Pascal's Blog

The six safest places for your savings

2008-10-01T15:18:00.002+01:00

Bradford & Bingley, HBOS, Northern Rock, Alliance & Leicester, and the Cheshire and Derbyshire building societies have all fallen victim to the credit crunch. Amid all the turmoil, savers are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of their deposits. Here are Times Money's six safest places to store your cash.

1. Northern Rock

Since the nationalisation of Northern Rock in February, the Government now guarantees all deposits – even if they exceed £35,000. As the Rock has been desperate for cash to shore up its balance sheets, it started to offer more competitive savings rates recently, meaning savers have been benefiting from some great deals that are 100 per cent guaranteed.

More than £1 billion of savings has flooded into Northern Rock in the past two weeks, following the continuing chaos that has engulfed the banking sector.

However, savers wishing to take advantage of the Rock’s rates should act fast. Under European competition laws, Northern Rock can not hold more than £17.6 billion in customer deposits - equivalent to 1.5 per cent of all savings held in British institutions. It is thought the bank was just £1.5 billion short of this cap on Friday, before concerns about Bradford & Bingley had emerged. If the flow of savings continues at the present rate, the bank may only have a week or two left to take deposits.

2. Spread amongst all the banks

If you have a large amount of savings, one of the safest things you can do is spread the cash about different accounts in chunks of £35,000. If a bank did go bust, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) would guarantee the first £35,000 of your deposits with each financial institution.

Bear in mind that if you have savings products with different brands owned by the same company, the £35,000 limit applies only once. Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Birmingham Midshires and Intelligent Finance, for example, are all part of the same group and are registered with the FSA under the name of Bank of Scotland.

Savers with Alliance & Leicester and Abbey do not need to worry about the implications for their deposits after the Santander takeover of A&L, since A&L is becoming a subsidiary of Santander, which means it is retaining its

separate banking license. Deposits of up to £35,000 with A&L and £35,000 with Abbey remain protected. This is not the case for savers with Bradford & Bingley, which is also being partly bought out by Santander, since B&B is not retaining its own license.

The good news for savers looking to spread their savings is that banks are still desperate for deposits and there are some great rates available.

3. National Savings & Investments (NS&I)

NS&I has always had a 100 per cent guarantee on all deposits, because it is backed by the Treasury. Although it does not usually offer best-buy rates, it has seen a marked increase in savers deposits this year. A spokesman said: "Our sales in 2007/8 were higher than expected - we achieved an additional £3 billion on top of our original

forecast."

NS&I’s Direct Isa is currently at 5.3 per cent – better than some high street deals, but not the most competitive – whilst its easy access savings account pays up to 4.4 per cent. The annual rate used to calculate the prize on premium bonds draws is just 3.4 per cent. Mr Mountford said: “What attracts savers to NS&I is the peace of mind – not necessarily the best interest rates.”

4. Safety deposit box

One in ten people think their money would be safest under the mattress, according to a survey earlier this year by Newcastle Building Society. However, experts say that keeping your money at home is the worst thing to do in this situation. “Not only would inflation soon erode the value of the cash, but it can be dangerous as well,” said Mr. Mountford. “Most home insurance policies will only cover a minimal amount of cash, so if the money was stolen or destroyed, there may be little hope of redress.”

If you really do not want to keep your money in a bank or building society, a safety deposit box may be an option. However, there may be a long waiting list for a high street bank’s box and there will always be a fee to use it.

5. Your debt

One of the safest things you can do with your savings is pay off part or all of your debt. Melanie Bien at Savills, the broker, said: “Clearing debt is a very good idea at the moment – as long as people do not use money they may need at a later date. Almost all lenders will allow you to overpay by up to 10 per cent of your mortgage balance per year without incurring any penalities – Nationwide allows you to overpay by £500 per month. Overpaying by even a small amount can significantly reduce the interest you pay and allow you to clear the

mortgage more quickly.”

The Student Loans Company allows you to pay off some or all of your student loan at any time – just call its helpline on 0870 240 6298 to ask for a final balance. If your credit card is still on 0 per cent interest, then remember you may as well take advantage of that for as long as possible, until your provider starts charging interest. With personal loans, providers will probably charge you an early settlement fee – usually of one month’s interest – if you choose to repay the loan early, so think carefully about that. Make sure that fee does not

amount to more than the interest you would pay if the loan ran its course.

6. Ireland

Yesterday Ireland's Government said it will guarantee all bank deposits - up to no limit - at its six main banks for the next two years. The unprecedented action, which starts immediately, was done in an effort to maintain financial stability after Irish banks' shares collapsed on Monday.

Luckily for savers over here, there are several Irish banks that operate in the UK and will offer savers this 100 per cent protection – Allied Irish Bank, Anglo Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland. And savers with Post Office accounts, which are provided by the Bank of Ireland, will now automatically benefit from the increased level of protection.

Anglo Irish offers several competitive deals, including 7.05 per cent on its one-year fixed rate bond and 6.4 per cent on its easy access account. The Post Office’s cash Isa pays a respectable 6.25 per cent, dropping to 5 per cent after a year.

By Lauren Thompson

Fighting the scourge of scareware

2008-10-01T13:26:00.002+01:00

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley
Full article at BBC.COM

Microsoft and Washington State's Attorney General filed lawsuits against scam artists who frighten consumers into buying useless software.

"Scareware" merchants are accused of tricking computer users into clicking on pop-up alerts that claim their device is "damaged and corrupted".

They are then persuaded to buy software that corrects the non-existent issue by offering fake security fixes.

It is a "blatant rip-off of consumers," said Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Users are "duped into downloading a fake scan (of the computer) and then duped into paying for software they don't need".

The attorney general's lawsuit has been filed against a Texas firm called Branch Software and Alpha Red and its owner James Reed McCreary IV. The suit alleged that Mr McCreary's company "sent incessant pop-ups resembling system warnings to consumers' personal computers.

"The messages read "CRITICAL ERROR MESSAGE! - REGISTRY DAMAGED AND CORRUPTED."

The complaint goes on to claim that the ads "instructed users to visit a web site to download Registry Cleaner XP" at a cost of $39.95 (£21.70)

"We won't tolerate the use of alarmist warnings or deceptive 'free scans' to trick consumers into buying software to fix a problem that doesn't even exist," said Mr McKenna.
"We've repeatedly proven that internet companies that prey on consumers' anxieties are within our reach."

The problem is a growing one according to Eric Sites, the chief technology officer with security firm Sunbelt Software which tracks spyware and malware threats.

"In the last six months we have seen an enormous uptick in the number of people getting infected by these scareware or spyware agents.

"They are becoming a lot more prevalent and the 'scare and scam' is all about getting money out of the user," he told BBC News.

"Online threats"
The organisers behind the scheme took advantage of a Windows operating system feature designed to let computer network administrators send notices to people using the machines.

Microsoft referred the case to the attorney general's high tech unit and helped put the case together.

"Cybercrime continues to evolve, but with public/private collaboration such as this, we can work to champion tougher laws, greater public awareness and, ultimately, stronger protections for online consumers," said Richard Boscovich, senior attorney for Microsoft's internet safety enforcement team.

Meanwhile the software giant has filed five new lawsuits and amended two previous complaints all relating to spyware attempts.

The programmes listed include Scan & Repair, Antivirus 2009, MalwareCore, WinDefender, XPDefender and WinSpywareProtect.

Most of the defendants are listed as "John Doe" because investigators do not yet know the identities of the people involved.

Catching those behind these spyware scams and bringing them to justice might not be so simple explained Mr Sites.

"These people could be in Russia or some other country or using fake names. It is sometimes impossible to find out who is behind these scams. But if there is a money trail, that usually helps."

Microsoft estimates that half of the computer crashes reported by callers to its customer support lines can be blamed on spyware messing up machines.

A recent report from North Carolina State University showed that most internet users are unable to tell the difference between genuine and fake pop-up messages.

"This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the web," said co-author Dr Michael S Wogalter, professor of psychology.

Despite being told some of the messages were fake, people hit the OK button 63% of the time.

US To Declare October ‘Economic Emergency’, Suspend Elections

2008-09-30T17:30:00.002+01:00

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers (Traducción al Español abajo)

The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) is reporting in the Kremlin today that the Bank of England has received from the United States Federal Reserve Bank a ‘notice’ that President Bush is preparing to declare an ‘Economic Emergency’ during the week of October 5th and will further announce that the American Presidential election due to be held on November 4th will be ‘indefinitely suspended’.

These reports state that the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, had expressed his ‘shock and outrage’ to his American counterparts at the US Federal Reserve after the catastrophic collapse of one of the largest financial banks in the World, Lehman Brothers, and which caused both the Band of England and the European Central Bank to rush $42 billion into the European economy yesterday to keep it from collapsing, and their own banks from running out of money, necessitating the response from the US Central Bank leader Ben S. Bernanke.

As Prime Minister Putin had previously warned, and as we had reported on in our September 13th report “Hurricane Ike To Completely Destroy United States, Says Putin”, the horrific hurricane storm that has devastated the State of Texas, and where a humanitarian crisis is presently unfolding, has, indeed, proved to be the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camels back’ as the catastrophic damage from this storm raced beyond the Gulf of Mexico coast and ravaged the heartland of America to such an extent that the Governors of Ohio and Kentucky have declared States of Emergency as millions have been left without power.

The significance of this historic storm damage to the American economy, these reports say, led to the unprecedented pressures put upon the World’s largest insurance company American International Group (AIG) and its halt in negotiations, during a rare Sunday meeting in New York, to support the near bankrupt Lehman Brothers on Sunday, but which was then allowed to collapse and is now threatening to also destroy AIG itself.

Not being explained to the American people is that AIG, the World’s largest player in the $45 Trillion derivatives market, during the past two weeks had bet heavily on the World Markets against the damage from Hurricane Ike exceeding $2 billion in property damage, lost oil and gasoline production, lost wages and payments to companies forced to close, etc., it is obligated to pay, but which the actual damages are now being estimated will exceed $1 Trillion as the damages throughout the United States are finally tallied.

[Note: Derivatives are financial instruments whose value changes in response to the changes in underlying variables. The main types of derivatives are futures, forwards, options, and swaps. The main use of derivatives is to reduce risk for one party.]

Such a calamitous action by AIG has basically shattered the Western economic system, and as we can read as reported by The Australian Business News Service in their article titled “Global banks brace for derivative blow-up”, and which says:

“So here we are on the morning of D Day. The world's major couterparties on the $US455 trillion derivatives market go into technical default and no one is sure what is going to happen.

Lehman Bros yesterday formally petitioned the State Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District Court of New York for Chapter 11 protection.

Lehman would also have filed what are called "first day motions", which allow the bank to pay salaries and wages, while it continues to market its non-toxic, broker-dealer operations and work out what on earth to do with its highly toxic $US53 billion residential and commercial mortgage portfolio.

But, as scary and Spartan as it might sound, failure is as essential to the workings of an effective marketplace as is success.

Which means only that, given this shattered, battle-weary investment bank is unable to find itself a new owner or think its own way through the current calamitous circumstances, then one of the legendary brands of Wall Street should be left to fail.

In a weekend of unprecedented drama, the Fed seems to have been forced to play Solomon and choose between Merrill Lynch and Lehman. Both were facing mortal threat. But it seems only one could survive intact.”

Even worse for the American people during this unprecedented crisis is that one of their top economic experts, Wilbur Ross, chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co, is now warning that over 1,000 US banks are nearing collapse, and one of their top economists, Nouriel Roubini, of NYU's Stern School and RGE Monitor, if further warning that “there is already a "slow-motion run on retail banks" occurring nationwide.”

Russian Military Analysts commenting on these reports state that though it is unlikely that the American President can suspend US elections solely on the basis of an Economic Emergency alone, it is entirely probable that he could do so should their Nation suffer another 9/11 type attack, and which they ‘cryptically’ observe could place as early as September 22nd as American Military Forces begin to conduct their World-Wide tests of their new nuclear alert system as they conduct another test of their so-called Star Wars Missile Defense System.

It should be further noted that as their once great Nation continues sliding towards the abyss of total ruin, these American people still refuse to acknowledge the substance of the many warnings being issued to them from all corners of the World as if even with eyes and ears they do not see and do not hear anything other than what they are programmed for by their masters.

How sad for these people, how much sadder for the rest of us these people are now all but lost.

© September 16, 2008 EU and US all rights reserved.

[Ed. Note: The United States government actively seeks to find, and silence, any and all opinions about the United States except those coming from authorized government and/or affiliated sources, of which we are not one. No interviews are granted and very little personal information is given about our contributors, or their sources, to protect their safety.

Consumers to foot bill for Bradford & Bingley bailout in higher bank charges

2008-09-30T10:07:00.001+01:00

Full article can be found at www.timesonline.co.uk

Patrick Hosking, Gary Duncan and Miles Costello

Bank charges and insurance premiums are set to rise after high street banks and insurers were ordered to pay up to £14 billion under the terms of Bradford & Bingley’s nationalisation.

Some analysts suggested that the bailout could hasten the end of free banking for current account customers as banks attempt to pass on the cost to their customers.

All banks face huge increases in the levy they pay to the deposit lifeboat, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, after it borrowed £14 billion from the Government to underwrite Bradford & Bingley deposits transferred to Banco Santander.

Banks and building societies will be asked to chip in £900 million a year just to pay the interest on the bill. That works out at more than £100 million each for large banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays.

“The banks will be in a militant mood after this,” Alex Potter, a banking analyst with Collins Stewart, said. They had already had their arms twisted by regulators to support an earlier £400 million capital raising by Bradford & Bingley last month.

Stephen Hadrill, head of the Association of British Insurers, said that premiums would have to go up. “Insurers are livid at the way that this has been handled. If it’s going to fall on the companies in due course, insurers are going to have to try to find that money from somewhere,” he said.

The anger erupted after the Government confirmed yesterday that it was nationalising the bulk of Bradford & Bingley, seizing £50 billion of assets and bankrolling the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Banco Santander, the Spanish bank that owns Abbey, has bought the £20 billion deposit business and the network of 200 branches.

The remaining assets and liabilities of the former building society, including its £41 billion mortgage book, personal loan book, Yorkshire headquarters, treasury assets and wholesale liabilities, will be taken into public ownership by the transfer of all shares to the Treasury, Alistair Darling said.

Shareholders look likely to be almost entirely wiped out, although the Treasury is expected to appoint an independent valuer to set compensation, if any. Trading in the shares, which last changed hands at 20p on Friday, was suspended.

The victims include more than 800,000 Bradford & Bingley customers who received free shares when Bradford & Bingley became a listed company in 2000.

Branches opened normally yesterday under Santander. Borrowers were urged to continue making their repayments in the normal way.

The Chancellor disclosed that the immediate cost to taxpayers would be a £4 billion payment to Abbey together with the £14 billion loan to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

The Government had acted on the advice of the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority, “to maintain financial stability and protect depositors, while minimising the exposure to taxpayers”, the Treasury said.

The Financial Services Authority, which supervises British banks, concluded on Saturday that Bradford & Bingley no longer met threshold conditions for operating as a deposit taker, the Treasury said. “Savers’ money remains absolutely secure,” it added.

The nationalisation could push government borrowing this year to levels not seen since the mid-Nineties, adding to the possibility of huge tax rises after the next general election.

The Treasury insists that it expects to recoup all, or the vast bulk, of the £18 billion paid directly, and indirectly via the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, to Santander within months rather than years, through disposal of Bradford & Bingley assets. The Government has first call on this money as it becomes available.

While most of the £18 billion may well be recovered, the exposure nevertheless adds to already intense stress on the Government’s finances.

The £4 billion paid directly to Santander will have to be added to total government borrowing for 2008-09 – already set to soar far above the Chancellor’s £43 billion forecast as the downturn hits tax revenues. Officials remain uncertain whether the £14 billion transferred to Santander through the compensation scheme also count against borrowing but admit that it may have to. The decision will rest with the Office for National Statistics.

Even before the latest costs, economists expected public borrowing to climb to as much as £60 billion.

The initial impact of Bradford & Bingley may now drive this to £78 billion, which would put the Government’s deficit at more than 5 per cent of GDP. In future years, the Treasury will have to add to its borrowing the cost of any defaults on Bradford & Bingley mortgages. With £1.3 billion worth of Bradford & Bingley’s £41 billion in mortgages already in arrears, those losses could pile up quickly as the housing market slumps and unemployment rises.

Eventually, with the Government so deep in the red, taxes will have to rise to bring down public borrowing to more manageable levels.

In the meantime, Bradford & Bingley’s debts will add to those of Northern Rock in swelling the national debt, lifting this by a further £30 billion or so, Capital Economics estimates.

The impact is likely to push total debt up to some 45 per cent of GDP - smashing the 40 per cent ceiling imposed by the Treasury, which looks set to be formally abandoned by Mr Darling in his autumn PreBudget Report.

Banco Santander will strengthen its position among the giants of British savings and mortgages, becoming No 3 in savings, outsized by the planned Lloyds TSB/HBOS combination and Royal Bank of Scotland. Thanks to the acquisitions of Abbey and Alliance & Leicester, it is No 2 in mortgages, with 13 per cent of the home loans market. It will have 1,300 branches under the Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley brands and will employ 23,000 people in Britain. Yesterday it declined to rule out job losses or branch closures, though none was planned immediately.

eTN Executive Talk: Fannie Mae VP speaks the truth [www.eturbonews.com]

2008-09-30T10:02:00.001+01:00

Full article can be found at www.eturbonews.com

By Hazel Heyer, eTN Staff Writer | Sep 29, 2008

Formerly called the Federal National Mortgage Association or FNMA, Fannie Mae was established in 1938. Its initial goal was to stimulate the housing industry following the Great Depression. It also created the first secondary market for residential mortgage loans. In 1968, Fannie Mae became a private, stockholder-owner, government-regulated corporation whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Fannie Mae kept low-cost capital flowing to mortgagees across the nation and does not lend directly to homebuyers; it instead do business with lenders to ensure they don’t run out of mortgage funds. Fannie Mae provides large builders and real estate companies master commitments in the amounts of $25 million and more for funds for up to 12 months in advance.

As the market has seen recently, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac experienced trouble. In the last weeks, the government decided to put Fannie Mae in conservatorship to provide the association liquidity at a time of unprecedented stress. More importantly, the government addressed its issues on capital, treasury and Fannie’s regulator, Federal Housing Finance Agency which agreed to set up a preferred stock purchase agreement to fund up to $100 billion of each above-mentioned entity, according to Kenneth Bacon, executive vice president of Housing and Community Development for Fannie Mae.

“As we have experienced a lot of losses, an investor with debt in a mortgage-backed securities, would feel confident about capital available and the staying power of our agency. The second step they took was create a new secured lending facility not only for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but also for the Federal Home Loan Bank System, because the government was concerned that if the agency goes out to issue debt, and the debt markets overflows, we cannot access funding anymore,” said Bacon, explaining that due to these events, Fannie Mae now has sources of capital, assured liquidity, and the promise from the government to buy up their mortgage-backed securities, from time to time, if the agency would price them right in the marketplace.

Since the government put up the funds, it has now decided to have managerial control over Fannie Mae. To the investor, this means the agency is very much in business, said Bacon. “We would like to see our portfolio grow this year. More importantly, how the market has reacted, tightening its spread on our debt is the key. We were able to save $7 billion of debt with the issuance, over-subscribed to $9 billion -- the biggest offerings we’ve ever done. Initial indications say this is working,” said Fannie Mae’s VP.

According to the mortgage bankers association, the delinquency rates with single-family homes stand at 64 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of June 2008, up 129 points up from last year. Loans on foreclosures this year reached 2.75 percent, double of last year’s rate. Fannie Mae’s single-family foreclosure rate was lower at 1.36 percent at the end of the second quarter, but rates are still double the rate of last year. “Clearly, the market is in trouble. We initially expected to see prices decline 7 to 9 percent, but after some follow-up, we see the upper-ended range climb to 15 to 19 percent. If it did, it is still critical that credit might freeze up. More needs to be done with liquidity and that Fannie’s underwriting is done right. We also see that the era of ‘no-money down or little money down on mortgages’ is over. Also putting layers of risks on single-family loans, when they had a second loan, or adjustable rate mortgage or interest only, and so many things consumers did not understand, are a thing of the past,” said Bacon.

He added they will spend more time on weeding out fraud.

It is equally important to shed light likewise on the rental market, a huge market which had a multifamily debt outstanding at $850 billion at the end of 2007. Its dominant player was the commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) with $36 billion in multi-family mortgages financed. Fannie Mae expects the amount to be less than $2 billion this year.

“This market has fallen off the face of the earth because with delinquency rates on multifamily loans of CMBS about 120 basis points; the delinquency on Fannie Mae’s portfolio $170 billion business is only 11 basis points. While overall volume is up, since Fannie and Freddie have dominated this market, our volume is up. This year, we did $22 billion on multifamily financing on the first half of the year. Other players like Wachovia, Deutsche Bank, Wells Fargo or PNC, delivered $18 billion of that $20 billion - they considered it to be a good business model; they have recourse on the loan and shared the risk with us. Since there were enough commercial mortgage market blow-ups, people adjusted the system to avoid that from happening,” said Bacon addressing the fact that since many had been burnt by the commercial mortgage problem in the past, they were prepared for this event. Whereas the single-family market, people relaxed their underwriting because people have no memory of 1990 when similar events took place. The reason why delinquency rates have been so low is because the average loan-to-value was 67 percent on new originations; debt service coverage ratios are north of 120. “And the way we underwrite at Fannie Mae, we don’t look at rent but past collections. We’ve very conservative as our programs started from the ashes of the 1980s, keeping the portfolio running,” he said.

Assessing the current market, Bacon thinks multifamily market vacancy’s below 7 percent. “We feel good about the market, thinking that the US population is still increasing birth rates and immigration. Fannie Mae sees a demographic profile moving into rental status more and more in the next two years. We will also see a lot of older people sell their homes and accept to move in independent-living facility which has less maintenance and less wear and tear issues for them as they get older,” he added.

What concerns Fannie Mae the most are the “questionable” job growth at times like these, more “acts of God” such as hurricanes, recession, and the rates of transaction (the great divide between buyers and sellers due to capitalization rates which had been extremely low between 6-7 percent which were unsustainable). “We’re beginning to see the reverse into the mean, that is cap rates edging lower than debt rates, making a huge difference between buyer’s and seller’s perspectives of values sometimes reaching 15 percent difference in price due to the gap. There’s lot of equity capital out there, for all the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) booming countries, that investors would rather go for overseas equity better than what the US can offer. That is why investors think twice,” he said.

It is sort of surreal to see high delinquency in people’s houses. “But when you look at offices and apartments, it is not as bad. In essence, multi-family homes are performing well but we expect to see a smaller market where people look at a common ground for cap rates. With the credit crunch, we would see cap rates outside of New York running up to 6 to 6.5 percent at the end of the year,” said Bacon.

There is a real reason to be concerned about the state of the American credit market. “But I believe, if you dissect the market, all the statements/generalizations are not quite true. We have single family markets that are bad, but some segments are doing alright in some parts of the country. Long-term fundamentals in terms of population growth are in place. There are lot of positives out there including the government deciding to act on our issues in a forceful and clear way. Hence, I believe there will be strong liquidity to come in the housing mortgages through Fannie Mae,” he said.

In closing, the Fannie Mae VP said, “I hope this ignites the attitude that we saw after 9/11, because at the end of the day, markets move by people’s emotions. If people are gloomy and negative, markets are never going to get better. Hopefully, people rekindle their optimism in the true characteristic of the American market and lead people to step back in and start doing transactions."

Al-Qaeda planning to bomb Atlantis - report [arabianbusiness.com]

2008-09-30T09:59:00.001+01:00

For full article at arabianbusiness.com

by Dylan Bowman on Monday, 29 September 2008

The Atlantis hotel’s grand opening party is at the centre of a terrorism scare after British spies uncovered plans to target the lavish event in Dubai, to be attended by 2,000 VIPs.

There are fears Al-Qaeda is planning to bomb the event on Nov. 20 because it is seen by Islamic extremists as a symbol of decadence in a Muslim country, according to the UK's Sky News television.

Business leaders, politicians, actors, musicians and members of the Dubai royal family have all been invited to the grand opening, which is estimated to be costing $28 million and will be headlined by pop princess Kylie Minogue.

British spies are reportedly monitoring talk of an attack in internet chatrooms and have a number of suspects who pose a credible threat under surveillance.

Neither Atlantis or the British embassy in Dubai were immediately available for comment when contacted by Arabian Business.

The resort, located on the Palm Jumeirah, officially opened on Sept. 24, despite a recent fire on Sept. 2 that destroyed the hotel lobby roof and caused smoke damage to the outside of the main hotel building.

The launch of Atlantis has become one of the most talked about events on the Dubai calendar, with several global superstars linked with the grand opening, including Michael Jackson and Madonna.

The 1,539-room resort encompasses a 46-hectare site with 17 hectares of water-themed amusement parks, an open air marine habitat, beaches, boutiques and restaurants.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in June raised its terrorism threat level in the UAE to "high", warning that terrorists could target places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers such as residential compounds, military, oil, transport and aviation interests.

"We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE," the FCO said.

"Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time," it said.

The FCO said people should "maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places".

How to protect your PC

2008-09-10T16:14:00.001+01:00

A House of Lords select committee recently branded the internet as a lawless Wild West. Users must guard against viruses, spyware (which allows crooks to access your data or even hijack and use your computer) and a plethora of scams. With a little research, however, keeping safe online is straightforward and free. Here is Times Money's guide to protecting your PC.

Upgrade your system

The newest version of an operating system is the safest. Windows users with ancient hardware should upgrade to Windows Vista orWindows XP with Service Pack 2. It may be more cost-effective to buy a new computer with this included. All users should download free security updates at www.windowsupdate.com. Set your PC to download them automatically by navigating to "control panel", then "system", then "automatic updates". You should also download the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox, which offer some built-in virus protection.

Install a firewall

Mircrosoft gives Windows users a free firewall, which is an adequate first line of defence for most people. This keeps out bad hackers, some viruses and some spyware. Go to "control panel" then "security centre" to activate it.

Use antivirus and anti-spyware software

Most new PCs come with a free trial of Symantec's Norton AntiVirus. Updates cost about £20 a year when this ends. However, Andrew Ferguson, ofThinkbroadband.com, the specialist website, says that free alternatives, such as Grisoft's AFG, available for download at free.grisoft.com, are adequate. Once virus protection is in place, you must tackle spyware. Microsoft's free Defender software should suffice. Look for this in your PC's "all programmes" folder. If it is not there, go towww.microsoft.com/download for a free copy. You should set all antivirus and anti-spyware software to receive "automatic updates". User feedback on security products can be found here.

Secure your wireless network

If you have a WiFi, or wireless, network, secure it by switching on the built-in encryption, renaming the network and switching on "MAC filtering" to restrict access to trusted computers. Get Safe Online, a government website, has detailed guidance here.

Back up your data

However well-protected your PC, it is important to back up your data to CD or DVD at regular intervals. This means that you will not lose important files if your computer is stolen or damaged. Keep these discs, as well as the operating system discs that came with your computer, and any software discs, in a safe place away from your terminal. For more advice on how to back up your data, click here.

Be savvy

The precautions above should be combined with common sense. You should keep your PC in a secure location, not by an exposed ground-floor window, for example. And once online, be wary of scam e-mails. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. Likewise, avoid giving out personal details that could facilitate burglary or identity fraud. When you must disclose your address and credit card details to make a purchase, do so over a secure server at a trusted website. Avoiding pornography and offensive material should be straightforward. If you do stumble across content that you believe to be illegal, however, report it here. And if your PC is used by children, read these safety tips.

If things go wrong

All PCs connected to the internet are vulnerable to viruses and spyware. These can cause numerous problems, including a general slowing or failure of your system. Firewalls and antivirus and anti-spyware software cut the risk, but they cannot remove it. If you suspect that your computer is infected, follow this advice or, for £70-plus, call a geek on a scooter to fix it.

See the Metropolitan Police website for advice on reporting internet crime. Be aware, however, that British investigators have no authority to pursue most scammers based overseas. Scambaitingoffers some consolation.

Why the fascination with the end of the world?

2008-09-09T14:13:00.001+01:00

By Finlo Rohrer

BBC News Magazine

A huge particle accelerator experiment is about to start and a tiny group of people believe it could spell the end of the world. But why are we so obsessed with the possibility of apocalypse?

The world will end. That much is a certainty. But it may not be soon. And in all probability it will not come to a shuddering, fiery, boiling, cataclysmic end on Wednesday this week.

That is when the Large Hadron Collider on the Swiss/French border has its first full beam. The collider is a giant particle accelerator which, by smashing one particle into another, will tell us amazing things about the birth of the universe, scientists hope.

But there are a small but significant group of naysayers who worry that the LHC is not 100% safe. Opponents say it is possible the collider could produce micro black holes and dangerous "strangelets", and that catastrophic effects from these cannot be ruled out.

In this worst case scenario the earth could very well have had its chips.

However, the consensus of physicists is that the collider is perfectly harmless. Micro black holes would vanish almost instantaneously.

But when you see a headline in a newspaper that says "Are we all going to die next Wednesday?", one can't help but wonder at our fascination with the idea of the end of the world.

Whether you refer to it as eschatology (religious theory of the end of the world), millenarianism, end time belief, apocalypticism, or disaster scenario, it is one of humanity's most powerful ideas, and it goes way back.

"It is a very ancient pattern in human thought. It is rooted in ancient, even pre-biblical Middle Eastern myths of ultimate chaos and ultimate struggle between the forces of order and chaos," says cultural historian Paul S Boyer, author of When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture.

"It is deeply appealing at a psychological level because the idea of meaninglessness is deeply threatening. Human societies have always tried to create some kind of framework of meaning to give history and our own personal lives some kind of significance."

And although end of the world thinking crops up in many religions, those in the West are probably most aware of Christian eschatology. In the early days of the church it was taken as a given by many believers that the Second Coming and the end of the world were imminent.

Mainstream Christianity moved away from this type of thought, but large numbers of believers returned to it at various times.

"It isn't just the lunatic fringe, it's an integral part of all Christianity. But [in mainstream Christianity] it is put into perspective that it may happen 'one day'," says Stephen J Hunt, a sociologist of religion and author of Christian Millenarianism: From the Early Church to Waco.

"But certain groups and movements believe it is in their generation. They are saying we have got the truth and nobody else has."

Cataclysmic scenarios

There have been many groups that have predicted the end of the world, or Tribulation, or Rapture, dealt with it not coming to pass and then issued new ones.

Jehovah's Witnesses have issued predictions about cataclysmic scenarios that have manifestly failed to come to pass, only ceasing predictions of the end in recent years. Failed predictions seem not to have alienated core believers. Indeed, it is denied by some that specific predictions - as opposed to speculation based on scripture - have ever been made.

No such luck applied to the 19th Century Millerite sect, led by William Miller. He didn't just predict the end would be soon. He nailed the day - 22 October 1844. As the day neared the sect's popularity snowballed, with thousands of newspapers sold. Only one thing was able to derail the movement's popularity - the safe and unexpected arrival of 23 October 1844. The failure of the world to end was known as the "Great Disappointment" and followers left in droves.

"The current prophecy popularisers are much shrewder," says Prof Boyer. "They say no man knoweth the day or the hour, but it's coming soon."

Carlos Roa thought he kneweth the hour. The Argentinian goalkeeper, best known for his penalty heroics against England in the 1998 World Cup, refused to countenance a new contract at Real Mallorca as the year 2000 approached because he believed the world was going to end and he needed to prepare. When it didn't he was soon donning the gloves back in Mallorca.

And for all it is easy to mock those who have tried and failed, thinking about the ways the world might end, or the timing, may be fulfilling a basic human need.

"It comes down to an issue of power," says Michael Molcher, editor of the magazine The End is Nigh. "What you get during times of particular discontent or war or famine or during general bad times is a rise in apocalyptic preaching and ideas.

"It is a way for people to control the way their world works. The one thing we can never predict is the time and manner of our own deaths."

The great periods of millenarianism - Europe around the year 1000, the English Civil War, the Industrial Revolution on both sides of the Atlantic, and the 20th Century - have been periods of intense turbulence. Putting an eschatological spin on current events is extremely tempting.

"A lot of fundamentalists are what we call 'sign watching'. If there's another tornado in Florida it must be a punishment," says Dr Hunt.

Sometimes the links to the temporal world can be tortuous to say the least. A common theme on the fringes of Christian millenarianism is a revived Roman Empire led by the Antichrist and consisting of 10 European nations. The theme is drawn out from the description of a beast with 10 horns in the book of Revelation.

It was historically linked to the EU, but now there are 27 members attention has shifted to the 10-nation Western European Union.

And these end times beliefs seem easily to find their way into popular culture. The Left Behind series of novels have sold millions and cinema-goers have happily trooped in to see three instalments of the Omen.

But it is wrong to say that belief that the world could be about to end is entirely confined to religious people. When the Cold War was going on, the likely culprit was nuclear weapons, at the moment it might be a catastrophic climate change scenario that leaves the world intact, but humanity gone. And Mr Molcher's favourite prediction of recent years involved a woman who was convinced that Chinese plans to build a base on the moon would throw its orbit out and send it hurtling towards earth.

And end of the world believers, whether religious or not, have one thing going for them. The world will, one day, end.

And there are still plenty willing to name a date.

Preacher Ronald Weinland's book 2008 - God's Final Witness, predicts that the US will be destroyed within two years.

Sadly anybody wanting to find out more by e-mail receives an automated response. One can only assume he is too busy preparing for the end that is nigh.

THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER

At Cern on French-Swiss border
One of biggest and most expensive experiments in human history
Critics say micro black holes could be created, that could swallow the earth
Cern says any black holes will evaporate quickly and harmlessly
Effects will be less than cosmic ray collisions in atmosphere
LHC collisions could shed light on creation of universe
First beam on Wednesday
First collision later in year
Action ongoing at European Court of Human Rights to stop experiments
LHC Kritiks lead opposition

FAILED PREDICTIONS

Jehovah's Witnesses have predicted end several times, but have stopped
Millerites predicted end of world for 22 October 1844 - day known to followers as Great Disappointment
Edgar C Whisenant wrote 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 - followed up with predictions for 1989, 1993, and 1994
Argentinian goalie Carlos Roa gave up football in anticipation of end of world in 2000
Hal Lindsey in 1970's The Late, Great Planet Earth linked end of world to the EU

RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR

"End of world" concepts include:

Destruction of planet
Extinction of human race
Significant change in situation of human race

Secular scenarios include:

Catastrophic climate change
Asteroid or comet strike
Massive nuclear war
Destabilisation of earth or moon orbit

Religious scenarios include:

Islam refers to "last judgement"
Some Buddhists believe in disappearance of Buddha's teachings
Christian end of world linked to second coming of Jesus
Hindus believe in cycle of ages
Zoroastrians may have had first codified end of world theory

UK 'sex on beach' pair in court

2008-09-02T08:53:00.001+01:00

A British man and woman are appearing in court in Dubai to face charges of having sex on a beach.

Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, and Michelle Palmer, 36, are due to stand trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The pair were arrested after allegedly being seen having sex on a public beach in Dubai on 5 July.

They deny charges of public indecency and having unmarried sex but admit consuming alcohol.

Mr Acors and Miss Palmer arrived separately at court.

If found guilty they could face a prison sentence of up to six years but senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli says they are more likely to be jailed for between six months and a year as well as being fined and deported.

'I'm sorry'

In a statement to the court at a previous hearing, Miss Palmer said: "We were just kissing and hugging. We didn't have sex together. I was lying on top of him.

"I have been in Dubai for two-and-a-half years without committing any kind of offence. I'm sorry."

The pair, who are both on bail, met hours before their arrest at a £60 all-you-can-drink champagne brunch at the Le Meridien Hotel, close to Dubai Airport.

One witness, a 21-year-old Palestinian man, told police he saw them "start kissing" after getting out of a taxi.

Mr Ahli said the police officer who made the arrests described seeing Miss Palmer with her "shirt off" and "sitting on" Mr Acors.

The officer said the couple had not noticed him until he shone his torch in their direction.

Miss Palmer, who worked for ITP Publishing Group, was sacked following her arrest.

"Following an internal review of this incident, the company has dismissed the member of staff in question," said a company spokeswoman.

Virgin Radio to become Absolute

2008-09-02T08:51:00.002+01:00

Virgin Radio is to be rebranded as Absolute Radio as its Indian owner aims to turn it into a global business.

The name change will be completed by 1 October, and comes after TIML, part of the Times of India media group, bought the radio station for £53.2m in May.

The change in name was also needed for legal reasons, as Times of India chose not to purchase the Virgin Radio brand.

An Absolute spokesman said the radio station wanted to target US listeners and those in mainland Europe.

Diversification plans

The spokesman explained that "when TIML bought the radio station a decision was taken not to buy the brand licence".

"The Virgin Radio brand licence came with the restriction that the radio station had to remain a UK radio business," he continued.

"In the changing digital media landscape that was not a viable business option for us."

The spokesman said that in addition to its global plans, the company intended to diversify the Absolute Radio brand into live music, ticketing, TV, mobile phones and gaming.

The Times of India Group already owns 30 Indian radio stations.

"Absolute is a brand that is unapologetic, cheeky and infectious with a long-term brand building and investment strategy behind it," said Absolute chief executive Donnach O'Driscoll.

TIML bought Virgin Radio from Scottish media group SMG.

Google launches internet browser

2008-09-02T08:49:00.002+01:00

Google is launching an open source web browser to compete with Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The browser is designed to be lightweight and fast, and to cope with the next generation of web applications that rely on graphics and multimedia.

Called Chrome, it will launch as a beta for Windows machines in 100 countries, with Mac and Linux versions to come.

"We realised... we needed to completely rethink the browser," said Google's Sundar Pichai in a blog post.

The new browser will help Google take advantage of developments it is pushing online in rich web applications that are challenging traditional desktop programs.

Google has a suite of web apps, such as Documents, Picasa and Maps which offer functionality that is beginning to replace offline software.

"What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build," Mr Pichai, VP Product Management, wrote.

The launch of a beta version of Chrome on Tuesday will be Google's latest assault on Microsoft's dominance of the PC business. The firm's Internet Explorer program dominates the browser landscape, with 80% of the market.

Putin: U.S. Staged Georgian Conflict

2008-09-01T13:51:00.001+01:00

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Friday, August 29 2008

In an interview with CNN, Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has stated that the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict may have been manufactured by the White House for domestic political reasons. Putin also says that preliminary reports show U.S. citizens may have been present in the combat zone.

"We have serious reason to believe that American citizens were right at the heart of the military action. This would have implications for American domestic policy." Putin told CNN.

"If this is confirmed, then it raises the suspicion that someone in the US specially created this conflict to worsen the situation and create an advantage in the competitive struggle for one of the candidates for the post of president of the United States." he continued.

"They needed a short, victorious war."

"And if it didn't work out, they could always put the blame on us, make us look like the enemy and against the background of this surge of patriotism, once more rally the country around a particular political force." Putin explained.

Watch a Russia Today report on Putin's comments:

In addition to the remarks broadcast by Russia Today, Putin charged that Americans on the ground in Georgia were “implementing orders” from their “leader” during the conflict.

"The fact is that US citizens were indeed in the area in conflict during the hostilities. It should be admitted that they would do so only following direct orders from their leaders," Putin said.

"Therefore, they were acting in implementing those orders, doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader," he added.

The comments come in the wake of news that a U.S. passport was found in a building in South Ossetia occupied by Georgian troops.

As we have documented, reports of American mercenaries being captured and found dead inside South Ossetia and Georgia circulated in the days after the conflict began.

Putin also told the CNN interviewer that the Georgian army was armed and trained for the conflict.

"Why hold years of difficult talks and seek complex compromise solutions in inter-ethnic conflicts? It's easier to arm one side and push it into the murder of the other side, and it's over," he said.

"It seems like an easy solution. In reality it turns out that it's not always so."

Putin may have been referring to the military exercise Immediate Response 2008, which took place last month, involving no less than one thousand U.S. troops working with Georgian troops in a war game scenario. It was also well documented that Georgian troops were flown out of Iraq by the U.S. to join the conflict in South Ossetia. Aside from these facts, it is common knowledge that Washington provides training and equipment to the Georgian military, one of its coalition allies.

However, the White House responded by describing Putin's comments as "patently false."

The western corporate media coverage has consistently toed the line that the U.S. and NATO-backed client state Georgia is a helpless victim in the conflict with Russia the evil aggressor. The origins of the conflict were completely flipped around and misreported. to hide the fact that a far more complex geopolitical strategy is being played out in the region.

Related video - Alex Jones explains the real motives behind the conflict on Russia Today:

Dead Sea Scrolls go from parchment to the Internet

2008-09-01T13:46:00.002+01:00

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- More than 2,000 years after they were written, the Dead Sea Scrolls are going digital as part of an effort to better preserve the ancient texts and let more people see them than ever before.The high-tech initiative, announced Wednesday, will also reveal text that was not visible to the naked eye.

Over the next two years, the Israel Antiquities Authority will digitally photograph and scan every bit of crumbling parchment and papyrus that makes up the scrolls, which include the oldest written record of the Bible's Old Testament.The images eventually will be posted on the Internet for anyone to see.

"These are the earliest copies of the Bible ever found," said Pnina Shor, head of treatment and conservation at the Antiquities Authority.

"The Bible is sacred to us and to you and to all the monotheisticreligions, and therefore [the scrolls] are national treasures and world treasures, and therefore it is our duty to preserve them at least for 2,000 years more."It is widely believed that the first set of Dead Sea Scrolls was discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd who ventured into a cave in the Judean Desert in search of a lost sheep or goat. The texts were found wrapped in linen inside earthenware jars.

Eventually, 11 caves were found to contain scrolls, some dating more than 2,000 years.

The texts shed light on life in the Holy Land around the time of Jesus, in the early days of Christianity and at a time of great upheaval for the Jewish people.

"They show the connection between Christianity, Judaism and how everything evolved from the God -- the God is one God," Shor said. "The scrolls are meant to bring us all together."

The thousands of scroll fragments were photographed in their entirety only once, in the 1950s, but some of those images have themselves disintegrated, the Antiquities Authority said.For years, there have been complaints that only a handful of scholars have been able to examine the scrolls, The Associated Press reported.

Now, Israel has assembled an international team not of archaeologists and linguists but technical wizards to reveal them as never before.

Their imaging of the extremely brittle scrolls will allow people to read scores of fragments that were blackened or erased over the years.

"Just by applying the latest infrared technologies and shooting at very high detail, lots of resolution, we are already opening up new characters from the scrolls that are either extremely indistinct or you just couldn't see them before," said Simon Tanner, director of King's Digital Consultancy Services.

Tanner, who has worked on previous digital projects involving antiquities, is on a team that also includes Greg Bearman, who recently retired as principal scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Bearman pioneered archaeological digital imaging and owns a company, Snapshot Spectra, that makes the imagers.

"To switch over to digital is really the way to go, and people were resistant to it initially, because it was a new way of doing stuff," he said. "They want their light table and their magnifying glass."

But with digital imaging, Bearman said, "You can see where the ink has broken away and you can see the texture of the animal skin, so you can see more detail than you can see with the naked eye."

Another benefit of the imaging process, Bearman said, is that it enables scientists to determine the amount of water present in the parchment. That will help authorities determine whether the parchment is too wet or too dry, and enable them to keep the scrolls in conditions that are perfect for conservation.

Americans who want an even closer look at the texts will be able to do so next month, when six of the scrolls will go on exhibit at the Jewish Museum of New York, according to The New York Times.

Eight bad reasons to have sex

2008-09-01T11:05:00.002+01:00

(The Frisky) -- As I'm sure you're well aware, there are many good reasons to have sex. In fact, sometimes you don't need any reason at all -- other than, say, loving your partner.

However, sometimes a lady finds herself doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. That's what we're here to cover. So if you find yourself in any of the following situations, please extricate yourself as quickly as possible:

Revenge: The most popular very-wrong reason to have sex, revenge sex never ends well.
Hooking up with his best friend because you're angry at your boyfriend will get you nowhere. If you do manage to break up their friendship, then you're stuck with an untrustworthy dude (if he did it to him, he'll do it to you).

Even worse, there's always the (strong) possibility that he went right back and told his buddy and the two of them are now comparing notes over high-fives and hot wings.

Ego gratification: You must be fine if that scorching hot bartender took you home. Or not.
Men have been known to do some unsavory things for physical gratification. The fact that he's willing and able doesn't say squat about your appeal.

Appliance envy: Your roommate "doesn't believe" in air conditioning. You can't afford premium cable and are addicted to "Weeds." You're desperate to try out Wii Fit. All of these
desires are perfectly rational.

However, they are absolutely not worth the price of waking up next to someone you otherwise cannot stand. (Well, except for the AC, but that's only if it's above 100 Fahrenheit.)

Weight loss: Yes, you may have read those women's magazine articles about how being physically intimate can help you shed pounds. However, a 120-pound woman burns only 57 calories during 15 minutes of sex. That's less than half a Hostess Ho-Ho. The sweat could do nice things for your skin, but your waist will remain the same size.

Clarity: Ever since you were nine years old and saw that topless Kate Moss Calvin Klein ad, you've had a hunch you were same-sex oriented.

Unfortunately, the thought of sharing this with anyone scares you, so you get yourself a boyfriend. But you can't stop thinking about that ad....

Mercy: Empathy for a sad soul is one thing; holding an intimate pity party is quite another. Oh, and you know that saying, "no good deed goes unpunished?" It goes triple in this instance. Misery loves company -- good luck getting him out of your apartment.

Quid pro quo: I'm not knocking or talking about the sex professionals out there -- this is for the amateurs among us. Just because he bought you a lobster doesn't mean you need to give
up dessert. Catch my drift?

Fame by association: He's famous, you want to be. Contrary to what you might've surmised
from that old Pamela Des Barres book, "I'm With The Band: Confessions Of A Groupie," fame is not transmissible through intimate contact. However, lots of other things are, so watch out.

McCain 'picks woman running-mate'

2008-08-29T15:49:00.002+01:00

US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the female governor of Alaska, as his running-mate, US media report.

At 44, she is younger than Barack Obama and is credited with reforms during her first term, but she is relatively unknown in US politics.

Mr McCain is due to present her on stage at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, to celebrate his 72nd birthday.

Analysts say the Republican is keen to wrest back headlines from Mr Obama.

War on IRAN

2008-08-29T11:23:00.002+01:00

Amsterdam - The Dutch intelligence service AIVD has been working on a ultra secret operation in Iran with the purpose infiltration and sabotage of the weapons industry in the islamic republic.

The extremely successful considered operation has recently been stopped because of plans of a coming American air strike on Iran. Also goals indicated by the Dutch espionage action will be targeted. This is declared by good sources towards the Telegraph newspaper.

Nuclear bomb

Tehran is probably working on a nuclear bomb and refuses to listen to Western demands to stop enrichment of uranium.

One of the concerned agents, who was able to infiltrate in the Iranian industry under supervision of the AIVD, has recently be called back because America has decided to attack Iran with unmanned planes in a couple of weeks. The possible targets are not only nuclear installations, but also military installations which have been indicated with the help of the AIVD. Information from the AIVD operation has been shared with the CIA, according to these sources.

Also several deliveries could be sabotaged and blocked. These were parts of missiles and launching devices. Iran has been sanctioned 3 times since 2006 because of his nuclear program. Western intelligence think that the country of the ayatollahs could have nuclear arms by 2010. The Iranian president Ahmadinejad threatens to wipe out Israel.

The Spam Report, August 2008

2008-08-28T15:09:00.001+01:00

Spam messages announcing World War 3 has commenced lure curious web users

Taking advantage of the latest events and trends around the world, spammers resorted to using the heated US political campaign and even the Beijing Olympics as themes to lure unsuspecting victims.

This seems to have contributed to spam levels averaging at 78% of all messages last month, up
from representing 66% of all messages in July last year. The increase has been reported in Symantec's August 2008 State of Spam report that identifies internet, product, finance and health related attacks as the biggest spam categories, contributing to 22%, 21%, 20% and 16% respectively of the total number of spam messages.

Current affairs dominated spammer techniques, targeting topics such as the US presidential campaign and the Olympic Games in China. Using emails with sensational subject headings like ‘Beijing Olympics cancelled' and ‘McCain supports idea that Obama is Muslim', users are enticed to open messages. A link included in the email that promises to offer more information, instead hosts malware. This is most often designed to infect other computers with viruses and trojans, rather than simply promoting a spam product.

That's not all; spammers are now misleading web users with messages containing a Trojan virus, claiming that World War 3 has begun after a US invasion of Iran. Detected as Trojan.Peacomm by Symantec AV, the email reads: "Just now US Army's Delta Force and US Air Force have invaded Iran. Approximately 20000 soldiers crossed the border into Iran and broke down the
Iran's Army resistance. The video..." The email also contains what appears to be a video, showing a bomb explosion, which links to the Trojan when clicked by curious recipients.

Riding the recent health trend wave, superfoods that promote weight loss and offer other health benefits are being promoted by spammers by illegally using logos of prominent news broadcasters. It's indicated that products can be tried without any cost. However, a quick look at the small print, hidden away on a separate page that the promoters do not require the recipient to open shows it's far from free - by signing up for the offer the recipient agrees to have $74.95 billed monthly to their account. The message manages to pass through filters because the spammer uses several different domains, embeds hundreds of words hidden in the HTML tags, and changes the subject and sender line before initiating each attack.

In another unsettling spam alert, phishing emails targeting Microsoft POP3 user data have also been observed. The email claims that recipients have a POP3 setting problem and need to click on the URL in the email to confirm account data. Email sender information is displayed as
"Microsoft" - service@securitycenter.com - with a subject line reading: Message from Microsoft or Subject: Microsoft Outlook Verification #. The URL in the message leads the recipient to a hacked website instead of the Microsoft website, requesting personal data from the user.

It's advised that all web users install and enable spam filters in order to avoid adding to the growing number of spam attack victims worldwide.

More support for an Iran strike than you probably thought

2008-08-28T14:29:00.002+01:00

By Eric Fingerhut on Aug 28, 2008

The Israel Project released a poll this afternoon finding that 55 percent of Americans would approve of the “United States and its allies making targeted conventional military strikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities” — a surprisingly high number considering the opposition generated by the war in Iraq.

At a press conference announcing the findings — which technically were 33 percent strongly approving and an additional 22 percent somewhat approving — pollster Frank Luntz suggested that the reason was simply that “Iran scares people.”

“He is the most frightening world leader,” said Luntz of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Americans are disturbed by his threats.

An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities is less popular among Americans, with only 43 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving. But if economic and diplomatic sanctions fail and Iran acquires nuclear capability, the approval number rises to 63 percent.

Still, there was a great deal of support for diplomacy, with 62 saying an “opportunity for a diplomatic solution still exists.”

Luntz also presented research on the language of the presidential candidates on Iran and Israel. Using a technique he is frequently seen utilizing on cable television news channels, focus groups turn a dial in a positive or negative direction to signal their opinion on the words being said by the candidate.

He showed the groups of voters, half leaning Republican and half leaning Democrat, portions of the candidates’ speeches at this year’s AIPAC policy conference. He noted that voters partcularly like when candidates present specific details on the Iranian threat, as Barack Obama did in his speech. He said that Hillary Clinton’s strong statement of “no nuclear weapons for Iran” received over 90 percent approval from both sides of the aisle — something he had never seen before. And he said John McCain gets significantly lower numbers from Democrats than Republicans when he talks about Iran because “he reminds them of George W. Bush.”

The survey of 800 likely voters was conducted by telephone in late July by Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies and Stan Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percent.

LaRouche Responds To Russia's Mikhail Leontyev: ...We're Sliding To Nuclear World War III

2008-08-28T09:08:00.002+01:00

LaRouche Responds To Russia's Mikhail Leontyev: Through British-Saudi Ops, With George Soros, We're Sliding To Nuclear World War III

August 23, 2008 (LPAC)--Economist and Democratic leader Lyndon LaRouche has repeatedly expressed his disgust at the Bush Administration's rolling-over for a British-Saudi scheme directed against the U.S., by its acquiescing to the ouster of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

On Tuesday, Aug. 19, well-known Russian television anchorman Mikhail Leontyev broached the same issue in the following exchange on Russian Channel One television, as translated by BBC. After discussing a recent statement by Condoleezza Rice, Leontyev concluded: "There is a term (in English) crazy empire, a psychic empire. The latest illustration of this madness is what is now happening in Pakistan."

A second announcer continued: "Pervez Musharraf had for nine years been head of Pakistan, America's strategic ally in the region and the only nuclear power in the Islamic world. After 11 September, Musharraf supported the USA's fight against Al-Qa'idah and Taleban in the
neighboring Afghanistan, despite the prevailing sentiments in the country. He harshly suppressed radical Islamist rallies in the country. He has had to resign as a result of democratization imposed by the United States, which has already led to destabilization and a most serious crisis in Pakistan."

Leontyev responded: "Musharraf was the only leader who could maintain stability in an extremely complex country like Pakistan, restrain radical Islamists and guarantee that the nuclear potential would remain under control. The so-called opposition's corrupt leaders,
let out of an American-English jar, hate each other and are incapable of ensuring either. In the view of responsible American analysts, the Pakistani bomb is much more dangerous than the non-existent Iranian one. Who gets it and what happens to this not quite low-priority, and
not the least populated region? This is what the United States' European partners should be thinking about, not about the moaning of a whipped Georgian paranoid man."

"That sounds like a pretty accurate description of the whole situation," Lyndon LaRouche responded today. "Obviously, it sounds like he's an intelligence specialist in that area.

"The whole thing was obvious to me," LaRouche went on. "It was obvious in the discussions I had with people, that while Pakistan was already a mess, by this concession of dumping Musharraf, you actually unleash all the instabilities in the area. And, Pakistan IS a nuclear
power in a sense, but the more significant thing is that the whole thing was done by the Saudis. That's what has to be said! And this thing is an Anglo-American, Saudi operation.

"The Saudi, Bandar, Al-Yamameh operation, is what's key here," he specified. "And the whole region is in trouble, because the Saudis are the center of the whole destabilization of the region. It's a Saudi-British operation in which Prince Bandar is crucial. The Bush family is deeply indebted, in a sense, to these Saudi types. The corruption goes right inside the United States government. The Bandar Saudi operation and the Bush connections to that, are absolutely
crucial.

"Then, on the other side, you have all the other crazy British operations, as in Georgia," LaRouche continued. "It's amazing how they put Obama-backer Soros in the middle of everything. He's the universal front-man, like the universal vacuum-cleaner, who shows up in every part of the world. And, he actually is British Intelligence. He's one of the most exposed agents,-- and right out of the Foreign Ministry; it's absolutely shameless. He's an open Foreign Ministry agent.

"And frankly: we are looking at World War III, nuclear World War III," LaRouche said. "That's what we're looking at as the clear potential. The whole world can slide into a nuclear conflagration, largely by miscalculation; by a combination of Schrecklichkeit (deliberate terror) and miscalculation. These guys are worse than Hitler. At least that bastard knew what he was doing; these guys don't.

"Leontyev is right; he's absolutely correct," LaRouche concluded. "It's just that he's left out this one part: that this is a case in which the London-Saudi operation, the BAE-connected operation, is the key monster in this thing, which is a controlling factor in U.S. behavior. You don't need to have a President Barack Obama, because the real Presidency is the Saudi Monarchy. The White House is a dependency of the Saudi Monarchy."

LaRouche Warns: "We Are Closer to World War III than to November Elections"

2008-08-28T09:07:00.001+01:00

August
21, 2008 (LPAC)--Lyndon LaRouche today warned, in no uncertain terms, that the world is closer to World War III than it is to the November Presidential elections in the United States. "November is a far distance away,'' LaRouche noted.

He elaborated: "The world situation, and recent events, show that we are at the point of breakdown of the world system, and the threat of a thermonuclear World War III is immediate. The provocations against Russia, via George Soros and British intelligence's Saakashvili government in Georgia, is but one leading edge. Despite the focus of attention on the Caucasus in the past week,'' LaRouche continued, "the Iranian issue is very much on the table. Do not put it past Vice President Dick Cheney and his British controllers to orchestrate a major provocation, while the Democrats are gathered in Denver next week. "This is an all-purpose go situation,'' LaRouche warned.

"This is the British empire against the United States, and one of the most dangerous features of the present crisis is that the United States--the Bush Administration--is acting like damned fools.''

LaRouche repeated his recent warnings that the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan is totally out of control. "I hold President Bush and the White House responsible for this mess. They could have, and should have intervened to keep President Musharraf in power. Instead, they played into a filthy Saudi and British game. Now, just days after President Musharraf's resignation, the Pakistan government is coming apart, and things are going to hell. I say to George Bush: 'You can't do anything right. In your entire, nearly eight years in office, you have not gotten one thing right. Are you the reincarnation of My Pet Goat?' ''

Seven holidaymakers killed as plane skids off runway at Madrid airport - Spanair flight JK5022

2008-08-20T15:01:00.004+01:00

At least seven holidaymakers have been killed after a plane skidded off a runway at Madrid's busiest airport.

Emergency services said seven people had been killed. The Spanish government has confirmed that some of the 160 passengers on board the Spanair flight 5022 were killed in the accident, but could not say how many.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo has also claimed that up to seven are dead, while radio station La Ser was reporting no fatalities.

The number of injured passengers was also unclear, with reports varying between 20 and 40 injured.

Pictures of the crash - "Spain plane skid"

Thick columns of smoke billow from the burning plane

A large column of smoke is seen rising from the crash site

Large columns of smoke were billowing from a fire on the plane. Witnesses said the fire appeared to be coming from the left engine. Helicopters were seen flying over the crash scene.

One report suggested the fire began in the left engine shortly after take-off, forcing the plane to attempt an emergency landing.

The flight was believed to be taking off near Terminal 4 at the Barajas airport for Gran Canaria just before 2.30pm today.

Eleven fire engines were at the scene.

Barajas airport sees over 40 million passengers a year and is one of Europe's top five busiest airports. Spanair is Spain's second biggest airline.

The view is nearly obscured by smoke from the fire onboard

At least seven holidaymakers have been killed after a plane skidded off a runway at Madrid's busiest airport.

Emergency services said seven people had been killed. The Spanish government has confirmed that some of the 160 passengers on board the Spanair flight 5022 were killed in the accident, but could not say how many.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo has also claimed that up to seven are dead, while radio station La Ser was reporting no fatalities.

The number of injured passengers was also unclear, with reports varying between 20 and 40 injured.

Thick columns of smoke billow from the burning plane

A large column of smoke is seen rising from the crash site

Large columns of smoke were billowing from a fire on the plane. Witnesses said the fire appeared to be coming from the left engine. Helicopters were seen flying over the crash scene.

One report suggested the fire began in the left engine shortly after take-off, forcing the plane to attempt an emergency landing.

The flight was believed to be taking off near Terminal 4 at the Barajas airport for Gran Canaria just before 2.30pm today.

Eleven fire engines were at the scene.

Barajas airport sees over 40 million passengers a year and is one of Europe's top five busiest airports. Spanair is Spain's second biggest airline.

The view is nearly obscured by smoke from the fire onboard

Plane Skids Off Runway During Takeoff

2008-08-20T14:58:00.003+01:00

Spanish Jet Veers Onto Field Enveloped In Smoke; At Least 160 People On Board, Reports Say

An airliner swerved off a runway while taking off from Madrid airport Wednesday, the Spanish national airport authority AENA said.

It is unclear if there were casualties or if the plane was landing or taking off. Media reports conflict.

The Spanair plane had been taking off for the Canary Islands, AENA said.

The newspaper El Pais says on its Web site the accident Wednesday sparked a small fire on a grassy area. Video footage showed clouds of smoke enveloping the plane.

At least 160 passengers are on board, according to several reports.

The AENA said it had no information on possible injuries.

BAA to sell three of seven UK airprots

2008-08-20T12:10:00.002+01:00

The Competition Commission says BAA may have to sell three of its seven UK airports - two in London and one in Scotland. Peter Morris, of aviation consultancy Ascend, and Jonathan Bailey of the Manchester Airport Group, discuss how attractive the airports would be for a potential bidder.

To listen to the comments click here

UK No. 1 single banned for racy lyrics

2008-08-19T17:05:00.001+01:00

The current number one song in the UK singles chart has been banned by some radio stations in the UAE for racy lyrics that include the phrase, "I kissed a girl and I liked it."

The controversial song by Katy Perry, also number three in the US singles chart, has drawn criticism for some quarters for promoting lesbianism and promiscuity, and rasied fears about the influence of Western culture and music on Arab youths.

UAE daily Gulf News reported on Tuesday that Gulf News Broadcasting and other radio stations in the Emirates have boycotted the popular track, although some stations are continuing to air the song.

Kuwait begins evacuation drills as war looms

2008-08-19T17:02:00.001+01:00

Kuwait will on Tuesday begin evacuation drills to prepare for possible emergencies, with the threat of war between close ally the United States and neighbour Iran looming large.

The drills will involve the Civil Defense Department (CDD), the Public Department for Firefighting (PDF) and the Medical Emergency Department (MED), state news agency KUNA reported on Monday.

"The drills fall in the framework of Kuwait's efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens and civil servants in case of emergency," Colonel Haidar Bu-Abbas, CDD director of training and personnel affairs, was quoted as saying.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have been steadily escalating in recent months as the Islamic republic presses ahead with its nuclear programme.

Iran has warned that any attack on the country will be met with fierce retaliation against US interests in the region and any neighbouring country that allows itself to be used as a launch pad for a US assault.

East Africa's first low-cost carrier scheduled to take flight

2008-08-19T11:23:00.002+01:00

KAMPALA, Uganda (eTN) - Information was received that the region’s first true low-cost airline, Fly540, will be starting operations from Uganda by the end of next month, after obtaining its Air Operator Certificate from the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The airline was licensed at the last CAA public hearing earlier in the year. The news created excitement among travel agents and travelers, as a range of additional destinations may be offered for them from Entebbe, besides the twice-daily service already in place between Entebbe and Nairobi.

Already there is intense speculation on which routes they will be flying from Entebbe in anticipation of taking advantage of its generally much lower fares, while the charges of other airlines remain often out of reach for a whole new market segment Fly540 is targeting.

The airline is expected to register at least two ATR42 planes in Uganda and is presently putting final touches on its operations set up at the airport. The Fly540 downtown sales and reservations office is strategically located opposite the main entrance of “Garden City,” currently Kampala’s most prestigious shopping, entertainment and hospitality centre, which makes access for would be travelers easy.

The airline also offers a state of the art booking engine via their website www.fly540.com to allow for direct web accessed bookings.

Since commencing operations to Entebbe earlier in the year the airline has already transported over 7,000 passengers on the route with marked load increases in the more recent past, thought to be at the primary expense of Air Uganda, which was forced to suspend its morning flight to Nairobi recently, by its own admission due to lack of sufficient load factors and the high operational cost of their aged MD87 aircraft.

All indicators now are that Fly540 is indeed not only here to stay, but bound to expand and bringing new choices and destinations to Uganda. The next planned new operations, after Kenya and Uganda, are likely to take off in Tanzania and Angola before moving to other parts of Western Africa, where Lonrho Africa also has extensive business interests. Final confirmation is also expected soon about a partnership agreement with Rwandair, which would further boost Fly540’s standing in the region.

Voyeurism Gets Brit 6 Months In Dubai Clink - British tourist jailed for taking indecent pictures in Dubai mall

2008-08-19T09:26:00.002+01:00

A British tourist has been sentenced to six months in a Dubai jail after being caught taking pictures up women's skirts in a shopping mall.

The man, a 28-year-old electrician from north London named only as L. R, admitted taking the pictures at the Carrefour supermarket in the Mall of the Emirates, using a mobile phone camera which he placed in a shopping basket.

He was apprehended by security guards after female shoppers complained they were being stalked.

He told Dubai's Court of First Instance that he had only taken one picture for a "laugh", sources said.

But the court was shown two pictures of women stored on the defendant's mobile phone, according to local reports.

The judge ordered the man to serve six months in prison.

He had been visiting friends who lived in the country and is thought to have been planning to find a job there.

Instead, he is likely to be deported back to the UK once he has completed his sentence.

The result is believed to reflect the tough stance authorities in the Muslim emirate are taking on antisocial behaviour.

It follows the arrest in July of Michelle Palmer, a 36-year-old British woman, and Vince Acors, 34, a tourist visiting the country, for allegedly having sex on a public beach after a boozy day out.

The couple have denied having sex, but face up to six years in prison if they are convicted of indecent behaviour and having unmarried sex in a hearing next month.

Windows 7 details revealed in October

2008-08-18T14:50:00.001+01:00

Windows 7 is expected to be released at the end of 2009.

Microsoft has begun the ramp up to the next version of Windows, with the announcement that it will reveal the first technical details about the product in October.

Windows 7, the codename for the follow up to Windows Vista, is due towards the end of 2009, and the announcement marks the first time Microsoft will disclose any details about the new operating system..
The new information will be released at two Microsoft conferences, the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) on 27th October 27 and the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) which follows one week later.

The announcement was made on a new blog which Microsoft has launched as another part of the run up to the Windows 7 launch.

The Engineering Windows 7 blog , which will be led by two senior engineering managers for Windows 7, Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky, has been set up to provide a forum to discuss engineering issues around Windows 7.

According to the first posting on the blog, feedback with customers and partners will be essential to the development of the OS.

“We strongly believe that success for Windows 7 includes an open and honest, and two-way, discussion about how we balance all of these interests and deliver software on the scale of Windows. We promise and will deliver such a dialog with this blog,” the post said.

While the blog promises to disclose details about the product, and to reveal some of the processes of how Microsoft will use feedback to guide development, the bloggers have stated that they will not discuss features that may not end up in the final product, as happened with some of the communication around Vista product features.

In July, some details were revealed about a new Microsoft operating system, code-named Midori, that will most likely replace the Windows family, which is being developed to be more suitable for use in Internet-based computing environments.

BarelyPolitical

2008-08-15T14:24:00.002+01:00

I came upon this youtube channel, it is really funny and nice check it out:

You may go to the end of the blog to view some the videos.

BarelyPolitical.com

We've got a few new political comedy videos a week... and thanks so much for watching!

Name: BarelyPolitical.com

Hey! We put out new music videos every month, and new videos every week.

We
like our subscribers a lot - every month we pick one random subscriber
to our YouTube page, send them a message that they won an ipod, and
then send them an ipod : )

So subscribe! Good videos and free ipods!

BarelyPolitical.com
launched in June with the video "I Got a Crush on Obama" ...which was
recently named a 2007 video of the year by YouTube, AOL, Newsweek,
People Magazine, the AP, Adrants, Nerve.com and a couple other cool
places.

------------------------------ -------------

Here's what people have said about BarelyPolitical.com:

"Many
people - including this blogger - would argue the sitcom is a dying
form and this kind of web video will replace it." - FastCompany.com

"BarelyPolitical
continues in its work as the best new-media satire operation around." -
Professor Paul Levinson, Infinite Regress

"BarelyPolitical - they built a team where all the players bring it to the table. " - The Huffington Post

"You guys are the hottest thing on the internet." - Fox News

"You're becoming the voice of a generation." ABC, Good Morning America

"You gotta love their DIY 2.0 Spirit." Phil DeVellis, creator of Hillary 1984

"Who's Hot? Judging by nearly 3 million viewers the answer is Obama Girl." - People Magazine

"The
2008 presidential campaign has become an online popularity contest led
by civic journalists on sites like Barelypolitcal.com, with its
politically-charged music video parodies" - The Boston Herald

"In
the past four months, their "Obama Girl" video has been viewed 4
million times on YouTube... starring Amber Lee Ettinger...who
single-handedly may solve all our worries about voter apathy." - The
Philadelphia Inquirer

"(Obama) is definitely crushworthy. More power to the people who think he's cute." - Michelle Obama

"The new face of US Politics" - The UK Times

"We like what BarelyPolitical is doing." - AdRants

"Leah Kauffman. One of 76 Philadelphians who will shape and change our lives over the next decade." - Philadelphia Magazine

"Totally. Undeniably. Awesome." TechPresident

"We
thought the song of the summer was Rihanna's inspired and inescapable
"Um-brel-la, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh ..." Boy were we wrong. It seems
that "I Got a Crush ... on Obama," a music video by "barelypolitical,"
a.k.a. Obama Girl, should easily take the cake." - The Washington Post

"That
video probably had more to do with shaping Obama's complicated public
image — young and exciting but maybe a bit shallow — than any Internet
appeal devised by the candidate's own aides." - The New York Times

"Dumbass crap" Tubinism, YouTube member.

"I fucking LOVE it." chicagoguy19, YouTube member
------------------------------ -----------

THANKS TO ALL THE ABOVE!

AND SUBSCRIBE NOW...NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK, ONE SUBSCRIBER WINS AN IPOD EVERY MONTH : )

Country: United States

Interests and Hobbies: Sex, Drudge, Rock and Polls.

Movies and Shows: www.MethMinute39.com
www.nextnewnetworks.com
barelypolitical.com

Music: Leah Kauffman. Rick Friedrich. The Roots.

Website: http://www.barelypolitical.com

Latest alliance news from British Airways

2008-08-15T09:47:00.002+01:00

I got this to inbox from BA since i am a club member:

I am writing to you to ensure that you are one of the first to hear
about the latest news from British Airways. Today we have reached
agreement with American Airlines and Iberia to form a joint business,
which if approved, will enable us to co-operate on flights from the UK
and Continental Europe to the US, Canada and Mexico.

We plan to file for worldwide anti-trust immunity from the US
Department of Transportation. The European Commission will also review
the deal. If successful, we will be able to form a closer working
relationship providing significant benefits for customers. All three
airlines will continue to operate under our separate brands.

Closer working will create opportunities to enhance customer benefits.
It will enable us to better align schedules giving more access to
destinations and improving connections through key airports. Other
benefits for customers include greater opportunities to earn and use
frequent flyer miles on the other airlines' transatlantic network along
with enhanced frequent flyer tier features. Our Executive Club members
will continue to be able to enjoy lounge access with British Airways
and its oneworld partners as they do today.

Our overall aim is to continue to deliver an upgraded travel experience
to you. Financial efficiencies that the joint business agreement will
give British Airways will help us to continue to invest further in our
products and services, despite the demanding economic environment that
the airline industry faces.

It is both a challenging and exciting time for British Airways and I
will ensure that you are updated on developments as the proposed
venture nears completion.

Warm regards,

Sarah Keyes

Executive Club Manager

BA seals alliance with American

2008-08-15T09:38:00.002+01:00

British Airways says it has sealed an alliance with American
Airlines that will allow the two carriers to agree fares, routes and
schedules together.

The move will also include Spain's Iberia, which is merging with BA.

With aviation fuel prices near record levels and spending on air travel slowing, airlines are looking at ways to cut costs.

But the carriers will have to persuade the US that the deal does not break US rules on foreign ownership of airlines.

Challenges

Under the business agreement, the three airlines will co-operate on
flights between the US, Mexico and Canada and the EU, Switzerland and
Norway.

"We believe our proposed co-operation is an important step towards
ensuring that we can compete effectively with rival alliances and
manage through the challenges of record fuel prices and growing
economic concerns," said Gerard Arpey, chairman and chief executive of
AMR Corp, the parent company of American Airlines.

However, BA's rival Virgin Atlantic, owned by Sir Richard
Branson, said the plan would reduce competition in the airline
industry.

"What they're proposing is to create the world's biggest airline with American Airlines," said Virgin's Paul Charles.

"But we know what dominant players do - they snuff out competition, they raise prices and they become even more dominant."

Competition

Peter Morris, an aviation analyst from Ascend, told BBC News that it was unlikely that the deal would be anti-competitive.

"I think BA would argue that it will reduce its cost structure, which it can then pass on, to a degree, to passengers.

"BA is far less dominant than any of Air France, KLM or Lufthansa are out of their hubs."

Mark Pritchard MP, a member of the House of Commons Transport Select
Committee, also saw the decision as "good news" for both UK and US
consumers.

"With tougher trading conditions for most airlines - coupled
with the need to support the spirit of the Open Skies Agreement,
Congress has no real excuse to delay the deal unnecessarily," he said.

The airlines said they planned to apply to the US Department of
Transportation for immunity from US anti-competition rules and they
would also notify European regulators.

They have previously failed to win an exemption from these laws
because of their dominance at Heathrow, where BA and AA control nearly
half of all the landing and take-off slots to the US from the airport.

'Good news'

However, BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the relationship
would strengthen competition by providing consumers with easier
journeys to more destinations.

"This may not be good news for Richard Branson but it is good news for consumers," Mr Walsh told the BBC.

Earlier this week, Sir Richard said he had written to
presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain to warn that the
proposed alliance between BA and American Airlines would severely
damage competition on transatlantic routes.

BA, American, and Iberia Announce Commercial Tie-Up

2008-08-15T09:32:00.002+01:00

Posted by: Kerry Capell on August 14

British Airways, American Airlines and Spain’s Iberia have applied for antitrust immunity from American and European regulators. If successful, the three airlines will be able to coordinate schedules, fares and marketing as well as share revenues and profits on transatlantic flights.

Under the joint business agreement, the three airlines and fellow oneworld alliance members Finnair and Royal Jordanian Airlines will cooperate commercially on flights between the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the European Union, Switzerland and Norway while continuing to operate as separate legal entities. They will expand their codeshare arrangements on flights within and beyond the EU and U.S., significantly increasing the number of destination choices that the airlines can offer customers, BA said in a statement.

BA, which less than two weeks ago announced its intention to merge with its Spanish rival, is hoping it will be third time lucky. BA and American’s two previous applications for antitrust immunity in 1997 and 2001 failed when the airlines refused to sell off lucrative slots at London’s Heathrow Airport as regulators requested.

Now BA CEO Willie Walsh believes the advent of Open Skies in March has changed the game. The treaty, which opened up competition on transatlantic routes, enables any European or American carrier to fly from anywhere in the European Union to anywhere in the U.S.

With Heathrow now open to competition and BA’s main rivals in Europe Air France KLM and Lufthansa already granted antitrust immunity for similar cooperation arrangements, Walsh says he’s confident that this latest application will be successful.

In April, six Skyteam alliance members including Air France KLM, Delta and Northwest were granted immunity for a similar venture. Meanwhile Star Alliance members Lufthansa, United and Air Canada also have antitrust immunity.

Granting antitrust immunity, BA argues, would enable oneworld airlines, including British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia, to compete more effectively with the other major airline alliances, Star and SkyTeam. BA says that the oneworld alliance holds a smaller share of the non-stop flights between the EU and the U.S.—21% compared to 35% for Star members and 28% for SkyTeam.

BA and American say approving their application for antitrust immunity will simply level the playing field. “This will enable oneworld members to strengthen their businesses at a time when unprecedented oil prices and economic slowdown have created the most difficult trading environment aviation has ever faced,” BA said in a statement.

Not surprisingly, Virgin Atlantic’s owner Richard Branson isn’t sympathetic. He’s already lobbying to block the application. He has written to both U.S. presidential candidates asking them to intervene. Branson says allowing the three airlines to cooperate more closely will be bad for consumers as it will result in higher prices and less choice. Virgin Atlantic says the joint venture will give BA and American too much control over flights from Heathrow to New York’s JFK, the two main airports linking Europe to the U.S.

But as Peter Morris, chief economist at aviation consultancy Ascend Aviation in London points out Star and SkyTeam alliance members already control a majority of the seats between their home markets and the U.S. He says that KLM Northwest control 73% of seats between Holland and the U.S., Air France controls more than 50% of seats between France and the U.S. and Lufthansa holds more than 60% between Germany and the U.S. In contrast, he notes, BA and AA control 41% of the seats between the U.S. and Britain.

Moreover, he says, there are 21 airlines now competing out of Britain to North America since Open Skies. “If any of the airlines did start to abuse that dominant position by increasing fares or reducing frequency of service, other airlines would be quick to come in and compete.”

Laptop screening: it's in the bag

2008-08-13T09:46:00.002+01:00

Posted on Economist .com

PASSENGERS flying from American airports are to be allowed to put carry-on baggage through X-ray screening machines without having to remove laptops first. The Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) rule change will take effect from August 16th, but only applies to "checkpoint-friendly" baggage. To qualify as such, a bag must meet certain requirements which allow the laptop to be viewed effectively by X-ray operators:

A designated laptop-only section
The laptop-only section completely unfolds to lay flat on the X-ray belt
No metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on top of the
laptop-only section
No pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
Nothing packed in the laptop-only section other than the computer itself

Progress has been swift. The TSA only asked bag manufacturers to come up with
relevant designs in March, and was not expecting to change its rules until the
autumn. But 40 companies quickly submitted prototypes, and the New York
Times has named Aerovation as
the winner of the race to produce the first publicly available
checkpoint-friendly bag (pictured).

This development scores highly in
three areas: convenience (it's one less task for passengers to perform), speed
(passengers with these bags can be processed more quickly) and security (a
laptop that stays in a bag is less likely to be damaged or stolen off the
conveyor belt). At airports in the European Union (EU), laptops must still be
removed from their bags. Gulliver hopes to see those rules changed to match
America’s as soon as possible.

Funny Corny

2008-08-13T08:55:00.001+01:00

A thief in Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre.

After careful planning, he got past security,

stole the paintings, and made it safely to his van.

However, he was captured only two blocks away

when his van ran out of gas.

When asked how he could mastermind such a crime

and then make such an obvious error, he replied,
'Monsieur, that is the reason I stole the paintings.'

I had no Monet

to buy Degas

to make the Van Gogh.'

See if you have De Gaulle to send

this on to someone else.

I sent it to you because I figured

I had nothing Toulouse.

Good reminder to keep us going to the meetings. Especially in this time of the end!

2008-08-13T08:45:00.002+01:00

H.E.R.E.

At times I will greet a brother or a sister at the Kingdom Hall and I will ask them how they are.
They look at me with tired eyes and say, I'm H..E.R.E.
This poem is for all of us who are glad that you are H.E.R.E.

The kids were cranky, your husband was late.
The dinner you had ready on time just had to wait.
But you're H.E.R..E.

A long week in service with 'I'm not Interested' and most not at home.
You just like to have some time all alone.
But you're H.E.R.E.

The job was exhausting , you come home feeling beat.
You keep thinking you have that deadline to meet.
But you're H.E.R.E.

Your eyesight is failing, you can't hear all the talk.
Your legs feel feeble , it's a challenge to walk.
But you're H.E.R.E.

You've faced challenges , you've faced trials.
You pushed yourself that last mile.
But you're H.E.R.E.

So we're happy you made it , we know it took courage.
You didn't let the world get you discouraged.
Because when you're H.E.R.E. at the meetings you're really
(H)elping (E)veryone (R)emain (E)ncouraged

Commission opens way to BAA break-up

2008-08-12T09:18:00.001+01:00

By Alistair Osborne
Last Updated: 1:14am BST 12/08/2008

The Competition Commission is next week expected to kick-start the break-up of BAA after finding that the airport group’s monopolies in the South East and Scotland are not in the public interest.

Issuing its provisional findings after a 16-month investigation, the commission is expected to say that BAA’s ownership of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, along with three Scottish airports and Southampton, is not working to the benefit of passengers.

The commission has already given a strong hint of its likely findings in its "emerging thinking" document, published in April.

Alongside its provisional findings, the competition authority will also publish details of potential remedies, which could theoretically call for all three London airports to be in separate hands - though most City experts believe BAA would only be forced to sell Gatwick or Stansted and one of its Scottish trio of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Potential remedies will then go out to consultation, though next week’s findings are expected to trigger interest from infrastructure funds and other airport groups over auctions for BAA assets.

A consortium led by Spain’s Ferrovial bought BAA for £10.1bn, excluding debts, in 2006.

Analysts believe Gatwick could fetch at least £2bn, while last week Ryanair’s outspoken boss, Michael O’Leary, put the cat among the pigeons saying he could bid a similar sum for Stansted.

Pentagon to be tourist site as new Sept. 11 memorial opens

2008-08-12T09:11:00.002+01:00

By xinhuanet.com | Aug 11, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon announced Thursday that it would become a tourist destination when a new memorial building for the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 opens next month.

The Defense Department said in a news release that it expected between 45,000 and 60,000 people to visit the memorial on Sept. 11this year, and up to 2 million people will tour the site in a year.

The memorial will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to commemorate the 184 deaths when terrorist-hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building, according to the Pentagon.

Considering that the Pentagon is a "unique place," the Defense Department said it will adopt measures to "ensure the important work in the building continues undisturbed."

"The fact that we're going to have a tourist attraction here has been a challenge for us," said Steven E. Calvery, director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.

"The Pentagon reservation is not like the (National) Mall in Washington, where it's designed for visitors. We're just not designed that way," Calvery said.

According to Pentagon rules, no photography is allowed at the Pentagon buildings, but visitors can take pictures of the memorial.

"We will still reserve the right, if we see some suspicious activity, to take actions," Calvery said.

Air transport business may get worse

2008-08-11T12:22:00.002+01:00

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The air transport business was slow during June this year compared to the same month last year, IATA Regional Vice President Majdi Sabri said on Saturday.

"A technical report prepared recently by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) emphasised lesser demand on air transport services during June," he indicated.

According to Sabri, growth of passenger demand on air travelling services plunged to 3.8 per cent, the lowest since 2003. Air cargo transport also declined by 0.8 per cent

The decline defied an expected increase in the travel rate during summertime which is considered the annual vacation season.

Sabri predicted that "the situation may get worse, especially due to a confidence decline among customers and companies in the sector, accompanied by the rise in fuel prices".

The IATA regional vice president described the sector's current slowdown as a crisis, noting that the sector's losses could be as high as $6 billion this year.

Despite the distinguished growth in this sector over the past five years in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the growth posted during the first half of this year was less than that recorded during the same period over the past five years, Sabri said.

The growth in the number of passengers travelling to and from MENA countries during the first half of this year was 10.6 per cent compared to 17.8 per cent during the same period last year, he indicated.

The levels of the freight transport business in the MENA region remained unchanged at around 11.8 per cent in growth compared to 2.4 per cent growth on the international level.

Earlier periodic reports prepared by IATA revealed that aviation companies in Latin America recorded the highest decline in the air cargo business, a drop of 12.8 per cent.

In terms of geographic contribution, Europe accounted for 34 per cent of passenger movement while Middle East contribution was 8 per cent.

More than 24 international aviation companies have declared bankruptcy since the beginning of this year.

Founded in 1945, IATA has become the prime vehicle forinter-airline cooperation, with its 230 members from 126 nations around the globe.

IATA works to help airlines boost their business by simplifying processes and increasing passenger convenience while reducing costs, improving efficiency and improving safety standards.

Tourists' most embarrassing questions revealed by English Heritage

2008-08-11T12:15:00.002+01:00

Aug 11, 2008
English Heritage has released a list of the most embarrassing questions asked by visitors to the country's historic sites and the worst is an unwitting insult to one of Britain's most sombre monarchs.

A young visitor to Queen Victoria's summer palace Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight, was told that she had nine children and asked: "Did they all have the same dad?"

Another visitor appeared disappointed when he learned that the lavishly decorated building was once home to a Queen, and not the current residence of rock star Ozzy Osbourne and his television presenter wife Sharon.

The series of questions were released to mark the start of an English Heritage campaign to encourage shy tourists to ask guides if they have a query about the building they have come to see.

The organisation's hope is that more questions will mean that the buildings make more of an impression, which will encourage the visitors to tell others of what they have experienced and could boost visitor numbers.

Other faux pas include the tourist who asked why the English seemed so keen on erecting ruined castles around the country.

One visitor to Whitby Abbey, in North Yorkshire, asked a guide whether they were looking around Dracula's castle.

Castles appear to have confused tourists from countries without a tradition of giant stone fortresses. One young girl gazed at Clifford's Tower, in York - built after the Norman Conquest - and asked her guide: "Is this a bouncy castle?"

Children at other sites have made amusing errors, such as at Cleeve Abbey in Somerset, where one group were told to look out for monks when what they had hoped to see were monkeys.

But it is not only children who are prone to the occasional lapse of logic while strolling through England's historic buildings.

One anonymous visitor was interested in becoming a supporter of English Heritage and asked: "How long does life membership last?"

Another asked: "Are the tunnels underground?"

A tourist at Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, who was looking at a 300 million-year-old rock formation, asked: "Is that a manmade jetty?"

Tina Corrim, head of education at English Heritage, said: "We've all had the experience of wanting to ask a question and regretting not doing so when the moment has passed.

"When it comes to topics such as history, people can often be embarrassed to voice their queries, but the only way to learn is to ask.

"Learning about history should be fun as well as educational. It is important that children and parents ask us their questions about the properties. You might find out something amazing."

LIST OF QUESTIONS

"Is this where Sharon and Ozzie actually live?" - a visitor to Osborne House, Isle of Wight

"What time do you switch the mist off?" – a visitor to Dover Castle and the Secret Wartime Tunnels, in Kent

"Where are the monkeys?" – a group of children at Cleeve Abbey in Somerset

"Why did they build so many ruined castles and abbeys in England?" - a tourist at Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire

"Is it a bouncy castle?" - a little girl at Clifford's Tower, York

"Can you tell me where I can see the Hobbits?" - a visitor to Kenwood House, Hampstead

"Did they all have the same dad?" – a visitor to Osborne House, Isle of White, who learned of Queen Victoria's nine children

"How many bricks are there?" - a visitor to Witley Court and Gardens, Worcestershire

"Does my ferret need to be on a lead in this area?" - a visitor to Kenwood House, Hampstead

"How long does life membership last?" - a visitor to Osborne House, Isle of White

"Did Lady Rachel ever de-bone her fish before eating it?" - a visitor to Witley Court and Gardens, Worcestershire

"Are the tunnels underground?" - a visitor to Dover Castle and Secret Wartime Tunnels, Kent

"Is that a manmade jetty?" - a visitor to Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, pointing at a 300 million-year-old rock formation

"Is this Dracula's Castle?" - a visitor to Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire.

Ryanair: If you can't beat them, buy them

2008-08-11T12:09:00.002+01:00

Ryanair is interested in launching a £2 billion ($3.9 billion) bid for London Stansted if the UK Competition Commission recommends a breakup of airports operator BAA, CEO Michael O'Leary told The Daily Telegraph.

The Commission last year launched an investigation into BAA and the UK airport services market and in April said in an interim report that the operator's common ownership London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted along with Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow International and Aberdeen "may not be serving the interests of either airlines or passengers" (ATWOnline, April 23). Later, the UK CAA stated that the common ownership of the three London airports "is likely to prevent, restrict and/or distort competition."

The Commission has not yet published its final conclusions, and observers speculate BAA might sell LGW if required to divest one of its three London airports. However, O'Leary believes the Commission could mandate that each of London's three main airports be in the hands of separate owners. Just selling one, he claimed, would not address competition concerns.

Ryanair's alleged interest in Stansted is not coincidental. The LCC has been at odds with BAA for years and recently announced a capacity cutback it said was related to high fees. Last week, BAA confirmed that it has sued Ryanair because the LCC refuses to pay the increase in charges applied in April (ATWOnline, Aug. 5).

O'Leary claimed the airline will increase STN's throughput from 24 million passengers today to more than 40 million "by halving landing fees" and building a second runway for £150 million and a second terminal for £250 million.

He revealed that acquiring STN is one of his two remaining ambitions before leaving office in "two to three years." The other is the purchase of Aer Lingus, in which Ryanair holds a 29.8% stake. "I was ready to step down a year ago because it was getting boring, but now everyone says we're in the s--- so I'm definitely staying," he said.

by Cathy Buyck

Net address bug worse than feared

2008-08-07T14:39:00.002+01:00

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

A recently found flaw in the internet's addressing system is worse than first feared, says the man who found it.

Dan Kaminsky made his comments when speaking publicly for the first time about his discovery at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.

He said fixes for the flaw in the net's Domain Name System (DNS) had focused on web browsers but it could be abused by hackers in many other ways.

"Every network is at risk," he said. "That's what this flaw has shown."

The DNS acts as the internet's address books and helps computers translate the website names people prefer into the numbers computers use.

Mr Kaminsky discovered a way for malicious hackers to hijack DNS and re-direct people to fake pages even if they typed in the correct address for a website.

In his talk Mr Kaminsky detailed 15 other ways for the flaw to be exploited.

Via the flaw hi-tech criminals or pranksters could target FTP services, mail servers, spam filters, Telnet and the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) that helps to make web-based transactions more secure.

"There are a ton of different paths that lead to doom," he said.

'Hype'

But the DNS threat was played down by net giant VeriSign which issues many of the security certificates used in SSL. It told BBC News its system was "not vulnerable".

The Silicon Valley company looks after two of the net's 13 DNS root servers. It also controls the computers that contain the master list of domain name suffixes such as .com and .net

Ken Silva, chief technology officer at Verisign, said: "We have anticipated these flaws in DNS for many years and we have basically engineered around them."

He believed there had been "some hype" around how the DNS flaw will affect consumers. He added that while it was an interesting way to exploit DNS on weak servers, there were other ways to misdirect people that remained.

Mr Silva said he was concerned that people would read too much into the doom and gloom headlines that have surrounded the discovery of the DNS flaw.

"It's been overplayed in a sense. I think it has served to confuse the consumer into believing there is somehow now a way to misdirect them to a wrong site.

"The fact of the matter is that there have been many ways like phishing attacks to misdirect them for a long time and this is just yet another of those ways that will be surgically exploited."

Security gap

Mr Kaminsky kept news of the flaw out of the public domain for months after its discovery to give companies time to patch servers.

Mr Kaminsky said that 75% of Fortune 500 companies have fixed the problem while around 15% have done nothing.

Major vendors like Microsoft, Cisco, Sun Microsystems and others have issued patches to close the security hole.

"The industry has rallied like we've never seen the industry rally before," said Mr Kaminsky.

DNS attacks are not new but Mr Kaminsky is credited with discovering a way to link some widely known weaknesses in the system so that the attack now takes seconds instead of days or hours.

"Quite frankly, all the pieces of this have been staring us in the face for decades," said Paul Vixie, president of the Internet Systems Consortium, a non-profit that makes the software run by many of the world's DNS servers.

Mr Silva at VeriSign said even though patches have been put in place, this doesn't mean users can sit back and relax.

"The biggest gap in security rests between the keyboard and the back of the chair," he said.

"The look and feel of a website is not what a consumer should trust. They should trust the security behind that website and do simple things like use more secure passwords and change their password regularly."

Mr Silva said education is fundamental in making the net a safer place.

"We have been trained since we were young to lock the door to our house, our car. We take these sensible security measures in the environment we are functioning in.

"Yet when it comes to computer safety we forget to look both ways before crossing the internet highway."

Musharraf 'to face impeachment'

2008-08-07T14:02:00.002+01:00

Pakistan's ruling coalition parties say they will begin impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf.

Party leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif made the announcement after two days of talks. They would need a two-thirds majority to impeach.

Mr Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

He gave up control of the army last year and his allies were defeated in February's elections but he retains the power to dissolve parliament.

Mr Musharraf has previously said he will resign rather than face impeachment proceedings.

The president is still thought to have heavy influence over the military and its reaction will remain crucial.

India's GMR Plans to Bid for Eastern Europe Airports (Update1)

2008-08-07T10:17:00.002+01:00

Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) -- GMR Infrastructure Ltd., operator of India's second-busiest airport, plans to buy airfields in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where accelerating economic growth is driving demand for air travel.

The company is considering a final bid for airports in St. Petersburg in Russia and Prague in the Czech Republic, Chief Financial Officer Ashutosh Agarwala said. GMR proposes to sell shares in a company that will own the overseas assets within five years, he said in an interview in Mumbai on Aug. 5.

Bidding for airports in emerging markets is part of GMR's plan to spend $10 billion on overseas acquisitions in industries including power and infrastructure. Bangalore-based GMR in June bought 50 percent of Dutch utility InterGen NV for $1.1 billion and last year won a 1.93 billion euro ($3 billion) bid to manage an airport in Istanbul.

``Indian companies are trying to ride on the growth in Eastern Europe,'' said Jayesh Shroff, who helps manage the equivalent of about $4 billion at SBI Asset Management Co. in Mumbai. ``There will also be a lot of learning experience.''

Economies in the Middle East region, helped by a 64 percent surge in crude oil price in the past year, are spending billions of dollars to expand their airports. Ten Middle Eastern airports are investing $37 billion to boost capacity to accommodate an additional 318 million passengers a year by 2012, James Hogan, the chief executive officer of Etihad Airways said in February.

Soros, Citigroup

GMR Infrastructure, which in 2006 sold stock to billionaire George Soros and Citigroup Inc., fell 1.13 percent to 100.25 rupees in Mumbai at 10:46 a.m. The stock has declined 60 percent so far this year.

The company operates the New Delhi airport with Fraport AG, after buying the asset from the Indian government in January 2006. It developed and operates an airfield in the southern city of Hyderabad in partnership with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

``We would like to add at least two more airports to our portfolio in the next five years,'' Agarwala said. GMR has been short-listed for managing the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, Russia, Agarwala said. Singapore's Changi Airport, Hochtief AG and Fraport AG are among the nine bidders, Vedomosti reported Aug. 1, citing an auction document. The Russian government expects a 10th straight year of growth in 2008 after the economy, one of the so-called BRICs along with China, India and Brazil, expanded 8.1 percent last year.

Strategic Partner

The company is also evaluating the Prague airport, which the Czech government plans to sell to a strategic partner. The government said on June 2 that it would sell Letiste Praha SP, operator of the Prague airport, to raise at least 100 billion koruna ($6.4 billion).

``We would be looking at airports that have the potential for scaling up,'' Agarwala said. ``That involves some risks, but you will get a higher return.''

Fraport secured more than half of financing for investments through 2015

2008-08-07T10:15:00.002+01:00

FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Fraport AG. has already secured more than half of financing for about 7 billion euros worth of planned investments through 2015, chief financial officer Matthias Zieschang told Boersen-Zeitung in an interview.

About 3 billion euros of investments will be financed with existing cash, while the rest will be paid for through debt. "Of that (debt), we have already financed more than 50 percent in advance," Zieschang told the newspaper. "And in the next 12 months to 18 months we will secure further advance financing to cover up to 75 percent of our needs ahead of time." This debt comprises syndicated loans, private placements and other debt with a maturity between seven years and 10 years. Fraport plans to spend about 4 billion euros on expansion and 3 billion euros on developing existing business.

Microsoft sees end of Windows era

2008-08-05T10:14:00.002+01:00

Microsoft has kicked off a research project to create software that will take over when it retires Windows.

Called Midori, the cut-down operating system is radically different to Microsoft's older programs.

It is centred on the internet and does away with the dependencies that tie Windows to a single PC.

It is seen as Microsoft's answer to rivals' use of "virtualisation" as a way to solve many of the problems of modern-day computing.

Although Midori has been heard about before now, more details have now been published by Software Development Times after viewing internal Microsoft documents describing the technology.

Midori is believed to be under development because Windows is unlikely to be able to cope with the pace of change in future technology and the way people use it.

Windows worked well in an age when most people used one machine to do all their work. The operating system acted as the holder for the common elements Windows programs needed to call on.

"If you think about how an operating system is loaded," said Dave Austin, European director of products at Citrix, "it's loaded onto a hard disk physically located on that machine.

"The operating system is tied very tightly to that hardware," he said.

That, he said, created all kinds of dependencies that arose out of the collection of hardware in a particular machine.

This means, he said, that Windows can struggle with more modern ways of working in which people are very mobile and very promiscuous in the devices they use to get at their data - be that pictures, spreadsheets or e-mail.

Equally, he said, when people worked or played now, they did it using a combination of data and processes held locally or in any of a number of other places online.

When asked about Midori by BBC News, Microsoft issued a statement that said: "Midori is one of many incubation projects underway at Microsoft. It's simply a matter of being too early in the incubation to talk about it."

Cheapest laptop in the world on sale in Dubai

2008-08-05T10:08:00.002+01:00

Taiwanese hardware vendor Carapelli says that the Impulse NPX-9000 is both the smallest laptop in the world, and the cheapest, costing just $129 (AED 473) for bulk orders of 100 units or more.

In comparison, the cheapest commercially available small, cheap notebook the Asus EeePC 700 series costs anywhere from $200-400, while Intel's Classmate and the OLPC XO notebook, only available for governments and education, costs between $250 and $400, and around $180 respectively.

With a 7 inch screen, the Impulse NPX-9000 matches the smallest Asus EeePC, and comes with a 400MHz processor, 128MB RAM and 1GB of flash storage, running a customized version of Linux.

Hawaii tourism chief's X-rated e-mails may cost him his job

2008-08-05T10:02:00.001+01:00

Rex Johnson, the president and chief executive officer of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, is being urged by the authority's board of directors to resign after adult-oriented material was found in his government e-mail account.

The board discussed the matter Tuesday in executive session and two board members later approached Johnson about his possible resignation. The board's administrative standing committee has scheduled an executive session regarding Johnson on Wednesday afternoon.

"It was a huge mistake," Johnson said in an interview yesterday. "I have apologized for my actions to the board."

Johnson acknowledged receiving adult-oriented e-mails on his government account and forwarding the e-mails to friends, whom he described as "fishing and baseball buddies" who often exchange jokes to keep in touch. He said the e-mails were not sent to business contacts.

Johnson said he understands his actions were an unauthorized use of state computers and contrary to state personnel guidelines against accessing or downloading sexually explicit material. But he said he does not believe it should cost him his job.

"I don't believe so," Johnson said. "But others may feel that it should."

Kelvin Bloom, the chairman of the authority's board of directors, said he has been instructed by legal counsel not to discuss the matter because it involves personnel.

"The board has the full range of options from dismissal to 'get back to work,' " Johnson said.

Several state lawmakers, including state House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise), state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), and state Senate Vice President Donna Mercado Kim, D-14th (Halawa, Moanalua, Kamehameha Heights), have given their support to Johnson even though they disapprove of his actions.

Board meeting urged

Mercado Kim said through a spokesman that she personally contacted five board members, including Bloom, and asked them to hold a meeting of the full board where Johnson could explain himself. At least two other senators either personally or had their staff contact board members on Johnson's behalf.

While embarrassing, lawmakers said, they question whether Johnson's actions warrant his resignation or firing given his experience and the challenges facing the tourism industry during the economic downturn.

"I believe that he is definitely entitled to due process," Hanabusa said. "I believe that he should have this discussion with his full board.

"Yes, it showed bad judgment, but the question becomes whether this is something that whoever it is that's pressuring him to resign — whether it's the whole board or bits of the board or whatever it may come out to be — whether this is something that warrants that decision."

Tourism advocate

Say said Johnson has been an effective advocate for tourism at the Legislature. The speaker said the board should consider allowing Johnson to continue, given the slump in tourism. "At this point, step back, breathe in a little," he said.

State Rep. Ryan Yamane, D-37th (Waipahu, Mililani), the chairman of the House Tourism and Culture Committee, said he questions whether changing leadership now is the right move but, like Say and others, said he is not trying to unduly influence the board.

"As chair, I would like to know how they plan to respond to or deal with the loss of somebody like Mr. Johnson as the head of HTA. You cannot, during this time in our industry, you can't just remove somebody and think that putting somebody else in their place is going to start them off where they left off.

"There's a learning curve."

Ongoing probe

Johnson's e-mails were discovered by the state auditor as part of an ongoing investigation of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and an audit of the HTA's major contractors. The tourism authority is under the DBEDT umbrella, but is governed by an appointed board with 12 voting members and four nonvoting members; Gov. Linda Lingle's tourism liaison and the directors of the state Department of Transportation, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. The e-mails, which contain X-rated movie clips, slideshows and photographs of adult nudity, fall outside the scope of the auditor's investigations but she reported it in late June to the Lingle administration and House and Senate leaders.

Johnson, who earns $240,000 a year, is evaluated annually by the board.

Johnson is known as a risk-taker and for his candor and he has sometimes clashed with those who prefer rosy optimism about the state's dominant private industry.

Lingle's appointment of Marsha Wienert as tourism liaison was widely seen in political and tourism circles as a way for the governor to have a larger voice on tourism, since Johnson reports to the board, not the governor.

CUIL - The New Search Engine

2008-07-28T13:47:00.003+01:00

Welcome to Cuil—the world’s biggest search engine. The Internet has grown. We think it’s time search did too.

The Internet has grown exponentially in the last fifteen years but search engines have not kept up—until now. Cuil searches more pages on the Web than anyone else—three times as many as Google and ten times as many as Microsoft.

Rather than rely on superficial popularity metrics, Cuil searches for and ranks pages based on their content and relevance. When we find a page with your keywords, we stay on that page and analyze the rest of its content, its concepts, their inter-relationships and the page’s coherency.

Then we offer you helpful choices and suggestions until you find the page you want and that you know is out there. We believe that analyzing the Web rather than our users is a more useful approach, so we don’t collect data about you and your habits, lest we are tempted to peek. With Cuil, your search history is always private.

Cuil is an old Irish word for knowledge. For knowledge, ask Cuil.

What does the name Cuil mean?

Tom Costello, our founderand CEO, comes from Ireland, a country with a rich mythology around thequest for wisdom. Cuil is the Gaelic word for both knowledge and hazel,and features prominently in ancient legend. One famous story tells of a salmon that ate nine hazelnuts that had fallen into the Fountain of Wisdom and thereby gained all the knowledge in the world. Whoever ate the salmon would acquire this knowledge.

A famous poet fished for many years on the River Boyne hoping to catch the Salmon of Knowledge. When he finally caught it, he gave it to his young apprentice Finn McCuil to prepare, warning him not to eat any. As Finn cooked the salmon he burnt his thumb and instinctively sucked it to ease the pain. And so it was Finn and not the poet who gained all the wisdom of the world. Finn went on to become one of the great heroes of Irish folklore. Any time he needed to know the answer to a question, he sucked his thumb.

As a child Tom poached salmon from the same spot on the Boyne where it is said the Salmon of Knowledge was caught.

How does Cuil improve search results?

Cuil’s goals are to index the whole Web, to analyze deeply its pages and to organize results in a rich and helpful way that allows you to explore fully the subject of your search.

So we started from scratch—with a fresh approach, an entirely new architecture and breakthrough algorithms.

Our approach is to focus on the content of a page and then present a set of results that has both depth and breadth.

Our aim is to give you a wider range of more detailed results and the opportunity to explore more fully the different ideas behind your search. We think this approach is more useful to you than a simple list.

So Cuil searches the Web for pages with your keywords and then we analyze the rest of the text on those pages. This tells us that the same word has several different meanings in different contexts. Are you looking for jaguar the cat, the car or the operating system?

We sort out all those different contexts so that you don’t have to waste time rephrasing your query when you get the wrong result.

Different ideas are separated into tabs; we add images and roll-over definitions for each page and then make suggestions as to how you might refine your search. We use columns so you can see more results on one page.

We think that if you are interested in content rather than popularity, you’ll find our approach more useful.

$2mn dinosaur on show at airport

2008-07-24T10:04:00.002+01:00

Visitors to Abu Dhabi International Airport will be forgiven for thinking they’ve stepped back in time or onto the set of the latest Spielberg blockbuster or an episode of The Flintstones.

Einstein, a 23 metre, 4.5 tonne skeleton of an Apatosaurus, will spend
the next two and a half months on display in the Arrivals Hall in
Terminal 1.

Discovered in Dakota, USA, Einstein has been
transported in ten cargo crates to Abu Dhabi courtesy of Abu Dhabi
Airports Company (ADAC) and Etihad Airways.

Accompanied and reconstructed by a team of paleontology experts, the entire process was achieved in less than a day.

Einstein’s
skeleton is now in situ, and the exhibition will formally open to the
public next week, with information available on the dinosaur’s past and
vital statistics, as well as opportunities for visitors to have their
photos taken with the relic.

The exhibition will be free of
charge, and visitors will be able to see Einstein without checking in
or making a journey through the airport.

Dan Cappell, vice
president non-aeronautical revenue, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, said:
“This is a unique moment for Abu Dhabi. Einstein is an incredible relic
from prehistoric times and provides a great educational opportunity for
children and their families, allowing people young and old to learn
about a part of the world’s history that is normally only accessible in
museums.

In October, Einstein’s skeleton will be auctioned off
internationally at a reserve price of $2 million, with 20 percent above
the reserve of the auction price going to the charity for endangered
species of Arabian wildlife.

Einstein is an Apatosaurus (also
known as a Brontosaurus), a long-necked vegetarian dinosaur who lived
during the Jurassic Period, approximately 150 million years ago.

Although
no dinosaur remains have been found in the UAE, the recent discovery of
dinosaur footprints in Yemen have reinvigorated interest in the
region’s prehistory, and Abu Dhabi has its own Department of Cultural
Landscapes within the Authority for Culture and Heritage who are
responsible for investigating remains across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Emirates unveils London’s newest landmark

2008-07-24T09:59:00.002+01:00

Emirates Airline unveiled a new landmark for London, a giant model of an Airbus A380 at the gateway to Heathrow Airport.

Tim Clark said: “The gateway to the world’s busiest international airport is a fitting home for Emirates. We expect this landmark site to become an icon for both Heathrow and Emirates. While the previous Concorde model represented the past, our A380 represents the future and it is a future of cleaner, quieter aircraft.

Mr Clark added: “You will be seeing the Emirates A380 at Heathrow for real from December 1st, and in the near future, Emirates will be the largest operator of A380s at this airport. In the meantime, our model is a taste of things to come.”

Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, John Leahy, was on hand to see the model unveiled. He said: “It is fitting that the world’s largest commercial aircraft is replicated by what we believe is the world’s biggest aircraft model at the world?s busiest international airport. The A380 cements Airbus' reputation for innovation and cutting edge technology, allowing the world's premier airlines like Emirates to do more with less: more passengers with less fuel, more comfort with less noise, and more travel with less environmental impact.”

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 24-Jul-08

'Batman' star arrested and released in London

2008-07-23T14:27:00.002+01:00

(07-23) 04:00 PDT London - --

The darkness around Batman has deepened: While audiences were shattering weekend box-office records in the United States, Christian Bale was in London, where his mother and sister reportedly leveled assault allegations against the star of "The Dark Knight" that have yet to become clear.

The Wales-born actor said the allegations were false Tuesday, hours after he was arrested, questioned by London police and released on bail. Bale, 34, spent four hours talking with authorities but was not charged.

British media reported that Bale's mother and sister told police he assaulted them at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Sunday night, a day before attending the European premiere of "The Dark Knight." The Sun newspaper said the complaint was filed by sister Sharon Bale and mother Jenny Bale.

"Christian Bale attended a London police station today on a voluntary basis," read a statement from Bale's lawyer, Simon Smith, of the London-based firm Schillings. "Bale, who denies the allegation, cooperated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question, and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police."

A woman thought to be Bale's sister Sharon told reporters "it's a family matter" from her home in Corfe Mullen, 110 miles southwest of London. A man who answered the door at the home of Jenny Bale in nearby Bournemouth said she did not want to comment.

The reports surfaced just days after "The Dark Knight," which co-stars the late Heath Ledger as Batman's nemesis the Joker, took a record $158.4 million at the box office in its opening weekend.

Asked Tuesday whether Bale had been arrested, a London police spokesman did not refer to him by name but said: "A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment and was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault."

The spokesman requested anonymity because he is not authorized to be identified under police policy. British police do not name suspects who have not been formally charged.

The police force later said in a statement that the man had been released on bail pending further inquiries and told to return in September. It did not specify the date.

This article appeared on page A - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Thai authorities suspend service of budget airline for 30 days on poor safety standard

2008-07-23T14:24:00.002+01:00

Jul 21, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand - The Thai budget airliner One-Two-Go, which suffered a deadly crash last year, will be forced to suspend the bulk of its operations starting Tuesday, the Thailand's Civil Aviation Department said.

Chaisak Angkasuwan, director of Thailand's Civil Aviation Department, said Monday that eight out of twelve planes operated by One-Two-Go Airlines will be suspended for 30 days.

"We found that their system to ensure aviation safety is not up to standard," Chaisak said in a telephone interview. "Their pilot screening is also not systematic and not up to standard."

The eight planes suspended are all MD-82, he said, adding that the airline's remaining four jets would not be grounded.

Airlines officials could not be reached for comment.

The partial suspension coincides with the company's decision Friday to cease operations temporarily starting Tuesday for financial restructuring. It cited the rising cost of oil, increased competition and a drop in domestic traffic for its suspension.

The airline has struggled to recover from a crash in September on the tourist island of Phuket that killed 89 people. The plane skidded off a runway while landing in strong wind and rain and then it caught fire. Pilot error was the cause of the accident, Chaisak told The Bangkok Post on Monday.

The dead came from at least 10 countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Sweden and Thailand. Official tallies confirm that Thailand had the most victims — 36 — followed by Iran with 18.

iht.com

Chatterbox voted as new "Hainanese Chicken Rice Heavenly King"

2008-07-23T14:23:00.002+01:00

(Forimmediaterelease.net) Singapore, 21 July 2008: Chatterbox, Meritus Mandarin Singapore has been voted as one of the new “Hainanese Chicken Rice Heavenly Kings” for its signature Mandarin Chicken Rice dish!

The search for the new “Four Hainanese Chicken Rice Heavenly Kings” which was jointly organised by Singapore Press Holdings’ Lianhe Wanbao and OMY, took place over a month, where ten Hainanese Chicken Rice stalls in Singapore were shortlisted and readers were invited to vote for the best Chicken Rice via SMS, MMS and the OMY website.

Chatterbox’s history goes way back to the year 1971, in conjunction with Meritus Mandarin Singapore’s grand opening. It quickly became the talk of town because it was the first time local hawker fare was served in a hotel.

Hainanese chicken rice was served on its menu as it was one of the favourite local hawker dishes. As the dish grew in popularity, it became branded as “The Mandarin Chicken Rice”, as Chatterbox’s signature dish, due its widely publicised fragrant rice, specially bred chicken, special-graded soya sauce as well as its house-made chilli sauce and grounded ginger.

To thank customers for their support, Chatterbox is offering a 15% discount on its Mandarin Chicken Rice, from 18 July to 7 August 2008, to Lianhe Wanbao and OMY readers. A copy of the discount coupon can be obtained in the 18 July edition of Lianhe Wanbao and is also available from the OMY website.

About Meritus Mandarin Singapore
Home of Asian grace, warmth and care.

Voted as one of the Gold List Hotels in Asia, Australia and Pacific Nations in the 2005 Readers’ Choice Gold List of Conde Nast Traveller, Meritus Mandarin Singapore is a deluxe business and convention hotel conveniently located in the heart of Singapore’s prime shopping and entertainment district.

A prominent and familiar landmark on Orchard Road, the opulent 1200-room hotel offers luxurious accommodation and gracious hospitality along with a host of multi-award winning cuisine.
The South Tower guestrooms have emerged with a new look featuring tastefully appointed rooms equipped with elegant furnishings and amenities in July 2005. The latest inclusion of four floors of new Mandarin Club provides distinctive amenities and services customised for the savvy travellers for that seamless experience from Business Class in the air to the ground.

For further press information, please contact: Lim Ee Jin Director of Marketing Communications Meritus Mandarin Singapore Tel: (65) 6831 6118 Mobile: (65) 9188 8235 Email: eejin.tms@meritus-hotels.com Cindy Lim Assistant Marketing Communications Manager Meritus Mandarin Singapore Tel: (65) 6831 6055 Mobile: (65) 9061 6096 Email: cindylim.tms@meritus-hotels.com Andrea Cher Assistant Marketing Communications Manager Meritus Mandarin Singapore Tel: (65) 6831 6051 Mobile: (65) 9003 4651 Email: andreacher.tms@meritus-hotels.com Lin Ziyu Marketing Communications Executive Meritus Mandarin Singapore Tel: (65) 6831 6052 Email: linziyu.tms@meritus-hotels.com

ADP signs contract to design new facilities at Jeddah airport

2008-07-23T14:19:00.004+01:00

(XFN-ASIA) ADP said it has signed a contract to design new facilities for the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The French airport operator's ADPI unit is to design all facilities planned under a multi-billion development of the Jeddah airport, including a new terminal.

ADP previously won a contract to conduct studies and provide technical support for the upgrading of the three existing terminals at Jeddah's airport.

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 23-Jul-08

Internet Pornography Facts

2008-07-17T09:40:00.002+01:00

About 75 percent of Internet pornography originates in the United States. Close to 15 percent originates in Europe.
It is estimated that some 70 million people a week visit
pornographic Web sites. About 20 million of these users are in Canada
and the United States.
A study revealed that during a recent one-month period, Germany had
the largest audience for on-line pornography in Europe, followed by
Great Britain, France, Italy, and Spain.
In Germany, Internet pornography users spend an average of 70 minutes each month viewing pornographic sites.
Among European viewers of Internet pornography, those above 50 years of age spend the most time connected to adult Web sites.
According to one source, 70 percent of Internet pornography traffic occurs during the day.
It is estimated by some that 100,000 Internet sites include material on child pornography.
About 80 percent of the Internet's commercial child pornography originates in Japan.

PORNOGRAPHY Harmless or Harmful?

2008-07-17T09:39:00.002+01:00

LASCIVIOUS material designed to arouse sexual feelings dates back thousands of years. But during much of its history, pornography was difficult to produce and was therefore available primarily to the rich and the ruling classes. Mass printing and the invention of photography and moving pictures changed all that. Pornography became affordable and available to the less affluent.

The development of the videocassette recorder escalated this trend. Unlike cinema reels and old photographs, videocassettes were easy to store, copy, and distribute. They also allowed for private viewing at home. Recently, the proliferation of cable systems and the Internet has made pornography even more readily available. The consumer who is afraid that his neighbor will see him in the adult section of a video store can now "stay at home and order by pushing a button on his cable system, or his direct TV," says media analyst Dennis McAlpine. Easy access to this kind of programming has, according to McAlpine, contributed to "a lot more acceptability."

Pornography Becomes Mainstream

Many are ambivalent toward pornography because it has now entered the mainstream. "It is already a vastly bigger cultural presence than all our opera, ballet, theatre, music and fine art put together," says writer Germaine Greer. Modern attitudes toward pornography may be reflected by the 'prostitute-chic' fashions many celebrities sport, the music videos that increasingly flaunt sexual imagery, and the advertising media's adoption of a "porno aesthetic." McAlpine concludes: "Society is accepting what is being spoon-fed to it. . . . That's helping create the idea that all of this is good." As a result, "people don't seem to have a sense of outrage," laments author Andrea Dworkin. "They don't seem to care."

Pornography has become more accessible

Pornography's Rationale

Echoing author Dworkin's comments, retired FBI agent Roger Young points out that many people "just don't see the big picture of obscenity and the problems that it causes." Some are swayed by those who defend pornography, claiming that there is no proof that pornographic images have a negative effect on people. "Pornography is fantasy after all," writes author F. M. Christensen, "a fact that its opponents seem to have difficulty keeping in focus." But if fantasy has no power, then upon what is the advertising industry based? Why would corporations spend millions of dollars producing commercials, videos, and printed ads if they have no lasting impact on people?

The fact is that like all successful advertising, pornography's main purpose is to create appetites where none existed before. "Pornography is about profits, pure and simple," write researchers Steven Hill and Nina Silver. "And in this marketplace gone amok, anything is considered an exploitable and expendable resource, particularly women's bodies and human sexual relations." Greer compares pornography to highly addictive fast food, devoid of nutrition and laced with taste-enhancing additives and chemicals. "Commercial fast sex," she says, "is fake sex . . . Food advertising sells fantasy food and sex advertising sells fantasy sex."

Some doctors claim that pornography can spark an addiction that is far more difficult to overcome than drug addiction. Treatment for drug addicts usually starts with detoxification to remove the substance from the body. But addiction to pornography, explains Dr. Mary Anne Layden of the University of Pennsylvania, "produces mental imagery which is permanently implanted in the mind of the user and is scaled in by brain chemistry." That is why individuals can vividly recall pornographic images from years past. She concludes: "This is the first addictive substance for which there is no hope for detoxification." But does that mean it is impossible to break free from pornography's influence? And what specific harm does pornography cause?

Passengers face huge price hikes

2008-07-17T09:31:00.002+01:00

ArabianBusiness.com
by James Regan on Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Passengers will have to pay more to fly as airlines struggle to
eke out further savings to cover soaring fuel bills, airline executives
said at Farnborough Airshow on Wednesday.

Airlines will likely plunge back into billions of dollars of losses
this year as fuel costs grow to $190 billion, or 34 percent of
operating costs, according to the International Air Transport
Association (IATA).

Many carriers are imposing fuel surcharges, cutting flight capacity and
even flying more slowly to lower costs, but higher air fares may also
be inevitable with oil recently nudging $150 a barrel, the executives
said.

"There is absolutely no doubt that prices will have to go
up," British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said at a conference
at the air show. "We have got to price $150 oil into our tickets. We do
not have the scope to take that level of cost out of the business."

Rising prices would likely have an impact on demand that would lead to
some reduction in capacity, Walsh said. "This is a massive challenge
and it is a challenge that will not be solved by cost cuts alone," he
added.

It was not clear to what extent the market would absorb
further increases in fares, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler
told the conference.

"The airlines are, I think, going to have to test the elasticity or the inelasticity of demand," Tyler said.

Economy
class passengers were not even paying enough to cover the cost of being
flown with fuel prices at current levels, but there may be limits to
how much first and business class travellers were prepared to subsidise
the rest of the cabin, he said.

"[Premium fares] are getting to
the point where you have to wonder whether people are going to continue
to pay that," Tyler said. (Reuters)

Growth of private jet industry surges 18%

2008-07-10T14:10:00.002+01:00

Original Article @ Arabian Business

by Amy Glass on Thursday, 10 July 2008

The Middle East’s private jet industry is growing by
a massive 18 percent annually, despite increasing fuel prices and a
slumping global economy, Dubai’s aviation leaders said Wednesday.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates and Dubai City of Aviation Corporation, said the region’s 18 percent annual growth rate is compared to the global average of 10 percent.

“This (high growth) is boosting global sales despite increasing fuel prices and the US credit crisis which has seen fewer Americans placing orders for private jets last year,” Sheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

“The Middle East business aviation market is expected to reach $800 million by 2012," he added. Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai World Central, said the region has a "huge market" for the private jet industry.

“The region’s share of the overall aviation market is expected to double to 40 percent and with DWC building the region's largest executive jet terminal with handling capacity of 100,000 flight movements annually, the region will have unrestrained capacity for business aviation flights.”

According to industry analysts, manufacturers expect to sell over 1,250 private jets this year, compared to 1,138 in 2007. Currently, there are 22 private jet operators in the Middle East.

The region's aviation sector is forecast to grow at more than 30 percent annually for the next five years and the current growth of over 9 percent for the Middle East maintenance repair operations (MRO) market is expected to continue for the same period.

More Theater Over Iran's Nukes

2008-07-10T14:00:00.002+01:00

Original Article @ Time.com

by Evan Vucci / AP

George W. Bush and the Iranians are locked in a diplomatic game
of "Who's crazier?" With six months left in office, no political
capital at home or abroad, and a uniformed military ready to rebel at
the first talk of a new war, the Bush administration is left with
simply the threat of military strikes, kept eternally "on the table" in
hopes of bluffing Tehran into a compromise on its nuclear program.

Tehran's response
has been predictable enough: After Iran tested nine medium-range
missiles on Wednesday, the country's state news agency quoted a
representative of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying
that if the U.S. or Israel attacked Iran, "Tel Aviv and the U.S. fleet
in the Persian Gulf would be the first targets to burst into flames
receiving Iran's crushing response." Tehran's message was clear: If
Bush wants to play Crazy Cowboy, we're happy to play Mad Mullahs right
back at him.

The crazy talk, in fact, is mostly theater. U.S. and Iranian
flashpoints in Iraq and the Persian Gulf have been quiet recently, as
both sides have been careful to avoid a sustained clash that could
escalate into outright conflict. And Iran showed no new military
capabilities with the tests. At the same time, diplomacy is deadlocked
as Iran takes advantage of soaring oil prices to trump U.N sanctions,
while the U.S. sticks to its insistence that Iran suspend its uranium
enrichment program before Washington will hold negotiations. European
efforts to end the impasse have so far served largely as a convenient
stalling mechanism for the Iranians.

So, what does it matter that Iran test-fired nine missiles Wednesday?
"It's mostly relevant because of how it plays out in the campaign,"
says Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution.
After a week of bad news, campaign restructuring and silly television
spots, the missile tests are a boon for John McCain. Wednesday his
campaign made hay with them, saying they showed Barack Obama's
inexperience and the danger of his willingness to negotiate with
Tehran. For his part, Obama tried to spin the tests to his advantage,
saying they showed the administration's policies were failing and
needed to be changed.

Away from the din of campaign sound bites, there is not much
difference on the Iran issue between McCain and Obama. McCain's camp
tried to argue on Wednesday that Obama is soft on missile defense, but,
in fact, he supports it. Obama wants voters to believe McCain is as
much of a cowboy diplomat as Bush has been, but McCain's advisers
include people like Richard Armitage, erstwhile deputy Secretary of
State to Colin Powell, who has advocated for negotiations with Iran in
the past.

When asked whether McCain supports Bush's pre-condition for talks
with Iran — that it suspend uranium enrichment — the candidate's top
foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, fudged. "McCain does not
support unilateral concessions to Iran that would undermine
multilateral diplomacy," Scheunemann said. Mccain would drop the
condition and talk to Iran, Scheunemann seems to be saying, as long as
the allies agree. The allies, of course, are dying to be asked, so if
McCain wins in November, look for talks with Iran early in his
presidency. Likewise Obama, who says outright he'll drop the enrichment
condition. In fact, once past the posturing, there seems little
substantive difference between the two on talks.

On balance, McCain has the advantage in this news cycle. Obama's
inexperience on foreign affairs and previous slips on Iran are among
the few issues breaking the Republican Senator's way in voters' eyes
these days. But no matter which campaign reaps the most political
benefit from the Iranian tests, come January the next president find
that, talks or no talks, he has the same limited diplomatic, political
and military options that have forced Bush to bluff about the cards
he's holding.

McCain: Selling an Economic Policy

2008-07-10T13:55:00.002+01:00

Carolyn Kaster / AP
Full Article can be found @ Time.com

John McCain has retooled his campaign — yet again — and put Steve Schmidt, a veteran of Karl Rove's old shop, in charge of the day-to-day operation. He's back out again doing what he says he loves best, mixing it up with voters in town hall settings. Where he once professed not to know much about the economy, it's now what he talks about constantly. But in spite of all the changes, there is still one key hurdle that McCain has yet to overcome, something a supporter in Portsmouth, Ohio, summed up pretty neatly in one of those question-and-answer sessions with the presumptive Republican nominee at the local high school: "When are you going to go out and say, 'Read my lips. I am not the third term of Bush?'"

McCain quickly launched into the ways his own presidency would differ from that of the last eight years, starting with his pledge to cut spending and balance the budget by 2013. He has yet, however, to back up that bold promise with the details of just of how he plans to accomplish it. And economists are dubious that he can, especially if he also stays true to his commitment to extend the tax cuts that were George Bush's signature economic achievement.

As frequently as he now talks about economic issues, his attempt to embrace two conservative economic models at once isn't helping his credibility. On the one hand, McCain argues for fiscal discipline, with his promises to end wasteful pork-barrel spending (which he mentioned five times during his appearance in Ohio). On the other, with his commitment to tax cuts, he embraces supply-side economics, which maintains that short-term deficits don't really matter.

But does it really matter to voters if the numbers don't add up? Not necessarily, argues former Republican Congressman Vin Weber, an influential conservative voice. In a time of economic anxiety, "voters want to know the candidate, first of all, understands the seriousness of the problem, and second of all, they have to believe there's a commitment to change." Weber says what voters listen for are "big signal issues."

On that first front, McCain has faced some questioning this week for referring to the economy as simply "slowing." But he fared better when listening to voters' personal plights at the town hall gathering. Mary Houghtaling, who runs a hospice in Wilmington, Ohio, choked up as she told McCain of DHL's plans to close its domestic air hub in her town, a move that could throw 8,600 people out of work. "This is a terrible blow," McCain told her. "I don't know if I can stop it. That's some straight talk. Some more straight talk? I doubt it."

It was not the kind of answer you often hear from a politician, and McCain is certainly hoping that kind of change will impress voters. When I talked to Houghtaling after the event, she was still wiping tears from her eyes. Houghtaling noted that she had supported McCain when he ran for President in 2000, and she intends to do it again. "Had he been elected," she said, "I believe it would have been a different world." But she didn't fault McCain for his answer: "I think he was honest, because I don't think there's any hope."

Candor should certainly help McCain — to a degree. But in an election year, he and his team have more work to do honing their message if they want to emerge with more than a moral victor.

Thousands of jobs go as the gloom deepens

2008-07-09T10:39:00.002+01:00

Original article can be found at Times Online

by Gary Duncan, Economics Editor

Airport traffic falls

2008-07-08T09:39:00.000+01:00

As fuel prices soar, more airplane owners are staying grounded.

The Jackson County Airport has seen its traffic drop by about 22 percent in the past few years, sliding from 61,591 flights in 2003 to 48,198 in 2007.

Airport officials say the rise in fuel costs is the likely reason for the drop in traffic, which started to level out three years ago.

"I don't use the airplane just to go up and ride around anymore," said Steve Wellman, who cut back flying his Cessna 177 Cardinal by more than 20 hours last year because of fuel costs. "It really is a factor."

In June, the Michigan price of fuel for planes has ranged between $4.45 and $7.40, with Jet A fuel typically costing a few cents more per gallon. In May, Jackson County Airport charged pilots $5.49 for 100LL fuel and $5.58 for Jet A fuel.

Fuel prices have had the biggest impact on recreational fliers, said airport Manager Kent Maurer, who has noticed fewer pilots stopping at the airport during day trips.

"That discretionary type of flying is impacted most by fuel prices," Maurer said.

Though airport traffic has been trending downward, traffic appears to be up slightly compared to this time last year, Maurer said. The increase could be due to greater interest in Jackson Community College's Flight Center or more corporate jets stopping at the airport, he added.

Many are feeling the pinch in the cost to fill up their tanks, but Cheryl Blank, a secretary at JCC's flight school, said it hasn't stopped people from handing over the cash to learn to fly.

The school charges $139 per hour for duo flights and $110 per hour for solo flights — a cost that hasn't changed much as fuel prices increase.

She said the school buys a load of fuel through a Saline-based broker who splits it with other groups to keep the cost down. The reduced cost in fuel also helps the school, which averages about 200 flights per month, keep the cost of classes down, she said.

House prices: the latest forecasts, region by region

2008-07-02T15:41:00.000+01:00

July 01, 2008

House prices: the latest forecasts, region by region

By Lauren Thompson

As the Nationwide announces UK house prices are now 6.3 per cent lower than a year ago, many of us are wondering when the property turmoil will end. The overall picture is bleak, with Savills, the estate agent, predicting a drop of 10 per cent this year and a further 15 per cent drop next year. But this figure masks widespread regional variations, and it could be higher or lower depending on where you live.

Here are the experts' predictions on how much further prices will fall this year in each region of the UK.

London

There is a lot of stock on the market in London at the moment as buyers are being very cautious. James Hyman, of Cluttons, an estate agent in London, says: “I am seeing sellers reduce asking price by 10 per cent at the moment. I expect prices to ease another 15 per cent over the next year as buyers try to safeguard themselves from further falls in the market. If vendors are keen to sell, most will simply have to drop asking prices.”

South East

Although the south-east is generally more resilient to house price drops than say the North, it has still taken a hammering recently. Mr. Hyman says: “Where as parts of the north have seen falling prices for the last three years, this has only happened in the last 12 months in the south-east.
“Again, unless vendors are selling something very special or rare, they will need to reduce asking prices significantly to secure a buyer.”

Scotland

Scotland has been more resilient to price falls than the rest of the UK. Nonetheless Savills predicts that the turmoil in the property market means prices will fall by 5 per cent this year.
Faifal Choudhry, of Savills, says: “The expected fall is still significantly less than in other parts of the UK. Scotland has resisted a lot of the pressures of the UK’s housing crash, not just because of steady demand in cities like Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow, but because the average house prices have remained relatively low at around £150,000 – so borrowers are less stretched than in, say, London or the south-east.”

South-West

Estate agents in the South West are predicting a "flat" market for the rest of the year. Jonathan Haward, of The County Homesearch Company based in Cornwall, says: “Sellers will have to price properties very competitively to attract buyers. With the exception of a few period properties with coastal views, which are still selling quite well, prices will stagnate until confidence returns to the market.”

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland continues to show by far the steepest correction in house prices across the UK with prices down 18 per cent over the last three months alone. Fionnuala Earley, chief economist at Nationwide, says: "The recent falls come on the back of unusually sharp increases in prices during 2006-7, when prices grew by 79 per cent. These increases were clearly not sustainable and leaves the market in Northern Ireland particularly vulnerable.”

Midlands

There are a very large number of houses unsold in Birmingham, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. Nicholas Leeming, of Propertyfinder.com, says: “Vendors will have to continue reducing prices significantly to secure buyers this year.”

East Anglia

Andreas Bonney, regional director for Nolfolk, Suffolk and Essex at The County Homesearch Company, says: “It doesn’t surprise me that prices have already dropped 5 per cent in East Anglia. I would expect them to drop a further 5 per cent by the end of this year, with further small drops next year. I’m seeing buyers putting in offers of £250,000 on houses asking £325,000. It will be a long and slow recovery.”

North West

Gordon Roberts, who finds properties in Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire at The County Homesearch Company, says: “The market is still moving downwards and we expect to see some further falls later this year. The properties worst affected are new build apartments in the centre of Manchester and Liverpool, where there is a massive over-supply. I’ve seen these apartments sell at auction for half of what they were bought for.

"Overall sellers of City Centre flats may have to take 30 or even 40 per cent less than their asking price by the end of the year. But I expect ordinary family homes to see a less dramatic drop in prices, probably at around 10 or 15 per cent this year.”

North East

The north east is already amongst the worst hit by the property downturn – and estate agents expect the market to continue to deteriorate throughout the year. Nicholas Leeming, of Propertyfinder.com, says: “Newcastle began to see house price falls even before Northern Rock. In places such as Durham, Northumberland and Leeds the market has effectively ground to a halt.”

Wales

Carol Peett at The County Homesearch Company says: “Whilst holiday homes or second houses in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthem are holding up well, the more run of the mill new-builds are falling by up to 10 per cent, and I expect to see this continue throughout the year. Properties in ex-mining communities are being badly hit, because there are simply too many houses.”

By Lauren Thompson

Witnesses begin series of “Guided by God’s Spirit” conventions

2008-07-02T15:00:00.000+01:00

JEHOVAH’S WITNES SES
O F F I C E O F P U B L I C I N F O R M A T I O N
www.jw-media.org

For Immediate Release May 23, 2008

Witnesses begin series of “Guided by God’s Spirit” conventions
NEW YORK—Jehovah’s Witnesses announce the start of their 2008 “Guided by God’s
Spirit” three-day conventions and enthusiastically invite all to attend. The first six of these events begin today in various locations across the United States: Long Beach, California; Pueblo,
Colorado; Bloomington, Illinois; Portland, Maine; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Continuing through mid-September, there will be a total of 305 conventions in 76
cities in the United States. Conventions will be held in English, as well as in Spanish and 14
other languages, including American Sign Language.

The convention explains why humans need reliable guidance and how God’s holy spirit
provides it. The convention theme will develop Jesus Christ’s assurance to his followers, as
recorded at John 16:13, that God’s spirit will guide them. Other key texts that will be discussed
at the convention include Jeremiah 10:23, Romans 8:6, and Galatians 5:16.
All are invited to attend free of charge, since there is no admission fee or collection taken
at any convention or meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are nearly 7,000,000 Witnesses
associated with more than 101,000 congregations worldwide.

Eco Watch

2008-07-02T13:54:00.000+01:00

International Energy Agency stated a reduction in OPEC spare capacity and delays to production projects will keep the oil market “tight”, despite a 3% cut in forecast global demand under its 2009-2012 outlook (Bloomberg, 01-Jul-08). OPEC President, Chakib Khelil, meanwhile stated members are concerned future demand for oil might not be strong enough to justify investment to boost oil production, as investment increases in alternative energy sources (AP, 02-Jul-08).

Equities tumble as bad news hits home

2008-07-02T13:46:00.001+01:00

Equities tumble as bad news hits home

By Edmund Conway, Economics Editor

Last Updated: 12:57am BST 02/07/2008

Shares in London have suffered their biggest slide since the collapse of Bear Stearns in March, amid a barrage of bad news on the domestic and international economy.

Markets were shaken by a double dose of bad news for housing and manufacturing, followed by rumours that some of Europe's biggest banks are about to see their profits plunge even further.

As the second half of the year started, the FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares was 146 points or 2.6pc down to 5479.9 - the lowest close, and biggest fall, since March.

It came as:

• Economists warned that the manufacturing sector is now in recession territory after activity unexpectedly collapsed in June.

• Nationwide said house prices are now falling at the fastest rate in 16 years, with the average property having lost £14,000 of its value since prices peaked in October last year.

• Oil prices touched a new record high, with crude touching $143 a barrel.

• A YouGov/Citigroup survey showed that households' expectations for the rate of inflation leapt to a record high of 4.6pc in June, putting more pressure on the Bank of England to consider raising interest rates.

The financial crisis in full

Markets were perhaps most shaken by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply's surprise announcement that manufacturing activity has fallen to the lowest level since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

In what economists described as a "truly dreadful report" on industry, its purchasing manager's index dropped to 45.5 points last month - well below the 50 point that separates expansion from contraction. The May reading was also revised down to 49.5.

The news will disappoint many economists, who had predicted that the pound's recent weakness would help drive manufacturing in the coming months, supporting the wider economy. In fact, most measures of activity, including exports, dropped again in June, the report showed.

The pound touched the $2 mark briefly yesterday, although it finished the day up only slightly at $1.9914 against the US currency.

In a sign that the Bank of England may not be able to cut interest rates any time soon, the survey also showed that price pressures remain extremely high, with the input price index up to 82.1 and output prices up to 62.9 - both the highest levels since the series started a decade ago.

More on economics

Howard Archer of Global Insight said: "This is a truly dreadful report in every respect, which encapsulates the extremely difficult position that the Bank of England is in. It shows sharply contracting manufacturing output, orders, backlogs of work and employment in June but still rising price pressures."

However, Holger Schmieding of Bank of America said: "The Bank of England, presiding over the City of London, one of the top two financial centres of the world, will be likely to pay more attention to the recent drop in equity prices than other central banks."

In a further blow, a report published today by accountant BDO Stoy Hayward shows that confidence among businesses has fallen to a 16-year low, in a sign that companies are gearing up for a major slowdown or recession.

Activity in the construction industry has collapsed, a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors shows, as workloads fall for the first time in 11 years.

Meanwhile, amid suspicions that the financial sector will have to make further write-downs and raise more cash in the coming months, all major bank shares fell.

The atmosphere in the City was febrile, with rumours floating around that UBS and Deutsche are poised to deliver more bad news in the coming weeks.

Perseid meteors set to dazzle

2007-08-10T14:55:00.000+01:00

One of the year's most impressive meteor showers is firing up as the Earth swings through a trail of debris left by a comet.

The Perseids will peak on the night of 12 August, streaking through the dark skies of a New Moon. At its peak, the shower is expected to produce one or two meteors per minute, according to Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office in Huntsville, Alabama, US. Watch a video of a Perseid meteor on spaceweather.com.

The Perseids, which appear to be shooting out of the constellation Perseus, are primarily a northern hemisphere show, although a few meteors may be seen just south of the equator.
The meteors are cast-offs from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 135 years and last swept through the inner solar system in 1992. Comets are made up of ice and dust, and as they approach the Sun, the ice begins to evaporate, releasing dust that streams in a tail behind the comet.

Earth's orbit takes it through the tail of the comet every summer in the northern hemisphere, bombarding the planet with meteors. Most are no bigger than a grain of sand, but they burn spectacularly as they shoot through our atmosphere at 60 kilometres per second.
Dazzling earthgrazers.

The Earth is now on its way through comet Swift-Tuttle's tail, so Perseid meteors are already visible in the night sky. The shower will be at its best, however, on 12 August.
The spectacle begins as Perseus rises in the northeastern sky around 2100 (9 pm) in every time zone. That is the best time to look for dazzling "earthgrazers": meteors that emerge from the horizon and glide overhead. Observers will be lucky to spot a few of these in an hour, Cooke says, but "they are among the most beautiful of meteors".

The Perseids will reach their peak in the pre-dawn hours of 13 August, with the added allure of Mars floating just below Perseus. By then, Cooke says, "dozens of Perseids may be flitting across the sky every hour".

Comet connection

The Perseids are the subjects of some of mankind's earliest records of meteors, made by Chinese astronomers a millennium ago.
In the Middle Ages, the Perseids were known in England as the "tears of St. Lawrence" after the third-century archdeacon of Rome. Meteors streaked through the sky on 10 August 258, the day of his execution by order of the emperor Valerian, and reappeared every year around St. Lawrence's feast day.

In the 1860s, Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli, famous for naming lines on Mars "canali", figured out that the path of the Perseids followed that of comet Swift-Tuttle, making him the first to connect meteors with comets.

Turkey registers Jehovah’s Witnesses’ association

2007-08-09T09:44:00.000+01:00

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—On Tuesday, July 31, 2007, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Turkey received a letter of certification confirming that the “Association for the Support of Jehovah’s Witnesses” has been officially registered. Because they were able to register this religious legal entity, the Witnesses can now purchase and own property, rent meeting places for conventions, accept donations, and defend their legal interests in court when necessary. One European official characterized the development as “revolutionary.”
The international Christian religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses was granted this significantly improved status in Turkey despite some obstacles along the way. In 2004, the government passed a new law that allowed religious associations to be formed, in line with European standards. Jehovah’s Witnesses filed the charter for their Association to the Istanbul authorities on July 11, 2005. The constitutionality of the charter was challenged in court by government officials. Finally, on May 17, 2007, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Sisli 3rd First Instance Court in Istanbul, confirming that the charter for the Association complied with the Turkish Constitution.
In recent years, freedom of worship for Jehovah’s Witnesses has been improving in Turkey. However, some Jehovah’s Witnesses still face fines and imprisonment. There are, for example, no provisions in the law for conscientious objection and neither is there any opportunity for alternative civilian service.
The modern-day activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Turkey can be traced back to 1933, when 22 persons assembled together for the Memorial of Christ’s death and 5 were baptized. Today, some 3,500 members and active supporters make up 33 congregations and groups of Jehovah’s Witnesses there.
Contacts:In Turkey: Ercument Kadim, telephone +90 533 630 02 12In Belgium: Luca Toffoli, telephone +32 (0) 475 58 10 36 or + 32 (0)2 782 00 15In the United States: James Andrik, telephone (845) 306-0711

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Copyright © 2007 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Israel warns against travel in Egypt and Jordan

2007-08-07T13:10:00.000+01:00

The Associated Press
Published: August 6, 2007

JERUSALEM: Israeli security officials on Monday warned citizens traveling in Egypt, Jordan and other Muslim countries to leave immediately due to a "concrete and severe" threat of terror attacks.
Israelis anywhere in the world should also be alert to the danger of being kidnapped by operatives from Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, according to the announcement from Israel's National Security Council.
Israeli tourists are allowed to visit Egypt and Jordan, which have peace agreements with Israel. But the council said any Israeli citizens in those countries should cut their trips short.
The council also warned against travel to Morocco, where Israelis can visit with special permission from that country's government, and to Tunisia. But those warnings were less urgent than the "severe" warning for other Muslim states.
The announcement on the council's Web site, a renewal of a travel advisory issued twice a year, also warned Israelis not to travel to Mideastern countries like Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states, as well as African nations like Somalia, Djibouti and Chad.

Lebanon anti-Syrian minister assassinated

2006-11-21T15:05:00.000Z

21/11/2006 14h41

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel has been assassinated in a northern Beirut suburb in the latest in a spate of attacks to target anti-Syrian politicians, a security source told AFP.

Shooting Stars

2006-11-16T15:38:00.000Z

On Sunday, Nov. 19th, Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The result: a shower of Leonid meteors.
Western Europe will be well placed this year for viewing the resulting shooting stars and provided the sky is clear of cloud or relatively clear (at present the weather forecast is not that promising for Sunday morning but check again closer to the time), the experts reckon that there should be about 100 Leonid meteors an hour.
The best time for viewing the Leonid storm will be 0445 GMT to 0630 GMT on Sunday Nov. 19th if you can get up at that time!

A few tips for watching -
Find a dark area as far away from streetlights and house lights as you can get (The more light pollution, the harder they will be to see).
Look into the sky 30 to 75 degrees above the horizon in an Easterly direction.
Take a garden recliner or chair to sit in as you look up.
Wrap up warm and take a flask of something hot!

A Leoind meteorite from 2001

Happy watching and wish upon a star.

Royal Mail Scam

2006-11-06T15:23:00.000Z

The following information has been received from the Royal Mail regarding a current premium rate telephone scam. It has been assessed by them as a genuine scam.

"Royal Mail have advised that it is a genuine scam; if you receive a card from PDS do not contact them - call your local trading standards agency
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you receive a card through your door from a company call PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) saying that they have a parcel awaiting delivery instructions and can you contact them on 0906 6611911 DO NOT call the number as this is a mail scam originating from Belize If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICTIS at http://www.icstis.org.uk or your local trading standards office.

This is a genuine scam. ICTIS have the following information about this number.

This is a card posted through your letter box from PDS Parcel Delivery suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and to call the premium rate number in question. This service costs £1.50 per minute. This service is under investigation by ICSTIS.

Please be aware of this scam and forward this information to as many as possible.
Should you receive a card from this company please follow the above instructions."

Quote of the Day

2006-10-26T10:10:00.000+01:00

Bernard Baruch - "Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."

Vista "free" upgrade is not free

2006-10-25T12:39:00.000+01:00

By Stan Beer Wednesday, 25 October 2006 Pardon me for pointing out the obvious here but when it comes to upgrading to Vista there seems to be a disconnect between the Microsoft definition of the term free and the common every day usage of the term which means at no cost.

If I read Microsoft's media statements correctly, everybody who decides to take advantage of the coupons upgrade program from Windows XP to an equivalent version of Windows Vista will have to pay shipping and handling charges. Although some might disagree, it's reasonable not to expect Microsoft to pay the costs associated with shipping what could be tens of millions of discs to users around the world. However, there's a charge (in Australia $27) - it's not free.

And of course, for a significant proportion of users who buy a computer between now and March, an upgrade from Windows XP to an equivalent version of Vista will certainly not be free. Windows XP Home buyers will have to pay 50% of the boxed upgrade price for the equivalent Vista Home Basic version. The justification for this is not clear - we're still waiting for an answer from Microsoft on that question.

It's true that Microsoft will enable computer manufacturers to hand out free upgrade coupons to purchasers of the equivalent high-end Windows XP products - and so they should. It would be unreasonable for Microsoft to expect a new buyer to pay extra funds for an upgrade of such expensive software within months of the purchase.

We were also waiting for an answer from Microsoft as to why it hasn't mentioned anything about discounts for purchasers who want to upgrade to it's new top of the range product, Vista Ultimate. Just in from Microsoft in response to our question is the following:

"There is currently no upgrade path under the Tech Guarantee programs from Windows XP to Ultimate, since Vista Ultimate is an entirely new high end product with significant functionality and value-added compared to existing high end Windows XP product." That's certainly not free.

BMW lifts lid on its 3 CC at last!

2006-10-25T12:35:00.000+01:00

It's official - BMW's 3-Series cabriolet has landed. And the newcomer has one very big trick up its sleeve: it features a folding metal roof

By Sam Hardy 25th October 2006
Feel the power
Under bonnet, petrol engine options range from the base four-cylinders to a 3.0 turbo. There’s also one diesel unit.
Face facts
All-new headlights and a reworked front bumper help set coupé-cabrio apart from saloon models at the front.
Back beauty
Unlike other CCs, rear deck doesn’t protrude – yet boot is generous.

But even though the two-door has left behind its roots as a soft-top, it is keeping the original Convertible name, shunning a fancy CC-style title. Despite that, major changes to the design and specification mean the model is set to pose a serious threat to prestige rivals such as the Audi A4 and Volvo C70.

That's because the new arrangement provides the sun-seeking 3-Series with a big boost in refinement and desirability. The electrically operated three-piece lid is made out of lightweight steel, and the manufacturer claims that it delivers class-leading visibility and rigidity.

It takes 22 seconds to switch from coupé to cabrio, and the roof panels blend almost seamlessly into the distinctive bodywork. Elsewhere, unique headlamps and a revised bumper give the nose a noticeably different look to other 3-Series variants. Described by company bosses as an "undiluted re-interpretation" of the original Convertible, the car appears long and low, with a tall shoulder line that wraps the driver in the leather-trimmed interior.

The seat height has been reduced and the windscreen extended to improve visibility and make occupants feel even more secure. Some extremely clever technology has been added to the cabin, too. Top of the list is a new treatment for the leather seats - it reflects sunlight, and keeps the fabrics cool in the summer. There's also an electronically controlled rollbar which deploys in milliseconds in the event of an accident. On the practicality front, the boot features a maximum load capacity of 350 litres; with the roof open, there's 210 litres of space. And, unusually for a cabrio, an optional ski hatch is available.

Under the bonnet, buyers will have a wide range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from. The 155mph flagship is fitted with the new 3.0-litre twin-turbo motor that powers the 335i Touring, which we drive this week on Page 30. This boasts 306bhp, and BMW says it's capable of returning 28.5mpg.

Two non-turbo 3.0-litre models are badged 330i and 325i respectively, while entry-level cars will be powered by the 170bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and titled 320i. There's one diesel, the 330d, which uses BMW's acclaimed 231bhp 3.0 motor. Delivering 500Nm of torque and capable of 152mph, this six-cylinder version is nearly as fast as the top petrol model, yet returns 40.9mpg.

Prices for the Convertible have still to be confirmed. However, it is expected to be around £2,000 more expensive than the 3-Series saloon, with entry-level cars costing from £25,000.

Joke of the Day

2006-10-24T01:05:00.000+01:00

Drunk Driver

A drunk is driving through the city and his car is weaving violently all over the road. A cop pulls him over and asks, "Where have you been?"

"I've been to the pub," slurs the drunk.

"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you've had quite a few."

"I did alright," the drunk says with a smile.

"Did you know," says the cop, standing straight and folding his arms, "that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"

"Oh, thank heavens," sighs the drunk. "For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."

Schumacher goes out in style in Sao Paulo

2006-10-22T22:06:00.000+01:00

He didnt win the title or even the race. Indeed he didnt even make the podium. However, Michael Schumachers farewell drive in Sundays Brazilian Grand Prix illustrated the grit, skill and determination that has made him the greatest driver Formula One racing has ever seen.

The odds were stacked against the Ferrari star from the outset after technical problems in qualifying at Interlagos left him only tenth on the grid. However, an excellent start saw him up to sixth place by the time the safety car intervened following Williams Nico Rosbergs early accident.

Soon after the race restarted, Schumacher dived down the inside of Giancarlo Fisichellas Renault to seize P4, but as he exited the Senna S he appeared to lose the back end of the car, the Italian promptly regaining the position. The cause of the slide quickly became clear - a left-rear puncture thought to have been caused by debris on the track.

Schumacher limped back to the pits to take on fuel and fresh rubber, but when he rejoined he was running 19th - and last. However, he was immediately back up to speed, slamming in fastest sector times and slicing his way past backmarkers. His progress slowed somewhat when he once more found himself behind Fisichella in the closing stages, but the Renault driver was eventually forced into a mistake by Schumachers relentless pressure, running wide at Turn 1 and surrendering fifth place in the process.

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen - the man who will replace Schumacher at Ferrari - was the next target, and the Finn defended aggressively to maintain fourth place. It took a special move from Schumacher, the pair going side-by-side into Turn 1 just inches apart, with the seven-time champion ultimately emerging ahead.

That left him chasing Jenson Button for a podium, but with just two laps remaining there simply wasnt time to catch the Honda, despite Schumacher's penultimate lap being the fastest of the race, over half a second quicker than team mate Felipe Massas best.

Schumachers competitive Formula One career may be over, but true to form, the great man entertained us to the last. Thank you Michael.

UPDATE 1-Schumacher edges Alonso in free practice

2006-10-20T21:53:00.000+01:00

Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:40 PM BST

By Alan Baldwin

SAO PAULO, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Michael Schumacher completed the last Friday free practice session of his Formula One career by lapping quicker than Renault rival Fernando Alonso at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Schumacher, retiring after Sunday's race at the Interlagos circuit, was sixth fastest with a lap of one minute 13.713 seconds in the afternoon session despite a spin off on to the grass.

Alonso, who has a 10-point lead in the championship and need only finish eighth to seal his second successive title, was 10th on the timesheets after setting no time in the morning.

The 25-year-old Spaniard had a precautionary engine change before the start of the day's opening session but escaped a 10 place penalty on the starting grid because he had not yet used the one originally in his car.

Schumacher also sat out the opening session, with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen fastest in front of largely empty stands on an overcast day, to save his engine for Saturday's qualifying and the race.

The 37-year-old Schumacher can win a record eighth championship only if he takes his 92nd career victory on Sunday and Alonso fails to score. Both have won seven races this year.

Austrian Alexander Wurz, the Williams test driver, was quickest overall in 1:12.547 seconds. Briton Anthony Davidson was second for Honda, as he had been in the morning, 0.106 seconds behind.

German teenager Sebastian Vettel, confirmed on Thursday as BMW Sauber's reserve driver for 2007, ended the day third fastest.

Raikkonen, Schumacher's successor at Ferrari next season, set the pace of 1.13.764 in the first session.

The Finn has been runner-up at Interlagos for the past three years and is chasing his Mercedes-powered team's first win of the season.

PS3 to launch with free online games

2006-10-20T21:48:00.000+01:00

PEST to launch with free online games Friday, October 20 2006 by Emmet Ryan
Sony has unveiled details of the PlayStation 3's (PEST) online service as it attempts to replicate the success of Microsoft Xbox Live.

The PlayStation Network will allow PEST owners to play other users online, chat, store images, download extras and browse the internet. The network will be free to play or chat on, but users must pay to download new games and other extras.

The announcement was made ahead of the console's launch in Japan slated for 11 November. The PEST will be released in the United States on 17 November but Irish users will have to wait until March for its European release.

Sony is launching the console a full year behind Microsoft's Xbox 360. The Pest's predecessor, the PlayStation 2, enjoyed considerable success globally selling 105 million units worldwide, including 550,000 in Ireland -- its highest per capita penetration.

Microsoft has set the pace in online console gaming with its Xbox Live service, to which around 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners subscribe for a small annual fee.

Online gaming was initially popular with PC users before being introduced to the console sector.

Sony's PlayStation Network aims to build on the success of Xbox Live and online PC gaming by offering basic features free and incorporating a social networking element. The navigation system has a 'friends' area where users can see if friends are online and what games they want to play. This function also allows users to communicate through text-based messages.

The revenue-earning aspect for Sony will be its online PlayStation store which allows users to buy downloadable games as well as movies and music. Downloadable games are expected to cost around USD15 each.

Sony has also announced 21 titles that will be available for the PEST when it launches. The line up includes the usual wide mix of games from first-person shooting games to sports games.

These will include new versions of some of the more successful games series available at the original launch of the console. These include Sonic the Hedgehog, Madden NFL 07 and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Las Vegas. These games are expected to cost USD59.99.

All but three of the titles are being produced by third party publishers, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Activision and Namco Bandai.

21st Century - LESS & LESS

2006-10-19T14:45:00.000+01:00

21-st Century... :

Our communication - Wireless
Our dress - Topless
Our telephone - Cordless
Our cooking - Fireless
Our youth - Jobless
Our food - Fatless
Our labour - Effortless
Our conduct - Worthless
Our relation - Loveless
Our attitude - Careless
Our feelings - Heartless
Our politics - Shameless
Our education - Valueless
Our follies - Countless
Our arguments - Baseless
Our boss - Brainless
Our Job - Thankless
Our Salary - Very less
Our Future - Hopeless!

Have a good day, with LESS problems!!!

-----This message has been scanned for viruses by BlackSpider MailControl-----

101 Ways to Annoy People

2006-10-19T00:00:00.000+01:00

1. Sing the Batman theme incessantly.

2. In the memo field of all your checks, write 'for sensual massage.'

3. Specify that your drive-through order is 'to go.'

4. Learn Morse code, and have conversations with friends in public consisting entirely of 'Beeeep Bip Bip Beeeep Bip...'

5. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.

6. Amuse yourself for endless hours by hooking a camcorder to your TV and then pointing it at the screen.

7. Speak only in a 'robot' voice.

8. Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.

9. Start each meal by conspicuously licking all your food, and announce that this is so no one will 'swipe your grub.'

10. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.

11. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.

12. Sniffle incessantly.

13. Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.

14. Name your dog 'Dog.'

15. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions 'to keep them tuned up.'

16. Reply to everything someone says with 'that's what YOU think.'

17. Claim that you must always wear a bicycle helmet as part of your 'astronaut training.'

18. Declare your apartment an independent nation, and sue your neighbors upstairs for 'violating your airspace.'

19. Forget the punchline to a long joke, but assure the listener it was a 'real hoot.'

20. Follow a few paces behind someone, spraying everything they touch with a can of Lysol.

21. Practice making fax and modem noises.

22. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and 'cc:' them to your boss.

23. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.

24. Invent nonsense computer jargon in conversations, and see if people play along to avoid the appearance of ignorance.

25. Erect an elaborate network of ropes in your backyard, and tell the neighbors you are a 'spider person.'

26. Finish all your sentences with the words 'in accordance with prophesy.'

27. Wear a special hip holster for your remote control.

28. Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any moment.

29. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears.

30. Disassemble your pen and 'accidentally' flip the ink cartridge across the room.

31. Give a play-by-play account of a person's every action in a nasal Howard Cosell voice.

32. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.

33. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you 'like it that way.'

34. Drum on every available surface.

35. Staple papers in the middle of the page.

36. Ask 1-800 operators for dates.

37. Produce a rental video consisting entirely of dire FBI copyright warnings.

38. Sew anti-theft detector strips into people's backpacks.

39. Hide dairy products in inaccessible places.

40. Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page.

41. Set alarms for random times.

42. Order a side of pork rinds with your filet mignon.

43. Instead of Gallo, serve Night Train next Thanksgiving.

44. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a 'croaking' noise.

45. Honk and wave to strangers.

46. Dress only in clothes colored Hunter's Orange.

47. Change channels five minutes before the end of every show.

48. Tape pieces of 'Sweating to the Oldies' over climactic parts of rental movies.

49. Wear your pants backwards.

50. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints by the cash register.

51. Begin all your sentences with 'ooh la la!' 52. ONLY TYPE IN UPPERCASE.

53. only type in lowercase.

54. don't use any punctuation either 55. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.

56. Pay for your dinner with pennies.

57. Tie jingle bells to all your clothes.

58. Repeat everything someone says, as a question.

59. Write 'X - BURIED TREASURE' in random spots on all of someone's roadmaps.

60. Inform everyone you meet of your personal Kennedy assassination/UFO/ O.J. Simpson conspiracy theories.

61. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: 'Do you hear that?' 'What?' 'Never mind, it's gone now.'

62. Light road flares on a birthday cake.

63. Wander around a restaurant, asking other diners for their parsley.

64. Leave tips in Bolivian currency.

65. Demand that everyone address you as 'Conquistador.'

66. At the Laundromat, use one dryer for each of your socks.

67. When Christmas caroling, sing 'Jingle Bells, Batman smells' until physically restrained.

68. Wear a cape that says 'Magnificent One.'

69. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.

70. Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.

71. Pretend your computer's mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.

72. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce 'no, wait, I messed it up,' and repeat.

73. Drive half a block.

74. Inform others that they exist only in your imagination.

75. Ask people what gender they are.

76. Lick the filling out of all the Oreos, and place the cookie parts back in the tray.

77. Cultivate a Norwegian accent. If Norwegian, affect a Southern drawl.

78. Routinely handcuff yourself to furniture, informing the curious that you don't want to fall off 'in case the big one comes.'

79. Deliberately hum songs that will remain lodged in co-workers' brains, such as 'Feliz Navidad,' the Archies' 'Sugar' or the Mr.

Rogers theme song.

80. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.

81. Lie obviously about trivial things such as the time of day.

82. Leave your Christmas lights up and lit until September.

83. Change your name to 'John Aaaaasmith' for the great glory of being first in the phone book. Claim it's a Hawaiian name, and demand that people pronounce each 'a.'

84. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.

85. Chew on pens that you've borrowed.

86. Wear a LOT of cologne.

87. Listen to 33rpm records at 45rpm speed, and claim the faster speed is necessary because of your 'superior mental processing.'

88. Sing along at the opera.

89. Mow your lawn with scissors.

90. At a golf tournament, chant 'swing-batabatabata-suhWING-batter!' 91. Ask the waitress for an extra seat for your 'imaginary friend.'

92. Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.

93. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions, and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about 'psychological profiles.'

94. Stare at static on the TV and claim you can see a 'magic picture.'

95. Select the same song on the jukebox fifty times.

96. Never make eye contact.

97. Never break eye contact.

98. Construct elaborate 'crop circles' in your front lawn.

99. Construct your own pretend 'tricorder,' and 'scan' people with it, announcing the results.

100. Make appointments for the 31st of September.

101. Invite lots of people to other people's parties.

Google Announces Google Docs & Spreadsheets

2006-10-15T20:36:00.000+01:00

Ever found yourself trading email attachments with several colleagues, trying to collaborate on a document, only to have someone chime in at the last moment with corrections to an outdated version? Or emailing yourself a document just so you can move it from one computer to another? What about trying to manage a large guest list -- say, for a wedding -- when you have updates coming at you from all different directions and at all different times of the day, with other people trying to make their own changes?

Today, at the Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, Google launched a solution to these collaborative and document-management challenges. Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a web-based word-processing and spreadsheet product that makes it easier for people to create, manage, and share documents and spreadsheets online. Google Docs & Spreadsheets integrates Writely and Google Spreadsheets into a single, easy-to-use product that takes an innovative approach to a very specific problem in the productivity-software space: enabling people to manage and collaborate on the documents and spreadsheets they rely on in their personal and professional lives, no matter where they are or when they need to access them.

With Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google is taking a set of important tasks and offering an online solution to completing them individually or with a broader group. With a Google Account, a compatible web browser, and an Internet connection, users will now easily be able to:

Create documents and spreadsheets, and then manage and access them in a single, secure location
Easily collaborate with others, online and in real time
Export to and import from a wide variety of file formats
Share them with others as view-only
Publish them to a blog or as an HTML page

Simply put, Google Docs & Spreadsheets is focused on providing users with an innovative and efficient way to create and share information on the Web.

There are many products in the productivity-software space, addressing a broad range of user needs, and Google Docs & Spreadsheets is intended to both complement these existing solutions and introduce new ones, adding its collaboration and document-management features to the productivity options people already enjoy.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets is currently in beta, available for free, and open for sign-ups. To learn more about the product, visit http://docs.google.com.

Joke of the Day

2006-10-15T14:28:00.000+01:00

Lottery

This guy runs home and bursts in yelling: "Pack your bags honey -- I just won the lottery!!"She says, "Oh, wonderful! Should I pack for the beach or for the mountains?"He replies, "I don't care... Just get the heck out!!"

Sony Ericsson W950i - Cooming Soon

2006-10-14T20:47:00.000+01:00

The W950i Walkman® is a slim and stylish mobile phone with an advanced digital music player and large touchscreen for optimal ease of use. Using the W950i is easy. The keypad of the slim W950i is smooth and flush with the surface, and the dedicated music player keys and other controls have one-press-to-open functionality. You can also transfer hours of your favourite music from your PC to your phone quickly and easily. The W950i has an impressive 4GB of flash memory.
3G makes surfing the Web on the go a fast and satisfying experience. The Opera™ 8.0 Web browser gives you the internet browsing experience you’re used to and you have everywhere access to your favourite websites.

Specification

Features
Walkman® music player
4GB internal memory
Complete Walkman® music kit

Dimensions
106 x 54 x 15 mm

Battery Life
Talk time: 7.5 hrs
Standby time: 340 hrs

Weight
112g

Bandwidth
Bandwidth: 900 / 1800 / 1900