Delight in the LHC control room as the collisions are confirmed

Scientists working on the European machine have smashed beams of protons together at energies that are 3.5 times higher than previously achieved.

These seven-trillion-electronvolt (TeV) collisions have initiated 18-24 months of intensive investigations at the LHC.

But researchers caution that the data gathered from the sub-atomic impacts will take time to evaluate, and the public should not expect immediate results.

"Major discoveries will happen only when we are able to collect billions of events and identify among them the very rare events that could present a new state of matter or new particles," said Guido Tonelli, a spokesman for the CMS detector at the LHC.

Housed at Cern (the European Organization for Nuclear research) in a 27km-long tunnel under the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, the LHC successfully collided particle beams travelling at close to the speed of light.

Biblical plagues happened in reality, say scientists

Scientists have claimed that the Biblical plagues that devastated Ancient Egypt in the Old Testament really happened and were the result of global warming and a volcanic eruption.

Archaeologists now widely believe the plagues occurred at an ancient city of Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta, which was the capital of Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Rameses the Second, who ruled between 1279BC and 1213BC.

Climatologists studying the ancient climate at the time have discovered a dramatic shift in the climate in the area occurred towards the end of Rameses the Seconds reign.

The scientists believe this switch in the climate was the trigger for the first of the plagues.

In his first in-depth interview since the theft of UEA emails, the scientist blames inertia and democracy for lack of action

It follows a tumultuous few months in which public opinion on efforts to tackle climate change has been undermined by events such as the climate scientists emails leaked from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the failure of the Copenhagen climate summit.

People who hate wearing 3-D glasses may like a new approach from a company called pCubee. A handheld cube-shaped device uses small LCD panels on all sides to create the illusion of playing with 3-D objects within a virtual cube, such as tiny cows or a pinball-style game, Technabob reports. You know you always wanted to toss tiny cows around inside a cube.

The idea draws on a 3-D display approach known as fishtank virtual reality, where a real-time physics simulation engine coupled with the users head perspective creates the constant sense of interacting with a 3-D world contained inside the device.

Users wear a pair of headphones that tracks their head movement, and can hold pCubee in one hand as they do more fine-tuned control with a regular computer mouse held in the other. A stylus also allows users to poke or prod objects bouncing around inside pCubee.

1. Leave A Passive-Aggressive Comment On Her Relationship Status When She Announces She?s Single.

Finally!  After years of dating a guy you know you?re better than, she?s broken it off.

Now it?s time to strike.

DON?T: Tell her you totally want to do her and you?ve been waiting for this for years.

DON?T: Tell her you?re nude.

DO: Like the Status.  Write Welcome to the singles club!  Trust me!  So much fun!

Then die a little inside.

2. Start To Creep Her Pictures.  It?s Only Really Over When She Removes The Pictures Of Them Together.

You still see pictures of her and her ex boyfriend together and he?s tagged?  They?re still totally doing each other.

You have to wait it out.

Creepily lurk beneath the shadows, waiting.

Soon, she?ll remove the tag.  Soon, he?ll be gone.

And soon, you?ll see a picture of her posing sexily, where you can tell she took the picture herself.

Hilarious.

DON?T: Ask her why she still has pictures of her ex boyfriend up.

An Iranian nuclear scientist who has been missing since June is believed to have defected to the US, ABC News has reported citing unnamed government sources.

Shahram Amiri, a physicist in his early 30s, disappeared after going on a pilgrimage to Mecca last year.

Three months later Iran disclosed the existence of its second uranium enrichment site near the city of Qom.

In its report, citing unnamed sources briefed on the defection, ABC said Amiri changed sides as part of a continuing CIA operation to undermine Irans nuclear programme.

The report said officials reportedly described the defection of the award-winning nuclear expert as "an intelligence coup".

It said Amiri has been extensively debriefed since his defection, and that he helped confirm US intelligence assessments about the Iranian nuclear programme.

The Iranians mysterious disappearance, three days after arriving in Saudi Arabia, sparked speculation that he may have defected to the US.

Case have increased fourfold in Sunderland, Durham and Teesside, the areas of Britain where Facebook is most popular.

Professor Peter Kelly, director of public health in Teesside, claimed staff had found a link between social networking sites and the spread of the bacteria, especially among young women.

He said: ?Syphilis is a devastating disease. Anyone who has unprotected sex with casual partners is at high risk.

"Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex."

In Teesside there were 30 recorded cases of syphilis last year, but the true figures are expected to be much higher.

Research has shown that young people in Sunderland, Durham and Teesside were 25 per cent more likely to log onto social networking sites than those in the rest of Britain.

"As Facebook?s more than 400 million users know, our website is not a place to meet people for casual sex ? it?s a place for friends, family and co-workers to connect and share.?

Government goes to war with Google over net censorship

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has launched a stinging attack on Google and its credibility in response to the search giants campaign against the governments internet filtering policy.

In an interview on ABC Radio last night, Senator Conroy also said he was unaware of complaints the Obama administration said it had raised with the government over the policy.

The government intends to introduce legislation within weeks forcing all ISPs to block a blacklist of "refused classification" websites for all Australians.

Senator Conroy has said the blacklist will largely include deplorable content such as child pornography, bestiality material and instructions on crime, but a large and growing group of academics, technology companies and lobby groups say the scope of the filters is too broad and will not make a meaningful impact on internet safety for children.

Jaime Escalante, the math teacher who transformed a tough East Los Angeles high school and inspired the movie "Stand and Deliver," died Tuesday. He was 79.

Escalante died at his sons home near Sacramento, after battling bladder cancer for several years, family friend Keith Miller said.

An immigrant from Bolivia, he transformed Garfield High School by motivating struggling students to excel at advanced math and science. The school had more advanced placement calculus students than all but four other public high schools in the country.

"Jaime exposed one of the most dangerous myths of our time ? that inner city students cant be expected to perform at the highest levels," Olmos said. "Because of him, that destructive idea has been shattered forever."

Gradually, he overhauled the schools math curriculum and enabled students who were previously considered unteachable to master the advanced placement calculus test.

"A thorn defends the rose, harming only those who would steal the blossom."

~ Chinese Proverb

Photo credit: ImageHousing.com

She dances like Britney, sings like Beyoncé, her black makeup and her long face remind us of Amy Winehouse, she has a touch of gothic ? just like P!nk -, is as provocative as Madonna, rock? n ?roll like Avril Lavigne, she likes the white wigs style of Gwen Stefani, but doesn?t have the exoticism of Shakira ? the brand Lady Gaga seems to be a mixture of elements inspired by today?s pop stars, but when you looked closer, that feeling disappears: Lady GaGa has a very specific style of her own. What is it that we have never seen before and yet like so much about her? A penis?

The researchers found evidence that the more complex the society, the more developed those people?s sense of fairness. You can?t get the effects we?re seeing from genes,? said Joe Henrich, a University of British Columbia evolutionary psychologist and co-author of the study.? These are things you learn as a consequence of growing up in a particular place? [Wired].

The study found that members of a large, complex society had a keener sense of fairness, with the money offered by subjects from larger societies ranging from 25 percent to 51 percent higher than the smaller groups. Scientists said the trend indicated that when people lived in larger communities, and participated more in markets and religion, they were more willing to share, and more willing to punish selfishness [Wired]; adding that actions taken by university students were vastly different than those who lived in smaller pastoral or hunter groups.

Haircut, massage or all inclusive? Haircuts with a happy ending

Every year, millions of Chinese immigrants find their way to Western Europe, in search of a better life. Some have already made the comparison with mushrooms in autumn, because they suddenly appear everywhere and spread rapidly. First they opened mainly Asian restaurants with cheap lunch menus and ridiculously high prices on the weekends. Then they opened crappy stores that sold everything for 1 euro, and now they take over the neighborhood shops when these close or go bankrupt. The fruit shop, the bakery, the grocery store?

But the Chinese are smart and sly, and whenever they think they found a good source of income, they go for the grand prize, working day and night. And what makes a lot of money? Sex. The sex industry moves billiards of dollars a year. The Chinese are hard workers and are willing to work longer hours than anyone else, 7 days a week, for much less money.

It?s almost Easter now but an interesting exhibition still on-going in Rome brings us back to the Carnival atmosphere. ?Carnevale Romano? is the title of this temporary exhibition which is located in the Museo di Roma of Palazzo Braschi, just nearby Piazza Navona. A collection of over 90 art pieces, including prints of Bartolomeo and Achille Pinelli, watercolours of Jean Louis Baptiste Thomas and paintings of Orlov and Werner.

Add Some Scent to your Life

Smell, taste and sight come together on April 11th along the Grand Canal of Milan for an event that marks the arrival of spring: Fiori e Sapori ? Flowers and flavours. This annual exhibition unites more than 200 growers and florists to pleasure your senses! This is a great opportunity to discuss the energy that flowers transmit in our daily life, our relationships and our food ?

Flowers are never out of fashion
It?s always a pleasure to receive a colorful bouquet of roses, to look for that nice vase we almost never use, cut the stems if necessary and ? above all ? find a nice place to put them (out of reach of the children and/or cats), so we can enjoy them every day for as long as they last. Some flowers can really change the atmosphere of a room because they spread joy, love and beauty. Never doubt in giving flowers to your loved ones, but pick the type and color carefully, because the symbolism of these jewels of nature is not always positive.

Marriage between relatives is seen as distasteful within some cultures, but it has been a common feature in many others for thousands of years.

However, growing evidence has shown that children born to parents from the same extended family face a higher risk of developing a range of health problems.

Research from 2008 shows that marriage between cousins in the US, Europe, Russia and Australia is less than one per cent.

In countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, more than half of the population marry a spouse who is considered a relative.

Some of these countries and a number of African and Asian countries have the worlds highest rates of birth defects - up to 69 cases in every thousand people.

Some experts say the real figure is much higher. Like its Gulf neighbours, Qatar has now made pre-marital medical tests mandatory.

EL PASO, TX ? Conservatives in Texas continue to have one objective: inject history with right-wing ideology. The impact would not just affect students in Texas, but in most states too.

The mostly conservative 15-member Texas State Board of Education will make one final vote in May to approve more than 300 amendments to social studies textbook standards. The textbooks are not just used in Texas, but also in about 40 other states that cannot afford to print their own textbook versions.

Conservatives on the Board have elevated the status of President Ronald Reagan; they have recommended that Reagan be taught in 5 grade levels, while at the same time they have decreased the number grades that President Franklin D. Roosevelt will be taught in.

Growing up in the US we all recognize the familiar big yellow school bus that we rode every morning as kid. You might have heard about some hippies painting the bus and riding around the country, but rarely do you actually see such a bus. But in Central America painted school buses are pretty common and all kinds of people ride them.

Guatemala

A typical bus station in Antigua, Guatemala.

Not only does this bus have a unique custom paint job, but a pretty sweet grill too.

Panama

Not every camioneta just features a bright paint job. Some have huge murals, portraits and other pieces of artwork.

El Salvador

Honduras

Nicaragua

You know a bus with flames on it will get you to the hospital FAST.

Dolphins swim so fast it hurts

What is the fastest a dolphin can swim? Near the surface, no more than 54 kilometres per hour. Why? Because it hurts it to swim faster.

Those are the findings of a pair of researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. But tuna, they say, do not suffer the same problem.

"There are certain limits on swimming speed that are imposed irrespective of power," explains Iosilevskii. One of these is the frequency at which the swimmers can beat their tails to propel themselves forward.

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Suicide bombers killed at least 13 people today in Russia?s southern Dagestan region, near the border with Chechnya, two days after 39 died in dual attacks on the Moscow subway, local law enforcement officials said.

?These events show that terrorists will go after any target,? Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said during an emergency meeting after the explosions in the city of Kizlyar. He called on law enforcement officials to ?pay special attention? to vital facilities in the region.

Russia?s North Caucasus region, which includes Dagestan and Chechnya, is plagued by an Islamist insurgency, the country?s highest unemployment rates and rampant corruption. Authorities linked the female suicide bombers who struck in Moscow on March 29 to groups in the region.

Matthew graduated from Westminster High School in 2003. After graduation, he enlisted in the Marines on October 14, 2003, and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. In August of 2004, Matthew was assigned to Combat Logistics Batallion-7, Twentynine Palms, Calif. as a generator mechanic.

"He was a hero and he was the love of my life." - Albert Snyder, Matthews Father

You may want ?your country back,? but you can?t have it. That sound you hear is the relentless, irrepressible march of change. Welcome to America: The Remix.

Who?s White?

Nell Irvin Painter?s title, ?The History of White People,? is a provocation in several ways: it?s monumental in sweep, and its absurd grandiosity should call to mind the fact that writing a ?History of Black People? might seem perfectly reasonable to white people. But the title is literally accurate, because the book traces characterizations of the lighter-skinned people we call white today, starting with the ancient Scythians. For those who have not yet registered how much these characterizations have changed, let me assure you that sensory observation was not the basis of racial nomenclature.

Saving Private Ryan brothers of soldier killed in Afghanistan pay silent tribute at his repatriation

His parents were accompanied by his brothers and fellow soldiers, Matthew, 20 and Andrew, 18, all of whom served in the same unit. They were both flown home after his death.

Grief stricken: Matthew (left) and Andrew Holkham watch the repatriation of their brother Daniel at Wootton Bassett today

The Holkham family thanked the crowds who came in their hundreds through the wind and rain to pay their respects to the latest soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan.

In a rare victory for Western Civilization against the liberal rot thats destroying it, city workers in Davenport, Iowa will be allowed to continue calling Good Friday by its rightful name, even though it refers to a faith that rivals our countrys official state religion, moonbattery.

The city of Davenport now says Good Friday is still Good Friday for municipal workers, despite reports that the day off had been renamed "Celebration of Spring."

The statement said that the City Council never voted on the change, and the name never officially changed.

However, moonbat totalitarians are holding the line in the war of against Christianity in Westchester County, New York:

Muslims have joined their liberal allies in the campaign to extirpate Christianity:

A group of students at Trinity University in Texas wants the Christian-rooted school to remove the words "Our Lord" from their diplomas, the Houston Chronicle reported.

California, New York and other states are showing many of the same signs of debt overload that recently took Greece to the brink ? budgets that will not balance, accounting that masks debt, the use of derivatives to plug holes, and armies of retired public workers who are counting on benefits that are proving harder and harder to pay.

And states are responding in sometimes desperate ways, raising concerns that they, too, could face a debt crisis.

?If we ran into a situation where one state got into trouble, they?d be bailed out six ways from Tuesday,? said Kenneth S. Rogoff, an economics professor at Harvard and a former research director of the International Monetary Fund. ?But if we have a situation where there?s slow growth, and a bunch of cities and states are on the edge, like in Europe, we will have trouble.?

With cheap food imports, Haiti cant feed itself

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- The earthquake not only smashed markets, collapsed warehouses and left more than 2.5 million people without enough to eat. It may also have shaken up the way the developing world gets food.

Decades of inexpensive imports - especially rice from the U.S. - punctuated with abundant aid in various crises have destroyed local agriculture and left impoverished countries such as Haiti unable to feed themselves.

Trial of bionic eye within three years

Melbourne researchers have developed a prototype for a bionic eye which they hope to implant in a person within three years.

The prototype consists of a mini camera, mounted on a pair of glasses, which captures visual input and transforms it into electrical signals that stimulate neurones in the retina.

The consortium behind the technology, Bionic Vision Australia, says the device will help patients suffering from degenerative vision loss to increase their mobility and independence.

Researchers have received a $42 million grant from the Federal Government to develop the prototype.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the development is pioneering research.

"Its medical developments like the bionic eye that have the potential to improve the health and quality of life of Australians around this country and, in fact, people around the world," he said.

The small camera transforms the visual input into signals that stimulate neurones on the retina. (ABC TV)

Vitamin B3 beats Big Pharmas Zetia cholesterol drug

5,800% higher price than niacin

France is standing with the United States in condemning Israeli settlement activity in east Jerusalem.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (sar-koh-ZEE) says his own commitment to Israels security is well known but adds that the settlement activity in an area claimed by the Palestinians "contributes nothing."

Speaking at a news conference with President Barack Obama after their White House meeting Tuesday, Sarkozy praised Obama for trying to engage the two sides in peace talks. Sarkozy said that the "absence of peace" in the region "is a problem for all of us" -- and that it feeds terrorism around the world.

Easter egg jokes

WASHINGTON ? NASA and the National Academy of Sciences are joining the governments effort to figure out what caused the sudden acceleration problems that led to Toyotas massive recalls.

NASA scientists with expertise in electronics will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study potential electronic ties to unintended acceleration in Toyotas. NASAs knowledge of electronics, computer hardware and software and hazard analysis will ensure a comprehensive review, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Monday.

In a separate study, the National Academy of Sciences will examine unwanted acceleration and electronic vehicle controls in cars from around the auto industry, LaHood said.

Toyota has attributed the problem to sticking gas pedals and accelerators that can become jammed in floor mats, and has cited no evidence of an electrical problem. The company has noted that other manufacturers also have had reports of cars surging forward.

U.S.-Chinese relations have become tenser in recent months, with the United States threatening to impose tariffs unless China agrees to revalue its currency and, ideally, allow it to become convertible like the yen or euro. China now follows Japan and Germany as one of the three major economies after the United States. Unlike the other two, it controls its currency?s value, allowing it to decrease the price of its exports and giving it an advantage not only over other exporters to the United States but also over domestic American manufacturers. The same is true in other regions that receive Chinese exports, such as Europe.

In honor of his documentary premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival this week, Mark created a Marwencol story for the occasion. Marks description:

Just when we were looking at the unexploded ordinance in front of Marwencol Town Hall - grateful that we werent blown up - a special courier message came into town...

It was the announcement of a new movie and it was all about my life...

Barack Obama on Offshore Oil Drilling

Research found toads deserted their mating site 74km from epicentre of LAquila earthquake in Italy, with ionospheric disruptions a possible cause

Toads may be able to detect imminent earthquakes, according to scientists. The finding will add to the accounts through the centuries where animals, from dogs to rats, snakes and chickens, are said to have behaved strangely before an earthquake.

In the study published today in the Journal of Zoology, a colony of toads deserted their mating site three days before an earthquake struck LAquila in Italy last year ? the epicentre was 74km from the area where the animals had normally gathered. No toads returned to the site until 10 days later, after the last of the significant aftershocks had finished.

WASHINGTON?The Obama administration Wednesday unveiled a new offshore drilling strategy that expands oil and natural-gas exploration off the Atlantic, eastern Gulf of Mexico and Northern shores of Alaska.

President Barack Obama said it was part of a broader energy strategy and called on federal lawmakers to work together to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation to curb greenhouse gases.

The administration plans to open a large swath in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and will consider development in the mid- and south Atlantic regions. The president said it would also support development of previously leased areas off the northern Alaskan slope, such as the Chukchi Sea, where Royal Dutch Shell has spent billions of dollars for exploration rights.

To open up the eastern Gulf, Mr. Obama needs to get Congresss permission. It will take several months to begin studying how much oil exists off the Atlantic coasts.

Economist Raj Patel Says Hes Not the Messiah - Just Another Bloke

Raj Patel has found himself in an unusual position -- having to deny hes a god. Patel, a 33-year-old economist from San Francisco, has been hailed as the Messiah by a religious group called Share International.

Last week, Patel was the guest star on "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Colbert bantered with Patel about the release of his newest book, "The Value of Nothing." The TV appearance served as Share Internationals sign that Patel is their next "Maitreya" or World Teacher, similar to Buddha, Christ, Krishna or the Messiah.

Thus, Share International followers saw last weeks episode of "The Colbert Report" as prophesy come true. And this divine happening has created a modern-day Internet firestorm.

"Just two days after the show, my inbox flooded with e-mails from people all over the world asking me if I was Maitreya," Patel said. "I got e-mails from people Ive never heard of."

By some estimates this springs crop of monarch butterflies flying north through Texas could be the smallest in several decades.

The population, which winters in several small reserves in Mexico, experienced a wet, very cold winter, and illegal logging has threatened their habitats.

These threats have combined to reduce the monarch population by as much as 50 to 60 percent, said Craig Wilson, a butterfly expert at Texas A&M University.

Last year, Texas observers had reported about 70 sightings across the state by this time, Wilson said, but there have so far been only 12 this year.

Part of the reason has been the cold weather. The butterflies need a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or above to travel successfully.

The development of new butterflies is essential because it is usually the third or fourth generation that reaches Canada each summer.

Famed Interview with the Vampire author Anne Rice confesses there is no rest and no peace without God, in a new video in which she talks about her return to the Christian faith.

For 38 years, Rice was a ?Christ-haunted atheist,? she says in a recently posted ?I Am Second? video. Her vampire novels were a reflection of her internal struggle living in the godless world she created.

The vampire, she says, is a metaphor for the outcast and the person who feels cut off from God.

Rice gained fame and wealth from her vampire novels, but internally she was increasingly dissatisfied with ?the world in which salvation was not a possibility,? she shares.

After nearly four decades of denying God, Rice says she was finally ready to surrender to Him. She returned to the Catholic Church in 1998.

And returning to Christ has changed everything in her life. For one, she no longer feels she can work with the vampire metaphor.

?I wasn?t a person in a godless world [anymore], far from it,? she says.

Father Of Dead Marine Ordered To Pay Legal Fees Of Westobro Baptist Church Protesters

BALTIMORE (AP) ? The father of a Marine killed in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters was ordered to pay the protesters appeal costs, his lawyers said Monday.

On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps. Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyders funeral in 2006.

The two-page decision supplied by attorneys for Albert Snyder of York, Pa., offered no details on how the court came to its decision.

Attorneys also said Snyder is struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The high court agreed to consider whether the protesters message is protected by the First Amendment or limited by the competing privacy and religious rights of the mourners.

In the midst of the worst crisis to hit Roman Catholicism in centuries, it is clear that the all-male rule of the Church has failed. 

This week is unprecedented in the two-thousand-year history of the Christian Church. Instead of focusing on the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, Christians are listening to horrific accounts of priestly sexual abuse of children and wondering whether Pope Benedict XVI will take decisive action to cleanse the Church.

Probably he will not. After all, after more than half a century of living and working in an all-male club he just doesn?t get it. His focus has been purity of doctrine, not the purity of those who say Mass and administer the Church.

Chechen suicide attackers do not fit popular stereotypes, contrary to the Russian government?s efforts to pigeonhole them. For years, Moscow has routinely portrayed Chechen bombers as Islamic extremists, many of them foreign, who want to make Islam the world?s dominant religion. Yet however much Russia may want to convince the West that this battle is part of a global war on terrorism, the facts about who becomes a Chechen suicide attacker ? male or female ? reveal otherwise.

Bill Maher?

?I want to just take a moment to thank the Teabaggers. Thank you so much for helping us pass health care, for resurrecting the Obama presidency. I know they?re saying, ?Why are you thanking me? I was so against it, I marched on Washington with tea bags hanging off my Founding Fathers costume, with a gun on my hip and a picture of Obama dressed as Hitler, screaming about his birth certificate.? And America saw that and said, ?I think I?ll go with the calm black man.??

Ethnic Diversity And You

In Honduras, journalist slayings raise alarm

Five journalists have been killed in March. The violence underscores the continued instability of Honduras nine months after a coup that led to the election of a president in November.

This from Beverly Perlson of Band of Mothers.  Beverly is the mother of an American Warrior and stud from the 82nd Airborne. Her tenacity is unmatched and is the not the type of person you want to cross. We are all lucky to have her on our side. Just ask the Code Pinkers outside of Walter Reed who she is. They know and fear her.

She sent this via email.

Sent: Tue, March 30, 2010 2:54:40 PM
Subject: THANK YOU WITH A MOTHER?S HEART!

Mr. Mitchell,

GOD BLESS BILL O?REILLY!  Please tell him THANK YOU from this mother of a son who served 4 tours in the 82nd Airborne.  I will send this out to everyone in the troop support movement.

Really, thank you with all my heart! I donated $100 this morning and if there is anything we can do in the troop support movement to help with this case, please let me know.  I will continue to pray that the Supreme Court will decide to protect these Gold Star Families on the saddest day of their lives.

Beverly Perlson

The Band of Mothers

In official Washington, some consider the Tea Party movement a fringe element in society, but voters across the nation feel closer to the Tea Party movement than they do to Congress.

From the USA Today on March 23: ?More Americans now favor than oppose the health care overhaul that President Obama signed into law Tuesday, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds ? a notable turnaround from surveys before the vote that showed a plurality against the legislation. By 49%-40%, those polled say it was a good thing rather than a bad one that Congress passed the bill. Half describe their reaction in positive terms ? as enthusiastic or pleased ? while about four in 10 describe it in negative ways, as disappointed or angry.?

So there has been a 12-point turnaround ? up by 9 points to down by 3 points ? in the popularity of Obamacare in just 6 days.

This morning, USA Today reported: ?Obama?s approval rating was 47%-50% ? the first time his disapproval rating has hit 50%.?

Heckuva job, Barry.

Brian Coyne Maloney digs into the dusty archives to reveal a world that existed just fourteen months ago.

Washington, Mar 31 -

Follow @GOPLeader on Twitter for updates. 

Dolphin-Inspired Man-Made Fin Works Swimmingly

Theyre keen on their puns at the Dunsandel Tavern, on Main South Rd in Dunsandel, Canterbury. They make their own pies from the deer next door.

The Western Australian construction union has hit out at a ban on workers eating ham sandwiches and meat pies at the site of a mega-mansion being built by devout vegetarians. Billionaire Pankaj Oswal and his socialite wife Radhikaare are building the $70 million Taj-on-Swan mansion in Perth, which will be the biggest home in Australia, on the most expensive block of land, and have ordered that no meat be eaten on the site. A union spokesman criticised the ban. "I respect everybodys right to practise their religion, but I totally disagree with anyone forcing it on others."

Why should I read your blog?
If you can?t answer this question, I certainly can?t. I won?t stay to find out.

The remainder of this article breaks down the Mission in One Sentence and provides some working examples.

?For ______ [target reader - your niche] who ______ [further qualify target client and her problem or need] our book | product | service | publication _______ [state the product | service | book | etc] provides ______ [key benefits], unlike _______ [competitors] our product | service | publication _______ [serves the target customer | niche by doing what?]______?

You?ve got about 9 seconds to communicate your mission. Considering the attention span of the web surfer, in the online environment, you have much less than a minute to communicate the benefits and the focus of your blog ? current estimates by those who study User Behavior suggest that you have only 9 seconds from the time your web page loads to convince your visitor to stick around.

Empire building jumper IDd as Yale junior

NEW YORK, March 31 (UPI) -- A man who jumped from 86th floor the Empire State Buildings observation deck was identified as a Yale University student, school officials said Wednesday.

School officials said Cameron Dabaghi, a junior from Austin, Texas, jumped in an apparent suicide Tuesday, the New York Post reported.

"We are all deeply distressed by this news," Yale College Dean Mary Miller said a message to students.

A man has died following a fall from New Yorks landmark Empire State Building, US authorities said.

The fall, which authorities say was an apparent suicide, happened during the Monday evening rush hour.

The incident came as tourists and office workers milled around the famous skyscraper, and police closed off the 34th Street side of the building to investigate.

Authorities would not confirm from what floor of the 103-storey building the unidentified man had fallen.

The Fluoride Deception.avi

Sharks deep sea dive hits new level

Shack the Great White Shark

A New Zealand great white shark is believed to have set a world record for deep-sea diving, plunging to 1.2km below the surface on his way to Brisbane.

Shack the shark - the biggest tagged in five years of research - has been unofficially crowned the deepest diver after scientists took his records to an international conference.

And although the Aussies may try to claim him, Shacks original home appears to the waters off Stewart Island.

A principal scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), Malcolm Francis, said no one at a great white conference in Hawaii last month had heard of a deeper dive.

The next-deepest recorded by his team was about 1000m.

Shack was tagged by researchers near a seal colony off Stewart Island a year ago and followed for more than three months before his tracking device popped to the surface and transmitted his movements to a computer.

Amazing Animal Photos

Capturing weird and funny animal expressions requires a lot of skill and patience ? but when it happens, its pure comedy gold. See for yourself.

Bear jockeys always seemed to make the horses run faster

Second story goat burglars were responsible for the latest rash of breakins

A Koala on a stick is worth two on shingle

Mexican jumping horses were fun to watch, but hell to ride

Mine! All mine!

When bears turn gay

Family photos are so much fun at Wal-Mart

The ancient art of artificial cat swallowing

Pardon me while I flip out my fangs

With no visible sign of entry or exit, the
mysterious cat just came and went as he pleased

Yes I?m cold! Why do you think I?m so wrinkly?

Scuba dog searching for underwater tacos

I hope that you can show the rest of the world, a strategy that will succeed to end these kinds of attacks on cooperative civilization. Please enjoy this, a brilliant and succinct speech by America?s Col. Allen West now Congressional candidate speaking on Islam and how to identify an enemy.

This is subtitled in Russian. Please send to any and all Russian web sites that you may know, who may want to embed this video.

Allen West on Islam titled in Russian from Vlad Tepes on Vimeo.

By the way, Sarah Palin has endorsed Allen West in his bid for Congress. Thats quite a thing. Thats to Pamela for the story.

Dining with al-Qaeda

Hugh Pope on Dining with Al-Qaeda

Photographs from North Korea are restricted and hard to come by ? the few pictures that do come out of the last Stalinist state in the world, lead by Kim Jong Il, are either state-produced or state-approved.

Still, one can get some idea of everyday life in North Korea from the 68 pictures featured in the gallery below which are a mixture of photos taken from the borders of neighboring South Korea and China, whilst others were provided by North Korea itself, and several by freelance photographers.

via

Thousands of homes were still without power today and hundreds of drivers were trapped in snow overnight as Britain was once again battered by blizzards and gale-force winds.

A schoolgirl was killed and 44 others injured this morning when a coach taking them to Alton Towers overturned in horrendous weather in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Traffic jam: Cars are seen stuck in snowdrifts on the Glenshane Pass near Londonderry, after heavy snow and winds caused overnight chaos in parts of Northern Ireland

Roadworks will remain in place at 40 locations covering more than 300 miles, including a section of the M25 around Maple Cross in Hertfordshire and a stretch of the M4 near Maidenhead in Berkshire.

On the railways, passengers will, as ever, face bank holiday Network Rail engineering work which will result in longer journey times on some routes.

El Khansa said she has appealed to Lebanons prime minister, Saad Hariri, and president, Michel Suleiman, to stop the execution. Amnesty International, the human rights group, has called on Saudi Arabias King Abdullah to block it as well.

Sibat is the former host of a popular call-in show that aired on Beirut-based satellite TV channel "Sheherazade." According to his lawyer, Sibat would predict the future on his show and give out advice to his audience.

El Khansa told CNN her client was arrested by Saudi Arabias religious police (known as the Mutawaeen) and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008. Sibat was in Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic religious pilgrimage known as Umra.

Chocolate Is Good for Your Heart

The Easter Bunny might lower your chances of having a heart problem. According to a new study, small doses of chocolate every day could decrease your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 40 percent.

German researchers followed nearly 20,000 people over eight years, sending them several questionnaires about their diet and exercise habits.

They found people who had an average of six grams of chocolate per day ? or about one square of a chocolate bar ? had a 39 percent lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke. The study was published Wednesday in the European Heart Journal.

Previous studies have suggested dark chocolate in small amounts could be good for you, but this is the first study to track its effects over such a long period of time. Experts think the flavonols contained in chocolate are responsible. Flavonols help the muscles in blood vessels widen, which leads to a drop in blood pressure.

TAMPA ? An 18-year-old Tampa man was jailed Tuesday afternoon, charged with wearing a clown mask on a public road.

Deputies say Matthew David Lopez, of 7003 Ponderosa Drive, was seen with two other people walking south on N 58th Street, just north of E Fowler Avenue. What caught a deputys attention was Lopezs masked face with a bright red-and-orange wig, according to an arrest affidavit.

The deputy followed the group in an unmarked car as the group walked west through a slightly wooded path behind several business offices.

A marked Temple Terrace police cruiser showed up soon after, and the group ran away before deputies could question them.

They were found near N 58th Street and E 122nd Avenue.

Lopez was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail on charges of wearing a mask or hood on a public road after the age of 16 and resisting arrest without violence.

He was released on $750 bail.

Identity managment in cyberspace
Personality types in cyberspace
Unique roles in cyberspace
Transference to computers and cyberspace
Addiction to computers and cyberspace
Regressive behavior in cyberspace
Online gender-switching
Adolescents in cyberspace
Wizards: The heart of an online community
On being a "god"
Y2K and apocalyptic thinking
Integrating online and offline living

Belgium is on the verge of becoming the first European nation to ban the burka.

A parliamentary committee agreed yesterday to outlaw the wearing of face-covering veils in public. The full Parliament will vote later this month.

Under the proposals, women could face a week in prison or a fine for wearing a veil in public.

There are an estimated 650,000 Muslims in Belgium ? 6 per cent of the population.

Potential outlaw: Burka wearers could be jailed if they are caught in public

He said after the vote by the home affairs committee: ?This sends a very strong signal to radical Islamists.?

The MP said Belgium did not wish to follow the ?bad examples? of Britain and the Netherlands, where he said many Muslims lived in separate communities.

The proposal is expected to become law as early as June as it has the support of all five parties in the coalition government. But opponents may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Patients Draw Near-Death Experiences

Laziest countries in the world

These old stumps of wood look like the skeleton of some ancient beast. Photo:Papalamour

The waters of Loch Ness do sometimes look mysterious and not altogether welcoming. Photo: Xabier Cid

Waves on the loch show how people might see "humps" in the water

Could a row of rocks be mistaken for Nessie?

In the right light even ducks manage to look otherworldly...

Loch Nesss non-cryptozoological wildlife is stunning

The churning waters do look alive with something..

A boat carves a serpentine trail across the surface.

Sunbeams meet their reflection in a herringbone pattern.

A rainbow contrasts starkly with the dark waters.

Who wouldnt see humps, lumps and bumps here?

Ripples and fog show how the the surface of the water changes.

An eerie line crosses the misty loch.

Cherry island is a crannog: an ancient artificial island. Photo: Des Colhoun

Road cop in drink drive inquiry

A police officer who works in a serious crash unit is under investigation for alleged drink-driving after he was reported for backing into a parked car.

The Herald understands the man works in Greater Auckland and blew 1100mcg - nearly three times the legal limit of 400mcg - when breath-tested two weekends ago.

Police are now waiting for the results of a blood test, which can take several weeks to arrive.

Police sources say the officer reversed into a stationary car in a North Shore car park, believed to be at a fast-food restaurant, and drove off.

Witnesses reported him to police and he was pulled over.

It is understood the officer has taken voluntary leave and will not be stood down unless the blood test yields evidence for a prosecution.

The officer could not be reached for comment.

The serious crash investigator is not the first police officer to get into trouble with the law over alleged drink-driving.

Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on Friday fired off letters to the heads of Caterpillar, Verizon, AT&T and Deere after they and other firms reported that the health care overhaul would dig deep into their bottom lines. 

Caterpillar claimed it would raise costs by $100 million in the first year and imperil coverage for its 150,000 employees and retirees. Deere estimated it would raise expenses by $150 million. 

Waxman, in his letters, called these estimates a "matter of concern" and said they "appear to conflict with independent analyses" showing the law would lead to a decrease in premium costs for large companies. 

"Instead of interrogating Americas private sector job creators, Congress should be listening to them, heeding their warnings about the effects of this deeply flawed new law, and replacing it with reforms that will help them get back to creating jobs," House Minority Leader John Boehner said in a statement. 

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has been ordered to pay $142 million US in damages for fraudulently marketing gabapentin, an anti-seizure drug marketed under the name Neurontin.

A federal jury in Boston ruled Thursday that Pfizer fraudulently marketed the drug and promoted it for unapproved uses. The jury sided with California-based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, the first to try a gabapentin case against Pfizer.

Data revealed in a string of U.S. lawsuits indicates the drug was promoted by the drug company as a treatment for pain, migraines and bipolar disorder ? even though it wasnt effective in treating these conditions and was actually toxic in certain cases, according to the Therapautics Initiative, an independent drug research group at the University of British Columbia.

The trials forced the company to release all of its studies on the drug, including the ones it kept hidden.

Iceland?s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano burst into life for the first time in 190 years on March 20, 2010. A 500-meter- (2,000-foot) long fissure opened in the Fimmvörduháls pass to the west of the ice-covered summit of Eyjafjallajökull. Lava fountains erupted fluid magma, which quickly built several hills of bubble-filled lava rocks (scoria) along the vent. A lava flow spread northeast, spilling into Hrunagil Gully.

WASHINGTON ? A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the National Security Agency?s warrantless surveillance program was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration?s effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed counterterrorism policies of former President George W. Bush.

The ruling delivered a blow to the Bush administration?s claims that its warrantless surveillance program, which Mr. Bush secretly authorized shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was lawful. Under the program, the National Security Agency monitored Americans? e-mail messages and phone calls without court approval, even though the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, required warrants.

The judge characterized that expansive use of the so-called state-secrets privilege as amounting to ?unfettered executive-branch discretion? that had ?obvious potential for governmental abuse and overreaching.?

A corporate watchdog group that got rid of Joe Camel is after another icon - this time, its target is tall, red and happy.

Corporate Accountability International plans to host a retirement party for Ronald McDonald as it releases a report Wednesday that basically says,  "We?re not loving it. " The report calls for McDonald?s to stop using the iconic clown.

?For nearly 50 years, Ronald McDonald has hooked kids on unhealthy foods spurring a deadly epidemic of diet-related diseases,? said Deborah Lapidus, the senior organizer at Corporate Accountability International. ?Ultimately the report makes the case that it?s time that McDonald?s stop directing fast food to kids.  Really, Ronald deserves a break and so do we.?

The group is employing the same strategy as it did to target the cigarette mascot in its ?Send Joe Camel packing? campaign in the 1990s.

The church gave up its credibility for Lent. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are now becoming Cover-Up Thursday and Blame-Others Friday.

Or maybe 30-second spots defending the pope with Benedict?s voice intoning at the end: ?I am infallible, and I approve this message.?

The Vatican is surprised to find itself in this sort of trouble. Officials there could have easily known what was going on all along; archbishops visiting Rome gossip like a sewing circle. The cynical Vatican just didn?t want to deal with it.