German police foil plot to unleash 'massive' attack on US military base

By Tony Paterson in Berlin
Published: 06 September 2007

Germany said yesterday it had arrested three Islamic militants suspected of planning "imminent" and "massive" bomb attacks on Frankfurt's international airport and a nearby US military base, preventing what would have been the most devastating terrorist attack on an American target since 11 September 2001. continue...

Invisible arms race: The internet balance of power

Claims that China has been hacking into the West's military computers have led to concern that future global conflicts may be fought in cyberspace. Clifford Coonan investigates
Published: 06 September 2007

Somewhere here in Guangzhou, the balmy capital of the booming southern province of Guangdong, a shadowy group of computer scientists is said to be hard at work under the supervision of the People's Liberation Army, waging cyber warfare on Western military and industrial targets. continue...

Untangling the web: Japan experts publish map of the net

Navigating the internet can be bamboozling. Rebecca Armstrong and Simon Usborne look at which websites made it onto the map of the net
Published: 05 September 2007

Map of the web
Provided by Information Architects Japan

Mapping the great network that is the internet was never going to be an easy task. There would have to be as many connections as there are in the human brain. But for a group of web architects based in Japan, it is worth a go.
Modelled on the fiendishly complex Tokyo Metro map, the latest Web Trend Map (the 2007/V2 version) organises some of cyberspace's movers and shakers into an easy-to-read chart. Plotted by the Japanese firm Information Architects (IA), each line on the map represents a theme, be it news (green), tools (pink) or the brown Chinese line, which IA calls the "second internet", after the country's efforts to censor much of the content freely available in the West. continue...

Apple unveils new iPod that has wi-fi and touch screen

By Amol Rajan
Published: 06 September 2007

After a week of feverish speculation, Apple released its new iPod last night, confirming rumours that the sixth generation of the digital music player will have a 3.5in touch-screen and integrated wi-fi connection, allowing users to connect to the internet from an iPod for the first time.

The new iPod will play video downloaded direct from the internet, as well as video games, both with widescreen view. Users will still be able to transfer music on to the player direct from iTunes, Apple's music provider. continue...

Strange goings-on here in Lebanon ...

Published: 01 September 2007

Stories that just don't seem to make it into print.

Did you know that the Hizbollah "Party of God" has installed its own private communications network in the south of Lebanon, stretching from the village of Zawter Sharqiya all the way to Beirut? And why, I wonder, would it be doing that? Well, to safeguard its phones in the event that the Israelis immobilise the public mobile system in the next war. Next war? Well, if there's not going to be another war in Lebanon, why is Hizbollah building new roads north of the Litani river, new bunkers, new logistics far outside the area of operations of the Nato-led UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon? continue...

Even I question the 'truth' about 9/11

Published: 25 August 2007

Each time I lecture abroad on the Middle East, there is always someone in the audience – just one – whom I call the "raver". Apologies here to all the men and women who come to my talks with bright and pertinent questions – often quite humbling ones for me as a journalist – and which show that they understand the Middle East tragedy a lot better than the journalists who report it. But the "raver" is real. He has turned up in corporeal form in Stockholm and in Oxford, in Sao Paulo and in Yerevan, in Cairo, in Los Angeles and, in female form, in Barcelona. No matter the country, there will always be a "raver". continue...

Lebanon cries victory, but is it too soon?

Robert Fisk: Lebanon cries victory, but is it too soon?
Published: 06 September 2007

The victory of the Lebanese army at the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp – the killing of up to 100 al-Qa'ida-type insurgents at the cost of 163 Lebanese soldiers and 42 civilians – is being greeted in the country with "trumpetings" and "hootings" worthy of the country's greatest poet, Khalil Gibran.

For three days now, the newspapers have devoted their front pages to photographs of Lebanese troops astride their ageing US-made personnel carriers, giving "V" signs, firing in the air and succumbing to the traditional warriors' reward of rice and rose-water. continue...

Bollywood Takes On Hollywood

Anay Mann / Photoink-Contact for Newsweek
No Bluster: Screwvala (right) at work

Bigger Than Bollywood
Meet the man who is changing India's film industry—and gunning for Hollywood, USA.

By Jason Overdorf

Newsweek International

Sept. 10, 2007 issue - Ronnie Screwvala is the front runner in the race to become Bollywood's Jack Warner—the man who began the transformation of parochial U.S. cinema into its modern global form. Yet Screwvala is rarely picked out of a crowd in India, let alone in the United States. But Hollywood insiders know him well, for producing the "The Namesake," the groundbreaking hit about Indian immigrants, and for coproducing a Chris Rock comedy ("I Think I Love My Wife"). Now he is coproducing "The Happening," a new sci-fi thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense") that seems destined to vault him into the big leagues. With a budget of $57 million, it will cost as much as 10 Indian blockbusters, setting a new bar for Bollywood. "Our ambition is to be a global Indian entertainment company—there's no reason we can't make big-budget Hollywood movies, too," says Screwvala. continue...

A model immigrant, betrayed by Britain

By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
Published: 05 September 2007

When Damilola Ajagbonna first sat down in a British classroom eight years ago his thick Nigerian accent earned him the nickname "fresh off the boat", while in the playground he was shunned because he didn't own a tennis racket.

But Mr Ajagbonna, now 19, was determined to succeed, and last year he was offered a place at Cambridge University to study social and political science.

Today Mr Ajagbonna, described by a judge as a "remarkable" young man, faces being forcibly removed to Nigeria because he was six weeks late claiming British citizenship under immigration rules for children.

continue...

The greatest boom the world has ever seen

Published: 05 September 2007

Beijing: China's pre-Olympics economic boom has ratcheted up a few clicks. With less than a year to run, it is not just the main stadium site that is humming; the entire city is a great building site. Not only is it rushing to complete new hotels and other facilities ahead of the games, it is also sprucing itself up: fixing pavements, repainting shopfronts, opening restaurants.

You can measure the China boom in the statistics – growth running at more than 11 per cent in the first half of this year – but nothing can prepare the visitor for the actuality. This is not just the greatest boom on earth at the moment – it is the greatest boom the world has ever known. In 2005, China passed the UK to become the world's fourth-largest economy; either this year or next, it will pass Germany to become the world's third largest. It is hard not to see it passing Japan to become the second largest within about a decade, and then it is at least plausible that within a generation it will pass the United States to become the biggest.

http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/hamish_mcrae/article2927068.ece

Hawk on Roosevelt Island?

Video Clip of a hawk, osprey or falcon, who visited Roosevelt Island over the weekend.(LaborDay 2007)

Sales Prices: How Right Digits Affect Perception of Discounts

Science Daily

The amount of the discount may be less important than the numerical value of the farthest right digit, explains a new study from the Journal of Consumer Research. Keith S. Coulter (Clark University) and Robin A. Coulter (University of Connecticut) are the first to identify a visual distortion effect that may influence how consumers look at sale prices. continue...

One Winning Ticket for $314M Powerball

Associated Press 08.26.07, 8:38 PM ET

RICHMOND, Ind. -
The only winning ticket for a $314.3 million Powerball lottery prize was sold in this city on the Indiana-Ohio state line, lottery officials said Sunday.

Lottery officials won't know who holds that ticket until someone comes forward, said Mark Sirkin, a spokesman for the Hoosier Lottery. continue...

Most Searched New York Times Words and Phrases

http://www.nytimes.com/gst/mostsearched.html

The Record of Your Life as a Digital Archive

By ERIC A. TAUB

Published: August 16, 2007

WHEN Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Karen Duncan was ordered to leave her uptown neighborhood. continue...

Calisthenics for the Older Mind, on the Home Computer

WHEN Charline and Dan Truitt of Irvine, Calif., owners of a company that audits mortgage lenders, started misplacing their keys and blanking on names, they made all the usual jokes about senior moments. But it was no laughing matter when Mrs. Truitt, 62, started forgetting client appointments. more...

Powerball numbers for 08/22/2007 are:

12 37 40 48 50 Powerball 37
Powerplay 4

The estimated Grand Prize was $252,100,000 ($117,800,000 cash).
There was no Grand Prize Winner.

The next Powerball drawing will be on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 with
an estimated Grand Prize of $300,000,000 ($140,300,000 cash).

Looking after yourself is the key to university success

How do you get the most from university? By keeping both your body and mind in shape, says Dr Rodger Charlton
Published: 16 August 2007

Staying healthy while at university or college doesn't have to be difficult if you get organised, are sensible about what you do and seek help quickly if you do fall ill. continue...

Expect More Damage from US Kaleidoscopic Diplomacy

by Rami G. Khouri
Released: 1 Aug 2007

BEIRUT -- The riddle of American foreign policy in the Middle East this week became even more puzzling, following the announcement of major new military aid and sales packages to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and smaller Arab countries. The totals will top $70 billion over the coming ten years. The United States justifies this as part of its policy of fighting radicalism and terrorism, supporting moderates, and promoting an Arab-Israeli peace process. continue...

Missing the Epic Story of the Middle East

by Rami G. Khouri
Released: 11 Aug 2007

BEIRUT -- I had a very unusual experience Friday morning as I was going through my pleasant early morning routine while sitting in my easy chair on our balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, reading the newspapers, drinking coffee, listening to the BBC radio news, and watching my water turtle Jerry show me his back flips and other new maneuvers which he perfected overnight while the rest of us slept. The unusual thing was that there was not a single news item about the Middle East on the BBC radio news. continue...

Iraq's Air 'Straits Question'

by Richard Bulliet
Released: 9 Aug 2007

For three centuries, down to the end of World War II, Europe's diplomats were troubled by the Straits Question: the waterway linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ottoman Empire controlled the straits -- the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosphorus -- and barred passage to foreign warships. And this effectively prevented Russia from becoming a Mediterranean power by plugging the only outlet for their Black Sea fleet.

Today, Iraq’s skies pose a new Straits Question. And Iraqi air space is the "plug" for any Iranian air power. continue...

Arab Reform Running in Place

by Rami G. Khouri
Released: 15 Aug 2007

BEIRUT -- The “reform” industry in the Arab world has been on a roller-coaster for the past 15 years or so, soaring high at moments of exhilaration and ambitious expectations, then plummeting to earth in gut-wrenching disappointment. Reforming prevailing political, economic, security and administrative systems in the Arab world is a critical prerequisite for any hopes for stability, prosperity and a normal life for the majority of citizens. continue...

R.I.P.: Nonproliferation

by Immanuel Wallerstein
Released: 15 Aug 2007

The concept of nuclear non-proliferation has been in trouble since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. If the initial shock led to much sentiment worldwide to banish somehow this weapon, this sentiment has been losing support ever since. The concept did limp along for 62 years, which is pretty long, considering how improbable it always was that any country would renounce access to powerful weapons that other countries possessed. However, the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, officially announced on July 27, 2007, can be considered the final nail in the coffin of a hopeless idea. continue...

Chug Milk, Shed Pounds? Not So Fast

By MELANIE WARNER

Published: June 21, 2005

WANT to lose weight? Eat more dairy products. That is the message the milk industry and sellers of yogurt and cheese have been promoting recently in TV and print ads.

A milk ad suggests dairy products play a role in weight loss. conitnue....

Got milk and got controversy

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

Will drinking milk help you lose weight? Milk-mustache ads featuring celebrities such as actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Bebe Neuwirth or TV advice-meister Dr. Phil McGraw either promise or strongly suggest that it does.

Actress and model Elizabeth Hurley, the newest "got milk?" celebrity, flaunts her physique. Milk Processors Education Program

For example, a recent "Got Milk?" ad featuring singer Sheryl Crow reads: "Studies suggest that the nutrients in milk can play an important role in weight loss. So if you're trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, try drinking 24 ounces of low-fat or fat-free milk every 24 hours as part of your reduced-calorie diet."

But studies on dairy's role in weight loss have shown mixed results. And a new entry in the mix is an epidemiological study released Wednesday that says dairy consumption doesn't have an effect on long-term weight loss for men. continue...

Why I'm Not Worried About Sub-Prime

August 15, 2007

Back in May, I ran a series of articles in The Kelly Letter in which I examined the state of real estate in Colorado and California. I spent more than a month driving around, talking to realtors, comparing the word on the street to bold headlines, and sending along my findings to subscribers.

From my May 19 report:

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that housing prices in Colorado were no bargain. Now I see that they're no bargain in southern California, either. The popping of the bubble, the bottom of the market, the slump, or whatever else the media wants to call their phantom news story about housing's demise, is nowhere. True bargain hunters are holding cash, because bargains are hard to find.

I had dinner with another friend of mine, a fairly wealthy investor who's always on the lookout for something new. His circle of friends, he told me, are watching real estate and waiting...and waiting...and waiting. They've been waiting for three years. The media keeps reporting a fire sale, but nobody's seen any smoke.

What I've concluded is that the general real estate market is not a buyer's paradise.

Since then, the sub-prime issue has ballooned to an even bigger news event, but my subscribers and I remain undaunted for a couple of reasons.

First, we've thought since the end of April that the stock market would see a weak medium term after rising higher in the short term. That's exactly what's played out.

Second, and more important to this article, is that the stakes are not as high as shrill headlines would have you believe.

True, the housing market has slowed. Ask yourself, however, what it has slowed from. Did it slow from a moderately good pace to a bad pace? Did it slow from a bad pace to a dismal pace?

No. It slowed from a breakneck amazing pace to a decent pace. Nobody thought the runaway housing market of the past few years could last forever, did they? To put this in perspective, home sales and housing starts are about where they were in 2002. Those levels were considered fine back then. They're still fine today.

Next, ask yourself how much of the U.S. economy housing represents. By the tenor of the news these days, you'd think half of the U.S. gross domestic product comes from the housing market. It doesn't. Housing accounts for a mere 5% of the economy. Even if housing slipped by 50%, the overall economy would suffer only a 2.5% loss. That's not nothing, but it's not the stuff of The Big One. Besides, housing is nowhere near falling 50%, so we're actually looking at a hit to the overall economy of maybe 1%.

Folks, this is no disaster. The stock market is not finished. We're not seeing the front edge of a storm that will demolish all we've built over the years.

We probably have further downside ahead, but it will be followed by up, and we'll still be standing. Smart investors are watching for good entry prices on stocks they've wanted to own for years and hoping for a lower market in the near term. You read that right: hoping for a lower market.

The Kelly Letter has already bought one stock in the downturn so far, and we're looking to buy more, including a home builder.

If you can't recognize the word O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y between the headlines these days, you're in the wrong business.  continue...

Panesar left to fight lonely battle on the home front

By David Llewellyn at The Oval
Published: 13 August 2007

Tradition has always had it that The Oval is an English spinner's heaven, but lately the south London ground has turned into hell for the homeboys. continue...

Dravid sets out to build monument to India's three graces

The man the fans love to call 'The Wall' has always provided a fittingly solid foundation for the beautiful feats of two other greats

By James Lawton
Published: 13 August 2007

When India's captain Rahul Dravid finally allowed England a glimpse at the mountain peak target of 500 runs he had fashioned for them with considerable Oriental subtlety, if not befuddling obscurity, the crowd remembered they were in a cricket ground of some significance. The Mexican wave stopped promptly. Ironic cheers for Indian runs ceased. continue...

India 664 & 180-6 dec, England 345 & 56-0: Dravid puts block on England's faint hopes of salvaging series

By Angus Fraser at The Oval
Published: 13 August 2007

For 35 minutes of an otherwise mundane day it appeared as though England had an outside chance of producing something very, very special. In a high-quality spell of fast bowling James Anderson trapped Wasim Jaffer lbw and knocked Sachin Tendulkar's middle and leg stumps out of the ground and a beauty from Chris Tremlett forced Dinesh Karthik to edge to slip. continue...

India at 60: special report

Since it cast off colonial rule in August 1947, India has become one of the most powerful nations on earth. But what has it sacrificed along the way? Andrew Buncombe goes in search of the Subcontinent's soul
Published: 10 August 2007

Also with this article:
'An example to the world' | Voices of India | India: the timeline
Ten miles south of Delhi, where the dusty scrub has been cleared and replaced by an ocean of quick-setting concrete, India is road-testing a new vision of its future. Gurgaon is a satellite city with endless shopping malls, high-rise apartment blocks and more than one million people. It is also the laboratory for an experiment with global implications. continue...

Hot dogs for Bush and Sarkozy - but no sign of Cecilia

By John Lichfield in Paris
Published: 13 August 2007

President George Bush and President Nicolas Sarkozy ate hot dogs and went for a ride on a speedboat together in Maine at the weekend, restoring the chummy Franco-American presidential relations severed by the Iraq war. continue...

'Casablanca' to be remade by Bollywood

By Andrew Buncombe in Delhi
Published: 12 August 2007

The setting is not Rick's Café in Nazi-controlled Morocco but a restaurant in southern India, and the conflict is not the Second World War but the current ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. continue...

How green is your hotel? Now you can find out

By Ian Herbert
Published: 13 August 2007

Amid evidence that British tourists would rather their hotel be sustainably run than have five stars, the UK tourist board VisitBritain wants to create a green marque that will endorsegenuinely green credentials. continue...

Britain's 'invisible army' of African slaves

By Emily Dugan
Published: 13 August 2007

Brought into the country under false identities and tricked into leaving their families with the promise of an education and a better future, hundreds of African children are being trafficked into the UK for a life of servitude, according to human rights campaigners. continue...

donation from the goodwill message wall

Dear Friends,

As part of the 60th independence day celebration, www.ifood.tv is running a
goodwill message campaign named "say something nice" in which they are
asking internet users to leave a goodwill message. Their goal is to collect
10,000 messages and for each message www.ifood.tv will donate 1 rupee
for a feast for kids in India and Pakistan.

ifood.tv has included Development in Literacy, DIL in their campaign so
please leave a good will message at http://www.ifood.tv/goodwill.

Thanking you in advance,

Saeeda Fancy
President
DIL



For more information read below:

I am sharib khan, the co-founder of www.ifood.tv an online food community that aims to connect people through food.

On the occasion of the 60th independence day of India and Pakistan,
www.ifood.tv, in association with two prestigious Non-profits, the Indo
American Arts Council and the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA)
is organizing a historic gala dinner featuring food from both the
countries that will be prepared by top chefs and a fusion music
performance. All details are at  http://www.ifood.tv/flavors_beyond_borders

As part of the 60th independence day, www.ifood.tv is also running a
goodwill message campaign named "say something nice" in which we are
asking internet users to leave a goodwill message. Our goal is to collect

10,000 messages and for each message www.ifood.tv is donating 1 rupee
(india) for a feast for kids in india and pakistan. And we will also
print a life size poster to be gifted to the diplomatic representatives
of the two countries in new york.

you can see the campaign on http://www.ifood.tv/goodwill

I was writing to enquire if you would like to be part of this campaign
and would like to recieve the donation for the kids in pakistan
Since there is not much time left before august 14th, i do understand
that the decision may have to be made rather quickly
But i think this would be a useful cause and something that will bring to
some kids on their countries 60th independence

i can send you more details if you are interested - please call me
646-932-6757 or email if you have question.

Thanks

Sharib Khan
Co-founder, www.ifood.tv

Majority of Americans Understand Little about Latin American Neighbors

Zogby: Majority of Americans Understand Little about Latin American
Neighbors
56% of American adults believe China threatens U.S. influence in Central
and South America

As the U.S. struggles with a sagging public image in many Latin American
countries, American adults show a stunning ignorance about the region, a
new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Only 10% of online poll respondents said they were familiar with Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva, the second-term president of Brazil, South
America's largest country. And just 20% were familiar with Felipe
Calderon, the President of Mexico, who was elected last summer in an
extremely close race that captured global headlines.

The Zogby Interactive poll included 7,362 adults nationwide and was
conducted July 27–30, 2007. It carries a margin of error of +/– 1.2
percentage points.

Asked which Latin American countries are the biggest allies to the U.S.,
Mexico is seen as the top ally, while Brazil is seen as a close second.
Costa Rica is seen as the third greatest ally of the U.S. Asked which
countries in the region are least friendly to the U.S., Venezuela and
Cuba predictably topped the list. But Americans listed Colombia—which
has been the U.S.'s closest ally in the past decade—as a distant third.

"The poll suggests that American adults are badly misinformed about the
region," said Peter Hakim, the president of the Inter-American Dialogue,
a Washington think tank that collaborated with Zogby on the poll. "Most
Americans believe Brazil and Mexico are the U.S.'s best friends in the
region, but the great majority cannot identify the president of either
country, and they mistakenly identify Washington's closest ally in the
region, Colombia, as an adversary," Hakim noted. "While US citizens
identify two familiar adversaries in Latin America as Cuba and
Venezuela, they do not know much about their friends," said Hakim.

The Bush Administration considers Colombia one of its staunchest allies
in the region, backing Plan Colombia with more than a half-billion
dollars per year for its anti-drug, anti-guerrilla campaign. Colombia
gets more foreign aid than any other country in the world outside the
Middle East/Afghanistan arc.

More than half – 56% – said they believe China's increased involvement
in Latin America represents a serious threat to American influence
there. Among those respondents who identify themselves as most
politically liberal, 48% said China's increased involvement in the
region represented a serious threat to the U.S., but the most
conservative respondents were much more concerned – 76% said China's
activity was a serious threat to America. Just 10% said such involvement
by China posed little or no threat at all to the U.S. role there.

"The poll results on China suggest a huge gap between U.S. public
perception and reality," Hakim said. "Among the range of issues that are
meaningful to U.S.-Latin America relations and to the region's economic
vitality, I must say that China, as a threat to the U.S. in our own
hemisphere, does not rise to the top of the list," Hakim said. "China's
involvement with Latin America, although increasing, simply cannot
compare to long-standing commercial, political, and social ties that
Latin America has had with the U.S. and Europe. Any threat from China is
among the lower-priority worries the U.S. faces in the region," he
added. "Indeed, many observers believe that Chinese involvement in Latin
America will, in the end, benefit all parties—the U.S., Latin America,
and China," Hakim said.

The wide–ranging survey about Latin American issues also showed that
majorities of American adults believed it is time for the U.S. to open
negotiations with Raul Castro, the stand–in Cuban president for brother
Fidel, in an effort to improve relations between the two countries.
While 58% felt the two countries should be talking about their future
relationship, 56% said it is time for the U.S. to remove the travel
restrictions on Cuba and to end the economic embargo against the island
nation that sits just 90 miles south of Florida.

One in four American adults (26%) gave President Bush positive job
approval marks specifically for his handling of U.S. relations with
Latin America. Just 29% said they think the Bush administration has done
an adequate job of focusing on Latin American issues and building
stronger relationships with the region, while 60% disagreed with that
statement.

A majority – 55% – said they believe the American economy benefits from
migrant workers from Latin America, while 48% said the U.S. should
pursue more free trade agreements with Latin American nations. One in
three U.S. adults disagreed, however, saying they do not believe the
U.S. should pursue more free trade agreements with southern neighbors.

The American public's view of one well-known trade agreement in
particular, NAFTA, might be the reason for lack of support for new trade
agreements in the region. A substantial plurality (48%) believe that, of
the three nations involved in the North America Free Trade
Agreement—Canada, the U.S., and Mexico—the U.S. has been most harmed by
NAFTA, which was signed into law by President Clinton in the 1990s. Just
3% said they think Canada has been most harmed, while 12% said they
think Mexico has gotten the short end of the stick. Conversely,
respondents, by a three-to-one margin, believe Mexico has been a bigger
beneficiary than the U.S. under the trade agreement.

"The poll results reveal that U.S. public opinion is totally confused
about what's going on with trade," Hakim said. "The American public even
seems to be contradicting itself in some of the results. How can so many
Americans believe that the U.S. has been harmed by NAFTA—while nearly
half call for new trade agreements," he said.

For a complete methodological statement on this survey, please visit:
http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1205
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1346

The sordid truth: we cut and ran in India

Mountbatten rushed into partition 10 months early with barely a thought for the consequences
Published: 09 August 2007

It may be because of the obvious parallels with Iraq today, or the fact that there is now a whole new generation of young Britons of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent who are interested in their parents' past, but the 60th anniversary next week of the partition of the Indian subcontinent has already aroused an amazing amount of media coverage here. A great deal more coverage it should be said than even the 50th anniversary in 1997 or, for that matter, than in the countries concerned.  continue...

Kebab shop worker's rap is the hottest single in France

By Claire Soares
Published: 09 August 2007

From mutton grease to musical greatness, it has been an unconventional road for rapper Lil'Maaz and his hit anthem "Mange du Kebab" (Eat Kebab).

The 27-year-old Turkish immigrant, whose real name is Yilmaz Karaman, moved to Paris four years ago and took a job in a kebab house where he would sing as he served. "It all started with my interactions with customers, asking them whether they wanted tomatoes, mayonnaise," he explained. "The questions took on their own rhythm and very quickly it became a rap."

It turned out some of his kebab-hungry clientele worked in a recording studio and they decided to help him reach a wider audience. continue...

Jinnah's daughter takes up fight for house where Pakistan was created

By Andrew Buncombe in Delhi
Published: 09 August 2007

Dina Wadia was a teenage girl when her father, Muhammad Jinnah, built the sprawling mansion overlooking the ocean at Mumbai's Malabar Hill. continue...

Gestures Convey Message: Learning in Progress

By Rick Weiss

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007; Page A06

Susan Wagner Cook stands at the front of a third-grade classroom, an unfinished equation printed neatly on the whiteboard.

4 + 3 + 6 = __ + 6

continue...

Face the facts: prison does not work

We must have the courage to sweep away prison and replace it with a genuinely radical alternative
Published: 08 August 2007

Our prison system is in crisis. This weekend, we heard news of yet more cuts. The financial burden of running a prison system which is 13 per cent over capacity has forced the Prison Service to consider abandoning key aspects of rehabilitation services, including daily cell checks and mandatory and voluntary drugs testing. continue...

A global property boom Russian style

In Russia's booming commercial property market, old meets new, as developers balance architectural style against the drive for profits.
By Jay Merrick
Published: 08 August 2007

Forget London, New York and Tokyo. The place to be for booming commercial property development right now is Moscow. According to international property analyst Knight Frank, new developments of high-grade office space in the Russian capital have doubled since 2003, with a further 1.5m square feet of space becoming available before 2011. continue...

Leading article: All in a good cause?

Published: 08 August 2007

Whatever your views on the ethics of state-sponsored gambling, the National Lottery is manifestly here to stay. No political party is pressing for its abolition. And there is no public demand for such a drastic move, with around 70 per cent of Britain's adult population playing regularly. The question rather is whether the game's present administrators are doing a satisfactory job. continue...

Camelot hits the National Lottery jackpot for the third time running

By Karen Attwood
Published: 08 August 2007

Camelot has won its third licence to run the National Lottery, beating off competition from an Indian rival Sugal & Damani.

Its success was, in part, due to the proposed creation of a global mega-lottery, the World Lottery Draw, with an annual £250m jackpot. It will also create around 100 millionaire winners every month. The 10-year licence will begin in 2009, when Camelot's current licence expires. The National Lottery Commission (NLC) named Delhi-based Sugal & Damani a "reserve bidder", which means it could still be awarded the licence in the highly unlikely event that an agreement with Camelot is not reached. continue...

A box-office banker: How Matt Damon became Hollywood's leading man

Cast Matt Damon in your film, and he will give you a better return than any other actor. So Forbes magazine says. Andrew Gumbel reports on a man who makes movies that people actually want to see
Published: 08 August 2007

Matt Damon's agent no doubt sat up and paid attention yesterday morning when Forbes, the business magazine, pronounced his client to be a very particular sort of top movie star - the one who provides the best return on the studios' investment. continue...

Disaster looms as 'Saddam dam' struggles to hold back the Tigris

By Patrick Cockburn in Mosul
Published: 08 August 2007

As world attention focuses on the daily slaughter in Iraq, a devastating disaster is impending in the north of the country, where the wall of a dam holding back the Tigris river north of Mosul city is in danger of imminent collapse. continue...

Guiliani given headache as daughter supports Obama's Presidential bid

By James Macintyre
Published: 08 August 2007

The Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani is facing embarrassment after his teenage daughter was "outed" as a supporter of the Democratic candidate Barack Obama, in the first political upset caused by the networking site Facebook. continue...

Women prefer a 'feminine' appearance in partners

By James Macintyre
Published: 08 August 2007

Macho, dominating, masculine men appear to be in for long-disappointment in the love stakes after a new study shows that women prefer a "feminine" streak in their partners when it comes to settling down. continue...

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Whites keep Britain racially tolerant

Published: 06 August 2007

According to an ICM survey of 18- to 34-year-olds for the BBC Asian Network, most white Britons - a whopping 87 per cent - would happily marry out and between 78 and 83 per cent would date people from outside their own race. Depressingly, the same survey shows that only 53 per cent of Asians say they would marry outside their communities and between 44 and 53 per cent would date non-Asians. Despite the popularity of the BNP, the rise in inter-ethnic tensions and pervasive racism, and our own dreadful Asian prejudices, indigenous Brits are becoming more delightfully open when it comes to love and sex. continue....

Lala Amarnath - life and Times: The Making of a Legend, by Rajender Amarnath

Reviewed by David Llewellyn
Published: 06 August 2007

Cricket politics on the subcontinent are involved at best and Gordian at worst. Plots, perfidy, powerplays and pusillanimity – with the emphasis on the animosity – all feature.

For evidence of this you just have to read this book. It is of course an "affectionate" study of Lala Amarnath, one of India's more charismatic players and the first captain of independent India at home and abroad, by one of his three sons. continue...

Ireland's youngest king of chess takes on the world

Published: 06 August 2007

A player so young he cannot read or write is astonishing the chess scene in Ireland by taking on opponents more than twice his age.

At the tender age of five, Shane Melaugh is being hailed as a child prodigy, and has already become the youngest person to represent Ireland as a member of the under-12s team. continue...

Robert Fisk: Mistrust fuels cycle of violence in Lebanon

Published: 06 August 2007

When, oh when, will the Lebanese Christians stop destroying each other? General Michel Aoun's Free Democratic Party (colour them bright orange) stood yesterday, along with their pro-Syrian allies, against the Phalangist candidate Amin Gemayel, former president and father of the assassinated incumbent MP, Pierre, murdered - by Syrians? By rival Christians? You name it - last year. continue...

Mining giant faces tribal protest

Published: 06 August 2007

Until he came to London Kumti Majhi had never worn shoes before - he had never needed to. A member of the Dongria Kondh, one of India's most traditional tribes from the forested hills in the state of Orissa, he had never had any need to put any protection on his feet.

But the tribal leader knew shoes would be needed if he was to try to halt the construction of a £400m bauxite mine on the Niyamgiri Mountain, the Dongria Kondh's homeland and a hill they worship as their god.

Since building of the mine and its adjacent alumina refinery first began in 2004 by the UK-based mining giant Vedanta Resources, a battle has raged between the FTSE-100 company on one side and environmentalists and tribal members on the other who say the mine has already caused untold misery and is an ecological disaster waiting to happen. continue...

Award-winning film-maker's death divides UK and Israel

By Eric Silver in Jerusalem
Published: 06 August 2007

Britain and Israel face a diplomatic and legal showdown this week over the death of James Miller, an award-winning British film-maker who was shot by Israel soldiers while working on a documentary in the Gaza Strip more than four years ago. continue...

History A-level may become a thing of the past

By Richard Garner, Education Editor
Published: 06 August 2007

History is in danger of disappearing as an A-level subject, according to the head of the body representing UK exam markers.

Kathleen Tattersall, the chairman of the Chartered Institute of Education Assessors, warned that the subject was facing replacement by "so-called soft subjects", such as media studies and photography, and others that were more likely to lead more directly to employment. continue...

Micro-machines given a scientific lift by levitation theory

Published: 06 August 2007

Levitation - the magical ability to rise when there seems to be no external force at work - may be possible in the real world, two British scientists have conjectured.

Disappointingly, even if they are right, their theory will only apply to very small objects, not to human beings. The importance of the theory will be felt in nanotechnology and the construction of micro-machines, where its effects could be revolutionary.

It depends on a quirk of nature that allows particles to pop into existence from nowhere. Known as the "Casimir force", it was predicted by quantum physicists in 1948, and measured for the first time in 1997. continue...

Television Standards: Trained? Who cares as long as you're cheap

Don't blame the TV fakery scandals on inexperienced young staff, says Nicola Pearson. They're learning from an industry obsessed with quick-fix, low-quality entertainment
Published: 06 August 2007

Before the finger was pointed at his own channel, the ITV executive chairman (and former chairman of the BBC) Michael Grade, in part blamed the embarrassing revelations of audience deception in BBC programmes on under-trained, inexperienced young people working in the industry.  continue...

Jack Bauer, the hero of '24', takes on global warming

By Stephen Foley in New York
Published: 06 August 2007

The battle against climate change has just got its toughest new recruit: Jack Bauer, hero of the TV show 24. The programme's creators, Fox, are promising their next series will introduce a host of environmentally-friendly production measures, as the industry gropes for ways to make carbon neutral television. continue....

Why does Saudi Arabia need military aid?

The Saudis are getting $13bn. How can they spend that? Have Prada moved into tanks?
Published: 01 August 2007

Here's something they sneaked out this week with hardly anyone noticing - the Americans have announced a "military aid package" of sixty billion dollars for their allies in the Middle East. Or, to be grammatically correct, sixty billion, that's sixty thousand million bastard dollars!!!

How can they spend that? Have Prada moved into tanks? Maybe they now buy these things at fashion shows, where a commentator gasps: "Ooh, my, my!" as down the catwalk comes this exhilarating design for the very latest satellite-guided armour-penetrating missile modelled here by Kate Moss, designed, of course, by Stella McCartney, and "sure to be this summer's big bold hit when it comes to melting the Hizbollah".

This is $250 for every living American, $10 for everyone on the planet. Are they taking each weapon out individually for a meal at the Ivy? And $13bn of this is for Saudi Arabia. Because if there's one family on this earth in need of financial aid, it's the Saudi royal family. Who's getting the rest - the Bee Gees? Anyway, why do the Saudis need military aid at all? Their favourite weapon seems to be the stone. I suppose now if a woman commits adultery or speaks out of turn she'll be battered to death with a bloody great ruby instead.

http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/mark_steel/article2823071.ece

On Faith: Muslims Speak Out Blog

Muslims Speak Out

Tolerance a Religious Imperative

Since I became Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims just fifty years ago, I have watched the world oscillate between promise and disappointment. In many cases, the disappointments can be attributed to the absence of a culture of tolerance. continue...

Foreign trade zone expanded to Bethpage

Foreign trade zone expanded to Bethpage
By elizabeth.moore@newsday.com

July 30, 2007, 12:36 PM EDT

Suffolk County is planting a little foreign soil in Nassau to help a Bethpage business sell English damask.

http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzfore0731,0,3125942.story?coll=ny-business-leadheadlines

Mother Goose & Grimm on Outsourcing

Monday's Lesson Plan - Navigating the World of Student Loans

OVERVIEW OF LESSON PLAN:
In this lesson, students create presentations for graduating seniors
about how to navigate the college financial aid system.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:
1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
1. Estimate the costs of a college education and compare their estimates
to actual current and projected costs.
2. Learn about the college loan industry by reading and discussing
Lessons From the Loan Scandal.
3. Create a presentation for students about how best to navigate the
college loan industry.
4. Write an instructional brochure including the most important tips for
students and parents to know about financial aid.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:
-pens/pencils
-paper
-student journals
-classroom board
-index cards (one per student)
-computers with Internet access (optional)
-copies of the article "Lessons From the Loan Scandal," found online at

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070730monday.html

(one per student)

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Provide students with index cards on which to respond
to the following prompt (written on the board prior to class): How much
would you guess a private four-year college education costs per year on
average? What about a public four-year college education? Once each
student has written down their two guesses, collect all students
anonymous responses in a container. With help from several students,
write all of the estimates on the board from lowest to highest. Once all
estimates are recorded, write the actual average college costs for two
year, four year, state and private colleges for 2006-2007 on the board
(these can be found at

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html). Were their
estimates close to the actual costs? Ask students: Were you surprised by
how much college costs? Do you think that these are fair prices? How do
people pay for college?

2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Lesson From the Loan
Scandal" from the beginning until the subheading Sam Is Your Best Rich
Uncle
(http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070730monday.html),
focusing on the following questions:
a. What recent disclosures about financial aid officers have made loan
applicants wary?
b. What is meant by the comment that colleges and financial aid
officers can have competing interests?
c. What are alternative loans?
d. What is a 3 percent fee at repayment?
e. If and when you navigate this industry, would you feel intimidated or
confused? Why or why not?

Next, split students into seven small groups and assign to each one of
the remaining sections of the article to read and discuss, focusing on
the following questions:

Group 1: Sam Is Your Best Rich Uncle
a. Why should you never get a private student loan unless you have
exhausted your government student loans?
b. Why do you think Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, wonders,
Why would anyone ever get a private loan?
c. What are Stafford, Perkins and PLUS loans?
d. What are some reasons that parents might not take out PLUS loans?

Group 2: For Rates, Expect the Worst
a. How do lenders assess student borrowers?
b. What does the greater the likelihood of default, the higher the
interest rate mean?
c. How many student borrowers receive the best rates? The worst rates?
d. What is Mark Kantowitzs rule of thumb when it comes to predicting
your rate?
e. How does your credit score influence what kind of rate you can get
from a lender?
f. How can your credit score be affected by comparison shopping?
g. Why do some lenders take academic markers into account?

Group 3: Not All Colleges are Equal in Lenders Eyes
a. What might account for the different loan shopping experiences of the
New York University student and the Florida Metropolitan University student?
b. Why is it important to note that Cindy Graysons Sallie Mae rejection
happened instantaneously?
c. Do you agree with Ms. Grayson that If you dont need it, you can
have it. If you do need it, you cant have it?
d. What do lenders mean when they say that they provide private money
only for colleges with which they have a relationship?
e. Why are some officials concerned that students are treated
differently by lenders depending on which college they attend?

Group 4: You Will Be Confused
a. What is a margin?
b. What made the loan offered by the lender MyRichUncle to the New York
University student so confusing?
c. How do you figure out the true borrowing costs that a lender is
offering?
d. What types of regulations have been placed on the student loan industry?
e. Why is it difficult to shop around for loans?

Group 5: The Preferred List Is (Still) Where to Start
a. What is the preferred lender list?
b. How can one find out more about the lenders on the preferred list?
c. How were lenders chosen for the preferred list at the University of
California?
d. Into what four groups are borrowers classed?

Group 6: Consolidation Is No Longer a No-Brainer
a. What is consolidation?
b. Why did it used to be a good idea to consolidate student loans?
c. What has changed to make consolidation less desirable?
d. Why should borrowers refrain from consolidating federal and private
loans together?
e. Why are borrowers complaining to the Department of Education about
consolidation?
f. How are lenders making consolidation look appealing to borrowers?

Group 7: Pick a College (and Major) You Can Afford
a. What is Lewis Mandells advice to students choosing a college?
b. When does Mr. Mandell become concerned that a students loans are too
large for their career choice?
c. Why does Dawn Wooters believe that you need to have a realistic
concept and a backup plan?
d. Do you think people should always do what they love? Why or why not?

3. Once each group has read and discussed their section of the article,
inform the class that they will be creating a presentation for juniors
and seniors at your school on how to best navigate applying for student
loans. The presentation will have seven sections, and each group will be
responsible for creating one of these sections, based on what they
learned from the article subsection they just read and discussed.

Each group should answer the following questions in their presentation:
-In the part of the article that you read, what common problems were
faced by students and parents?
-What explanations and tips to students and parents were provided?
-What terms are presented in the article that borrowers would need to
understand?

Along with answers to the preceding questions, each presentation should
include a visual component (a chart or graph, a diagram or perhaps
images of lending Web sites paired with instructions on how to navigate
them), five to ten index cards with talking points for the presenters
and a glossary of terms (for help with this, direct students to
FinAid.orgs glossary of student loan and financial aid terms at

http://www.finaid.org/questions/glossary.phtml).

Some groups may need to conduct further research into their assigned
topic. If so, direct them to the U.S. governments student aid Web site
at https://studentaid.ed.gov and to http://www.finaid.org.

Once all groups have completed preparing their presentations and have
five to ten index cards, a glossary of terms and a visual aid, have them
give their presentation to the class. Instruct students to take notes
during the presentations because they will need to remember information
from other groups presentations to complete their homework assignment.
After each presentation allow time for students to ask questions of and
offer suggestions to the presenting group. You may wish to schedule a
time for your students to give their presentation to some of your
schools juniors and seniors.

4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students create an instructional
brochure to go along with the class presentation, for audience members
to take home. The brochure should highlight the most important tips that
students and parents should be aware of when applying for student loans.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
-Why do you think college is so expensive in the United States?
-Do you think that cost deters people from attending college?
-Will you take tuition costs into account when you decide which college
to attend?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on participation in the warm-up
activity, participation in group and small group discussion, the
thorough creation of a presentation including five to ten index cards, a
visual aid and a glossary of terms and the thorough completion of an
informative brochure.

VOCABULARY:
acknowledges, assumptions, disclosures, junkets, kickbacks, courtesy,
criteria, assess, accounted, ultimately, scrambling, tuition,
intimidating, labyrinthine, daunting, exhausted, prominently,
delinquency, bankruptcy, default, asterisk, accreditations, exclusions,
redlining, capitalized

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
1. Research federally subsidized student aid. Create a chart explaining
how it works: where the money comes from, how the government subsidizes
it and how interest rates are kept lower than for other types of loans.

2. Create a college savings plan for a family that is about to have a
baby. When should they begin saving for college? Where should they save
their money (such as in a 529 plan)? How much will college cost when the
child turns eighteen?

3. Create a chart that compares various student loans with various
interest rates. Determine how much a recipient of each of these loans
would have to pay if he or she paid off the loan in 25 years.