VALENTINE’S – GIFTS TO GIVE OR RECEIVE AND IN EXCHANGE

Tough one this, it seems, each year. Variety and innovation surely should be the choice, as alternatives to the traditional flowers, cosy dinner, and / or intimate smooching. The mold may have been broken with the following in its very simplicity:


[Gift Headquarters

Why Do Magazines Make Perfect Gifts?

· They keep on giving. Each issue will remind the special people in your life that you care.

· They’re a GREAT value. Magazines give more bang for your buck! You can actually give a full year’s worth of entertainment for less than the cost of a single dinner! (Tax and tip included!)

· They’re always in style. And they never wear out their welcome.

· The fit is just right. You custom-choose magazines that appeal to your friends and family. They’re the personal gift that’s always the right size and the right color.

· They’re appreciated! Just about everybody likes to get magazines! And with so many choices, there’s always one they won’t already have!

· Gifts for every reason, every season ... And every pocketbook! ]


SOURCE: http://www.magsonthenet.com/gifthq.html

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BUY NOW....

What others are saying about Windows Vista, just before you pay out the $200 to $400!


[ Security Watch : Don't get burned by viruses and hackers
That $200 Windows XP service pack called Vista


By Robert Vamosi
Senior editor, CNET Reviews
January 29, 2007


More than five years after the release of Windows XP, Windows Vista has arrived. The party line out of Redmond is that "Windows Vista is Microsoft's most secure platform to date," and you won't find anyone at Microsoft saying otherwise. But saying it's Microsoft's most secure operating system isn't saying that Windows Vista is the most secure operating system on the market today. No one can say that, I suspect, but Microsoft is really sensitive about security, saying that security is one of the main pillars that support a user's decision to upgrade to Windows Vista. Unfortunately for most home users, the actual security features in Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium will amount to little more than a pillar of salt. That's not to say home users won't get enhanced security with Windows Vista; they will. It's just that most of the security enhancements touted in Windows Vista don't appear in the Home Premium and Basic editions, and what's there, what's not already available within windows XP, could have fit into a free Windows XP service pack instead of requiring a $200 upgrade.

The spin
I have several marketing documents from Microsoft, but I'll refer to one entitled "Windows Vista Quick Reference Guide." These are talking points for software reviewers regarding security, mobility, networking, deployment, and application compatibility. Under security, the document states that Windows Vista's development followed the Microsoft's Security Development Lifecycle. Programmers were required to take security training, strict coding standards were enforced, and throughout the cycle, rigorous testing and review of the operating system code was done. That's the marketing spin.

The reality is a little different. At least one major antivirus vendor, Kaspersky, has said there will be vulnerabilities reported soon within Windows Vista. "We're not asking whether vulnerabilities will be found, but when," said Alexander Gostev, principal antivirus researcher for Kaspersky. Indeed, there's already been one Vista-related vulnerability reported, one that affected earlier versions of Windows, as well. You'd think Microsoft's Security Development Lifecycle would have caught that.

A shell game
The marketing document goes on to list a dozen bulleted security enhancements within Windows Vista, such as Enhanced Authentication Model, User Account Control (UAC), BitLocker Drive Encryption, Encrypting File System (EFS), Protected Mode for IE 7, Windows Defender, Windows Firewall, Enhanced Firewall Management, Group Policy for Device Lockdown, Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Kernel Patch Protection, and Network Access Protection. That's 12 enhancements that sound really thorough, if you get them.

However, because there are six different editions of Windows Vista, with varying features in each, only the people who purchase the $400 Ultimate edition or have access to the Enterprise edition (for volume-license customers only) will see all 12 features; for $200, home users will see fewer than half. I spoke with Pete McKiernan, a senior product manager for Windows at Microsoft, who said that BitLocker hard drive encryption wasn't included in the Home editions because Microsoft feared home users would lock themselves out of their systems. He agreed that another feature, Device Lockdown, required a group policy, and therefore wouldn't be in the Home edition, nor would Network Access Protection, Enhanced Authentication Model, or Encrypting File System (EFS). That's 5 out of 12 security enhancements that you won't find in the Home editions of Windows Vista.

Pete did say that all 64-bit editions of Windows Vista include Kernel Patch Protection, but I told him that most home users are running the 32-bit editions. It remains to be seen whether the 64-bit PatchGuard, also known as Kernel Patch Protection, works as advertised. At last summer's Black Hat Briefings in Las Vegas, researcher Joanna Rutkowska hacked Windows Vista's PatchGuard before a live audience that included several Microsoft employees who had also presented at the conference. If we include PatchGuard, that makes half of the security enhancements in Windows Vista that won't be on your home system.

What you get
So what do you get with Home Premium and Home Basic? You get Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), which protects against return-to-libc attacks, where an attacker uses exploit code to call a system function. ASLR randomizes the function entry points for common system calls, so on a typical 32-bit Windows Vista machine, an attacker stands a 1-in-256 chance of getting the address right, which should slow down an attacker. And home users will get not one but two firewall consoles within Windows Vista (why Microsoft couldn't reconcile them, I don't know), but you still won't get full outbound protection within the Microsoft Firewall without some serious configuration. The new Windows Firewall with Advanced Security on Local Computer console provides different profiles for Domain Policy (corporate networks), Private Profile (home networks), and Public Profile (Wi-Fi hot spots), but the language offered is all legalese at best: "Inbound connections that do not match a rule are not blocked" (the double negative is Microsoft's, not mine) and "Outbound connections that do not match a rule are allowed." Basically, all inbound data from the Internet is allowed (as it should be) except where a rule exists; outbound data from your computer is also allowed (as it should not be) "except where excepted"--one of my all-time favorite Microsoft-issued statements. The difference here is that unless you create specific rules to block outbound data--say, from spyware or rogue apps--you won't have true two-way firewall protection with the Microsoft Firewall. The reality is that most people will never tweak these settings and therefore won't be as well protected as they would be with the free edition of ZoneAlarm, a true two-way firewall.

User Account Control (UAC)
Perhaps the most visible security change within Windows Vista is User Account Control (UAC), a dialog box that appears whenever system settings might be changed. I agree with McKiernan that UAC is a step forward in security, but I disagree with its final implementation. If you are a standard user, using a second account on someone else's computer, you will need at administrator's password in order to perform certain system functions. An annoyance, but that's real security.

If you are the only one using your Home edition of Windows Vista, logically, you should be running the administrator account. But as a solo account user (administrator) within Windows Vista, you are actually running as a standard user until UAC flags you, only then do you escalate to administrator privileges. Unfortunately, Microsoft made it so that administrators need only hit Enter to access escalated privileges, no password required. McKiernan says Microsoft did that because it assumes administrators know how to respond to UAC messages, but I pointed out that other operating systems require even solo account users to enter a password before making system changes. And how long will it be until some malware prompts a UAC message, knowing the Windows Vista account user will just bat it away with a click of the Enter key?

The IE 7 features
Perhaps the biggest improvement over Windows XP is that Windows Vista places Internet Explorer 7 ActiveX processes into a sandbox. The sandbox allows the ActiveX component to run while you are using IE 7 and terminates it when you close IE. But you get even better security if you don't use Internet Explorer and use Firefox 2 or Opera 9 instead. Microsoft could have provided this sandboxing feature for free within Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP, but the company withheld it, wanting to give Windows Vista users some value for their $200.

And I've seen it spun that Windows Vista includes built-in antiphishing protection. But Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP--and for that matter Firefox 2--also blocks phishing sites. Unfortunately, neither browser performs as well as the stand-alone antiphishing toolbar from Netcraft or the antiphishing technologies from Symantec and McAfee. And Windows Vista ships with Windows Defender, but Windows XP SP2 already has Windows Defender, and I don't use it. In testing done last spring by CNET Download.com, Windows Defender missed some of the test spyware, finishing well behind other antispyware programs on the market today.

Nothing to see here, move along
Other security enhancements I see on my Windows Vista Home Premium machine are truly minor. One blocks double extensions in e-mail attachments, a common trick used by criminal hackers. But a Sophos study found that this e-mail security exists only if you use the new Windows Mail e-mail client--think Outlook Express with a prettier name. Most people won't use Windows Mail; they'll use their Web-based client before adopting Windows Mail.

Out of the 12 security enhancements within Windows Vista, only ASLR is notable; my decision on the value of UAC is mixed; and even within Windows XP SP2, I don't use IE 7, Windows Defender, or the Windows Firewall, so these are unnecessary. Given that Windows XP SP2 was a beast of a service pack to install, I wouldn't have minded a Windows XP service pack offering just ASLR. But Microsoft wants me to pay $200 for security features I don't use or need just to get the one that I truly need. I'm going to wait until Windows Vista Service Pack 1, code-named Fiji, is released, sometime before the end of the year. Maybe then the security enhancements within the Home editions of Windows Vista SP1 will be worth the $200.
Are the security enhancements within Windows Vista Home Basic enough for you to pay $200 to upgrade today? Talk back to me. ]


SOURCE: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-6689143-1.html?tag=nl.e415

JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE

The latest security-cum-OS package from Microsoft, Windows Vista, is out finally. You may want to see this:

[
Learn about Windows Vista

Microsoft has released Windows Vista to consumers, but your decision about whether to upgrade is not a simple yes or no; you have four flavors of Vista to choose among: Windows Vista Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Ultimate.

The Windows Vista DVD disc includes an ISO image of the entire code, so whether you buy the Basic edition or the Ultimate edition, the code remains the same; only the product key unlocks your specific set of features. This means users who opt for the lesser editions can always upgrade (assuming they have the proper hardware) by securing a new product key online. However, all features--even if you paid for them--are dependent on specific hardware configurations being present; if you don't have the proper graphics hardware, for example, you'll simply never see the Aero graphic effects on that old Dell computer in your basement.

To see which edition(s) of Windows Vista your current computer can handle, visit the CNET Vista Readiness Advisor to find specific hardware recommendations so that you don't buy the wrong edition. Most people will find either Windows Vista Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium to be their best choice. While Windows Vista does make a backup of your previous operating system before installing, it is always recommended that you backup your current Windows XP system yourself, just in case.

Common to all editions of Windows Vista are ad hoc backup and recovery, instant search, Internet Explorer 7 browser, Windows Media Player 11, Windows Mail e-mail client, Windows Calendar, Windows Photo Gallery, performance tuning and self-diagnostics, Internet protocol IPv6 and IPv4 support, Windows ReadyDrive, a maximum of 4GB RAM support on 32-bit editions (up to 128GB RAM on some 64-bit editions), Windows Sync Center for mobile devices, Windows Mobility Center for presentations on the road, User Account Control security protection, Windows Security Center, Windows Defender antispyware, Windows Firewall, Windows Meeting Space for ad hoc wireless meetings, Remote Desktop for working from home, XPS document support for PDF-like files, improved peer-to-peer networking, improved VPN support, and improved power management.

Included within certain editions (and thus also included within the Ultimate edition) are Windows Media Center, Windows Tablet PC, Windows Movie Maker, Windows DVD Maker, Parental Controls, Windows SideShow for remote gadgets, domain join for Windows Small Business Server, Group Policy support, client-side file caching, Roaming User Profiles for remote server access, Windows Fax and Scan, Windows ShadowCopy to create file backups, Windows Rights Management Services to protect documents, Windows BitLocker hard drive encryption, integrated smart card management, and various Windows Ultimate Extras to be named later. Despite many feature changes within Windows Vista, Microsoft has held onto its original marketing promise of providing users with Clear, Confident, and Connected solutions.]


SOURCE: http://www.cnet.com/4520-13111_1-6687520-1.html?tag=nl.e415

SQUEEZING OUT MORE TIME FOR YOURSELF

The following is an interesting how-to article on the above:


[ Top Tips for Giving Yourself More Time

by Penelope Trunk

Posted on Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 3:00AM

One of the best parts of a good job is learning new things and sharing ideas with other people. But most of the time we're not doing this. Most of the time we're buried under a to-do list.

I've developed some tips for adjusting how you get your work done each day, so you can make space for the learning and collaborating and big-picture thinking that makes us excited about our jobs.

Here are my tips:

1. Delegate stuff you like.

You can't delegate your unappealing projects because no one will want to do them. So find someone who wants to learn new skills, and teach him how to do your appealing projects.

Then you can get them off your plate, do your worst projects quickly, and line up to get something that will teach you new skills.

2. Don't use voicemail.

It's slow, you can't file it, people leave inaudible phone numbers on it, and reception is bad everywhere you need it to be good. Train people to not expect you to answer your phone and they'll stop calling.

Answer emails fast and answer voicemails after someone calls twice. It's rude, but you can be extra nice in email to make up for it.

3. Prioritize.

Not your to-do list, but your life. If you really know what's important to you, then it'll become clear to you what's important to spend time on and what isn't.

People who have too much to do are people who refuse to make tough choices. Knowing yourself better will help you make those decisions.

4. Go to the gym.

People who work out regularly accomplish more of the important things in their life than people who don't go to the gym. All the couch potatoes who read this statistic are going to sit on their couch and philosophize about what makes it true.

Why bother? Who cares why it's true. Just go to the gym. In fact, maybe people who go to the gym get more done because they don't procrastinate by philosophizing on the couch.

5. Don't use your in-box as a filing cabinet.

People who scroll through their email in-box all day looking for the next thing to do are people without a to-do list. Read your email, respond, file, or put it on a to-do list.

You should never scroll through your in-box because there should never be anything in there that you've already read.

6. Use software for complicated processes.

Things that fall into this category are maintaining a to-do list (try Ta-da or tasktoy for starters). Also, for all those links you've been saving, use one of the 10 billion bookmarking sites like del.icio.us or Searchles.

Do your banking online, too. This is so obvious that I almost forgot it, but it's a good way to gauge how on top of things you are. If you're not banking online, you're in trouble.

7. Do your top thing first.

The best way to work is to get your most important task done first thing in the day. To do so, block out the first hour of the day.

You'll be relieved for the rest of the day that you finished something that matters, and you won't have to stay late because all the really important stuff will be done.

8. Know what your boss cares about.

Get rid of everything else. If your boss doesn't think it's a priority then why should you? Your job is to make your boss look great. If your boss loves you she will help you meet your goals.

You can't make your boss look great if you spend your time doing stuff she doesn't care about. You'll find that you not only look better to your boss, but you streamline your workload as well.

9. Get a life.

If you have things you care about outside of work, you'll leave work to do them. Parkinson's law says that work expands to fill the amount of time available. In other words, if you know you'll be staying in the office until 10 at night, you'll have work to do until then.

Force yourself to leave before dinner. You'll figure out how to get your work done after a few weeks of being anxious and behind.

10. Use IM to be friendly, not efficient.

The reason Generation Y is so great at making friends is because they leverage technology to forge relationships. Instant messaging is great for this because it provides immediate satisfaction; who doesn't like that in a friendship?

However, adults are too busy to multitask all day. When the stakes are not a term paper in history but the family's mortgage, interruptions are more serious. So turn on IM when you're networking and turn it off when you are solving problems.

11. Send flowers.

This is such a quick way to say you appreciate someone, or that you remember it's a tough time, or that you noticed their accomplishments. You could take people out to lunch for all of these reasons, but flowers are no more expensive than lunch, and sending them requires a fraction of the time.

Of course, you still need to do lunch sometimes, but maybe on a busy day you could IM instead. ]


SOURCE: http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/careerist/17569;_ylt=AqyFmlz186ZF1CgYsYsw0s9Ft9IF

WELL, I'LL BE A MONKEY'S UNCLE!

Just couldn't resist that! However, the surprise is real, as you too may find out with the following story:

[ Jermaine Jackson wants Michael to convert to Islam

1 hour, 39 minutes ago

LONDON (Reuters) - Jermaine Jackson said on Monday he wants his brother Michael to convert to Islam; and he believes the reclusive superstar has given it serious thought.

"Michael, I feel, needs to become a Muslim because I think it's a great protection for him from all the things that he's been attacked with, which are false," said the former Jackson Five singer who now lives in Bahrain.

"There's a strength and protection there," Jackson told BBC Asian Newtwork after finishing runner-up to Bollywood star
Shilpa Shetty in the "Celebrity Big Brother" TV reality show that was marred by accusations of racist bullying.

Jackson said he believed his brother had given conversion "serious thought" during long spells in Bahrain.

"I was the reason why he had gone there because I wanted him to get out of America and just go somewhere it's peaceful and quiet and people pray five times a day which is beautiful."

Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in June 2005.

He has said he plans to move to Europe in a bid to resurrect his musical career as the "King of Pop" and has indicated he will release a new album in 2007.

Jermaine Jackson said his faith helped keep him sane in the enclosed confines of the British reality TV program where the contestants are kept cooped up under 24-hour surveillance.

"If I didn't have Allah and my prayer rug, I would not have survived and the reason why is because it kept me focused, it kept me calm," he said. ]


SOURCE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070129/en_nm/jackson_dc


SHILPA MANIA WAS SO RIVETING THAT I FAILED TO REALIZE THAT JERMAINE WAS THERE, TOO!


I WONDER WHERE IN EUROPE MICHAEL WOULD SETTLE: LONDON, ENGLAND?

NOT A HAPPY HOLIDAY, AFTER ALL'S SAID AND DONE!

When is financial compensation not enough recompense for you? When your good name and image have been irreparably damaged? Here's what someone else suffered after a holiday, a side effect of the global war on terrorism:


[ Last Updated: Friday, 26 January 2007, 20:49 GMT

Canada compensates deported man

Canada has apologised to a man deported by US authorities to Syria, where he was imprisoned and allegedly tortured.

Maher Arar was detained in the US while returning to Canada from Tunisia. He has dual Syrian-Canadian citizenship.

A Canadian government inquiry cleared him of any involvement in terrorism. Syria denies that he was tortured.

PM Stephen Harper said Mr Arar would receive $10.5m (US$8.9m, £4.54m) compensation, and urged the US to drop him from its list of terror suspects.

"On behalf of the government of Canada I would like to apologise to you... and your family for any role the government may have played in the terrible ordeal that all of you experienced in 2002 and 2003," Mr Harper said.

Mr Arar had sought $37m (US$31.3, £16) in a civil suit.

The Canadian inquiry that exonerated Mr Arar said it was probable that US authorities were acting on information provided by Canadian authorities.

It also supported Mr Arar's claims to have been tortured during his time in Syria.

Post-traumatic stress

In 2002 Mr Arar was returning from a family holiday in Tunisia when he was stopped by US officials as he changed planes in New York.

He was deported to Syria where he spent nearly a year in prison.

Since then the 36-year-old software engineer has suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police resigned over the case late last year.

The BBC's Lee Carter in Toronto says the case has left the Canadian government in sharp disagreement with the US.

Despite repeated calls from Canada to drop Mr Arar from its security watch list, the US refuses, saying it has reasons of its own to keep him on the list. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6304227.stm

STATUTE OF UNLIMITATION - REOPENING OLD WOUNDS FOR FINAL HEALING

Elephants never forget folk lore reminds us. The law also shares a similar log memory on crimes that are unsolved or go unpunished. Time has not run out on the following case, obviously:

[ Last Updated: Thursday, 25 January 2007, 19:35 GMT

US man in 1964 race attack charge

A former Ku Klux Klan member has been charged with kidnapping and conspiracy in connection with the 1964 murders of two black teenagers in Mississippi.

James Seale, a 71-year-old former sheriff's deputy, denies the charges.

The dead men, Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, were long thought to have been abducted by the white supremacist group while hitchhiking.

The beaten and decomposed bodies of the two 19-year-olds were found in the Mississippi River two months later.

Mr Seale, who was arrested on Wednesday, appeared in court in Jackson, Mississippi, charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Racial segregation

Prosecutors said that in May 1964 Mr Seale aimed a shotgun at the two black men while fellow Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members beat them with tree branches.

According to the indictment, Mr Seale and the others attached weights to the two men, took them out on the water in a boat and threw them into the river.

Their bodies were discovered two months later by the FBI during a search for three missing civil rights workers.

Mr Seale and a second man were arrested at the time. Consumed by the civil rights case, the FBI turned the case over to the local authorities, which threw out all charges.

The second suspect, church deacon Charles Marcus Edwards, 72, has not been charged.

Mr Seale has been jailed pending a bail hearing set for Monday.

If convicted, Mr Seale will face a maximum term of life imprisonment on each count of the indictment.

'Still alive'

The case was re-opened following a campaign by the brother of one of the dead men. For years, Mr Seale's family told reporters that he had died.

In 2005, Thomas Moore alerted the authorities to the fact that Mr Seale was living a few miles from where the kidnappings took place.

Speaking after the arrest, Thomas Moore said he had cried for the first time in 50 years.

"It's not going to bring [Charles'] life back. But some way or another, I think he would be satisfied," Mr Moore said.

The FBI is currently re-opening several cases from the civil rights era before suspects die.

During the movement of the 1950s and 1960s, dozens of black people were killed by white people who wanted to retain racial segregation.

Few of the crimes were solved, partly because some of the perpetrators were protected by state and local officials. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6298013.stm






Perhaps, now at last the psychological healing process can start?

FAMILY TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER CAREER IN ANY CLASH?

That's how it should be in an ideal world. So, it's still very refreshing to see this ideal held in high regard in this era of irresistible big-buck opportunities:

[ Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 January 2007, 23:04 GMT

Woods prepared to miss the Open


Tiger Woods has said he will miss the Open at Carnoustie if it clashes with the birth of his first child.

The Open takes place from 19-22 July, the same month as his Swedish wife Elin is due to give birth.

"If it happens, it happens. If it crosses over, it crosses over," said the world number one.

"That's the most important thing, not another golf tournament. If she's going to have it during the week of the Open, I just don't go."

Woods, who won last year's Open at Hoylake, also knows the arrival of his first child will change the way he prepares for tournaments.

"Our priorities do change," he said. "You're bringing a new life into this world and it's 100% dependent on you for survival.

"It'll be interesting to figure out my tournament schedule, preparations and commitments that I have to my sponsors, to try and balance all that with adding a new family member.

"Usually with golf you're just preparing for the here and now and then all of a sudden you look a little bit further out in the future." ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/6296953.stm

ENCOUNTERING UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM

Momentum. That word has always fascinated me: mass multiplied by velocity. Simply put, a moving train will kill a mosquito when they collide at the same speed of approach per second!

It's a secret well-utilized by the hulking linebackers in American Football. The following story is a different take on this established phenomenon:

[ Last Updated: Thursday, 25 January 2007, 10:10 GMT


Majestic Federer thrashes Roddick

By Caroline Cheese

Roger Federer produced a phenomenal performance to blow away Andy Roddick 6-4 6-0 6-2 and reach the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Roddick came into the semi-final in confident mood, but after taking a 4-3 lead in the first set, the American was virtually a spectator.

World number one Federer reeled off 15 of the next 17 games, hitting 45 winners compared to just 12 errors.

The defending champion needed just one hour and 23 minutes to reach the final.

"I was really worried going into this match he had been playing so well. I played incredibly well," said the Swiss star, who is through to a record-equalling seventh straight Grand Slam final.

"I had one of those days where everything worked and I was unbeatable.

"It's just unreal, I'm shocked myself. I've played good matches here, but never really almost destroyed somebody. That's a highlight of my career."

A shell-shocked Roddick struggled to come to terms with a demoralising defeat - his 13th in 14 matches against the world number one.

"It was frustrating. It was miserable. It sucked. It was terrible," he said.

"I just got to keep doing what I do. I put in as much as I can every day. I don't know if you'll find someone who questions that.

"You try not to get discouraged. I caught an absolute beating tonight. No doubt about it. You deal with it and you go back to the drawing board."

Federer's virtuoso display left a packed Rod Laver Arena awestruck.

They had arrived expecting a close match between the top seed, who had been out of sorts in his quarter-final win over Tommy Robredo, and a resurgent Roddick.

Instead, they were treated to a Federer masterclass, a performance BBC Sport analyst John Lloyd described as the best he had ever seen.

The top seed began brightly, breaking at the first opportunity, but after taking a 2-0 lead, he allowed Roddick back in with a loose service game.

But once Federer broke again at 4-4 and then clinched a 33-minute first set with an ace, it was one-way traffic.

In a staggering second set, Federer unleashed 11 winners and made one error.

Roddick won a total of six points.

The 24-year-old cast increasingly despairing glances at his coach Jimmy Connors but the famously battle-hardy American legend could offer no inspiration on this occasion.

Roddick did well to stem the tide by holding serve to make it 2-1 in the third set but as hard as he tried, Federer had an answer to everything the American threw at him.

Fernando Gonzalez and Tommy Haas meet on Friday at 0830 GMT to decide who meets the world number one in Sunday's final but on the evidence of this performance, it is a question of who picks up the runner's-up cheque. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/6297737.stm



NOT TO IMPLY ANYTHING, OR MOCK ANYBODY, IS THIS WHAT BEING 'RAILROADED' REALLY MEANS?

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS FATAL PILE-UP?

Multiple accidents always seem stage-managed, until it happens to you in real life! Here's a recent one:

[ Brandy involved, uninjured in fatal crash
POSTED: 1348 GMT (2148 HKT), January 25, 2007

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- R&B singer Brandy was involved in a four-car freeway crash last month that left a 38-year-old woman dead, authorities said Wednesday.

The cause of the mishap was under investigation, and no arrests have been made.

The 27-year-old actress-singer (full name: Brandy Norwood) was driving a 2007 Land Rover on the 405 Freeway on December 30, when the collision occurred.

She failed to slow down and struck the back of a 2005 Honda at about 65 mph, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

The Honda driven by Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, hit another vehicle and then slid sideways before it struck a center divider, the report said.

Aboudihaj's car was then hit by an oncoming car driven by 50-year-old Mallory Ham, the report said.

Aboudihaj was taken to a hospital, where she died of blunt-force injuries, said county coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey. The coroner's office ruled her death an accident.

Ham also was taken to a hospital where she was treated for moderate injuries.

Brandy was not injured, and she wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, said her publicist Courtney Barnes.

"She wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased," Barnes said.

A message left for a CHP spokesman was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Norwood, whose hits include "Sittin' Up in My Room" and "The Boy Is Mine," has made five albums and earned a Grammy in 1999. She began her recording career at 14 and acted in film and TV shows, starring on the sitcom "Moesha" from 1996 to 2001 and most recently as a judge for NBC's "America's Got Talent."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ]


SOURCE: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/01/25/people.brandy.ap/index.html

MAKING IT UP AS THEY BLOW ALONG?

Mankind’s knack for doing away with its kindred spirits has always found newer and more horrific avenues for infamously innovative expression.

The 9 / 11 incident showed clearly that a potent weapon could be made out of an entire aircraft and its momentum, as long as the precisely calculated and researched twisted-scheme has willing suicidal implementers.

Of course, my use of ‘twisted’ in the preceding line is not in reference to a warped state of mind but, rather, to the condition of equating the act of the sinner to the punishment of the judge and jury.

Please feel free to choose whom the goat-cum-sinner or judge-and-jury-cum-sheep actually is in this case. Apparently, the end is nowhere in sight yet, as the following depicts:


[Last Updated: Saturday, 20 January 2007, 15:26 GMT

Four arrested with TNT in Mumbai

Four people carrying more than 6kg (14lb) of explosives have been arrested near a suburban railway station in the Indian city of Mumbai, police say.

The four were detained at the busy Andheri station after a tip-off.
Police have said they do not know whether the four were intending to detonate the explosives or were delivering them to others.

Last July more than 180 people were killed when seven bombs exploded in trains and at stations in Mumbai.

About 700 people were injured in those attacks.

Dozens of people have been charged with involvement in the attacks, which India blamed on its rival, Pakistan. Pakistan denied any involvement.

The four people arrested on Saturday were carrying trinitrotoluene, usually known as TNT.

"They were arrested with the TNT at Andheri following a tip off," V K Choubey, a senior police officer, told the AFP news agency.

The arrests come days before India celebrates Republic Day on 26 January.
The holiday has often been used as a pretext for launching attacks by separatists and protesters. ]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6282349.stm

THE GRAND EMBEZZLER REACHES THE END OF THE LINE

This financial tragedy would have been posted earlier on but for the fact that BLOGGER AND BLOGSPOT maintenance work were ongoing. So, finally, here is a single-handedly implausible business scam that nearly went unnoticed and scot free, so to say.

I guess it's really true that you should worry when your accountant refuses to go on a holiday as and when due:

[ Feds: Embezzler bought ranch, talking trees
POSTED: 1435 GMT (2235 HKT), January 23, 2007

Story Highlights
• Bookkeeper Angela Buckborough Platt is accused of embezzling $6.9M
• Feds say her shopping spree included ranch, horses, talking trees
• Platt has agreed to plead guilty and serve up to 57 months in prison
• Platt began writing checks to herself in 2000, authorities say


BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- A bookkeeper for a construction materials company embezzled $6.9 million and used the money to go on a shopping spree that included a 104-acre ranch and a half-dozen talking trees like those in "The Wizard of Oz," federal authorities said Monday.

Prosecutors say Angela Buckborough Platt also bought eight show horses; a fleet of motor vehicles including a 1964 Ford Thunderbird; a house on five acres in Rhode Island; Hollywood-grade cinematic props to decorate her home for Halloween; and a life-size ceramic statue of Al Capone.

Samantha Martin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office, said that when friends or relatives asked Platt about her wealth, she told them that she was the CEO of a corporation or that she and her husband had won the lottery.

Platt, 43, of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, was charged Monday with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. She has agreed to plead guilty in a deal subject to court approval, Martin said.

Platt, formerly of Cumberland, Rhode Island, worked as a staff accountant for J&J Materials Corp. in Rehoboth from 1999 to 2006.

Authorities say that in June 2000, Platt began to write checks from company accounts to herself. The weekly deposits initially ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 but eventually neared $50,000, prosecutors said.

Her theft was discovered in June by another bookkeeper who had been newly hired to assist her.

"I'm not going to say anything one way or another, other than to say there is a plea agreement," said Platt's attorney, R. Bradford Bailey.

Martin said the agreement calls for Platt to spend between 46 and 57 months in prison.

J&J owner John Ferreira said he has received about $2 million in restitution so far, most of it in real estate, cars, horses and other items. He said Platt always seemed like a good employee.

"I'm angry, disappointed," Ferreira said. "She hurt a lot of people."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ]


SOURCE: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/23/talking.trees.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

POSSIBLE FRAUD UNCOVERED?

The following post is not meant to annoy or point accusing fingers at anyone in particular. I may be wrong, so prove me wrong if you will. I just need to know the true facts about the current Initial Public Offering of shares in Nigeria's Transcorp Hilton, which used to be NICON NOGA HILTON HOTEL.

It mutated to TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL when the Federal Government sold its majority shareholding to a group of 'elite' Nigerians who came together under the TRANSCORP umbrella.

What's funny about the entire deal? Let me see:

1. The present government practically sold government property to private citizens, who are actually well known friends or colleagues, to say the least.

2. Whether the shares were fully paid for is an obscure issue that needs clarification to avoid the FRAUD label.

3. The sale of 50 kobo nominal shares for 750 kobo in the IPO is, in my humble opinion, an over-valuation that would ultimately net a clean profit for the 'elite' initial subscribers, who may not have backed their original purchase with cash!


The three points above would best be resolved by January 31, 2007; otherwise, the usual well-practiced trend would ensue automatically:

a] the share price drops below 750 kobo after the offer closes, so the secondary subscriber is stuck with the shares that cannot be resold without incurring a quick loss in value.

b] the 'elite' corporate insiders and their government collaborators smile all the way to the bank and share the proceeds of the officially sanctioned daylight robbery.

c] no dividends or srip issues are forthcoming for the next 5 to 10 years or more!

d] the 'elite' subscribers get paid their emoluments, contract sums, and dividends via indirect means like free facilities, trips, allowances for sitting and traveling, etc.



SO, MY INQUIRING MIND WANTS TO KNOW: IS THERE ANY HINT OF FRAUD HERE?

COMMENTS BY "JOHN" ON TWO POSTS IN THIS BLOG

My thanks go to "JOHN" for his useful and insightful comments, as listed below:


[ John has left a new comment on your post "THE MAKING OF A MARTYR - WHEN TECHNOLOGY DEFEATS V...":

Yeah well the CIA don't like it as Saddam botched an assassination attempt on the Iraqi Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qassem (or Qasim) back in 1959. Saddam was only 22 then and managed to kill the Prime Minister's driver and Qasim got shot in the arm and shoulder. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Qasim) the six man team had bullets that didn't fit their guns, grenades that got stuck in their coat (bit unprofessional really). Qasim just hid on the floor of his car and survived until the next successful assassination attempt by the CIA four years later. Of course I think these days America would like to forget about this little slice of history. Look it all up if you're interested as it's a matter of public record now. I wouldn't be surprised if the CIA has a very long memory on this one. They don't like being made fools of.



Posted by John to Tulsa-smith at Tuesday, January 02, 2007 9:39:00 PM ]




[ John has left a new comment on your post "WHAT COULD MAKE A MAN HIJACK A PLANE WITH HIS FAMI...":

People get scared on a plane because there's nowhere they can go to. As long as they keep serving alcohol on planes these sorts of incidents will happen and be blown up (no pun intended) out of proportion. Your chances of dying in a terrorist attack are probably on a par with being hit by an asteroid or winning the lottery jackpot - however the perception of this risk is overplayed because the media would prefer to write about terrorism than say people dying because they didn't get enough exercise. This leads to the general public perceiving the risk of terrorism as being greater than it really is.



Posted by John to Tulsa-smith at Tuesday, January 02, 2007 9:24:00 PM ]




BEST WISHES, HAPPY NEW YEAR, TO YOU, "JOHN".

MODERN TRAVEL - DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFERENT FOLKS

What's your pleasure in transportation? Depending on distance, access, cost, and convenience, people choose how they travel for many reasons. Here's the latest idea:

[ Last Updated: Tuesday, 23 January 2007, 11:24 GMT


Gone to ground
By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine

Air travel may be increasing yet a small, but growing number of people are turning their backs on flying in favour of land travel, in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions. Two share their stories of so-called "slow travel" holidays.

BARBARA HADDRILL - AUSTRALIA

When Barbara Haddrill, 28, was invited to her friend's wedding in Australia in October, she had a dilemma. She had promised not to fly any more for environmental reasons but as bridesmaid, she felt obliged to attend.

"I'd said that was it, I wasn't going to take the plane anymore and wasn't going to travel long distances," she says.

"But then this came up and it wasn't something I could immediately say 'No, I'm sorry, I'm not flying any more and not coming to your wedding.'

"Then I spoke to friends and it became apparent it was possible to get there using another route."

So instead of a departure hall at Heathrow and a possible stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Barbara went via Moscow, Beijing, Hanoi, Bangkok, Singapore and Darwin in an epic journey taking nearly two months and taking in train, boat and bus.

The decision reflected changes Barbara had made to her everyday life during the last five or six years, due to her concern about the effect humans were having on the environment, especially in carbon emissions.

She no longer drives, buys organic, locally-sourced food and uses a wood-burner to heat her home, which is a caravan near Machynlleth, in a forest in mid-Wales. And while the 51 days Barbara spent getting to Oz would be longer than many tourists' holidays, as a part-time worker at the Centre for Alternative Technology, she has the flexibility to build such a journey into her life.

Speaking from a farm in Adelaide, where she is planning her journey home and appealing for anyone who can help her get from Darwin to Singapore, she said it had been a very rewarding experience.

Overall she found it more comfortable than an economy class plane seat and she met lots of fascinating people on the way. As well as seeing new places, she had also learnt a lot about herself and stuck to her green principles.

"You have to believe it's worth doing something yourself. You have to take personal responsibility and can't wait for someone else to do it.

"You can't think you're only one person. I've met other people doing things like me so it's good to know you're not on your own.

"Perhaps it's not for everyone to think they're going to go on a boat to Australia but maybe they can think 'Do I need to go to Australia in the first place?' And look at things in your day-to-day life."


UK - AUSTRALIA, ONE-WAY
Cost Distance Time CO2 emissions
Barbara £2,000 14,004 miles 51 days 1.65 tonnes
Plane £450 10,273 miles 25 hrs* 2.7 tonnes
*plus transit time, security, customs
Sources: Climate Care, Defra, Choose Climate, Expedia, BA

WEST FAMILY - TUSCANY

For the West family, who live near Petersfield in Hampshire, a walking holiday in Tuscany gave them the chance to put into practice their green principles.

"We are very green in the way we live and the work I do and that's the way we think," says Jonathan West, 49, who runs a woodland management company. "There's ever reason to avoid flying and this mentality that has come about that we must get there in the fastest possible route because cheap air flights cost less."

So last August, Mr West, wife Alice and children Bede, 14, and Fritha, 11, boarded their first train at Petersfield for Waterloo. Another two rail journeys followed - the Eurostar to Paris and a sleeper to Rome.

From the Italian capital, they travelled in a minibus supplied by the walking holiday company ATG, to just outside Orvieto. They then walked into the town before the start of their five-day trek.

"It's hard to over-estimate how good it was," says Mr West. "The mentality required to catch a train is very different from the precision you need to catch an aeroplane. The availability of a train is much greater and it's very liberating compared to 'I must get to the airport.'"

Snubbing the flight meant the family could have a night in Paris, which they loved, but the couchette to Rome was very hot and stuffy.

A walking holiday is regarded as the best form of sustainable tourism in terms of carbon emissions. But Mr West says eco holidays are not sustainable if they require a flight to get there.

"It's one's responsibility but it's also a nice way to think. Being green is becoming as significant as cost in planning a holiday."

He admitted it is not always straightforward to avoid flying and a family skiing holiday would not be as easy.

One unexpected benefit of choosing the train was that Mr West, a botanist who usually carries a knife, was able to avoid the security problems associated with airports.

HAMPSHIRE - TUSCANY, ONE-WAY
Cost Distance Time CO2 emissions
West family* £719 1,112 miles 2.3 days 0.07 tonnes
Plane £288 750 miles 2 hours** 0.56 tonnes
*= 4 people **plus transit time, security, customs
Sources: Climate Care, Defra, Expedia,

Should I Really Give Up Flying? Wednesday 24 January, BBC Two, 21:00 GMT. Thanks for your comments on this story. The debate is now closed.

I think that this article illustrates that if you are travelling to Australia then there isn't a practical alternative to flying. However, if you are travelling from London to Edinburgh or Birmingham to Paris, the train is a viable alternative. I would be all for banning short-haul flights as unnecessary. This would clear some space at the airports for longer-haul flights where there isn't an alternative. Being green should be about sensible sacrifices that ordinary people can make, not about forcing people to do impractical things
Tim, Bath, England

I don't see what the point in wasting all that extra money and time on going by land!! Air travel only accounts for a very small amount of the co2 levels! Every office I have ever worked at always leave lights, computers servers etc on 365 days a year and no doubt the vast majority of other offices/places of work are the same! Air travel is a much less polluter than wasted energy
Tom,

Lloyd of London it is your choice to have a mortgage, debts and a job to pay for it all. Granted most of us (including me) make similar choices because it's hard not to but it's not the only way. Barbara from Machynlleth has made different choices (working part-time and living in a caravan) that's all. That's how she can take six months to travel. Good on her.
Ieuan Phillips, Derry, NI

For the past few years we have holidayed in the south of France and because I don't like flying we take the Eurostar direct service from Waterloo to Avignon, it is an excellent way to travel and only takes 6 hours travelling through some beautiful French countryside and what's more the fares don't break the bank either, I would highly recommend and its environmentally friendly.
Fiona, London

On the rare occasions I have opted for rail travel instead of air recently, I have been struck mostly by the contrast in the standard of service offered. We took the Orient Express to Venice and came back on normal rail services - the outward journey was excellent, though the journey time suffered because we spent ages changing engines at borders. On the return journey, the nature of rail travel was clear - no help with heavy luggage, officious staff on empty trains but nowhere to be seen when overcrowding filled all carriages regardless of ticket class, refreshments a lottery, air conditioning optional. Add to that the extra cost and the lack of through ticketing facilities, and you don't have to look far to work out why rail travel is only an option for the ultra-green, those who are entitled to massive discounts, and people who are thrilled at the thought of waiting for hours in sidings at frontiers.
Andrew, Benfleet, Essex, UK

Why do people need to travel on holiday abroad anyway? After years of doing the air routes around the World, we got fed up with airports, air delays, checking in times, the extra expense of having to stay over the night before, etc., and have rediscovered England, particularly the scenery and beaches of Cornwall - one of by childhood haunts. The kids love it - after all, you can't bodyboard or surf safely in many places in the Med or Caribbean - and there's very little difference between the sand here and there for making sandcastles.
Lord Knowle, Dorset, England

Hmm, get on a plane or spend an extra £431 and waste 2 days, let me think.
Alan, Wigan

Does anyone notice a common theme here with these eco-friendly journeys? Each journey is a journey enjoyed, the journey itself is part of the holiday. It beats sitting around on a beach like an Elephant Seal wasting your life away.
Ian, United Kingdom

I think the point "Do I need to go to Australia in the first place?" is the most important, although I'm not convinced going to a wedding is really a necessity. When people look back at our age of (comparatively) cheap fossil fuels and international transport they'll wonder how we could have been so short-sighted and selfish. The technology is already here to make business travel a thing of the past, but people want the prestige of flying around as it makes them feel big and powerful. We are still living in the shadow of Thatcher's "me, me, me" vision unfortunately.
Tidy, Brighton

The calculations on CO2 emissions are interesting in so far as the are at best guesstimates. Do they take into account the extra CO2 emissions that occured whilst working to earn the additional money to pay for the journey. Extra time in the work place (lights, heating, electricity etc), possibly extra working days (more journeys to work). As Nick said, this is about the technology and not the way we use it (or dont).
Peter Gale, South Molton, UK

I am not clear as to why anyone would really want to spend two months rather than 25 hrs travelling for a fairly marginal reduction in carbon footprint. However, to be fair particularly to the second family, the air time is NOT two hours. Add in time from home to airport, plus 2-3 hours at check-in and boarding, then an hour(?) for passport control and baggage collection, then transit from the Italian airport, I would have thought the Air travel time takes the thick end of eight hours!
Neil , London

I have family that live in Llanellwedd nr Builth and I try and visit two or three times a year, I combine plane and train at a cost of £60-£70 return getting to Birmingham no problem but from there to the house takes hours as I have to change trains at New St and Shrewsbury and as there is only 3 trains per day on that line I have to usually have to wait at Shrewsbury for at least 2 hrs, however if I was to train it from Edinburgh to Builth Road (request stop)it would cost me over twice the price. Due to the length of journey I cant make it for a long weekend as two days would be taken up travelling. SO IM NOT GIVING UP FLYING!! Its the only real practical way to see freinds and family.
Jenn, Edinburgh

Wouldn't it be nice to have the time and money to spend six months getting to Australia and back. Unfortunately for most of us, we have jobs, mortgages and debts to pay which negates the entire concept of being green in situations like this.
Lloyd, London

Whilst I am most certainly for reducing carbon emissions, looking at the first example, how many of us can realistically afford to have over 100 days off work (basing it on the same journey as a return) and spend £4000 on the journey alone to Australia? Unless slow long distance travel become commercially viable, i think the age of air travel is here to stay
Chris Morphew, Peterborough, UK

It's not enough to take a bus instead of a plane, or to plant a tree to 'offset' carbon emission. There needs to be a fundamental change in the technology and fuels that propel our travel and drive our engines. Only once this paradigm shift has begun to occur can we hope to redress the imbalance that is at, or maybe even past, the brink of a major detrimental change to the environment of our planet.
Alex, London

As with so many green issues, you need plenty of money. Admirable though these two holiday travelling choices are, for many people, especially families, the additional cost of 'green' travel would far outweigh the cost of the holiday.
Karen, Notts

Nobody should give up flying. Contrary to claims that the science of climate change has been settled, the causes of the past century's modest warming is highly contested in the climate science community. Man made global warming is NOT fact it IS an unproven theory. Incredible is so many people have accepted junk science as fact. Get a grip and go on holiday.
Nick, Berks

I spent last year abroad and flew back and forth between Britain and Austria every few months, increasing my guilt at flying each time. For my final journey back to Britain I decided to change and took the train. It took about 24 hours (compared to a 2 hour flight) but I met some interesting people and had time to enjoy the landscape. Travelling through the Champagne region as they were harvesting in the early morning was fantastic, and something I would have missed completely on a plane. The problem with doing this more often is finding the time to take land journeys and the finances - although I was surprised at how cheap my train trip worked out. The Eurostar ticket was about the same price as all the others put together, in fact. Train travel still has the sense of adventure that aviation seems to lack, and affords an opportunity to swap travel tales with fellow passengers too. If only it was possible to take the time to enjoy travelling as well as the destination more often!
Susan, UK ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6287107.stm

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS - TODAY IN HISTORY

On a world-impact scale, the following qualified as newsworthy landmarks for this day:



[ ON THIS DAY 21 January

1950: Acclaimed author George Orwell dies
The writer, George Orwell, has died after a three-year battle against tuberculosis.

Until the last, news had been positive and it was hoped Mr Orwell was improving.

On Friday morning he had a long talk with a friend about his plans for the future.

However, a few hours later he suffered a fatal haemorrhage in a London hospital.

But illness had not dimmed George Orwell's enthusiasm for writing.

His last novel, 1984, published last summer was written in between periods spent in hospital.

The controversial book - like Animal Farm - was widely viewed as an attack on the Communist system.

However, it brought George Orwell widespread critical acclaim including the award of £357 by the influential Partisan Review for the year's most significant contribution to literature.

Pseudonym

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in June 1903 into a family of relatively prosperous civil servants working in India on behalf of the British Empire.

He is said to have assumed his pseudonym, inspired by the River Orwell, near his parent's house in Suffolk, to spare his family embarrassment.

Orwell's early writings often drew on his own experiences of poverty which were in marked contrast to his privileged background.

He spent time living as a tramp in the East End of London and as a dishwasher in Paris - events which inspired his first book in 1933, Down and Out in London and Paris.

It was followed in 1934 by his first novel, Burmese Days.

And in 1938 after returning wounded after fighting for the socialists in the Spanish Civil War he wrote Homage to Catalonia.

But it was only five years ago that the book which made him world-famous, Animal Farm, appeared.

In reaction to the sudden glare of fame, Orwell moved to the island of Jura, off the coast of Scotland.

The move aggravated his tuberculosis which had developed after his return from Spain. ]
SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/21/newsid_2669000/2669789.stm



[
1966: Future of Monte Carlo rally in doubt
The Monte Carlo rally has ended in uproar over the disqualification of the British cars expected to fill the first four places.

The first four to cross the finishing line were Timo Makinen (Finland) driving a British Motor Corporation Mini-Cooper, followed by Roger Clark (Ford Lotus Cortina), and Rauno Aaltonen and Paddy Hopkirk, both also driving BMC Minis.

But they were all ruled out of the prizes - with six other British cars for alleged infringements of complex regulations about the way their headlights dipped.

The official winner was announced as Pauli Toivonen, a Finn who lives in Paris, driving a Citroen.

BMC and Ford have lodged protests but even if they are upheld, the reputation of the rally has been severely dented.

After the race, a British official said: "This will be the end of the Monte Carlo rally. Britain is certain to withdraw."

Timo Makinen said: "None of us dreamed that the stewards would turn the results upside down - and for such a stupid reason."


This will be the end of the Monte Carlo rally

British team spokesman
The British cars were disqualified because they used non-dipping single filament quartz iodine bulbs in their headlamps, in place of the standard double filament dipping glass bulbs, which are fitted to the series production version of each model sold to the public.

According to new rules introduced at the end of last year, any car entering the rally must come off a standard production line, with at least 5,000 cars being built to a similar specification.

The British cars were equipped with standard headlamps - but the only way of dipping them was to switch to non-standard fog lamps.

Richard Shepherd, from the BMC, said: "There is nothing new about the lights at all. They have been used in our rallies, on rally cars, including the Monte for two years now and we've had no trouble at all in the past."

The confusion arose because the rally organisers initially said the race would be run under the old rules - and only announced the switch after entries had been accepted.

The BMC says it spent £10,000 on preparing for the Monte Carlo rally - and is now considering withdrawing from next year's race. ]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/21/newsid_2506000/2506863.stm


[
1981: Tehran frees US hostages after 444 days
The 52 American hostages held at the US embassy in Tehran for more than 14 months have arrived in West Germany on their way home to the United States.

The former diplomats and embassy staff stepped from the plane onto the tarmac at Wiesbaden airport looking tired but elated after their 4,000-mile (6,437km) flight from Iran.

Some waved to the crowd of well-wishers who had gathered, others gave the V-for-victory sign.

Iran finally agreed to release the hostages after the US said it would release assets frozen in American and other banks, including the Bank of England, since the embassy was seized.

Presidential presence

Former president Jimmy Carter, appointed as President Ronald Reagan's special envoy, has flown in to welcome home the embassy staff he had hoped would be freed while he was still in charge at the White House.

Stories of the "abominable treatment" the men and women suffered at the hands of their Iranian captors are beginning to emerge.

Letters from home were burned in front of the hostages, there were regular beatings and some talked of games of Russian roulette.

The Americans were flown via Algiers to Wiesbaden, where they will now be cared for at a military hospital while their conditions are assessed.

The US government has tried to dissuade families from flying out to Germany for reunions with their loved ones until they have been confirmed fit.

Reporters were able to shout a few questions to hostages who appeared briefly on the hospital balcony. One man said they had had no idea they were about to be released.

Captive in US embassy

The hostage ordeal began in November 1979 when a group of radical Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Tehran. Everyone inside was taken captive.

The students were angered by American support for the Shah, who fled into exile in January 1979 and arrived in the United States in October for cancer treatment. They demanded the Shah's return to stand trial for alleged crimes in office.

They had the backing of the Iranian government, led by Ayatollah Khomeini. But their demands for the Shah's extradition were foiled when he fled to Cairo.

The students still refused to release their hostages, however, until President Carter was defeated in the US elections. This paved the way for fresh negotiations with the Algerians acting as intermediaries. ]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/21/newsid_2506000/2506807.stm


[
1992: UN threatens Libya with sanctions
The United Nations has ordered Libya to surrender intelligence agents accused of the Lockerbie and French airliner bombings.

The 15-nation Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution urging Libya ''immediately to provide a full and effective response'' to the British and American demand that the two men - Lamen Khalifa Fhimah and Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi - be surrendered to stand trial.

The resolution also ordered Libya to co-operate with France's investigation into the bombing of a French-owned UTA airliner over Nigeria in 1989, in which 171 people lost their lives.

Western diplomats said that they would seek selective UN sanctions against Libya ''in a matter of weeks'' if the two Lockerbie suspects are not handed over.

The pair are accused of conspiring to place a bomb concealed in a radio cassette recorder in a suitcase on board an Air Malta flight that connected to Pan Am 103 in Frankfurt.

The bomb exploded over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988, killing all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.

Police in Scotland and the US originally suspected the Syrian-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC) of having a role in the bombing.

But further evidence led the authorities to conclude that Libya ordered and carried out the attack in retaliation for the downing of an Iranian airliner by a US missile in 1988.

The resolution marks the first occasion the Security Council has told a country to extradite any of its citizens.

It is also the first time the UN has implicitly accused a fellow member state of being involved in state terrorism.

Despite the move, families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing criticised the United Nations resolution for being weak and inadequate.

"There is ample evidence that both Syria and Iran were involved," said Daniel Cohen whose 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, died in the crash.

"But, because of political reasons the United States and Great Britain have drawn the Pan Am 103 case very narrowly, accusing only two Libyans."

A senior Libyan official said that Tripoli had no intention of extraditing the men.

Jadualah Azuz Talhi, a former foreign minister who led a Libyan delegation, told the security council that the suspects were innocent until proven guilty.]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/21/newsid_4093000/4093347.stm


[
1997: Carers accused in child abuse inquiry
More than 80 people have been named as child abusers in statements to the North Wales inquiry into claims of abuse by children in care, which has opened at Ewloe near Mold.

This will be the biggest investigation ever held in Britain into allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children who passed through the care system in the former counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd over the past two decades.

Some 180 former residents of the homes are expected to give evidence to the hearings, which will last at least 12 months. They will be chaired by retired high court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse.

Many of those accused of child abuse are former or serving care staff, social workers or teachers. At least two men who have been convicted of abuse in the past have also been named.

The largest number of complaints centre on the notorious Bryn Estyn home outside Wrexham, which has now closed. The deputy head of the home, Peter Howarth, was jailed in 1994 for 10 years for sexually abusing teenage boys.


We hope to be able to find out the substantial truth about what occurred

Sir Ronald Waterhouse
Other complaints involve the Bryn Alyn home in Wrexham and Ty'r Felin in Bangor. In all, 40 homes have been named in the investigation.

Speaking before the hearings began, Sir Ronald said: "We hope to be able to find out the substantial truth about what occurred and from the facts we find, to go on and make really positive recommendations."

Billhar Uppal, one of the victims' solicitors, welcomed the opening of the inquiry: "To those we represent it means everything. "To them it is justice, it is a vindication of everything they have said and it is in some way, some measure to silence those critics who have said that this inquiry and their allegations of abuse are compensation-led."

But critics say those accused of abuse will not get a fair hearing.

Nick Parry, who represents one of the accused, said: "Our concern at the start of this major inquiry is that perhaps public opinion has swayed the balance far too greatly in favour of those who make allegations of abuse and the understandable anxiety to look after their needs and care may outweigh justice."

Gerard Elias QC counsel for the tribunal told the hearing the allegations of abuse bordered on "wholesale exploitation" of the children in care.

He concluded the tribunals findings would be of significance for authorities throughout the country and for the safety and well-being of children in their care. ]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/21/newsid_2506000/2506835.stm

PLUCKY DUCK SURVIVES TWO GUNSHOT WOUNDS AND TWO DAYS IN THE REFRIGERATOR!

Perhaps, the cold saved it; perhaps, too, the gunshot wounds were not critical or mortal. Who knows? This is the story:

[ Last Updated: Sunday, 21 January 2007, 01:46 GMT

Duck survives two days in fridge

A duck in the US state of Florida has survived gunshot wounds and a two-day stint in a refrigerator.

A hunter shot the duck, wounding it in the wing and leg. Believing the bird was dead, he left it in his fridge at his home in Tallahassee.

The hunter's wife got a fright when she opened the fridge and the duck lifted its head, a local veterinarian said.

Staff at the Goose Creek Animal Sanctuary who are treating the bird said it has a 75% chance of survival.

The plucky duck was taken first to a local animal hospital, and then to an animal sanctuary for more specialised treatment.

A veterinarian at the sanctuary said he thinks the duck will live, but will probably never be well enough to be released into the wild.

The veterinarian, David Hale, said the duck's low metabolism rate helped it survive its time in the refrigerator, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reported.

"This is an extremely tough duck with a lot of spirit to live," he said. "This shows how tough and adaptable wildlife are." ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6283677.stm

TALK ABOUT A GENERATION GAP FILLED IN ABSENTIA!

Seemed like an ordinary story until the full details became clearer. Quite an interesting legal test case. What did the hospital really hope to achieve by holding on to the extracted sperm, knowing fully well that the 'donor' had no legal spouse? Read for yourself:

[Last Updated: Friday, 19 January 2007, 14:16 GMT

Mother wins dead son sperm case

The lawyer of an Israeli couple who won the right to use their dead son's sperm to inseminate a woman he never met says the case is a boost for family rights.

Irit Rosenblum told the BBC the landmark ruling meant family lines could continue even without the written consent of the male prior to death.

The dead man, soldier Keivin Cohen, was killed in the Gaza Strip in 2002.

A court ruled in favour of his parents who had the sperm extracted after his death, although he had not left a will.

"The drama is international, that mankind is able to continue after [a man's] death and his family can raise a new generation while he is no longer here," Ms Rosenblum said.

Volunteers

The Cohen family took legal action after the hospital where their son's sperm was stored refused to release it, saying only a spouse could make such a request.

Although Mr Cohen, 20, was single and had left no written expression of his desire to become a father, his family claimed that had long been his wish.

The Cohens appealed for volunteers who were willing to be impregnated with the sperm and raise the child.

In an interview on Israel's Channel 10 news, Mr Cohen's mother, Rachel, said more than 200 women offered to help, AFP news agency reported.

During the four-year legal case, Ms Rosenblum presented testimony from Mr Cohen's family and friends that he had said he wanted children.

On Monday a court in Tel Aviv said the family could use the sperm to impregnate a 25-year-old woman who had agreed to be the mother.

"It's a great gain even though it took so long," Ms Rosenblum, a family rights advocate, told the BBC.

"It's a dream come true... On the one hand [the Cohens] lost a child, on the other hand they got some hope." ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6279061.stm



HONEY, WE BOTH MISS YOU SO MUCH, EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER MET!

OPEN SOURCE - THE END OF THE RAINBOW FOR PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE?

Some events unwittingly spell doom for unacceptable situations. Could the following be the beginning of such an innovative step in the right direction? Let's see:

[ Last Updated: Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 15:49 GMT

Open source gets European boost

The European Commission has added its voice to the debate about the use of open source software.

A report funded by the Commission concludes that the software could offer considerable savings to organisations with little effect on their business.

The report found that in "almost all" cases long-term costs could be reduced by switching from proprietary software produced by firms such as Microsoft.

However, it warned that a move to open source could increase short term costs.

This would be largely be due to increased training for users of the software, said the authors of the report who are based at the United Nations University in Maastricht.

But some proprietary manufacturers such as Microsoft do not believe that open source always means cheaper. In 2004 the company launched a campaign called Get The Facts that gave examples of where its software was cheaper and more reliable than open source products.

Voluntary contribution

Open source software refers to software where the underlying programming code is made available to users to read, alter and improve. This is in contrast to proprietary software where a company controls the source code to prevent changes being made.

A great deal of open source software is produced and distributed for free by volunteer programmers, although some companies, such as Red Hat, do sell open source products and associated services to get them up and running.

The study estimates that just one-third of open source programs are produced by businesses in Europe.

Software made by volunteers includes operating systems, such as Linux, and Microsoft Office-like programs such as OpenOffice.org.

Open source programs are already used by many companies particularly to run web servers, the computers that store and deliver web pages.

According to the study, the number of existing open source programs already available would have cost firms 12 billion Euros (£8 billion) to produce.

It estimates that the available programs represent the equivalent of 131,000 programmer years.

"This represents at least 800 million Euros (£525 million) in voluntary contributions from programmers alone each year," the report said.

At the moment, the report said, public organisations were the dominant beneficiaries of this work.

To continue this uptake, the report recommends "correcting current policies and practices that implicitly or explicitly favour proprietary software".

As well as providing incentives to the open source industry it also recommends that schools start to introduce more of the software.

This would instil "an attitude towards information technology that favours the ability to create and actively participate rather than just consume," the report said.

This view echoes those of 111 UK MPs who signed an early day motion in December 2006 to support the use of open source in schools.

The motion also criticised the "outdated" methods used to purchase software for schools that locked them into buying proprietary software. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6270657.stm



WHO DOESN'T WISH TO BE A COMPUTER CODE WIZARD, EVEN IF ONLY AT HOME?

THE IMPORTANCE OF TODAY IN HISTORY

Every day is important but some days are more significant than others in more ways than one. Here are the trophies claimed by this day in history:


[On this day: 16 January


New content


•929: Abd ar Rahman (Ummayyad dynasty) is declared caliph in Spain, independent from the caliphate in Baghdad.


•1547: Ivan IV, 'the Terrible', is crowned tsar of Russia, becoming the first ruler to assume the title.


•1920: Prohibition, the criminalisation of alcohol, is introduced in the 18th amendment to the US constitution. ]



SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/


Other more current dates can be found here.

PERHAPS, NOW OIL PIPELINES WILL BECOME SAFER AND STOP THEIR SELF-DESTRUCT MECHANISMS?

In my humble opinion, the global oil industry has always run the gamut of varied disasters and catastrophes ever since crude oil exploration began. Some, closer to many actually, of these incidents could have been prevented, while the rest were simply a result of the inevitable blind faith in the petrodollar grail. The latest post-occurrence trail to disaster is depicted below:


[Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 17:03 GMT

Refinery-blast report savages BP

A US report has found "material deficiencies" in BP's safety procedures at its American oil refineries.

Led by former US Secretary of State James A Baker, the panel probed a 2005 explosion at BP's Texas City refinery, that killed 15 people and injured 180.

BP said it would implement the report's recommendations, adding it had taken significant steps to improve safety.

BBC business editor Robert Peston called the report very meticulous and extremely savage.

He went on to add that the panel's criticism against BP was very serious and went right to the top of the company.

BP's shares closed 8 pence, or 1.5%, lower at 541p in London.

'Mistakes'

The report found that prior to the Texas City tragedy, BP emphasised personal safety but not process safety, and that the problem existed at all five of the firm's US refineries.

"BP mistakenly interpreted improving personal injury rates as an indication of acceptable process safety performance at its US refineries," said the report.

"The panel found instances of a lack of operating discipline, toleration of serious deviations from safe operating practices, and apparent complacency toward serious safety risks at each refinery."

Yet speaking after the publication of the report, Mr Baker said that the panel "did not find any deliberate or conscious efforts on BP's part to short-circuit safety".

Safety audits

BP said it had already taken steps to improve its safety performance, including forming a senior executive team to oversee all aspects of operational safety.

The oil giant also said it had increased spending on its refineries, and had earmarked $200m (£102m) to pay for safety audits and redesigns of its refinery operations.

BP added that it had also appointed retired federal judge Stanley Sporkin to deal with and investigate concerns raised by staff or contract workers.

BP's outgoing chief executive, Lord Browne, said he thanked the panel members for "their insights and their recommendations".

'Candid assessment'

"We asked for a candid assessment from this diverse group of experts and they delivered one," he added.

Mr Baker's panel made 10 recommendations in total, which BP has said it will implement.

These include more effective leadership on process safety, and the transformation of the company "into an industry leader in safety performance".

BP announced on Friday last week that Lord Browne would now be standing down in July this year, 18 months earlier than initially announced.

The move came just four days before the publication of the US report.

Lord Browne is being replaced by BP's current head of exploration and production, Tony Hayward.]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6265535.stm

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT GOES MAINSTREAM!

Can you just imagine it? An adult entertainment aisle in your local supermarket! Well, better gear up for or against it now, because those guys seem to mean business. Here's why:

[Last Updated: Saturday, 13 January 2007, 09:08 GMT

Huge crowds at US porn convention

Thirty thousand people have gathered in the US city of Las Vegas for the annual convention of the pornography industry.

The scale of the Adult Entertainment Expo reflects the huge growth in a business which is said to be bigger than Hollywood and worth $57bn (£29bn).

Estimates of its annual contribution to the US economy range from $12bn-$20bn.

One of the reasons for its recent success is the pioneering use of new technology - video on the internet and use of moving images on mobile phones.

The BBC's Guto Harri in Las Vegas says it is easy to be embarrassed at such a show, with explicit films, intimidating toys and hundreds of half-naked actors on display.

But the scale and seriousness of the convention is not that different to a more mainstream gathering because pornography is big business, our correspondent says.

Adult entertainment model Jasmine Mai told the BBC: "The adult industry is bigger than every professional sports combined. It's part of life - it's mainstream now."

'Innovations'

Embracing new technology has been critical to the industry's development, and has allowed people to access it more easily and more discreetly, bringing in new customers.

Adult entertainment helped determine the dominance of VHS over Beta, it was crucial in the development of video on the web, and is now pioneering moving images on mobile phones.

There are an estimated 200 pornographic films shot in the United States every week. Improving production and distribution methods has helped to cut costs.

Our correspondent says many people regard pornography with disgust, but mainstream entertainment has and will continue to benefit from the technical innovations of the shameless people who are in Nevada this weekend.]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6258291.stm



BIGGER THAN HOLLYWOOD AND 'EVERY PROFESSIONAL SPORTS COMBINED'?

MORE PROLIFIC THAN BOLLYWOOD, TOO?

WHEN THE CARDS COME TUMBLING DOWN!

An Archbishop just resigned, as his conscience dictated to him! I guess that Oscar Wilde did not consider the religious standpoint when he declared, 'The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it'. This is the rather embarrassing tale:

[Warsaw archbishop resigns over secret police connection

Last Updated: Sunday, January 7, 2007 | 10:04 AM ET
CBC News

The newly appointed archbishop of Warsaw resigned on Sunday, less than an hour before his scheduled installation, after admitting he had co-operated with Poland's communist-era secret police.

Stanislaw Wielgus announced his decision at Warsaw's St. John's Cathedral, packed with worshippers gathered for a mass that was to have marked his formal installation. The congregation included President Lech Kaczynski.

Though some in the congregation, including Kaczynski, applauded the announcement, others shouted that Wielgus was welcome to stay.

In his resignation letter to Pope Benedict XVI, he said his past actions had "gravely compromised his authority" in the Roman Catholic homeland of the late Pope John Paul II.

The admission that he collaborated with the former communist regime, which ended in 1989, is a major embarrassment for the Vatican and the powerful Polish Catholic Church.

His resignation reportedly came at the request of Pope Benedict, who appointed him just a month ago.

Wielgus, 67, is believed to have informed on fellow clerics for around 20 years, from the late 1960s, according to allegations raised in a Dec. 20 article by the weekly Gazeta Polska newspaper.

He initially denied any collaboration, but the scandal widened when church officials on Friday said that documents at a historical institute showed Wielgus had willingly co-operated with the secret services, and the Polish media intensified calls for his resignation.

Wielgus has since issued statements acknowledging that he signed an agreement in 1978 promising to co-operate with the security force in exchange for permission to leave Poland to study in West Germany.

However, he stressed that he did not inform on anyone or try to hurt anyone, and he expressed remorse for both his contacts with the secret police and his failure to be forthcoming from the beginning.

With files from the Associated Press ]


SOURCE: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/07/wielgus-resignation.html

MISTAKES WE MAKE IN ERROR?

Bloopers caught on camera, faux pas committed in public, all may be unintentional but the results are still the same. A recent example is:


[Last Updated: Saturday, 6 January 2007, 18:04 GMT

US Army urges dead to re-enlist

The US Army is to apologise to the families of officers killed or wounded in action who were sent letters urging them to return to active duty.

The letters were sent to more than 5,100 Army officers listed as recently having left the military.

But this figure included about 75 officers killed in action and about 200 wounded in action.

More than 3,000 members of the US military have died in Iraq since the war began.

Casualties have also been suffered in Afghanistan since the US invasion.

"Army personnel officials are contacting those officers' families now to personally apologise for erroneously sending the letters," the army said in a statement.

It said the database normally used for such correspondence with former officers had been "thoroughly reviewed" to remove the names of dead and wounded soldiers.

"But an earlier list was used inadvertently for the December mailings," it added. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6237607.stm

ANOTHER REASON WHY ONE MUST BE VERY CAREFUL WHERE ONE EATS OUT THESE DAYS?

This post is not meant to alarm anyone. It's just a follow-up to the latest installment of the long-standing and strange international story that now seems to be producing a new dimension each time it steams past in the news. Poisoned food may come in various forms: the vegetables, the meat, the dessert, and now even the ambiance of the restaurant! Here's the latest update:


[Last Updated: Friday, 5 January 2007, 15:10 GMT


Polonium-210 found in restaurant



The radioactive element believed to have killed ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko has been detected in another central London restaurant.

Polonium-210 was found at the Pescatori Restaurant in Mayfair and staff are being tested, health officials said.

The police had asked the Health Protection Agency to monitor the establishment as it was "linked to the Litvinenko police investigation".

A total of 12 people in London have now tested positive for radioactivity.

In a statement, the agency said there was no reason for public health concern over the latest discovery.

"Remediation measures have been carried out successfully at the restaurant which is now open for business," the statement said.

Official reassurance

Restaurant manager Luigi Lavarini told BBC News he was happy with the way health officials had dealt with the contamination.

"We're being reassured very much by the good work of the Health Protection Agency.

"They have been very reassuring that none of us should have any problems because of this.

"The only precaution they are asking us to take is to do this urine test which we will be undergoing in the next few hours."

Mr Litvinenko died in London on 23 November and his body was found to contain a massive dose of the radioactive isotope polonium-210.

Since then, traces of the element have been discovered in several restaurants and hotels. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6234855.stm

NATURAL PROGRESSION OF THE WEIRDEST KIND!

There certainly are no laughs to be had in this particular post for many reasons. See below how a case of sexual assault led to murder, cannibalism, and a possible miscarriage of justice via perjury / cover-up, all before the original case even came to the trial stage:


[Last Updated: Friday, 5 January 2007, 12:17 GMT


France probes 'cannibalism' case

A French prosecutor says he suspects an act of cannibalism was carried out on a prisoner by a cellmate in the northern city of Rouen.

Cannibalism was "very likely", the prosecutor said after an autopsy showed that some organ parts were missing.

The suspected killer claimed he had eaten the victim's heart.

The prosecutor, quoted by the AFP news agency, said some muscle had been removed from the victim's rib cage and part of one lung was missing.

But the heart remained intact, the prosecutor said.

The suspected killer and another prisoner were sharing the cell with the victim when the attack happened on Wednesday, French TF1 television reported.

All three were awaiting trial accused of sexual crimes, the TF1 website said.

The suspected killer, aged 35, is believed to have beaten up the victim, 31, and then suffocated him with a plastic bag. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6234097.stm

HOW THE BRAIN WORKS WHEN IT'S LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION?

Came across this extraordinary story by accident, while browsing. At first, I refused to believe it; then, this version of the events made a believer out of me. What am I on about? See for yourself below:


[Last Updated: Thursday, 7 September 2006, 14:45 GMT 15:45 UK

Girl relives kidnap ordeal on TV

The Austrian teenager who survived more than eight years of captivity in an underground cell has vividly described her imprisonment, in a TV interview.

Natascha Kampusch, now 18, told state broadcaster ORF that thoughts of freedom had sustained her.

"I promised myself I would grow older, stronger and sturdier to be able to break free one day," she said.

Her captor, 44-year-old communications technician Wolfgang Priklopil, killed himself after her escape on 23 August.

'Claustrophobic'

In an interview watched by millions, Ms Kampusch described being imprisoned in a small, windowless basement beneath Priklopil's garage in the commuter town of Strasshof, 25km (15 miles) outside the capital Vienna.

"I was very distraught and very angry," she told ORF.

"It felt very claustrophobic in that small room. I threw water bottles against the walls or banged against them with my fists so that maybe someone could hear me."

She said she would have "gone crazy" if Priklopil had not allowed her out of the cell on occasion, although this did not start until six months after she was abducted.

She told ORF that on trips out with her kidnapper, she had vainly attempted to attract attention.

"I tried to give many people a sign... I tried to smile like I did on the photos (of her that were broadcast after she disappeared) so people could remember my picture."

Wearing a purple blouse and a pink scarf over her hair, Ms Kampusch repeatedly shut her eyes against the glare of the television lights during the pre-recorded 40-minute interview.

ORF said her eyes were sensitive to light because she had been confined in darkness for such a long time.

Birthday and Christmas gifts

Ms Kampusch told the interviewer she had celebrated her birthday, Christmas and Easter with her captor, who gave her gifts.

"He obviously thought that he should at least give me some sort of compensation," she said. "I think he had a very bad conscience, but he tried very hard to suppress it."

For the first two years, Priklopil did not allowed her access to the news, but he later let her listen to the radio and read some newspapers.

"He read it, I read it... He always controlled everything," she said, adding that Priklopil would always check the pages of the material he let her read, to make sure she had not written any messages on them.

Her captor had told her he would kill himself - and others - if she escaped.

"I knew when I fled that I was condemning him to death," she said.

Ms Kampusch said she was now hoping to travel with her family and finish school before going to university.

"I had all these thoughts about what I have been missing, like my first boyfriend and all that. But I already personally fulfilled my biggest wish in the past few days - freedom!"

ORF said Ms Kampusch had decided which questions to answer and had refused to be asked anything intimate. Police have said she may have had sexual contact with Priklopil, but have refused to elaborate.

Within hours of her escape, Priklopil jumped to his death in front of a commuter train.

Escape details

Earlier, the weekly magazine News and the mass-circulation daily Kronen Zeitung newspaper published separate interviews with her.

She told News she had dreamed about decapitating Priklopil.

"Sometimes I dreamt of chopping his head off, if I had an axe. I abandoned that idea straight away, because I can't stand blood and I never want to kill somebody. But you see how the brain works when it's looking for a solution?"

Ms Kampusch told the magazine that she was afraid for others after escaping.

"I wasn't scared - I love freedom and for me death is the ultimate freedom, the redemption from him. But he said all the time he would first of all kill the neighbours, then me and then himself."

Ms Kampusch recalled how people shrugged and walked on when she asked them for help immediately after her escape.

She ran into a garden and knocked on the kitchen window of a house to attract the attention of a woman inside, she said. Despite warning her that Priklopil could kill them, Ms Kampusch said the woman was more concerned about preventing her from stepping on the lawn.

Health concerns

News said it interviewed Ms Kampusch at Vienna's General Hospital, where a cardiologist has examined her for possible heart trouble. She has said she had suffered throughout her time in captivity from heart palpitations that at times made her dizzy and blurred her vision.

Ms Kampusch has also said she often did not get enough to eat. She is reported to have weighed 42kg (92lb) at the time of her escape - the same as her weight when she was kidnapped.

News also quoted her as saying she wanted to become involved in two projects: "One for women in Mexico, who are taken from their workplace, kidnapped, tortured and raped... I want to help people starving in Africa, because I know from my own experience what it is like to be hungry."

A psychiatrist treating Ms Kampusch said she was exhausted after giving the interviews.

Max Friedrich, who heads a 10-expert team of psychiatrists and psychologists attending to Ms Kampusch, said it would take years for her to fully recover from her ordeal.

He said Ms Kampusch - who was 10 when she was abducted in March 1998 - "has not adequately lived many phases of her life" and was still struggling with her identity as a free person. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5319214.stm



DO YOU BLAME ME FOR BEING SKEPTICAL AT FIRST, ESPECIALLY WHEN DETAILS OF INTIMACY AND ESCAPE ROUTE WERE MISSING IN THE HORRIBLE TALE?

I AM HAPPY FOR HER GOOD LUCK AND THE PERSONAL DETERMINATION THAT SAW HER TO FREEDOM!