• Gender-Bender Chemicals are Turning Boys Into Girls
    The government of Denmark has released a 326-page report affirming that endocrine disrupting chemicals are probably continuing to the birth of fewer males and the "feminization" of existing ones. The report centers on chemicals like PVC, flame retardants, phthalates, dioxins, PCBs and bisphenol-A, all of which mimic the action of estrogen in the b […]
  • Hacker Disables More Than 100 Cars Remotely
      More than 100 drivers in Austin, Texas found their cars disabled or the horns honking out of control, after an intruder ran amok in a web-based vehicle-immobilization system normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments. Police with Austin’s High Tech Crime Unit on Wednesday arrested 20-year-old Omar Ramos-Lopez, a forme […]
  • US Vice President Joseph Biden: ‘”I also see myself as a Zionist"
    US Vice President Joseph Biden First Visiting Foreign Dignitary to Lay Wreath at Tomb of Theodor Herzl, the founder of the political movement we have come to know as Zionism. US Vice President Joe Biden, with wife Dr. Jill Biden, lay a wreath at the tomb of [...] […]
  • European Parliament Rips Global IP Accord
      The European Parliament delivered a political blow to Hollywood and the Obama administration, voting Wednesday 663 to 13 in opposition to a proposed and secret intellectual property agreement being negotiated by the European Union, United States and a handful of others. Wednesday’s developments concerning the Anti-Counterfeiting and Trade Agreement are sub […]
  • Violence Mars Greek Protest
    Flights were grounded and trains suspended amid a nationwide general strike Thursday, as Greek police fought running street battles with anarchist youths in fresh and violent signs of anger at the government’s austerity plans. Unions called a strike to protest wage and benefit cuts being put in place to trim Greece’s swollen budget deficit as the [...] […]
  • Thailand braces for massive political protests
    Thailand braced for anti-government demonstrations that began Friday and were expected to peak over the weekend with as many as 150,000 protesters on the streets. In anticipation, the government has mobilized 50,000 security forces, said acting spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn. The mass rallies are expected to be peaceful but Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewk […]
  • Brain scan can read people’s thoughts
    A scan of brain activity can effectively read a person’s mind, researchers said Thursday. British scientists from University College London found they could differentiate brain activity linked to different memories and thereby identify thought patterns by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The evidence suggests researchers can tell which mem […]
  • Obama Supports DNA Sampling Upon Arrest
    Josh Gerstein over at Politico sent Threat Level his piece underscoring once again President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties Knight In Shining Armor many were expecting. Gerstein posts a televised interview of Obama and John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted. The nation’s chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arre […]
  • Drudge Virus Warning Blasted as Latest Free Speech Incursion
    The unusual e-mail sent to Senate staffers this week warning them not to visit The Drudge Report for fear of a virus has some critics crying foul, suggesting the missive is the latest attempt by Democrats to stifle dissent in the media. The Drudge Report, a popular Web site which aggregates news links, often trumpets [...] […]
  • Chief exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth says Devil is in the Vatican
    Sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican”, according to the Holy See’s chief exorcist. Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican’s chief exorcist for 25 years and says he has dealt with 70,000 cases of demonic possession, said that the consequences [...] […]
  • “Rather than monitoring hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center has become one.”
    A funny thing happened on the way to this week’s column — I got “targeted,” “frozen,” “personalized” and “polarized.” In other words, I got lumped in with the majority of Americans as the “radical right” — you know, the scary people who believe in God, the Constitution, family values, and an honest day’s work for an [...] […]
  • UK: Crackdown on dangerous dogs to make microchips compulsory for all
    All dogs are to be compulsorily microchipped so that their owners can be more easily traced under a crackdown on dangerous dogs to be unveiled today. The package will include extending the dangerous dogs law to cover attacks by dogs on private property to protect postmen, and making third-party insurance compulsory so that victims can be [...] […]
  • 11 More U.S. Airports Get Body Scanners
    Transportation officials announced Friday 11 more United States airports will begin receiving full-body imaging machines “By accelerating the deployment of this technology, we are enhancing our capability to detect and disrupt threats of terrorism across the nation,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement. Despite concerns of privac […]
  • UK: Spy chips hidden in 2.5 MILLION dustbins: 60pc rise in electronic bugs as council snoopers plan pay-as-you-throw tax
    The growing threat of a stealth tax on the rubbish we throw away was exposed by startling figures yesterday. More than 2.5million homes now have wheelie bins fitted with microchips to weigh their contents. This is an increase of nearly two-thirds in just a year. The bins, which can be electronically identified and weighed, are designed for [...] […]
  • Narus develops a scary sleuth for social media
    Narus is developing a new technology that sleuths through billions of pieces of data on social networks and Internet services and connects the dots. The new program, code-named Hone, is designed to give intelligence and law enforcement agencies a leg up on criminals who are now operating anonymously on the Internet.…Hone works in tandem with NarusInsight. [. […]
  • Saving Seeds: Cantaloupe
    Cantaloupes DO cross pollinate with other “melons” like other cantaloupes, musk melons, snake melons and Armenian cucumbers.  Separate therefore from other “melons” by a quarter mile. Choose early ripening, disease free fruits to save seed from. Wash seeds from ripe melons in a strainer, dry on a paper plate or paper sheet. Seeds are ready to store [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds: Squash and Zucchini
    Squash within the same species DOES cross pollinate, therefore species should be isolated by a quarter mile.  This will also reduce the danger of squash bugs spreading over all the crops if they pester one patch. Seeds should be taken from fruits that have surpassed maturity by 3 weeks already. Remove seed, wash, let dry on paper [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds: Cucumbers
    Cucumbers DO cross pollinate, so if you want pure seed, separate cucumber varieties from each other by a quarter mile. Seeds should be taken from fruit that has ripened past edible stage and begun to turn yellow and soften.  To get to the seeds, cut the cucumber lengthwise, scoop the seeds out, wash them and dry [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds: Carrots
    Carrots are biennial, that means, you can harvest seeds only in the second year. Carrots Do cross pollinate, so separate them 1/4 mile from other carrots in the first year.   In the second year, when they are going to seed, separate them also from Queen Anne’s Lace (about 1/4 mile). Dig carrots up before the hard frost [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds: Peppers
    Peppers DO cross pollinate, so separate varieties by about 500 feet, unless you can plant them in insect proof cages that are covered with window screen. Pick ripe, fully colored fruits that show no sign of disease to save seeds from.  Remove the seed core and place on a paper plate or thick paper sheet to [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds: Tomatoes
    Tomatoes usually do not cross-pollinate, at least not the modern varieties.  Potato leaf varieties should be separated by the garden’s length though. Pick one ripe fruit of each plant (at least), squeeze the seeds and juice into a strainer.  Then wash the seeds, spread them on a paper plate or thick paper sheet, and dry them. DO [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds: Beans
    Bean flowers are self-pollinating, so the danger of cross pollination is comparatively small.  It’s is recommended to separate different kinds of beans by a garden length though to ensure absolute purity. Save seeds from plants that ripen first and are disease free.  Harvest seed pods reserved for seed saving when they are dried completely.  Crush the [...] […]
  • Saving Seeds
    I know this might come a little early for many of you out there, but I will start a new “series” here, giving information about saving seeds of different plants. I guess you all know that it is not much use to save seed from hybrid plants as you never know what you are getting, but [...] […]
  • Tomato Suckers
    I mentioned suckers in an earlier post, saying that you can pinch them if you wish, but don’t have to – well, some people do not know what a sucker actually is. What is a sucker ? Suckers grow our between a tomato leaf branch and its stem.  If you pinch them off and stick them in [...] […]
  • Planting Cucumbers
    It is a good idea to plant cucumbers in hills so they can vine in peace and do not get too crowded. A week or two after your last frost date, make hills that are 4-5 feet apart from each other on all sides, and approximately 12” in diameter.  Plant 6-8 seeds per hill. After 3 weeks, [...] […]
  • Growing Tomatoes
    As tomatoes are most gardener’s favorite plant, especially but not exclusively amongst beginners, here are a few things that might be worth knowing about growing tomatoes.  If those among you who have decades of tomato growing experiences are unhappy with my information or have things to add, please feel free to comment Basically, all [...] […]
  • Marie Claire: How to plant a window garden
    Via: seattlepi.com 1. At a nursery, pick up seeds, potting soil, and a few small pots or a window box (it must be shorter than the length of your windowsill-measure first!). Get a container at least four to five inches deep with a drainage hole at the bottom. 2. Fill container with soil and place [...] […]
  • Good buys for gardeners
    If you are new to the wonderfully healthy and economical past time of gardening, this list might be interesting to you.  For all those who have been gardening for ages already, maybe you enjoy checking what this lady thinks is essential, and add what’s missing, from your own experience Via: baltimoresun.com By Susan [...] […]
  • The globalisation of addiction
    So here is a study that tells you, basically, that living in the countryside, close to nature, as a producer, instead of a synthetic, stressful environment where people live as consumers only, will prevent addictions, will even cure addictions, will be the best you can do for your children and yourself.  The addictions of our [...] […]
  • Gardening is getting more and more popular
    We finally got our seeds, accompanied by a nice letter from FEDCOs, and what they are telling their customers there did not come as a big surprise to us:  Fedco has had record sales this year, an over 40% growth in seed sales, which adds to the 20% growth they saw last year…  At a [...] […]
  • Planning your vegetable and herb gardens – Tips to save your family money by gardening
    Via: Seattle Garden & Kitchen Examiner A prolific garden can save your family a lot of money Food prices are continuing to rise while more and more products get recalled. It only makes sense that all of us considering ways to raise some of the food we eat. The more we food we raise, [...] […]
  • Have you ordered your seeds yet ?
    You might think it’s weird to think about the gardening season now, but it isn’t.  Even though your garden patch might be buried in snow right now, depending on where you are, you still need to get off your hindquarters and start planning now. 2009 might very well be the year when, for the first time [...] […]
  • Cloth diapers, again
    Just a short note today: We recently talked to a pediatrician who told us that she is seeing a lot more cloth diapers these days than she used to.   Most people are probably using cloth diapers now because they cannot afford throwaway diapers anymore, but it is still difficult to get decent diaper covers in any [...] […]
  • Apple Pie
    I suppose most of you have made millions of apple pies in your time, but if you are looking for a nice online description of how to bake one, I recently found a well made page about how to make apple pie from scratch, with lots of pictures and ingredients for both a lattice and [...] […]
  • An Old-Time “Refridgerator”, Easily Built: The Trash Can Root Cellar
    If you need storage that keeps your food cool without using electricity, a root cellar comes in very handy. There are a tremendous amount of different designs for root cellars out there – check out this site, for example: Root Cellars Their link to the garbage can root cellar is broken though, so here are some basic [...] […]

UK: Spy chips hidden in 2.5 MILLION dustbins: 60pc rise in electronic bugs as council snoopers plan pay-as-you-throw tax

The growing threat of a stealth tax on the rubbish we throw away was exposed by startling figures yesterday.
More than 2.5million homes now have wheelie bins fitted with microchips to weigh their contents.
This is an increase of nearly two-thirds in just a year. The bins, which can be electronically identified and weighed, are designed for [...]

UK calls in Israeli ambassador as Dubai killing row escalates

Britain last night fired the first shot in a potentially explosive diplomatic row with Israel by calling in the country’s ambassador to explain the use of faked British passports by a hit squad who targeted a Hamas official in Dubai.
The Israeli ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office to “share information” about the assassins’ [...]

UK calls in Israeli ambassador as Dubai killing row escalates

Britain last night fired the first shot in a potentially explosive diplomatic row with Israel by calling in the country’s ambassador to explain the use of faked British passports by a hit squad who targeted a Hamas official in Dubai.
The Israeli ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office to “share information” about the assassins’ [...]

Google Public DNS and Your Privacy

Google’s expanding its grasp on the Internet with a newly revealed DNS resolving service. Google Public DNS, announced Thursday on Google’s blog, will offer you an alternative way to connect to Web sites.
As with the launch of most Google services, people are starting to ask questions about what kind of data will be collected and [...]

Google Public DNS and Your Privacy

Google’s expanding its grasp on the Internet with a newly revealed DNS resolving service. Google Public DNS, announced Thursday on Google’s blog, will offer you an alternative way to connect to Web sites.
As with the launch of most Google services, people are starting to ask questions about what kind of data will be collected and [...]

Facebook, Twitter, Israel’s new battle ground

The Israeli military has announced that it will begin recruiting computer experts for a planned Internet and new media department unit.
Army Spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu made the announcement on Monday while speaking at the Eilat Journalists Conference, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
The spokesman explained the new department would target the Internet’s social networking sites [...]

Britons Want to Decrease Legal Immigration

People in Britain believe too many immigrants are entering the country, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 68 per cent of respondents think the number of legal immigrants who are allowed to relocate in the United Kingdom should decrease.
In June 2007, Gordon Brown officially became Labour leader and prime minister, replacing Tony [...]

Mandelson attacks ‘extreme rightwing figures’ for Gordon Brown pill ’smears’

Coincidentally, we also have Bill Clinton in the news this morning whining about a “vast right-wing conspiracy.”  Bill Clinton: ‘Vast right-wing conspiracy’ as ‘virulent’ as ever
Lord Mandelson today criticised “extreme rightwing figures” for circulating rumours on the internet which led to Gordon Brown being asked on the BBC whether he had been prescribed medication to [...]

U.K. Has Record July Deficit as Recession Curbs Taxes

Britain had an 8 billion-pound ($13.2 billion) budget deficit in July, the largest for the month since records began in 1993, as the recession ravaged tax revenue and the cost of unemployment benefits surged.

The shortfall compared with a surplus of 5.2 billion pounds a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said in London today. [...]

U.K. Has Record July Deficit as Recession Curbs Taxes

Britain had an 8 billion-pound ($13.2 billion) budget deficit in July, the largest for the month since records began in 1993, as the recession ravaged tax revenue and the cost of unemployment benefits surged.

The shortfall compared with a surplus of 5.2 billion pounds a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said in London today. [...]

Don’t stop spending, Brown tells Europe

Gordon Brown has urged the world’s major economies not to take their foot off the spending pedal, saying that “going for growth” could protect vital public services from cuts.
Speaking at an Anglo-French summit in Evian yesterday, the Prime Minister said: “If we can get growth, if we can get unemployment down, if we can keep [...]

UK: Government’s secret fears over housing market exposed by minister gaffe

I missed this one somehow.  Ms. Flint is now history of course…
Gordon Brown’s housing minister exposed the Government’s fears over the falling housing market today when she accidentally left in view a top-secret report as she walked into No 10.
Caroline Flint’s briefing note conceded that house prices would fall by 5 to 10 per cent [...]

Al Qaeda Says It Has Killed Briton

An affiliate of Al Qaeda in North Africa said Wednesday that it had killed a Briton it abducted in January because its demand of freedom for a jailed cleric had not been met.
Prime Minister  Gordon Brown said there was “strong reason to believe” that the captive had been executed. He called the killing “barbaric.”
The [...]

Al Qaeda Says It Has Killed Briton

An affiliate of Al Qaeda in North Africa said Wednesday that it had killed a Briton it abducted in January because its demand of freedom for a jailed cleric had not been met.
Prime Minister  Gordon Brown said there was “strong reason to believe” that the captive had been executed. He called the killing “barbaric.”
The [...]

Al Qaeda Says It Has Killed Briton

An affiliate of Al Qaeda in North Africa said Wednesday that it had killed a Briton it abducted in January because its demand of freedom for a jailed cleric had not been met.
Prime Minister  Gordon Brown said there was “strong reason to believe” that the captive had been executed. He called the killing “barbaric.”
The [...]

G20 leaders get OECD warning that global trade is in freefall

World leaders gathering for Thursday’s G20 summit in London were warned today by the Organisation of Cooperation and Development that the world economy was shrinking much faster than previously thought and that global trade was in freefall.
The Paris-based thinktank also told the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, there was no room for the type of [...]

G20 leaders get OECD warning that global trade is in freefall

World leaders gathering for Thursday’s G20 summit in London were warned today by the Organisation of Cooperation and Development that the world economy was shrinking much faster than previously thought and that global trade was in freefall.
The Paris-based thinktank also told the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, there was no room for the type of [...]

G20 leaders get OECD warning that global trade is in freefall

World leaders gathering for Thursday’s G20 summit in London were warned today by the Organisation of Cooperation and Development that the world economy was shrinking much faster than previously thought and that global trade was in freefall.
The Paris-based thinktank also told the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, there was no room for the type of [...]

G20 leaders get OECD warning that global trade is in freefall

World leaders gathering for Thursday’s G20 summit in London were warned today by the Organisation of Cooperation and Development that the world economy was shrinking much faster than previously thought and that global trade was in freefall.
The Paris-based thinktank also told the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, there was no room for the type of [...]

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt

Source:  Times Online
JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.
Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.
The trust will release research suggesting UK population [...]

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt

Source:  Times Online
JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.
Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.
The trust will release research suggesting UK population [...]

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt

Source:  Times Online
JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.
Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.
The trust will release research suggesting UK population [...]

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt

Source:  Times Online
JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.
Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.
The trust will release research suggesting UK population [...]

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt

Source:  Times Online
JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.
Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.
The trust will release research suggesting UK population [...]

Britain trains civilian anti-terror force

Britain has launched a clandestine alliance that recruits citizens and trains them to act as undercover agents against terror suspects.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the initiative is vital for safety in the UK. According to him, tens of thousands of civilians have already been trained for the purpose.
Brown said Sunday that the individuals range [...]

Gordon Brown seeks Barack Obama lift as markets nosedive

Obama is, in fact, the Anti-Christ.  We all know this…
Gordon Brown will today urge Barack Obama to join forces in a concerted effort to prevent global depression as the first talks between a European leader and the new US president take place against a backdrop of deepening financial chaos.
With share prices plunging on both sides [...]

Brown urges global supervision of banks

Source: Reuters
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for more rigorous global supervision of the banking system on Saturday, saying no hedge fund or tax haven should be allowed to fall through the cracks.
Speaking at Labour’s National Policy Forum in Bristol, he also spelled out a new vision for Britain’s domestic banking industry with nationalised [...]

‘This is the worst recession for over 100 years’

Source: The Independent
Britain is facing its worst financial crisis for more than a century, surpassing even the Great Depression of the 1930s, one of Gordon Brown’s most senior ministers and confidants has admitted.
In an extraordinary admission about the severity of the economic downturn, Ed Balls even predicted that its effects would still be felt 15 [...]

Gordon Brown calls for new global order

Source: guardian.co.uk
Gordon Brown today called for a “new global order” to deal with the economic crisis as he warned against the protectionist policies of the 1930s.In a wide-ranging speech on the global economy, the prime minister said that a radical step-up in global cooperation was necessary to prevent the emergence of “financial mercantilism”.
“We face [...]

Gordon Brown calls for new global order

Source: guardian.co.uk
Gordon Brown today called for a “new global order” to deal with the economic crisis as he warned against the protectionist policies of the 1930s.In a wide-ranging speech on the global economy, the prime minister said that a radical step-up in global cooperation was necessary to prevent the emergence of “financial mercantilism”.
“We face [...]

Gordon Brown calls for new global order

Source: guardian.co.uk
Gordon Brown today called for a “new global order” to deal with the economic crisis as he warned against the protectionist policies of the 1930s.In a wide-ranging speech on the global economy, the prime minister said that a radical step-up in global cooperation was necessary to prevent the emergence of “financial mercantilism”.
“We face [...]

Gordon Brown: World at risk of de-globalisation

All we can say to this is:  Horray!
Source: Thewest.com.au
The world is at risk of a “damaging spiral” of de-globalisation if countries do not co-ordinate their responses to the worldwide economic downturn, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.
Announcing new measures to kickstart lending in the British economy, Brown said: “As important as today’s new measures are, [...]