zeemenator

Gary Taubes on "Why We Get Fat"

2011-09-18T22:04:00.002-05:00

Gary Taubes on "Why We Get Fat"

Debra Levi Holtz, Special to The Chronicle

04/04/11

Ten years ago, science writer Gary Taubes exercised an hour a day. He avoided fat in his diet, never even using milk in his oatmeal. But he kept gaining weight. As an experiment, the self-described carnivore tried the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet - eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, pepperoni with melted mozzarella for lunch, and a steak for dinner - and lost 20 pounds in six weeks.

Since then, Taubes, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, has stuck with the diet and spent countless hours collecting evidence to prove that it's not how much we eat but what we eat that makes us gain weight. In his fourth book, "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" (Knopf; 257 pages; $24.95), Taubes argues that an apple a day will not keep the doctor away. In fact, if your biological fate is to be overweight, that apple will tip the scales against you.

Taubes challenges the conventional wisdom that says if we just eat less and exercise more we will lose weight. He contends that carbohydrates - sweets, breads and fruit - and not fatty foods are to blame for our nation's rising obesity rate.

We're not fat because we're gluttons with no willpower who sit around watching too much TV, he says. Instead, we become couch potatoes because we are getting fat by eating too much pasta and rice, and too many cookies. That diet brings on a vicious cycle of craving more of the same carbohydrates that sap our energy and pack on the pounds.

"It's the most important issue in medicine today," argues Taubes, a fellow at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. Being fat increases our risk of heart disease and diabetes, he says, as well as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Diets that require a steep drop in caloric consumption only allow us to drop pounds temporarily but are not a cure for obesity, he says.

Calorie counting out

Taubes' book is the latest blast in a decades-long battle over whether calories or carbohydrates are to blame for Americans' bulging waistlines. Taubes targets the calories-in, calories-out paradigm - people get fat because they take in more calories than they expend - that has been the long-held belief of the American medical establishment and diet industry.

"It has done incalculable harm," Taubes writes. ""Not only is this thinking at least partly responsible for the ever-growing numbers of obese and overweight people in the world - while directing attention away from the real reasons we get fat - but it has served to reinforce the perception that those who are fat have no one to blame but themselves."

Federal guidelines

The practice of counting calories is also embraced by the federal government, which just released revised dietary guidelines recommending that Americans eat less food overall, but consume more whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

"It's still fundamentally flawed because it's still a high-carbohydrate diet," says Taubes. He says scientific evidence and history prove that the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid has failed to reduce rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Instead of being the staples of a heart-healthy diet, carbohydrates are actually the culprits of our nation's obesity epidemic, according to Taubes. What drives fat accumulation is not a caloric imbalance, but a hormonal one - namely, elevated insulin levels caused by eating carbohydrates. Carbs - particularly refined, easier-to-digest, sweeter foods - push your blood sugar up, stimulate insulin secretion and force your body to burn blood sugar instead of fat. As a result, carbohydrates become the only fuel your body will use.

But critics have long claimed that diets high in saturated fat such as the one Taubes now follows will lead to heart disease. Who cares if you lose weight, they ask, if you end up dying of a heart attack?

Taubes points to studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals comparing the diet rich in animal protein and fat made famous by Dr. Robert Atkins in his 1972 bestseller "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution" with the kind of low-fat, low-calorie regimen endorsed by the American Heart Association. People on the Atkins' diet not only lost more weight even though they didn't have to limit how much they ate, they improved their cholesterol profile: Their HDL, or "good" cholesterol levels went up and their triglycerides dropped. The studies prove, he says, that replacing carbs with fat significantly reduces heart attack risk.

Heart health risk

Dr. Matthew DeVane, a Walnut Creek cardiologist and spokesman for the American Heart Association, disagrees. He says that studies also show that a high-protein diet consisting of large amounts of fatty animal products is not heart healthy because it raises LDL, or "bad" cholesterol levels, and thickens the blood.

"You're definitely doing yourself a disservice and increasing your cardiovascular risk," he says.

While DeVane agrees that eating foods high in animal fat and protein and extremely low in carbohydrates will force pounds off, he says it isn't a sustainable diet.

"You will lose weight quickly, I think too quickly, and I don't think it's healthy for the whole body over the long term," says DeVane. "I want people who want to lose weight to lower their carbohydrates. But I'm against completely giving up healthy nutrients like fruits and whole grains."

DeVane and Taubes agree that exercise alone is not the answer because people dramatically underestimate how much exercise is required to burn off pounds. And, Taubes says, exercise will just make you hungrier.

Weight-loss manifesto

Taubes insists that "Why We Get Fat" is not just another diet book; he prefers to call it a "manifesto" for people concerned about weight. Nothing in the book is actually new, he admits, just a more digestible version of his previous 640-page "Good Calories, Bad Calories" tome and several magazine articles he wrote on the virtues of ridding our diets of fattening carbohydrates.

Taubes hopes doctors, medical researchers and public health officials will read the book. First lady Michelle Obama is at the top of his reader wish list because of her Let's Move campaign to reverse the obesity epidemic in a generation.

"If she wants to take on childhood obesity, she damn well ought to know whether or not she got the cause right and if the people advising her got the cause right," says Taubes. "Because if they didn't, they're not going to get the cure right."

Monitoring sugar and starch

For effective weight loss, keep carbohydrate intake under 20 grams a day.

Foods allowed in unlimited quantities (until you feel full)

Meat, poultry, fish and eggs

Oils, especially olive and peanut, and butter (but no margarine or hydrogenated oils that contain trans fats)

Foods that must be eaten daily

Two cups of leafy greens

1 cup (measured uncooked) of vegetables

Foods allowed in limited quantities

Up to 4 ounces a day of cheese. Avoid processed cheese; the carbohydrate count should be less than 1 gram per serving

Up to 4 tablespoonfuls a day of heavy, light, or sour cream

Up to 4 tablespoons a day of mayonnaise

Up to 1/2 an avocado a day

Foods to avoid

All sugars, honey, maple syrup, molasses and corn syrup

Beer, milk, soft drinks, yogurt, fruit and fruit juice

Grains including rice, cereals, flour, breads, pasta, muffins, bagels and crackers

Starchy vegetables including slow-cooked beans, carrots, parsnips, corn, peas and potatoes

Source: "No Sugar, No Starch" Diet guidelines from the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic at Duke University Medical Center (adapted from the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine)

msnbc video: Edesia Exec. Director: We can fix malnutrition

2011-09-01T22:09:00.001-05:00

PLUMPY NUT

Al-Noor

sokoduka.com

"Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew." - Guillaume Apollinaire - French poet and critic who helped to direct poetry into unexplored channels, 1880-1918

Little girl on Leno show

2009-05-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

The Ones Who Got It Right

2009-04-04T05:38:00.001-05:00

From: "Ralph Nader" <info@nader.org>
Date: April 3, 2009 6:40:33 PM EDT
To: alerts@lists.nader.org
Subject: The Ones Who Got It Right

Why is it that well regarded people working the fields of corporate
power and performance who repeatedly predicted the Wall Street bubble
and its bursting receive so little media and attention?

Instead, the public is still being exposed to the comments and
writings of people like Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin, James Glassman
(of Dow 36,000 notoriety) while others like Timothy Geithner, Larry
Summers, and Gary Gensler are newly-appointed at high levels in the
Obama Administration. These men were variously architects,
rationalizers and implementers of the massive de-regulation and non-
regulation that unleashed the epic forces of greed, speculation and
ruination of millions of livelihoods and trillions of dollars other
peoples' money worldwide.

Here are some of the people who got it right—early and often:

1. William Greider—author and columnist with The Nation magazine—wrote
books (including Secrets of the Temple, 1988) and articles warning
about the Federal Reserve and the anti-democratic consequences of
rampant corporate globalization.

2. Robert Kuttner whose books (e.g. Everything for Sale, 1999) and
articles predicted what will happen to workers and pensions when the
regulatory state is tossed aside by the corporatists operating inside
and outside of government.

3. Jim Hightower whose books (If the Gods Has Meant Us to Vote, They
Would Have Given Us Candidates, 2000) and the monthly mass circulation
Hightower Lowdown newsletter pointed out again and again the abuses of
the "greedhounds" and vastly overpaid corporate bosses that have run
consumers of health care, credit, cars and banks into the ground.

4. Nomi Prins (Other Peoples Money, 2004) a former managing director
of Goldman Sachs, quit in disgust and began disclosing how these giant
Wall St. firms deal and how, with their ideological backers, they wove
their webs of deception and fraud against investors, students
borrowing money for college, taxpayers ripped off by corporate
contractors, sick people gouged and insurance companies denying
legitimate claims. (See her book Jacked: How "Conservatives" Are
Picking Your Pocket, 2008)

5. John R. MacArthur, author (The Selling of "Free Trade", 2001)
columnist and publisher of Harpers, authored a sharp, prophetic
criticism of NAFTA's effect on U.S. and Mexican workers. Finally, on
March 24, 2009 the New York Times featured a report titled "NAFTA's
Promise, UNfulfilled."

6. Robert A.G. Monks—the leading shareholder rights advocate in our
country warned for years in books (latest Corpocracy, 2008) ,
articles, testimony and standup challenges at corporate annual
meetings that keeping investors—the owners of these companies—
powerless and dominated by corporate executives would lead to big
trouble. Everyday, you can now see the ways that avaricious abuses of
executive compensation by Wall Street led to cooking the books, hiding
the debts and wildly losing other peoples' money.

7. Tom Stanton, whose 1991 book State of Risk, exposed the dangerously
undercapitalized condition of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and predicted
coming disaster if this reckless leveraging continued. By comparison,
a year ago Fannie and Freddie's federal regulator, James B. Lockhart
III called fears of a bailout "nonsense" and amazingly further lowered
the required capital levels months before their collapse and takeover
a few months later. Mr. Lockhart is still in his job heading a new
regulatory entity over these two goliaths.

8. Republican Kevin Phillips, (latest book Bad Money: Reckless
Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American
Capitalism, 2007) whose numerous writings on Wall Street power and
money and the dictatorial rule of the plutocracy were wise,
historically—rooted premonitions of future collapse.

9. Dean Baker, (latest Plunder and Blunder, 2004) Washington-based
economist, warned repeatedly earlier in this decade of the housing
bubble and the calamitous consequences once it burst. He even sold his
own home in 2004 and became a tenant, so convinced was he of the
housing precipice.

10. Then there is Naomi Klein who has been documenting how economic
disasters produced by corporations and their governmental cohorts end
up not with reforms but with further increasing the power of the
corporate state. (See Shock Doctrine the Rise of Disaster Capitalism,
2007)

Chances are that outside the independent media and an occasional
public tv-radio interview, you have not seen or read them in the mass
media. But they were right, so why haven't you? Well, first of all,
they took on commercial interests and called them out by name and
specific misdeeds. Take it from one who knows, big advertisers do not
hesitate to let their media outlets know about their displeasure.
Publishers, editors and producers will deny being affected by such
realities of the bottom line but money talks—not always but enough to
screen out or marginalize the provocative early warners.

Second, these early warners are not like their counterparts such as
the market fundamentalists and other active corporatists in the world
of writers and commentators. The latter meet and plan often and
ferociously attach themselves to political and corporate leaders.
While the progressive forecasters do not connect either with each
other or with their policy allies on Capitol Hill as much. The media
likes to see growing power like that of the intertwined Heritage
Foundation with the Reagan regime and their supporters in Congress.

Third, there is this sense that these progressives are exposing
conditions that the reporters themselves should be revealing. So why
not publish staff-driven magazine-style features instead of
publicizing outsiders and covering an unfolding story as reportage.
Journalistic prizes go to the former. But, they're not the same either
in reader impact or for change.

Finally, there are establishment figures who tried, in their own way,
to blow the whistle—James Grant, Henry Kaufman and, twenty five years
ago, Felix Rohatyn come to mind. Their astute alarms regarding
excessive risk-taking were ignored. They are not getting much media
play either.

Maybe it's also a cultural thing. Big book deals, radio talk shows,
promotions and quotable celebrity status go to the rogues, the grossly
negligent, the suppressors of truth and the wrongdoers. They're just
so much more exciting!

This is a fast road to a state of decay.

End.

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RONALD REAGAN'S SECRET

2009-04-02T12:45:00.005-05:00

What most people want in a leader is something that's very difficult to find: we want someone who listens.

Why is it so had to find a leader who can listen?

Because it's easy to confuse listening to individuals with "going with the crowd" or "following the polls." It's easy for a leader with a vision to give up on listening because, after all, most people want you to be average, and that doesn't get you anywhere. If Henry Ford had listened, the old saying goes, we'd have better buggy whips today, not cars.

The secret, Reagan's secret, is to listen, to value what you hear, and then to make a decision even if it contradicts the very people you are listening to. Reagan impressed his advisers, his adversaries, and his voters by actively listening. People want to be sure you heard what they said - they're less focused on whether or not you do what they said.

When Graham Weston, executive chairman of Rackspace, wanted to persuade his talented and somewhat skittish staff to move with him to the new headquarters in a depressed area of town, he didn't lecture them or even try to cajole them. All he did was listen. He met with every one of the employees who was hesitating about the move and let them air their views. That's what it took to lead them: he listened.

Listen, really listen. Then decide and move on.

Seth Godin

Tribes - We Need You to Lead Us

(2008 - pp. 127-8)

SUPER FOODS - YOGURT

2009-03-30T16:21:00.005-05:00

Though you may not live to 120, as commercials once playfully suggested, yogurt does have confirmed health benefits. An excellent source of protein (as much as 13 grams per 8 ounce) and calcium (450 milligrams), this cultured milk food is famous for its friendly bacteria, the Probiotics, which facilitate good digestion and strengthen immunity. Recent research shows that daily consumption of Yogurt reduces body fat and helps keep you slim and fit.

Hacking a VCR

2009-03-10T22:36:00.001-05:00

KenKen - New Puzzle Challenges Math Skills

2009-02-09T21:17:00.001-05:00

KenKen - New Puzzle Challenges Math Skills

How to KenKen

2009-02-09T21:15:00.003-05:00

Robin Williams on Obama’s Election

2009-01-09T15:22:00.002-05:00

http://politicalirony.com/2008/11/30/robin-williams-on-obamas-election/

Tell The Truth But Tell It Slant - Emily Dickinson

2009-01-09T14:49:00.016-05:00

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant---
Success in Cirrcuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightening to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind---

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Umberto Eco's Antilibrary or How We Seek Validation

2009-01-08T16:49:00.006-05:00

The writer Umberto Eco belongs to that small class of scholars who are encyclopedic, insightful, and nondull. He is the owner of a large personal library (containing thirty thousand books), and separates visitors into two categories: those who react with "Wow! Signore professore dottore Eco, what a library you have! How many of these books have you read?" and the others---a very small minority---who get the point that a private library is not an ego-boosting appendage but a research tool. Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-estate market allow you to put there. You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.

We tend to treat our knowledge as personal property to be protected and defended. It is an ornament that allows us to rise in the pecking order. So this tendency to offend Eco's library sensibility by focusing on the know is a human bias that extends to our mental operations. people don't walk around with anti-résumés telling you what they have not studied or experienced (its the job of their competitors to do that), but it would be nice if they did. Just as we need to stand library logic on its head, we will work on standing knowledge itself on its head. Note that the Black Swan comes from our misunderstanding of the likelihood of surprises, those unread books, because we take what we know a little too seriously.

Let us call an antischolar---someone who focuses on the unread books, and makes an attempt not to treat his knowledge as a treasure, or even a possession, or even a self-esteem enhancement device---a skeptical empiricist.

Christian The Lion

2008-12-31T17:44:00.001-05:00

100 Incredibly Useful and Interesting Web Sites

2008-12-03T16:49:00.002-05:00

http://tech.msn.com/products/articlepcw.aspx?cp-documentid=10889772

AN EPOCH OF PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM

2008-12-02T15:56:00.003-05:00

We are like a big fish that has been pulled from the water and is flopping wildly to find its way back in. In such a condition the fish never asks where the next flip or flop will bring it. It senses only that its present position is intolerable and that something else must be tried.

- Anonymous Chinese saying, quoted by Perry Link in China in Transformation, Daedalus (Spring 1993).

When Technology and ideology don't smoothly mix, the economic magna fluxes. Tectonic plates are violently thrust into each other - volcanoes erupt, earthquakes shatter the earth's crust, mountains rise, valleys fall. What has been a top-of-the-food-chain, survival-of-the-fittest species madly flips and flops its way into extinction trying to get back into a stream that is no longer there. The banks of the river move; water flows in new directions. A period of punctuated equilibrium comes into existence.

The economic surface of the earth, the distribution of income and wealth, is now being fundamentally remade. The economic losers are spewed out in a social volcano called religious fundamentalism. An economic earthquake shatters the Mexican economy. China's economy rises; Japan's economy falls. World growth slows dramatically. Real wages fall for most Americans. Europe cannot create jobs for its young. Old successful business strategies (focused on the wants of the middle class), fail. No one knows what the consumer is going to want to buy, and not buy, using electronic shopping. Chief executive officers of major corporations lose their jobs at rates never before seen. A period of economic punctuated equilibrium comes into existence.

A brand-new world with brand-new opportunities has arrived. While the economic plates cannot be pushed back to re-create the old environment, their irresistible movements can be understood , and our actions and institutions modified to allow us to thrive.

This book is an attempt to understand the movement of the economic plates that lie below the visible surface of our economic earth so that it will be possible for those who understand what is happening to them to chart a new direction that enables them to survive and thrive. Periods of punctuated equilibrium offer many new, as yet unexplored territories. They are exciting times. In normal times, when almost everything that can be explored has been explored, the topology is not so interesting.

Perhaps the best way to think of what lies ahead is to imagine that you are Columbus. There is a fortune to be made in the East Indies and you believe that you have a new, better way to get there - by sailing west rather than walking east. Like Columbus, you have a map but like his, half the territory on it is marked "terra incognita." The world to the west is to a substantial extent unknown, but a ship still has to be built to survive storms of unknown ferocity; equipped with sails that will speed it to its not so clear destination, and provisioned with the right amounts of water and food for a journey of unknown length.

What will be the dynamics of the new world into which we are about to sail?

All of the above excerpted from:

Chapter 1 - New Game, New Rules, New Strategies P 19

THE FUTURE OF CAPITALISM

How Today's Economic Forces Shape Tomorrow's World

Penguin Books

Global Warming?

2008-03-18T10:26:00.005-05:00

DOUBLE CLICK to EXPAND IMAGE

Peroxide

2008-02-11T22:31:00.003-05:00

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana "I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for about $1.00 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars." 1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash. (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle) 2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of "Peroxide" to keep them free of germs. 3. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishcloth when you wipe, or spray it on the counters. 4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria. 5. I had fungus on my feet; I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry to totally kill the fungus. 6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide. 7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will. 8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue. 9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly. 10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change. 11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections. 12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary. 13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much. I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save money in such a simple, healthy manner.

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

2007-09-06T09:27:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-06T09:24:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-06T08:49:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-06T08:47:00.001-05:00

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 ...

2007-09-06T08:44:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-06T08:42:00.001-05:00

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?

2007-09-06T08:39:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-05T16:23:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-05T08:14:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-09-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

2007-09-04T13:43:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-02T10:02:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-27T16:48:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-27T11:11:00.001-05:00

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

The Record of Your Life as a Digital Archive

2007-08-27T11:09:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-27T10:48:00.001-05:00

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:

2007-08-23T21:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-16T09:52:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-15T13:45:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-15T13:40:00.001-05:00

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'

2007-08-15T13:38:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-15T13:35:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-15T13:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-15T11:09:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-15T11:02:00.001-05:00

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.
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

2007-08-15T10:39:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:41:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:39:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:36:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:33:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:29:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:17:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-13T14:15:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-12T07:53:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-12T07:47:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-09T07:16:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-09T07:05:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-09T07:02:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-09T06:52:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:22:00.001-05:00

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?

2007-08-08T09:19:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:16:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:11:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:09:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:06:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-08T09:04:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:17:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:11:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:08:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:05:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:03:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T08:01:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T07:59:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T07:57:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T07:55:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-06T07:52:00.001-05:00

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?

2007-08-01T08:10:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-31T20:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-31T11:19:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-31T11:07:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-31T10:48:00.001-05:00

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.

"Will Israel Survive?"

2007-07-31T10:39:00.001-05:00

The Israel Project invites you to a

telephone conference call and Q & A
with

Mitchell Bard, Ph.D.
author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict"
and numerous other books on the Middle East

speaking by phone about his new book
"Will Israel Survive?"
(more info. and order online)

Date:
Tues., Aug. 7, 2007
Time:
12 p.m. (noon) EST

RSVP Required
Please RSVP online here
A toll-free U.S./Canada phone number will be provided upon receipt of your RSVP. Please note that the international number is not toll-free.
About Mitchell Bard:

Dr. Mitchell G. Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and a foreign policy analyst who lectures frequently on U.S.-Middle East policy. Bard is also the director of the Jewish Virtual Library, the world's most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture. For three years he was the editor of the Near East Report, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) weekly newsletter on U.S. Middle East policy. Prior to working at AIPAC, Bard served as a senior analyst in the polling division of the 1988 Bush campaign.

Bard has appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, CBC, "The Jenny Jones Show," and other local and national television and radio outlets. His work has been published in academic journals, magazines and major newspapers. He is the author of 19 books including "The Water's Edge And Beyond: Defining the Limits to Domestic Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy," "Partners for Change: How U.S.-Israel Cooperation Can Benefit America," and "Myths And Facts: A Concise Record of the Arab-Israeli Conflict" (coauthor). Bard holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and a master's degree in public policy from UC Berkeley. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara. For a full bio

The Israel Project is an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. The Israel Project provides journalists, leaders and opinion-makers accurate information about Israel. The Israel Project is not related to any government or government agency.
Board of Advisors: Senator Evan Bayh (IN), Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA), Senator Norm Coleman (MN), Senator Ben Nelson (NE), Senator Arlen Specter (PA), Senator Ron Wyden (OR), Congressman Rob Andrews (NJ), Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (NV), Congressman Tom Davis (VA), Congressman Eliot Engel (NY), Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ), Congressman Jon Porter (NV), Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ), Congressman Brad Sherman (CA), Congressman Joe Wilson (SC), Actor and Director Ron Silver

The camera always lies. So why deny it?

2007-07-31T08:08:00.001-05:00

Anyone who has ever taken part in a TV documentary knows just how contrived is the whole exercise
Published: 31 July 2007

My friend the documentary programme maker is perplexed. In common with all independent production companies contracted by the BBC, his firm has received an email from the corporation's director of television, Jana Bennett, asking it to review its entire output, both past and pending, to establish whether it has any "faked footage". "This is madness," says my friend: "It's absolutely traditional that documentary makers manipulate footage to try to make the story better." continue...

All this moral posturing won't help Darfur

2007-07-31T08:06:00.001-05:00

The President's megaphone diplomacy has led to a breakdown of communication with Sudan
Published: 31 July 2007

July was a pretty typical month in the fifth year of the war in Darfur. In the bloodiest reported incident, 16 people died in fighting between two Arab tribes armed by Khartoum to fight the rebels. An attack by an Arab militia on a government police force killed another eight people. "Unidentified" militias attacked government soldiers and police, villagers and displaced people, relief workers and convoys. continue...

Forget George Bush and America - the big foreign policy challenge for Brown is Europe

2007-07-31T08:04:00.001-05:00

President Bush is a diminished figure, limping weakly towards the end of his second term
Published: 31 July 2007

Not so long ago, there was a fair amount of speculation that Gordon Brown would seek openly to distance himself from President Bush as a way of building support in Britain. There was never a chance of him making such a crude move. Instead, Mr Brown has brought his big tent to the United States, inviting in the likes of Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan, before stepping out to speak with a relaxed confidence during his press conference with President Bush. continue...

Britain will take troops out of Iraq regardless of US, says PM

2007-07-31T08:02:00.001-05:00

By Andrew Grice, Political Editor at Camp David
Published: 31 July 2007

Gordon Brown has paved the way for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq by telling George Bush he would not delay their exit in order to show unity with the United States. continue...

Discipline fears raised by lack of male teachers

2007-07-31T07:59:00.001-05:00

By Richard Garner, Education Editor
Published: 31 July 2007

More than a million pupils in primary schools have no men teaching them. In addition, nearly 300,000 will end their six years of primary schooling without being taught by a male teacher. continue...

Daily glass of wine increases risk of bowel cancer, scientists find

2007-07-31T07:57:00.001-05:00

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Published: 31 July 2007

The argument has raged for decades - is a daily alcoholic drink good for you or not? That pint of beer on the way home may set you up for the evening, but does it set you up for life? continue...

Cannabis joint 'as harmful as smoking five cigarettes'

2007-07-31T07:55:00.001-05:00

By Jane Kirby
Published: 31 July 2007

A single cannabis joint damages the lungs as much as smoking up to five cigarettes at once, researchers say. The drug forces the lungs to work harder by obstructing the air flow and causes chest tightness and wheezing, a study found. continue...

O2 looks to iPhone to maintain growth

2007-07-31T07:53:00.001-05:00

By Nic Fildes
Published: 31 July 2007

O2 expects the launch of broadband and Apple's iPhone to maintain its momentum during the second half of the year, after it outperformed the market over the past three months. continue...

Cohabitants set for same rights as married couples

2007-07-31T07:50:00.001-05:00

By James Macintyre
Published: 31 July 2007

Unmarried couples could gain similar financial rights to those who are married under conclusive proposals released today by the Law Commission. The commission provides independent legal advice to Parliament which has a strong record of being implemented. continue...

US to arm Israel and Arab states in $60bn deal

2007-07-31T07:47:00.001-05:00

Published: 31 July 2007

The US has announced military aid packages worth more than $60bn (£30bn) for Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other key Arab allies in the Gulf. The aim is to boost regional defences against the growing power of Iran and to induce the Saudis in particular to cut back support for Sunni insurgent groups inside Iraq. continue...

Lies and outrages... would you believe it?

2007-07-30T19:29:00.001-05:00

It was Israel which attacked Egypt after Nasser closed the straits of Tiran
Published: 09 June 2007

When I was a schoolboy, I loved a column which regularly appeared in British papers called "Ripley's Believe It or Not!". In a single rectangular box filled with naively drawn illustrations, Ripley - Bob Ripley - would try to astonish his readers with amazing facts: continue...

Doctor tells of his relief after being cleared of link to failed bomb plot

2007-07-30T19:23:00.003-05:00

Published: 30 July 2007

An Indian doctor questioned in Australia over the failed bomb attacks on London and Glasgow said he was relieved to have been cleared and denied any links to terrorist organisations. continue...

Doctor tells of his relief after being cleared of link to failed bomb plot

2007-07-30T19:23:00.001-05:00

Published: 30 July 2007

An Indian doctor questioned in Australia over the failed bomb attacks on London and Glasgow said he was relieved to have been cleared and denied any links to terrorist organisations. continue...

We Muslims are now guilty until proven innocent

2007-07-30T19:20:00.001-05:00

Of around 1,200 arrested under the Terrorism Act, just 41 have been convicted
Published: 30 July 2007

Since the al-Qa'ida attacks in 2001, Muslims living in Western countries have been forced into a pen of collective blame and pre-emptive culpability, including those who are most loyal. We are guilty unless proven innocent, a reversal of natural justice, but who cares? The net has to be thrown wide, and we understand that. But not why every time Muslims under suspicion are rounded up, the media goes berserk, slapping pictures across the pages, as if there is no need for due process. And when most of them are freed, the public is not told. Of around 1,200 arrested under the Terrorism Act, 41 have been convicted of terrorism offences and 183 of other crimes. About 700 have been released without charge. It is the way things have to be, and there is no point in raising objections. We must know our constrained place in these difficult times. continue...

We Muslims are now guilty until proven innocent

2007-07-30T19:19:00.000-05:00

Of around 1,200 arrested under the Terrorism Act, just 41 have been convicted
Published: 30 July 2007

http://www.pluralism.org/affiliates/student/jamal/index.php

2007-07-29T12:19:00.001-05:00

Muslims in America comprise a microcosm of the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, traditions, and practices that constitutes the global Muslim community.They participate in a multiplicity of adaptive processes to engage with the American context in which they are situated.Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in summer 2003, I explore how volunteerism among Nizari Ismailis and other Muslims in Houston, TX provides a lens to examine how they negotiate pluralism within their communities and in American society, and how they manage the intersection of religion, politics, and service in America

Zahra Jamal Pluralism Project at Harvard

Australian prosecutors drop terror charge against doctor

2007-07-27T07:49:00.001-05:00

AP
Published: 27 July 2007

Australia's chief prosecutor today dropped a terror charge against an Indian doctor accused of supporting last month's failed bomb attacks on London and Glasgow. continue...

"...and there's three guys and a chick after me."

2007-07-27T07:47:00.001-05:00

"...and there's three guys and a chick after me."

Girl: So you're saying there might be a chance?
Guy: Yeah...if her husband leaves her, I'm next in line.

--Lafayette St. at Cooper Square