In the Loop

thieves

2011-09-07T12:45:00.000-04:00

This is my domain ...not for sale chumps....back offffff

testing

2011-09-07T12:38:00.001-04:00

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HAPPY HALOWEEN

2010-10-29T20:59:00.003-04:00

I WANT TO WISH A SPECIAL HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO'S IN THE LOOP.
HERE WE ARE OCTOBER 29,20190 AND I HAVEN'T POSTED IN AGES..... : (
I MISS THIS PLACE AND I MISS ALL OF YOU.....
A SPECIAL SHOT OUT TO ED HARGIS...THE BEST PROFESSOR, COUNSELOR, JUDGE AND EDUCATOR A PERSON COULD HAVE..CONGRATS ON YOUR RETIREMENT AND ENJOY YOUR DAYS OFF,YOU DESERVE EVERY MINUTE OF REST AND ENJOYMENT AFTER MANY YEARS OF GIVING IT YOUR BEST FOR OTHERS...KNOW THAT YOU ARE SORELY MISSED AND HAVE LEFT A HOLE IN THE WORLD OF EDUCATION.....YOUR THE BEST EVERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NBC's Tim Russert dies of apparent heart attack at 58

2008-06-14T02:46:00.003-04:00

THE NATION HAS LOST A GIANT
Tim Russert, a fixture in American homes on Sunday mornings and election nights since becoming moderator of Meet the Press nearly 17 years ago, died Friday after collapsing at the Washington bureau of NBC News. He was 58.
His death was announced by Tom Brokaw, former anchor of NBC Nightly News, who broke into the network's programming just after 3:30 p.m.
An NBC spokeswoman, Allison Gollust, said Friday night that Russert had died of a sudden heart attack. An autopsy found that Russert had an enlarged heart and significant coronary artery disease......Click on title for the rest of the story.

CYOUINCOURT007: I have been working all day and found this out right now at 2:48 am est Saturday morning.............This man was one of a kind and it's a sad day for all fans,those in broadcasting and news.....A sad day for everyone...Sunday's "Meet The Press" will never be the same. : (

5 Star Web Site Hosting Special Offer

2008-02-26T18:47:00.003-05:00

Check out my buddies webhosting @ http://www.5starwebsitehosting.com/

Click on title for link to Webhosting at a very low price......

2008-01-20T12:05:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year To All Organic and All Non Organic Life Forms Spread Across The Universe

2007-12-31T18:49:00.000-05:00

Credit and Copyright : NASA

The Day That Democracy Died

2007-12-28T00:24:00.000-05:00

A SUICIDE assassin on a motorbike shot Benazir Bhutto in the neck and chest before blowing himself to bits yesterday.
Fifteen others were killed in the bloody atrocity, which plunged Pakistan into turmoil and triggered dire warnings of civil war in the nuclear nation. Brave Ms Bhutto, 54, whose life had been constantly under threat since her return from exile two months ago, was murdered after addressing a political rally in Rawalpindi. She had just told supporters of her Pakistan People’s Party: “I put my life in danger and came here because I feel this country is in danger.”....Click on title for link to the rest of the story.

GI Saves Iraqi Boy in Long-Shot Adoption

2007-12-24T01:05:00.000-05:00

MAUSTON, Wis. (Dec. 23) - Capt. Scott Southworth knew he'd face violence, political strife and blistering heat when he was deployed to one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas. But he didn't expect Ala'a Eddeen.Ala'a was 9 years old, strong of will but weak of body-he suffered from cerebral palsy and weighed just 55 pounds. He lived among about 20 kids with physical or mental disabilities at the Mother Teresa orphanage, under the care of nuns who preserved this small oasis in a dangerous place.On Sept. 6, 2003, halfway through his 13-month deployment, Southworth and his military police unit paid a visit to the orphanage. They played and chatted with the children; Southworth was talking with one little girl when Ala'a dragged his body to the soldier's side.Black haired and brown eyed, Ala'a spoke to the 31-year-old American in the limited English he had learned from the sisters. He recalled the bombs that struck government buildings across the Tigris River."Bomb-Bing! Bomb-Bing!" Ala'a said, raising and lowering his fist."I'm here now. You're fine," the captain said.Over the next 10 months, the unit returned to the orphanage again and again. The soldiers would race kids in their wheelchairs, sit them in Humvees and help the sisters feed them.

CLICK ON TITLE FOR LINK TO THE REST OF THE STORY.....READ IT ALL OR ELSE......WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TALE

We Will Remember-Let's Roll

2007-10-10T01:32:00.000-04:00

Passengers and Crew of United Flight 93

Crew Members: Age: Home Town:
Captain
Jason M. Dahl
43 Littleton, Colorado
First Officer
LeRoy Homer 36 Marlton, New Jersey
Flight Attendants
Lorraine G. Bay 58 East Windsor, New Jersey
Sandra Bradshaw 38 Greensboro, North Carolina
Wanda Anita Green 49 Oakland, California & Linden, New Jersey
CeeCee Lyles 33 Fort Pierce, Florida
Deborah Welsh 49 New York City, New York

Passengers: Age: Home Town:
Christian Adams 37 Biebelsheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Todd Beamer 32 Cranbury, New Jersey
Alan Anthony Beaven 48 Oakland, California
Mark Bingham 31 San Francisco, California
Deora Frances Bodley 20 San Diego, California
Marion R. Britton 53 Brooklyn, New York
Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. 38 Bloomington, Minnesota
William Joseph Cashman 60 West New York, New Jersey
Georgine Rose Corrigan 55 Honolulu, Hawaii
Patricia Cushing 69 Bayonne, New Jersey
Joseph DeLuca 52 Succasunna, New Jersey
Patrick Joseph Driscoll 70 Manalapan, New Jersey
Edward P. Felt 41 Matawan, New Jersey
Jane Folger 73 Bayonne, New Jersey
Colleen Fraser 51 Elizabeth, New Jersey
Andrew Garcia 62 Portola Valley, California
Jeremy Glick 31 Hewitt, New Jersey
Lauren Catuzzi-Grandcolas 38 San Rafael, California
Donald Freeman Greene 52 Greenwich, Connecticut
Linda Gronlund 46 Greenwood Lake, New York
Kristin White Gould 65 New York City, New York
Richard Guadagno 38 Eureka, California & Trenton, New Jersey
Toshiya Kuge 20 Osaka, Japan
Hilda Marcin 79 Mount Olive, New Jersey
Waleska Martinez 37 Jersey City, New Jersey
Nicole Carol Miller 21 San Jose, California
Louis "Joey" Nacke, II 42 New Hope, Pennsylvania
Donald Peterson 66 Spring Lake, New Jersey
Jean Hoadley Peterson 55 Spring Lake, New Jersey
Mark Rothenberg 52 Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Christine Snyder 32 Kailua, Hawaii
John Talignani 74 Staten Island, New York
Honor Elizabeth Wainio 27 Baltimore, Maryland

We Will Remember All Who Died on 911 and Pray For Wounds To Heal

United We Stand

Click on Title for Link to a compilation of September 11,2001 resources.Including information on debunking of conspiracy myths,video, ..... in memory of victims and honoring our fallen heroes,and much more,courtesy of http://www.schnittshow.com/ "The Schnitt Show".

Burma: Thousands dead in massacre of the monks dumped in the jungle

2007-10-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed.
The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand."
Mr Win, who spoke out as a Swedish diplomat predicted that the revolt has failed, said he fled when he was ordered to take part in a massacre of holy men. He has now reached the border with Thailand. Click on title for link to full article & information.

CYOUINCOURT007-This massacre is unacceptable,the world must act and imprison or execute all involved in killing the monks.This development in the story is sad and reprehensible.

Video of journalist murdered in Burma......Warning,not for squeamish http://www.mutantfrog.com/2007/09/28/video-of-journalist-murder-in-burma/

Tears and praise at memorial for slain Miami-Dade cop

2007-09-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

MIAMI,Florida-With tears in her eyes, Jose Somohano's young daughter was lifted up so she could kiss her father's flag-draped coffin.At a memorial service this afternoon for the slain Miami-Dade police officer, his wife and children heard him described as a hero, a dedicated public servant and a friend.Hundreds of police officers from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties joined Somohano's friends and family in the Arena of Florida International University to pay their respects to the officer, who was killed in a spray of gunfire last Thursday after pulling over a white Honda that was being driven erratically in Cutler Bay in southwest Miami-Dade. Three other officers were wounded in the incident.Click title for link to story.

Trust fund set up for Somohano's children

A trust fund has been established for slain Miami-Dade police officer Jose Somohano's children. Donations can be made online or by check. Go to the Police Officer Assistance Trust Fund Web site at http://www.poat.org or mail checks payable to POAT to the fund, 1030 NW 111th Ave., Suite 232, Miami, Fla., 33172. Please write ``For Somohano Trust Fund'' on the check

http://www.poat.org/

We Will Remember

2007-09-11T08:11:00.000-04:00

Hillsborough Deputy Fatally Shot In Patrol Car

2007-08-16T00:34:00.000-04:00

Suspect In Shooting Killed By SWAT Officers

BRANDON, Fla. -- A Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy was fatally shot in his patrol car early Wednesday by a man who then barricaded himself in a house and was killed by SWAT officers, authorities said. A witness reported she was driving alongside Sgt. Ron Harrison's car about 1 a.m. when she heard shots fired, Sheriff David Gee said. The woman said Harrison's car clipped her vehicle as it passed by with its lights on, then crossed the road and struck a tree.
Harrison, 55, was pronounced dead at Brandon Community Hospital, officials said. He was shot in the upper torso, the sheriff's office said. He is the third sheriff's deputy to be shot in Florida in the past 10 days and the second to die. "It's unclear if (the shooter) was in a vehicle or if he ambushed (the deputy) from the roadside," Gee said. "Right now, it appears to be very complicated how this occurred." Harrison had just finished a drunken driving checkpoint in this community east of Tampa. He turned his lights on after being shot, but did not notify radio dispatchers that he had been injured, Gee said. "He may have been trying to get himself to the hospital, unable to get on the radio," Gee said. "His wounds were extremely severe, the type of wounds that would have caused him to become quickly incapacitated."
At the same time, authorities received a call from another woman who said her boyfriend told her that he had been in a shooting with a police officer, and gave his address, Gee said.
Deputies who found the man barricaded in the house determined that he had been involved in Harrison's shooting, Gee said. He was later identified as Michael Allen Phillips, 24.
The man's mother and a small child were allowed to leave the house, the sheriff's office said. It was not immediately known if the child was related to Phillips.
The man fired from a window twice during the standoff, hitting a deputy's vehicle and another vehicle outside the house, the sheriff's office said. SWAT members shot him through the window.
Deputies Robert Carr, 31, and Shawn Dugan, 29, were placed on administrative leave with pay following the shooting.
Harrison, a father of four, would have celebrated his 21st anniversary with the sheriff's office Friday, Gee said. His death is the county's first fatal deputy shooting since 1981, the sheriff said.
About 200 miles away, Broward County sheriff's Sgt. Chris Reyka, 51, was fatally shot Friday while looking for stolen vehicles at a drug store in Pompano Beach. The suspect, who got out of a white car and fired at least five shots at the deputy, is still being sought.
On Aug. 6, a motorcyclist shot off-duty Broward County deputy Maury Hernandez after being pulled over in a traffic stop. The suspect was arrested moments later at a nearby condominium. Hernandez, 28, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

South Florida Grieves As Another Deputy Shot

2007-08-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

Deputy Hernadez's family prays for a miracle
The community offers prayers and support for the family of a deputy shot during a traffic stop.

Fellow law officers, clergy, relatives and strangers have reached out to comfort the family of a wounded Broward sheriff's deputy, and to pray for his survival.
No change in Deputy Maury Hernandez's condition was reported Thursday as he lay breathing on a ventilator at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. Hernandez, 28, was shot in the head during a traffic stop on Monday.
''We just continue to reach out for God to rescue him from this,'' said Ralph Rodriguez, a pastor at New Testament Baptist Church, who has been with the family daily at the hospital, along with BSO's chaplain, Rick Braswell.
''Miracles do occur, and it's a matter of God's people reaching out and praying,'' Rodriguez said.
Hernandez's wife, Jody, and his parents, Mauricio and Rosa Hernandez, have sat at his bedside around the clock, praying.
Hundreds of law officers from all over South Florida have visited the hospital since Monday when Hernandez was shot after pulling over a motorcyclist for running red lights.
David Maldonado, 23, was arrested soon after and is being held without bond in the Broward County Jail on attempted first-degree murder charges and violation of probation for driving with a suspended license.
Officers from the Hallandale Beach Police Department, where Hernandez's younger brother Josue started work last week, have been going to the hospital before and after their shifts. Broward's Police Benevolent Association is delivering food to the hospital nightly.
''It's a family,'' said Hallandale Beach Police Chief Thomas Magill. ``We support each other, and when something tragic like this happens, it brings to light how tough their job really is.''

Services for BSO Sgt. Chris Reyka

VISITATIONTuesday, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., Forest Lawn North Funeral Home, 200 W. Copans Road, Pompano Beach.
Wednesday at noon at the BankAtlantic Center, One Panther Parkway, Sunrise.
Sgt. Reyka will be laid to rest after the service at South Florida V.A. National Cemetery, 6501 S. State Road 7, west of Lake Worth.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sheriff's Foundation of Broward County, c/o Sgt. Christopher Reyka Memorial, 2601 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312.

Dozens Missing After Bridge Collapse

2007-08-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

MINNEAPOLIS -Divers searched the Mississippi River on Thursday for more bodies entombed in cars trapped beneath the twisted steel and concrete slabs of a collapsed bridge. As many as 30 people were missing as the effort shifted from rescue to recovery...Click on title for link.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2007-06-28T20:38:00.000-04:00

A Visit from Atlantis

Credit & Copyright: Ron Dantowitz, Marek Kozubal, Clay Center Observatory Dexter and Southfield Schools

Explanation: This remarkable image of the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis docked with the International Space Station (ISS) was taken at a range of 190 nautical miles. To record the fast moving pair, last week astronomers at Clay Center Observatory, near Boston, Massachusetts, planet Earth, used a satellite tracking system and 25-inch diameter telescope in combination with a digital video camera. In the sharp picture, Atlantis is below and left of center. The aft view shows three main engines just below its vertical tail glinting in the sunlight. With the Sun shining from below, the body of the orbiter casts a long shadow across the ISS itself and impressive details of the ISS solar arrays used for power generation are easily visible. The large set of solar arrays installed at the lower right was delivered during this visit from Atlantis.

Astronomy Picture of the Day-Double Header

2007-06-06T16:59:00.000-04:00

Dust Sculptures in the Rosette Nebula

Credit & Copyright: Ignacio de la Cueva Torregrosa

Explanation: What creates the cosmic dust sculptures in the Rosette Nebula? Noted for the common beauty of its overall shape, parts of the Rosette Nebula, also known as NGC 2244, show beauty even when viewed up close. Visible above are globules of dark dust and gas that are slowly being eroded away by the energetic light and winds by nearby massive stars. Left alone long enough, the molecular-cloud globules would likely form stars and planets. The above image was taken in very specific colors of Sulfur (shaded red), Hydrogen (green), and Oxygen (blue). The Rosette Nebula spans about 50 light-years across, lies about 4,500 light-years away, and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros).

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2007-06-06T16:56:00.000-04:00

Jet Approaching a Crescent Moon

Credit & Copyright: Vincent Jacques

Explanation: No natural clouds appear in this picture. On the left, an airplane cruises through the atmosphere leaving a contrail in its wake. The contrail would normally appear white, but the large volume of air toward the setting Sun preferentially knocks away blue light, giving the reflected trail a bright orange hue. Far in the distance, to the right of the plane, is the young Moon. This vast world shows only a sliver of itself because the Sun is nearly lined up behind it. The above image is framed by an eerie gray sky, too far from day to be blue, too far from night to be black. Within minutes the impromptu sky show ended. The plane crossed the Moon. The contrail dispersed. The Sun set. The Moon set. The sky faded to black, only to reveal thousands of stars that had been hiding below the gray din.

A Hole in Mars

2007-05-29T23:07:00.000-04:00

Credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona

Explanation: Black spots have been discovered on Mars that are so dark that nothing inside can be seen. Quite possibly, the spots are entrances to deep underground caves capable of protecting Martian life, were it to exist. The unusual hole pictured above was found on the slopes of the giant Martian volcano Arsia Mons. The above image was captured three weeks ago by the HiRISE instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars. The holes were originally identified on lower resolution images from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, The above hole is about the size of a football field and is so deep that it is completely unilluminated by the Sun. Such holes and underground caves might be prime targets for future spacecraft, robots, and even the next generation of human interplanetary explorers.

MEMORIAL DAY 2007

2007-05-28T21:28:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that.......

CLICK ON TITLE for "The History of Memorial Day"......

Click on picture to enlarge........

Credit and Courtesy : The History Channel and United States Air Force.

Venus Near the Moon

2007-05-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

Credit & Copyright: Jay Ouellet

Explanation: The two brightest objects in the night sky appeared to go right past each other last week. On the night of May 19, Earth's Moon and the planet Venus were visible in the same part of the sky, and at closest approach were less than one degree apart. The conjunction was captured in the above image taken from near Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Venus appears on the lower left of the above photo. The spires that appear to emanate from Venus are diffraction spikes caused by the camera itself. The image is so clear that craters on the Moon are resolved. Of course, the real physical distance between the two heavenly bodies was not unusually small -- the apparent conjunction was really just an illusion of perspective. Although Earth's Moon passes Venus once each month, such a close passing visible in the evening sky is more rare.
Tomorrow's picture: flowers in space

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2007-04-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

Carina Nebula Panorama from Hubble Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (U. California, Berkeley) et al., and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Explanation: In one of the brightest parts of Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur. NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina, is home to massive stars and changing nebula. Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically. The Keyhole Nebula, visible left the center, houses several of the most massive stars known and has also changed its appearance. The entire Carina Nebula spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation of Carina. Pictured above is the most detailed image of the Carina Nebula ever taken. The controlled color image is a composite of 48 high-resolution frames taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released to honor its 17th anniversary. Wide-field annotated and zoomable image versions are also available.

Two freed from collapsed apartment building

2007-04-26T19:57:00.000-04:00

ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN)-Rescuers Thursday freed a girl and a man from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed in Istanbul, apparently as construction workers tried to tear down a building next door.
It is believed there may be another person still in the debris, journalist Andrew Finkel told CNN, and rescue crews were listening and digging. No deaths have been reported.

MIT admissions dean resigns

2007-04-26T19:56:00.000-04:00

The Associated Press
To stressed-out parents and students, MIT admissions dean Marilee Jones was a rare voice of reason in the high-pressure world of college admissions. With colleges demanding kids who play sports, run student government and take the heaviest course load they can, Jones shouted back the opposite: daydream, stay healthy, and don't worry so much about building a resume just to impress an elite college.

Jessica Lunsford Lives On

2007-03-21T22:58:00.000-04:00

Mark and Jessica Lunsford

ISSUE: Jury recommends death for Couey.If there is any solace to be taken by the family of Jessica Lunsford after the trial of her killer, it is that Jessica's legacy will make Florida - and the nation -safer for children forever.It was no surprise that a Miami jury convicted John Couey of Jessica's murder, and then recommended the death penalty. It will be no surprise if Citrus County Judge Richard Howard goes along with the jury's recommendation.But the death penalty almost seems like an afterthought in the case of Couey.........In addition to Jessica's Act, many cities and counties in Florida have passed ordinances restricting where convicted sex offenders can live. When Gov. Charlie Crist last week signed the "Anti-Murder Act," aimed at putting violent probation violators back behind bars, Jessica was part of the inspiration.Children are safer, and some good will come out of this tragedy. That is Jessica's lasting legacy.BOTTOM LINE: Jessica's legacywill make kids safer.

Rescued Scout recovering from 'frost nip,' dehydration

2007-03-21T22:53:00.000-04:00

Michael Auberry recovering from severe dehydration and exposure to cold• Scout "felt alone as he could feel," father said• Gandalf, a search dog, caught Michael's scent about a mile from camp site• 12-year-old rescued Tuesday after being lost for four days lost in N. C. wilderness

GREENSBORO, North Carolina : The 12-year-old Boy Scout rescued after spending four days alone and lost in the rugged North Carolina mountains remained hospitalized Wednesday, recovering from severe dehydration and exposure to cold.
Michael Auberry had lost feeling in his fingers and toes by the time rescue workers found him Tuesday morning. But his father, who said his son was experiencing "frost nip," said feeling was returning to his son's fingers and doctors expected the same for his toes.
Kent Auberry said his son was even cracking a few jokes...

AP: Shiite militia is disintegrating

2007-03-21T22:52:00.000-04:00

The violent Shiite militia known as the Mahdi Army is breaking into splinter groups, with up to 3,000 gunmen now financed directly by Iran and no longer loyal to the firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, adding a potentially even more deadly element to Iraq's violent mix.
Two senior militia commanders told the Associated Press that hundreds of these fighters have crossed into Iran for training by the elite Quds force, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard thought to have trained Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Muslim fighters in Bosnia and Afghanistan.
The breakup is an ominous ............

Rice: U.S. pushing for sanctions against Sudan

2007-03-21T22:51:00.000-04:00

Khartoum has rejected proposal to send 3,000 peacekeepers to Darfur

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that the United States is pressing other countries to apply sanctions against Sudan to pressure Khartoum to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Darfur region.
Rice expressed frustration at the international response to calls for sanctions.
“I am somewhat disappointed that some in the U.N. have already said that they are unwilling to think about sanctions,” she aid................

Pet Food Deaths Still A Mystery

2007-03-21T22:50:00.000-04:00

The pet food linked to the deaths of 16 animals has shown no signs of contamination, the manufacturer says, and the company cannot explain why some of the cats and dog that ate it developed acute kidney failure and died. In an interview with The Associated Press, Paul Henderson, the chief executive and president of Menu Foods, said Wednesday the company was looking at a single ingredient. He wouldn't identify it,............

Mumbai, Lagging Shanghai, Faces First Power Cuts in a Century

2007-03-21T22:49:00.000-04:00

Mumbai, India's commercial capital, may have its first daily blackouts in a century next month because the government failed to plan for soaring demand.
Offices and households may lose electricity for 30 minutes a day starting mid-April, said Lalit Jalan, executive director at Reliance Energy Ltd., the city's main supplier.
"We're trying very hard but this looks inevitable," Jalan said in an interview on March 13 in Mumbai."We're approaching every supplier, every state in India to sell us spare power for the city, but everyone has a deficit."

Iraqi Police Confirm Children Used as Decoys in Bombing

2007-03-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON: Iraqi police said Wednesday that children were used in a weekend car bombing in which the driver gained permission to park in a busy shopping area in Baghdad after he pointed out that he was leaving his children in the back seat.
The account appeared to confirm one given Tuesday by a U.S. general. He said children were used in a Sunday bombing....

Democrats 0 for 6 in Congress; agenda sidetracked by Iraq war

2007-03-21T22:46:00.000-04:00

None of the elements of the newly minted Democrats' congressional agenda have made it to President Bush's desk, and the prospects of signature bills such as federal funding for stem-cell research or homeland-security improvements becoming law any time soon are doubtful. Much of the Democratic agenda -- dubbed "Six for '06" -- sailed out of the House with bipartisan support, but all of it has stalled in the Senate as leaders scramble to deal with the Iraq war............

Alaska Offers Wolf-Kill Cash

2007-03-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

Alaska's Predator Control Program Offers $150 for People to Kill Wolves

ANCHORAGE, Alaska :The state is offering cash for people to kill wolves in an effort to boost a predator control program that has not met expected numbers, officials said.
The incentives include offering 180 volunteer pilots and aerial gunners $150 for turning in legs of freshly killed wolves, Gov. Sarah Palin's office announced Tuesday.....

Off-Duty Chicago Police Officer Accused of Beating Up Female Bartender

2007-03-21T22:43:00.000-04:00

CHICAGO — An off-duty police officer in street clothes was caught on video by a bar surveillance camera beating up a female bartender half his size, authorities said.
Anthony Abbate, a 12-year veteran of the Chicago force, was charged with aggravated battery and placed on leave pending an internal investigation in the attack Feb. 19 as several bystanders watched, department spokeswoman Monique Bond said Wednesday. She said Abbate is expected to be fired.
The video from Jessie's Short Stop Inn Tavern, shown on television around the nation, shows the 250-pound Abbate shouting at the 115-pound bartender, then walking behind the bar and punching, kicking and throwing her to the ground.

Police investigate 'suspicious' death of cricket coach

2007-03-21T22:42:00.000-04:00

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Forensic and other police were conspicuous in coming to and leaving the hotel where Pakistan's cricket coach Bob Woolmer was found unconscious Sunday morning.
Blood, vomit and diarrhea were splattered over the walls and floor of his hotel bathroom, said Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Pervez Mir Wednesday afternoon.
Police refused to comment on that report.
Woolmer's death has been shrouded in mystery, because it occurred .......

Pinochet-Era Victims Exhumed in Chile

2007-03-21T22:41:00.000-04:00

SANTIAGO, Chile : Authorities on Tuesday began exhuming the remains of dozens of victims of repression under the 1973-90 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet in a renewed effort to determine their identities.
The remains of 13 people were unearthed with help from three foreign experts on the first day of .......

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2007-03-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

Molecular Cloud Barnard 163 Credit & Copyright: T. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage), H. Schweiker, WIYN, NOAO, AURA, NSF

Explanation: It may look to some like a duck, but it lays stars instead of eggs. In the center of the above image lies Barnard 163, a nebula of molecular gas and dust so thick that visible light can't shine through it. With a wing span measured in light years, Barnard 163's insides are surely colder than its exterior, allowing conditions where gas can clump and eventually form stars. Barnard 163 lies about 3,000 light years from Earth toward the constellation of Cepheus the King. The red glow in the background results from IC 1396, a large emission nebula that houses the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. Finding Barnard 163 in an image of its greater emission nebula IC 1396 can be a challenge, but it's possible.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2007-03-10T19:53:00.000-05:00

Eclipse with Lighthouse

Credit & Copyright: Chris Cook Photography

Explanation: A red Moon rose over Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA on March 3rd, immersed in Earth's shadow near the total phase of a lunar eclipse. This serene portrait of the eclipsed Moon in a dark blue twilight sky also features the Highland Lighthouse (aka Cape Cod lighthouse), another more locally familiar beacon in the night. Now automated, the 66 foot tall structure in use today was built in 1857. How often has there been an eclipse within view of the Highland light? For locations on planet Earth there are about two eclipse seasons each year. So, eclipses have actually had many chances to be part of the pictorial history of the Highland Lighthouse, including a total solar eclipse in 1932.

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2007-03-10T00:29:00.000-05:00

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Math Doesn't Suck.....

2007-02-25T12:26:00.000-05:00

Study hard,do homework problems repeatedly,use technology to help,open your eyes and brain to realize Math is not mysterious but based on procedures and rules that do not change.....learn the rules and procedures and life will be great....bust your but and seek help when needed and you will succeed.As for me....I refuse to let my future wait any longer on a bumb math class......victory and success will be mine.......practice practice practice and u will "get it".

Justice or an Injustice ?

2007-02-19T21:03:00.000-05:00

Too Intoxicated to consent!!!
Consensual Sex or Rape on Tape?
Genarlow Wilson sits in prison despite being a good son, a good athlete and high school student with a 3.2 GPA. He never had any criminal trouble. On the day he was to sit for the SAT, at seventeen years old, his life changed forever. He was arrested. In Douglas County he was accused of inappropriate sexual acts at a News Year’s Eve party. A jury acquitted him of the allegation of Rape but convicted him of Aggravated Child Molestation for a voluntary act of oral sex with another teenager. He was 17, and she was 15..........

Along with the label "child molester" which will require him throughout his life to be on a sexual offender registry, Genarlow received a sentence of eleven years- a mandatory 10 years in prison and 1 year on probation.
On July 1st, the new Romeo and Juliet law went into effect in Georgia for any other teen that engages in consensual sexual acts. That change in the law means that no teen prosecuted for consensual oral sex could receive more than a 12 months sentence or be required to register as a sex offender.
Had this law been in effect when Genarlow Wilson was arrested, or had been done after the Marcus Dixon case, Genarlow would not now be in jail.
Genarlow and his mother are overjoyed that no one else in Georgia will have to know their pain. In the meantime, however, the legal fight goes on for Genarlow Wilson.
Genarlow has been incarcerated since February 25, 2005.......

For an in depth article.... http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.php?id=158

For a video of incident go here.... http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/LegalCenter/story?id=2833126&page=1

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2007-02-06T18:40:00.000-05:00

Sun Storm: A Coronal Mass Ejection Credit: SOHO Consortium, ESA, NASA

Explanation: What's happening to our Sun? Another Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)! The Sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft has imaged many erupting filaments lifting off the active solar surface and blasting enormous bubbles of magnetic plasma into space. Direct light from the sun is blocked in the inner part of the above image, taken in 2002, and replaced by a simultaneous image of the Sun in ultraviolet light. The field of view extends over two million kilometers from the solar surface. While hints of these explosive events, called coronal mass ejections or CMEs, were discovered by spacecraft in the early 70s, this dramatic image is part of a detailed record of this CME's development from the presently operating SOHO spacecraft. Near the minimum of the solar activity cycle CMEs occur about once a week, but near solar maximum rates of two or more per day are typical. Strong CMEs may profoundly influence space weather. Those directed toward our planet can have serious effects.

Click on picture to expand.........Click on title for link

2007-02-06T18:33:00.000-05:00

To Be Doomed or Not To Be Doomed.......That Is The Question.....and we shall find out Thursday when I get my test results back........pray pray pray!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.......

2006-12-31T23:57:00.000-05:00

2006-11-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

2006-11-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

We Shall Overcome!!!!!

2006-10-10T01:13:00.000-04:00

A shot out to my family & homies....P, Schram 1 and Schram 2 , the great Sargini, BZ ,Mackdaddy,Cristal in Indiana ......folks like you peeps and Sara the adventurer, along with all my sisters blog buddies.....make this a better world to live in........ : ) THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALWAYS.............................

P.S. MANY BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN HAVE DIED SO YOU CAN GO VOTE........EXERCISE THIS SACRED RIGHT OF OURS AND GET REGISTERED AND GET VOTING..........it's much more than just picking between an elephant and a jack ass!!!!!!! hehehe : )

ATTITUDE DETERMINES ALTITUDE

2006-07-11T11:55:00.000-04:00

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have. Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste. Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive. Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born. Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses. Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships. Today I can wail because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do. I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge. Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has entrusted treasures into my care. Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

O Where Art Thou Defender's Of Our Sacred Constitution

2006-06-28T00:28:00.000-04:00

I despise any individual who would dare burn an American Flag out of rage or anger,however, our sacred rights of freedom of expression will be wiped away,one law at a time if we do not stand up against such threats to our Constitution....The proper procedure for discarding a torn,damaged,unuseable flag is to burn it......Such laws against flag burning infringe on our rights and will only lead to more flag burningsss......I would never burn an American flag in anger, out of respect to my Country,family and friends who have fought to defend this great nation, and all those who have laid down there lives in defense of our way of life, but I cannot support a law that undermines our Constitution and walks all over our Bill of Rights......

and besides.....justice will be served upon those who would do such a thing without the need for laws...........

Miami Heat parade route and full details

2006-06-23T08:29:00.000-04:00

Parade will leave AmericanAirlines Arena at 2 p.m.
It will go south on Biscayne Boulevard to Southeast First Street.
At First Street it will make a U-turn a head north on Biscayne Boulevard back to AAA.
In front of the arena, the fans will join Heat players and be part of the celebration.
At noon, Biscayne Blvd. south to Southeast First Street will be closed.
Vehicles traveling south on Biscayne will be rerouted to Northeast Second Avenue from Biscayne and 12th Street.
Once you get to Biscayne Boulevard and 12th Street you will be forced to go to Northeast Second Avenue, then continue south to the business core.
Vehicles coming from Miami Beach will be able to go north on Biscayne from 14th Street; if they want to go south they will be forced to go to Northeast Second Avenue.
Miami Avenue is another alternate route along with Northwest First Avenue.
The I-95 ramp next to the Hyatt hotel will be open....Click title for link and full details.

This Bud's For You

2006-06-23T07:37:00.000-04:00

The brutal and barbaric slaying of Leon Klinghoffer has haunted us for many years. On October 7, 1985 as 69 year old disabled Leon Klinghoffer sat in his wheelchair aboard the Achilles Lauro cruise ship, four Palestinian terrorists shot before throwing him overboard while his wife watched in horror. Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer, American Jews, had been celebrating their wedding anniversary by taking this cruise....... Link
and in case you didn't know ........

Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Posted: 5:10 AM EDT (0910 GMT)
U.S. captures mastermind of Achille Lauro hijacking...
Abu Abbas, a convicted Palestinian terrorist who masterminded the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro on which a wheelchair-bound American was killed, was captured by U.S. Special Forces in the outskirts of Baghdad, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
Abbas, whose real first name is Muhammed, was apprehended Monday night in a compound of three buildings.
His capture was made possible by information from U.S. intelligence, officials said. Several others were also captured at the compound, the officials said. Various documents and passports were also seized.
"One of our key objectives is to search for, capture and drive out terrorists who have found safe haven in Iraq," Central Command said in a statement. "The capture of Abu Abbas in Iraq removes a portion of the terror network supported by Iraq and represents yet another victory in the global war on terrorism." ........... Link

"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: dead ; Iraqi Democracy: Alive"

2006-06-08T15:49:00.000-04:00

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whose bloody campaign of beheadings and suicide bombings made him the most-wanted terrorist in Iraq, was killed .....Click title for link to info........Via "The QandO Blog"

2006-05-26T06:33:00.000-04:00

2006-05-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

Your e-mails: The government and your phone records

2006-05-11T23:47:00.000-04:00

CNN.com asked users for their reaction to Thursday's USA Today report that the National Security Agency, with the cooperation of three telecommunication companies, has compiled a database of millions of domestic phone calls. Here is a sampling from the responses, some of which have been edited:

I am appalled by this new information. It is an insult to the right of every American to protect one's privacy. It insults our Congress that the reason they were not informed is because they cannot be trusted with the information. I am disgusted that some of the large telephone companies would agree to this conspiracy. I think this behavior is an impeachable offence. I cannot express the rage I feel at this new way to monitor the American people. Karen Berlant-Solomon, Van Nuys, California........Click title for the rest of the e-mails.......

Callers Can't Hide

2006-05-11T23:44:00.000-04:00

New York:
Want to chat in private? Stay off the phone.
Americans have more ways than ever to communicate with each other, and none of them are safe from prying eyes or ears. Citing anonymous sources, USA Today reported Thursday that the three largest U.S. telephone companies--AT&T (nyse: T - news - people ), Verizon (nyse: VZ - news - people ) and BellSouth (nyse: BLS - news - people )--have handed over millions of wireline phone records to the National Security Agency without a court order...Click title for link.

Hurricane Season is Coming....Preparation is Key to Survival

2006-04-27T17:10:00.000-04:00

"History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster. This year Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 21-27, 2006.
The goal of this Hurricane Preparedness Web site is to inform the public about the hurricane hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to take ACTION. This information can be used to save lives at work, home, while on the road, or on the water....."

Click title to visit the hurricane preparedness web site.

CYOUINCOURT007: It's time to review/make disaster plans,inventory assets and aquire additional supplies,review/establish a safe room (in case of structure breach/destruction).....overall, get thinking and acting upon all these issues now, before the threat looms.....don't wait or depend upon the feds....in any event, it will take days for them to assess and act...your safety and security will be in your own hands......

You might be a Palmaholic if.....

2006-04-22T00:23:00.000-04:00

You've ever searched through a local nursery's trash dumpster to get discarded plastic pots.
You've ever had someone keep an eye out for security while you harvested seeds.
You've ever had to park your vehicle outside during the winter to make room in the garage for your palm trees.
The highlight of your day is coming home to check and see if any of your seeds have sprouted.
You've ever folded a piece of notebook paper or junk mail to make a makeshift envelope to hold seeds.
You find yourself standing psychotically in your front yard at 3 AM stareing at your latest emerging royal palm frond.
You've ran over several pedestrians at your first glimpse of Echo or MacArthur Park flora.
When your 5, 4, and 3 year old can enthusiastically identify all of the 45 different palms in the yard.
You carry around a bucket of seeds and toss them randomly in to the bushes of the freeway.
You get abusive and homicidal thoughts when some one says "I don't really care for palm trees".
You go NUTS in Northern California when you think how tropical it could look, and they can grow MANY palms, but they choose to have the deciduous "oregon/temperate" look.
You almost lose conscieness when a friend (true story) visiting from Boston says, "Oh, there are types of palms? I thought there was just one, a "palm".
You seriously eye those large pygmie dates around the closed down bank branch and entertain thoughts of 3 AM raids.
When you return on a flight from back east to Los Angeles, getting a total rush hearing the passengers say "Wow, look at the palm trees.
You've ever pulled the sheets off your bed in winter to wrap your favorite palm.
You've ever leveled your home to make more room to plant palms.
If you've ever cruised ghetto neighborhoods because you think you remember there being a nice palm there.
You're 20 years old and obsessed with palms.
You almost have fender benders because you are craning your neck to see what kind of palm you just passed.
You throw a fit when your neighbors trim too many live fronds off of their palms.
You get angry when the hardiness of certain palms is questioned in your growing zone.
You get mad when your foolish neighbors insist on planting butia capitata while there are tons of nicer looking species hardy in your area.
You take a summer job at a delivery place just because it will allow you to cruise neighborhoods and spot nice palms.
You use palms as landmarks when giving directions. (leading to much confusion) "Turn left at the corner with the large phoenix reclinata".... "What are you talking about?!"
You put your potted palms in the garage instead of your car when a hurricane's coming. (true story)
Your family rolls their eyes at you when refer to your palms by their botanical names.
You get irritated at where the lines are drawn on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
The first thing you do when you get home is to check your palms to see how much they have grown.
Can't wait to get home to see if your palm order has arrived.
The second thing you do when you get home is get on the internet and check out the palm board.
Spend more time with your palms, than you do with your wife.
Your wife ask you what is more important "her or the palms " and you can't answerbecause you know the truth will mean cooking your own dinner and you promised never to lie to her.
You go to visit a fellow palm nut and you spend an hour in his backyard and have drank three of his beers before he realises you are there.
When you give directions to your house by telling people to just look for the house surrounded by palms.
You feel you've wasted money taking your girlfriend out to dinner that could have been spent buying another plam to add to the hundreds you've already got.
You watch a TV program or film, set in some exotic location and find you're perving at the palms instead of the girls.
You only take your family on holiday to locations where there are palms and you coincide the holiday with seed harvesting time.
While watching rented videos you constantly rewind the tape to confirm the identity of a palm in the background shot of the scene.
You've ever accidentally voiced the specie of a palm tree in a movie theater loud enough for others to hear.
You take a Palm Tree identifier book with you on vacation.
Your neighbors start placing toy monkeys around the yard.
You offer palms (free) to your neighbors when they are landscaping.
You put off taking a summer vacation and convince your wife the money is better spent on palms.
You argue with your neighbors about the identity of a palm in their yard.
You yell and shout obscenities at the 5 year old who just removed a seedling from the front yard [poor kid thought it was a weed].
You insist to your spouse that the "neglected" howea you "found" late one evening in the 15 ga. container was closer to the dumpster in the industrial complex than to the entrance of the business.
According to your spouse, and deep down you know she might have a valid argument, your back yard is overcrowded with too many palms, but you're certain a new ravenea will sit fine in the 2 ft. wide section of earth between the concrete and backyard wall.
When your spouse examines the back yard, she asks about the new palm behind the shrub, and you insist it's a volunteer Wodytia.
You consider what kind of job it will be when time comes to cut a section of concrete in the profile of the encroaching trunk to relieve the stress on the patio.
You reluctantly give your next door neighbor a 15 gal. blue palm when you come to grips with the realization that the balance of blues in your yard is overshadowing the others, but rather than selling it, you'd rather have it close to home so you can still visit it from time to time and see it progress in life.
You begin to examine your character when reading the alleged possible symptoms related in this section, and you can answer "yes" to almost all of the above.
You go to cut the grass, then realize with a start that there is no grass, because there is no room, because all available space is taken by palms............
Click title for link....Courtesy of PalmTreeParadise

This is why Hubble and NASA are the shiat

2006-04-15T22:59:00.000-04:00

Spiral Galaxies in Collision Credit: Debra Meloy Elmegreen (Vassar College) et al., & the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA)
Explanation: Billions of years from now, only one of these two galaxies will remain. Until then, spiral galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 will slowly pull each other apart, creating tides of matter, sheets of shocked gas, lanes of dark dust, bursts of star formation, and streams of cast-away stars. Astronomers predict that NGC 2207, the larger galaxy on the left, will eventually incorporate IC 2163, the smaller galaxy on the right. In the most recent encounter that peaked 40 million years ago, the smaller galaxy is swinging around counter-clockwise, and is now slightly behind the larger galaxy. The space between stars is so vast that when galaxies collide, the stars in them usually do not collide.

Click title for link..Click pic for high res...........

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-04-15T22:55:00.000-04:00

Galaxy Wars: M81 versus M82 Credit & Copyright: Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)
Explanation: In this stunning cosmic vista, galaxy M81 is on the left surrounded by blue spiral arms. On the right marked by massive gas and dust clouds, is M82. These two mammoth galaxies have been locked in gravitational combat for the past billion years. The gravity from each galaxy dramatically affects the other during each hundred million-year pass. Last go-round, M82's gravity likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in the richness of M81's spiral arms. But M81 left M82 with violent star forming regions and colliding gas clouds so energetic the galaxy glows in X-rays. In a few billion years only one galaxy will remain.

Click title for link..Click pic for high res...........

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-04-07T23:01:00.000-04:00

The Crown of the Sun

Credit & Copyright: Koen van Gorp
Explanation: During a total solar eclipse, the Sun's extensive outer atmosphere or corona is an awesome and inspirational sight. The subtle shades and shimmering features of the corona that engage the eye span a brightness range of over 10,000 to 1, making them notoriously difficult to capture in a single picture. But this composite of 33 digital images ranging in exposure time from 1/8000 to 1/5 second comes very close to revealing the crown of the Sun in all its glory. The telescopic views were recorded from Side, Turkey during the March 29 solar eclipse, a geocentric celestial event that was widely seen under nearly ideal conditions. The composite also captures a pinkish prominence extending just beyond the upper edge of the eclipsed sun.

Lil-Buddy-N-Me.......

2006-04-06T20:15:00.000-04:00

Anyone out there into landscaping,gardening,orchids,palms,plants in general?.......Soon I shall take a pic of my nursery and post it up for insiders like you to see : )

Memorial Mass yesterday for sergeant killed in Afghanistan

2006-03-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

A memorial Mass in memory of a Shiloh soldier killed in Afghanistan last month held in Belleville.
The Mass for Army Staff Sgt. Edwin H. DazaChacon, 38, was held at 11 a.m. at St. Teresa Catholic Church at 1201 Lebanon Ave. and was open to the public.
His remains were cremated and a funeral held on Feb. 23 at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The Colombia-born soldier was a member of the Army's 7th Special Forces Group based out of Fort Bragg. DazaChacon was killed Feb. 13 when the Humvee in which he was riding ran over a bomb in the mountainous area near Deh Rawod in the southern part of the country. After the vehicle was disabled by the bomb, insurgents peppered the soldiers with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire. Four members of DazaChacon's unit died in the incident.
He had only been in Afghanistan for about a month when he was killed. He is the first soldier from the metro-east to die in Afghanistan.
DazaChacon joined the National Guard after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Before he left for Afghanistan, he was a fleet director for Southwestern Bell in St. Louis.....Click title for link

Afghan man prosecuted for converting to Christianity....

2006-03-19T15:15:00.000-05:00

KABUL, Afghanistan An Afghan man who allegedly converted from Islam to Christianity is being prosecuted in a Kabul court and could be sentenced to death, a judge said Sunday. The defendant, Abdul Rahman, was arrested last month after his family went to the police and accused him of becoming a Christian, Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada told Associated Press in an interview. Such a conversion would violate the country's Islamic laws.
Rahman, who is believed to be 41, was charged with rejecting Islam when his trial started last week, the judge said.
During the hearing, the defendant allegedly confessed that he converted from Islam to Christianity 16 years ago when he was 25 and working as a medical aid worker for Afghan refugees in neighboring Pakistan, Mawlavezada said.Afghanistan's constitution is based on Shariah law, which states that any Muslim who rejects their religion should be sentenced to death....Click title for the rest of the story.......

World Scrambles to Feed China's Appetite for Metal

2006-03-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

YONGKANG, China About once a month, Ying Guangwu tucks some cash inside his black shirt, slings a knapsack over his back, and hits the road.The square jawed 33 year old doesn't always know where he's headed or when he'll return. But he knows exactly what he's looking for: tons of scrap metal.A pen-shaped magnet in his pocket helps him determine the quality of some metals. In December, Ying spent two weeks in Guangdong province, a 20 hour bus ride away, rummaging through factory warehouses and scrap yards. He bought 10 tons of tin ingots, lead cables and imported scrap, shipping them by truck to his wife, Lin Li. She sorted the stuff inside their two story home before reselling it to metal traders and recyclers in town.

New Orleans campaign trail stops in Georgia

2006-03-19T15:10:00.000-05:00

Candidates vie to be first mayor elected after Katrina

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said Saturday his city has made progress in rebuilding since Hurricane Katrina, while other mayoral hopefuls questioned the advances and stressed that their hometown's pre existing troubles need to be confronted.
Seven of the 24 mayoral candidates attended the Atlanta forum meant to give displaced residents an opportunity to hear from them before the April 22 election. More than half of New Orleans' pre Katrina population of 500,000 has been dispersed to other states, meaning candidates must campaign nationally.
Nagin, who alienated many voters after his "chocolate city" speech, in which he said God intended New Orleans to be a black majority city, discussed levee rebuilding and evacuation procedures if another powerful storm threatened the city.....Click title for link

Airport Screeners Fail Bomb Test

2006-03-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

Since 9/11 there has been no higher aviation security priority than keeping bombs off airplanes. All checked bags are now screened for bombs. Some carry ons and even some passengers are being sniffed for traces of explosives. But a new investigation by the General Accountability Office shows a gaping vulnerability remains, reports CBS transportation correspondent Bob Orr. The failure was across the board. Sources tell CBS News that 21 airports were tested and in all 21, screeners were unable to find component parts which could be used to make home made bombs. Between October and January teams of undercover federal investigators walked through various airport checkpoints carrying....Click title for link

Bush says Iran bombs used in Iraq

2006-03-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

President Bush yesterday blamed Iran for helping kill American troops in Iraq, saying they are supplying some of the ever more lethal explosives that insurgents are using against coalition forces. "Tehran has been responsible for at least some of the increasing lethality of anti-coalition attacks by providing Shi'a militia with the capabilities to build improvised explosive devices in Iraq," Mr. Bush said, adding that troops have seized IEDs "that were clearly produced in Iran." In the first of a planned series of speeches designed to steel Americans' resolve three years after the invasion of Iraq, Mr. Bush continued to build a case against neighboring Iran as a destabilizing force in the region. The White House has planned two more speeches this month and at least one speech next month on U.S. policy in Iraq to serve as bookends to the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion on March 20. Yesterday's speech at George Washington University, to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, was an update on the training of Iraqi security forces and a discussion of IEDs.....

Anti-Castro sign sparks uproar at WBC

2006-03-10T15:46:00.000-05:00

Cuban official then gets free-speech lecture after confronting man.....
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - While Cuba played the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, a spectator in the stands raised a sign saying: "Down with Fidel," sparking an international incident that escalated Friday with the velocity of a major league fastball.
The image of the man holding the sign behind home plate was beamed live Thursday night to millions of TV viewers including those in Cuba. The top Cuban official at the game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan rushed to confront the man.Puerto Rican police quickly intervened and took the Cuban official Angel Iglesias, vice president of Cuba's National Institute of Sports to a nearby police station where they lectured him about free speech....Click title for link to article

CYOUINCOURT007: .......While on the subject of Cuba and Fidel.....as I sat today watching my(former) faivorite FBI detective stories show when a new story began like this................................"As FBI Agents hunted down terrorist in Miami Florida plotting to kill Fidel Castro".............I immediately turned off the TV and said WTF(what the fuc$ )?.......Let me get this straight when the CIA trained exiled Cubans..... Reference...Bay of Pigs invasion and the endless stories of blowing up cigars and CIA efforts to take Castro out.......we were the terrorists?........This kind of crap gets under my skin.....akin to folks who say Hugo Chavez was elected to office legally while Bush "stole the white house"...........Who's the terrorist ......Castro or the CIA and those of us who want his head on a platter......

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-03-05T01:43:00.000-05:00

Colorful Light Pillars ...................

Credit & Copyright: Walter Tape (Alaska Fairbanks), Figure 8-1, Atmospheric Halos

Explanation: How can an aurora appear so near the ground? Pictured above are not aurora but nearby light pillars, a local phenomenon that can appear as a distant one. In most places on Earth, a lucky viewer can see a Sun-pillar, a column of light appearing to extend up from the Sun caused by flat fluttering ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the upper atmosphere. Usually these ice ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground. During freezing temperatures, however, flat fluttering ice crystals may form near the ground in a form of light snow, sometimes known as a crystal fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not unlike a Sun-pillar. In the above picture, the colorful lights causing the light pillars surround a ice-skating rink in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Click picture to enlarge,Click title for link to main page of astronomy pics.......

A Few More of the Cartoons Deemed Offensive By Muslims....

2006-03-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

According to their rule book it's ok for them to create a cartoon depicting Allah destroying the space shuttle Columbia upon re entry yet, any cartoon offending them........ results in burning flags and outright violence..............The cartoon came forth shortly after Columbia went down....I shall find the link and post......anyone who finds it first let me know...Cyaaaaaaaaaa

Muslims Offended By This Cartoon...............

2006-02-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

And now violence,destruction and threats abound..........

Click title for link to info and timeline on cartoon crisis....

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-02-03T21:32:00.000-05:00

Cosmic Tornado HH49/50 Credit: J. Bally (Univ. of Colorado) et al., JPL-Caltech, NASA

Explanation: Light-years in length, this cosmic tornado is actually a powerful jet cataloged as HH (Herbig-Haro) 49/50 blasting down from the top of a Spitzer Space Telescope view. Though such energetic outflows are well known to be associated with the formation of young stars, the exact cause of the spiraling structures apparent in this case is still mysterious. The embryonic star responsible for the 100-kilometer per second jet is located just off the top of the picture, while the bright star seen near the tip of the jet may just by chance lie along the line of sight. In the false-color infrared image, the tornado glows with infrared light generated as the outflow heats surrounding dust clouds. The color coding shows a trend from red to blue hues at the tornado's tip indicating a systematic increase in emission at shorter wavelengths. The trend is thought to indicate an increase in molecular excitation closer to where the head of the jet is impacting interstellar gas. HH49/50 is about 450 light-years distant, located in the Chamaeleon I molecular cloud......Click on image to enlarge.....then click image on (bottom right icon that appears) to expand to high resolution.....If your not checking out these space pics in high res your missing out on lots of details.........

2006-02-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-02-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

Thor's Helmet in H-Alpha Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman

Explanation: Near picture center, the helmet-shaped structure with wing-like appendages is popularly called Thor's Helmet. Cataloged as NGC 2359, the striking nebula is located about 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The helmet is actually more like a cosmic bubble, blown as the wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center sweeps through the surrounding molecular cloud. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the energetic star is a blue giant thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. The remarkable color composite combines broad and narrow band images including a deep exposure recorded with an H-alpha filter. The H-alpha image traces the light from the region's glowing atomic hydrogen gas. Heroically sized even for a Norse god, this Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across....Click on picture to enlarge........

Together Once Again...

2006-01-31T23:58:00.000-05:00

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King (1965 Civil Rights March in Mongomery, Ala for black voting rights)

When the world lost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, many African Americans wondered if there would be anyone to take up their plight. That person was Coretta Scott King. She continued her husband's legacy while raising four children. They are the reflection of their parents; advocates of peace and social justice. They did not answer with violence when others thought they should have.
Coretta Scott King is a credit to both Kings. Coretta was the force that believed her husband's message even when he was jailed, falsely accused, and ultimately, killed for it.......Click title for article.......

CYOUINCOURT007: Keep the dream alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Want To TimeTravel? Visit Our Archive's and Check this....

2006-01-31T17:46:00.000-05:00

"Researchers Elaine Solowey (left) and Sarah Sallon show off seedling, whose DNA is being studied. Photo by David Blumenfeld, special to the Chronicle"

Well I've mentioned the tale a time or two and here it is for those In The Loop....

Update On....June 12,2005 story
Seed of extinct date palm sprouts after 2,000 years

As of Jan. 2006:2,000-Year-Old Judean Date Seed Growing Successfully
A 2,000-year-old date seed planted last Tu B'Shvat has sprouted and is over a foot tall. Being grown at Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava, it is the oldest seed to ever produce a viable young sapling. The Judean date seed was found, together with a large number of other seeds, during archaeological excavations carried out close to Massada near the southern end of the Dead Sea. Massada was the last Jewish stronghold following the Roman destruction of the Holy Temple over 1,930 years ago. The age of the seeds was determined using carbon dating, but has a margin of error of 50 years placing them either right before or right after the Massada revolt. The seeds sat in storage for thirty years until Elain Solowey of the....Click title for link to update.......

CYOUINCOURT007:3 seed's from an extinct palm tree,found during archaeological excavations of King Herod's palace on Mount Masada....1 went towards scientific analysis while the other 2 were sent to a palm tree growing expert.......
Elain Solowey was able to get one seed to sprout and has made history.......the lil buddy is growing strong......."Solowey, has grown over 100 rare and almost extinct species of plants.......It is too early to tell, but if the tree is female, it is supposed to bear fruit by 2010, after which it can be propagated to revive the Judean date palm species altogether."It is a long road to our being able to eat the Judean date once again,"Solowey said,"but there is the possibility of restoring the date to the modern world.'

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-01-30T04:30:00.000-05:00

Explanation: South of the large star-forming region known as the Orion Nebula, lies bright blue reflection nebula NGC 1999. The nebula is marked with a dark inverted T-shape at the lower left in a broad cosmic vista that spans over 10 light-years. The dark shape is a dense gas and dust cloud, or Bok globule, seen in silhouette against the bright nebula, and likely a site of future star formation. At the edge of the Orion molecular cloud complex some 1,500 light-years distant, NGC 1999's illumination is provided by the embedded variable star V380 Orionis. The region abounds with energetic young stars producing jets and outflows that create luminous shock waves, including HH (Herbig-Haro) 1 and 2 just below and left of NGC 1999, and the apparent cascade of reddish arcs and bow shocks beginning at the upper right. The stellar jets and outflows push through the surrounding material at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second.

2006-01-30T04:24:00.000-05:00

2006-01-27T00:03:00.000-05:00

Apollo 12: Self-Portrait

2006-01-22T01:35:00.000-05:00

Credit: Charles Conrad, Apollo 12, NASA

Explanation: In November of 1969, Apollo 12 astronaut-photographer Charles "Pete" Conrad recorded this masterpiece while documenting colleague Alan Bean's lunar soil collection activities on the Oceanus Procellarum. The image is dramatic and stark. The harsh environment of the Moon's Ocean of Storms is echoed in Bean's helmet, a perfectly composed reflection of Conrad and the lunar horizon. Is it art? Works of photojournalists originally intent on recording the human condition on planet Earth, such as Lewis W. Hine's images from New York City in the early 20th century, or Margaret Bourke-White's magazine photography are widely regarded as art. Similarly many documentary astronomy and space images can be appreciated for their artistic and esthetic appeal.

Bolivia's Leader Solidifies Region's Leftward Tilt

2006-01-21T15:20:00.000-05:00

TIWANAKU, Bolivia: When Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian and former head of the Bolivian coca growers union, is sworn in as president on Sunday, it may be the hardest turn yet in South America's persistent left-leaning tilt, with the potential for big reverberations far beyond the borders of this landlocked Andean nation.
While mostly vague on details, and recently moderating his tone, Mr. Morales promises to transform Bolivia. He has said he would "depenalize" cultivation of coca, the prime ingredient for cocaine, which Washington has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and more than two decades trying to eradicate.......Click title for link to article.......

CYOUINCOURT007: The above picture(found in Spanish Newspaper :ElMundo)...depicts men of Aymaran ethnic group gathered at the Tiahuanaco ruins for a spiritual ceremony for Bolivia's new leader.........

Note the Cuban flags........communism continues to spread in our hemisphere and the alliance of Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez is giving birth to offspring.

L.A. to Pay Family of Notorious B.I.G. $1.1 Million

2006-01-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

A federal judge has ordered the city to pay $1.1 million in legal costs to the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. as sanctions for intentionally withholding evidence during the family's civil lawsuit trial.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper's ruling Friday didn't give the family the $2 million originally sought, but she left open the possibility of an additional $300,000.
"It's pretty clear from the ruling that the judge understands this is a significant and difficult case," said Perry Sanders, an attorney for the rapper's family.
Christopher Wallace, or Notorious B.I.G., was shot and killed March 9, 1997, after a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The killing has not been solved......

Hamas Poised for Big Showing in Vote

2006-01-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

Militant Islamic Group Hamas Is Poised for Big Showing in Palestinian Parliament Vote

The militant Islamic group Hamas is poised to do well in Wednesday's Palestinian parliamentary elections maybe even too well for its own liking.
Palestinian officials and Hamas candidates say that even if the Islamic group wins, it would rather stay out of the driver's seat if that means having to talk to Israel and the West.But the boost that the vote is sure to give militants committed to Israel's destruction is raising the prospect of profound but unpredictable change in Palestinian politics and Mideast peacemaking...........

No response from two trapped miners in W.Virginia

2006-01-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

CHARLESTON, W.Va: Rescue teams battling a stubborn coal-mine fire in West Virginia have failed to get a response from two miners trapped for two days, but said they believed they had contained the blaze on Saturday.
"We have 40 or more people at a time inside that mine working an orchestrated rescue, and I repeat, a rescue operation," West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said in a televised news conference. "We are still very much in a rescue mode."
Rescuers had been searching for almost two days at the Aracoma Mine in Melville, West Virginia, drilling a 6-inch (15-cm) hole into the mine. They extended the drill bit through the opening in hopes one of the men would signal them by tapping on it but were disappointed, officials said."We did not get any signals back," said Jesse Cole of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA.Rescuers then inserted a camera and microphone into the hole. "We did not get any response with that either," Cole told an earlier news conference.

Nepal clashes

2006-01-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Kathmandu in protest at Nepali King Gyanendra's absolute power.....Click title for link to pictures......

River Thames Whale Dies During Rescue

2006-01-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

London's River Thames Whale Dies During Rescue Attempt, Suffering Effects of Being Out of Water

The whale that was trapped in the River Thames died Saturday as rescue workers attempted to take it out to sea for release, Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.
The animal had suffered the effects of being out of the water as it was ferried on a salvage barge to the Thames estuary and suffered a series of convulsions at 7 p.m., officials said.....Click title for link.

A Long Overdue Link

2006-01-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

I draw your attention to Petty Officer Cruel Kev and Quality Bloggers ......

Mad Props for the Link ......Libations and Long Ashes To All

Pristine Beauty ............

2006-01-20T15:54:00.000-05:00

LL Ori and the Orion Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team

2006-01-20T03:34:00.000-05:00

2006-01-20T03:13:00.000-05:00

Tragedy Strikes Again

2006-01-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

I received a phone call from a close friend in Colorado yesterday....he advised that one of our old school buddies, from back in the days, had possibly died in a car accident, over the weekend and asked me to look into it.....Unfortunately , he was right and our buddy is no longer with us. Kevin Rafky is dead at the youthfull age of 27 on Jan 14, 2006.

Just like that....poof......he's gone......Flashbacks of old days hangin or recent times just running into each other at the mobil or while cruising through Kendalltown.........and now he is no longer with us......

Kevin was truly a gentlemen and a great person to be around.....I regret not spending more time hanging out with him as do the rest of us...If it's one thing I'm sure of...it's that only the good die young......."Kevin headed a team of childcare workers responsible for disabled children at the Possible Dream Foundation"

Prayers and Condolences to his family.Long ashes to ya Kevin....Cya in Heaven Chief

SERVICES will be held on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Temple Israel at 137 NE 19th Street (two blocks west of Biscayne Blvd). In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society.

Iceland the First Country to Try Abandoning Gasoline

2006-01-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

Hot Water Heats Homes, Businesses; Hydrogen Fuel Oil Powers Cars, Buses
REYKJAVIK, Iceland: Iceland has energy to spare, and the small country has found a cutting edge way to reduce its oil dependency. Volcanoes formed the island nation out of ash and lava, and molten rock heats huge underground lakes to the boiling point.
The hot water energy sizzling beneath the surface is piped into cities and stored in giant tanks, providing heat for homes, businesses and even swimming pools. The volcanoes melted ice, which formed rivers. The water runs through turbines, providing virtually all the country's electricity.
Iceland wants to make a full conversion and plans to modify its cars, buses and trucks to run on renewable energy with no dependence on oil.
Water Turned Into Fuel
Iceland has already started by turning water into fuel hydrogen fuel.....

Muslim Americans Seek Reporter's Release

2006-01-18T23:11:00.000-05:00

American Islamic Group Heads to Middle East to Plead for Journalist's Release

An American Muslim advocacy group is traveling to the Middle East to plead for the safe return of a journalist facing death at the hands of her kidnappers.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is planning to hold one news conference Thursday in Amman, Jordan, and another Friday in Baghdad. The group hopes to reach Arab television audiences and convince the captors of Jill Carroll, a freelancer for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, to release her.
"We're taking a serious step on behalf of our community, and we are hopeful that our words will be heard and our appeal will be listened to," said Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR. "We have been reading about her work … and though we don't know her, we know it is wrong to kidnap people and hurt innocent people."

Rowers Rescued; Boat Flipped in Atlantic

2006-01-18T23:09:00.000-05:00

Two Rowers Rescued From Capsized Boat in Atlantic During International Race

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -Two rowers competing in an international race were rescued after spending 16 hours clinging to the hull of their capsized boat in the Atlantic Ocean, the Coast Guard said.
Sarah Kessans, 22, and Emily Kohl, 23, both former collegiate rowers at Purdue University, were competing in the Atlantic Rowing Race 2005 on Sunday when a wave flipped their 24-foot wooden rowboat in choppy seas, the Coast Guard said.
They sent off an emergency beacon that alerted the Coast Guard via satellite. The women were located and a tall ship picked them up Monday morning, about 1,300 miles east of Puerto Rico.

Ex-FEMA director now takes blame for Katrina failures

2006-01-18T23:06:00.000-05:00

Former FEMA Director Michael Brown said Wednesday that he deserved much of the blame for the government's failures after Hurricane Katrina, saying he fell short in conveying the magnitude of the disaster and calling for help."I should have asked for the military sooner. I should have demanded the military sooner," Brown, a Guymon, Okla., native, told a gathering of meteorologists at a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada.
"It was beyond the capacity of the state and local governments, and it was beyond the capacity of FEMA," said Brown, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Japanese exec found dead

2006-01-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

An executive of a securities firm allegedly involved in corporate takeover deals by Livedoor Co. was found dead in an apparent suicide, police said Thursday.
A body believed to be Hideaki Noguchi, vice president of H.S. Securities Co., was found in a hotel in the southern state of Okinawa Wednesday evening, according to local police spokesman Tatsuki Yara. (Story: Tokyo stocks open higher after two rough days)
Police suspect that Noguchi, 38, committed suicide, Yara said.
H.S. Securities is among the companies raided by prosecutors in connection with fraudulent practices by Livedoor, according to Kyodo News agency.
Officials at the securities firm refused to confirm the report.

HubbleSite

2006-01-18T14:29:00.000-05:00

The Sombrero Galaxy (M104)

A brilliant white core is encircled by thick dust lanes in this spiral galaxy, seen edge-on. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light years from Earth.
Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2006-01-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

Cartwheel of Fortune

Credit: Chandra, GALEX, Hubble, Spitzer - Composite: NASA/JPL/Caltech/P.Appleton et al.
Explanation: By chance, a collision of two galaxies has created a surprisingly recognizable shape on a cosmic scale - The Cartwheel Galaxy. The Cartwheel is part of a group of galaxies about 400 million light years away in the constellation Sculptor (two smaller galaxies in the group are visible below and left). Its rim is an immense ring-like structure over 100,000 light years in diameter, composed of star forming regions filled with extremely bright, massive stars. When galaxies collide they pass through each other, their individual stars do not come into contact. However, this ring-like shape is the result of gravitational disruption caused by a smaller galaxy passing through a large one, compressing the interstellar gas and dust and causing a a star formation wave to move out like a ripple across the surface of a pond. This false-color composite image of the Cartwheel Galaxy is from space-based observatories. The Chandra X-ray Observatory data is in purple, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer ultraviolet view is in blue, the Hubble Space Telescope visible light picture is in green and the Spitzer Space Telescope infrared image is in red.