Gridskipper

If it is so easy find me a Friday night flight wiht a Sunday night return to: Nice, Ibiza, Barcelona or really anywhere exciting on the med this summer!

Gridskipper: "With similar price wars broiling across Europe, it's getting quite easy to cobble together all kinds of extremely cheap and flexible itineraries for European touring."

Porsche gives green light to 4-door sports car - Automotive - MSNBC.com

Porsche gives green light to 4-door sports car - Automotive - MSNBC.com: "FRANKFURT - Porsche will invest some $1.21 billion to develop a new four-door, four-seat �Panamera� sports coupe with a sales target of at least 20,000 units a year from 2009, it said on Wednesday."

Echinacea fails to treat or prevent colds in study - Alternative Medicine - MSNBC.com

Echinacea fails to treat or prevent colds in study - Alternative Medicine - MSNBC.com: "Being sick with a cold is nothing to sneeze at, but new research finds that taking the popular herbal remedy echinacea does nothing to treat or prevent it.
The federally funded study was what fans and foes of such substances say they have long needed � rigorous, scientific testing. It found that patients who took an echinacea plant extract fared no better than those who took a dummy treatment."

One Capri for 'Only Visiting' and One for 'Don't Even Ask' - New York Times

The elusive 'everybody' term.
One Capri for 'Only Visiting' and One for 'Don't Even Ask' - New York Times: "'Everybody passes through Capri, from Jennifer Lopez to prime ministers. E-ver-y-body,' said the crystal heiress Fiona Swarovski, whose house there was owned by the English music hall singer Gracie Fields. "

The New Yorker: The Critics: Books

Little has changed. People still drink all day long in London.

The New Yorker: The Critics: Books: "A typical day�s drinking for Samuel Pepys in early Restoration London might go like this. At about ten o�clock, he would have his �morning draft��usually �small� (or weak) beer, but sometimes regular beer or even wine. Cakes might be eaten with the draft, but dinner was the day�s main meal, then taken at noon, and, at least on some occasions, this was washed down with wine�possibly watered, given the volumes that Pepys records knocking back. During the rest of the working day, more wine might be consumed: Rhenish wine (sometimes sugared); �sack� (sherry or Spanish white wine); claret (red Bordeaux); �Florence� wine; �burnt� or �mulled� wine; wine flavored with wormwood. He might also have further drafts of beer (traditionally hopped) or ale (traditionally unhopped, and specified as Margate, Lambeth, China, or Hull). Like most seventeenth-century Londoners, Pepys drank little or no water. Beer and ale were scarcely thought of as intoxicants; you would have had to drink vast quantities of small beer to become �foxed� or �fuddled,� and, because the water available to Londoners was so foul, mildly alcoholic beverages were safer"

CNN.com - Goats, cows offered for Chelsea - Jul 27, 2005

Wouldn't this be trading like for like?

CNN.com - Goats, cows offered for Chelsea - Jul 27, 2005: "NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- A Kenyan says he offered Bill Clinton 40 goats and 20 cows for his daughter's hand in marriage five years ago -- and is still waiting for an answer.
Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor told the East Africa Standard newspaper last week that he wrote to Clinton asking for Chelsea's hand in 2000 during the then-president's visit to Kenya."

USATODAY.com - Fliers beware of the 'outhouse seat'

USATODAY.com - Fliers beware of the 'outhouse seat': "rans-Atlantic discounter delayed by fuel costs: Fledgling Maxjet Airways had planned to begin discount service from the USA to London this fall, but now says soaring fuel costs are forcing it to push back its projected launch date to spring 2006. 'The fuel issue is hurting everybody in the airline industry,' Mike Malik, Maxjet's chief marketing and information officer, tells The Washington Post (free registration). 'But when you're starting out it hurts even more.' Maxjet now hopes to begin flying to London's Stansted Airport from New York JFK and Baltimore/Washington by March, and possibly from Boston by May. The carrier has already leased one Boeing 767, but is now reported to be considering other, more fuel-efficient jets � such as the Airbus A330 or the Boeing 777. Posted 2:25 p.m. ET"

Welcome to AIM Fight

Not really sure the purpose of this but who knows. AIM Fight

CNN.com - Rice furious over Sudanese scuffle - Jul 21, 2005

CNN.com - Rice furious over Sudanese scuffle - Jul 21, 2005: "One of Rice's aides eventually said, 'We have a free press in the U.S.,' and a Sudanese official responded, 'Well, we don't here,' Koppel reported.
Rice is visiting Sudan hoping to shore up the country's new government following more than two decades of civil warfare between the largely Islamic north and the mostly Christian and animist south. "

CNN.com - Atta's father praises London bombs - Jul 20, 2005

CNN.com - Atta's father praises London bombs - Jul 20, 2005: "He passionately vowed that he would do anything within his power to encourage more attacks.
When asked if he would allow a CNN crew to videotape another interview with him, el-Amir said he would give his permission -- for a price of $5,000.
That money, he said, would not be kept for himself, but would be donated to someone to carry out another terror attack.
El-Amir said that $5,000 was about how much it would cost to finance another attack in London.
It is CNN policy not to pay people for interviews.
A lawyer by trade, el-Amir had a sign on his apartment door saying he was a consultant.
The security guard for the apartment building said el-Amir had been under surveillance by Egyptian agents for several months after the September 11 attacks, but no one had been watching him recently."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Special Branch to track Muslims across UK

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Special Branch to track Muslims across UK: "Special intelligence units are being planned across Britain to monitor Muslims so the authorities can collect 'community by community' knowledge of where extremism is building up.
The Guardian has learned that the special squads, to be known as Muslim Contact Units and staffed by Special Branch officers, will be established in areas including Yorkshire, north-west England and parts of the Midlands.
After the London bombings police admit their intelligence of what goes on in Muslim communities is 'low', and urgently needs to be boosted.
Article continues




The police and Home Office say that a Muslim Contact Unit operating in London has already helped thwart extremist attempts to recruit young British Muslims to violent jihad, by working with Islamic communities."

ESPN.com - TENNIS - Cronin: Pressure on the American men

ESPN.com - TENNIS - Cronin: Pressure on the American men: "And where does that leave the Americans? Many are hoping that Roddick finally molds together all the pieces of his game and finds a way to take down the likes of Hewitt and defending U.S. Open champ Federer on the new U.S. Open series blue cement. He holds an ignominious 1-15 record against the pair. 'I want another crack at [Federer] till my record is 1-31,' said Roddick, who will attempt to defend the last outdoor hard-court title he won, in Indianapolis, this week. 'I still want to go against him again. You want to compete against the best. He's the measuring stick, so you know where you are and where you go.'"

Independent Online Edition > The X-rated films every child should see

Independent Online Edition > News : app2: "A 1950s thriller and a Danish film exploring the sexuality of teenage girls are among the top 10 films that British schoolchildren should see by the age of 14.
The list, compiled by the British Film Institute (BFI) after consulting up to 80 experts in cinema and education, includes only one film made in England. That film was Kes, Ken Loach's award-winning production about the relationship between a working-class boy from Barnsley and a kestrel.
A surprise omission was Billy Elliot, about a boy from a pit village who becomes a ballet dancer - which is on the curriculum in Sweden.
Cary Bazalgette, head of education at the BFI, said the top 10 was ' quite a controversial list that's likely to provoke continuing debate'.
'But that's the idea,' she added. 'We want people to discuss what children should see - rather than what they shouldn't see.' "

USATODAY.com - Airport Delay Times Survey

USATODAY.com - Travel News, Travel Deals, City Guides, Vacations, Flights, Hotels, Cruises, Car Rentals: "Delays, by the numbers: Find out how the busiest airports stack up."

Apple To The Rescue...Again? - Forbes.com

Apple To The Rescue...Again? - Forbes.com: "NEW YORK - Apple Computer, whose iTunes and iPods took a major step toward rescuing the music industry from the grip of pirates, is poised to do a similar service for videos.

Some of the top music labels say they've been contacted by Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) about the prospects of selling music videos on iTunes�probably ahead of a fall debut of a color-screen Apple full-motion video iPod. The labels ought to be jumping for joy.

Since the debut of MTV nearly a quarter century ago, the top music companies have been churning out music videos to fill an instant need for 24-hour services that reach their music buyer audience directly and immediately. As one music industry insider put it, 'the labels watched MTV build a multibillion dollar business on material they supplied for free.' "

New York Daily News - Daily Dish & Gossip - Rush & Molloy: Honeymoon's over for 'Wedding' star

Graff is right. We were there. But we may have been too drunk to notice anything.
New York Daily News - Daily Dish & Gossip - Rush & Molloy: Honeymoon's over for 'Wedding' star: "Paris Latsis' ex-girlfriend has slapped Paris Hilton - with a $10 million lawsuit.
Zeta Graff is suing the 'Hilton Camp' for causing 'a number of vicious lies ... to be published in the New York Post' about an incident June 1 at the London hot spot Kabaret. According to the Post, Graff 'went berserk' and 'attacked' Paris Hilton, attempting to pry loose a $4 million diamond necklace that had been loaned to Paris by Graff Diamonds - a company run by Zeta's ex-husband Francois Graff.
But Graff says this is all bunk. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, calls the story 'baseless' and unsupported 'by even a scintilla of truth.' In fact, according to court papers, Hilton actually approached Graff that night and whispered in her ear: 'You're a [bleep]ing [bleep]. I'm going to destroy you.'"

Showbiz | This is London

Sienna Single. Game On!
Showbiz This is London: "Actress Sienna Miller made a tearful appearance on the West End stage as she nursed her heartbreak over cheating fiance Jude Law

The 23-year-old turned up at Wyndham's Theatre in London last night without her diamond engagement ring.

She went ahead with her role as Celia in As You Like It barely 24 hours after Law admitted bedding his nanny Daisy Wright.

Her performance was faultless - but when the audience gave her a warm ovation at the curtain call the emotion finally got the better of her.

Her face crumpled and she wiped away tears as she walked into the wings."

How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart - New York Times

How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart - New York Times: "But the pi�ce de r�sistance, the item he most wanted to crow about, was Costco's private-label pinpoint cotton dress shirts. 'Look, these are just $12.99,' he said, while lifting a crisp blue button-down. 'At Nordstrom or Macy's, this is a $45, $50 shirt.'
Combining high quality with stunningly low prices, the shirts appeal to upscale customers - and epitomize why some retail analysts say Mr. Sinegal just might be America's shrewdest merchant since Sam Walton.
But not everyone is happy with Costco's business strategy. Some Wall Street analysts assert that Mr. Sinegal is overly generous not only to Costco's customers but to its workers as well.
Costco's average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its fiercest rival, Sam's Club. And Costco's health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco 'it's better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder.' "

CNN.com - Syria travel boom despite trouble - Jul 17, 2005

Damascus safer than New York - clearly this guy is from upstate!
CNN.com - Syria travel boom despite trouble - Jul 17, 2005: "DAMASCUS, Syria (Reuters) -- Strolling in the narrow lanes of the oldest inhabited city in the world, American tourist David Kummer says he feels safer in its old souks than on the streets of New York.
'It's safer than New York here but Americans are fearful of Arabs, they think they are all terrorists. Most of it is prejudice but I wasn't scared,' said Kummer, 55, a teacher at a college in Valhalla, New York state, in the shady courtyard of an old Damascus home."

Robots replace child jockeys in UAE camel race - Yahoo! News

Robots replace child jockeys in UAE camel race - Yahoo! News: "ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Remote-controlled robot jockeys made their debut as camel riders in the United Arab Emirates Monday, competing in a trial race after the Gulf Arab state tightened a ban on child jockeys.

Robots weighing up to 15 kg (33 lb) were dressed in the clothes of human jockeys during the race held in the capital Abu Dhabi, which officials described as 'successful,' the WAM news agency reported."

NYO - Cover Story 1: "Not since Jeeves dismissed the First World War to Bertie Wooster as 'some slight friction threatening in the Balkans' have Britons made so light of evident catastrophe."

Lance Armstrong Interview | Outside Online

Lance may run for Governor?? C'est possible!
Lance Armstrong Interview | Outside Online: "You're going to be changing professions at some point.
I'll obviously stay involved with the team for the remainder of its existence. Many of the sponsors, I have long-term deals with�like Trek and 24-Hour Fitness and Nike and Discovery.

There's just a whole bunch of other stuff I want to do. I want to go ride my motorcycle on my ranch. I want to go kayak the Pedernales down to friggin' Lake Travis and call somebody and say, 'Uh, can you come pick me up?' I've got a lot of stuff, goofy things like that. I want to build a rock wall out here. Just weird things. Right now, I can't go build a rock wall, because I'd get arm muscles that I can't use. It sounds funny, but it's true�everything you do.

Maybe I'll run for governor. "

Massachusetts Man Completes First Transcontinental Trek | Outside Online

Massachusetts Man Completes First Transcontinental Trek | Outside Online: "July 13, 2005 Andrew Skurka walked and walked. And walked. He wore through 15 pairs of hiking shoes and trekked for 301 days to complete the 7,708-mile transcontinental Sea-to-Sea Route, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through a patchwork of long-distance trails beginning at Cape Gasp� Quebec, and ending at Washington State�s Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous United States. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Base on skis wins polar contract

A new arctic sea base for the UK. It looks like something out of Star Wars.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Base on skis wins polar contract: "The firm's concept comprises modular buildings that can be moved as the ice flows out to sea.
'All the buildings are on legs, and each leg has a ski at the bottom,' explained Hugh Broughton of Hugh Broughton Architects.
'So, when you want to move the buildings, you lower them down on their legs and they can then be moved around by a bulldozer,' he told BBC News.
This will prevent the possibility of the base drifting out into the ocean on the back of an iceberg that has 'calved' off the shelf - a fate that is expected to befall the current station unless it is soon dismantled and replaced. "

The New Power Brokers - New York Times

China China China.
The New Power Brokers - New York Times: "SHANGHAI, July 18 - They grew up during China's Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong's brutal political campaigns in the 1960's and 1970's tore apart families, pitting children against their parents and husbands against their wives.
Today, they are some of the most powerful deal makers in China, a group of rich and politically astute investment bankers who are helping transform China's economy and restructuring some of its biggest corporations.
Every major investment bank now has a Chinese-born star banker: Goldman Sachs has Fang Fenglei; Merrill Lynch has Erhfei Liu; Morgan Stanley has Jonathan Zhu; J. P. Morgan has Charles Li; and Citigroup has Wei Christianson.
They are so powerful and so sought after by Wall Street's biggest firms, their pay packages can reach $10 million a year after bonuses."

Tired of Prying Off Stickers? Tattooed Fruit Is on the Way - New York Times

I like all my melons tatooed.
Tired of Prying Off Stickers? Tattooed Fruit Is on the Way - New York Times: "A pear is just a pear, except when it is also a laser-coded information delivery system with advanced security clearance.
And that is what pears - not to mention organic apples, waxy cucumbers and delicate peaches - are becoming in some supermarkets around the country. A new technology being used by produce distributors employs lasers to tattoo fruits and vegetables with their names, identifying numbers, countries of origin and other information that helps speed distribution. The marks are burned onto the outer layer of the skin and are visible to discerning consumers and befuddled cashiers alike."

PAMELA Anderson is hoping her third wedding with Tommy Lee will be the charm

I got engaged at the Palms in Vegas. Afterwards we went to Jaguar for a few lap dances.

New York Post Online Edition:: "July 19, 2005 -- PAMELA Anderson is hoping her third wedding with Tommy Lee will be the charm. Lee � who has already walked down the aisle twice with Anderson � popped the question again on Friday at the Palms Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, our spy reports. 'He got her a black diamond with two gray diamonds on the side. After she said yes, they flew on the Palm's private jet back to L.A. � but they crossed out the 'l' on the side of the jet so it said 'Pam's.' ' The kooky couple then shacked up at the Mondrian for the weekend and told pals the wedding would happen 'this week.' A rep for Anderson said, 'I don't think so,' but then didn't call back after promising to check. "

In Croatia, a New Riviera Beckons - New York Times

In Croatia, a New Riviera Beckons - New York Times: "Recently rediscovered as an off-the-radar haven by the international celebrity set and their media-camp followers, Dubrovnik and Dalmatia's many romantic islands and hidden coves provided backdrops for lavish photo layouts in magazines like GQ, which this year proclaimed the Croatia 'the Next Riviera, ' and Sports Illustrated. In May, Croatia, a scythe-shaped country that sits astride the star-crossed, blood-drenched Balkans, was named the world's hottest travel destination in the new edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Croatia, which cited its 'rich diversity of attractions,' accessibility and 'relative affordability' (its currency, the kuna, is far friendlier to the dollar than the euro is) as well as its 'stunning beaches and islands' and 'magnificent food.'"

Report: Apple looking to sell music videos through iTunes - Jul. 18, 2005

Report: Apple looking to sell music videos through iTunes - Jul. 18, 2005: "NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Apple Computer has approached several major record companies about selling music videos through its iTunes store, according to a published report Monday. That could be a precursor to an iPod that plays video.
The Wall Street Journal reported the negotiations Monday, although an Apple spokeswoman declined to comment to the paper on what she termed 'rumors and speculation' about the company's plans.
Apple has told some entertainment-industry executives that it could announce a video iPod by September, according to the article. "

New TiVo strategy to encourage ad viewing - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

New TiVo strategy to encourage ad viewing - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com: "TiVo, based in Alviso, Calif., has announced plans to insert symbols that identify advertisers during commercial breaks, making them more visible even when a customer is fast forwarding through them.
The ID tags are designed to alert TiVo customers to certain products. If customers are interested in learning more, they can pause the show they are watching to receive a �long-format� commercial or obtain information about the product. The new campaign will be launched with General Motors and The WB Network commercials."

Mars Attacks!

This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in
recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification

Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.

Mars will be easy to spot. At the
beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m.
and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August when the two planets are
closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its
highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty
convenient to see something that no human being has
seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at
the beginning of August to see Mars grow
progressively brighter and brighter throughout the
month.


Share this with your children and grandchildren.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Fortune.com - 25 BREAKOUT COMPANIES 2005: Scanbuy

Fortune.com - 25 BREAKOUT COMPANIES 2005: Scanbuy: "Scanbuy
Technology: Consumer bar-code technology
Sector: Mobile Technology
Headquarters: New York, NY
Website: www.scanbuy.com

Bargain hunters have a new ally: the cellphone. Soon it will be easy to walk into a store, point your camera phone at the bar code on a product, and within seconds find the same item online for a comparable or better price.
Consumer bar-code technology, already common in Japan, is about to hit the U.S., says Olivier Attia. His 13-person company, Scanbuy, offers what he calls scancommerce software, which links any bar code to the Internet via camera phones. (The square code�above left�is designed to be especially phone-friendly.) The Nokia Series 60 and other phones can read the codes; they connect users to Amazon or PriceGrabber websites.
Before rushing to the mall, customers must download ScanZoom, Scanbuy's free software, to their cells. Scanbuy makes money by selling decoding technology to handset makers and by taking a cut from online retailers when goods are purchased via ScanZoom. Attia says he'll know he's arrived when 'the sign outside the store reads no pets, no food, and no bar-code scanning.' � Julie Schlosser"

How Would Adrian Grenier Spend $9,000?

How Would Adrian Grenier Spend $9,000?:"I go through long, drawn-out spurts of idleness and lasciviousness and very brief weekends of productivity."

Google's Growth Prompts Privacy Concerns - Yahoo! News

Google's Growth Prompts Privacy Concerns - Yahoo! News: "'This is a lot of personal information in a single basket,' said Chris Hoofnagle, senior counsel with the Electronic Privacy Information Center. 'Google is becoming one of the largest privacy risks on the Internet.'"

Zazzle.com - Buy & Sell Posters, T-Shirts, and Greeting Cards

Coolio. Hey if the google guys are investing in this let's all be lemmings!
Zazzle.com - Buy & Sell Posters, T-Shirts, and Greeting Cards

A Cellphone, a Movie Lobby and a Message - New York Times

A Cellphone, a Movie Lobby and a Message - New York Times: "Last month, 20th Century Fox signed a deal with Loews Cineplex Entertainment to distribute movie trailers, ring tones and pictures through kiosks in three Loews theaters, in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The promotional material can be picked up by anyone with a cellphone equipped to handle Bluetooth, a form of short-range wireless transmission.
Downloading a full-length movie trailer from the kiosk takes about 30 seconds, and there is no fee from the phone's service provider. One ring tone offered is an emphatic voice from the movie 'Kingdom of Heaven' that declares, 'Protect the stones!'
Moviegoers can also download cellphone screen 'wallpaper' of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.' (Mr. Pitt has been downloaded more often.)"

The New Nanny Diaries Are Online - New York Times

Older women jealous of younger women. What's new.
The New Nanny Diaries Are Online - New York Times: "But there was more to my advocacy. Suddenly, with her in my employ, I felt I was young and hip by proxy. I might be a boring mother of two, but my nanny, why, she dined in the hippest Williamsburg restaurants and rated the sexual energy of men and women she met. I was amused - and more than a bit envious.
I was about to turn 40. I'd been married almost 15 years. My ability to attend literary readings and art gallery openings was hampered by two children, and my party life was relegated to the toddler birthday circuit. I imagined the snoozefest that would ensue if I were to post: "

Eclipse of the City - Forbes.com

Eclipse of the City - Forbes.com: "Today this long dominance by global cities may be ending. Instead of clustering increasingly in 'world cities,' economic power is now declustering away from the primary urban centers to a host of smaller cities as well as to the sprawling suburban periphery.

Such a notion violates the thesis held by many academic analysts like Saskia Sassen who see core cities like New York, London and Tokyo as occupying 'new geographies of centrality' that provide 'the strategic sites for management of the global economy.' Behind these giants she identifies a secondary list of global centers, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Frankfurt, Toronto, Sydney, Paris, Miami and Hong Kong. "

People and Things to Like--2005 - Forbes.com

People and Things to Like--2005 - Forbes.com: "Realclearpolitics.com. I've written about this illuminating source of political and economic commentary. It's become even better and this year joins my list. Each day the editors post the day's best columns, editorials and opinion pieces--with all views represented. The balance, however, tilts toward pro-growth, pro-family, pro-defense pieces--a good reason to like this Web site. "

Village People 'Cop' in Trouble With Law - Yahoo! News

You just have to laugh at a headline like this:
Village People 'Cop' in Trouble With Law - Yahoo! News

Independent Online Edition > Iraq: A nation where suicide bombing is a fact of life

Independent Online Edition > Middle East: "The favourite time for suicide bombers to strike is about nine in the morning. There is the crash of a distant explosion and the windows of my hotel room rattle in their frames. Sometimes, I go to the roof and see oily black smoke rising above the palm trees somewhere in Baghdad. No city in the world has suffered so frequently from suicide bombers. Four bombs detonated in London, but this is becoming an everyday ocurrence in Baghdad.
Last Friday, there were no fewer than 12 attacks killing at least 28 people. The studied cruelty of the bombers gets worse by the day. Last week, a man driving a car packed with explosives blew himself up beside a US Army Humvee and killed at least 18 children playing in the street. A distraught man called Qais who was mourning his children said: 'I have had to move from my home because I cannot bear to look at the place where my two sons - Ali was five and Abbas was six - were playing before they died.' "

Marrying Maps to Data for a New Web Service - New York Times

Marrying Maps to Data for a New Web Service - New York Times: "SAN FRANCISCO, July 14 - In 1991, David Gelernter, a computer scientist at Yale, proposed using software to create a computer simulation of the physical world, making it possible to map everything from traffic flow and building layouts to sales and currency data on a computer screen.

Mr. Gelernter's idea came a step closer to reality in the last few weeks when both Google and Yahoo published documentation making it significantly easier for programmers to link virtually any kind of Internet data to Web-based maps and, in Google's case, satellite imagery."

MTV.com : Laguna Beach

Ah Laguna Beach. Guilty Pleasure #223
MTV.com : Laguna Beach

WebCalendar:Burning Man Fesitval

Power ballads and smoothies with Aussies and Irish in the desert.
WebCalendar: "Passion?Fruit?Smoothie?
Description:Join geoculinarily dislocated compadres Kiwi and Irish as we serve up our mutually antipodean interpretations of what blended juice drinks should be all about, to the heartrending sounds of the worlds smoothest power ballads...
Date:Wednesday, August 31, 2005
(Updated: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 1:05pm)
Time:10:00am-11:00am
Duration:60 minutes
Hosted by/Camp Name:Kiwi&Irish/Black Rock International Burner Hostel
Email:averylargenumber@gmail.com"

My Morning Jacket Channels Skynyrd In Crowe Film

My Morning Jacket Channels Skynyrd In Crowe Film: "My Morning Jacket has often drawn comparisons to such southern rock forebears as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band, even if they're rooted more in its members' long-haired, bearded appearances than their music.

But in Cameron Crowe's new film 'Elizabethtown,' set in MMJ's home state of Kentucky, the group openly embraces the similarities, portraying a local band rocking through a cover of Skynyrd's classic 'Freebird.' The performance elevates to another level when a stuffed bird intended as a stage prop catches fire and activates the sprinkler system, soaking the patronage."

Talking Point: Agree/Disagree?

Patrick Neate on Sean Puffy Combs (Independent, London):

"I remember reading a description of early-20th-century American minstrels (white men blacking up to portray the stereotypical"negro"). The character was played as a kind of ignorant magpie who decked himself out in the shiniest gear, strutted inself-satisfaction, and spouted bullshit in words of three syllables.The crowds flocked. Now we have Sean Combs. I would suggest the only difference is that the minstrel's now a black guy."

'Wedding Crashers' Star Owen Wilson Makes Comedy Look Easy

Butterscotch Stallion dated Sheryl Crow. Amazing! 'Wedding Crashers' Star Owen Wilson Makes Comedy Look Easy: "Instead, he trademarked the role of the exuberant fool, a man utterly lost in dreams of manly heroism, radiating what his ex-girlfriend Sheryl Crow once called strident naivete. Over and over, his characters have been our comic Don Quixotes, aspiring to chivalric ideals, then failing, then finding some moral victory in the end a welcome antidote to the current era of overcooked heroism."

For Surfers, a Roving Hot Spot That Shares - New York Times

For Surfers, a Roving Hot Spot That Shares - New York Times: "With a device called the Junxion Box, the production company can set up a mobile multiuser Internet connection anywhere it gets cellphone service. The box, about the size of a shoebox cover, uses a cellular modem card from a wireless phone carrier to create a Wi-Fi hot spot that lets dozens of people connect to the Internet. "

Who Has Bloomberg's Number? Anybody With a Phone Book - New York Times

Why New York is great! Who Has Bloomberg's Number? Anybody With a Phone Book - New York Times: "Who Has Bloomberg's Number? Anybody With a Phone Book
Forget 311.
There is another number you can call the next time the garbage goes uncollected, the neighbors are too noisy or a pothole swallows your car. It is listed in the white pages under 'Bloomberg, Michael R.'
Call Mr. Bloomberg's home, and chances are, the mayor himself will answer. That is what an agitated New Yorker did late Monday evening, only to have Mayor Bloomberg himself pick up the bedside phone in his Upper East Sidetown house. As the mayor recounted it yesterday, the caller had 'a housing problem' and needed help.
'The young lady went on about how her mother had lived there, and the mother is deceased, and now she wanted to have the house,' Mr. Bloomberg said, adding, 'I couldn't quite figure out what the woman's problem was, but I said, 'Call me in the morning; here's the number.' '
Little did most city residents realize, the home telephone number of their billionaire mayor is right there in the phone book. Several times in recent years, and again at a news conference in Queens yesterday, Mr. Bloomberg has entertained audiences with anecdotes about people who have looked him up in the white pages and called at odd hours for assistance."

Our sister site, W4 is sending a champagne swat team in as we speak. New York Post Online Edition:: "OUR man in Saint Tropez reports the French Riviera resort is jumping this summer, with Club 55 (which is celebrating its 50th anniversary) doing over 800 seatings a day. Among the notables spotted: 'David Beckham and his Spice Girl wife trying to avoid paparazzi at 55 because they were guzzling Coca- Colas and he has a promotional contract with Pepsi . . . Karl Lagerfeld wearing long white gloves in addition to that high-neck shirt, even though the temperature was in the 80s . . . Liam Neeson as usual explaining he doesn't sign autographs or allow people to take pictures because he's 'superstitious.' ' "

Double Seven - Any Good, Anyone?

Double Seven
418 W. 14th St.
(9th & 10th Aves.)
Meatpacking District
212.981.9099 "

Northeast Intelligence Network

Northeast Intelligence Network: "13 July 2005: YNetNews.com is reporting that according to the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, the explosives used in the London bombings is actually of Chinese origin.
According to the newspaper, Mossad Chief Meir Dagan said the explosive in question is very powerful, and �much more lethal than plastic explosives and can be smuggled undetected due to its composition.�
�The Mossad was also able to determine the substance was developed and produced at the Chinese ZDF arms factory, located about 65 kilometers (about 40 miles) from Beijing,� the paper reports."

TIME.com: 3 Lessons from London -- Jul. 18, 2005

TIME.com: 3 Lessons from London -- Jul. 18, 2005: "Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc., wrote in the New York Times last week that the unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year-old Muslim men in Britain is 22%. He cited a British government report leaked to the Sunday Times in London last year that estimates between 10,000 and 15,000 British Muslims support al-Qaeda and similar groups."

Jane's Sentinel Security Assessment - UK: Internal Affairs

Jane's Sentinel Security Assessment - UK: Internal Affairs: "However, emergency planners admit that Britain could not cope with a major attack on the scale of the Madrid bombings. Patrick Cunningham, president of the Emergency Planning Society, complained that emergency services suffer from a huge lack of equipment and staff training. Moreover, co-operation between national governments and agencies in Europe on tracking the threat posed by terrorists was poor before the March 2004 Madrid attacks, and will improve only slowly. "

EVER SEE AN ICEBERG FROM TOP TO BOTTOM? This is awesome! This came from a Rig Manager for Global Marine Drilling in St. Johns, Newfoundland. They actually have to divert the path of these things away from the rig by towing them with ships! In this particular case the water was calm, &the sun was almost directly overhead so that the diver was able to get into the water and click this pic. Clear water huh? They estimated the weight at 300,000,000 tons. And now we know why they say one picture is worth 1000 words... . And now we also know why the Titanic sank!

Man walks from Calif. to NYC to drop pounds - Today - MSNBC.com

Which is great because if all fat people do this I won't have to sit next to them on the plane.
Man walks from Calif. to NYC to drop pounds - Today - MSNBC.com: "If you drive east on Route 66, say hello to the Fat Man Walking. Self-coined, the walking man is 39-year-old Steve Vaught. On April 10, he began his 3,000-mile trek across the United States to lose weight. NBC News correspondent Michael Okwu reports on Steve Vaught and his journey so far.
This morning Steve Vaught is in Williams, Arizona, halfway through the Arizona Desert and 40 pounds lighter. His wife, April, is at home at the starting point, 462 miles away in Valley Center, California. You can't look way out there,says Vaught. You'll get discouraged. "

JetBlue Plans To Serve Newark Liberty International Airport

JetBlue Plans To Serve Newark Liberty International Airport: "New York, NY (July 12, 2005) - JetBlue Airways, (Nasdaq: JBLU) New York City's largest domestic airline, today announced that it plans to commence new service from Newark Liberty International Airport beginning October 5, with introductory fares starting from $69* each way.
JetBlue plans to begin service to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Tampa, and Fort Myers, FL, in October, and to add daily nonstop service between Newark and San Juan, Puerto Rico, starting November 17. The low-fare carrier expects to operate all flights from Terminal A."

Fresh Intelligence : Radar Online

It's True. We don't give a shit.Fresh Intelligence : Radar Online: "Is it possible that Paris Hilton's certain je ne sais quoi doesn't translate overseas? We hear that while partying with her fiance Paris Latsis a few days ago at swank London nightspot Boujis (which touts itself as a club where rules are broken!), the PDA-loving couple performed what appeared to be an impromptu sex show in their banquette. True to form, the stoic Brits didn't bat an eye. She had her skirt hiked up and was grinding back-and forth on his lap. It was so obvious they wanted people to watch, but not many people were paying attention, says one eyewitness. There's a million other girls like her in London trashy girls with money who love to screw, like Tamara Beckwith. Paris isn't British, she's not a royal, and she has no class. Basically, no one cares about her here. "

Ministering Agent: 'Entourage's' Shark Proves Warmblooded - New York Times

Ministering Agent: 'Entourage's' Shark Proves Warmblooded - New York Times: "Television's most bracing summer pleasure, for two years now, has been Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold on HBO's comedy 'Entourage.' On a forthcoming episode, Ari, the show's peremptory Hollywood agent, experiments with a new way of answering the phone: 'You got Gold.' His caller responds with disbelief. Is that Ari's new affectation? The likable jerk smiles to himself. It just might be."

A DVD Standoff in Hollywood - New York Times

A DVD Standoff in Hollywood - New York Times: "Then, with a few minutes left in the session, the moderator asked the question everyone was waiting for: Can the studios break the deadlock between the rival camps developing the next generation of digital video discs, players and recorders?
The question was not academic. Hollywood has not been able to unite around one of the two new formats, called Blu-ray and HD DVD. As a result, tens of billions of dollars in potential sales hang in the balance.
Before anyone could answer, Thomas Lesinski, president of home entertainment at Paramount Pictures, jumped in and said it would not benefit the studios to discuss the issue in public while behind-the-scenes negotiations were going on.
Stunned by the curt response, the audience offered nervous laughter and the other executives fell silent."

The New York Times > Martignetti Liquors Bar in Lower E. Side, New York City > New York City

The New York Times > Martignetti Liquors Bar in Lower E. Side, New York City > New York City:
"It's hard to make assumptions about a bar that includes both Crystal ($400 a bottle) and Miller High Life ($120 a case) on its bottle service menu. Although the velvet rope at the door of Martignetti Liquors hints at exclusivity, the windows open out onto the bustle of Houston Street, suggesting a lack of pretension inside. The palm-tree print wall covering and bamboo wainscoting are festive, but take on a slightly sinister tinge when paired with the list of cocktails (all $10), which, with drink names like Agent Orange (Mandarin liquor, cranberry, orange and lime juices) and Me Lychee Longtime (Citron vodka, Chambord and lychee juice), makes confounding light of the Vietnam war.

But Martignetti Liquors, housed in the space that was formerly Carnaval and Idlewild, is also surprisingly genial: the drinks are strong and tasty, the service friendly, the banquettes comfortable and the atmosphere relaxed. Its location, at the edge of NoLIta and bordering the Lower East Side, makes it perfect for a pre-dinner martini or a late-night stop to extend a party. "

CNN.com - EU tries to control roaming charges - Jul 12, 2005

CNN.com - EU tries to control roaming charges - Jul 12, 2005: "BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- Phone companies charge consumers too much for using mobile phones while abroad, the European Commission said on Monday, promising to publish details of charges in an effort to let market forces push down prices.
The European Union executive has been probing international roaming charges for years amid accusations that mobile phone operators are ripping off customers who make mobile calls while on trips abroad.
Together with telecoms regulators from the EU 25 nations, the Commission has now concluded that 'retail charges in the European Union are currently very high without clear justification.'"

Minister wounded in Beirut blast - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune

Minister wounded in Beirut blast - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune: "BEIRUT Lebanon's outgoing pro-Syrian defense minister was wounded Tuesday by a car bomb that killed at least two people and wounded 12 in a residential Christian enclave north of Beirut.

There have been several bombings in Lebanon this year, but the attack Tuesday was the first apparently aimed at a pro-Syrian official.

The bombing came as Lebanon's prime minister designate, Fuad Siniora, held talks in an effort to form a new coalition after the recent election victory of the anti-Syrian opposition, which gained a 72-seat majority in the Parliament.
"

Mobile phones and development | Calling an end to poverty | Economist.com

Mobile phones and development | Calling an end to poverty | Economist.com: "Handset-makers earn most of their profits from fancy phones sold to consumers in rich countries, where on average a handset costs around $200 (before operator subsidies). But as markets have become saturated in the rich world, manufacturers have started to realise that their future growth depends on catering to the needs of developing nations. As a result, they have been working with operators to develop new extremely cheap handsets and to boost adoption in the poor world . . .
As handset-makers respond to this new market, prices will continue to fall. “We will give you the volumes so that you can continue to drive down prices,” promised Sunil Mittal, boss of Bharti, a big Indian operator, at a recent industry conference. On June 29th Philips, a Dutch electronics firm, announced a new range of chips designed to take handset costs below $20. "

Cost of living index | Economist.com

Cost of living index | Economist.com:
"Cost of living index

Tokyo is still the most expensive city in the world for expatriates, according to a survey of 127 cities by The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company of The Economist. Close behind are Oslo, Paris and London. By contrast, New York looks a bargain: average living costs are 32% cheaper than in Tokyo and 23% less than in London. At the other extreme, living in Manila or Mumbai costs less than half as much as in New York. "

CNN.com - JetBlue's new plane to rock rivals - Jul 12, 2005

CNN.com - JetBlue's new plane to rock rivals - Jul 12, 2005: "NEW YORK (Reuters) -- JetBlue Airways Corp., which rocked its competitors by offering cut-rate flights out of New York City, is gearing up to introduce a jet that may again shake up the airline industry.
The 100-seat Embraer 190 regional jet will begin commercial flights in November, allowing JetBlue to expand into new, mid-sized markets from its New York hub and pair comfort with low-ticket prices, analysts say. . . The two-to-a-side seating on the planes may be particularly attractive to passengers leery of being squeezed into the middle seat in a three-abreast row, he said. Like JetBlue's A320s, the planes will be equipped with leather seats and in-flight satellite TV and radio.
"

For a Decade, London Thrived as a Busy Crossroads of Terror - New York Times

For a Decade, London Thrived as a Busy Crossroads of Terror - New York Times: "Across Britain since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 800 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act of 2000, according to recent police records. Of that number, 121 were charged with terrorism related crimes, but only 21 people have been convicted.
In one of the biggest antiterrorism cases made here, Scotland Yard arrested 12 men and charged them with making traces of the poison ricin inside an apartment in Wood Green, in north London, in January 2003. But 11 of the 12 men were acquitted without trial based on a lack of evidence."

Hip-Hop Stars Go Titanium & Ditch The Black card

Hip-Hop Stars Go Titanium & Ditch The Black card: "You have seen and heard about Stars having the 'Black Card' and now that will soon be a thing of the past as American Express recently ditched the 'Black Card for the new Titanium card.

The Titanium Cards recently replaced the black ones officially called the 'Centurion' and in some European countries and have become essential tools among Robb Report type high-rollers.

Similar to how the black card was handled, membership is invitation-only. Black card holders included Sean 'P-Diddy' Combs , Jay-Z , and Naomi Campbell.

The Titanium card carries a hefty $2,500 annual fee and requires the card holders to charge more than $250,000 a year. Word on the street is that since they are so new titanium cards are being refused by some merchants who think they are not real, and some customers have had problems with airport metal detectors. "

Independent Online Edition > Crime : app5

Independent Online Edition > Crime :: "The Bombers: 'He could not decide what he wanted to be'
By Arifa Akbar
Published: 13 July 2005 "

BBC NEWS | UK | London bombers 'were all British'

BBC NEWS | UK | London bombers 'were all British': "On Monday night, police had viewed CCTV footage of four suspects together at London King's Cross last Thursday.
They all had rucksacks and were seen just 20 minutes before the three Tube bombs started going off at 0851 BST. A bus bomb went off in Tavistock Square at 0947 BST.
Three of the men had travelled to Luton from Leeds by train, before catching a Thameslink train to London. They had been joined at Luton by a fourth man who had driven to the Bedfordshire town. "

World Tribune.com -- Los Altos firm claims new tech can instantly spot terrorists in a crowd

World Tribune.com -- Los Altos firm claims new tech can instantly spot terrorists in a crowd

New York Post Online Edition:

Someone wasn't taking their maleria meds.
New York Post Online Edition:: "July 13, 2005 -- BRAD Pitt was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital Monday night complaining of stomach pains, his publicist Cindy Guagenti said yesterday. 'They think he has the flu,' she said. Asked why Pitt didn't just go home to take care of himself like most people, Guagenti said doctors decided to do a battery of normal 'diagnostic tests' because 'they just want to make sure it wasn't anything else.' She noted that Pitt's been traveling to various countries around the world in recent months. It's possible that something Pitt encountered in his trips around Europe and Africa (like the journey pictured above from Us Weekly) didn't sit right with him. She doesn't know how long the movie hunk will be in the hospital, but 'he's doing OK,' Guagenti said. 'It's not that big of a deal.' Oh, and she said Angelina Jolie was not with him. "

New York Post Online Edition:

Agreed! New York Post Online Edition:: "July 13, 2005 -- IT takes more than a cheeky blind item in PAGE SIX to aggravate Owen Wilson. We recently ran a 'Just asking' about a 'blond stud nicknamed the 'Butterscotch Stallion' ' who brought a woman back to his hotel room and 'proceeded to lick her buttocks for over two hours.' Readers familiar with Wilson's 'Butterscotch Stallion' moniker correctly guessed his identity, but the easygoing actor was hardly embarrassed. 'It's like, 'Who cares?' ' Wilson told Rolling Stone when asked about the item. 'I play it as it lays. OK, so I may not be the greatest lover in the world. Well, let's make that angle work. There's lots of different paths to the waterfall. You don't have to be Don Juan. And wasn't it Gloria Steinem who said that women have to be responsible for their own orgasms? Well, I take her at her word. I'll do my best, OK, but at a certain point you've got to, like, you know . . .' "

BBC NEWS | UK | Bomb hunt focuses on masterminds

BBC NEWS | UK | Bomb hunt focuses on masterminds: "Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has said another bomb attack is 'likely' and there are fears that a second suicide bomb gang may be preparing to strike. "