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A place to meet and speak your mind

Subject: Curry might have fringe benefit

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Monday, January 08, 04:40:18pm Tasty Curry Might Have a Fringe Benefit By Kathleen Fackelmann Five years ago Darci Jayne hardly ever touched a vegetable and pretty much lived on pizza, pasta and fast food. That diet led to weight gain and health problems, including severe joint pain. "I was close to 200 pounds and getting scared," she says. By cutting portion sizes she lost 50 pounds but always felt as if she were on a diet. Then Jayne took an Indian cooking class that emphasized fresh vegetables and curry spices. She began to whip up an Indian dinner once or twice a week -- and soon she noticed she wasn't always looking for a late-night snack. And the curry in the food offered her a bonus: It seemed to ease the pain and swelling in her joints. "I have arthritis," says Jayne, 55. "But I'm moving better now." Preliminary research suggests Jayne may be right. A study in the November issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism suggests turmeric, one component of curry spice, almost completely prevented joint swelling in rats with arthritis. Other studies have suggested that the spice could protect against diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's, a degenerative brain disease that afflicts nearly 5 million people in the USA. Rates of Alzheimer's in India are about four times lower than in the USA, says Gregory Cole, a researcher at the University of California-Los Angeles. His studies suggest that curry contains a powerful substance that might protect the brain from damage that leads to Alzheimer's. Surprising findings in mice Can scientists prove curry wards off such diseases as Alzheimer's or cancer? Not yet, says Bharat Aggarwal at the University of Texas-Houston. But he says the growing file on curry includes compelling evidence gleaned from animal and human studies. The findings from Western science fit with what traditional Indian healers have long said about turmeric. "They call it the spice of life," says P. Murali Doraiswamy, an Alzheimer's expert at Duke University in Durham, N.C. For centuries, doctors trained in Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional medical system in India, have turned to turmeric to treat inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, says Janet Funk, a researcher at the University of Kansas. In the USA, many people with arthritis take over-the-counter supplements that contain curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. In the November study, Funk and her colleagues gave rats that were bred to develop rheumatoid arthritis injections of turmeric. "The turmeric almost completely prevented the onset of arthritis," Funk says. The spice also seemed to help stop joint destruction in rats that had already started to develop the disease, she says. Curry also may offer some protection against cancer. "Indians eat from 100 to 200 milligrams of curry every day, and that might be enough to prevent cancer," says Aggarwal of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. The curcumin in curry seems to shut down genes that trigger the development and the spread of breast cancer, animal studies in Aggarwal's lab suggest. And a preliminary human study suggests curcumin supplements might -- in a handful of cases -- be able to stabilize pancreatic cancer, he says. Epidemiology studies in humans also have linked frequent use of turmeric spice to lower rates of breast, prostate and colon cancer, he says. Large clinical studies still needed Other research suggests curry might shield the brain from Alzheimer's, Cole says. The studies on curry and Alzheimer's include: *A test-tube study by researchers at UCLA in October showed that curcumin could help clear the human brain of toxic protein deposits thought to cause the memory loss and confusion of Alzheimer's. *A study of more than 1,000 older men in Singapore last year found that those who ate lots of curry-spiced food did better on memory tests than those who rarely ate the spice. The findings from Singapore suggest curry may help keep the aging brain in top shape. But to get the proof that curcumin fights cancer or Alzheimer's or arthritis, researchers will have to conduct large clinical trials, Cole says, and those studies will be expensive and take years to complete. Americans don't need to wait for the proof on curry to enjoy a diet that includes more of this spice, says Alamelu Vairavan, co-author of the book Healthy South Indian Cooking. "You don't need to gulp supplements," she says, adding that cooks can find turmeric in Indian specialty shops and in most grocery stores. Americans should give Indian food a try, Vairavan says. "This kind of food is very tasty and satisfying." Eating more Indian food has worked for Jayne, who lives with her family in a small town outside Milwaukee. A family physician who recently retired because of disabling arthritis pain, Jayne says she knows there's no hard evidence of curry's health benefits. But that won't stop her from enjoying a lunch of tuna masala or an Indian stir-fry for dinner. She says the food seems to warm her joints and helps keep her in a size 8 dress. "You can't argue with success," she says. Story from REDORBIT NEWS: http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=792236 Published: 2007/01/08 06:00:00 CST

Subject: More strange happenings in the sky

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Sunday, January 07, 10:02:26am This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com Title : Bright green light across sky surprises many in Singapore Date : 07 January 2007 2146 hrs (SST) http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/251141/1/.html SINGAPORE: A bright light across the sky took many Singaporeans by surprise on Sunday evening. Callers to our hotline said that at about 7.40pm, they saw a bright green light across the evening sky. Some described it as a shooting star; others said it was like a satellite re-entering the earth's atmosphere. They also said it was not very high up in the sky and it had streaked over brightly from east to west. It was over in a matter of seconds. Viewers called us from all over Singapore – Serangoon North, Sembawang, Woodlands, Selegie Road, Bedok, Bukit Panjang and Marina South. Ismail Yussof, one of the eyewitnesses, said: "I thought it was a comet. I was stunned, staring at the sky. A lot of people were watching it. His son managed to record the scene with the video function of his mobile phone. "It's like an aeroplane, very big. The front is like a canon ball, full of colours - orange, yellow, blue and green. And it went off very fast, in about 10 seconds. I could see it very clearly." The meteorological service said it had no information on the phenomenon as it was too small to be reflected on satellite pictures. - CNA/so

Subject: Nazis "shipped arms to Palestininians"

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 08:58:55am Nazis ‘shipped arms to Palestinians’ British National Archives unveil presence of Nazi S.S. agents in Mandatory Palestine, working closely with Palestinian leaders Yaakov Lappin Published: 05.07.06, 16:41 Historical documents in Britain’s National Archives in London show that Nazi Germany attempted to ship arms to Palestinian forces in the 1930s. A British Foreign Office report from 1939 reports of “news of a consignment of arms from Germany, sent via Turkey and addressed to Ibn Saud (king of Saudi Arabia), but really intended for the Palestine insurgents.” Britain’s chief military officer in Mandatory Palestine also noted reports “regarding import of German arms at intervals for some years now.” British documents from the same period, and German records photographed by an American spy and sent to the British government, said that a number of Nazi agents were sent to Mandatory Palestine, in order to forge alliances with Palestinian leaders, and urge them to reject a partition of the land between the Jewish and Arab populations. One Nazi agent, Adam Vollhardt, arrived in Palestine in July 1938, and was reported to have gained strong influence with Arab leaders, meeting with Palestinian leaders throughout 1938. Vollhardt held several meetings with leading Arab politicians and told them “that the Palestine question would be settled to the satisfaction of the Arabs within a few weeks,” adding that “it would be fatal to their (Palestinians’) cause if at this juncture they showed any signs of weakness or exhaustion.” “Germany was interested in the settlement of the (Palestine) question on the basis of the Arabs obtaining their full demands,” Vollhardt was reported to say to Palestinian leaders, according to a report by the British War Office. Vollhardt also assured Arab leaders that “the Germans could continue to support the Palestinian Arab cause by means of propaganda.” German documents photographed and sent to Whitehall by an American spy revealed that in 1937, German officials had calculated that “Palestine under Arab rule would… become one of the few countries where we could count on a strong sympathy for the new Germany.” ‘Arabs admire our Fuhrer’ “The Palestinian Arabs show on all levels a great sympathy for the new Germany and its Fuhrer, a sympathy whose value is particularly high as it is based on a purely ideological foundation,” a Nazi official in Palestine wrote in a letter to Berlin in 1937. He added: “Most important for the sympathies which Arabs now feel towards Germany is their admiration for our Fuhrer, especially during the unrests, I often had an opportunity to see how far these sympathies extend. When faced with a dangerous behaviour of an Arab mass, when one said that one was German, this was already generally a free pass.” A second Nazi agent, Dr. Franz Reichart, was reported to be actively working with Palestinian Arabs by the British Criminal Investigation Division “to help coordinate Arab and German propaganda.” Reichart was also head of the German Telegraphic Agency in Jerusalem. German records show that the Nazis viewed the establishment of a Jewish state with great concern. A 1937 report from German General Consulate in Palestine said: “The formation of a Jewish state… is not in Germany’s interest because a (Jewish) Palestinian state would create additional national power bases for international Jewry such as for example the Vatican State for political Catholicism or Moscow for the Communists. Therefore, there is a German interest in strengthening the Arabs as a counter weight against such possible power growth of the Jews.” Jewish refugees abandoned The records also show that the news of increased Nazi-Arab cooperation panicked the British government, and caused it to cancel a plan in 1938 to bring to Palestine 20,000 German Jewish refugees, half of them children, facing danger from the Nazis. Documents show that after deciding that the move would upset Arab opinion, Britain decided to abandon the Jewish refugees to their fate. “His Majesty’s Government asked His Majesty’s Representatives in Cairo, Baghdad and Jeddah whether so far as they could judge, feelings in Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia against the admission of, say 5,000 Jewish children for adoption… would be so strong as to lead to a refusal to send representatives to the London discussions. All three replies were strongly against the proposal, which was not proceeded with,” a Foreign Office report said. “If war were to break out, no trouble that the Jews could occasion us, in Palestine or elsewhere, could weigh for a moment against the importance of winning Muslim opinion to our side,” Britain’s Minister for Coordination of Defence, Lord Chatfield, told the British cabinet in 1939, shortly before Britain reversed its decision to partition its mandate, promising instead all of the land to the Palestinian Arabs.

Subject: Hitler was a Jew?

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 08:43:11am Iran: Hitler was a Jew Advisor to President Ahmadinejad claims Nazi leader was Jew who conspired with USSR and Britain to establish Jewish state Dudi Goldman Just when you thought the Iranian leadership could stoop no further: A top advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed in an interview with Iranian website Baztab that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's parents were both Jewish and that Hitler himself was one of the founders of the State of Israel. In the interview, translated by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) Mohammad-Ali Ramin, a chief aide to Ahmadinejad, told Baztab that Hitler's paternal grandmother was a Jewish prostitute and his father even kept his Jewish name until finally changing it to Hitler when he was 40. Ramin also claimed that the reason Hitler developed such an aversion to Judaism was because his Jewish mother was a promiscuous woman. Hitler therefore, says Ramin, tried to escape his religion. Ramin cites a 1974 book by Hennecke Kardel titled 'Adolf Hitler: Founder of Israel', which alleges that Hitler strived to create a Jewish state as a result of being influenced by his Jewish relatives and his cooperation with Britain – which also wanted to drive the Jews out of Europe. Ramin claims in the interview that Hitler both identified with his Judaism and was disgusted by it. It is these ambivalent feelings, said Ramin, that formed the basis for his treatment of Jews. According to Ramin on the one hand Hitler's relatives and the friends who brought him to power, as well as his mistresses and personal physician, were all Jewish. On the other hand he welcomed the expulsion of ambitious and influential Jews from Europe to the British Mandate of Palestine. Itamar Eichner contributed to this report

Subject: I love this pic
Author: Keely [Edit]	Date Posted: Monday, December 25, 07:34:57pm Mirror, mirror on the wall..... who is fairest of them all?

Subject: Message from Pope: Worship God, not technologyy

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Monday, December 25, 07:43:54am Pope: Worship God, not technology Benedict: Mankind should not presume it can live without a Savior Reuters Updated: 6:26 a.m. CT Dec 25, 2006 VATICAN CITY - Mankind, which has reached other planets and unraveled many of nature’s secrets, should not presume it can live without God, Pope Benedict said in his Christmas message on Monday. In an age of unbridled consumerism it was shameful many remained deaf to the “heart-rending cry” of those dying of hunger, thirst, disease, poverty, war and terrorism, he said. “Does a ’Savior’ still have any value and meaning for the men and women of the third millennium?” he asked in his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message to the faithful in St Peter’s Square. “Is a ’Savior’ still needed by a humanity which has reached the moon and Mars and is prepared to conquer the universe; for a humanity which knows no limits in its pursuit of nature’s secrets and which has succeeded even in deciphering the marvelous codes of the human genome?” He appealed for peace and justice in the Middle East, an end to the brutal violence in Iraq and to the fratricidal conflict in Darfur and other parts of Africa, and expressed his hope for “a democratic Lebanon”. The Pope said he hoped to visit the Holy Land as soon as the situation allowed. Speaking to tens of thousands of people in a sunny square, he wished the world a Happy Christmas in 62 languages -including Arabic, Hebrew, Mongolian and Latin - but his speech highlighted his preoccupation with humanity’s fate. Suffering humanity Marking the second Christmas season of his pontificate, he said that while 21st century man appeared to be a master of his own destiny, “perhaps he needs a Savior all the more” because much of humanity was suffering. “People continue to die of hunger and thirst, disease and poverty, in this age of plenty and of unbridled consumerism,” he said from the central balcony of Christendom’s largest church. “Some people remain enslaved, exploited and stripped of their dignity; others are victims of racial and religious hatred, hampered by intolerance and discrimination, and by political interference and physical or moral coercion with regard to the free profession of their faith. “Others see their own bodies and those of their dear ones, particularly their children, maimed by weaponry, by terrorism and by all sorts of violence, at a time when everyone invokes and acclaims progress, solidarity and peace for all.” The Pope also made reference to the controversial case of Piergiorgio Welby, a paralyzed Italian man who was denied a Catholic funeral because he had asked to die. “What are we to think of those who choose death in the belief that they are celebrating life?” he said. Welby, an advocate of euthanasia, died on Wednesday after a doctor gave him sedatives and detached a respirator that had kept the victim of advanced muscular dystrophy alive for years. In his midnight mass for some 10,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica earlier on Monday, the Pope said the image of the baby Jesus in a manger should remind everyone of the plight of poor, abused and neglected children the world over. At that mass a member of the congregation read a prayer in Arabic asking God to encourage “a spirit of dialogue, mutual understanding and collaboration” among followers of the three great monotheistic religions -- Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16351644/ © 2006 MSNBC.com

Subject: Amish girl is home now

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Saturday, December 23, 09:00:40am Amish victim home One of the Amish girls wounded in a US school attack in October has returned home from hospital. While recovering in hospital, Sarah Ann had to relearn English since she woke speaking only Pennsylvania Dutch. Since the violent attack, three of the girls who were hospitalised are now back at school, while two have celebrated birthdays. Recently the school has resumed to its usual curriculum, however the classroom has been relocated to a garage, with with only 16 boys and four girls. Marie Roberts, the wife of the gunman, has reportedly visited all of the victims' families, praying for a new future for the Amish community. Read article here

Subject: Wounded Amish girl going home

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Saturday, December 23, 08:52:25am Wounded Amish girl going home By The Associated Press DenverPost.com Article Launched:12/20/2006 08:57:44 PM MST Nickel Mines, Pa. - The last of five Amish girls hospitalized after being shot nearly three months ago in a schoolhouse massacre is scheduled to go home before Christmas, according to a family friend. Sarah Ann Stoltzfus was expected to be released from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Friday, said Leroy Zook, the father of Stoltzfus' teacher, Emma Mae Zook, and a close friend of the victims' parents. Five other girls were killed in the Oct. 2 attack at West Nickel Mines Amish School, including Sarah Ann's 12-year-old sister, Anna Mae. The 32-year-old gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, committed suicide as police surrounded the one-room school. The schoolhouse was later razed. Classes are being held in a temporary facility nearby. On Monday, Sarah Ann, 8 years old when she was shot, visited the school to hear her classmates entertain their parents with Christmas songs, Zook said. Daniel Stoltzfus, whose daughter Rachel is back at school after being shot, said he attended the Christmas party with mixed emotions. "She's doing good, we're doing good - just trying to get back," he said. The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, which is coordinating receipt and distribution of donations, had collected about $3.6 million as of last week. The committee has already disbursed money to pay transportation costs and lost wages to the families of victims, and for medical bills and counseling. It also made one payment to a fund for Roberts' widow and three children from money that donors earmarked for them. Shortly after the school's Christmas party ended, the grandfather of Roberts' widow, Marie, was securing a holiday decoration on the shooter's gravesite that had blown over in the wind. Lloyd Welk said his family is struggling to cope with the pain. "You can't forget it," he said. "You turn on the TV or you pick up the paper, and there's always something to remind you, something not too nice. I wish they'd let it slide."

Subject: Ripper suspect charged in London

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Friday, December 22, 09:37:50am Man Charged With Murders Updated: 02:04, Friday December 22, 2006 A 48-year-old man has been charged with murdering five women in Suffolk. Steve Wright is accused of killing Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls, who all worked as prostitutes. Wright, of Ipswich, will appear at the town's magistrates' court today. Another man arrested on suspicion of the murders, Tom Stephens, is to be released on police bail. News of the charge was announced by Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, who has headed the investigation, at a media conference at Suffolk police headquarters. The Crown Prosecution Service's senior prosecutor Michael Crimp said a team of CPS lawyers had been in close contact with detectives since the arrests were made earlier this week. "As this case has developed, we have been carefully examining and assessing the evidence," he said. "This evening we have made the decision that there is sufficient evidence and authorised that Steven Wright... should be charged with murder." He reminded journalists about the need for care in reporting events surrounding the case, adding: "Steven Wright stands accused of these offences and has a right to a fair trial." The five victims were found dead near villages south of the town between December 3 and 12. Gemma, 25, was found at Hintlesham on December 2; Tania, 19, at Copdock on December 8; Anneli, 24, at Nacton on December 10; and Paula, 24, and Annette, 29, at Levington. The women were murdered at a rate unprecedented in British criminal history. More than 500 officers from over 31 forces were called in to help with the investigation. Inquests into all five deaths have been opened and adjourned.

Subject: Final Harry Potter tltle revealed

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 21, 03:11:10pm Final Harry Potter title revealed Last updated at 16:31pm on 21st December 2006 He'll be back: JK Rowling has announced the title of the seventh and final HP book The name of the long-awaited seventh Harry Potter book was revealed today as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It will be the final instalment of JK Rowling's massively popular series featuring the schoolboy wizard. The title of the eagerly awaited book appears on publisher Bloomsbury's website. Meanwhile, the fifth Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is in production. A publication date has not yet been set for the book, which will follow Harry and friends during their final year at Hogwarts. Rowling, 41, admitted on her website yesterday that she is still writing the book. She said: "I'm now writing scenes that have been planned, in some cases, for a dozen years or even more. "I both want, and don't want, to finish this book." But she reassured expectant fans: "Don't worry, I will." The multi-millionaire recently hinted that two characters are expected to die in the finale - and Harry himself might not survive - saying: "We are dealing with pure evil here. "They don't target extras, do they? They go for the main characters - well, I do." Read article here

Subject: New strangler suspect in London

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 21, 02:31:05pm Experts warn strangler may have killed SIXTH girl Police hunting the Suffolk strangler have been told to search for a sixth body - after claims the killer hunted women in pairs. Crime experts have warned detectives that the killer may have targeted two prostitutes at a time and dumped their bodies together They are still piecing together a timeline to work out if the girls disappeared at the same time. It is believed the naked bodies of the first two victims ? Gemma Adams and Tania Nicol ? were dumped together in a stream. Similarly the corpses of the last two victims ? Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell ? were discovered in woodland only 100 yards apart. Now a fresh search of the area where the third victim, Anneli Alderton, 24, was found may be ordered, although no other women have been reported missing. Police are still working on the assumption the killer drugged his victims before strangling them. They are questioning Steve Wright, 48, a forklift truck driver who is their prime suspect. Michelle, 30, who works in the town's red light district, said: "When I saw the photo of him I immediately froze. He was a regular client of mine. The girls nicknamed him the ?Silver Back Gorilla? because of his hair colour and he?s strong and stocky." Magistrates today granted detectives an extra 24 hours to question Tom Stephens, 37, the first man arrested over the murders. They now have until Saturday morning to quiz the two suspects currently in custody. It also emerged that the case of 17-year-old sixth-former Vicky Hall could be reopened. Her naked body was discoverd in a ditch 25 miles away from her home in Trimley St Mary in 1999. The teenager had also been suffocated. Meanwhile, Wright?s ex-wife Diane, 52, today described her marriage with him as a "total disaster" ? and revealed that he was cheating on her within two months. She said their time together was "short-lived and miserable" and added: "My time with him is part of my past I would rather forget." Today it also emerged that Wright, during the time he worked on the QE2 in the eighties, met and knew Suzy Lamplugh ? the estate agent who went missing in Fulham in 1986. He worked as a steward during the same time that Lamplugh was employed as a beautician on the ship. The Met police, however, believe they have a prime suspect for Suzy?s murder ? convicted sex killer John Cannan. Find this story at

Subject: Jesus Christ may be honorary King of Poland

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 21, 12:55:37pm Poland Proposal Would Name Jesus King Dec 20, 11:47 AM (ET) WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Lawmakers have drawn up a resolution naming Jesus Christ as the honorary king of Poland, but have failed to win support from the country's powerful Roman Catholic church. Lawmakers for the ruling Law and Justice party and League of Polish Families as well as the opposition Peasants Party back the resolution, said Szymon Ruman, spokesman for parliamentary speaker Marek Jurek. However, the proposal currently has the support of only 46 members in the 460-seat parliament, well short of the necessary 231 votes to pass. Ruman said the resolution would likely be voted on sometime after Jan. 1. Backing from the church in this strongly Catholic country would be crucial for building support for the proposal, but on Wednesday several bishops criticized it, and said parliament should stay out of religious affairs. "Let parliament deal with passing better laws that we need," Gdansk Archbishop Tadeusz Goclowski said. "This kind of action, although it may stem from good will, sounds a bit like propaganda," said bishop Tadeusz Pieronk.

Subject: The Mouth Rosie O'Donnell in deep doo doo

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 21, 12:15:37pm Trump To Rosie: You're Sued! NEW YORK, NY (December 20, 2006) -- Donald Trump is set to sue "The View" host Rosie O'Donnell, Access Hollywood can reveal. Earlier this afternoon Trump announced he is filing suit against the TV talk show host. "She says things that come to her mouth, she's not smart, she's crude, she's ignorant and to be honest I look forward to suing Rosie," he told our cameras. "I'm gonna sue her and I look forward to it. She's really very dangerous for the show." Trump declined to elaborate on the details of his proposed legal filings, but added O'Donnell will understand his reasoning. "Rosie will find out what we're suing her for. She knows what we're suing her for," he said adding the lawsuit is already in the works. "It's something I look very forward to," he added. Earlier today, Rosie attacked Trump, branding him a "snake-oil salesman" and calling his staging of a press conference, in which he decided to allow Miss USA, Tara Conner to keep her crown a publicity stunt. Trump allowed Conner to keep her title Tuesday following a wave of reports and criticism over her engagement in underage drinking. "Because his show ‘The Apprentice' is starting again in January, he held a big press conference to see if he was going to allow Miss USA, such a prestigious title," Rosie said on "The View" while rolling her eyes. "It's basically a model competition . . . They have one question in Miss USA, yeah and they're like ‘I'd like to cure cancer and end world hunger – and then I'd like to go to Studio 54 and do some crack.'" Rosie continued her rant lashing out at Donald Trump's decision to give Tara Conner a second chance. "There he is, hair looping, going everyone, everyone deserves a second chance," she began. "He's the moral authority? Left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times, but he's the moral compass for twenty year olds in America. Donald, sit and spin, my friend." She also said she expected him to sue her but added "he'll probably be bankrupt by that time so I won't have to worry." In turn, Trump, who became aware of the Rosie comments earlier this morning, branded her "a loser." "Rosie's been a loser for a long time," he told Access. Her magazine failed, she got sued. She folded up like a tent." He also sent a stern warning over O'Donnell's outburst and suggested she watch her partner. "Rosie is somebody out of control who really just doesn't have it and she ought to be careful because I'll send one of my friends to pick up her girlfriend and I think it would be very easy," he said. Executive Producers of "The View," Bill Geddie and Barbara Walters weighed in on the verbal fracas releasing this statement, earlier today. "Both Rosie and Donald are high-spirited, opinionated people. Donald has been a friend of "The View" for many years and Rosie, of course, is our enormously popular moderator. We cherish them both and hope the New Year brings calm and peace." Copyright 2006 by NBC. Read article here

Subject: Hallmark movie Love's Abiding Joy

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 08:05:59am Micahel Landon Jr.'s Love's Abiding Joy I watched this Hallmark movie last weekend and I did enjoy it but none of the movies in this series has been able to match up to the first one, Love Comes Softly. I still watch it over and over again...it's one of my "feel good" moveies.....the ones I watch when I'm feeling a little down in the dumps and need something to lift my spirits. It was nice to see Dale Midkiff again in Love's Abiding Joy. I love him in the role of Clark Davis, I just wish he'd had a little more meat to his role in this movie.

Subject: Man held in Britain Prostitute killings

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Monday, December 18, 11:04:30am Man Held in Britain Prostitute Killings Dec 18, 8:33 AM (ET) By MARTIN BENEDYK IPSWICH, England (AP) - Police hunting a suspected serial killer following the murders of five prostitutes in eastern England arrested a 37-year-old man on Monday and cordoned off a group of houses. The man was arrested at his home in Trimley St. Martin, near the port of Felixstowe, Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull said in a brief statement to reporters. He declined to say where the suspect was being held. "He has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering all five women," Gull said. News reports identified the suspect as Tom Stephens, who was quoted in the Sunday Mirror newspaper as saying he knew all five women, and that he had been interviewed four times under caution - meaning that he was regarded as a potential suspect - by police investigating the slayings. "From the police profiling it does look like me - white male between 25 and 40, knows the area, works strange hours. The bodies have got close to my house," Stephens was quoted as saying. "If new information, coincidental information, crops up, I could get arrested," Stephens was quoted as saying. He added that he was confident he would not be charged. Trimley is eight miles southeast of Ipswich, where all five victims worked as prostitutes. Their naked bodies were found in rural areas near Ipswich, 70 miles northeast of London, over a 10-day span beginning Dec. 2. Three were found near the main road and the rail line between Ipswich and Felixstowe; the other two were discovered near the same road south and southwest of Ipswich. The investigation had strained the resources of England's smallest police forces, and 340 investigators were brought in from across Britain to join 160 Suffolk officers working on the case. Earlier Monday, police announced that coroner's inquests into the deaths of Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls had been postponed. Clennell, 24, died of compression to her neck, and Alderton, 24, was strangled, a senior pathologist determined. Post-mortem examinations of the bodies of Nicol, 19, and Nicholls, reached no conclusion on the cause of death. An inquest into the death of Gemma Adams, 25, was opened and adjourned last week. The pathologist reached no conclusion about the cause of her death. --- On the Net: Suffolk police, http://www.suffolk.police.uk

Subject: Latest on Warren Jeffs

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Saturday, December 16, 05:55:07pm Jeffs ordered to stand trial for charges tied to teen marriage By JENNIFER DOBNER and PAUL FOY Associated Press Writers ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- A judge ordered the leader of a polygamist sect Thursday to stand trial on charges of rape as an accomplice for forcing a 14-year-old girl to marry and have sex with an older cousin in 2001. If convicted, Warren Jeffs, 51, could face up to life in prison. He is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The woman, now 20, was not in the courtroom to hear Judge James Shumate's decision. She testified last month that she felt "completely trapped and defeated" during a ceremony at a Nevada motel -- the "darkest time of my entire life." The woman, identified as Jane Doe No. 4, left the sect after 3 1/2 years, remarried and had a baby last week. Jeffs' defense team contends he is being pursued for his religious beliefs. In his closing argument, defense attorney Wally Bugden told Shumate he would be making a "factual leap" to find probable cause for a trial. "Saying I don't want to get married is not the same as saying I don't want to have intercourse," Bugden said. Read story here

Subject: Latest on Neil Entwistle

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Saturday, December 16, 03:09:23pm 'Pattern Of Unreliability' Updated: 08:37, Saturday December 16, 2006 A British man accused of murdering his American wife and baby should not be released on bail because of fears he might flee before his trial, prosecutors have told a US court. Neil Entwistle should not be allowed to return to stay with his parents in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, they insist. He has shown the "clear pattern of flight and unreliability", Assistant District Attorney Michael Fabbri said. Such a move, as his defence team has requested, could place a burden on UK police, Mr Fabbri claimed. Entwistle, 28, denies shooting his wife Rachel, 27, and their nine-month-old daughter Lillian Rose at their home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Assistant District Attorney Michael Fabbri said. Such a move, as his defence team has requested, could place a burden on UK police, Mr Fabbri claimed. He has been in custody in America since February and has not seen his parents Clifford and Yvonne since then. He flew back to England and stayed with them at the time of the killings in January, before being arrested and returned to the US after waiving his right to fight extradition. Mr Fabbri said letting the unemployed IT worker go back to Britain again would "open the door to 20 or 30 countries in Europe" for him. He added: "He fled the scene immediately, as he admitted, without seeking medical help after purportedly finding his wife and daughter shot in his own home." Entwistle's lawyer, Elliot Weinstein, said he should be released on bail under "very strict conditions". These would involve him being confined to his parents' house for 24 hours a day, wearing an electronic GPS monitoring tag and calling British or American authorities daily. The hearing continues.

Subject: Latest on Neil Entwistle

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Saturday, December 16, 02:25:20pm Homesick Neil offers parents’ home in bid for bail By Norman Miller/ Metrowest Daily News Saturday, December 16, 2006 Accused double-murderer Neil Entwistle is bartering his parents’ modest British home in an attempt to post bail and jet home for the holidays. If Entwistle were to then run, he would leave his folks “homeless,” his attorney told the judge yesterday while pitching the unorthodox plan inside Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge. “It’s not an off-the-wall request,” defense attorney Elliot Weinstein said after the hearing. Weinstein declined to reveal the worth of the Entwistle family home in Worksop, England. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Peter Lauriat took the request “under advisement” but promised a quick decision. The judge did grant Weinstein’s motion to push back the start of the trial from April 23 to Oct. 1. Entwistle, 28, is accused of executing his wife, Rachel, 27, and their daughter, Lillian, 9 months, on Jan. 20 in their rented Hopkinton home and then fleeing to England. Although first degree murder suspects do not typically receive bail, Weinstein argued it was within Lauriat’s powers to let Entwistle go home while strapped to a GPS monitoring bracelet. Entwistle, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit and pink shirt and tie, told the judge he does not object to a later start in the trial. “No objection,” Entwistle said. Lauriat asked several questions, including the value of Entwistle’s family home, and if the British authorities could legally enforce any of the conditions for release set in the United States. Weinstein said Entwistle’s parents will have the house appraised if the judge favors the motion. As for sticking British police with babysitting Entwistle, Weinstein said - “Too bad!” “This is a minor request. It’s not a burden,” he said after yesterday’s hearing. In a prelude to the trial, Prosecutor Michael Fabbri opposed any form of bail for Entwistle, saying the accused never looked back once he hopped a plane home. “He fled the scene immediately . . . without seeking any medical help after purportedly finding his wife and his daughter in his own home,” Fabbri said.

Subject: I agree about Bush's daughters......

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Saturday, December 16, 10:56:08am NewsTrack - Entertainment Damon: Maybe Bush twins should go to Iraq WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- In an interview in Washington, actor Matt Damon suggested that President George W. Bush's daughters "maybe" should join the military. Damon and actor Robert De Niro were guests on the MSNBC cable show, "Hardball with Chris Matthews," promoting their upcoming movie, "The Good Shepherd." Directed by De Niro, the film is an account of the early history of the CIA. During the interview, scheduled to air Monday, Damon talked about the fairness of fighting the war in Iraq with a volunteer Army. "I don't think that it's fair as I said before, that it seems like we have a fighting class in our country that's comprised of people who have to go for either financial reasons or, I don't think that that is fair," said Damon, 36. "And if you're gonna send people to war ... then that needs to be shared by everybody, you know, and if the president has daughters who are of age then maybe they should go too." The president's daughters -- Jenna and Barbara Bush -- are 25. United Press International, UPI, the UPI logo, and other trademarks and service marks, are registered or unregistered trademarks of United Press International, Inc. in the United States and in other countries.

Subject: Check out Imus Vegetarian Book for kids

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Friday, December 15, 08:17:22am Inside Don and Deirdre Imus's haven for cancer-stricken kids Inside the Imus haven for cancer-stricken kids In a new book, Don Imus’s wife, Deirdre, details the toxin-free environment at the couple’s ranch. Here’s an excerpt, plus a recipe Today show Updated: 7:36 p.m. CT April 25, 2004 For the past few years Deirdre Imus and her husband, radio personality Don Imus, have invited children affected by cancer to their ranch in New Mexico for a break from the difficulties of their lives. It is also a break from the kids’ regular diets, because the food served on the ranch is totally organic — the couple believing that much of the chemicals and additives used in food used today causes cancer. In her new book, “The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys,” Imus details many of the meals served at the ranch. She came on the “Today” to talk about the book and to prepare one of the dishes eaten there. Here is an excerpt describing how the ranch came to be founded as well as the recipe from the show. The Imus Ranch is 4,000 unspoiled acres set in rolling hills and mesa country about 50 miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our front gate is about 6,000 feet above sea level and right on the old Santa Fe Trail. In a way, you can get a feeling for the whole history of the settling of the West from the Ranch’s entrance because the ruts of the famous old wagon trail actually are still visible in spots. Now, not far away, an Amtrak main line runs across a section of the Ranch. And just a short distance from the railroad, there’s an interstate that tracks that same timeworn route between the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north and the Sandia range to the south. Scattered brush, grass, and wildflowers give the landscape a quilted look — a pleasing patchwork of sandy browns and mottled greens as seen by travelers flying over this part of northern New Mexico. This is a dry part of the world, which gives the air lightness on even the hottest days. Still, most afternoons in summer, thunderheads pile up over the Sangre de Cristo and make their way toward us. Usually, the rain is all spilled by the time the clouds reach the Ranch, but sometimes they burst right over us. With thunder booming and lightning snapping, the rain pours off the stony soil and races downhill along deeply etched arroyo streambeds. These sudden washes dry up as quickly as they arrive, leaving behind gullies and furrows in the red clay and sandstone. Coyotes use the arroyos as hidden passageways to conceal their travels across the landscape. I loved this land from the moment I first saw it. It was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been. After Don and I met in 1991, we began traveling through the Southwest in our free time, and because I had grown up in Connecticut and gone to school in Pennsylvania, the sheer dimensions of this vast, open country were amazing to me. But I felt immediately at peace here. We were married in Monument Valley, the breathtaking backdrop of so many John Ford Westerns. On one of our trips, we visited the ranch in northern Arizona where Don grew up, a place named the Willows. It’s all public land now, but the house where Don lived as a boy is still there, shaded by willow trees. A stone hanging in the kitchen was carved simply: 1884 william imus. Don talked about how the happiest days of his life had been spent on that ranch, doing chores, riding horses, herding cattle. It was hard work, but that’s what made it worthwhile. While all this was going on, more and more of our time was spent thinking about children and their health. Before we met, Don began hosting an annual radiothon to benefit the Tomorrows Children’s Fund and the CJ Foundation for sids charities. Over the years, he raised enough money to build the Don Imus wfan Pediatric Center for Tomorrows Children, a seven-story treatment and research facility that’s part of the Hackensack University Medical Center, the country’s sixth largest hospital complex located just outside New York City in Hackensack, New Jersey. After Don invited me to help out with the project in 1992, the radiothon became a part of my life, too. For the first time, I saw how many children are being diagnosed with cancer and life-threatening blood diseases. I found myself thinking: These kids should not be getting sick in the first place. The fact is, a high percentage of all known cancers are environmentally linked. Kids are exposed to pesticides and other toxic substances both inside and outside the home. Toxins are everywhere. They’re in pest-control products for our homes. They’re in pest-control products for our pets. They’re in everyday household supplies, from the cleaning closet to the medicine chest, and even in our food. Children are the most vulnerable to these chemicals — especially indoors where enclosed spaces concentrate the toxic effects. Children breathe faster than adults, and their cells turn over faster, too. As a result, kids absorb contaminants faster. We felt we had to do something about it. These two ideas, the great American West and a healthier way of raising children, began to come together for us in early 1998 after we’d visited the old Imus family ranch in Arizona. We had completed another successful radiothon, but we wanted to do more. I remember the day it took form: Don was in his office preparing for an interview. I was pregnant with Wyatt and working out on a treadmill. Suddenly, Don burst in, yelling, “I’ve got it!” If you know Don, you know he’s not the type to get terribly worked up over things. The guy heard by millions each morning — that laconic cowboy with the gruff voice and vicious wit — that’s real. That’s Don. So when he came rushing in, genuinely excited, he got my attention. The memory of his childhood and the needs of children struggling with illness and grief had come together in an amazing idea: We could create a wonderful retreat: a working cattle ranch where such kids could live and work alongside real cowboys and discover a more nourishing, richer lifestyle. The idea was perfect. Eagerly, we began firing suggestions back and forth. To a remarkable degree, the Ranch we envisioned that day is the Ranch that was built. When I imagined the hacienda, I pictured something like the Ponderosa on the old Bonanza television series — a big house with a warm, family feeling. The vision of an authentic Old West town was also there from the beginning. We would build a dance hall filled with games and art supplies and have bunkhouses for staff and guests. Don had the idea of making the infirmary into a saloon where kids could belly up to the bar to take their medicines. We would have fully equipped hospital rooms, in case we ever need them — but they would be decorated in the style of an 1880s bordello. The office would be located inside a marshal’s office fit for Wyatt Earp, with desks and phones in the jail cells. We also knew that the Ranch would be nontoxic and biodynamic, meaning that our farming techniques would work not just to exploit the earth, but also to restore and sustain the earth. Everything we did — from the way we constructed roads and buildings to the way we furnished the Ranch to how we grew our crops and prepared our food — would be environmentally friendly and health-promoting. The purpose was not just to entertain the Ranch kids but also to open their eyes to a healthy way of living: clean, green, and completely organic. I can’t say it too often: This is not a play camp. Don and I are convinced that work and responsibility build confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. Remember, a lot of these kids have been diagnosed with cancer. Their doctors and parents put limitations on them, understandably. We don’t do that. The purpose here is for these kids to work hard, to learn to ride a horse, and to care for the animals — to take responsibility and recover their self-sufficiency. Fakin’ BLTs BLTs have the perfect trio of flavors and textures — the refreshing crunch of lettuce, the crisp and chewy taste of salty-smoky soy bacon, and the tender sweetness of ripe tomatoes. What could be better? (Preparation time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 8 to 12 minutes per sandwich.) 1 tablespoon olive oil 12 tempeh bacon strips (tempeh is a soy-based food) 8 slices sourdough bread or French baguette 2 tablespoons trans fat free margarine 8 tablespoons vegan or regular mayonnaise 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 8 slices soy cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese 2 plum tomatoes, sliced 8 leaves romaine lettuce Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the bacon strips and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set on paper towels to drain. Spread both sides of each slice of bread with margarine and, using a clean pan, toast 4 to 6 minutes on each side, until golden. Mix the mayonnaise and mustard together. Spread one side of each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture. Top with one slice of cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce; cover with the remaining bread. Cut in half on the diagonal and serve warm. Repeat for other sandwiches. Makes 4 sandwiches From “The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys” by Deirdre Imus. Copyright ©2004 by The Imus Ranch, Inc. Excerpted by permission of Rodale Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. © 2006 MSNBC Interactive URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4825363/

Subject: Billy Graham upset over burial site

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Friday, December 15, 06:25:33am Graham Family at Odds Over Burial Site Graham family at odds over burial for world-renowned preacher and his wife CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 14, 2006 By TIM WHITMIRE Associated Press Writer (AP) (AP) A family feud has broken out over where ailing evangelist Billy Graham and his equally frail wife, Ruth, will be buried. The couple had long been expected to place their graves at The Cove, a Bible training center near the Grahams' mountainside home at Montreat, but now those plans are uncertain. Mark DeMoss, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, acknowledged Wednesday that the family is now divided on the issue. He said the burial could be at The Cove or at a museum and library being built at the association's Charlotte headquarters. "Obviously, there has to be a decision at some point," DeMoss said Wednesday. "Whether that would be in the coming weeks or just upon death, I don't know." The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Ned Graham, the couple's younger son, opposes burial at the museum, while evangelist Franklin Graham, 54, who has taken over leadership of the his father's association, wants the graves to be located in Charlotte. Franklin Graham said in a statement that he considers the discussion "to be a personal one and (I) do not intend to debate it publicly." "I believe that the decision about where my parents will be buried should be made by them, and not by me, my siblings or any outsiders," he said. Billy Graham, 88, has been in frail health for years and suffers from Parkinson's disease, among several other ailments. Ruth Graham, 86, is bedridden with degeneration of the spine. The $25 million, 40,000-square-foot Graham museum is designed to look like a dairy barn that might have existed on the farm where Billy Graham grew up outside Charlotte. It is scheduled to open in the spring. DeMoss said the only thing he is sure of regarding Ruth Graham's wishes is that she wants to be buried next to her husband.

Subject: Princes Will & Harry want conspiracy theories to stop

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 14, 08:12:55pm The Times December 15, 2006 The Diana inquiry Princes demand end to Diana conspiracies Richard Ford and Stewart Tendler Report demolishes theory of murder plot Mohamed Al Fayed rejects it as 'cover-up' Princes William and Harry appealed last night for an end to the speculation surrounding the death of their mother after a three-year investigation demolished claims of a conspiracy to murder her. But the official police report into the deaths disclosed that Dodi Fayed had probably been intending to ask Diana, Princess of Wales, to marry him on the night she died. The 832-page report also discloses details of the Princess’s state of mind at her marriage collapse, including her fears that both she and Camilla Parker Bowles were to be “put aside” to enable the Prince of Wales to marry a family friend. It reveals that the Princess believed that the Duke of Edinburgh wanted her dead and that she would end up “chopped” like Mary, Queen of Scots, or declared unbalanced after a car crash in which she would be seriously injured. The findings of the £3.6 million inquiry headed by Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, were unveiled in Westminster. His team of twelve police officers spent almost three years investigating theories surrounding the death of the Princess, 36, and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, 42, in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. Lord Stevens declared that allegations that the Princess was murdered were unfounded and he found nothing to justify further inquiries with members of the Royal Family. He said that the couple and their chauffeur died as a result of a “tragic accident” rather than a murder plot. His demolition of conspiracy theories was angrily dismissed by the Harrods owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, who called the report a “cover-up” and accused MI6 and a senior member of the Royal Family of being involved in a conspiracy to assassinate them. Mr Al Fayed, who is understood to have been spending millions of pounds a year on pursuing his claims of a conspiracy, pledged to spend his fortune to get at the truth. Lord Stevens’s report dismissed claims of a conspiracy involving the intelligence services to murder the Princess. It also rejected suggestions that she was pregnant when she died. Her friends and family told police that she had no intention of getting engaged to Fayed, although the report suggests that he was preparing to propose to her with a ring from a “Tell me yes” range sold by a Paris jeweller. The Princess had told friends in phone calls from her Mediterranean cruise with Fayed that she needed marriage “like a rash on my face”. The report adds that Prince William had no knowledge of any plans for his mother to get engaged. The inquiry concludes that, rather than there being a conspiracy, the couple and their chauffeur Henri Paul died in a late-night accident in the Pont de l’Alma underpass in Paris. Mr Paul was drunk and drove too fast as he tried to outrun photographers. He had an alcohol level about twice the British drink-drive limit as he drove the Mercedes S280 through the underpass at between 61mph and 63mph, twice the speed limit. “Our conclusion is that, on all the evidence available at this time, there was no conspiracy to murder any of the occupants of the car. This was a tragic accident,” Lord Stevens said. “I very much hope that all the work we have done, and the publication of this report, will help to bring some closure to all who continue to mourn the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul.” The next stage in the investigation into the Princess’s death will be an inquest next year.

Subject: Lettuce suspected in Taco Bell illness

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 14, 06:11:49am Lettuce Suspected in Taco Bell E. Coli By ANDREW BRIDGES The Associated Press Wednesday, December 13, 2006; 11:10 PM WASHINGTON -- Health officials on Wednesday zeroed in on lettuce as the likely suspect in the E. coli outbreak linked to Taco Bell, though tracing the vegetable's source may prove difficult. The outbreak apparently has run its course after 71 confirmed cases of the disease in five states, primarily New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, officials said. Investigators considered cheddar cheese and ground beef as possible contaminated ingredients before settling on lettuce. The company first believed green onions were responsible, but follow-up testing by the government failed to confirm that. Interviews with patients and other investigative work pointed toward lettuce as the culprit. "That I would say is the most likely vehicle. I would warn we are not done with the investigation," Dr. Christopher Braden, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters. Taco Bell's menu, with its various combinations of the same ingredients, made it difficult to pinpoint the source of the contamination. "That has been the case and is part of the reason it has taken a number of days to identify what might be the contaminated ingredient," Braden said. Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition discussed plans to trace the lettuce to its source. But because the shredded lettuce was processed in bulk, that could turn out to be a hard task. The evidence that lettuce was responsible for the illnesses was statistical _ it was the item that victims most commonly reported eating. Taco Bell's president, Greg Creed, said the CDC and FDA told the company "it was highly unlikely it's cheese or beef because cheese is pasteurized and the beef preparation ruled them out." He declined to identify the supplier of the lettuce to the Northeastern restaurants, said 80 percent of the lettuce from that supplier did not go to Taco Bell and noted Taco Bell has a new supplier for those states. The lettuce potentially linked to the outbreak came from the West, he said, declining to be more specific. Acheson said no Taco Bell food samples, other than white onions from a New York restaurant, have tested positive for E. coli, Acheson said. The E. coli found in the white onion did not match the strain that sickened Taco Bell customers, however. He said there is no evidence the Taco Bell outbreak is connected to cases of illnesses linked to Taco John restaurants in Iowa and Minnesota. Health officials in those states said the cause of the outbreak _ which has sickened at least 50 people in Iowa and 27 in Minnesota _ has been tied to lettuce served at Taco John's in three cities. Most E. coli infections are associated with undercooked meat, but increasingly produce is to blame. This fall, an outbreak linked to fresh spinach killed three people and sickened more than 200 others. "This is a situation that is not tenable," Braden said. Health officials believe most cases of E. coli contamination originate on the farm, where produce can come into contact with animal feces laden with the bacteria. E. coli, or Escherichia coli, is a common and ordinarily harmless bacteria found in the guts of cattle and other animals. The E. coli O157:H7 strain can cause abdominal cramps, fever, bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, blindness, paralysis, even death. On the Net: CDC E. coli information: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm

Subject: Police report says Diana not murdered

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 14, 06:00:01am Updated:2006-12-14 07:54:02 Police Report Slams Diana Murder Allegations By JILL LAWLESS AP LONDON (Dec. 14) -- A British police inquiry released Thursday concluded that the deaths of Princess Diana and her boyfriend in a 1997 Paris car crash were a "tragic accident" and that allegations of murder are unfounded. "Our conclusion is that, on all the evidence available at this time, there was no conspiracy to murder any of the occupants of the car. This was a tragic accident," said Lord John Stevens, former chief of the Metropolitan Police, who led the investigation of the deaths of Diana, 36, and Dodi Fayed, 42. They were killed along with chauffeur Henri Paul when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont d'Alma tunnel in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, while being chased by media photographers. The chauffeur was drunk and driving at twice the speed limit before the crash, Stevens said. Stevens noted allegations by Fayed's father, Mohammed al Fayed, the couple was killed as a result of a conspiracy by the establishment, including Prince Philip and British intelligence agencies. Stevens added that photographers had prompted Diana and Fayed to change travel plans before their death. He said family and friends denied in interviews that Diana was about to marry Fayed, and Diana was not pregnant. Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, were briefed on the report's findings Wednesday, British media said. The princes' office would not confirm the reports. Rumors and conspiracy theories continue to swirl around Diana's death, despite a French judge's 1999 ruling that the crash was an accident. A poll commissioned by the BBC, released earlier this month, found that 31 percent of the sample believed the deaths were not an accident, while 43 percent believed they were. The poll of 1,000 adults had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. Stevens said in January that his investigation was "far more complex than any of us thought." He did not specify what he meant. The British inquiry, which involved 15 police personnel and is estimated to have cost millions of dollars, used cutting-edge computer technology to reconstruct the crash scene in three dimensions, and examined the wrecked Mercedes in painstaking detail. Stevens looked at hundreds of witness statements, traveled to Paris to see the site of the crash and interviewed Diana's former husband, Prince Charles. Stevens said U.S. officials had assured him that secretly recorded conversations in their possession shed no new light on her death. The U.S. National Security Agency said Tuesday it had never targeted Diana's communications, but acknowledged it had 39 classified documents containing references to the princess. The publication of Stevens' report will allow an inquest into Diana's death finally to get under way. The inquest, convened and then swiftly adjourned in 2004, is due to formally resume next year under a retired senior judge, Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss. Preliminary hearings will be held Jan. 8-9 at the Royal Courts of Justice. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 2006-12-11 09:35:34

Subject: Want a raise?

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 09:24:02am If you want a wage rise, wear yellow Last updated at 12:12pm on 13th December 2006 A report offers advice about dressing for success - and claims it's all about the colour of your clothes. If you are after a pay rise it might help if you make your case while wearing a canary yellow shirt. If you are feeling fragile, a pink outfit will encourage colleagues to treat you gently. A report offers advice about dressing for success - and claims it's all about the colour of your clothes. "Used in the right way, colour can send positive statements about who you are and what you are capable of - and get you noticed by the right people," said psychologist Andrea Mountford, the report's author. "First impressions are usually made in just three to seven seconds, during which time an employee, boss or interviewer will have unconsciously interpreted the message communicated by the colours worn." Unfortunately, the report says that black -the staple of most work wardrobes - should be consigned to the bin. The colour can, it claims, make you look cold and unapproachable. Red, it says, is a better choice as it makes the wearer appear dynamic yet warm. David Smith, marketing director of Canon UK, which commissioned the report, said: "Whether it is through the work we produce or the environment we work in, colour deployment is essential to inspire both productivity and creativity."

Subject: Taco Bell question

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 07:00:09am You know, I was thinking about how weird it is that Taco Bell is having this outbreak of E-Coli that can't be traced to any source. Taco Bell does use genetically engineered corn, ya know, or at least they used to. Maybe this is mother nature's way of saying ENOUGH! Sounds far fetched, but who knows? "Genetically Engineered Corn Not Approved for Human consumption Found in Taco bell Brand Taco Shells" National Environmental Trust September 18, 2000 Washington, DC – Genetically Engineered Food Alert, a coalition of health, consumer and environmental groups, today demanded that taco shells marketed using the Taco Bell name be immediately removed from grocery store shelves across the country. In independent testing, a sample of the taco shells was found to contain a form of genetically engineered corn not approved for direct human consumption. Test results obtained by Genetically Engineered Food Alert member group Friends of the Earth from an independent laboratory indicate the presence of Cry9C corn, a variety of genetically engineered corn not approved for direct human consumption, in Taco Bell taco shells sold at grocery stores. Cry9C, a plant pesticide marketed by biotechnology company Aventis under the name of StarLink™, is currently deemed fit only for animal consumption by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Aventis has applied for an exemption to this restriction even though the EPA has warned that Aventis’ data indicate "that Cry9C exhibits some characteristics of known allergens." Cry9C was found to be heat stabile and resistant to stomach acids and enzymes, indicating that it could be a potential allergen. Possible health effects of this category of allergen include nausea and anaphylactic shock, but are not currently known due to a lack of adequate testing by government and industry. "According to the tests, Taco Bell and Philip Morris have used a genetically engineered ingredient that could put the health of their customers at risk," said Larry Bohlen, Health and Environment Programs Director at Friends of the Earth. The taco shells tested were distributed by Kraft, a subsidiary of Philip Morris, under the name Taco Bell. "Consumers need to know whether this is just the tip of the iceberg." Friends of the Earth plans to submit taco shells from Taco Bell restaurants for testing. RECALL DEMANDED A lawyer for Genetically Engineered Food Alert filed a letter with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on behalf of the coalition calling upon the Agency to recall the adulterated taco shells, as permitted under law, if the manufacturer does not implement a voluntary recall. "This is a legal violation and FDA clearly has the authority to seize the product if Taco Bell and Philip Morris do not recall it," said Joseph Mendelson, Center for Food Safety legal director. The coalition also sent letters to David Novak, CEO of TRICON Global Restaurants (the parent company of Taco Bell) and Philip Morris CEO Geoffrey Bible requesting that they voluntarily remove all Taco Bell taco shells from supermarkets. TESTING OF ALL CORN PRODUCTS REQUESTED The coalition also requested that the FDA move swiftly to test for the presence of Cry9C corn in all products containing non-organic yellow corn #2, the grade of corn to which Cry9C belongs. According to the American Corn Growers Association, only nine percent of the conventional corn crop was segregated from genetically engineered corn in the 1999. Products made with yellow corn #2 may include many varieties of tortillas, breakfast cereals, corn chips, frozen TV dinners such as enchiladas, and corn meal. FAILURE OF FDA OVERSIGHT OF GE FOODS CITED Members of the Genetically Engineered Food Alert condemned the presence of the genetically engineered ingredient on grocery store shelves, as indicated by the test results, as a failure of the FDA to provide adequate oversight of food biotechnology corporations and food producers. The FDA is empowered by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to protect the public against genetically engineered plant pesticides, such as the particular kind of corn containing Cry9C, that are not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "This discovery just shows that genetically engineered ingredients should not be on the grocery store shelves when so poorly regulated by FDA," said Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-10th OH). "It concerns me and should concern American consumers that this is a glimpse of things to come as genetically engineered products are rushed to store shelves without real mandatory safety testing and labeling programs in place." ABOUT THE GE FOOD ALERT CAMPAIGN AND GEFoodAlert.org Genetically Engineered Food Alert founding members include: Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, National Environmental Trust, Organic Consumers Association, Pesticide Action Network North America, and the State Public Interest Research Groups. Genetically Engineered Food Alert supports the removal of genetically engineered ingredients from grocery store shelves unless they are adequately safety tested and labeled. The campaign provides web-based opportunities for individuals to express concern about genetically engineered food and fact sheets on health, environmental and economic information about genetically engineered food. The campaign is endorsed by more than 250 scientists, religious leaders, doctors, chefs, environmental and health leaders, as well as farm groups. BACKGROUND MATERIAL AVAILABLE ON WEB The recall letters to Taco Bell and Philip Morris, the formal petition to the FDA, test results, as well as fact sheets on genetically engineered Cry9C corn, the regulatory history of Cry9C, and on the laboratory testing protocol are located on the Genetically Engineered Food Alert website at www.gefoodalert.org/recall For more information, contact: Racine Tucker-Hamilton Deputy Communications Director National Environmental Trust 202-887-8800 Web site: http://www.environet.org

Subject: Is Taco Bell being sabotaged?

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 06:44:32am Lack of E.coli source may prolong Taco Bell crisis Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:03 PM ET By Nichola Groom LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Confusion surrounding the source of an E.coli outbreak linked to Taco Bell will make it harder for the Mexican-style restaurant chain to reassure customers that its food is safe and could prolong a damaging sales slowdown. "Nobody knows what's going on here," Jack Trout, president of marketing strategy firm Trout & Partners said. "This makes it a very hard crisis to handle because it's a moving target." Trout compared Taco Bell's situation to the more straightforward tampering issue that Johnson & Johnson faced with its Tylenol brand in 1982. "Everyone knew exactly what that was," he said. "It was a fixed event." Taco Bell, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., pulled green onions from all of its U.S. restaurants last week after preliminary tests showed three samples tested "presumptive positive" for the E.coli 0157:H7 strain. But U.S. health officials said on Monday they could not confirm that green onions were the source of the bacteria that has sickened more than 60 people in the U.S. Northeast and were not ready to declare an end to the outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also said it found a different strain of the bacteria among a batch of white onions at a New York Taco Bell restaurant. Taco Bell repeated its earlier statement on Monday that its food was safe and independent tests on all of its ingredients were negative for the bacteria that can cause abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Experts said, however, that the lack of a clear source for the infection was a challenge for the chain. "There is concern that it could potentially harm the brand reputation of Taco Bell," said Dan Popowics, an analyst with Fifth Third Asset management, which owns some Yum shares. "I'm sure it's been frustrating for the company that they've been unable to pinpoint the cause of the bacteria yet." Yum shares slid more than 2 percent on Tuesday, and analysts said uncertainty regarding the source of the contamination was weighing on the stock. Two brokerages, Wachovia Securities and RBC Capital Markets, have downgraded the shares, and J.P. Morgan recommended investors take profits. "Consumers may now be more reluctant to eat at Taco Bell," Morningstar Inc. restaurant analyst John Owens said. Separately, health officials in Minnesota and Iowa said on Monday they were investigating an outbreak of about 20 suspected E.coli infections among people who ate at a Taco John's restaurant in Iowa. Taco John's is unrelated to Taco Bell. But the timing -- late November through early December -- is the same as the illnesses linked to Taco Bell restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. To help win over customers who may be steering clear of Taco Bell, one industry watcher said the chain should be making a public effort to help those who were infected with E.coli, regardless of whether it thinks its food was to blame. "They showed no outreach to anyone who had been affected," said Malcolm Knapp, president of restaurant research firm Malcolm M. Knapp Inc. "That's a huge mistake. They are not making an empathetic connection with their customers." Knapp added that the focus of the crisis would eventually shift away from Taco Bell toward concerns about better governmental oversight of food safety practices. "Ultimately what emerges from all this is not the Taco Bell story, but the regulatory story," he said. Meanwhile, the analysts agreed that Taco Bell would recover from the crisis more quickly if the source for the infection was definitively identified. "Uncertainty is not a good thing," Knapp said. "This is a messy one."

Subject: Global warming getting scary

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 06:32:36am Fake snow in Alps, Moscow blooms: green Christmas? Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:08 PM ET By Laura MacInnis GENEVA, Dec 12 (Reuters - Alpine ski resorts are churning out artificial snow, daisies are flowering by the Kremlin in Moscow and retailers are fretting that Europeans are simply too warm to go Christmas shopping with a record mild winter. Butterflies have been seen in Denmark, some Nordic golf courses -- usually frozen for the winter -- have reopened and many farmers worry that crops are sprouting far too early and could be killed by frost. One historian says that Europe has just had its warmest autumn in 500 years. Experts say the mildness might be just a natural freak but many suspect it may be linked to greenhouse gases caused by human burning of fossil fuels. Whatever the reasons, a recent dusting of snow has been welcome at Alpine resorts, now gradually opening after long delays. "Everybody is happy that it has snowed. The whole atmosphere is more relaxed, it feels less stressed although the conditions are not totally perfect yet," said Joerg Romang, head of communications for the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana. "A lot of fake snow is being produced right now," said a spokeswoman for Austria's cable car association. Temperatures may rise again but the snow is easing fears that Christmas skiers may have to spend a snowless holiday hiking or at a spa. In Russia, record December temperatures have kept bears from hibernating and flowers such as daisies and purple violets have been seen in and around the capital. Usually gripped by ice, Moscow basked at a record 7.7 Celsius (45.86F) on December 7. "Muscovites are smiling: they don't have to wear hats and the grass is green," wrote popular daily Moskovsky Komsomolets, adding that Siberia would become the world's granary if temperatures stayed warm. WHITE CHRISTMAS Retailers worry that shoppers are not cold enough even to start dreaming of a white Christmas. "Christmas business lacks impetus as there is no Christmas spirit in warmer weather," said Hubertus Pellengahr, a spokesman for the German retail trade association HDE. "Retail sales are far more weather related than one might assume." But Berlin's construction industry is keeping going at a time of year when a winter chill usually forces a slowdown. "The order books are full and thanks to the good weather the contracts can be fulfilled," said Lutz Uecker, chief economist of the German building industry federation ZDB. In the Netherlands, the Dutch meteorological institute KNMI said 2006 was likely to be the warmest year in three centuries, and linked the record with global warming that many scientists fear will bring more floods, droughts and higher seas. "If you look at trends, then you can say that this (the 2006 record) is a signal of global warming," said Rob van Dorland of the KNMI atmospheric research department. Farmers are worried that plants, confused by the spring-like temperatures, could suffer if harsh frost strikes. German asthma sufferers are complaining of pollen and Sweden has suffered rare December floods. If crops such as rapeseed and autumn grains grow too much in the warmth "that could mean problems in snowless dry frost beyond minus 10 centigrade," said Andras Uhercsak, head advisor at the Hungarian farmers' group MOSZ. In Finland, the Hartola golf club closed as usual because of snow at the start of November but reopened after a rare thaw. A report in science journal Nature this month said 2006 had the warmest autumn since around the time Columbus sailed the Atlantic, about 2C (3.6F) warmer than the long-term average. The autumn beat the record-warm autumns of 1772, 1938 and 2000, according to Elena Xoplaki of the University of Berne. (Additional reporting by Olesya Dmitracova in Moscow, Rene Wagner and Ulf Laessing in Berlin, Anna Mudeva in Amsterdam, Sakari Suoninen in Helsinki, Andras in Budapest, Karin Strohecker in Vienna, Niklas Pollard in Stockholm, Gelu Suluguic in Copenhagen)

Subject: St. Paul sarcophagus may be opened

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 11:56:58am St. Paul sarcophagus may be opened Pope’s permission would have to be sought to study contents By Philip Pullella Reuters Updated: 12:38 p.m. CT Dec 11, 2006 VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said on Monday it was studying the possibility of opening a thick marble sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of the Apostle Paul to study its contents. The prospect was raised at a news conference at which Vatican officials unveiled the results of an archaeological dig which has made part of the sarcophagus in Rome’s Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls visible to pilgrims. “We tried to X-ray it to see what was inside, but the stone was too thick,” said Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the basilica on Rome’s outskirts. “We will now take the necessary steps to seek the authorization to explore the inside. This is being studied,” he said, adding that Pope Benedict XVI would have to give eventual permission because the Vatican owns the basilica. Montezemolo belittled some media reports that the apostle’s tomb had only now been discovered. “There has been no doubt for the past 20 centuries that the tomb is there. It was variously visible and not visible in times past, and then it was covered up. We made an opening (in the basilica floor) to make it visible at least in part,” he said. According to Catholic tradition, St. Paul was killed for his faith in the 1st century and buried on Rome’s Via Ostiense. Tracing the remains Born Saul in the city of Tarsus in present-day Turkey, he persecuted early Christians but converted when he had a blinding vision on the road to Damascus years after Christ’s death. Afterward, he became known as “Apostle to the Gentiles”. A small church was built at a burial site near the Tiber River at the start of the 4th century, and a basilica was constructed at the end of the same century. The basilica was changed over the centuries and nearly destroyed by a fire in 1823. With each change, enlargement or rebuilding, the sarcophagus became less accessible and ended up about 4 feet (1.3 meters) below the surface of the current floor. Before the end of the recent excavations under the current basilica’s main altar, pilgrims could only stick their heads in a small opening and look down a vertical hole toward mortar that covered the tomb. Years of work remain Most of the sarcophagus, which is near a marble plaque reading “Paul Apostle Martyr,” is still covered by mortar, but part of one side of it has been exposed and is now visible through a new glass opening on the current floor. Opening the sarcophagus, which measures about 8 feet by 4 feet and is about 3 feet high (2.55 by 1.25 by 1 meter), would take years of more archaeological work, since most of it is still embedded in the foundations of earlier churches. The most recent dig to make the sarcophagus partly visible lasted four years and ended last September. St. Paul’s is the second-largest of Rome’s basilicas, after St. Peter’s in the Vatican. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16155676/

Subject: Why we spied on Princess Diana

Author: Renee [Edit]

Date Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 11:27:02am New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com Why did we spy on Di? BY AUSTIN FENNER in New York, JAMES GORDON MEEK in Washington and ELLEN TUMPOSKY in London DAILY NEWS WRITERS Tuesday, December 12th, 2006 The newest mystery in the massively investigated death of Princess Diana is why American intelligence allegedly eavesdropped on her phone calls. Reports in the British press claim that the results of an official probe into the Paris car crash that killed her on Aug. 31, 1997, along with boyfriend Dodi Fayed will reveal that the U.S. was listening to her phone calls. The eavesdropping - without British permission - was right up to her death, including calls from the Ritz Hotel, where she was staying that night, according to leaks from the report. That report will be released Thursday. The CIA and Secret Service denied yesterday listening in on Diana's calls. "It's not us, it's not us," a CIA official implored. "What intelligence value could she possibly have had?" The National Security Agency said it never targeted Diana for eavesdropping, but indicated her name was mentioned in calls by other people it was monitoring. "The idea of anybody tapping her phones is ridiculous," said another top intelligence official with access to the most secret overseas reporting. "The NSA ... had much more important things to do then." Officials said it is possible that the NSA - called the "great vacuum cleaner in the sky" by one source - could have accidentally picked up telephone intercepts of Diana while targeting someone else, such as another Ritz Hotel guest. One theory that has emerged is that the secret listening prompted the British authorities to put an end to Diana's plans to spend the summer of 1997 in the Hamptons with her onetime New York boyfriend, millionaire financier Teddy Forstmann, because it would be a security risk for her two princely sons. A source close to Forstmann told the Daily News yesterday that Diana may have been overheard while traveling with Forstmann on his private plane, which Forstmann believed was bugged by the feds to listen in on his rich and powerful friends. She asked Forstmann to help her find a summer place in the Hamptons, the source said. The princess later called to tell Forstmann to drop the search. "Don't bother [trying to find me a place]," she told Forstmann, according to the source. "There's no point in looking. They won't let me come. It's a security hazard." Some Brits were skeptical that the Americans were worried about Diana's safety in the Hamptons. "If this is true, there needs to be some explanation," said Andrew MacKinlay, a Labor Party member of Parliament. "That's a feeble excuse. They've got to do better than that." The princess ended up instead taking a vacation on the yacht of Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed and became involved with his son Dodi, a romance that led to her death.