto, "Mom and Dad wanted this to work so I'd be happy. That's every parent's dream for their child . . . (But) You can't be something that you're not. You have to be you."

Advertiser staff writer Beverly Creamer contributed to this report.

Murder investigation continues in Norwich
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Murder investigation continues in Norwich

Norwich -- Police are still working on several leads in connection with the Friday murder of a world renowned scientist.

Detectives say the body of Dr. Eugene Mallove, 56, an expert on cold fusion, was found late Friday on the grounds outside of his mother's rental property on Salem Turnpike.

Norwich police say they are not ruling out anything but they believe the murder was probably a random act of violence.

Neighbors say the Pembroke, NH resident was working on the vacant property earlier in the day.

Mallove's green Dodge Caravan was stolen from the home and was found several hours later in the employee parking lot at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. Police hope surveillance video of the parking lot will reveal the identity of the person who stole the van.

Mallove was a nominee for the Pulitzer prize and president of The New Energy Foundation. An autopsy revealed that he died of multiple head and neck injuries.

Detectives are now looking at a case 20 miles down the road in Pawcatuck, RI, where a man was assaulted during a robbery at his home. There is some concern that these two cases may be related.

NFA grad killed Science writer Mallove slain at family home in Norwich By GREG SMITH Norwich Bulletin 

NORWICH -- A 56-year-old former Norwich man was killed during a suspected robbery and brutal assault at his family home on Salem Turnpike Friday. Dr. Eugene F. Mallove, a Norwich Free Academy graduate, published author and father of two, died of multiple injuries to his head and neck, according to an autopsy performed Saturday at the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner in Farmington. The death was ruled a homicide. Police would not confirm Mallove's identity Saturday pending positive identification by family members. Mallove was discovered at the small 119 Salem Turnpike house at 10:55 p.m. Friday after police received a report of an injured person. At the house, situated at the entrance to Interstate 395 in a primarily commercial area, police found Mallove unresponsive, the victim of an assault. He was later pronounced dead by medical personnel called to the scene. Police said initial investigation indicated a robbery, during which a physical confrontation took place. Several unidentified items were taken from the scene and Mallove's vehicle was missing, according to a written statement released by Norwich police. Several hours later, Mallove's 1993 green Dodge Caravan was found in the Foxwoods employee parking lot on Route 2 in Preston. The vehicle is easily identifiable by several large bumper stickers, including an American flag and his company Web site, www.infinite-energy.com, in the rear window. The New Hampshire license plate bears the registration INFNRG. Police are now seeking information from anyone who saw the vehicle between 7 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday. Police declined to provide further details of the killing Saturday. Cars sped past the quiet Salem Turnpike home Saturday, where a large Dumpster was situated alongside the home in the driveway. Several cars, which looked as though they hadn't been moved in some time, are near the two-bay detached garage. The home, owned by Mallove's parents since 1958, is now under Eugene Mallove's care, according to city records. Mallove, with his wife, Joanne, had moved to Pembroke, N.H., from Norwich in 1987. In New Hampshire, Mallove was the president of the nonprofit New Energy Foundation and since 1995 the editor-in-chief of the organization's magazine Infinite Energy. The bimonthly magazine covers topics of new technological innovations in energy and science and follows developments in the field, according to its Web site. Infinite Energy managing editor Christy Frazier worked with Mallove for the past six years and had become very close. She called Mallove the "most caring and giving person I probably have ever known -- a very successful, brilliant man. "It's been a wonderful, wonderful experience. It's hard not to love the things he loves because he's so passionate," she said. "He touched the lives of everybody he came in contact with." Mallove's parents, Mitchel and Gladys Mallove, had followed their son's move to New Hampshire in 1988. His father, the son of Russian immigrants, died in March 2003 after a long illness, according to a published obituary. He is buried at the Hebrew Benevolent Cemetery in Norwich. Eugene Mallove had become a grandfather just this year and was caring for his mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, Frazier said. She said Mallove was a Norwich Free Academy graduate. He held a master of science degree and bachelor of science degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a science doctorate in environmental health sciences from Harvard University in 1975. He also taught science journalism at MIT and Boston University and previously was chief science writer at the MIT news office. He is the author of numerous technical articles and of several books, including the Pulitzer-nominated book on cold fusion titled, "Fire and Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor." Anyone with information can call Norwich police at 886-5561, or the anonymous tip line at 886-5561, Ext. 500. gasmith@norwichbulletin.com 

www.infinite-energy.com,

Police investigate Norwich slaying of N.H. man

May 16, 2004

NORWICH, Conn. --Police are investigating the killing of a New Hampshire science writer who championed cold fusion.

Eugene Mallove, 56, of Pembroke, N.H., died late Friday night after being assaulted at a house owned by his parents, police said. The family rented out the house.

Mallove died of injuries to his head and neck, the Norwich Bulletin reported Sunday. The office of the chief state's medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Mallove was discovered at the house after police received a report of an injured person. An initial investigation indicated a robbery and a fight had taken place, police said. Several unidentified items were taken and Mallove's minivan was missing.

His 1993 green Dodge Caravan was found early Saturday in an employee parking lot at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket. Police were looking for anyone who saw the minivan after 7 p.m. Friday. It had several large bumper stickers on the back, including one advertisi ng his magazine's Web site: www.infinite-energy.com.

Mallove, who moved from Norwich to Bow, N.H., in 1987 and to Pembroke three years ago, was president of the Concord, N.H.-based New Energy Institute and editor-in-chief of its magazine, "Infinite Energy."

The magazine's managing editor, who worked with him for six years, called Mallove the "most caring and giving person I probably have ever known -- a very successful, brilliant man."

"It's hard not to love the things he loves because he's so passionate," Christy Frazier said. "He touched the lives of everybody he came in contact with."

Mallove, who earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. from Harvard University, was chief science writer at the MIT news office until he left to champion cold fusion. He also taught science writing at MIT and Boston University.

He was the author of several books, including one on cold fusion that was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize: "Fire and Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor."

Mallove believed the infamous Pons and Fleishmann announcement in 1989 that they created nuclear fusion by running an electrical current through a jar of water was not "voodoo science," but a glimpse into an interesting topic worth investigating.

That belief was partly vindicated earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Energy ordered a panel of scientists to review existing research on cold fusion to see whether it is worth pursuing.

"They are now going to do the right thing. It's over 10 years late, no doubt about that, (and) should have been reviewed a long time ago ... but this is a breakthrough," Mallove said in a recent interview with The Telegraph of Nashua, N.H.

"There is a huge body of positive evidence" for low-energy nuclear reactions, he said. "We have measured tritium (a byproduct of fusion), measured heat multiple ways.... There are thousands of papers, hundreds of which are bulletproof."

Mallove's parents, Mitchel and Gladys Mallove, followed him to New Hampshire in 1988. His father died last year after a long illness, but he was still caring for his mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, Frazier said.

He also was survived by his wife, Joanne; a daughter, Kimberlyn; a son, Ethan; and one grandson.

Police eye robbery in killing of scientist By Lisa Kocian and Connie Paige, Globe Staff And Globe Correspondent | May 17, 2004 A scientist who was educated at Harvard and MIT and known for his passionate promotion of cold fusion was slain in a possible robbery Friday night, police in Norwich, Conn., said. Eugene Mallove, 56, of Pembroke, N.H., was unresponsive when police found him in a Norwich house owned by his parents, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Several items were taken from him, including his Dodge Caravan, which was found hours later in an employee parking lot at the nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino, police said. Mallove worked in Concord, N.H., as editor-in-chief and publisher of Infinite Energy magazine and president of the New Energy Foundation, both of which explore alternative forms of energy not generally recognized by mainstream scientists. "One measure of the type of man he is is that we've had thousands and thousands of e-mails and phone calls already. It's fresh news, but it's all over the world already," said Christy Frazier, managing editor of the magazine, when reached by phone yesterday. "It's going to impact the world, not just his friends and family," she said of Mallove's death. "This will change the face of new energy. He was the biggest fighter for new energy and new energy inventors." From a professional standpoint, the loss is particularly difficult, said Frazier, because the US Department of Energy had recently announced it had ordered a review of cold fusion for the first time since 1989, which Mallove had called a "breakthrough" in a New Hampshire newspaper interview. Cold fusion, a theoretical way of creating energy, has been largely discounted by the scientific establishment. Proponents hope it could produce cheaper, safer electricity, among other things.Mallove wrote several books and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his 1991 work "Fire and Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor." Frazier, who worked alongside Mallove for six years, recalled him as caring and generous. Although he was perhaps best known as an expert in cold fusion, Mallove's 1975 doctorate from Harvard University was in Environmental Health Sciences, and he earned a bachelor's in 1969 and a master's in 1970 in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to a biography provided by Frazier. Mallove also worked as a consultant to corporations and investment firms doing research and development of cold fusion, according to his biography, and he was the chief science writer at the MIT News Office when cold fusion first came on the scene. He worked as technical adviser on the 1997 thriller "The Saint," an action movie centered on the discovery and control of cold fusion. Police said robbery was a possible motive in the killing, and they were looking for anyone who saw Mallove's green 1993 Dodge Caravan after 7 p.m. Friday. The death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy performed Saturday at the office of the Connecticut chief state medical examiner. The cause of death was blunt force injuries to the victim's head and neck, according to Norwich police. Norwich police Captain Franklyn Ward said yesterday afternoon that he could not say whether one or more individuals participated in the attack or what kind of blunt instrument was used. Mallove's family usually rented out the house they owned in Norwich, but it was vacant at the time of the killing, Ward said. Mallove leaves his wife, Joanne; his daughter, Kimberlyn; his son, Ethan; and his mother, Gladys. According to Frazier, the family was celebrating the recent birth of Mallove's first grandchild. Norwich police Lieutenant John A. John said that 20 to 25 people were working on the case yesterday afternoon, including local police and investigators from the office of the state's attorney for the Norwich district, Kevin T. Kane, and the State Police Major Crimes Squad. News Source material was used in this report. Lisa Kocian can be reached at lkocian@globe.com. 

Eugene F. Mallove, Ph.D. Harvard, 56, Editor-In-Chief, Infinite-Energy.com, 
Norwich, Connecticut; Founder and President, nonprofit New Energy Foundation; and author, 
Fire and Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor. Dr. Mallove was found dead Friday night, 
May 14, 2004, inside his Norwich home. Police have ruled his death a homicide and anyone with information 
can call Norwich Police at: 860-886-5177. Tip Line is: (860) 886-5561, Ex. 500. May 16, 2004 - Infinite-Energy.com Editor Murdered on May 14, 2004. Eugene F. Mallove, Ph.D. Harvard, 56, Editor-In-Chief, Infinite-Energy.com, Norwich, Connecticut; Founder and President, nonprofit New Energy Foundation; and author, Fire and Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor. Dr. Mallove was found dead Friday night, May 14, 2004, inside his Norwich home. Police have ruled his death a homicide and anyone with information can call Norwich Police at: 860-886-5177. Tip Line is: (860) 886-5561, Ex. 500.

Local scientist found slain 
Police say attackers robbed Mallove 
By ERIC MOSKOWITZ
Monitor staff

------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 17. 2004 8:00AM

Dr. Eugene Mallove of Pembroke, shown in this 1997 photo, was famous for his work on cold fusion. (Monitor file photo)
Zoom 

The police in Norwich, Conn., are investigating the slaying of Pembroke resident Eugene Mallove, a highly regarded scientist and popular father of two who died late Friday after being assaulted outside his childhood home in Connecticut. 

The MIT- and Harvard-educated Mallove traveled to the Norwich home Friday to clean it, Mallove's daughter Kimberlyn Woodard said. The house had been rented out in recent years and was being cleared out between tenants, she said. 

Officers from the Norwich Police Department responded to a report of an injured person at the 119 Salem Turnpike home at 10:55 p.m. Friday. The police discovered Mallove's body outside the house and pronounced him dead at the scene, authorities said. An autopsy confirmed that Mallove, 56, died as a result of multiple injuries to the head and neck, where blunt-force trauma was evident, officials said. 

The initial investigation points to robbery as a possible motive, as several items appeared to have been taken from Mallove, who had a physical altercation with his assailant or assailants, the police said. The attacker or attackers also stole Mallove's dark green 1993 Dodge Caravan minivan, which has several identifying markers - including an American flag sticker, the New Hampshire license plate "INFNRG" and a white-lettered window advertisement for Mallove's scientific Web site, the police said. The van was found early Saturday in a parking lot at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., authorities said. 

Mallove, known as Gene, was the president of the New Energy Institute, a Concord-based nonprofit organization aimed at educating the world about the possibilities of new energy. He served as editor-in-chief of its magazine, Infinite Energy, which he launched in 1995. Previously, he worked as an engineer in the private sector, then as MIT's chief science writer. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering at MIT, then earned his Ph.D from Harvard, Woodard said. Well-read and a natural teacher, he proved to be a gifted and lucid science writer, his daughter said. 
Mallove wrote numerous scientific books and articles, as well as three books for the general public, including Fire From Ice: Searching For the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He earned a credit in the 1997 film The Saint, serving as scientific consultant to the thriller about cold fusion that starred Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue. 

http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040517/REPOSITORY/405170353/1031

Global Treaty Takes Effect Without U.S. 

Mon May 17, 4:44 PM ET 
Add Politics - U. S. Congress 

By JOHN HEILPRIN, News Source Writer 

WASHINGTON - A global treaty phasing out a dozen highly toxic chemicals took effect Monday without the United States, though the Bush administration promised to abide by it. 

The Senate has yet to ratify the treaty, and Congress hasn't passed legislation to carry it out because of a disagreement over whether to add more toxic chemicals to the ban later. Nevertheless, the United States will comply with it "wherever we have the current legal authority," said Claudia McMurray, deputy assistant secretary of state for environment. 

The United Nations (news - web sites)-sponsored Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs, aims to ban or severely restrict 12 chemicals commonly known as the "dirty dozen." Among them are dioxins and DDT, a pesticide. 

"We're glad that the agreement has come into force, and there's still strong support from the president on down for the United States becoming a party to it," McMurray said. 

President Bush (news - web sites), whose environmental stances came under attack within weeks of taking office, hailed the treaty as a major breakthrough in a pre-Earth Day speech in April 2001. A month later, the United States and 90 other countries signed the treaty, which Clinton Administration officials had negotiated. 

France became the 50th nation to sign in February, 90 days before the treaty was to take effect. Klaus Toepfer, director of the U.N. Environment Program, said more than $500 million would be spent helping countries ban the chemicals. 

Brooks Yeager, a vice president of World Wildlife Fund, said "whales, polar bears, birds of prey and people throughout the world will benefit." 

The 12 toxic chemicals tend to persist in the environment, travel long distances and accumulate in the food chain. They are PCBs, dioxins, furans, DDT and the pesticides aldrin, hexachlorobenzene, chlordane, mirex, toxaphene, dieldrin, endrin and heptachlor. Many of these, such as PCBs, have been linked to cancer and other diseases. 

The use of DDT to combat malaria along World Health Organization (news - web sites) guidelines would be allowed to continue in some countries until a safer means to control the disease are developed. 

Although the chemicals are banned from production for use in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) lacks the authority to ban any U.S. chemical manufacturers from exporting them, McMurray said. 

The administration, she said, will "push very hard in the next few months" to get Congress to approve legislation. "What we're looking for here is to protect our own citizens against emissions from other countries," she said. 

___ 

On the Net: 

Stockholm POPs treaty: http://www.pops.int 

Sarin Nerve Agent Bomb Explodes in Iraq 

15 minutes ago

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, News Source Writer 

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A roadside bomb containing deadly sarin nerve agent exploded near a U.S. military convoy, the U.S. military said Monday. It was believed to be the first confirmed discovery of any of the banned weapons that the United States cited in making its case for the Iraq (news - web sites) war. 

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Two members of a military bomb squad were treated for "minor exposure," but no serious injuries were reported. 

The chemicals were inside an artillery shell dating to the Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) era that had been rigged as a bomb in Baghdad, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the chief military spokesman in Iraq. 

It appears two chemical components in the shell, which are designed to combine and create sarin during flight, did not mix properly or completely upon detonation, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Kimmitt, however, said a small amount of the nerve agent was released. 

Two former weapons inspectors - Hans Blix and David Kay - said the shell was likely a stray weapon that had been scavenged by militants and did not signify that Iraq had large stockpiles of such weapons. 

Kimmitt said he believed that insurgents who planted the explosive didn't know it contained the nerve agent. 

Sarin-type agents produced by Iraq were largely of low quality and degraded shortly after production, U.N. inspectors said in a March 2003 report. They said it was unlikely that agents produced in the 1980s would still work today. 

U.S. troops have announced the discovery of other chemical weapons before, only to see them disproved by later tests. A dozen chemical shells were also found by U.N. inspectors before the war; they had been tagged for destruction in the 1990s but somehow were not destroyed. 

"The Iraqi Survey Group confirmed today that a 155-millimeter artillery round containing sarin nerve agent had been found," Kimmitt said. "The round had been rigged as an IED (improvised explosive device) which was discovered by a U.S. force convoy. 

"A detonation occurred before the IED could be rendered inoperable. This produced a very small dispersal of agent," he said. 

The incident occurred "a couple of days ago," he said. 

The Iraqi Survey Group is a U.S. organization whose task was to search for weapons of mass destruction after Saddam's ouster. 

The round was an old `binary-type' shell in which two chemicals held in separate sections are mixed after firing to produce sarin, Kimmitt said. 

Many of the materials used for roadside bombs are believed to have been looted from arsenals after the collapse of the regime in April 2003. 

Dispersal of the gas would be far more effective if a shell containing nerve agent were fired from an artillery piece, he said. Kimmitt said he believed it was the first case in which U.S. forces had found an artillery shell containing sarin. 

It was unclear if the sarin shell was from chemical rounds that the United Nations (news - web sites) had tagged and marked for destruction before the U.S. invasion. 

Prior to the war, U.N. inspectors had compiled a short list of proscribed items found during hundreds of surprise inspections: fewer than 20 old, empty chemical warheads for battlefield rockets, and a dozen artillery shells filled with mustard gas. The shells had been tagged by U.N. inspectors in the 1990s but somehow not destroyed by them. 

Kay, who led a U.S. team hunting for weapons, said it appears that the shell was one of tens of thousands produced for the Iran-Iraq war, which Saddam was supposed to destroy or turn over to the United Nations. In many cases, he said, Iraq did comply. 

"It is hard to know if this is one that just was overlooked - and there were always some that were overlooked, we knew that - or if