UK Independent News -- Lunatic fringe


There has long been a suspicion in some quarters that the Moon landings were faked. Nasa, however, has always maintained a dignified silence on the subject. Until now... Andrew Gumbel reports on a new twist in the greatest conspiracy theory of all

We are 100 per cent convinced that there has been a cover-up by Nasa," the authors Richard Hoagland and Michael Bara wrote in a recent paper published at their Star Trek-influenced website www. enterprisemission.com. "That said, one thing they did not do, unquestionably, was fake the Moon landings. In fact, most of the charges made... are so absurd, so easily discredited, so lacking in any kind of scientific analysis and just plain common sense that they give legitimate conspiracy theories like ours a bad name."

And the authors go further: the only possible explanation for Kaysing and his followers, they argue, is that they are themselves government agents publicising the hoax theory as a smokescreen to mislead the public and prevent people from asking questions about the real scandal and the real cover-up.

it figures this was the next step.

Reuters Wire | Will poker-face market raise or fold?

What happens now? Will this poker face market raise or fold?

The smart money says the script hasn't changed so much as to justify a raging bull market. The Street's moonshot climb from last month's lows may be built on shifting sand, they say.

The risk is that people are being fooled into thinking that things are in better shape than they appear.

Big fund managers are dominating the market with their bullish bias, trying to get around the bearish fundamentals.

PortlandTribune -- New rules might help stock market -- Bill Parish

Investment portfolios and the economy itself are now being consumed by a lack-of-confidence wildfire.

Surprisingly, most of these investment losses are concentrated in fewer than 10 companies, the biggest being Microsoft Corp. At its peak, Microsoft had a total market value of roughly $700 billion. Today, that value is $240 billion, representing a decline of roughly $460 billion.

MICROSOFT FINANCIAL PYRAMID Unfortunately has not been updated in two years.

The fundamental problem is that Microsoft is incurring massive losses and only by accounting illusions are they able to show a profit. Specifically, Microsoft is granting excessive amounts of stock options that are allowing the company to understate its costs. You might ask yourself, what would happen to Microsoft's stock price if the public suddenly realized that they lost $10 billion in 1999 rather than earning the reported $7.8 billion?

Bill Parish is a well respected financial advisor who appears infrequently on network television financial shows. In early 2000 he took his clients out of technology stocks and funds, in early 2001 he sold all stocks and stock funds. He expects to remain out of stocks until the integrity of financial reports improves. I am undecided if the exercise of stock options should be charged as an employee salary expense. The granting of stock options should be.

Thanksgiving up at my Dad's new house in Trinity was good. It was just Dad and Jean, my sister Charlene and her husband Bill, and Pat and myself. For awhile it appeared Pat wasn't coming, due to Charlene and Dad not speaking to her after my Mother's death and then Pat being on-call for the Red Cross Disaster Assistance but everything went OK. We arrived very late, after 1:00, because I started late, a couple slowdown's on I-45, and then my missing a turn for 14 miles and having to back track. I couldn't find the paperwork I need Charlene to sign and get notarized before going up.

Yesterday I was going to get a couple gifts but decided to support No Shopping Day. I read and watched movies, Reds which I hadn't seen before. A love story of radicals at the time of the Russian Revolution. Has a part near the end of a progressive forced to flee to Russia becoming disillusioned even before Stalin. WE Network followed that with Nicholas and Alexandra which I thought was good programming. I didn't watch this as I had seen it before and it is very long.

Houston Press : Peking Cuisine

Most comprehensive Peking cuisine in city, inexpensive,
lackluster unless you know what to order. Great lunch specials.

Details: 713-988-5838. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lunch special from: $3.25 great
Hot and sour soup: $3.95 very good
Peking meat pie: $4.35 good
Moo shu pork: $7.95 good
Pickled tuber soup: $3.95 OK
Deluxe hot and sour soup: $4.95 OK, strained
wiggly la pi $?? good sauce - gummi bear noodles
Fu qi fei pian: $4 offal in hot chile oil - you'll love or hate
Beef with scallions: $7.95 bland
Stewed pork intestine: $8.25 no
Sichuan fish: $13.95 disappointing
Where: 8332 Southwest Freeway

Houston Press -- Osaka Japanese Restaurant

Expensive but good sushi - avoid lunch which is very expensive for what you get.

iWon Today - Survey Results

An early indication that retailers and Wall Street are going to have a blue Christmas: 9% plan to spend more this year, 40% less. Not an accurate survey but reflects the mood of a conservative group. I am of the opinion that part of the rebound on Wall Street was an expectation of a consumer spending turnaround which I don't see happening.

Blood pressure readings of nudists tend to be lower than readings of people generally. That's nudists as a group. Clearly, you couldn't say that about every new nudist recruit who walks into camp. Other trivia here.

What I Have Read Since 1974

His mother was asked to keep a record in first grade of everything he read. They never stopped and he took it over. This may someday be useful for loading into an A.I. program or just as an historical record. Art Garfunkel has kept a complete book reading list since June 1968, but he was in his late twenties when that started.

smh.com.au - The Sydney Morning Herald Bill Gates is a great big softie
Bill Gates, the world's richest man, is also the most generous donor to good causes, according to Business Week magazine's list of the top 50 US philanthropists.

The Microsoft founder - said to be worth more than $US55 billion - has given or pledged $US25.6 billion since 1998, the report said.

He is also reportedly very smart in his giving - which is primarily directed to world health needs with a lesser focus on libraries and education, but often with the stipulation they use MicroSoft products.

The Linux Journal, promoters of free open source software, note how some of the giving is tied to Window's software as part of a big campaign against the free software movement.

Bill Gates Pumps Money into India, Education, Localization

Rajesh Mahapatra, writing for the Associated Press, commented, "Hoping to stave off a rise in the popularity of free, open-source software, Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates has announced a $400-million-US investment in India." He went on to say, "The three-year initiative--part philanthropy, part business boost--seeks to entrench products of the world's dominant software company in schools and among India's multitude of talented programmers." It was pointed out: "He is donating $421 million to fight Linux (to prop up Windows in India) and only $100 million to fight AIDS."

My looking up Gate's donations was inspired by the watch who noted that he is provided a significant portion of all foreign aid to health care from the developed world.

iWon Today - Survey Results {sorry - link is always to yesterday's survey results}

47% of the people who responded to an Iwon survey think their IQ's are 120 or above, 17% think their IQ's are 100-119 (above average), and 1% think they are less than 100 (below average). The rest don't know or care. Only 1% below average and half smarter than above average....

Was Iwon picked as their home page by all the Lake Wobegon children, who are all above average? National Geographic went in search of Lake Wobegon once, did they check at IWon?

BBC NEWS | US economy storms ahead 3rd Quarter

Strong government spending, higher domestic investment and buoyant car sales have combined to make the US economy grow at an annual rate of 4% in the three months of July, August and September.

But economists warn that the momentum of growth is fading fast. Forecasters at the National Association for Business Economics cut their forecast for growth during the last three months of 2002 to just 1.4%, well down from their 2.7% estimate two months ago.

Experts point to data from October which suggest lower car sales and weaknesses in manufacturing.

There are also worries about the economic impact of a possible war with Iraq.

[In a New York Times poll] for the first time in two decades, the majority of workers said they would join a union to protect their jobs and working conditions.

And 70% said the economy was worse than two years ago, with 39% fearing it could get worse as opposed to just 13% who thought it would get better.

Speaking to the BBC, Hewlett-Packard boss Carly Fiorina said that she believed there would only be a modest (2-3%) recovery in spending on computer equipment in 2003.

I expect not great Christmas sales despite a slight rebound in optimism, there are fewer shopping days this Christmas.

HoustonChronicle.com - Consumer confidence up for first time in months

The New York-based Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index rose to 84.1 from a revised 79.6 in October. Analysts had been expecting a reading of 85.0.

Note the chart, this is well below what it should be for a healthy economy and also below expectations. Of course, some rise is better than the alternative.

HoustonChronicle - East Texas schools close as illness spreads

Extremely fast spreading flu-like symptoms around Tyler forcing schools to close.

CHUD - Cinematic Happenings Under Development

Solaris is a masterpiece? Lot's of mixed signals coming on this movie.

MSN Money - FRX Chart: Investor I like this stock until Dec. 25th.

TCS: Defense - The Road Not Taken (Yet)

Could Orion ever come back? The answer is yes. The Test Ban Treaty is a real obstacle to any future deployment of Orion. However, it binds only a few nations, and many nations (like India and China) that are both nuclear-capable and interested in outer space have never signed it. For an up-and-coming country looking to seize the high ground in space in a hurry, Orion could have considerable appeal. And, of course, even the United States could withdraw from the Treaty, on three months' notice, under the Treaty's own terms.

Orion's scientists weren't worried about fallout. Orion would have produced some, but the amount would have been tiny compared to what was being released already from above-ground tests, and there was hope that additional work would have produced even cleaner bombs designed specifically for propulsion. Today, people are much more nervous about radiation and under current political conditions a ground-launched Orion is a non-starter, at least in Western countries. But not everyone cares as much about radiation, and indeed the countries that worry about it the least are those most likely to find Orion appealing as a way to attain space supremacy over more established space powers in a hurry. What's "Orion" in Chinese?

A Pasadena Restaurant Merits a Houston Press Review

Houston Press -- Dining -- Valdo's

Crazy for the parrillada loca: The grilled shrimp, chicken and fajita meat are a safe bet on a sometimes risky menu.

Valdo's Café in Pasadena resides in a converted Dairy Queen. A gaudy Mardi Gras mask hangs on the wall above the cash register (a souvenir of one of Hernandes's wild nights in New Orleans, no doubt). Aztec emblems pop up here and there. And along the top of the waist-high brick wall, there's an array of papier-mâché figures with elongated bodies and Spanish costumes in that mass-handcrafted style so common to gift shops on the Mexican border.

There are a lot of missed connections on Valdo's "culinary voyage around the world," but the kitchen is right at home with la cocina mexicana and fresh Gulf Coast seafood. Young chef Hernandes is trying to make a statement with the epic menu. Someday he'll learn to stick with what he does best. Luckily, most of his customers already have.

When you cut into a fried green tomato slice at Valdo's Café, you can't help mopping up some of the overlapping puddles of warm red gravy, chunky pico de gallo and cool sour cream beneath it. The batter-crusted tomatoes are not only amply sauced, they're also topped with lots of chopped parsley and squiggles of shredded mozzarella. The texture of hot, crunchy batter and tart tomato meat with this blend of sauces and toppings is terrific. Add some fresh-baked French bread on the side, and the huge appetizer plate is a meal in itself.



Valdo's Café
Details: 713-472-6067, and other locations.
Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fried green tomatoes: $5.25
Oysters Rockefeller: $7.95
Escargots: $6.95
Parrillada loca: $13.95
Deluxe fried seafood platter: $16.95
Whole Gulf flounder: $15.95
Fried Gulf shrimp: $11.95
Shrimp Dijon: $11.95 terrible
Where: 804 Preston Road, Pasadena

Valdo's misses some connections on its culinary journey around the world, but it's right at home with Gulf Coast seafood

Wired News: Spacey Site Screens Writers

Try out some geography questions

How would you fare on the geography survey taken for National Geographic in 2002? Try your hand with these questions from the survey

Source: National Geographic/MSNBC

Wired News: Solaris: A New Dawn for Sci-Fi?

Controversy over the new Solaris film.

newsobserver -- Behind 'blogging'

What's a Web log? It's a Web page, first, and second a log of interesting or irritating stuff the host has encountered on the Internet, enlivened by said host's witty and acerbic comments and punctuated with hyperlinks so the reader can jump to the original and read the whole thing. It's the Reader's Digest on Internet time - instant, interactive, uncensored access to a dazzle of events and ideas.

salon :: A nerd's rhapsody - In defense of "Mission to Mars."

This may be like Solaris, which should be an intellectual space science fiction film. I have not seen Mission to Mars yet because I usually do not like Brian De Palma. After this review I may give it a shot. I finally saw Amelia and also fixed my digital cable which was incorrectly set up at Time Warner.

Zap2it 'Firefly' Takes Two

Fox extremely cautious on Firefly, only ordering two more shows now. Looks like a decision in December on future of the show.

PCWorld - You Call This Service?

Big survey and article on computer reliability and service. Apple is best, IBM is other overall Good company, Dell is slipping. Notebooks are now slightly more reliable due to fewer parts to go wrong.

Nearly every vendor we spoke to has shifted its support emphasis from short hold times to resolving problems on the first call. Companies have discovered that it costs more to field follow-up calls from customers than it does to take the time to solve their problems on the first try. Technicians like the change because they are not under as much pressure to push people off the phone. Getting problems solved on the first call also means fewer hassles for PC users. But callers may wait on hold a few more minutes before they get through.

The technicians we spoke to blamed some of today's PC problems on Windows Me, which has developed a reputation for being an unstable operating system. Techs recommend Windows XP for helping stabilize and troubleshoot complex PCs. "XP has great tools for fixing problems," says Valerie.

In April 2001, Dell opened a call center in Bangalore, India, to field the volume of calls. Depending on the number of calls coming in and the availability of technicians, calls may be routed from North America to one of several distant facilities, including the Bangalore center. Though some survey respondents complained about difficulty comprehending technicians with strong accents, Dell says the level of technical expertise is outstanding.

Giga Information Group's Enderle understands the move. "You can probably find better English speakers in India who are more competent with computers," he says. "If Dell makes a move like this, other companies will consider doing it."

Not a single PC company earned an Outstanding score in this year's survey.

53% of PCs had at least one problem needing repair. PCs get about 1 problem per year of age.

canada.com -- In a surpise for the American Heart Association, the lastest study finds low-carb diet healthier and more effective than their low-fat diet.

After six months, the people on the Atkins diet had lost 31 pounds, compared with 20 pounds on the AHA diet, and more people stuck with the Atkins regimen.

Those on the Atkins diet had an 11 per cent increase in HDL, the good cholesterol, and a 49 per cent drop in triglycerides. On the AHA diet, HDL was unchanged, and triglycerides dropped 22 per cent. High triglycerides may raise the risk of heart disease.

While the volunteers' total amounts of LDL, the bad cholesterol, did not change much on either diet, there was evidence that it had shifted to a form that may be less likely to clog the arteries.

In other diet news:

- The heart association updated its guidelines on fish consumption, urging people with documented heart disease to eat one serving of oily fish, such as salmon, each day.

- A 12-year follow-up of Harvard's Nurses Health Study found that women who increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables had a 26 per cent lower risk of becoming obese.

More fish, more fruit, more vegetables, less sugar and starch, and don't worry too much about fat. Good news for healthy eaters.

Last Great Meteor Show for Decades Tonight

For Houston set your alarm for just before 4 AM, for San Francisco 2 AM. Even downtown lighting should see over 8 per minute.

HoustonChronicle - It's a long slot, but networks extending top program times

Why television show times aren't lining up. Networks are getting into the habit of letting top-rated programs run longer than their scheduled times and often start a minute earlier.

When you set your VCR's remember to start early and run late..

Too Much Ventured Nothing Gained - Fortune

VCs are a hurting bunch. New companies feel their pain.

"It hasn't been this bad since 1968," [Dick Kramlich of New Enterprise Associates] says. The venture capital drought that followed lasted nearly a decade...

Whether the definition of venture capital gets stretched or not, Kramlich sees a nasty shakeout that's only now getting started. Kramlich predicts that by mid-decade, at least a third of them will be gone.

The biggest losers could be the entrepreneurs who depend on venture capital to fund their startups. If new, innovative companies have a tough time raising funds, economic growth will be hard to come by. "Long term, we could lose our edge in a lot of the technology we pioneered,'' says economist Jesse Reyes of Venture Economics.

Bon French, head of Adams Street Partners in Chicago, a venture capital investor, says the funds raised in 1999 alone are so sick that three-quarters will return zero or less. That's bad news for the pension funds, foundations, endowments, and rich individuals that invest in venture portfolios.

Part of the long-term economic woes.

HoustonChronicle - HPD to review crime lab's work

Muckraking works, Channel 11's series of reports on the Houston Police Department's crime lab have lead to a review. Of course, the police aren't happy. Asked if he had any thoughts on the issues raised in the news stories, Oettmeier said, "Yes, but you can't print it."

Houston is apparently the largest city in the nation where the Police Department's crime lab is not accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board, a voluntary program in which any crime lab may participate to show it meets established standards.

Happy Hour Guide - Houston Press

I used to know a group of people that would really use this. A couple manage to survive in Houston because of free buffet happy hours. They would buy cheap beer and get their meal for the day.

?

Belief-O-Matic

Even if YOU don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic knows. Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic will tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to consider practicing.

Warning: Belief-O-Matic assumes no legal liability for the ultimate fate of your soul.

I posted this on both my main blogs.

COMEDY CENTRAL: Games -- Build a South Park character

South Park had an incredibly funny episode based on Lord of the Rings last night. Even Pat, who hates South Park, stayed to watch it. Wish I had recorded it, other people at the book club group would have loved it. We also watched Enterprise, not as slow as normal, and West Wing - good.

I had invited her over for roast beef that I had cooked with carrots, onion, celery, potatoes, garlic, menudo seasoning (I use this as a mild spicy seasoning), and a couple plums (helped tenderize and mildly sweet flavor - like onions disolves in cooking). I mad some fresh diet limeade as they are incredibly cheap now. Pat brought over an acorn squash and we had my usual salad.

Turin Shroud Said from Middle Ages -- Discovery

A 1988 study authorized by the Vatican and conducted separately by carbon-dating laboratories in Britain, Switzerland and the United States estimated the Shroud to have been made some time between 1260 and 1390.

NYTimes -- Waiter, Are There Carbs in My Soup?

Eating out on the low carb diets.

New York City restaurants are being swarmed by a fat-seeking, protein-craving army. Local dieters are flocking to low-carbohydrate eating plans that prohibit all potatoes, pasta, bread and sugar, but seem to offer unlimited access to eggs, cheese, red meat and butter. It's a tantalizing prospect: weight loss without any hunger or deprivation.

Since Dr. Robert C. Atkins published "Diet Revolution" in 1972, his low-carbohydrate, high-protein, fat-friendly program and its cousins (among them the Zone, Stillman, Sugar Busters and Protein Power) have come in and out of fashion. But recently the low-carb principles have been embraced with new fervor. "I'd say most of my customers and half of my staff are doing some version of Atkins," said Reed Goldstein, general manager of Angelo & Maxie's steakhouse on Park Avenue South. He added that the restaurant was doing a brisk business in Michelob Ultra, a beer rolled out by Anheuser-Busch that is specifically targeted to carb watchers.

"Yes, of course you can eat steak and foie gras and be thin," said Raba Belkadi, an owner of Soho Steak on Thompson Street. "We have always known this in France. But not too much, yes? About eight ounces. This is what the models eat. They have a green salad and they are thin and beautiful."

Be sure to take a multi-vitamin and magnesium pills on the diet. It can cause kidney stones and an unbalanced selection of vitamins and minerals. Depending on what version of a low-carb diet and how you pursue it additional fiber may also be needed.

CNN.com - Mexican critics carp about 'Frida' film - Nov. 10, 2002

HoustonChronicle.com - Joss Whedon is TV's cult hero

If television has a cult hero, it's not the guy with the S on his chest on Smallville. It's Joss Whedon.

His first two TV series, UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the WB's Angel, attract small but rabidly loyal audiences -- 4.6 million viewers for Buffy, 4.3 million for Angel. That's 24 million fewer viewers than CSI, TV's No. 1 show.

Firefly has more viewers than Buffy or Angel, but it is also Whedon's most vulnerable show. That's because it airs on Fox, which has higher viewership expectations than UPN and the WB.

Firefly has struggled. It opened Sept. 20 with a respectable 4.0 rating and 8 share, attracting 6.2 million viewers.

The show dipped after that, reaching its lowest point on Oct. 11 with just 4.3 million fans. But now that baseball is over and the season schedule is finally unfolding, Firefly is inching back up. The Nov. 1 episode drew 4.7 million viewers.

Maybe it's too soon to call the show Fireflop, as one reporter did recently. For the season, the show is attracting an average of 4.9 million viewers.

Asked to describe the show's health, Whedon said, "I think Firefly has a little sinus thing."

HEAR IT NOW
Audio: Clip from the Chronicle's interview with Joss Whedon:
• On Fox's decision to postpone airing Firefly's pilot episode

NYTimes -- Between a Paw and a Sharp Place

Looking at the same set of statistics, economists and strategists can plausibly argue that the United States will post solid growth next year, or fall back into recession. Though it increases the odds of business-friendly legislation, including limitations on lawsuits and jury awards, the Republican takeover of the Senate also raises the chances of a tax cut whose benefits would go mainly to the very wealthy, with uncertain economic benefits.

Wall Street cannot even agree on what corporate earnings are. Optimistic strategists look at the S.& P. 500's "operating earnings," which factor out one-time restructuring charges and other expenses that companies have persuaded analysts should not be counted against them. On that basis, the S.& P. 500 is expected to earn roughly $48 a share in 2003.

If that calculation is right, the price-to-earnings ratio of the S.& P. 500, based on expected future earnings, is about 19, and stocks are more reasonably valued than they have been since 1994. Stocks look especially attractive relative to 10-year government notes, which are paying 3.85 percent, the lowest rate in more than a generation.

But skeptics argue that investors need to look at reported earnings after charges; on that basis, earnings this year will be closer to $30 a share. By that measure, the S.& P. 500 is trading at a P/E ratio of 30, far above its historical average. By other measures, stocks are also quite expensive; the dividend yield on the S.& P. 500 is only 1.8 percent, well below its historical norm.

The Gloom and Doom Scenario

With economic growth anemic and a strong dollar keeping imports cheap, Mr. East expects the United States to avoid deflation only narrowly over the next few years. He and others predict that inflation will be only 1.25 percent in 2003.

But investors have not yet accepted that when inflation is low, corporate earnings tend to grow very slowly, Mr. East said. In the long run, profits grow about 7 percent a year, and inflation represents about half of that increase, he said. But with inflation so low, companies will struggle to generate that level of profit growth. So, relative to bonds, Mr. East said, stocks are not as cheap as they appear.

"A real challenge for the equity market is to come to grips with a lower rate of inflation and nominal earnings growth," Mr. East said. "You have very low Treasury yields mainly because inflation is very low, and because inflation is very low, you can't value earnings as you have in the past."

Mr. East would not offer a specific target for the S.& P. 500. But he said he did not believe the index should trade above its historical average of 16 times profits, even with interest rates so low. For the S.& P. 500 to reach that level, it would have to fall to 800, near the lows it set in July and early October.

Zachary Karabell, a senior economic analyst at Fred Alger Management in New York, is almost as pessimistic. He figures that economic growth in the United States and worldwide will probably sputter for at least the next year. "It wouldn't take much to have a double-dip" recession, he said. "What's going to lead companies to really think more aggressively about new spending?"

The Worst Is Over and the Don't Worry, Be Happy scenarios seem less plausible.

USATODAY.com - Duration, not intensity, of exercise key to lower cholesterol

HoustonChronicle.com - Bush seeks shift to bolster NASA budget

Canceling the space shuttle replacement to fully staff space station and new space vehicle/lifeboat.

BBC NEWS -- Nasa pulls Moon hoax book

Nasa declined to comment specifically on the reasons for dropping the publication, but it is understood the decision resulted from the bad publicity that followed the announcement of the project.

Criticism that Nasa was displaying poor judgement and a lack of confidence in commissioning the book caused it to abort the project, agency spokesman Bob Jacobs said.

Oberg will still write the book

Nasa had hired aerospace writer Jim Oberg for the job on a fee of $15,000.

He says he will still do the work, although it will now be an unofficial publication with alternative funding.

Some commentators had said that in making the Oberg book an official Nasa publication, the agency was actually giving a certain credibility to the hoax theory.

Scientists tackle the question: 'What will it really take to stop global warming?'

The study, which was published in the November 1 issue of Science, found that no existing alternative energy source, nor combination of sources, currently exists that could adequately replace the energy produced by fossil fuels. The study concluded that massive research commitments are needed to develop these technologies in order to effectively slow global warming and adverse regional climactic changes from the fossil fuel greenhouse effect.

The study's call for prompt and aggressive energy research and development distinguishes it from the Bush administration's Energy Plan, which focuses on domestic oil exploration, and the recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "Mitigation" report, which indicates that existing technologies can stabilize human-induced adverse climate change.

Due to population growth and industrialization, atmospheric CO2 has increased from 275 parts per million to 370 parts per million over the last century, and is projected to pass 550 ppm this century. Given that 85% of the world's energy is derived from carbon dioxide-emitting fossil fuel, climate models and data indicate that the earth's temperature could climb 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius (3 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next century, comparable in magnitude but opposite in sign to global cooling of the last Ice Age.

Basic conclusion no matter what we do we cannot stop it with present technology so we need to fund alternative energy research.

The non-global warmers say this is the agenda of all the scientists publishing global warming papers - to get funding for their research. They are full of hot air.

Study does not discuss that the actual changes in atmospheric and oceanic dynamics due to "global warming" could create "regional cooling" in the North Atlantic.

ScienceDaily News Release: Experiment Could Reveal "Extra Dimensions," Exotic Forces

A smart experiment at Perdue to get more data on zero-point energy, the Casimir effect, and confirm multiple-dimension Theory of Everything models. It will use plates made of pure isotopes of the same metal to compare the Casimir effect. Any difference could be attributable to another multi-dimensional physical force.

Wait a minute! Didn't Buckaroo Banzai do this? It has gotten to the point I can't tell the difference between real physics experiments and bad science fiction.

The Register -- MS admits its Linux-bashing jihad is a failure

Lot's of jargon here but Microsoft has been on a crusade to bash Linux, the major alternative to Windows, at corporations and government agencies. It hasn't worked. Linux software is "open" anyone can work on it and change it. The article implies that a Microsoft plan to create "shared source" software may work in the US but not in the more sophisticated rest of the world. Shared source is supposedly open but controlled by Microsoft.

Slate: The Romance of the Monorail - The mass transit technology of Tomorrowland finally reaches today. By Brendan I. Koerner

There's an episode of The Simpsons in which a smooth-talking huckster named Lyle Lanley, patterned after Music Man charlatan Harold Hill, persuades Springfield's gullible townsfolk to build a $3 million monorail. The transit system debuts to tremendous fanfare—Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy shows up for the christening—but the euphoria is short-lived. Minutes into the maiden voyage, a brake line snaps, and the cartoon passengers nearly suffer a violent fate. The show's core joke is easy to get: How could these rubes not have realized that "monorail" is synonymous with "boondoggle"?

But a decade after "Marge vs. the Monorail" first aired, monorails are no longer mere punch lines.

Monorail would be much better than the light rail now tearing up Houston streets.

Fed Lowers Rate a Half Point

NYTimes -- New Theory on Dinosaurs: Multiple Meteorites Did Them In

Many other craters are now being dated to around 65 million years ago.

Salon.com Technology | Money talks, Microsoft walks Money talks, Microsoft walks
Bill Gates lets out a big "Whew!" as the court decides that what's good for Microsoft is good for America.

komo 4 | : Judge Approves Most Provisions In Microsoft Settlement

Salon.com | "Frida"

Julie Taymor's movie version of Kahlo's life, "Frida," makes the artist seem more like a human being and less like a craft-fair novelty than she has in years.

Like Kahlo herself, the picture is imperious and colorful; the opening sequence shows us the courtyard outside of Kahlo's home, a clatter of sun-warmed royal blues, marigold oranges and brick reds, a place where monkeys and fawn-colored dogs scamper like living decorations. It doesn't seem like a real-life courtyard, but like one imagined by an artist, its colors intensified a few notches beyond reality. It seems to be a trick on Taymor's part to plant us inside Kahlo's mind, to start us out by making us see what she sees in precisely the same way she sees it, and it's an effective one

"Frida" doesn't sidestep any of the pain that must have flourished within Kahlo and Rivera's unusual partnership. But their regard for one another -- if you consider regard as something separate but connected to romantic love -- feels pure and real.

"Frida" is a movie about a marriage between equals -- one an outsize painter who painted on some pretty outsize walls, the other an artist who worked on a much smaller scale but who, as Rivera himself put it, painted expansively, from the inside out. "Frida" makes a home for the two of them, a love nest in which the fur often flies but also, paradoxically, keeps the place warm. It's a cottage just big enough for two very big, yet very human, legends.

I was fascinated by Frida, also known as Frieda, from the first time I saw her paintings and later heard more about her.