High Resolution

The International Herald Tribune provides A New Year's List of Financial Advice From Retirement to Real Estate, Wine to Weddings :
Some people assess progress toward their financial goals at the end of the calendar year; for others, tax time is the moment of reckoning. But since the new year is traditionally a time for resolutions, Your Money's correspondents recently asked their best sources for the one piece of personal finance advice they would give a client, a family member or a friend for 2005.

Redo the math. Life no longer ends at 65. Life expectancy at age 60 in the developed world averages 18 years for men and 23 years for women, according to the United Nations Population Division. By 2050, the UN predicts men in the developed world will live, on average, 22.3 years after their 60th birthday and women 27.2 years. It's like having a second adolescence, only without parents to buy you stuff. And therein lies the problem.

A DIFFICULT PREGNANCY

Shawnna Hughes divorced her abusive husband. But four days later a judge revoked her divorce because Shawnna Hughes was pregnant-- and pregnant women in Washington, according to this judge: , can't get divorced.

Shawnna Hughes hoped to be divorced by Christmas.

She's not.

NetAid World Schoolhouse Program

Mpelembe Network has created an online marketing campaign to raise funds from customers and members worldwide. There are many ways you can participate. You can donate, volunteer, or spread the word about theNetAid World Schoolhouse Program

Together we can put more of the world's poorest children into school!

Poor Nicole

In life there is always someone worse or better off than you. Reading Nicole smith's appeal verdict, reported by the
Associated Press/AP Online, illustrates just how quickly fortunes can change:

"A federal appeals court Thursday threw out a judge's ruling that awarded $88.5 million to former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith from the estate of her late husband, an oil tycoon who died at age 90 just over a year after they wed. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a Texas probate court's decision that the oilman's son was his sole heir should stand. The appeals court said the federal judge in California who ruled in Smith's favor in 2002 should never have even heard ... "

Technology Enabled Global Dangers

the Financial Gazette Online! reports:
The brutal murder of seven women from Zimbabwe in Kenya at the beginning of this month is a disturbing sign of the global dimensions of violence against women.

The seven Zimbabweans were among 20 victims from four Africans countries who were lured to Kenya by a man who purported that he could help the women to get jobs in Canada. The other women were from Zambia, Malawi and South Africa.
The killer used a trick that is disturbingly being made possible by modern technology. The women travelled to Kenya in response to an advertisement the man placed on the Internet.
It has since become apparent that the man could have been linked to an organised crime syndicate dealing in human organs.
The area where one of the Zimbabwean victims was buried was said to be frequented by sailors interested in buying human parts.
It is a well-known fact that women and children are the main victims of criminal gangs involved in today's "modern" crimes such as human trafficking.

Please join us in helping survivors

Dear Business Partners and Friends,

Over the past several years MappiBiz in partnership with BidClix has lent our support to a wonderful organization called NetAid (www.netaid.org).

NetAid is a growing network of people and organizations that are committed to ending extreme poverty.

In  Zambia  NetAid assists scores of children who have been rendered orphans by AIDS; many of them live in the streets where there is little hope for a better life.

As you well know, a devastating earthquake off the coast of Sumatra brought waves of destruction to thousands of communities throughout Asia. The staggering death toll - now suspected to be over 120,000 - continues to rise.

The humanitarian crisis continues to unfold as millions of people - a third of them children - have been made homeless, are without access to clean water, shelter, food, sanitation and health care.

In crisis situations it is understandably difficult for donors and aid organizations to work fast enough to provide effective relief to those most in need. I was immediately impressed with NetAid's rapid response to the crisis and wanted to learn more about how they were able to respond so quickly.

NetAid has long standing relationships with local partners in India, there on the ground, in some of the worst affected areas. The local partners are sensitive to the immediate needs of their communities and are able to respond quickly, and appropriately. NetAid local partners were quick to provide support to survivors and to continue to help them with the long term project of building better lives.

Please join us in supporting NetAid's Asian Earthquake Crisis Fund today.

How You Can Help

1. Donate: http://www.mappibiz.com and 
                http://www.netaid.org/groups/group_home.pt?group_id=5605
2. Tell friends, family and co-workers


Sincerely,

Sam Mbale
MappiBiz Web Services
http://www.mappibiz.com

The Future of Your Health is in Your Cells

Here's a new way to think about your health. Instead of trying to keep up with the latest diet or exercise craze to nourish and strengthen your body, nourish and strengthen your cells with Natural Wellness(R) Fatigue Relief Plus(R). Scientists who study aging know that the future of health and longevity is in your cells, where packets of information tell each cell how to work and grow. Keeping healthy with a good diet and exercise is important.

what's the third biggest sporting event in the world?

You are a sports fan. You know the Olympics, of course. The World Cup is on your radar screen as well.

OK, here's a trivia question: After those two quadrennial events, what's the third biggest sporting event in the world?

Here's a hint, it takes place Europe.

No, not the NBA Finals (Sorry, Laker fans, maybe set up a play-date with Maccabi Tel Aviv _ the real world basketball champions. Then we'll talk).

Joe Curley, who covers college sports for the Ventura County Star in California at http://www.insidevc.com, gives his reasons why he believes Euro 2004 was a Soccer Showcase.

"You guys can have those NBA Finals, a rematch of the classic series of a decade ago. I chose to watch old rivals England and France reprise the Hundred Years' War in a Lisbon stadium."

What Has COMESA Done For Us?

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), one of the most successful economic groupings in Africa, celebrated its 10th anniversary at the end of 2004 with mixed fortunes.

Ten years after the COMESA treaty entered into force in December 1994, ratified by nine states, the integration body now boasts 19 member countries, with a total population of 350 million and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of around 190 billion US dollars.

As COMESA Secretary General Erastus Mwencha put it, COMESA has made tremendous progress with tangible results in many areas.

The results include the launch of a free trade area (FTA), increased regional trade, improved infrastructure, facilitation of trade, investment and movement of goods and persons. The list goes on.

COMESA has also suffered setbacks. A serious one came just at the 10th anniversary. The much touted customs union failed to take off on December 10 as planned, due to differences among member states.

Africa's Hungry Are Fed Bad Policies

Amidst plagues of war and disease, hunger remains one of Sub-Saharan Africa's most devastating afflictions. Developed countries have responded with aid, relief efforts, and policy interventions to help the region's struggling farmers. But, as Paul Kwengwere writes forYaleGlobal Online
, behind the gratitude for this assistance looms a debate regarding the long-term value of the terms involved. IMF loan conditionalities coupled with poor agricultural advice are responsible in part for the worsening food situation in Malawi, Kwengwere notes. And now, the introduction and promotion of genetically modified (GM) foods by the United States is proving particularly controversial, as developing countries question the true motives and implications of the gesture. Nevertheless, Kwengwere concludes, desperation will likely ensure that GM foods play a central role in the future of African food politics. � YaleGlobal.

Increase Your Value in 2005

Stephen W. Gibson in the Deseret News (Salt Lake City) writes:
"Have you ever thought of yourself as a product that you are developing to present to the marketplace? With the coming New Year, I started thinking about myself in those terms.

I wondered about my development costs, my shelf life and my added value. I considered my competitive advantage, my packaging and my brand presence. I contemplated return on investment, marketing advantage and finally, replacement costs. What about planned obsolescence, spoilage, damage in shipping, markdowns and damaged- goods return policies? And as time goes on, I'm sure I'll start to wonder about lifetime warranties.

Let's consider what we might do to increase our value in the marketplace in 2005.

-- Development costs. Are you continuing to develop yourself, or did learning end when you left school? I once knew a fellow who claimed he could tell when a man died by looking at the books in his library. 'If the newest books in his library were printed when he left college, that's when he died intellectually,' he told me. If you feel you know all you need to know, I suggest you don't know what you don't know. You know?

-- Packaging. If you are like the average North American, you could use a redo. Statistically men over 40 average a weight gain of 5 pounds a year. If we keep that rate up, we could be in big trouble by the time we hit 60. If our packaging looks shop-worn and beat up, we'd better start doing some repackaging, before it's too late. I like the slogan, "Exercise for life."

-- Competitive advantage. Do you have any left? In the game of life, we need to remain competitive. I believe our most meaningful competition in life is with ourselves. Keeping lists of ways to improve the "product" is awfully important, I believe. Why not keep working on your competitive advantage your entire life?

-- Return on investment. We should constantly be making investments in ourselves. It is part of the packaging. But are we getting a return on our investment in our education, our family and our faith? If not, we are wasting our investment. The best way to get a ROI is by continuing to invest and work on product enhancements.

-- Damaged goods. Most damage to the goods is self-inflicted, or made worse by neglect of planned maintenance. Studies show that most bad health, whether physical, mental or spiritual, is caused from neglect, not external influences. What we put into this product of ours seems to do more damage than anything else.

-- Shelf life. I believe attitude affects shelf life even more than the physical packaging or development costs. Zig Ziglar often speaks of having a checkup from the neck up. I love people with a great attitude. They have great shelf life in any organization. Those with a bad attitude are their own worst enemies. Nothing affects your altitude more than your attitude.

What about spoilage, damaged goods and return product policies? Do you offer a lifetime warranty? Would you take yourself back? You should add value the older you get. Unfortunately, some of us overpromise and underdeliver -- especially at home.

How would you feel about offering a lifetime warranty on yourself? It could read: "If I fail to meet your expectations, you can a get a new one." If you are like me, it is good that we didn't give that guarantee to our spouses or most of us would have been traded in years ago.

As you think of adding value, try to upgrade yourself so you speed up delivery, increase reliability and maintain customer satisfaction.

As a New Year's resolution for 2005, try practicing some of the business terms we talk about in marketing on you. If you do, you will be a product that delights the customer (your family and friends) and exceeds even your own high expectations.

Stephen W. Gibson is affiliated with the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship. He can be reached via e-mail at cfe@byu.edu.

2004: so Were You Paying Attention?

Test Your Knowledge of Who Said and Did What and to Whom, in Our Light- Hearted Quiz: About the Events of the Past 12 Months..., Review.

If You Thought 2004 Was Outrageous . . .

THAT special time of year is here when we should all be thinking about bettering ourselves in some way. And, as usual, the Mail on Sunday knows better than everyone else about what the great, the good, the bad and the ugly are resolving for the coming year

Next Time Say Nothing

Sometimes there are things better left unsaid. Mary Hannigan of the Irish Times has compiled the best misjudged statements of 2004:

The Year The Sports World Flipped

Oh, great thing 2004 was a leap year. We really needed the extra day.
Otherwise we would have had just 365 days of a sports world gone terribly wrong. Here are 366 funny, weird, crazy and unbelievable things to remember about 2004.

The Culture War in Living Color

Beckerman from

The Record, North Jersey writes:

Ten-hutt! 'The culture war' is 2004's big entertainment story. Even, perhaps, the big news story.

Like the Civil War, it's a conflict that - supposedly - is tearing America apart. Also like the Civil War, it's a fight where both sides are identified by color. Only instead of blue and gray, it's blue and red: the blue states of the liberal 'elite' versus the red states of the heartland.

For the reds, it's a war that pits warm, upright, patriotic, God- fearing real Americans against smug, atheistic, tree-hugging, latte- sipping degenerates from the big city.

Blues, naturally, see it in different light. For them, it's best characterized as a battle between enlightened, humane, rational, progressive liberals and Bible-thumping, gun-owning, Toby Keith- listening troglodytes from flyover country.

In a happier world, the two sides might agree to disagree. But the world isn't very happy these days. In the midst of a fraught election year, and with the specter of terrorism rattling chains in the background, disagreement turned to acrimony, and acrimony turned to war, a war whose chief weaponry is pop culture.

Janet Jackson's breast, "Fahrenheit 9/11," the nails driven into James Caviezel's hands in "Passion of the Christ" - these are among the rockets, bombs and grenades lobbed into the cultural fray.

There was, of course, entertainment news that was "values neutral": the end of "Friends," the box-office triumphs of "Spider- Man 2," "Shrek 2" and "The Incredibles," the 11 Oscars for "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the vastly amusing Ashlee Simpson lip-syncing debacle on "Saturday Night Live." But those were the exceptions.

Let There Be Wealth in 2005

I'm a strong proponent of wealth creation. For decades Zambia has worn the badge of poverty proudly. In our books, cinema, stories, talks and thoughts we showcase poverty and helplessness. Money and profit means imperialism, corruption or fraud. Self-denial draws applause. No wonder then, that Zambia is poor.
Every country has an idea about herself. Zambia’s idea is not a happy one. Political freedom has not come with economic freedom as the co-passenger. It will take more than the strong will of the Government to begin to hack at the jungle of regulation and socialist philosophy that had choked innovation, growth and wealth creation.

What can cause this change? An increasing freedom to live and work according to choices made and not according to a frame inherited. Political freedom, without economic liberty is not enough.

We should, as individuals at the grassroots, embrace the cutting edge of wealth creation – innovative technology, creativity, stock markets, debt markets inflation, home loans, smart spending. New method's of wealth creation should be explored and encouraged. Each area – agriculture, infrastructure, services, industry – from being a cess pool of problems, is a source of much unexploited wealth.

Generally people misinterpret wealth with only money. Wealth is the combination of health, peace, harmony and money. We must find a whole new way to create wealth.

Happy money making.

'climate of fear'

A little science fun from Michael Crichton. He dives into environmental debate in his new book State Of Fear.

Michael Crichton [author of Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and Timeline] is a big man with big ideas, a storyteller of nearly seven feet who turns popular science into popular fiction.

He has questioned global warming in his new thriller, State of Fear, about eco-terrorists who plot a series of natural disasters - earthquakes, underwater landslides, a tsunami - to prove that global warming is a threat to humanity. A ragtag band of scientists and lawyers uncovers the scheme.

State of Fear sounds like a typical Crichton thriller, but this time he used the novel as a platform, tacking on a five-page message stating his notion that the theory of global warming is speculative at best, and a 14-page bibliography of works supporting his views.

"The current near-hysterical preoccupation with safety is at best a waste of resources and a crimp on the human spirit, and at worst an invitation to totalitarianism," he concludes.

Calling the scientific consensus on climate change "creepy", he told the BBC : "Science has nothing to do with consensus. Politics is about consensus."

Scientists and environmentalists greeted his arguments with derision. Tony Jupiter, director of Friends of the Earth, said: "It's interesting to see how climate change sceptics have truly entered the world of fiction.

"They've been in that world for some time, but they've been positioned as factually based. The fact that these arguments are presented as a novel puts them in their correct place in society.

"Go to the basic model prepared by the Hadley Centre. [It shows] a very clear relation between rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere and rising temperatures. These temperature increases could be very considerable in a very short period of time.

"That's not scaremongering. It is based on the scientific consensus."

Zambia 2005

Zambia has been ranked among the top 10 tourist destinations in the United Kingdom’s Trends and Spends travel survey.

While South Africa gets most of the attention on the African continent, Zambia is fast becoming the intrepid traveler’s choice. Not only does the country offer two of Africa’s greatest natural assets, Victoria Falls and Livingstone National Park but it is also well known for its huge protected wilderness areas such as the South Luangwa National Park and the largest game reserve in Africa—the Kafue National Park. Not to mention that eight percent of the country is covered by 19 national parks!

Zambia will in 2005 celebrate 100 years since the city of Livingstone was founded and the 150 years since David Livingstone first saw the Victoria Falls. The Visit Zambia 2005 initiative was launched to promote Zambia tourism.


The New York Post asks: "Why now: A jewel in the rough "

A few years back, Zambia's safari industry was moribund, hampered by poaching and poor management. Many Zambian lodges are being run by experienced safari entrepreneurs who've arrived from south of the border - are helping put this Central African country on the safari map.

No Way Out

The blogosphere keeps expanding at an alarming rate. What this means to individuals, businesses and politicians can only be guessed at. Now, that everyone has a publishig tool and a ready audience, spreading the word good or bad about someone, company or a bad experience is just a matter of willingness.

I'm just wondering wether our Zambian society or more precisely our political environment can tolerate or even cope with such fiercely advanced and independent form of communication. Of course, it's difficult to take the phenomenon seriously when most blogs involve kids talking about their dates, people posting pictures of their cats, or lefties raging about the right (and vice versa). But whatever the topic, the discussion of business isn't usually too far behind: from bad experiences with a product to good customer service somewhere else. Suddenly everyone's a publisher and everyone's a critic

The Fortune magazine technology article titledWhy There's No Escaping the Blog puts it this way:

"It all used to be so easy; the adage went 'never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel.' But now everyone can get ink for free, launch a diatribe, and-if what they have to say is interesting to enough people-expect web-enabled word of mouth to carry it around the world. Unlike earlier promises of self-publishing revolutions, the blog movement seems to be the real thing. A big reason for that is a tiny innovation called the permalink: a unique web address for each posting on every blog. Instead of linking to web pages, which can change, bloggers link to one another's posts, which typically remain accessible indefinitely. This style of linking also gives blogs a viral quality, so a pertinent post can gain broad attention amazingly fast-and reputations can get taken down just as quickly. "

Tsunamis

Nine Countries in Southern Asia the day after Christmas turned out to be a living nightmare reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow.

The magnitude 9 quake struck beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia - the most powerful earthquake in the world in four decades. Walls of water, Tsunamis, sped away from the epicenter at more than 500 mph before crashing into the region's shorelines, sweeping people and fishing villages out to sea.

Tsunamis as large as Sunday's happen only a few times a century. A tsunami is a series of traveling ocean waves generated by geological disturbances near the ocean floor. With nothing to stop them, the waves can race across the ocean like the crack of a bullwhip, gaining momentum over thousands of miles.

An international tsunami warning system was started in 1965, after the Alaska quake, to advise coastal communities of a potentially killer wave.

Member states include the major Pacific rim nations in North America, Asia and South America. But because tsunamis are rare in the Indian Ocean, no system exists there.

The real tragedy, many experts acknowledged yesterday, is that thousands of lives in countries such as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand could have been saved if an early warning system similar to one that exists for the Pacific Ocean had been in place. U.S. officials said that they wanted to warn the countries but that there was no mechanism to do so.

Money Conflicts?

Money's one of the main causes of conflict in relationships. Living on the breadline is bound to cause tension - but, often the biggest problems aren't down to a lack of cash, but how to spend what you have.

If you and your partner have the same attitude towards money, the only thing you need to agree on is who's going to manage the income and expenditure.

If your attitudes are quite different, you'll need to agree on some basic budget priorities, such as how much money you'll spend on household essentials and bills, how much on leisure and entertainment, and how much you'll save.

However, if you find that no matter how hard you try to sort out your money differences you still end up arguing, perhaps money isn't the issue at all.

The traits that attract couples to each other can turn into the roots of conflict, says Susan Zimmerman, financial planner, therapist and author of "The Power in Your Money Personality." Common clashes about money often stem from not being able to relate to each other's opinions, not budging on one's beliefs, and not discussing each other's goals, expectations or priorities.
Here are questions couples should ask themselves, according to her book:

- How are you alike or different from each other?

- Do you clash?

- How do you handle conflicts or indecisions about money?

- Do you talk - yell - lie - avoid - sneak - compromise?

- What would you like to change or improve?

Couples can resolve their issues if they set mutual goals based on a willingness to spend time on the matters, adopting a give-and- take attitude, focusing on the partnership and an understanding that they will have differing viewpoints and styles.

Snowfall on Christmas Day

Punters have won a Christmas bonanza at the bookies after snow fell across the UK on Christmas Day.
Bookies estimate the cost of the first white Christmas since 2001 to be more than £500,000, once it is confirmed.

So the is a white christmass after all. The bookies do not believe so, and cost them a mint.

The Mood For Christmas Cheer

WHAT'S Christmas without a song to put you in the mood? Apart from Zambian chrismassy carols from the local church, I have scant recollection of the pop songs that put me in the mood for a truly Zambian xmas. Being Zambian, I could cannot sing about snow, though my primary school teacher who happened to be British politely persuaded me. And Santa wearing winter clothes is simply stupid. Zambia is in the sun.

Now that I live in a country where you can make money at the bookmakers by simply wishing that Santa drops some white flakes from heaven, I appreciate the pure delight of being young at heart and anticipating Christmas day.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about here are songs and carols that hit the right festive note for others, and lately me.

Santa undressed, really? No!

A weekly newspaper in eastern Kentuckyhas apologized for mistakenly printing sexually explicit Christmas jokes that left some blushing readers as red as Santa's suit.

A member of the newspaper staff, told WSAZ-TV in Huntington, W.Va., that the jokes were published by mistake.

The staff member told the TV station that someone on the staff had been reading the jokes on the Internet and that they had inadvertently made their way into the newspaper.

"There have been cases before where people have typed a silly comment and somehow that got into the paper," said David Thompson, executive director of the Kentucky Press Association. "What it takes to do that is beyond me."

I know why. Probably Santa delivered the wrong presents. Remember the times you spent sleepless nights waiting for the good ole Santa to deliver that killer gadget that would put the rest of the neighbourhood into county envy. The magical man in the red costume with a funny white beard left a box of sweets instead. The worst part was that the sweets were available at the local market as freebies.

Come on, how cool is that!

Keep Looking

Google has published their Year-End Zeitgeist, which, in their own words, 'based on billions of searches conducted by Google users around the world...offers a unique perspective on the year's major events and trends, the 2004 Year-End Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year's major events and trends. We hope you enjoy this aggregate look at what people wanted to know more about this year.'

The 12 STIs of Christmas

The true meaning of Christmas (''Don't play the sex lottery. Use a condom.'') is holiday caroled in this animated Webtoon, The 12 STIs of Christmas .

Britney to Whitney

Top Ten Stars of 2004

1. Britney Spears, 119 stories
2. Beyonce, 102 stories
3. Donald Trump, 94 stories
4. Michael Jackson, 84 stories
5. Tom Cruise, 72 stories
6. Jessica Simpson, 69 stories
7. Paris Hilton, 63 stories
8. Nicole Kidman, 62 stories
9. Jennifer Lopez, 54 stories
10. Whitney Houston, 52 stories.

Access Hollywood' historybased their rankings on the number of stories the syndicated entertainment television show aired on each star.

"Here's to more `useless' moments in 2005."

Intel Wireless Safari

The Intel Wireless Safari, an initiative that was established to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of wireless connectivity, has provided a successful case study for companies and organisations that are evaluating the concept of wireless networking for competitive gain.

"The project was really exciting and demonstrated that, with the aid of wireless hotspots, business can be run from any location", said Joubert De Lange, Market Development Manager, Intel, who led the safari across some of the most wild and breathtaking spots in South Africa (SA), Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

“I believe that Intel’s Wireless Safari has dispelled any fears that users may have around wireless computing and proved that, no matter where you are, with the help of wireless hotspots, it is possible to always be in touch,” concluded De Lange.

Oh my blog!

The New York Times has a feature titledYour Blog or Mine?. The article highlights the current hot topic in the blogosphere which happens to be the good old fashioned sex.

Sex has always been popular, and discussing issues related to and involving sex gets a lot of people excited. It is no surprise, therefore, that blogs have just opened up a new channel of expressing weird sexual endeavours. What is most interesting, though, is that bloggers are not shying away from disclosing their own sexual antics or lack of it.

The implications of this activity are just beginning to emerge.

Biggest Bank Robbery

Thieves stole more than $39 million from the Belfast headquarters of Northern Bank - the biggest robbery in Northern Ireland history, authorities said Tuesday.

A robbery of this magnitude can only be executed by a powerful organised gang. In Northern Ireland the IRA is perceived as the biggest one.

Police say the group with the biggest reputation for mounting bank robberies is the Irish Republican Army, which is observing a 1997 cease-fire but continues to run a range of criminal enterprises, including cigarette and fuel smuggling. The group in the past has gained access to high-security targets by taking the families of employees hostage.

Brings to mind the time Saddam took nearly $1 billion from Iraq's Central Bank before the U.S. attack. Could this be a pension payout for the IRA?

Zambia Wikinews

The team behind Wikipedia is applying its collaborative information-gathering model to journalism.
Through a new effort, Wikinews, members of the open-source community who write and edit Wikipedia's encyclopedia entries are encouraged to test their skills as journalists. The news site follows a similar set of rules as the encyclopedia, which allows anyone to edit and post corrections to entries, so long as each change is recorded.

You can view, contribute or edit news articles at Wikinews category for Zambia.

This should make all the Zambian journalists harrased over demo very happy.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code came out with huge acclaim from critics. The basis of the plot sounds like a non-fiction book from the early 1980s called Holy Blood, Holy Grail. A few months after Da Vinci Code hit it big, the Holy Blood, Holy Grail had also made it to the bestseller lists, more than twenty years after it was first published. Now it seems that the Holy Blood, Holy Grail authors are suing Dan Brown for ripping off their research.

The New Zealand Herald reports: "A New Zealand author is embroiled in a plagiarism row over Dan Brown's blockbuster hit, the religious thriller The Da Vinci Code, and has launched legal action against the novel's publishers. Nelson-born Michael Baigent and American writing partner Richard Leigh are suing Random House Group in Britain, claiming damages that could run to millions of dollars. "

Students Donate Books

Students at Carlock Elementary School are donating more than one-thousand-dollars in books to students in Africa.

The students held a book fair this past week, and Scholastic Books agreed to make a donation equal in value to all the books the children sold.

Many of the books were about animals, such as ducks, bears and dogs.

The students plan to send the books to students in Zambia.

Source:KWQC-TV6

Bush As Person of the Year

President George W. Bush again holds the title of Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' - beating out Michael Moore, Mel Gibson and even his political adviser, Karl Rove.

Bush was recognized for "reshaping the rules of politics to fit his 10-gallon-hat leadership style," according to Time.

The magazine's editors recognized Bush "for sharpening the debate until the choices bled, for reframing reality to match his design, for gambling his fortunes - and ours - on his faith in the power of leadership."

Sounds more like winning by any means necessary.

Private Business can Reduce Poverty

A well-regulated and open market economy is a powerful engine for growth and poverty alleviation in the developing world. But bureaucratic and other hurdles are getting in the way. Is there a way out?

The World Bank, in its 2005 World Development Report, says that governments across the developing world are discouraging entrepreneurial activities because they are failing to address excessive red tape as well as corruption and other crimes.

These constraints are undermining the investment climate in many developing countries, and consequently stifling their full growth potential.

Franois Bourguignon, the World Bank's chief economist, says: 'A good investment climate is central to growth and poverty reduction. But too often, governments stunt the size of those contributions by creating unjustified risks, costs and barriers to competition.'

I just wish someone get take this statement to heart. In developing countries, the government is usually the biggest employer. This gives the government so much leverage and when combined with the bureaucratic machinery it turns into a nightmare.

It is a crying shame that corruption becomes a way out. Sometimes, I think the government stifles the private sector inorder to strengthen their power base.

Pitfalls of charity

As Christmas approaches the major charities have launched themselves into a frenzy of fundraising.

But how effective is charity when it comes to tackling poverty? Is aid, and ever growing appeals for more of it, the answer?

Critics say huge amounts of aid is wasted and that aid can even have a detrimental effect on development.

Billions pour into the poorest regions of the world, Africa in particular, and it has little or no effect, they say.

Amsterdam Forum wades into the aid debate this week, pitting a prominent critic and a leading proponent against each other.

A participant from Vancouver in Canada Commented:
"I'm put in mind of the saying that foreign aid consists of taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving to rich people in poor countries."

Robert Guest, the Africa editor of The Economist and author of The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption and African Lives, debated with Anne Pieter van Dijk, the co-ordinator for humanitarian projects in Africa for the Dutch branch of the charity Oxfam.

Robert Guest, asked if there was any truth in this, gave an example of Zambia.

"Because it's such a nice country and it's peaceful, generally donors have always been attracted to giving money to the place and they've tended not to notice the fact that governments that you've had there have been corrupt and very foolishly socialist and spendthrift," said Mr Guest.

"What's tended to happen is that the very generous aid that's been given to Zambia over the last four decades has tended to prop up the very people who were making the country poorer, which is to say, the government."

"It made it so they haven't had to make difficult choices with reform - they haven't had to privatise things or cut the number of people in a bloated bureaucracy," he added.

Anne Pieter van Dijk hit back saying he thought it was important to state that it was true a lot of aid could be better targetted, but that didn't mean aid was a waste of time.

"We are all too aware as Oxfam that aid is not always reaching the poor and improving the human capital which Mr Guest is referring too, but we should also say as well there are very many good examples, and that is a bit of a problem with the approach of Mr Guest," he said.

It is also important to make the distinction between providing aid to governments in countries and non-governmental organisations, according to the Oxfam co-ordinator.

A decision may be taken that a government is corrupt and not worthy of aid, but that doesn't mean aid should stop to non-government groups within a country trying to effect change, he says.

How to Pick a Credit Card

When you think of yourself and your finances, you might feel like you're all alone, floundering. Take heart -- you're not alone. The Federal Reserve Board is looking out for consumers. On its Choosing a Credit Card page, it urges us to understand the features of credit cards, compare credit card features and costs, know our rights when using our credit cards, and file complaints if we have problems with our credit cards.

It goes on to offer details on all of these, such as the following questions you should find answers to, regarding any card you're considering:

How will you use your credit card? [This will help you zero in on low-rate cards over high-rebate cards, for example.]

What are the annual percentage rates (APRs)?

How long is the grace period?

How is the finance charge calculated?

What are the fees?

What are the cash advance features?

How much is the credit limit?

What kind of card is it?

Does the card offer incentives and other features?

When it comes to fees, here are some of the fees you might run across:

Annual fee (sometimes billed monthly)

Cash advance fee

Balance-transfer fee

Late-payment fee

Over-the-credit-limit fee

Credit-limit-increase fee

Set-up fee

Return-item fee [for bounced checks, essentially]

Here are some more tidbits:

"If your credit card is lost or stolen -- and then is used by someone without your permission -- you do not have to pay more than $50 of those charges. This protection is provided by the federal Truth in Lending Act. You do not need to buy 'credit card insurance' to cover amounts over $50."

"The federal Fair Credit Billing Act allows you to withhold payment on any damaged or poor-quality goods or services purchased with a credit card -- even if you have accepted the goods or services -- as long as you have made an attempt to solve the problem with the merchant. The sale must have been for more than $50 and must have taken place in your home state or within 100 miles of your home address. You should notify the credit card company in writing and explain why you are withholding your payment. You may withhold the payment while the credit card company investigates your claim. If you pay the charges for the goods on your credit card bill before the dispute is resolved, you will lose your right to make a claim."

Now you can Shop around for a credit card to find one with features that match your needs.

Idea of Anti-African AIDS Plot Rejected

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai tried to defuse a controversy over African news reports that quote her as saying "evil- minded scientists" in the developed world had intentionally created the AIDS virus to decimate the African population.

She said she had meant only to pose alternative theories about the epidemic's origin to counter the belief by some despairing Kenyans that AIDS was a curse from God.

She issued a statement saying:
"We in Africa don't really understand the disease yet,' she said in an interview. 'We just know we're dying from it.' In a written statement issued by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Maathai said she was 'shocked by the ongoing debate' and added, 'It is therefore critical for me to state that I neither say nor believe that the virus was developed by white people or white powers in order to destroy the African people. Such views are wicked and destructive.' But the statement also said: 'I am sure the scientists will continue their search for concluding evidence so that the view, which continues to be quite widespread, that the tragedy could have been caused by biological experiments that failed terribly in a laboratory somewhere, can be put to rest.' "

Polymeal: the Recipe for a Long and Healthy Life

NEW scientific research has concluded there is life-extending truth in the old saying that 'a little of what you fancy does you good'.

Daily consumption of food stuffs such as dark chocolate, garlic, wine and fish can dramatically increase life-expectancy and cut the risk of heart disease by up to 76 per cent.

Eaten in the right combination - to make what scientists have labelled a 'polymeal' - several popular food types have been given the medical seal of approval for lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure and reducing heart disease.

According to the research, published in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, the combined effects of these different types of foods produces a potent mix in the body which can produce remarkable health protection benefits in adults.

Talk about your killer weed

The Associated Press/AP Online Reports: "Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found 610 pounds of marijuana hidden in caskets being hauled in a truck stopped near this eastern Oklahoma town.

The driver, Timothy G. Hynd, 26, and his passenger, Robert Dean Harper, told a trooper they were working for a Tucson, Ariz., casket company and their destination was Atlanta. They were pulled over early Friday for going 6 mph over the speed limit.

The marijuana was found after troopers were given permission to search the truck.

Hynd and Harper were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and were freed on bond Monday. Both men said they had no idea there was marijuana in their cargo.

'Hynd is 26 and has never been in any kind of trouble,' said his attorney, Donn Baker. 'He was just delivering caskets for a living. He didn't check inside the caskets for drugs - would you?'"

Rutgers researchers may have stopped HIV

Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a trio of drugs they believe can destroy HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to a published report.

Bloglines | My Feeds

In the essay for the November issue of Harper's Magazine called "Quitting The Paint Factory: On the Virtues of Idleness." the beauty of doing nothing is layed bare.

"Idleness is not just a psychological necessity, requisite to the construction of a complete human being; it constitutes as well a kind of political space, a space as necessary to the workings of an actual democracy as, say, a free press. How does it do this? By allowing us time to figure out who we are, and what we believe; by allowing us time to consider what is unjust, and what we might do about it. By giving the inner life (in whose precincts we are most ourselves) its due. Which is precisely what makes idleness dangerous. All manner of things can grow out of that fallow soil. Not for nothing did our mothers grow suspicious when we had 'too much time on our hands.' They knew we might be up to something. And not for nothing did we whisper to each other, when we were up to something, 'Quick, look busy.'

Mother knew instinctively what the keepers of the castles have always known: that trouble the kind that might threaten the symmetry of a well-ordered garden needs time to take root. Take away the time, therefore, and you choke off the problem before it begins. Obedience reigns, the plow stays in the furrow; things proceed as they must. Which raises an uncomfortable question: Could the Church of Work which today has Americans aspiring to sleep deprivation the way they once aspired to a personal knowledge of God be, at base, an anti-democratic force? Well, yes. James Russell Lowell, that nineteenth-century workhorse, summed it all up quite neatly: 'There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on its keel, and saving it from all risk of crankiness, than business.'"

I have not used an alarm clock in five years. I have learnt to rely on the biological clock. My body is the boss.

For Softies, Search Is the New Black

For Softies, Search Is the New Black: "Bill Gates has a Google thing. When I asked him about the search competition last summer, he turned on the sarcasm. 'We'll never be as cool as them. Every conference you go to, there they are dressed in black, and no one is cooler!' Clearly Gates's dander was up, not only because the Google upstarts were eating his lunch, but they were press darlings as well. Behind the rant was a taunting subtext: watch me. Bill, you see, had been busy figuring how to get his lunch back"

Experiments on Black Babies

"What you may call a serious side effect in the U.S. is not a serious side effect in Kampala." This is a statement from a lead doctor in Uganda. The article, U.S. Officials Knew of AIDS Drug Risks provides the worst case scenario of testing new drugs on black babies, yet again.

"The government's research on using an AIDS drug to protect African babies was so flawed that health officials had to use blood tests after the fact to confirm patients got the medicine. Ultimately, they had to acknowledge the study broke federal patient protection rules. "

Nevirapine is an antiretroviral drug marketed in the United States as Viramune. It has been used since the 1990s to treat adult AIDS patients and is known to have potentially lethal side effects like liver damage and severe rashes when taken over time.

In 1997, NIH began studying in Uganda whether it could be given safely in single doses to stop mother-to-baby HIV transmission. That research showed it could reduce transmission in as many as half the births.

But by early 2002, an NIH auditor, the agency's medical safety experts and the drug's maker all disclosed widespread problems about the U.S.-funded research in Uganda.

Statistics and lies!

misguided attempt at romance

Here is a cautionary tale of a very misguided attempt at romance. The conveniently-named 19-year-old Marine David Battle was wounded in Falluja. While operating on him, doctors informed Battle that he had a choice -- either lose his wedding ring and keep his finger or lose his finger.

Doctors were preparing to cut off Battle's ring to save as much of his finger as they could.

"But that would mean destroying my wedding ring," he said. "My wife is the strongest woman I know. She's basically running two people's lives since I've been gone. I don't think I could ever repay her or show her how grateful ... how much I love my wife, my soul mate."

With his approval, doctors severed his finger, but somehow in the chaos that followed, they lost his ring.

Technology Allows Choice

The (washingtonpost.com) has an interesting article on consumer options getting out of control largely fuelled by technology. As much as I love technology, I think this is good example of toys falling in the wrong hands.

This quote simply says it all.
'It runs the risk of turning procreation and parenting into an extension of the consumer society,' said Michael J. Sandel, a political philosopher at Harvard University. 'Sex selection is one step down the road to designer children, in which parents would choose not only the sex of their child but also conceivably the height, hair color, eye color, and ultimately, perhaps, IQ, athletic prowess and musical ability. It's troubling.'

Robbers scared off by Playstation game get jail time

ABC13.com: Robbers scared off by Playstation game get jail time: "A video game notorious for violence and mature content may have actually saved a Santa Fe family.

Back in March, Sandy Wilson was taking care of her three grandsons when a group of men attempted to burglarize her home, pointing a gun at the kids.
The children happened to be playing a video game called Grand Theft Auto at the time. The game has dozens of random police scanner messages, which blare out calls such as 'This is the police! You�re surrounded!' Believe it or not, Wilson says the burglars heard that message and thought police were outside the door waiting for them.

Galveston County Asst DA Michael Elliott explained, 'The police in the game were saying, 'Stop, we have you surrounded. This is the police.� The burglar, unknowingly, thought this was the actual police and panicked ... being apprehended by Playstation.'

'Thinking that it was pretty funny,' recalled young victim Chaze Fisher. 'How they were, like, ran off, and they got all scared over a game.'
Police arrested the four men. Samuel Woodrow received a five-year prison sentence this week. Ronnie Farris is serving four years. Lucas Griffin got probation. And Zachary Brandenburg�s trial is in January. "

The Alpha Bloggers

MSNBC - The Alpha Bloggers: "Meet the highly evolved community of 'A-listers' with growing influence over the tech agenda. They show how radically power can shift in the age of the Internet."

Mubanga´s Guantanamo Bay Ordeal

The following is MwandiniToloane's viewpoint on justice denied:
"people, Gitmo or Abu Graib and the way they are portrayed in the media serves to distract you and me from the real reason these camps exists. Gitmo serves a purpose other than the one the media provides, and so do many of the lawyers representing the captives. the vast majority of the populace here understands this conspiracy, believe me on this, they have been fooled into believing they are at war with the rest of the world. what we are being fed with are two parts of the same tactic by the same party. on the one side is this same party holding people for deterence's sake (to scare any of you who wants to disagree), and on the other are the same people, posing as lawyers, making you and me think there is justice around them here parts, just like the mock trials of Abu Ghraib abusers were intended for. if this last were not true, then i do believe by now there would have been much more public outcry than we've witnessed to date, and those poor prisoners would have been freed a long time ago.

sometimes i imagine what it would be like if these people were their ilk, kept 'without charge' in cages for, what, two years?!, without society reacting in a manner that would make the governments do something about this injustice?

the excuses they must use in order not to raise suspicion of actual motive, that they are using on Mubanga and the others, is to use scare mongering tactics. 'terrorists' is being used in the same way as many used 'communists' to incacerate or elliminate their opposition.

as for the individual victims of the new pre-emptive strategy, the tactic is to make these people think there is something wrong with their personalities in the first place, hence the reason they are getting the treatment...
"

'We WERE the World'

Twenty years on, and look at what we have achieved! Nothing. same old problem, but at least the technology changes and we can see the concert all over again on DVD.

'We Are the World' Turns 20 on DVD: "The 20th anniversary of the release of USA For Africa's charity single 'We Are the World' will be marked Feb. 1 with the DVD 'We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song.' "

The announcement comes on the heels of the release of a 20th anniversary version of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas," the British famine relief charity single that spurred both the USA for Africa tune and the Live Aid concert. A DVD featuring most of the Live Aid performances also hit stores recently.

Bob Marley's 60th birthday

Ethiopia to Celebrate Marley's 60th Birthday: "Bob Marley's 60th birthday will be celebrated with a month-long program of events in Ethiopia in February 2005.
The program, titled 'Africa Unite,' will be spearheaded by a globally televised concert on Feb. 6, featuring the Marley children and his former backing singers the I-Threes.
Harry Belafonte, Quincy Jones and top African acts including Angelique Kidjo, Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour will also perform.
The concert will be held in Addis Ababa's Mascoll Square, on what would have been Marley's 60th birthday. The singer died of cancer on May 11, 1981. Negotiations are under way for international rights to broadcast the concert. "

Visit Zambia 2005

Zambia will in 2005 celebrate 100 years since the city of Livingstone was founded and the 150 years since David Livingstone first saw the Victoria Falls.
The Magic of Zambia:
This comprehensive Guide to Zambia, has been endorsed by the Zambia National Tourist Board and the Tourism Council of Zambia. The publishers have included maps to help you plan your trip and identify popular destinations such as the Zambezi, victoria Falls, and the National Parks.

'Dr. Livingstone, I presume'

WorldNetDaily: "From the wondrous Victoria Falls in Zambia to the Chobe Game Reserve in Botswana to the towering red sand dunes of Namibia, longtime WND contributor Anthony C. LoBaido recently captured the grandeur that is 21st century Africa. It includes natural wonders ranging from immense herds of elephants, river-crossing lions, majestic rainbows spanning two nations and the night skies of the Namib Desert. "

African Education Program

African Education Program: "Radnor High School "

Radnor seniors Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza, Hillary Bridges and Christian Mark have created their own nonprofit organization - the African Education Program. Their goal is to support and serve schools in Zambia, where widespread poverty and AIDS have reduced the life expectancy to 33 years, according to Zambia's Central Statistical Office.

On December 12, 2004 at Radnor High School, the three students are holding an African Cultural Fair in their school's auditorium and lobby (the event is not sponsored by Radnor).

The fund-raiser will be complete with African music, dance and food, guest speakers, hair-braiding and information booths.

During spring break in March, the three students plan to directly deliver computers, books and other supplies to the schools.

They are looking for both money donations, as well as any materials that we could bring to Zambia for the children. If you are in any way interested in helping, please contact:

Mail: 502 Van Lear's Run
Villanova, PA 19085
Phone: 484-888-6794
Fax: 610-975-0211

www.africaneducatio nprogram.org
E-Mail : chris129wl@comcast.net

Net communities may be key to future of politics

CNET News.com

Business Web sites that foster an aura of community trust may hold the key to the future of online politics.

A panel of Internet gurus gathered Friday at the fifth annual Votes, Bits & Bytes conference here, held by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School to discuss the impact of Internet business models on online politics.

The panelists said the most valuable lesson online campaigners may be able to garner from Web-based companies is that building a sense of trust remains at the center of winning loyalty from customers or political followers.

"The golden rule is really how people want us to operate," Newmark said. "They want business sites and political sites to adhere to our shared values of being fair with one another and treating each other with respect."

The History of Contraception

The Dittrick Medical History Center at Case Western University in Cleveland has a new History of Contraception Museum. The Center recently received 650 artifacts in the Percy Skuy Collection, the most comprehensive of its kind in the world. Skuy is the past president of Ortho Pharmaceutical in Canada.

On display at the new museum are such vintage intrauterine devices as the as the "Russian Cross," "Butterfly," Supercoil," "Sea Tangle Tent" and the ominous "10 Armed Device."

Grief May Be Magnified During the Holidays

PRNewswire : The holidays are often thought of as a joyful time of the year, filled with sights and sounds of seasonal cheer. Yet for people struggling with the death of a family member or other loved one, the holidays can be a difficult time

The season may be full of reminders of the loss in our lives. And it is not just recent losses. During the holidays, feelings of grief can seem fresh, even if a loved one died years ago.

A suggestion for coping with grief during the holidays is to allow yourself permission to do what feels right for you. At a time of year when many people feel compelled to follow holiday traditions, letting yourself do something different can be helpful. Some people find it comforting to be with family and friends, emphasizing the familiar. Others may wish to avoid old traditions and try something new.

additional suggestions for coping with grief during the holidays:

* Plan for the approaching holidays. Recognize that the holidays might be

a difficult time for you. The stress may affect you emotionally,

mentally, and physically. This is a normal reaction. Be prepared and

gentle with yourself.

* Recognize that the holidays won't be the same. Expecting everything to

seem the same might lead to disappointment. Doing things a bit

differently acknowledges the change in your life but still offers

continuity with the past.

* Be careful not to isolate yourself. It's important to take quiet,

reflective time for yourself but also allow yourself the support

offered from friends and family.

* The holidays may affect other family members. Talk over your plans and

share your feelings. Respect other's choices and needs.

* Avoid additional stress. Decide what you really want to do over the

holiday season and give yourself permission to avoid things you don't

want to do.

Cheesy Movie Survey

Although 'Titanic' soared at the box office in 1997, according to a recent survey, its most memorable line - 'I'm the king of the world!' - sunk.
British baker Warburtons posed the question 'What are your top three cheesiest moments in film?' to 2,000 U.K. moviegoers in celebration of the launch of their new cheese-flavored crumpets.

The list of big cheese moments:

1. "Titanic": Leonardo DiCaprio's "I'm the king of the world!"

2. "Dirty Dancing": Patrick Swayze's "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."

3. "Four Weddings And A Funeral": Andie McDowell's "Is it still raining? I hadn't noticed."

3. "Ghost": Demi Moore's "Ditto," to Patrick Swayze's "I love you."

5. "Top Gun": Val Kilmer to Tom Cruise: "You can be my wingman anytime"

6. "Notting Hill": Julia Roberts' "I'm just a girl ... standing in front of a boy ... asking him to love her."

7. "Independence Day": Bill Pullman's "Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

8. "Braveheart": Mel Gibson's "They may take our lives, but they will not take our freedom!"

9. "Jerry Maguire": Renee Zellweger to Tom Cruise: "You had me at hello."

10. "The Postman": A blind woman says to Kevin Costner: "You're a godsend, a savior." He replies: "No, I'm a postman."

Splenda Is Splendid

Dieters of the world, watch out! Your supply of Splenda, the brand name for the no-calorie sucralose concoction, is about to be crimped. Tate & Lyle, the world's only sucralose manufacturer, says demand so far outstrips supply that it simply cannot make enough. And it's going to get worse before it gets better. Sucralose was previously banned in the European Union but is set to be introduced to the 25 member countries in 2005.

As the only no-calorie substitute made from sugar, Splenda is sold to consumers by McNeil Nutritionals, a unit of Johnson & Johnson. Because of the popularity of such diets as Atkins and South Beach, demand for the sugar-sweet substitute has been rampant.

a href="http://slate.msn.com/?id=2070686">A sugar snob taste-tests Splenda: "So, I guess there's a point to be made about Splenda, and that point is that the stuff really doesn't taste so bad. And you don't even digest it! I'm a little more wary of Splenda ......

Even though my taste buds were obviously confused when it came to iced tea, I'm going to remain a sugar snob. Life is short, you know."

Jones Could Lose Her Medals

Marion Jones should be stripped of her five Olympic medals if allegations that she used banned drugs before the 2000 Sydney Games are true, World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound said Friday.

Victor Conte, head of the lab that allegedly provided steroids and other banned drugs to elite athletes, told ABC's '20/20' that he gave Jones performance-enhancing drugs and watched as she injected herself with human growth hormone.

"Jeopardy" king Ken's New Gig

Answer: 'Jeopardy' king Ken Jennings' new gig.

Question: What is Encarta's new spokesman?

Jennings, a 30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City, garnered a huge following after a 74-game winning streak on the knowledge-testing TV game show. The streak, which ended last month, netted Jennings more than $2.5 million in winnings, free tax services from H&R Block and now a new job with Microsoft.

The software company said Monday that as its encyclopedia product's spokesman, Jennings would be featured in a 'Quiz the Whiz' game through Encarta Reference Library Premium 2005 that challenges users to stump him.

A good place for a date?

All-Cereal Restaurant: "How's this for thinking outside the box: a cafe with jammies-clad servers pouring cereal day and night, topping it off with everything from fruit to malted milk balls, and serving it in 'bowls' resembling Chinese takeout containers. It's all cereal. Seriously.
Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe, opened its first sit-down cafe Wednesday on the University of Pennsylvania campus,"

Between bites of hot oatmeal with cranberries and almonds, Penn junior Alpha Mengistu, 20, said Cereality offered more than a quick carb- and sugar-load.

"I think this would be a good place for a date," she said. "You could learn a lot about a person by what cereal they choose."

O: An Intimate History of the Orgasm

'Aside from the need to breathe and eat,' writes Jonathan Margolis, 'the pursuit of orgasm has been one of the strongest single determinants of human behavior throughout history.' It is hard to disagree with him, especially once you've come to the end of his new book, 'O: An Intimate History of the Orgasm.'

Documenting attitudes to sex from the cavemen to modern times, Margolis shows how human culture has been driven by the pursuit of that most elusive, fleeting and inconsistent pleasure. For despite our obsession, he writes, 'most individuals will experience a mere twenty seconds of orgasm a week, a minute or so a month, or a total of twelve ecstatic minutes a year.'

Generation Raised With Internet Grows Up "

"Generation Raised With Internet Grows Up "

Young people are now the savviest of the tech-savvy, as likely to demand a speedy broadband connection as to download music onto an iPod, or upload digital photos to their Web logs.

The Internet has shaped the way they work, relax and even date. It's created a different notion of community for them and new avenues for expression that are, at best, liberating and fun - but that also can become a forum for pettiness and, occasionally, criminal exploitation.

More than any previous generation, today's young people are plugged in - all the time - with a world of communication and information at their fingertips.

Take Suhas Sridharan, whose introduction to the Web came as a sixth-grader in South Carolina. In those days, she regularly visited the Disney Web site to play games; by high school, she was researching assignments online and checking her e-mail daily.

"Now I think even my 'senior self' in high school would be surprised how much I use the Internet," says Sridharan, a 17-year-old freshman at Emory University in Atlanta, where the Web is woven into the framework of students' lives via a system called LearnLink.

Assignments are dispersed online. Students are much more likely to do research online than use the library. And even the proverbial class handout has gone the way of the Web, posted on electronic bulletin boards for downloading after class.

So when Emory's computer server went down for a few hours one evening this fall, you would've thought the world had come to an end. "A lot of people were at loose ends," Sridharan says. "They couldn't do their homework."

Of course, there is a dark side to having such broad access: It gives identity thieves and sexual predators a new place to look for victims.

Perhaps more common than those well-publicized dangers are the everyday dramas caused by online rumor-spreading. And it can get ugly, particularly when people post comments on their online profiles and Web logs, commonly known as blogs.

Jennifer Anello recalls the time a friend got drunk one Saturday night, called her ex-boyfriend and ended up arguing with him.
'The following Monday his profile had something to the effect of 'Can someone tell (my ex-girlfriend) how to hold her liquor and get her a shrink?'' says Anello, who's 24 and lives in Stamford, Conn.

Online rumors and innuendo cause angst among teens, too. 'Parents say, 'We never knew it would take on this velocity and ferocity,'' says Amanda Lenhart, another Pew researcher.
Andreea Johnson, a student at Central Michigan University and a regular Web user, says those bad experiences make some people, including the grandmother who raised her, wary of the Internet.
'Are you kidding? She would never get an e-mail account,' Johnson says, laughing. 'I think some older people still think of it as the devil - like it's kind of evil.

Name and Shame a Love Cheat

Susan Hughes from Devon, England has launched a web site for betrayed lovers to seek their revenge by posting photographs and details of their cheating partners.
For more details please contact Susna Hughes - Media Ltd
e-mail info@medavia.co.uk.

I can't thinking of the cost. Why spend more money on someone who has betrayed you?

Probably this is aimed at women.

Google Giggle

"Go to www.google.com

Beside the 'search' button, click 'preferences'.

Change the interface language to 'Elmer Fudd'.

Copy and paste this exactly in the 'search' function:

isveryridiculousand

Giggle."

Exuberance: The Passion for Life

Science has put considerable effort into studying the sadder side of human nature, focusing on negative or destructive emotions. Kay Redfield Jamison is hoping science will look in the other direction -- at exuberance.
"Joy may be less philosophically satisfying than pain," Redfield said. "But it's just as important -- and a lot more fun."

Jamison is a scientist, writer and professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The following excerpt is taken from the article Psychiatry Expert Probes Roots of Exuberance
: "Theorists suspect that as many as one in 10 people are lucky enough to embrace a temperament built on long-lasting energy and enthusiasm, she said -- people who are 'born bold, active and fearless, people who feel intensively alive.'
Jamison said that an exuberant temperament creates Nobel Prize-winners like Watson and renowned physicist Richard Feynman, whom Alan Alda portrayed on Broadway in 'QED.' And she suspects that scientists in particular may benefit from a high dose.

'Science is full of failure, and you need people to bounce back and get re-enthused,' she said. 'Exuberance is contagious,' and that energy motivates others to pursue similar ideas.
To understand the chemistry that drives high energy and high mood is to capture the force behind many great discoveries, she said. 'Exuberance is not recognized for the vital role it plays in discovery, creativity, leadership and survival itself ... It forces us out into a greater arena of life.'

But push exuberance too far, and mad things can happen. "

Dubya, The Movie

What's with this clever Dubya Movie
making its rounds on the net?

Family, friends, AIDS and a pot of nshima.

I spent most part of today with family friends and their friends. It was a nice day of nshima, okra, fish and yes you guessed it chicken. I was impressed with the quality of the nshima, upon complimenting the young woman in charge, I was kindly informed that the maize meal was imported from Zambia.

All you Sossanites craving for the real mcCoy, just buzz me, there is plenty of Zambian maize meal to keep you bellies full for the rest of the winter.

Anyway, while we were having a lavish feast of zambian meal, the issue of aids come up. Who has or does not have aids, how can you tell. What if you fancy someone, does it matter? And of course, condoms.

Mind you, here is a self professed HIV/AIDS activist sitting with 20 somethings men and women discussing sex and related matters. It is quite easy for me to post a comment or article on the internet about aids, but quite different to talk to young people you have known for a long time about an issue which is now taken for granted. It was a challenge to say the least.

My take on this issue is simply this, there are lots of lovely and beautiful people out there. It is only natural to get smitten by the bug called love, and it is a natural step to sleep with your luv thang.

Please, please, remember this, just wear a johnny while you at it!

All the young ones thought I was nuts and laughed about it. One even had the audacity to ask me about my favourite flavour. I'm talking about kids who do not even know who flava flav is, that Dr Dre side kick from NWA. Anyway, teaching youngesters who know so much about sex is a very daunting task.

I think the message should be geared to responsibility. The youngsters have so much access to information, yet they lack the sense of responsibility. If we teach these young things how to be responsible with all the info the hold in their tiny brains, we are getting somewhere. And the message on HIV prevention will hit home.

Google Here, Google There, Google Everywhere

Boot your GooOS, then load up the Growser. After that, head out on the Web to access the GooFiles from your primary Gdrive, check your Gmail and begin editing your daily report using the GWord part of the GooOffice suite.

That's the way it's going to be in the future, if some of the wilder predictions about Google.com prove true.
The search darling is tight-lipped about its plans for expanding the Googlesphere.Here are the conjecture and the facts - or fiction - behind each potential scenario.

'Blog' No. 1 word of the year - Nov 30, 2004

CNN.com - Publisher: 'Blog' No. 1 word of the year : "A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year.
Merriam-Webster Inc. said on Tuesday that blog, defined as 'a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks,' was one of the most looked-up words on its Internet sites this year."

Dialling Under the Influence

I have on several occasions dialled people have not intended to talk to for one reason or another after a drunken party or a drinking session with friends.

When I'm tipsy, usually, I get highly sentimental. The downside to this is that I tend to say all sorts of nice things to people I don't really like. Exes feature highly on the drunken dial mode.

I have always wonderd why I keep doing it.

Virgin Mobile is aiming to prevent drunken dialing in Australia by providing a way to blacklist numbers so that they can't be called until 6AM, Help available for 'drunken diallers'.

Sounds like a great step to add into the break up routine. Slam door, blacklist SO's phone number while highlighting the numbers of their cute friends, get pissed.

Etiquette in Mind When Mixing Work, Holidays

"So you think you're all set to impress at the office this holiday season? You've purchased a $300 cashmere Burberry scarf as a gift for the boss, you've sent cards to clients and co-workers featuring a quaint manger scene and you've found the perfect, slinky little black dress to wear to the office party.
Hold it. You're about to give Miss Manners a heart attack. When it comes to holiday etiquette, the business world plays by a completely different set of rules. "

Here are the rules of the game:

The 'blog' revolution sweeps across China

Guestblogger Xiao Qiang published an in-depth article in New Scientist on blogging (bo ke) in China. Beyond the sheer growth, the failed attempts of the central authority to censor the most decentralized and adaptive of media holds promise for change.

I'd rather not be Rather

I manage a news website Mpelembe Network. I have come to learn that no one has a monopoly on news. We all want to get the latest freshiest and relevant dose of gossip.

The Economist.com | Lexingtonhas a brilliant article reminding the old guard to step aside before they are tossed on the scrap heap or Rather the following puts it more politely;

"Given America's fractious politics, it is easy to look at Mr Rather's retirement merely in terms of a left v right scorecard. But, more fundamentally, it is about choice.
Mr Rather's announcement of his (partial) retirement comes just a few days before Tom Brokaw resigns from his job anchoring NBC's evening news. That leaves ABC's Peter Jennings as the only survivor of the long-established triumvirate. But nobody imagines that the arrival of new blood at CBS and NBC will revive the fortunes of the network news. Most Americans now get their news from an ever-proliferating range of sources: not just Fox or CNN, but also foreign newspapers and even the innumerable original documents that are now available at the touch of a button. And fewer people regard any single news source�be it CBS News or the New York Times�as the embodiment of truth. "

Raising (Rising) New Media

the old media are losing power to the new: "Mr Rather's retirement epitomises two broader shifts of power. First, the old media are losing power to the new. And, second, the liberal media establishment is losing power to a more diverse cacophony of new voices.

For most of the post-war era the American media were dominated by a comfortable liberal consensus. The New York Times was the undisputed king of the print news, while the network anchors lorded it over TV news. That consensus is now under siege. The attacks are partly coming from the cable networks�particularly from conservative Fox News. (Charles Krauthammer once quipped that Rupert Murdoch had spotted a niche market�half the country. Sure enough, Fox is now America's top-rated cable news network.) But old media also face a newer and more unpredictable source of competition�the blogosphere. Bloggers have discovered that all you need to set yourself up as a pundit is a website and an attitude."

My Crappy Life

My Crappy Life: "Just to let everyone know, my mother was murdered

I'm a quite confused by this comment. I have gone through Rachelle Ann Monica Waterman's LiveJournal, even her website, http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/ art/s/m/smchyrocky/smchyrocky.html, and yet there is so much talk about her getting her mother murdered.

In case you are wondering the story is that this teenager enlisted a couple of men to kill her mother. The story has been running since mid november. People who know this young women claim that the story is true, others like me think it is another internet rumour gone wild, like "I'll find my frog story".

The mainstream media have not picked up on this, yet.

I'm watching the latest commentaries to see what pans out. If true, this is really sick!

Le French Logic

Court Rules French Film Not French Enough : "Court Rules French Film Not French Enough

Never mind that Jean-Pierre Jeunet's new film is a French story filmed in the French language featuring one of France's biggest actresses. A Paris court has ruled that 'Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles' (A Very Long Engagement), which opened Friday in the United States, is too American to compete in French film festivals - because of its Warner Bros. backing.

The movie, which opened at the end of October in France to much acclaim, stars Audrey Tautou, the winsome young actress who went from virtual unknown to international star with Jeunet's 2001 romance 'Amelie.'

The National Center for Cinematography, or CNC, made state funds available for Jeunet's movie in October 2003. A producer's association immediately questioned the film's nationality and filed a complaint. "

World of Drugs

World of Drugs The Astonishing Facts That Show How This Costly 130-Year War on Narcotics Has Achieved so Little

BILLIONS have been spent by governments in Western Europe and North America fighting the drug dealers. But the war is being lost.
Heroin, cocaine, metamphetamine and other illegal drugs are cheaper, purer and easier to get hold of than ever.
And in the United States alone half a million people are behind bars on drug charges - more than the entire prison population of Western Europe.
These shocking statistics show how drugs are ruling the world."

DVD killed the video star : Part 3

I don't see any conflict at all and both postings do have valid points to make. My contention with the original posting
was that it cited picture and sound quality as one of - if not THE reason why the VCR had lost to the DVD. It
was with this that I disagree and state that a high quality VCR will give you picture and Hi Fi sound that will rival
DVD. Of course with VCRs, the actual tape matters - a lot! If you want hi quality picture and sound, you need to be
looking at high end tapes, not the regular run-of-the mill "for daily use" types. One needs to be looking at the likes
of the JVC EHG and higher series of video cassettes.

It should come as no surprise that the DVD outsells the VCR on the high street by what must be an order of
magnitude, for various reasons, not least that the DVD players are now dirt cheap and the technology certainly
en vogue. The DVD has several 'features' that outclass the VCR by leaps and bounds - like the option to enable
or disable subtitles in more than one language (there are VCRs that do menus, indexing and subtitles - but I
haven't seen one that lets you pick the subtitle language).

The DVD's ability to playback CDs and MP3 files means it is fast replacing CD players as well and what is going
largely un-announced by the big high street retailers is that sales of CD players have fallen as well. You find people
are opting to have the one DVD player that doubles as both 'VCR' and CD-player. They will often connect this to an
AV type amplifier - usually with the 5:1 audio processing capability and Dolby-this-and-DTS-that. This often means
that the sound setup is changing from regular 2-channel stereo to surround sound to make the most of the
audio technology (1 x Sub woofer, 2 x front surround, 2 x rear surround).

What most do not realise is that there is a silent world out there known only to the purists. These are the sort that
will shell out GBP 2000 on a turntable (that was not an extra zero!) and will be looking for little-known names such
as Sugden, Naim, Linn, Audio Note and Rothwell to mention but a few, and will shell out 5 times that much for a
pair of speakers. They frown on AV amplifiers, DVD audio and surround sound - and maintain that these should be
used only for reproducing video recordings (DVD) not Hi Fi audio. The latter - as far as the audiophiles are concerned -
remains the preserve of high quality Hi Fi amplifiers, stereo speakers and analog sources. These unfortunately, are in
the minority and are largely ignored by the big companies because let's face it - there is more to be made by selling a
million things that cost $10 each than 1 item which costs $1M.

It is in Dixon's interest to announce that it will no longer stock VCRs because let's face it - it is all overhead to
them. I can't see that anyone would want to buy a VCR in Japan and the occident today with the DVD recorder prices
falling as they are, and yes, people will start transferring their video recordings to DVD - but if one's VCR was not high
quality to start with, one will end up with a DVD that is the same quality as their original VHS recording! The
only benefit of this transfer then becomes convenience - not quality.

It is for this reason that I am loathe to transfer my vinyl to CD. I'd rather transfer it to SACD, but alas! Majority rules.
Like Beta max lost out to VHS, again the world of commerce dictates that the accepted universal standard for audio will
be the lower quality system - but that is another debate!

Thanks for the info...

Email Service

Lessons From The Demise of The VCR

was greatly saddened to hear of beginning of the end of the video recorder. Dixons (LSE: DXNS) has sounded the death knell for the VCR with its announcement that it will stop selling them after Christmas this year.

Dixons justified its decision to stop selling VCRs by confessing to a drop in demand for video recorders. It also revealed that DVD players currently outsell VCRs by a hefty ratio of forty to one. For some of us, the impending demise of the VCR brings to the fore the problem of what to do with our library of video tapes.

Most solutions involve throwing money at the problem. For example, it is possible to buy a substantial stock of cheap video recorders and tapes that would hopefully see you through your playing days. Of course, video tapes have a limited shelf, with degradation over time an insurmountable problem. It is also possible to transfer your video tapes onto DVDs. You can do this either through your personal computer or via your existing television set-up. There are even specialist companies that will convert the tapes for you.

WE WERE VERY HAPPY CHILDREN

"More items to remind one of the good old days.

1.- We never wore seatbelts in the car, cars didn't have airbags.You still
had British cars on the roads and Peugeot 504s and Fiat 131 (Mirafori) and Fiat 132s were the in things.

2.- Riding on the back of a vanette was an adventure that we still remember!

3.- When we rode our bikes we never wore a helmet.

4.- We would drink water from the tap or from a hose in the backyard (not
bottled water).

5.- We didn't have cell phones , so our parents were never able to reach us
(awesome)

6.- We would eat cake, bread and butter, drink sugary drinks, and we weren't
overweight nor worry about cholesterol or diets because we were always
outside playing

7.- Four of us would share a drink, we would all drink from the same bottle
and that wasn't disgusting nor would anyone get sick.

8.- We didn't have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X boxes, video games, DSTV,
VCR's, surround sound, cellular phones, computers, online chatrooms, instead
we would have tons of FRIENDS

9.- Remember DPB's milk chocolate biscuits.

10.- We listened to music with titles like Lazy Bones or Introduction or
45,000 volts sang by musicians who spoke broken English with funny accents
with bands called The Witch, Liqourice All Sorts, Ngozi Family, Crossbones
and not endless computer generated love songs or rap music with lyrics so
foul you probably needed a condom just to listen to it.

11. We wore pink shirts with big collars, platform shoes(Heliganza), crimplene trousers and shirts, bell bottom jeans with massive cowboy belts with brass bu"

Economic `Armageddon' predicted

BostonHerald.com - Business: Economic `Armageddon' predicted: "Stephen Roach, the chief economist at investment banking giant Morgan Stanley, has a public reputation for being bearish.

But you should hear what he's saying in private.

Roach met select groups of fund managers downtown last week, including a group at Fidelity.

His prediction: America has no better than a 10 percent chance of avoiding economic ``armageddon.'' "

soca, what's the goal?

Spy Blog: New British "Organised Crime Agency", trust, turf wars and privacy issues: "So what exactly will the 'Organised Crime Agency' tackle, and will the existing agencies still duplicate their work ?
Will it be truely National. i.e. will it include Scotland and Northern Ireland ?
Will there be extra funding for this new Agency ?
What are the limits on its power, and who audits those powers ?
What will the complaints procedure be ?
Or is this just going to be yet another Government soundbite policy ? "

How Safe Are the 5 Drugs?

Five Drugs Panned by FDA Drug Reviewer : "Five drugs cited by a government drug reviewer as the worst examples of those that remain on the market despite safety concerns, along with alternate products:
- Accutane, a treatment for severe acne linked to birth defects and fetal death when used by pregnant women. Alternatives, according to March of Dimes: topical preparations of the antibiotics erythromycin or clindamycin and the antibacterial agent benzoyl peroxide.
- Bextra, a painkiller found in a recent study to more than double the risk of heart attacks and strokes among patients with heart disease. Alternatives, according to Public Citizen: Enteric-coated aspirin or ibuprofen.
- Crestor, an anti-cholesterol drug linked to a muscle-destroying side effect and acute renal failure. Alternative statins: Lipitor, Lescol, Pravachol, Mevacor and Zocor.
- Meridia, an obesity treatment linked to heart problems and, among pregnant women, stillbirths, miscarriages and birth defects. Alternatives: There's no other diet drug that works like Meridia.
- Serevent, an asthma medication that a study in England linked to increased deaths due to asthma. Alternate FDA-approved asthma drugs: Leukotriene blockers, inhaled corticosteroids and theophylline"

Low-Carb Diets

And to All a Good Bite Before You Sit Down to That Holiday Feast, Take a Discerning Look at Low- Carb Diets : "And to All a Good Bite Before You Sit Down to That Holiday Feast, Take a Discerning Look at Low- Carb Diets
Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif. (Nov 24, 12:05 AM) Sticking to a diet plan is hard to do, period. But it becomes especially difficult during the holiday season when tables are laden with tempting treats that violate even the most generous of diet plans.
To lose weight, say nutrition experts, you must find a nutritionally sound diet that works for you. And knowing the pros and cons of the popular plans, such as Atkins and The Zone, can help you find the right weight-loss plan. "

DVD killed the video star Update.

This is a response from one of my more knowledgeable buddy. I would disagree if he wasn't an electronics expert. I get a feeling the marketing men are selling us one and the the same thing twice over.

>> Besides, the VHS sound and picture quality were always rubbish.

And I beg to differ. I have heard this remark over and over and I think it really needs to be qualified. If you get a cheap VHS
recorder, then indeed your sound and picture will be less than superb. Shell out a decent amount and you would be amazed.

I purchased a top-of-the-range JVC HR-J935 Hi-Fi video recorder (next one up is S-VHS ) for about GBP 450 in '96 and remain
impressed with its capabilities. The picture and sound quality are excellent thanx to the so called Dynamic drum system. I played
back a TV recording for one of my friends only a few months ago and they asked me how much I had paid for my DVD-recorder.
I told them it wasn't the DVD (I don't have a recorder) but the video playing back and their comment was "No way you get sound
like that from a VCR!". I had to stop and eject the tape to convince them I was on the level.

It is a clever VCR and when you fast forward or rewind in playback mode, you don't get the white lines across the screen.
You get a clear picture - and at selected REW/FWD speeds, you even get the sound - not squiggly cartoon like-like noises,
but proper sound - at normal speed, sampled and played back normally so you can actually hear which portion of the tape you
are rewinding/forwarding. You can also record a HiFi track alongside the normal mono audio track and the two don't have to be
the same! The only drawback with the VCR is that it respects copyright - and the manual doesn't tell you about this! You can
record anything off TV, Hi-8 or a purchased video, you can't copy a video from Blockbusters! It has the so called microvision
technology which is a real pain for people prepared to disregard copyright law. I know you can buy gadgets off the internet
which strip the microvision macro and enable you to get round this problem, but these are only just now surfacing and I have
had my VCR since 96.

So, while it may be true to say that dollar for dollar you'd get better picture and sound from a DVD player - by miles -
it is not a universal fact that all VCRs are terrible

>> Another thing I always hated about VHS tapes is that they were so huge.

Now is this really true? The DVD itself might be very small compared with the tape, but the packaging does bring the
both of them on near level pegging so that's a moot point regarding storage unless one is talking disc without the case.
I think DVD covers should have been designed the same size as ordinary audio CDs to really make that point stick.

I think it is fair to put down the VCR on the basis of 'features' rather than trying to go the full mile and label them 'rubbish'
on quality grounds because the fact of the matter is that you get what you pay for.

Vinyl has in recent times put up an amazing come back as true audiophiles demand quality and the companies concede
that the sound quality on vinyl is better than CD - so much so that Sony has released a new format called SACD (super
Audio CD) to try and match (and presumably better) vinyl by emulating as closely as possible the data pattern in the vinyl
groove. Yet, when you look back to when CD first hit the scene, one of the selling points was that it was a higher quality than
vinyl!

I will not for a minute presume to state that VHS, or S-VHS even can match DVD. But I will move though, that you would be
hard pushed to tell - on the basis of picture and 2-channel stereo sound alone - the difference between DVD and a very good
quality VCR.

One person's opinion