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Friday, June 29th, 2007
11:04 am	Rogers Improves to 2-0 in 1st Home Start Rogers Improves to 2-0 in 1st Home Start Associated Press 06.28.07, 6:19 PM ET Popular Videos Extreme CEOs: Jones Soda Inside The $482,000 Mercedes McLaren 722 Sopranos' On the Hudson China's Growing Pains Red Hot Summer Gadgets Most Popular Stories The Saboteurs Of Search Europe's No Fly Zone Liz Claiborne Remembered Ten Trophy Home Must-Haves Six Capital Gains Faves From Dow Theory Back on the mound in Detroit, Kenny Rogers gave the Tigers another lift. He allowed one run over six innings in his first home start since shoulder surgery, leading the Tigers over the Texas Rangers 5-2 Thursday. "I don't go out there and expect to fail," Rogers said. "It was a good start, but it's only a start." Rogers (2-0) missed the first 12 weeks of the season after surgery to remove a blood clot from his throwing shoulder. When the left-hander returned last week, he gave up two hits in six shutout innings at Atlanta. This time, he allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one as Detroit stopped a two-game losing streak and remained a half-game ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central. "I was a little more comfortable in what I could do," Rogers said. It was his first start at Comerica (nyse: CMA - news - people ) Park since Oct. 22, when he pitched eight scoreless innings to win Game 2 of the World Series - the Tigers' only victory against St. Louis. "We had opportunities to do something, but he did what he always does," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "He got out of it." Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Rogers, who was 7-0 in starts after Detroit losses last season, wanted to keep throwing beyond the sixth. "But with 85 pitches and it being his second game back, I'm not going to get crazy," Leyland said. "He's kind of freaky, really. To be out that long and pick both sides of the plate apart. That's not easy to do." Chad Durbin pitched the eighth, and Todd Jones finished with a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances, completing a seven-hitter. Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer, his team-high 18th, in the seventh off reliever Scott Feldman, and Carlos Guillen had a two-run single in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games and his string of games with an RBI to 11. The latter is one shy of the club record shared by Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane and Rudy York. "He's locked in," Leyland said. "RarelyTemephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Agrochem Fiberglass do you ever see him throw an at-bat away." Kevin Millwood (4-7) gave up three runs, five hits and six walks in six innings, striking out six. "Aside from the walks, I thought this was the best that I've thrown the ball in a long time," said Millwood, who had won his prior two starts. "It's fun pitching against a team like this for the challenge But it's mentally and physically draining because no one in that lineup is an easy out." Sheffield came home with Detroit's first run in the fourth on Millwood's wild pitch, and Guillen's single boosted the lead to 3-0. Michael Young's sixth-inning sacrifice fly ended Rogers' 10 1-3-inning scoreless streak, and Sheffield's homer made it 5-1. Durbin gave up Sammy Sosa's sacrifice fly. Notes:@ Detroit's Magglio Ordonez extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a fourth-inning single. ... The game began 17 minutes late to accommodateFiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat a-bike bicycle power cord the umpiring crew, which arrived shortly before the game began because of difficulty leaving Atlanta. ... Detroit OF Craig Monroe was back in the lineup, a day after being scratched because of soreness in his left knee. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 27th, 2007
2:52 pm	Local program offers free ice cream to safe bike riders Local program offers free ice cream to safe bike riders ADVERTISEMENT News Section Sponsors Merchants Bank Winona Clinic Ashley Furniture HomeStore Audio Designs Winona National Bank Lewiston Auto Gordie's BP MN State College SE Technical Advertiser Directory Advertising Information STORY PHOTO Nathan Derks, 12, and Holden Bothun, 12, receive coupons for a free ice cream cone from Winona police officer Eric Mueller Monday for wearing a bicycle helmet while riding at Lake Park in Winona. (photo by Andrew Link/ Winona Daily News) By Kevin Behr / Winona Daily News . Wearing a bike helmet could save your life. In Winona, it can get you free ice cream. Throughout the summer, police officers and Winona AreaTemephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Agrochem Ambulance Service workers are handing coupons to anybody they see wearing a bicycle helmet ?kids and adults alike. The coupons are good for one free cone at the Winona Island Caf?on Johnson Street. Caf?owner Amy Engrav said this is the fourth year she’s handed out free cones in exchange for bicyclists being more safety conscious. “We want to make people aware how important bike helmets are for everybody,” said ambulance service employee Heather Grinsteinner. “If you get in an accident, you will be protected.” About 12 percent of the estimated 540,000 bicyclists who go to the emergency room each year suffer head injuries, according to the nonprofit Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. Winona police community liaison officer Kevin Kearney said some kids feel self conscious and don’t wear a helmet. This program helps kids understand the benefits. “I tell them I appreciate them wearing helmets,” Kearney said. “The fact they’re getting a gift out of it, they’re reinforced to do it.” The program isn’t just for kids; adults need to be reminded, too. Kearney remembered an elderly man who suffered serious injuries after he was hit by a vehicle last year. Kearney said the man would have been fine had he been wearing a helmet. More than 200 coupons for free cones have been printed and distributed to area ambulances and squad cars. Officers are on the lookout for people wearing their helmets. a-bike bicycle Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat The coupons are redeemable through September in case the recipient gets a coupon late in the summer, Grinsteinner said. Engrav said her shop doesn’t recover the cost of handing out hundreds of free cones, but doesn’t worry about the loss, saying it’s her way of giving back to the community. “These kids deserve a pat on the back,” she said. “And who doesn’t want ice cream in the summer?” (Comment on this)
2:47 pm	Bikers Rejoice: From BikeFest to Bike Lanes Bikers Rejoice: From BikeFest to Bike Lanes By: Julie Mickens June 27, 2007 “At the risk of sounding like an old-timer,” begins 30-year-oldTemephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole AgrochemErok Boerer, Bike Pittsburgh membership and project director, “when I first started riding in Pittsburgh, you would know pretty much every single person on a bike.” That was just 10 years ago. Now, Boerer says, “there are tons more and I hardly know any of them.” Despite Pittsburgh’s skinny roads and steep hills, cyclists’ numbers have been steadily chugging upward, with little official encouragement. This season brings an unprecedented number of major bike events and accomplishments to Pittsburgh, including BikeFest, a bike-recycling convention, new bike lanes, a new bike map and even a new bike bridge. All told, these events could make this summer a breakthrough season. So, leave off with the Evian-priced gasoline and stock up on chain grease – it’ll be a busy summer. BikeFest The anyone-and-everyone spirit of local biking is captured in Bike Pittsburgh’s own BikeFest, now in its third year, which kicks off June 29. BikeFest is BYOB-style “wiki-festival”: Anyone is invited to organize events and rides, as long as it has something to do with bikes. This year features a “bike-in” – like a drive-in -- movie, The Triplets of Belleville, which will screen on the lawn of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Other events include a swap meet at the REI store, the annual BikeFest party and an Underground Railroad historic sites tour. A Mural Ride on Sunday from 10 to 3 offers the chance to ride through numerous city neighbs, from Lawrenceville to Regent Square, Strip District and North Side, in a 35 mile ride to view the many Sprout-funded murals. And cyclists can meet and ride along with the 500 expected to arrive via the Allegheny Heritage Trail from D.C. “As far as I know, this format is unique to Pittsburgh,” says Scott Bricker, executive director of Bike Pittsburgh. Each past BikeFests have inspired about 50 events. To view the BikeFest schedule, click here. The Liberty Lanes Between the time this article was written and now when you’re reading it, the number of bike lanes in Pittsburgh will have doubled. True, “doubling” consists of going from one bike lane – on Beechwood Boulevard in Squirrel Hill – to two, with the new one on Bloomfield’s Liberty Avenue. Still, the increase is significant in a town where, a few years ago, plenty of people wrote off Pittsburgh’s streets as being bike-friendly at all. “Five years ago, what we’re doing would’ve been unheard of,” says Bike Pittsburgh founder David Hoffman. “The city has been strapped for cash, and bike lanes and the bike plan could’ve taken a back seat. We’ve gotten [city government] to agree that this is an access issue, a quality of life issue…” The second-ever Pittsburgh bike lane will stretch along Liberty from Herron Avenue to the Bloomfield Bridge. At the Bridge, the separately marked lanes will give way to innovative pavement markings nicknamed “sharrows” – as in share-the-road arrows -- that will be stenciled on Liberty from Ella to Baum Boulevard. Sharrow markings – which consist of a bike silhouette below two arrows – are used where the road’s width or active street parking makes a separate bike lane impossible. For drivers, they’re a visible reminder of bicyclists; meanwhile, they nudge cyclists away from parked cars to avoid getting “doored.” Efforts to designate new bike lanes in the city have been under painstaking discussion between city government and Bike Pittsburgh for at least two years. Recently, to the delight of many cyclists, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl embraced the development, making a celebratory ride on Liberty June 18th. “Adding the additional bike lines has been long overdue and we have a lot of catching up to do,” says Ravenstahl. “We hope to make cycling an easy venture in Pittsburgh. Let’s do everything we can to take away the obstacles!” Meanwhile, another work order is ready to go for an official bike lane on Greenfield Road, at the southern entrance to Schenley Park, says Patrick Hassett, assistant director of the city’s construction and engineering bureau. Though it will take time to identify more streets as bike routes, “the idea is to get these [two] bike lanes out there,” Hassett says, “and educate the motoring public that cyclists belong on the road.” Hot Metal Bridge Another route will open for cyclists this November, when construction finishes on the bike-ped span of the Hot Metal Bridge which connects Oakland, Greenfield and Hazelwood to the South Side. The completion of the span is another underdog win for cyclists, years in the making. After the vehicular portion of the bridge was finished in 2000, it seemed that the bike part would be an unfulfilled promise, especially given the beyond-tight city budget. Finally, in 2004, city planners and the Urban Redevelopment Authority found a way to shake the seat cushions and fund the modest bridge project, which is being executed by Brayman Construction of Saxonburg for $9.2 million. Cyclists can take special pride that their section of the historic span is the true "hot metal" bridge, the one that carried the steaming ingots from mill to mill. The vehicular portion was a railroad bridge. Cyclists get the bridge of industry; motorists the span of mere transportation. Map Quest On the heels of all this, BikePittsburgh volunteers will be combing the streets this summer to test a new city bicycling map, the first since 1991’s “Sophie Map,” nicknamed for then-mayor Sophie Masloff. “People have had to figure out for themselves” the best routes through the city, says Bike Pittsburgh executive director Scott Bricker. “We interviewed dozens and dozens of people” to come up with routes that would be the best balance of safety and convenience. The exact distribution channels are still being plotted, but Bike Pittsburgh members will receive a copy, and they'll also be available at bike shops, possibly the Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as in colleges’ new-student packs. Bike!Bike! Last but not least among the summer’s remarkable cycling line-up is the annual Bike!Bike! Community Bike Shop conference, hosted by volunteers from Pittsburgh’s Free Ride recycle-a-bike project, a Bike Pittsburgh partner program based in North Point Breeze. At Free Ride, volunteer mechanics help members of the public learn to build and fix bikes, in exchange for donations of volunteer time or cash. A few rebuilt and donated bikes are also available for sale. Organizers are expecting about 150 attendees to arrive in town this August, says Erok Boerer, “from all over the U.S., Canada, and maybe even Mexico and Guatemala.” With the goal of “improving one big wheel” rather than “reinventing many small ones” – according toa-bike bicycle Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat the Bike!Bike! Web site -- conference attendees will share strategies and advice on various types of community bicycle projects. The conference, which started in New Orleans, is now in its fourth year. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
10:30 am	Catching a Green Wave Catching a Green Wave by Wendy Priesnitz People who participate in action sports like skiing, surfing, snowboarding and BMX cycling can be among the first to notice polluted water and landscapes. However, these so-called extreme sports can cause problems for the environment, often using eco-unfriendly practices and materials. Surfing is a good example of the problems surrounding extreme sports. Surfers, who cultivate a groovy image that speaks of living simply on pristine beaches, are often made ill from navigating raw sewage discharged into oceans near their favorite beaches. On the other hand, the toxic nature of surfboard manufacturing, which has included urethane, fiberglass and polyester resin, has become a well-known downside to the sport. In 2005, the primary supplier of polyurethane foam 揵lanks?for surfboards went out of business, rumored to be under investigation for poor environmental practices and having been sued by the widow of a former worker, who claimed her husband died from exposure to toluene diisocyanate at the factory. The company抯 demise created a temporary inconvenience and price hike for surfers; it has also spurred innovation into the use of alternative materials for surfboard construction. Some manufacturers have been using epoxy resins in place of polyester resins, resulting in about 75 percent fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs.) Epoxy resin has made the use of polystyrene possible, which can be, theoretically at least, recycled. Other companies have developed boards that use a woven bamboo mat in place of fiberglass cloth. Hemp is being pursued as another alternative component of eco-friendly surfboards. Some users claim hemp-based surfboards are as good, if not better, than fibreglas ones. In 2006, a company based in Nicaragua and the UK, called Ocean Green, won an award for green surfboard manufacturing with its EcoFoil boards, which are made in a Fair Trade environment entirely from natural materials like FSC-certified sustainably forested balsa wood and organically grown hemp cloth. No matter what the impact of the board, a surfer needs clean beaches at which to surf. And that抯 the aim of the Surfrider Foundation, an organization founded in 1984 in California by four surfers determined to protect their favorite surfing area from a proposed seawall. It now has over 50,000 volunteers in the USA who are devoted to protecting the planet抯 coastal zones. In addition, International Surfrider Foundation chapters and affiliates have been established in many other countries including Europe, Brazil, Australia and Japan. Chapters are currently being organized on Canada抯 west coast as well. Projects include taking its Respect the Beach program to schools, doing water quality monitoring and citizen-based coastal mapping. It has also created the Snowrider Project to give snowboarders and skiers a vehicle for environmental activism. Skiers and snowboarders are well positioned to notice environmental problems. On the same day last winter, a practice run in Colorado for a World Cup ski event was cancelled because of too much snow while another World Cup event in France was cancelled on account of too little snow. And the highest ski slope on the planet, Bolivia抯 Chacaltaya, will soon be unskiable for lack of snow. Those who can no longer find places to engage in their high intensity skiing or snowboarding habit may find themselves using the warmer climate for skateboarding. However, that抯 another action sport that needs to green up its act. Skateboarding抯 main problem is that it uses a lot of wood. An estimated 200,000 thousand new wood decks for skateboarding events are built every month. Skateboarders often compete on a 50-foot-high wooden ramp that lets them take flight. In an attempt to salvage some of that wood, an organization called the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) unites athletes, celebrities and corporate sponsors such as Stonyfield Farm in recycling the ramps. Over the last two years, ASEC has sponsored the 揋ive Back Good Wood for the Hood? program, which dismantles the wooden skateboarding ramps used at such events as the X-Games and re-creates skateboarding parks in disadvantaged neighborhoods. ASEC was, in fact, co-founded by a skateboarder, none other than world champion Bob Burnquist, who is also an organic farmer and grass roots environmentalist. As well as skateboarders, ASEC involves other members of the sports action community such as surfers, snowboarders and BMX bikers in promoting ecological responsibility in their various sports. Another summer action sport is paddling ?in kayaks, outrigger canoes, paddleboards or other assorted vessels. Paddling leaps into the extreme sports realm at the Molokai Race in Hawaii, a 32-kilometer journey on what has been called one of the most treacherous spans of ocean in the world. Japanese athlete Takuji Araki participates every year and is the only athlete to take part in four different competitions, including surf skiing. Every year, Takuji flies the Ecoflag, a symbol of the commitment of sports enthusiasts worldwide to the environment. The Ecoflag is a global initiative, run by the Global Sports Alliance, based in Japan and supported by the United Nations Environment Program. Over 6,000 of the flags now fly at sporting events around the world as a symbol of the athletes?commitment to the environment. Extreme sports began as a southern California alternative phenomenon favored by young, idealistic rebels, well suited to caring about the environment. But now it抯 become big business, with the corporate world perceiving it as a vehicle for marketing to the important 18- to 25-year-old male demographic. And now, the pinnacle of participation in the action sports world is the X Games. Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass MatLaunched in 1995 by sports broadcaster ESPN (which is owned by ABC/Disney) and held in Los Angeles in August (there are also winter Games,) the X Games have jumped on the environmental bandwagon and have been declaring themselves in recent years to be 搕he world抯 greenest action sports event.?nbsp; And they are trying, with the help of Greenpeace and the ASEC. The X Games Environmentality?program focuses on preventing pollution, purchasing sustainable materials and reducing waste. Among the eco-friendly changes has been a switch to the use of FSC-certified wood for the competition ramps used by skateboarders, BMX bike riders and in-line skaters. In addition, athlete trading cards are printed on 100 percent recycled paper that抯 processed without chlorine, the sound system is powered by a solar bus and recyclables are sorted out of the garbage bins. Wind power credits provide a source of renewable energy and last summer抯 Games were carbon neutral through the use of emissions offsets. To honor participating athletes, 700 trees were planted in support of preventing pollution. In the staff catering area,a-bike bicycle power cord utensils, plates and cups made from biodegradable materials, such as corn, sugarcane, and paper were provided. 揟he ESPN X Games attracts a young demographic, and that puts us in a terrific position to lead by example in increasing environmental education and awareness for future generations,?says Chris Stiepock, X Games General Manager. 揙ur sports depend on a healthy Alnico SmCo environment, and we抮e proud of our efforts to preserve natural resources in any way we can.?/font> (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
3:56 pm	Airbus lands big orders as Paris Air Show opens Airbus lands big orders as Paris Air Show opens By Julie Johnsson Tribune staff reporter Published June 19, 2007 PARIS — Airbus SAS is back in the game. Or at least that was the message company officials sought to send Monday as they kicked off the Paris Air Show by announcing a series of airplane orders, including one for 92 jets worth $10 billion from US Airways. Chicago-based Boeing Co. battled right up to the eve of the show but failed to win the US Airways order, the largest made by a U.S. network carrier since the aviation market collapsed in 2001. John Leahy, chief operating officer for Airbus, the European plane manufacturer, said the deal wasn't finalized until Thursday night. "I think we've got some momentum going for the rest of the week," Leahy added. Airbus' chalet, a temporary center built for the show at the edge of the runway at Le Bourget, a hamlet north of Paris, was chaotic Monday. Company officials announced new deals every hour or so to a room that featured a buffet and overflowed with journalists and analysts. Aircraft roared outside during an afternoon flying demonstration. In contrast, Boeing's temporary quarters seemed tranquil. The American aerospace giant has said it will no longer engage in sales contests with Airbus at the annual air shows, which alternate between France and England. Boeing's presence also seemed muted. ItFiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat didn't bring in any jetliners for display at the show and is aiming its media blitz for the rollout of the first 787 Dreamliner early next month, officials said. Leahy, the master Airbus salesman, took advantage of the situation, stepping into the spotlight. With the series of aircraft orders from industry leaders such as Air France, GE Commercial Aviation Services, Emirates Airline and US Airways, he signaled that Airbus is recovering from the production and management turmoil that have dominated headlines for the past year, analysts said. "It was very important. It was crucial," said Richard Aboulafia, aviation analyst with the Teal Group, of Airbus' fast start to the show. "If they hadn't gotten many firm orders here, it perhaps would've meant another trip back to the drawing boards [for the A350 XWB]." US Airways was one of three customers to sign up for the A350, Airbus' answer to Boeing's hot-selling 787 Dreamliner and long-range 777-series jets. Qatar Airways also announced it was purchasing 80 A350s, as well as three more A380 superjumbo jets. Alafco, a Kuwait-based aircraft leasing and finance company, also announced 12 orders for the jet, as well as seven A320s, Airbus' popular single-aisle plane designed to fly shorter distances. All three companies had agreed to purchase an earlier version of the plane that was smaller and less expensive. The fact they've agreed to buy the latest iteration of the A350 is a vote of confidence in Airbus and the technology it plans to employ in the plane, analysts said. The latest version, unveiled last year, which will feature a carbon-fiber fuselage attached to an aluminumLouis Vuitton a-bike bicycle frame, has been greeted with skepticism by some in the industry. US Airways chose the aircraft after looking long and hard at the Dreamliner, which Boeing officials now say is sold out through 2015. "We looked at all the facts," said Andrew Nocella, a senior power cord Epoxiconazolevice president with the Arizona-based carrier. "We think the A350 is the right machine at the right time for US Airways (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
2:01 pm	U.S. Open Notebook: Defending champion praises 'hardest course' U.S. Open Notebook: Defending champion praises 'hardest course' Wednesday, June 13, 2007 By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy had high praise for the Oakmont Country Club course and, like most of the golfers this week, talked about how difficult it will be. He said that most of the difficulty is because of the way the course is being set up for the Open. "Difficulty?" Ogilvy said. "It all depends on how you set it up and where you put pin positions. You could set this golf course up easy if you wanted to -- I know the members don't like to hear that -- but if you put the pins on the low parts of the green and had the rough playable, there would be quite a lot of birdies out there." Unfortunately for the golfers this week, the rough at Oakmont is mostly unplayable and the pins will not be easy to get to. "When the pins are on the high parts of the greens where you can't get anywhere near and the rough is like it is, this could be the hardest golf course in the world with no wind," said Ogilvy, who shot an 83 and lost two balls during a practice round last week. "You know, with no wind involved, it is incredible how hard this golf course can play." Fair hole The par-3 eighth hole could play as long as 288 yards, which would make it the longest par 3 in U.S. Open history. The fairness of a par 3 that plays that long has been discussed at length this week, but Ogilvy believes the green actually makes the hole one of the best opportunities for a birdie. "It is going to average less over par than probably 15 other holes out there," Ogilvy said. "It is probably the flattest green on the course. It is going to be one of the easier holes for the week. There are a lot harder holes than that one. It is not what I have as a par 3, but it is not unfair." Hit it straight The course will play 7,230 yards, making it the second-longest course in U.S. Open history and 284 yards longer than it was in 1984. Length, however, is not the issue for most of the golfers. It's the rough, which is goes from 13/4 inches in the first cut to 5 inches in the second cut of primary rough. Ernie Els said yesterday that the rough is so unplayable in some places that it will be impossible to make a par if you get into it. "If you go into the rough, here, you're just not going to get it to the green," he said. "[Monday] I hit a drive down 18 and it ran off the fairway, not into the high stuff but the stuff just off the fairway, and from there, I couldn't get it to the green. That is basically what you're going to have. You have to keep it in play and just hope for the best." Praying for rain? Many of the players remarked that the course is actually playing about five to seven strokes easier this week than last week, mostly because it rained over the weekend and that slowed the greens and the fairways. Els said the condition of the course will dictate the strategy for many golfers, particularly when it comes to hitting the ball off the tee. "If we have some rain, it will put the driver in play on quite a few more holes," Els said. "If it stays the way it is now where the ball is running, I'm going to play conservatively off the tee and get myself in the fairway. It is really a second-shot course in many ways but you've got to get yourself in play and then get the right lines into the greens. "I really can't see the longer hitters using the driver more than 50 percent of the time." Tiger, Phil fan NBC's Johnny Miller, who won the 1973 U.S. Open with a record 63 in the final round at Oakmont, said the rivalry between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods is good for golf because both are special talents. "Those kinds of players come along once every ten years," Miller said. "Phil is the most interesting guy in the world to watch and to cover on TV because he tries a lot of things that are just like, 'Wow, is this going to be fun to talk about.' And then Tiger hits it in spots he does -- he does things like nobody since Arnold Palmer did. And when he is on his game, he sets the standards for everyone." No Tiger today If you want to watch Woods play, you will have to wait till his 8:06 a.m. starting time on Thursday. Woods said he will not play a practice round today, preferring instead to hit balls and putt. Woods was signed up to play a practice round with Rory Sabbattini, the player who said Woods looked "as beatable as ever" last month at The Players Championship. Playoff idea Miller was asked about the U.S. Open's playoff format, which is a full round of 18 holes played the day after the final round. He said he isn't a fan of the 18-hole playoff because taking the tournament an extra day is somewhat "anti-climatic," but he's not sure what is the best way to break a tie. "I think a six-hole playoff would be nice, or even a [four-hole] playoff like the British," he said. "You've got plenty of time in four holes to see who is choking, I can tell you that. One hole is no good, obviously. But, if I were running the Open, I wouldn't change anything because it is a part of history." Different philosophy The church pews bunker is part of the mystique of Oakmont and is difficult to hit from. Many golfers, including Els, said they practiced hitting some balls out of the church pews from different angles during the practice rounds -- just in case. One golfer who hasn't and won't go into the church pews is Woods. "I don't really think that you should be practicing negativity," Woods said. "You're not going to place the ball there and if you do make a mistake there, you just basically are going to wedge out anyway. Just accept your mistake and move on. I'm practicing where I'm trying to place the ball." Brave Ben In the vortex of Steelers Country, Ohioan Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, wore his hometown colors yesterday -- those of the bitter rival Cleveland Browns. Curtis had a visor and shirt with the Browns' logo and, as he made his way through his practice round, the 30-year-old Stow, Ohio, native and former Kent State golfer encountered more than a few jeers from Steelers diehards. How quickly we forget. Steelers fans should remember that Curtis woreAlnico SmCo Agrochem Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat Infrared sauna Hot tub Replica Rolex Rolex Replica a Steelers visor and shirt during the final round of his 84 Lumber Classic title-winning effort last year. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007
10:59 am	Spector Jury Hears Clarkson Letters Spector Jury Hears Clarkson Letters By LINDA DEUTSCH 06.04.07, 8:55 PM ET Popular Videos SmCo Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat a-bike bicycle Louis Vuitton Sneak Peek At Microsoft's Surface Lindsay Lohan's Promises Thousand Dollar Cocktails Stock Of The Week: Tyco Troubles Long Gone The Download On SpaceBook Most Popular Stories Genes Of The Rich And Famous Green Bush? Sirius Is Sucking A Lot Less VW Slams Door On Proton Decoding Your DNA Destiny Letters and e-mails written by the woman whom music producer Phil Spector is accused of killing say she was "at the end of my rope" and expressed despondency about her acting career. But the judge in Spector's murder trial rejected an attempt by the music producer's lawyers to introduce Lana Clarkson's writings about living in a home where an actress committed suicide in the 1930s. Spector's defense team used the e-mails and letters in cross-examining a deputy medical examiner, Dr. Louis Pena, about his finding that Clarkson's death from a gunshot fired in her mouth was a homicide, not a suicide. Pena said he did not see most of the material, and when questioned about most of it, he said it would not have changed his opinion. Clarkson, an actress best known for her role in Roger Corman's 1985 cult classic "Barbarian Queen," was 40 when she died in Spector's foyer after going home with him on Feb. 3, 2003. Clarkson's letters to friends and a doctor in preceding months were read aloud by a defense attorney. They included the phrases "I'm at the end of my rope here" and "I was at the end of my tether." To one friend she wrote, "You know me, Polly Positive. But (expletive) this year has been the worst. I began to question my talent." Letters and medical records indicated she was plagued by constant headaches and for a time could not function because of them. She had also been on strong prescription narcotic medications but in her later communications said she had discontinued them and had stopped drinking. She also wrote at one point, "This has been definitely the most difficult year of my life. My finances are a shambles and I am on the verge of losing everything." Clarkson also wrote about how in late 2001 she broke both wrists, getting 22 fractures, was hospitalized and was on disability for an extended period. Prosecutor Alan Jackson read the entirety of the letters and e-mails, saying they needed to be placed in context. "I really feel like I'm losing it. I'm kind of feeling like giving up the dream and therefore the struggle," said one letter. Jackson asked Pena whether that sounded like an actress contemplating giving up career goals rather than suicide. Pena said yes. Questioning Pena, the prosecutor sought to show jurors that Clarkson had a positive outlook before her death. In January 2003, Clarkson had been hired for an infomercial, she provided her agent with new information about herself to submit for TV pilots and she was supposed to be the master of ceremonies for a House of Blues employee party on Feb. 4, 2003. Jackson also noted that four days before her death she wrote to a friend about her nightclub job, saying, "I'm enjoying it. I'm also dealing with a bunch of drunk idiots but that comes with the territory." Earlier, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, clearly peeved, rejected the defense team's attempt to use what they claim are diary-like writings of a suicidal vision taken from Clarkson's computer. Spector's lawyers described the manuscript as including accounts of her having visions of a dead actress who killed herself with a gun. Fidler had indicated Friday that he likely would allow the material. After reading the document during the weekend, he returned to court with a stern expression and said that what he found in the manuscript was so different from the defense characterizations that he checked to see if he had the right document. He read aloud the passage about the dead actress, which showed Clarkson had found the account in a book about the history of Hollywood. And rather than visions, there was a description of seeing shadows pass a window. "I don't consider anything in this particular document to be significant," Fidler concluded after allowing the defense to try to substantiate its claims. Fidler said he would consider allowing the defense to introduce the material when it calls its own experts, but not to cross-examine the coroner. Spector, 67, the producer who rose to fame with the hit-making "Wall of Sound" recording technique in the 1960s, is accused of murdering Clarkson, whose body was found slumped in a chair in the foyer of his mansion. Clarkson had met him for the first time at her job as a hostess in a VIP room at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed (Comment on this)
9:22 am	Taylor boycotts start of his war crimes trial Taylor boycotts start of his war crimes trial · Liberia's ex-leader claims he will not get fair hearing · Conflict ugliest in living memory, says prosecutor David Pallister Tuesday June 5, 2007 The Guardian Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, failed to appear at the opening of his trial for war crimes in The Hague yesterday, with his English lawyer walking out of the court after a furious row with the presiding judge. The prolonged disruption, coupled with embarrassing procedural confusions, delayed the first ever trial of a former African head of state for crimes against humanity. During the civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone, between 1996 and 2002, it is alleged that Mr Taylor supported the main rebel group there, the Revolutionary United Front, in order to exploit the country's resources, especially diamonds, which were used to buy guns and ammunition. He is accused of having directed child soldiers, fuelled with drugs and alcohol, to kill their parents in a conflict that saw tens of thousands of murders, mutilations and rapes. Article continues -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr Taylor's counsel, Karim Khan, who was repeatedly threatened with contempt by Justice Julia Sebutinde, said he had been sacked because his client had lost confidence in the ability of the UN-backed court to give him a fair trial. The former warlord remained in his cell at the Scheveningen high security prison, 20 minutes away, where he has been held for the past year. In a letter read out by Mr Khan, Mr Taylor said that he recognised the court but - in an echo of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who frustrated the efforts of war crimes prosecutors for more than four years - wanted to represent himself. The judge repeatedly interrupted Mr Khan's reading of the letter, saying: "We are not interested in political speeches." She directed Mr Khan to continue to represent Mr Taylor: "You don't just get up and waltz out of here. Sanity will return to this court," she said. Mr Khan replied: "I must, and I do, apologise." At the end of the day, however, the judge conceded that Mr Taylor's legal team had not been given proper facilities, and that the blame for any delay lay with the court administration. Setting out the broad charges against the former president, the chief prosecutor, Stephen Rapp, said the war in Sierra Leone was one of the "ugliest in living memory - the very worst of what human beings are capable to do to one another". Mr Taylor had engaged in a joint criminal plan to terrorise the people of Sierra Leone and bring death and destruction to that country. With an inner circle of colleagues bearing nicknames such as Jungle, Superman, Baddie and Mosquito, his forces had forced women and girls to be sex slaves, pressed captured villagers into forced labour, recruited and corrupted children and looted and destroyed property. But the most horrifying charges were the mutilations. The court was told that the Taylor-backed forces would attack villages and kill at random. Then "the attackers would mutilate - amputating arms, limbs, gouging eyes - with children conscripted by the attackers killing their own parents", he said. Giving more detail, Muhammad Bangula, the prosecuting attorney, told the court that hundreds of boys and girls were abducted as child soldiers after raids on their villages. They were taken to training camps where the conditions were "harsh beyond measure". The children would be made to crawl on the ground while live bullets flew over their heads. Those that survived were given military ranks, organised into the Small Boys' Units and the Small Girls' Unit, and sent into battle. Mr Taylor does not deny that these events took place, but argues that he was not responsible for them and did not order others to carry them out. But several of his closest associates are due to give evidence against him in return for immunity. He has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted. The UK has offered to jail him if he is found guilty. This was part of the complex diplomatic efforts to move the trial to The Hague as it was felt that a trial in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, could destabilise the region. After leading a brutal rebel guerrilla campaign in Liberia, Mr Taylor was elected president in 1997. His autocratic rule led to further insurgencies and he was forced out of office in 2003. He sought refuge in Nigeria, but fled to the Cameroon border whenSmCo Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat a-bike bicycle Liberia's new president, Ellen Shirleaf Johnson, asked for his extradition. He was arrested after US pressure and handed over for trial. The next hearing is due on June 25, with evidence from the first of more than 130 witnesses. The trial is expected to last up to 18 months. (Comment on this)
Friday, June 1st, 2007
2:56 pm	Using a pressure washer to clean the roof Using a pressure washer to clean the roof Sunday, May 13, 2007 DEAR TIM: My home's roof needs to be cleaned. I have a newer asphalt shingle roof, but parts of it are getting covered with moss, lichens and algae. It is really distressing as it makes my house look like it is being neglected. Is a pressure washer a great tool for cleaning roof shingles? Will it remove all of this growth? A neighbor told me a pressure washer would ruin my shingles. Are there other cleaning alternatives? Once the roof is clean, how do I prevent the stuff from coming back? -- Tom B., Whittier, N.C. DEAR TOM: Welcome to the world of organic chemistry. I'll bet the north-, northwest-, and possibly west-facing sections of your roof are the ones that look bad, while the remaining parts look like new. What's more, my guess is that the parts of your roof that are the worst get shade from some large trees. I know this, because I have exactly the same problem as you do. Parts of my roof look like the Amazon rainforest. Spores are broadcast by the wind, dropped from trees and delivered by birds to a roof surface. The abundant water you get from periodic rainfall fuels the growth of the moss, lichens and algae. Since the north, northwest and west sections of your roof stay in the shade during the early part of each day, the dew that develops on the roof at night does not evaporate quickly. This morning moisture quenches the thirst of the mini-vegetable garden up on your roof. The other sections of your roof dry too quickly and the moss, lichens and algae die of thirst. RELATED LINKS Recent real estate transactions Real Estate tools Real Estate Forum * * * DWELLINGS DANIELLE P. RHICHARDS/ THE RECORD Each week The Record features an interesting North Jersey Home in the Dwellings column. This week's home is a art lover's sanctuary in Cresskill. Read about this home Photo Gallery (Please disable pop-up blocker.) Archive: Previous Dwellings homes Like you, I have also heard urban legends about pressure washers causing permanent damage to asphalt roof shingles. I know for a fact that pressure washers can damage concrete, so it would seem plausible that they would harm shingles. But I wanted to try it just to be sure. Since I know how to replace one or more roof shingles quickly and easily, I decided to test my own roof. I figured it would be an especially good test subject since it is now 20 years old and at the end of its useful life. I also decided to test some new shingles to see if the pressure washer blasted away many or all of the colored granules. The shingle-cleaning test started with a gasoline-powered pressure washer that develops 2,500 pounds per square inch of pressure while delivering 2.4 gallons of water per minute. I equipped the pressure washer spray wand with a 25-degree tip. This tip is used for general-purpose cleaning. The results of the test were astonishing. I was able to remove all of the moss, lichens, algae and 20 years of dirt with the pressure washer. No damage whatsoever was done to the asphalt shingles. I started with the spray wand tip about 12 inches from the surface of the shingles and aimed the wand down the roof. I didn't get any noticeable cleaning results at this distance. But once I slowly lowered the wand to within 6 inches of the shingles, the organic growth started to disappear. I recommend that you carefully clean just one shingle, and then stop working and inspect the shingle for damage. Walk to another part of your roof where the shingles look great to see if the clean shingle looks just like the freshly cleaned shingle. Rest assured you will readily spot damage. If you see small or large patches of solid black or fiberglass mesh, you are ruining your roof. You can use a regular garden hose and a scrub brush to clean your roof. It will be an enormous amount of work, to say the least. Always point the garden hose or pressure washer wand down the roof. Never point it up the roof, as water can be driven up under the shingles, Alnico SmCo Agrochem SmCo Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat a-bike bicyclecreating massive leaks inside your home. Once the roof is cleaned, you can keep it looking like new by installing strips of copper at the top of the roof. You need about 2 to 3 inches of copper exposed along the ridgeline. If your roofer had installed shingles that contained invisible copper-coated granules, you would not have to do any of this work. The slow release of copper on the roof surface prevents the growth of moss, lichens and algae. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
1:21 pm	WTC insurers agree to $US2b settlement WTC insurers agree to $US2b settlement Email Print Normal font Large font May 24, 2007 - 10:04AM Advertisement AdvertisementSeven insurers have agreed to pay an additional $US2 billion ($A2.44 billion) to resolve all outstanding insurance claims from the September 11, 2001, destruction of the World Trade Center, speeding redevelopment at Ground Zero, New York State officials announced on Wednesday. The insurance companies include Allianz, Employers Insurance of Wausau, Royal Indemnity, Swiss Re and its Industrial Risk Insurers affiliate, Travelers and Zurich Financial Services, Governor Eliot Spitzer and Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo said. The amount each is paying is confidential. Wednesday's settlement ends more than five years of litigation between the insurers and Larry Silverstein, the site's developer. Officials consider the settlement the last major obstacle to redevelop Ground Zero. Wrangling over the size of the payouts, together with questions about design and security, have slowed the rebuilding process. Spitzer said Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, will now be able to obtain financing needed to rebuild "in a way that will make all New Yorkers proud and fuel the revitalization of Lower Manhattan." In a statement, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also praised the parties, calling the pact a "major step" toward redevelopment. Courts had previously awarded Silverstein's firm, Fiberglass Fiberglass Mesh Fiberglass Mat wow powerleveling wow power leveling wow power leveling wow powerleveling a-bike bicycle Silverstein Properties, only about two-thirds the $US7 billion ($A8.52 billion) it had sought from insurers. Silverstein had claimed that the two planes that struck the Twin Towers constitutes two separate insurance events, entitling him to twice the payout. But a federal appeals court last October upheld jury findings that some insurers could treat the attack as a single event, while others would have to treat it as two events, depending on the wording of their policies. Silverstein had been awarded a maximum Alnico SmCo Agrochem Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Fiberglass$US4.68 billion ($A5.7 billion) and had collected on about half that amount, leaving the rest in dispute. Elected officials pushed to rebuild Ground Zero swiftly to ensure New York City did not lose its standing as a global financial hub. It wasn't until April 2006 that construction restarted on the site's centerpiece, the $US3 billion ($A3.65 billion) Freedom Tower. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
1:30 pm	US troops erect more walls in Baghdad US troops erect more walls in Baghdad The US military is erecting tall concrete walls to protect five Baghdad neighborhoods in a new strategy that some residents said would isolate them from other communities and sharpen sectarian tensions. The US military said the intention was to protect the residential areas from gunmen as part of a security crackdown, seen as a final attempt to halt all-out civil war between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs. "We are not sealing off neighborhoods, we are controlling access to them. It's a tactic, it's not a change in strategy to divide Baghdad along sectarian lines," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Scott Bleichwehl said yesterday. The announcement that more "gated communities" are being built in the Iraqi capital came after the US military said last week it was putting a 5-km cement wall around a Sunni enclave in the city. Concrete barriers up to 3.5 metres tall are being built around Adhamiya, a mainly Sunni Arab area that is surrounded on three sides by Shi'ite communities. Traffic control points manned by Iraqi soldiers would be the only way in and out of Adhamiya once the wall was finished. "The intent is not to divide the city along sectarian lines," Brigadier General John Campbell, deputy commanding general for American forces in Baghdad, said in a statement. "The intent is to provide a more secured neighborhood for people who live in selected neighborhoods. Some of the people who I've talked to have had favorable comments about it, and they want us to build some of them faster." Um Othman, 45, a teacher, said residents in Adhamiya regarded the concrete barriers as an "isolating wall". "It will be like Palestine. The people of Adhamiya and neighboring districts have mutual historical relations, like religious festivals and marriage," she said. Ziad Tariq, 38, a coach at an athletic club in Adhamiya, said walling off the area would deepen sectarian divisions. "It will affect national reconciliation," he said. Baghdad is already largely divided along sectarian lines after the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra in February 2006 sparked a wave of violence that reshaped the city's fabric. Source: China Daily/Louis Vuitton Replica Louis Vuitton Agrochem Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Alnico SmCo Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Watches Watches Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Watches Rolex Swiss Rolex Replica Breitling Watches Cartier Watches Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Rolex (Comment on this)
1:22 pm	Sarkozy, Royal renew campaign hostilities after vote triumph Sarkozy, Royal renew campaign hostilities after vote triumph (AFP) 23 April 2007 PARIS - French presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal renewed political hostilities on Monday within hours of winning places in the second round election showdown. Both staked out their positions after the first round results were announced late Sunday and were to start a gruelling new series of campaign meetings on Monday. With the election first round attracting a near record turnout of 84.6 percent, right winger Sarkozy led the field with 31.11 percent of the vote, while socialist Royal followed on 25.84 percent. Centrist candidate Francois Bayrou came a distant third on 18.55 percent, while the far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen was fourth on 10.51 percent. None of the other candidates gained more than five percent, according to final figures from the interior ministry. Olivier Besancenot (Trotskyite) won 4.11 percent, Gerard Schivardi (Trotskyite) 0.34 percent, Arlette Laguiller (Trotskyite) 1.34 percent, anti-globalisation campaigner Jose Bove 1.32 percent, Green party candidate Dominique Voynet 1.57 percent and Communist leader Marie-George Buffet 1.94 percent. The Catholic nationalist Philippe de Villiers won 2.24 percent, and Frederic Nihous, candidate of the hunters’ party, secured 1.15 percent. The figures do not include the ballots of about 820,000 French voters overseas, which will be published later in the day. The deciding left-right finale to find a successor to President Jacques Chirac will be on May 6. An opinion poll by IPSOS after the first round predicted Sarkozy would beat Royal by 54 percent to 46 in the run-off, and Sarkozy appeared confident at party headquarters in Paris. “My dear compatriots, I want only one thing: to gather the French people around a new French dream,” he said to wild cheers. The tough-talking former interior minister has promised a “clean break” from France’s political consensus, pledging to reduce the number of state employees, restrict trade union powers and liberalise the economy by cutting taxes. Royal, aiming to become France’s first woman president, pledged to be the champion of those who want to change France “without brutalising it”. She told supporters at a post-election rally in western France: ”We have a clear choice between two, very different projects for society. “I call on all those who believe it is possible to reform France without brutalising it, who want a triumph of human values over the stock market, who want an end to the painful rise of insecurity and precarity, to come together.” Her campaign has concentrated on promises to change France without unravelling its generous social model. The two will put their starkly different visions to a public test in a face-to-face televised debate on May 2. Before then, the Sarkozy camp said that the Union for a Popular Movement leader would appear in Dijon on Monday and Rouen on Tuesday and have a series of television appearances this week around more public campaign events. The Socialist Party was also organising a rally for Royal on Monday and she was to be in Montpellier on Tuesday and Lyon on Thursday. Royal’s result was a huge relief for the opposition Socialist Party which had feared a repeat of the 2002 shock when then prime minister Lionel Jospin was humiliatingly knocked out of the race in the first round by far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. This time Le Pen was in shock after he came in fourth, behind Sarkozy, Royal and the centrist Francois Bayrou Le Pen admitted he had made an “error of judgment” after his worst performance since his first election campaign in 1974. Analysts say this fifth election campaign is likely to be his last, though the 78-year-old National Front leader refused to say what his plans were. Five far-left candidates evicted in round one urged their supporters to vote for Royal against right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy. They had a combined score of 10 percent on Sunday. But Sarkozy and Royal will both go all out to court the more than 18 percent of the electorate who backed Bayrou in the first round. Though his small Union for French Democracy (UDF) party has for years been allied to the right, the first round campaign saw Bayrou veer leftwards. Socialist elder statesman Michel Rocard has called for a pact between Royal and Bayrou to form an anti-Sarkozy front for round two. France is picking a successor to the 74-year-old Chirac, who has been president since 1995. Amid widespread agonising over how to adapt to globalisation and attack high unemployment, the election has become the latest centre of debate over the country’s future. French editorialists applauded the massive turnout Sunday and said the prospect of a clear left-right battle between Sarkozy and Royal was a sign of democratic renewal. Jean-Marie Colombani, editor-in-chief of Le Monde newspaper, said the high turnout showed that the French had undergone a ”democratic awakening” and that “people wanted to wipe out the memory” of Le Pen’s success in 2002. Christophe Barbier, editor of L’Express news magazine, said Sarkozy should have the advantage on May 6, counting on carry-over votes from Le Pen and Bayrou. “But nothing is decided. Segolene Royal has one important weapon: the “Anyone but Sarko’ option. We can expect a second round which brings out all his character faults and ideological excesses.” Rolex Replica Rolex Louis vuitton Replica Louis Vuitton Infrared sauna Hot tub Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Rolex Watches Watches Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Swiss Rolex Replica Breitling Watches Cartier Watches power cord power cord Fiberglass Fiberglass Tissue Fiberglass Mesh (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 19th, 2007
10:00 am	Is Cho Seung-Hui the only one to blame? Is Cho Seung-Hui the only one to blame? Alan E. Moses author's email author's web site view author's other articles Join this author's mailing list Your Name: E-mail Address: Alan E. Moses April 18, 2007 As America reels from the tragedy on the Virginia Tech campus. The questions abound as to how this could have happened? Is it a gun control issue? Is it another lone nut that lost his sense of reality as some suggest? Or are we ignoring something that seems to be a connection to situations like this? We all remember the Columbine massacre in Colorado. This was two young men that went on a killing spree without any sense of reason. The killing appeared to be done randomly just as Virginia Tech. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a rampage that left us stunned as there never was a clear cut cause. The media first played it as they were outsiders and didn’t feel that they belonged. Further investigation has shown us that this was not true. Eric Harris suffered from depression and obsessive ways (OCD) while Klebold was your classic follower and sought a leader to give him self identity. An Autopsy found that Harris was taking his prescribed medication as directed. Fluvoxamine was found at therapeutic levels in his blood stream. This drugs intent was to regulate the serotonin levels within his brain and to relieve his symptoms. It was his brains dysfunction that caused his serotonin levels need to be regulated. This neurotransmitter has been identified as a contribution to depression, irritability, personality changes and many other neurological disorders. The cause or causes as to why this happens can be associated with neurotoxins. A neurotoxin can be a chemical or heavy metal that causes negative chemical reactions within man. These toxins can be found everywhere from food to the air that we breath and all things in between. Determining what caused the damage or when done is almost impossible. Our scientific and medical community only seems to attempt to find symptom relievers. This might be due to the fact that the true causes are so many and profit is the American way. The sketchy details about Cho Seung-Hui have revealed a troubled past. His depression and inability or unwillingness to speak to others is well noted. Recent reports show that this has not changed since his high school days. The only clue that he had violent thoughts was within his writings that spoke of sexual abuse and hatred towards male figures. This was someone who majored in English in college and was in his senior year however the two plays that are reported to be his are written at the 4th or 5th grade level. This was a young man that was living within his own world. He did not acknowledge others as he acted as though he heard nothing. The world only was as big as he allowed and only included what he wished. The signs of a major problem were there yet those that attempted to intervene where told that nothing could be done. And so we see where this has gone. This young man was ill and it was up to this ill person to seek help. The news media has called Cho a loser, crazy and hater. Something that shows just how we as a nation treat those that suffer from diseases and disorders that we don’t understand. We have the unfortunate history of doing this with those of different races, religions and political views. And this only harms these people further. Once we saw that his family was not what you consider poor the “Rich Kids” statement didn’t seem to fit what he claimed as a reason to kill others and himself. This was a sign of confusion as reality was leaving Cho’s ability to process the truth. His family runs a dry cleaning business and this might be a place to start. What chemicals are used in the dry cleaning process? Could this be another mass murder with serotonin malfunction? Are we poisoning ourselves and just too stubborn to lay blame where it belongs? Perchloroethylane (PERC) is used in the dry cleaning process. This chemical can be absorbed or inhaled. It is a well documented cause of serotonin dysfunction as depression, anxiety, nervousness, irritability and personality changes can be the result. This describes Cho and should draw some attention. Was Cho just some crazy person or was he overexposed to toxins that can cause his symptoms? How many other neurotoxins had he been exposed to? It all depends on how much and when these toxins were introduced as to the level of damage done to his brains ability to function correctly. Symptoms range from very mild to what we have just witnessed. A mind that is lost without the ability to seek help. How many more of these events can we just sit and watch and not demand that reasons need to be given? Are we depending on pills that may or may not help? Can we depend on people that have lost reason to take the pill? Or should we look at the similarities in brain dysfunction that contribute to these cases? How many more Autistic children or ADD/ADHD, ODD, OCD, MCS, depressive and all those disorders that we have no answers for can we keep explaining awayAgrochem Temephos Etofenprox Prochloraz Epoxiconazole Alnico SmCo Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Watches Watches Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Watches Rolex Swiss Rolex Replica Breitling Watches (Comment on this)
10:00 am	Cho Seung-Hui Sent Videos, Pictures to NBC Cho Seung-Hui Sent Videos, Pictures to NBC Mass murderer explains motivation behind shootings. OhmyNews Brief (qiang) Email Article Print Article Published 2007-04-19 08:18 (KST) The 23-year-old shooter in the Virginia Tech University massacre, Cho Seung-hui, sent an overnight package to the NBC headquarters in New York containing video clips, photos and a lengthy document mailed during the 2-hour gap between the two rounds of shooting Monday. Clips from the sent video were aired on the NBC Nightly News broadcast Wednesday in which Cho speaks angrily at the camera. TODAY'S TOP STORIES Climate: A Security Threat? The Citizen Reporter as Eyewitness Former Bangladeshi PM Hasina Exiled Unregistered Afghan Refugees Cry for Help Free Media, Unless You're Arab FROM THE SECTION Cho Seung-Hui Sent Videos, Pictures to NBC Clerics Condemn Suicide Bombings as 'Un-Islamic' Former Bangladeshi PM Hasina Exiled Terrorists Attack Police in Nigeria Kenya Relaxes Telecom Investment Rule "You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option," Cho says emotionally in the video clip. "The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off." The package that NBC describes as a "multi-media manifesto," helps explain what Cho did during the time gap between the first shooting at a campus dormitory where Cho killed two students and the second round of shootings at an engineering building. The overnight package was stamped at 9:01 a.m. on the day of the shootings, but did not arrive until Wednesday to NBC headquarters because it had the wrong zip code. The package also includes a 1,800-word document the contents of which are reported to match the content of his video message. There were also photos of Cho posing in the tan flak jacket and two pistols that were apparently used in the shootings.Cartier Watches Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Rolex Louis vuitton Replica Louis Vuitton Infrared sauna Hot tub Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Rolex Watches Watches Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Swiss Rolex Replica Breitling Watches Cartier Watches (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 26th, 2007
8:27 pm	International Rolex Regatta 2007 International Rolex Regatta 2007 Winners Named In Seven Classes Barby MacGowan (As Amended By ISAF). Image, Enrique FIGUEROA's Suzuki/Red Bull flying a hull:© Daniel Forster/Rolex, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, Monday, March 26, 2007 A third day of perfect trade winds and pleasant sunshine helped wrap up the International Rolex Regatta, where sailors on 87 boats have been competing in seven classes. The event, in its 34th year and hosted by St Thomas Yacht Club, is the oldest of the Caribbean's popular spring racing events. 'This is one of the best island regattas because of the venue, the course selection, and the winds,' said defending champion Martin JACOBSON (USA), whose Swan 44 Crescendo won Sunday's Pillsbury Sound distance race and added the victory to three others in his six-race series to secure victory in the Spinnaker Racing Cruising class. 'It's why we come back.' JACOBSON's class, along with four others on the Ocean Circle, sailed three windward/leeward courses on opening day and two middle-distance races (from the east end of St Thomas to Charlotte Amalie and back) on Saturday. Sunday's race, a navigator's delight, totalled 21 miles and took about three hours for Crescendo to complete. Straight bullets marked the overall regatta performances of three winning teams, whose skippers were awarded with Rolex Steel Submariner timepieces as prizes. One of those teams was Doug BAKER's (USA) Olson 30 J Bird 4 in Spinnaker Racing Class 3. About Sunday's racing, tactician Keith KILPATRICK (USA) said a good start combined with the longer length of the course enabled his team to put more distance on the fleet than in the previous races. 'Our strength is buoy racing, because there is not as much local knowledge involved,' said KILPATRICK, adding that the boat's southern California crew gets plenty of experience in that discipline from regularly sailing BAKER's Andrews 80 Magnitude. 'Today on the first beat, we really didn't know which way to go – but it was all fun.' Winds Good For STANTON For Chris STANTON (ISV), who strung his victories together like a perfect pearl necklace in Spinnaker Racing Class 2, Sunday's winds, rather than local knowledge, helped put his Melges 24 Devil 3 ahead. 'It seemed to start out light, but it got every bit as windy as the last few days,' said STANTON. 'It was more southerly than usual, so the waves were not as steep as they can be in the Sound – it helped us in the smaller boats.' Sailors dubbed racing in this class the 'battle of the Melges boats,' since three other Melges 24s and two Melges 32s also competed. In the Non-Spinnaker class, which sailed only one race through the islands on opening day to include four races instead of six in its scoreline, it was Christopher LLOYD (IVB) and his Beneteau 442 Three Harkoms who won all the races to easily defend his crown. 'Nobody stopped working the whole time – that was the secret,' said LLOYD. Carlo FALCONE (ANT), the winner of Spinnaker Racing Class 1 on his Vallicelli 44 Caccia Alla Volpe, continued focussing on his closest competitor Clive LLEWELLYN (FRA) aboard the Grand Soleil 48 Mad IV. He finished second to LLEWELLYN's first, but it was enough to edge LLEWELLYN out of first by two points. 'We stayed close but had a bit of a cushion today,' said Caccia's mainsheet trimmer Karl JAMES (ANT), who has represented Antigua twice in the Olympic Games in the Laser class. Close Finish In IC-24 The IC-24s, a fleet indigenous to the area, completed 13 races in their series, using this final day to complete five windward-leeward races on a separate racecourse instead of participating in the Pillsbury Sound race. Tying on point scores were Mio Broadband and Michael HIRST (PUR) and Orion's Fraito LUGO (PUR), with the tiebreaker going to Broadband. 'On the last day you get more defensive if you have the lead, and it's better to be on the offensive,' said Robby HIRST (IVB), who was the British Virgin Island's Olympic representative in 1996 and has won the IC-24 class here now three times in a row. 'We had very mixed results today, and we could see that Fraito was very focussed.' Going into Sunday, Orion was 12 points behind Mio Broadband, having made the major mistake of missing a mark of the course in Saturday's second race and suffering dearly for it after having to turn back to re-round. On Sunday, however, LUGO – who has won this event five times in a J/24 and another time in a Melges 24 – did a stellar job of 'putting boats between us,' but it was just not good enough for the overall victory. Enrique FIGUEROA and crew Jorge HERNANDEZ (PUR), two names synonymous with Olympic sailing, easily won the race today and the Beach Cats class overall with their 20 foot Tornado Suzuki/Red Bull. The duo, which represented Puerto Rico in the Tornado class at the Athens Games and hopes to do so again at Qingdao in 2008, blew away their competition, but it was expected. FIGUEROA, either with is wife Carla or HERNANDEZ, has won this regatta at least a dozen times. 'It took us two hours to cover 37 miles today at an average boat speed of 15 knots,' said HERNANDEZ, 'and we smoked the big boats.' HERNANDEZ said he and FIGUEROA used the regatta for testing equipment before heading off to Mallorca tomorrow for an international regatta. 'When we sail in some beautiful place in Europe, and someone says what a nice day, I say 'no, no, you haven't seen a nice day until you've sailed in the Caribbean!' The International Rolex Regatta is part of the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series 2007. A.H. Riise, Official Retailer of Rolex watches in the U.S. Virgin Islands, takes an active role in sponsorship of the event. The St Thomas duty free shop is one of the largest in the Caribbean and is located on the historic waterfront of downtown Charlotte Amalie. Rolex is known for sponsoring high quality events such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Rolex Fastnet Race, Giraglia Rolex Cup, Rolex Middle Sea Race, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds Infrared sauna Hot tub Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Watches Watches Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Watches Rolex Swiss Rolex Replica Breitling Watches Cartier Watches Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Rolex Louis vuitton Replica Louis Vuitton (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 15th, 2007
11:43 am	nurun | ant farm interactive Tapped by Dacor(R) to Lead its Interactive Strategy nurun | ant farm interactive Tapped by Dacor(R) to Lead its Interactive Strategy Luxury kitchen and outdoor appliance leader selects global marketing agency to serve as its interactive agency of record By: Marketwire . Mar. 14, 2007 01:00 PM Digg This! ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/14/07 -- nurun | ant farm interactive, a global interactive marketing agency known internationally as Nurun (TSX: NUR), has announced it was selected as the interactive agency of record for Dacor (www.dacor.com), a leader in the luxury consumer appliance industry. As the interactive agency of record, nurun | ant farm interactive will be responsible for working with the Dacor marketing and management team to define the company's interactive brand, create a new Web site that showcases its world-class products, and create customer acquisition and retention programs based on interactive marketing strategies and tactics. "Dacor is a wonderful company with a rich history of manufacturing and marketing the highest quality of consumer appliances that offer the best balance between performance and style," said Michael Koziol, executive vice president, North America, nurun | ant farm interactive. "Our objective is to tell the brand story using interactivity and an interactive user experience that lives up to Dacor's legacy, passion, and quality." "Dacor is thrilled to have nurun | ant farm interactive as our partner to help us develop a fully interactive Web site that will allow our consumers to thoroughly indulge in the life of the kitchen," said Steve Joseph, director, Interactive and Direct Marketing at Dacor. "Extensive research has provided us with an understanding of how consumers live and what they really need. This knowledge is the driving force behind Dacor product innovation - including the brand's stylish designs and industry leading performance - and will be used to build a Web portal for users to experience every detail of Dacor, from the ergonomic curve of a wall oven handle, to the complete control and precision of a range burner. We want to build a community that will support our consumers from the very beginning of the purchase process, and long after, even when they are home cooking, in their luxurious Dacor kitchen," he added. Other luxury brands that nurun | ant farm interactive works with include Clarins, Loews Hotels, Louis Vuitton, and Maserati. ABOUT nurun | ant farm interactive Nurun Inc. (TSX: NUR), a subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc. and known as nurun | ant farm interactive in the United States, is a global company which strategizes, executes and measures interactive programs that use new technologies. From building awareness to acquiring and retaining customers, Nurun's solutions provide exceptional user experiences that enable e-commerce transactions while leveraging the lifetime value of client relationships. Since it was founded in 1985, Nurun has worked with a wide variety of companies and organizations, including: Groupe DANONE, Cingular Wireless, Louis Vuitton, Thales, Club Med, Pfizer, SkyTeam, Home Depot, Pleasant Holidays, L'Oreal, Renault, Microsoft (MSN), Europcar, Autotrader.com, Equifax, Telecom Italia and the Government of Quebec. Nurun's centers of expertise employ more than 700 professionals in Canada, the United States, Europe, and China. For more information, please visit www.nurun.com. ABOUT Dacor Founded in 1965, Dacor has introduced many industry firsts including an infrared ceramic gas broiler inside an electric Pure Convection(TM) self-cleaning oven and an outdoor grill with built-in halogen lights. Based in Diamond Bar, Calif., Dacor offers a complete line of luxury consumer appliances that includes ranges, wall ovens, cooktops, warming ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, ventilation hoods, built-in coffee systems, refrigerators, beverage centers, wine stewards, outdoor grills, digital entertainment centers for the kitchen and a collection of gourmet cookware. Home chefs now have unlimited access to Dacor accessories with the recent launch of EverythingDacor.com, a new e-commerce site that offers consumers accessories to complement their Dacor kitchen. For more information on Dacor, its product line and local dealer locations, visit www.dacor.com, contact Customer Care at (800) 793-0093 or visit the Dacor product showroom at corporate headquarters in Diamond Bar, Atlanta, Chicago or San Francisco.Infrared sauna Hot tub Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Replica Watches Watches Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Watches Rolex Swiss Rolex Replica Breitling Watches Cartier Watches Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Rolex Louis vuitton Replica Louis Vuitton (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 11th, 2007
10:24 pm	Adding Value To Your Home With A Pool Adding Value To Your Home With A Pool H. John Johnsen I am a writer and interior designer (my site is: http://www.homedesignsense.com) I designed and wrote this site. Articles have been published in Clay Times,Toy Shop, Florida Gardener, Paint, Toy Cars, FMCA and others. Sterling Publishing in NY produced my book "New Faux Finishes". My background is in advertising, design, web design and marketing. Interior design was a compilation of all the above factors. My writing and design portfolio site is: http://www.johnthewriter.com I am currnetly working on Ebooks in the sbject of Color and Web Design for Novices (This one is completed and FREE on my web site!) author's email author's web site view author's other articles Join this author's mailing list Your Name: E-mail Address: H. John Johnsen March 9, 2007 Even though swimming pools are mostly though of as enjoyment, exercise, and relaxing on hot days, they are also a great way to enhance the value of your home. If you’ve thought of selling your home or just enhancing the value, a swimming pool may very well be a wise investment. In ground pools are a great way to add to the value of your home. They may cost a lot of money, although they come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, and they also give you the most versatility. You can choose to have a shallow end for children and those who are learning to swim, then add a deep end on the other side for diving boards and lap swimming. Above ground swimming pools on the other hand are much cheaper, although they require a deck and privacy fencing for those who want their privacy. Adding a deck around your above ground pool will raise the value of your home as well. Even though above ground pools aren’t that deep, they are great enjoying yourself on a hot day, or just getting out there and splashing water with your family and friends. Instead of going with a swimming pool, you can also choose a hot tub. These are an excellent way to relax. And you can find good sale prices if you do some searching. Hot tubs have been well known over the years to enhance the value of property. You can relax in a heated hot tub with your other half, or just let your kids relax in the tub with non heated water. Even though a hot tub is a great investment, most people looking to add value to their home choose to go with an in ground swimming pool. Pools cost the most money, but add instant value to your home. If you are planning to install a pool, you will need to have a fence installed to keep neighbors and kids out. Having a pool installed will take quite a bit of time. It also involves digging up your yard, which is why you want to select a location for it where nothing runs under the ground. Be sure the contractor or you get the proper permits. When your contractor looks at your property before installing the pool, he will go over all of the plans and problems that may occur. Before hiring a pool contractor be sure to check with your local buildings and permits office. They can tell you if the contractor is registered and if there have been any problems. Check the contractor’s references. Really check. You may be surprised at what people will tell you about their experiences. Also read the contract before signing and ask about anything you don’t understand. Once you are completely satisfied and secure with the contractor you can move forward. After the pool is installed and everything is set up, you should have your home appraised and see what the value is. You may find yourself simply amazed at just how much value a pool can add to your home. wow powerleveling wow power leveling wow power leveling Rolex Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Infrared sauna hot tub Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Louis Vuitton Olmesartan Telmisartan Cilostazol Mitiglinide Nateglinide Glimepiride Faropenem Sodium pepsin Gastric Mucin Pregabalin Hypericin Pancreatin Amlodipine Chondroitin Sulfate (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007
7:24 pm	Deep underground, scientists find clue to what might exist on other planets Deep underground, scientists find clue to what might exist on other planets By Tom Avril The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) PHILADELPHIA - Down, down, two miles underground went the elevator - if you could call it that - a steel cage, really, dropping at nearly 40 miles an hour into the hot, sulfurous blackness. Most of the people aboard, near the town of Carletonville in South Africa, were miners in search of gold. But a few were New Jersey scientists in search of a different kind of treasure: new forms of life. After three years of trips into the mines, after analyzing 200 samples of scalding water that had lain undisturbed for eons, they have succeeded. Among the finds, reported this fall in the journal Science: a skinny, tube-shaped bacteria that feeds off low levels of radiation in the surrounding rock. The species apparently has been humming along in the darkness for millions of years, challenging some of our basic notions of life and suggesting how life might exist on other planets. The as-yet-unnamed organism does not depend - even indirectly - on energy from the sun, according to the team of authors, from Princeton University and a half-dozen other institutions. "It's an easy jump for us to imagine what life could be like on Mars," says Princeton geoscientist Tullis Onstott, the project director. There is sunlight on Mars, of course, but conditions on the surface are hostile to living things. Among other issues, the planet's thin atmosphere allows dangerous levels of ultraviolet radiation to strike the surface. So, deep underground was thought to be a more likely home for Martian life. But where would the energy come from? To answer that question for Mars, the team started with the planet Earth. They traveled to a place where someone had already dug holes in the ground. South Africa: home to the deepest mines in the world. When miners drill for gold, sometimes they strike water instead. That's what interested the team of more than 30 scientists, many of whom went to South Africa for two months at a time. Whenever the miners struck a new spurt of high-pressure water, company officials relayed the news to the scientists waiting on the surface, even if it was the middle of the night. Sometimes the water was gushing out at more than 4,000 gallons per minute, so they had to wait for things to calm down before venturing below. Conditions can be dangerous; gold miners have died in accidents. But the scientists had to go down before the pressure subsided too much, or else the prehistoric source of water would get contaminated from exposure to the air. After putting on helmets, jumpsuits and knee-high, steel-toed rubber boots, the researchers would ride down with the next shift of miners. The cage dropped so fast that riders had to swallow extra hard to equalize the pressure in their ears, says Indiana University's Lisa Pratt, one of the team leaders. "It's an act of faith that if you get in, you will get out," she says. Once down below, they sealed off the miners' boreholes with "packers" - steel cylinders that, when twisted, caused a rubber gasket to bulge and seal off the opening. The team then drew out samples through a sterilized tube for analysis. They took 200 samples from 80 boreholes in various mines. The bacteria described in the paper came from a mine called Mponeng - translated as "Look at me" - which yielded more than a half-million ounces of gold last year. The bacteria research is a signature study in the field of astrobiology, an interdisciplinary field that examines how life evolved on Earth, and how it might do so on other planets. Under Pratt's direction, the team is now pursuing similar subsurface exploration in the Canadian Arctic - thought to be a better stand-in for Mars because both have a surface layer of permafrost. And back in Princeton, geoscientist John Kessler is already preparing for a future mission to the red planet. He's building a life-detector, of sorts - a lightweight contraption made from a stainless-steel cylinder, some electronic circuitry and an infrared laser. The device analyzes methane - a gas that can be generated both from living things and from geological processes. By shooting an infrared beam through samples of the gas and recording changes in the laser's intensity, Kessler says, he can tell which is which. Methane is made of carbon and hydrogen. The key to distinguishing the two forms of the gas is that they contain different concentrations of the isotopes of those two elements. "We can take it down into a mine," Kessler says of his contraption, which is funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, "and hopefully send it up on a rocket." If there is life on Mars, no one knows if it will look anything like the single-celled creature from the gold mines, which is loosely related to the organism that causes anthrax. But if it does, that could lend support to an intriguing idea: Life might have evolved first on Mars, then hitchhiked to Earth aboard a meteor. In other words, according to a theory championed by Stanford University geophysicist Norm Sleep, we could all be Martians. Wherever it came from, the new bacteria has been around a long time, and might give us an idea what life was like before Earth had oxygen in the atmosphere. Princeton's Onstott says this organism could have evolved soon after bacteria branched off from other forms of life, billions of years ago; genetic study is under way to answer this question. Andreas Teske, a microbiologist at the University of North Carolina, is skeptical. But he said the new research answers a key question: What do subsurface bacteria use for food? "The orthodox opinion is that most subsurface ecosystems must be energy-starved," Teske says. Not this one. In the gold mine, the role played by the sun's energy is replaced by low levels of radiation in the surrounding rock, loosely speaking. First, the radiation splits water molecules to form hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. The hydrogen peroxide reacts with the surrounding rock, which contains pyrite - an iron-and-sulfur compound sometimes called fool's gold. That yields a substance called sulfate. The bacterium gets its energy by converting the sulfate into hydrogen sulfide, a reaction that also uses the hydrogen that came from splitting the water molecules. Similar bacteria exist at the bottom of lakes and oceans, where sulfate is naturally plentiful and the organisms can get the necessary hydrogen from decaying plants. But deep underground, both ingredients - the hydrogen and the sulfate - are replenished by the radiation. "It's basically inexhaustible," said Steven D'Hondt, a University of Rhode Island astrobiologist who has reviewed the work. Similar conditions could exist on Mars or Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. Scientists believe there is water below the surface on Mars, and just last week came new evidence suggesting that water has flowed recently on the planet's surface. Life as we know it can't tolerate the harsh Martian surface. But if there is both water and low-level radiation in rock deep underground, then - just as in the gold mine - the necessary ingredients for life would be present. "If we are going to find life on Mars, the subsurface environment seems the best candidate," says the paper's lead author, Li-Hung Lin, a former Princeton doctoral student who is now at National Taiwan University. The rovers currently prowling the Martian surface can't dig deep holes. And before planning more missions to Mars, NASA seems intent on colonizing the moon. But scientists are hopeful that someday they'll answer the big question. Are we alone in the universe or not? Asked to speculate about the presence of life on Mars, Princeton's Onstott says he thinks the likelihood is "very high." It may not look like the thing his team found in South Africa, but he's pretty sure some living thing is there. "Life always surprises you," Onstott says. "You end up finding life in the places you least expect it."Amlodipine Pancreatin Chondroitin Sulfate (Comment on this)
Friday, December 29th, 2006
12:07 pm	Travelers warned of Japan virus outbreak Travelers warned of Japan virus outbreak www.chinaview.cn 2006-12-27 16:44:50 by Tan Xiaomi BEIJING, Dec. 27 -- Shenzhen's tourism bureau warned local travelers who are planning to travel to Japan not to eat raw seafood after a record outbreak of the highly contagious norovirus infected more than 3 million people in that country. A spokesman for the bureau yesterday said there is no vaccine against the virus, and advised travelers to wash their hands carefully before eating and after using the toilet. "Japan has been hit by gastroenteritis caused by norovirus infection recently. The epidemic that infected tens of thousands people is the most serious one during the past 25 years," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on its Web site Monday. "To protect themselves from infection, Chinese citizens who visit Japan should try to avoid eating raw seafood during their journey," the ministry said. Norovirus is known to cause gastroenteritis that brings stomach pain, severe diarrhea and vomiting. Japan is one of the most popular destinations for Shenzheners during the New Year and Spring Festival holidays. More than 3 million people in the country are thought to have been infected by norovirus, the highest since data was first collected in 1989, according to Japan's national institute of infectious diseases. The institute is concerned that the outbreak may show "the largest ever spread." The virus is typically transmitted by eating raw seafood and also from human to human by substances excreted or vomited. A sales manager surnamed Ma with China Travel Service Shenzhen Co. Ltd. said there had been no cancellations by members of tour groups scheduled to visit Japan during the holiday. "Signing up for a Japan trip for the New Year holiday was closed last weekend, and we are now arranging package tours for the Spring Festival in February this year," Ma said. He admitted travelers will have the chance to eat raw oysters and other seafood in Japan, which is famous for sashimi, but insisted it is safe for the customers. "Several dozens of tourists who joined our package tours to Japan came back this week and none of them was infected," he said. There are many restaurants in Shenzhen that serve sashimi. Many restaurants serving Japanese cuisine said a very small amount of the seafood was imported from Japan and business has not been affected so far. Norovirus has caused mass infections in other countries, including the United States, where hundreds of passengers on a cruise ship fell ill in two separate incidents in November and early December.Amlodipine Pancreatin Chondroitin Sulfate powerleveling power leveling powerleveling power leveling wow powerleveling wow power leveling everquest 2 power leveling ffxi power leveling wow powerleveling wow power leveling louis vuitton Replica Rolex Rolex Replica Sex Furniture Sex Chair Phantasy Star power leveling Phantasy Star power leveling maple story power leveling maple story power leveling (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
12:15 am	Annan 'concerned' on Libya AIDS sentence Annan 'concerned' on Libya AIDS sentence Associated Press UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday he was "deeply concerned" about a Libyan court's decision to reimpose death sentences on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of infecting children with HIV. Annan offered U.N. support for the children and for efforts to "find a humane solution for the fate of the medics." "I am deeply concerned by confirmation of a guilty verdict and a death sentence," Annan said. President Bush and European leaders have expressed outrage over the death sentences, imposed despite scientific evidence the children were infected with the virus before the medical workers came to Libya. The defendants were convicted and sentenced to death a year ago on charges that they intentionally spread HIV to more than 400 children at a hospital in Benghazi. Libya's Supreme Court ordered a retrial after an international outcry. A French doctor testified at the first trial that strains of HIV were circulating at the hospital well before the nurses and doctor arrived in March 1998. On Dec. 6, the journal Nature published an analysis of viral strains from some of the children, showing changes in the virus proved it was contracted at least three years before the defendants arrived at the hospital. The case has hurt Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's recent efforts to improve his country's relationship with the West, but has not stopped the rapprochement entirely. This summer, the United States reopened its embassy in Tripoli, 16 years after it severed ties with the country. Annan, whose tenure ends on Dec. 31, praised the international community for providing treatment and medicine to the infected children. Fifty children have died, and the rest have been treated in Europe.Amlodipine Olmesartan Telmisartan Cilostazol Mitiglinide Nateglinide Glimepiride Faropenem Sodium pepsin Pancreatin Gastric Mucin Chondroitin Sulfate Pregabalin Hypericin powerleveling power leveling powerleveling power leveling wow powerleveling wow power leveling maple story power leveling dofus power leveling Phantasy Star power leveling everquest 2 power leveling ffxi power leveling wow powerleveling wow power leveling maple story power leveling dofus power leveling Phantasy Star power leveling (4 Comments |Comment on this)