What's Happening

More about I7

2009-08-27T07:47:00.004-07:00

Faster memory access
The reason for this platform shift has to do in part with a fundamental design change in Intel’s CPU architecture. As has long been rumoured, Intel has finally adopted an integrated memory controller into its Core i7 CPUs. What this means is that instead of the CPU communicating with a separate controller on the motherboard before it can talk to the system memory, Core i7 can save a step, and essentially receive data from the system RAM directly.

Intel’s new Extreme Motherboard DX58SO.

AMD adopted this integrated controller strategy in the early days of its Athlon dual-core processors, and it was one of the factors that led the company to dominate Intel’s competing Pentium D CPUs of that generation. Through superior design since then, Intel has regained its performance lead over AMD, and we suspect that by adding the on-chip memory controller to Core i7, Intel has only made it more difficult for AMD to find a design advantage moving forward.

A potential complication here is that the new memory controller has three channels to the RAM. That means that — unlike most desktop set-ups, which involve two or four memory sticks — Core i7 systems will want memory sticks in multiples of three. This is why Intel shipped our test system with only 3GB of RAM (we got creative with a 2×1GB, 1×2GB RAM configuration for 4GB total for testing), and why in high-end PCs that use the new X58 platform, 3GB, 6GB and 12GB configurations will be common. X58 will also only support DDR3 RAM, whose prices have thankfully come down over the past year.

Four cores, sometimes eight
If you’ve followed Intel’s chip designs over the years, the term ‘Hyperthreading’ shouldn’t be unfamiliar. This technology lets Intel simulate more processing threads on top of its old dual-core Pentium 4 chips. It abandoned that strategy with the Core 2 family, but Intel has resurrected it with Core i7, and it’s why you’ll see eight processing threads when you bring up Windows’ system performance screen. Few day-to-day programs will benefit from Hyperthreading, and it’s more of a situational benefit for processing reliability and the scant few applications that can actually support so many threads. Core i7 will eventually hit eight native cores on a single CPU, or 16 processing streams with Hyperthreading, but Intel has not made it clear when that will happen. It may be worth the wait if you know you’ll need that much parallelism, but few ordinary users will.

Multi-graphics agnostic
Another significant change with the Core i7/X58 landscape had to do with graphics cards. Intel’s Skulltrail platform of last year supported both standards as well, but the specialised CPUs that made the board worthwhile were prohibitively expensive. With the X58 chipset, yes, it comes on an expensive motherboard, but you can purchase a Core i7 chip to go with it for less than $300 (~£191). The Core 2 Extreme QX9775 Skulltrail CPU started at $1,500 (~£957). Gamers who stay current with graphics cards should be especially happy with this flexibility, as changing 3D card vendors will no longer require a wholesale system rebuild.

We tested both SLI and Crossfire set-ups on our Core i7 testbed and found both worked without trouble, requiring nothing more than installing the hardware and appropriate graphics driver software as you would normally. As for their performance, AMD has issued a series of so-called ‘hot-fix’ drivers to improve compatibility and frame rates of its cards with various PC games, which suggests that its software still needs to work out a few kinks on X58. Nvidia has not been shy to point out this fact (its beta drivers have worked fine).

A quicker path
Finally, the last major change with Core i7 is the introduction of what Intel is calling the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI). Essentially this is the Intel version of AMD’s HyperTransport interface between the CPU and the chipset. The major impact of the QPI for users is that Intel employs different QPI ratings to distinguish the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition from the non-Extreme Core i7 chips. Rated by Gigatransfers per second (Gigatransfers, or GT, refers to a million transfers of data), the Extreme Edition comes in at 6.4GT/sec, where the non-Extreme versions handle only 4.8GT/sec. In addition to that speed advantage, Intel also ships the Extreme version with an unlocked clock multiplier, which means it can be overclocked. The standard Core i7’s will have to remain at their shipping speeds.

To put the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition in perspective, we compared it with the year-old Core 2 Extreme QX9650. The Core i7 has a faster clock speed and an L3 cache shared by the four cores that’s four times larger than that of the older chip. With the integrated RAM controller on Core i7 replacing the need for a frontside bus, the platforms are quite different from each other, so the specs don’t tell the whole story. The performance results speak more clearly.

The Core i7 chip is faster than the QX9650 on every test, but we were most impressed by the Cinebench multicore test and the Far Cry 2 benchmark, where Intel’s new CPU established a sizable performance advantage. Gamers and digital media editors may have assumed that Core i7 is worth their attention: as we can see from our testing, any such assumption is clearly justified.

We expect the web will flood with reviews of the entire Core i7 family at the same time that this review launches. We encourage anyone considering a new CPU purchase to read as much coverage as possible to make the most informed buying decision. Any CPU with a $999 (~£637) price tag merits careful consideration.

Power consumption
You’ll note from our power consumption tests that the Core i7 and the QX9650 consume almost the exact same amount of energy both at idle and while under load. We didn’t expect major gains here, as both chips use the same 45nm process, run at a similar clock speeds and with similar numbers of transistors. Intel typically gains more power efficiency with chips introduced in a ‘tock’ year, which involves more efficient manufacturing of an existing architecture, than from a ‘tick’ year such as this. The Core i7-965 Extreme may have improved its relative power usage, in that it uses fewer transistors to do more work and at faster clock speeds than the older Core 2 Extreme chips. But anyone building a system with this new processor should expect to need an equivalently beefy power supply — especially if you intend to add multiple graphics cards and hard drives.

i7

2009-08-27T07:47:00.003-07:00

In the last few months you may have seen previews and news stories regarding Intel’s new Core i7 desktop processor family, formerly known as Nehalem. Today, we’re able to publish our impressions of Intel’s new chip and ultimately its new platform. We’ve selected the flagship $999 (~£637) Core i7-965 Extreme Edition CPU to represent the Core i7 family, which at launch later this month will include three other processors, starting at $284 (~£181). These new chips all require a new chipset, which will only exist at first by way of a very expensive new motherboard. We don’t expect mainstream users to adopt Core i7 in any variation at first, at least until the motherboard prices come down. But well-heeled performance-seekers who do make the leap will enjoy the fastest CPUs on the market.

Core i7 has enough architecture changes to require a brand-new connection design between the chip and the motherboard. This is no small change, because Intel has stuck with the LGA775 chip socket since the days of Pentium 4. The new socket design, LGA1366, will not accept any older Intel CPUs, nor will Core i7 work on any older motherboards.

Unlike a new socket design, new chipsets aren’t uncommon with updated Intel CPUs. The last three Extreme Edition chips Intel has launched each required its own new motherboard circuitry, and Core i7 is no different. Intel’s new Core i7-supporting X58 chipset will only appear in very high-end boards. We conducted this review with the Intel Extreme Motherboard DX58SO board, and we’ve already reported on a new X58 board from ASUS. Expect Gigabyte, MSI and Intel’s other typical board partners to introduce their own new X58 boards, and we expect prices will stay at or around the $300 (~£191) mark. For this reason, Core i7 will remain an enthusiast CPU until Intel introduces a more moderate, mass consumption-friendly Core i7-compatible chipset.

ATI

2009-08-27T07:47:00.001-07:00

Writing about the latest and greatest hardware is fun—I’m not going to lie. Getting hands-on with technology in the lab is practically a hobby, and I’m fairly confident that most enthusiasts would share that excitement surrounded by a lab full of tech.

But I’ll be the first to admit that $500 dual-GPU video cards and $1,000 Extreme Edition processors are Beluga caviar in a Big Mac world. There are some lucky gamers who really buy the pricey stuff. A majority, however, live vicariously through the reviews, and actually spends their money on components derived from high-end kit.

Fortunately, even the mid-range of the graphics market is full of excitement right now. Bargains pepper the $100-$200 range, from the Radeon HD 4830 to the Radeon HD 4850/GeForce GTS 250 and Radeon HD 4870/GeForce GTX 260.

The challenge faced by vendors like ATI and Nvidia, though, is that those inexpensive cards all center on the same GPUs—processors that actually begin life as potential top-shelf components powering boards like the GeForce GTX 285 and Radeon HD 4870. Dropping the engine from a $350 GTX 285 into a $180 GTX 260, for instance, has to be painful. Similarly, the slide from $180 Radeon HD 4870 to $130 Radeon HD 4830 isn’t exactly economical.

That’s why you see derivative mainstream GPUs. Think G94 to Nvidia’s G92 or RV620 to ATI’s RV670. They employ architectural elements from the full-strength GPU, but consume less die space. So long as ATI or Nvidia is able to sell enough of them to offset a separate chip design, they come out ahead.

A Mainstream Contender?

Enter ATI’s new Radeon HD 4770—the first GPU manufactured on a 40 nm process. As with the other models in the company’s HD 4000-series family, the HD 4770 is derived from the same popular RV770 design popularized by the Radeon HD 4870 and 4850 cards almost a year ago.

But this one sports a slightly different core arrangement. At the same time, it displaces ATI’s Radeon HD 4830, which centered on the same pricey RV770 GPU at 55 nm. Thus, we’ll be expecting at least comparable performance as we compare new to old.

If the Radeon HD 4770 is, in fact, able to stand up to the HD 4830, then the best news for value-oriented gamers will be this card’s price tag: $109. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “impressive” in conjunction with something you’d normally find in the bargain bin. However, playable frame rates at 1920×1200 might just deserve such an adjective if this new mainstream board turns out to be a contender. It’d be a real coup for ATI too, given the massive market for $100 video cards, according to the same Mercury Research data we cited in the Radeon HD 4890 story.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the Radeon HD 4770’s innards for a glimpse at why this card has potential to be a winner.

Superficially, the Radeon HD 4770’s specs look fairly similar to ATI’s Radeon HD 4830. But they’re completely unique GPUs. For example, the 4830 centers on the familiar 956 million transistor RV770 with two of its 10 SIMD units disabled, yielding 640 total stream processors and the ability to filter 32 textured pixels per clock (down from 800 and 40, respectively).

ATI’s Radeon HD 4830 retained all four of the RV770’s render back-ends (each of which could process four pixels and 16 Z/stencil operations per clock—that’s why you see these cards spec’ed out with 16 ROPS). The memory controllers carried over as well, enabling the same 256-bit memory bus employed on Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 boards. The main difference, of course, was that the 4850 and 4830 were only armed with GDDR3, while the 4870 sported GDDR5.

In comparison, the Radeon HD 4770’s architecture employs an 826 million transistor GPU armed with the same number of SIMD units available (eight). It also boasts 640 stream processors (128×5) and 32 texture units. So, from a front-end view, RV740 looks a lot like the RV770 after it was chopped up to become Radeon HD 4830.

The full complement of ROPs carries over too, processing 16 pixels and 16 Z/stencil ops per clock. Where you’ll notice the most significant difference is the memory configuration—two of the four 64-bit controllers are cut, leaving a 128-bit pathway. Because those memory controllers are connected to the render back-ends via a hub, they don’t need to be mapped on a 1:1 basis.

Now, you’d assume the halved memory bus (down from 256-bits) would hammer performance. But ATI is outfitting the Radeon HD 4770 with 512 MB of GDDR5 memory, able to move twice as much data per clock versus GDDR3. So, the 4770’s throughput actually turns out to still be respectable for a mainstream part.

The shift to 40 nm has seemingly allowed ATI to push clocks on its Radeon HD 4770 significantly higher than what it was willing to offer on the 4830. Stock, the GPU runs at 750 MHz (versus the 4830’s 575 MHz).

Though the 800 MHz memory clock would appear slower than the 4830’s 900 MHz operating frequency, it’s important to remember that GDDR5 provides doubled I/O throughput. Of course, the card’s 128-bit counteracts those benefits. Whereas Radeon HD 4830 served up roughly 57.6 GB/s, the 4770 pushes 51.2 GB/s.

Another benefit of the 40 nm transition is reduced board power. ATI claims the 4770 is rated for a maximum 80W, putting it just over what a PCI Express slot is able to supply on its own. That’s well under the 110W cited for the Radeon HD 4850, though—a board that we’ll see is within the 4770’s performance crosshairs.

	Radeon HD 4850	Radeon HD 4830	Radeon HD 4770	Radeon HD 4670	GeForce GTS 250
Manufacturing Process	55 nm TSMC	55 nm TSMC	40 nm TSMC	55 nm TSMC	55 nm TSMC
SPs	800	640	640	320	128
Core Clock	625 MHz	575 MHz	750 MHz	750 MHz	738 MHz
Shader Clock	625 MHz	575 MHz	750 MHz	750 MHz	1,836 MHz
Memory Clock	1,000 MHz GDDR3	900 MHz GDDR3	800 MHz GDDR5	1,100 MHz GDDR4	1,100 MHz GDDR3
Frame Buffer	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB	1 GB
Memory Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit	128-bit	128-bit	256-bit
ROPs	16	16	16	8	16
Price	~$129	~$90	$109	$80	~$129

In our Radeon HD 4890 review, we abstained from publishing overclocking results to avoid mis-representing what a retail sample of the card could really do.

This time around, however, we were simply too curious about the 40 nm shift and what it could mean for enthusiasts who don’t mind cranking the knobs on their brand new graphics cards. Bear in mind that this is still an early sample of the HD 4770—your mileage may vary.

With stock clocks of 750/800 MHz as our reference point, we settled on a stable 830/850 MHz combination of frequencies in 3D mode, maxing out ATI’s Overdrive utility. And while the core automatically scales back to 250 MHz on the Windows desktop, memory maintains a constant 850 MHz when it’s overclocked.

Performance increases attributable to overclocking are minor, but certainly measurable. In Far Cry 2, the best returns fall just short of 10%.The same goes for Stalker, another one of the most GPU-limited tests in our suite.

Cooling

ATI readily admits that the Radeon HD 4770’s reference cooling solution was borrowed from its old 3800-series boards. Apparently, the less-aggressive dual-slot cooler enables cost savings versus single-slot solutions—but who’s to say? This thing still employs a large copper heatsink, heatpipes, and a covered shroud, so we’re honestly not sure where the supposed savings really comes from.

But by the time you’re ready to buy a new graphics card, you might not even need to worry about it. Wave one of Radeon HD 4770s will be the bog standard reference cards, as expected; dual-slot coolers, two dual-link DVI outputs, and so on. The wave after will be the ones tweaked by board partners (and will likely include models with single-slot coolers, juiced clocks, and special bundles).

Of course, that’s when you’ll need to keep an eye out for price. Spend too much trying to doll up something that was good enough in its stock form and you’ll find yourself priced right out of the product’s original value proposition. A Radeon HD 4770 priced at $109 is what we have on the bench today, so assume reference across the board in your own comparisons.

One thing we do need to mention: the first Radeon HD 4770 that arrived had an early BIOS with a slightly “off” cooling ramp. It’d heat up, spin to full duty cycle for two seconds, then drop back down to idle. This was fixed by a second card sent out by ATI, along with a note stating all of the boards appearing at retail starting April 28^th would include the fixed BIOS. We were also able to fix the issue by manually keying in the fan speed.

SOUND

2009-08-27T07:46:00.004-07:00

Here we have something for you music making people out there. You have Win and OSX version available. Native Instruments KORE Line Deep Reconstructions contains 150 KoreSounds with a total of 1,200 distinct Sound Variations, this pack provides a world of intense and unconventional effects that youll find nowhere else. Fully exploring the potential of KORE, DEEP RECONSTRUCTIONS uses morph able multi-effect sounds built using the REAKTOR, ABSYNTH and GUITAR RIG engines, enabling you to re-arrange beats and melodies on the fly via time-based multi FX.

Description:
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Inside your Computer??

2009-08-27T07:46:00.003-07:00

Do you know what is inside your computer? Maybe you peeked when the service technician was installing something for you. When you first open up the CPU and look inside, a computer is a very threatening machine. But once you know about the different parts that make up a complete computer it gets a lot easier. Today’s computers consist of around eight main components; some of the advanced computers might have a few more components. What are these eight main components and what are they used for? We will start with beginner level details to get you started.

First is the Power Supply. The power supply is used to provide electricity to all of the components in your computer. It is usually a rectangular box and is usually positioned in one of the corners of the computer. To find it for sure, look to see where the power cable plugs into the back of the computer and you have found the power supply. Most power supplies today are calculated in wattage and come in 50 watt increments (500 watt, 550, 600, etc

Second is the Motherboard. All of the components are connected into the motherboard; it doesn’t mean that it is the brain of the computer. Yes it holds the brain and helps it act together with all the other components of the machine.

The third and a very important component of a computer is the CPU (Central Processing Unit), Known as the brain of the computer and nothing is going to happen without it. All major calculation performed by a computer are carried out inside its CPU. It is also responsible for activating and controlling the operations of other units of the system. The faster the CPU can do these calculations and give the correct answers, the faster the computer runs for the user. CPUs are now measured in gigahertz (Ghz) and they are at present up to our 3.8GHz or faster

A fourth component is the RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is used as momentary working storage for the computer. We have different types of RAM memory with different speed, but it should match with your motherboard so that it can work properly. The more RAM you have in your computer, the better your computer will work.

The fifth component is the Hard drive. This is where you can store everything. Our material on the hard drive includes the operating system (Windows XP, etc), games, and different types of software, etc. over the year the capacity of the hard drive is continuously improving and in the interval of few years its capacity have gone from around 20MB to over 500GB and more. So you can store a lot more information on your computer such as games, pictures, videos, applications, and more.

Sixth component is Cooling fans. Often most computers come with one cooling fan or it might have several. Its help to cool down the heat generated by others components, Such as power supply, the CPU, and some high-end video cards. The work of all of your cooling fans is to get this heat out of the case so that nothing overheats and breaks. While most of the noise you hear coming from a computer can be credited to the cooling fans, remember to be tolerant. The cooling fan is your friend!

Our Seventh and final component is the mixture of several different devices. These are the Cd-rom, DVD drives, floppy Drive and Backup devices such as external hard drive.

Latest compute processor

Latest computer processor provides high speed processing, great performance, effortless multitasking and a dramatic increase in your productivity. Get the most out of it with a new PC. Today’s desktops and notebooks offer greater performance, quality and reliability than ever before. These computers have 2X faster performance, less waiting, sleek designs and keep you productive, entertained and informed. New technology gives you the performance you need in the design you desire. Lets take a look on Next Generation processor.

NEW
Dual-Core processor

Core™2 Duo Processor

Quad-Core processor

IP

2009-08-27T07:46:00.001-07:00

When you talk about the Internet and web hosting, IP Address is a term that gets unlimited mention. And then you hear about two specific types commonly involved in hosting, Shared and Static IP Address. While it doesn’t necessarily take an expert to figure out the difference between the two, a basic understanding of how the Internet works goes a long way in explaining things.

All computers participating in any form of Internet activity are uniquely identified by a set of numbers they are assigned. Each time you type in a domain name on your browser’s address bar, you are requesting information from a domain as a set of numbers. In the same way, that domain will return your requested information by using its own set of identifying numbers as well. In other words, when you talk of Internet communication, everything happens between these sets of numbers with which a source computer and a destination computer are uniquely identified with. This unique set of numbers assigned to each computer is called an IP address.

This basic information about IP addresses will now make it possible to differentiate between Shared IP and Static IP. A Shared IP is one that is used by more than one site on the Internet while a Static IP address is one that is used by a single site. If you type in a Static IP on your browser’s address bar, you will be directed to the site which owns that Static IP, but if you enter a Shared IP, you’ll get to a server but not to the domain you want because this server wouldn’t know which particular site you’re trying to connect to.

The question is, why would you secure a Static IP and why would you be fine with a Shared IP? Basically, there is only one reason why a Static IP would be necessary – to secure sensitive information. With a Static IP, this information enters and leaves your site in coded form to avoid interception. Obviously, this is the IP address that makes e-commerce possible as well communication between government agencies and other institutions that handle confidential data.

The unfortunate truth is, whether you’re using Shared or Static, hackers could still wreak havoc on your system just by detecting your IP address. The Internet itself was created to detect IP addresses because this is how communication within the network is possible. However, the technology will not limit your ability to protect yourself when surfing. And your best weapon against hackers is to hide your IP address. Hiding your IP will make it impossible for anyone to even know you’re even there. And when they don’t know you’re there, you can go from one website to another without leaving a trail that could be traced back to you.

To hide your IP could be as simple as getting a working IP changer software to make sure that you’re all protected when you just can’t leave a thing to chance.

open the doors

2009-08-27T07:45:00.001-07:00

HOW. Because of this word entrepreneurs like you and me started on the exciting road of becoming business owners. For some it started with: How can I make my life better? or How can I better take care of my family? For many of us it was: How can I leave this dead end job and start anew? Sounds familiar? How is a powerful word, indeed.

But the power of HOW is not in the word itself, but in what comes after it. Each response to it opens new doors and takes you in a different direction. Without an honest answer to HOW a business cannot succeed. Without answering the most common How questions a business cannot take off and it can’t take off because there’s no business plan. Part of having a well developed business plan is to answer many “How to” questions. How do you bring customers? How do you turn your website visitors into buyers? How do I get a domain name? All questions that need an answer before you open your doors for business.

I want you to look at your business from top to bottom. Explore each answer to every one of your questions. How can I increase sales? Possible responses are: by increasing marketing efforts. How do you do that? By increasing my marketing budget or perhaps by starting an email campaign. Each response will probably create another How question but at the end of the exercise you will have a powerful picture of where you are and what you need to move your business forward. I have used this exercise successfully for my businesses and it works great when applied to your personal life as well.

During a discussion on this topic a person I mentor noted the simplicity of the concept and questioned why he had not thought of it before. He said he did think about most things but after the exercise he understood his business better. I don’t want to go into long explanations about business marketing or use this as a platform for fancy and confusing business terms. My goal is to make you aware of the smaller things that can sometimes make a difference between a successful business and one that struggles to make money.

I wish you luck and come back as I will explore other specific “How to” scenarios meant to guide you in the right direction.

Jose Rodriguez is a member of a private organization that teaches people how to start their own business. By becoming a member of this private society you’ll have access to the most cutting edge Tools, Training and Strategies to start your own online Empire!

TAX

2009-08-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

We know from having heard numerous stories reported again and again on TV and in newspapers over the years about “pork barrel” spending, that our government is not necessarily judicious in watching the purse strings (to say the least). However, I heard an expose reported by ABC news in Phoenix earlier this week that made my blood pressure rise.

The headline: “Social Security spends $700,000 on Phoenix conference.”

This investigative report was broken by Channel ABC 15 News in Phoenix (snipurl.com/ng2qk) and reported to the Social Security Administration and members of Congress, who are now conducting additional investigations. Here’s the story’s highlights:

675 Social Security managers attended a “motivational management” conference at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, a high-end Phoenix area resort last week that cost $700,000. The conference’s costs included airfare, hotel entertainment, dancers, motivational speakers, and food. The Social Security Administration provided ABC 15 with a list of courses offered at the conference, which included, “Techniques to Empower You,” Mentoring the Generations,” and “Emotional Intelligence.”

A spokesperson from the SSA’s regional office said the conference was essential, that teleconferencing was not an option, and that all 675 managers needed to meet in person. They did put the conference out to bid, and rooms for the conference were booked at $85 per night, versus the rack rate of $400 for a room during the prime tourist season. However, as you might note, it is not prime tourist season in Phoenix in July…..

The SSA omitted from their report to ABC 15 that the conference also included an after-hours casino trip, family members staying at the resort, or a dance that was observed by the reporters.

“This was a training conference. The location was selected through the government’s competitive bidding process. The facility that was selected was the lowest bidder, and we paid well-below the prescribed government rate.” Leslie Walker, Regional Communications Director, SSA.

By the way, Social Security trustees said in May that the program will begin paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2016, and the program’s trust fund will be depleted by 2037. 2016 is little more than six years away from now….

This story offends on so many levels. Let me count just a few of the the ways:

-They’re spending my money (and yours) on unnecessary perks and travel when they don’t have the funds. Repeat: they don’t have the money! When was the last time your company sent you to the Biltmore for a few days of motivational training?

- Why is there a different standard for the public sector versus the private sector? Since when it is acceptable to “do as I say, but not as I do?”

- Haven’t they heard about holding webinars and using GotoMeeting.com as an alternative to personal travel?

- Corporations and the banking industry in particular have been vilified by the Obama Administration, who promised during campaigns to cut waste in the government. In fairness, I do recall that Obama announced a 10% cut in the budgets of his director reports in February or March, which resulted in a couple hundred million saved. Yes, we need MUCH more of this kind of action. Every new major legislative proposal is presented as a cost saving initiative, yet how many trillions in debt are we now with no apparent end in sight for additional new Federal programs?

- How can these agencies continue to spend money they don’t have? Contrary to what Joe Biden (always interesting) said this week in a speech to the Association of Active Retired Persons (snipurl.com/oay25), everyone knows you STOP spending when you go bankrupt; you don’t spend MORE!

- Training & developing their managers is OK and economically justifiable for a major benefit program that has no assets that all of us have paid into for many, many years.

- What’s happened to fiduciary responsibility in the government? The SEC would throw the SSA execs in jail if it were a private sector agency, based upon the way it’s been managed. Essentially it’s a Ponzi scheme. There are no assets because the government has robbed Peter to pay Paul.

- What about the people who’ve paid into FICA for decades, counted on receiving retirement benefits from the SSA, are legitimately disabled, and/or worked in lower level jobs so they didn’t save enough money for retirement? Particularly after the financial “repression” we’ve experienced resulting in drastically reduced 401K balances and housing values, many “would-be retirees” are delaying retirement.

The hypocrisy and arrogance of the public sector and our politicians for both parties is just unbelievable to me!! We need leaders who are tough enough to take on the challenge of addressing the fact that the SSA is on the verge of bankruptcy and will fix it so it can be restored to serve its original purpose. It’s been pillaged & plunged for many years, and now we’re seeing the results of that greed and failure to control spending.

Several months ago, I wrote about Wells Fargo (snipurl.com/o95ov) buckling to public pressure and canceling their annual employee recognition event scheduled to be held in Las Vegas. They had the money set aside in their budget to pay for this event yet canceled it due to public pressure for TARP recipients regarding compensation practices.

What’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander anymore. I really worry about our future. California’s on the verge of going bankrupt with its recently downgraded credit rating just above junk bond status as our legislators fail to agree on viable budget solutions. Is our nation also at risk for going bankrupt a few years hence? Is the SSA situation simply a foreshadowing of bigger issues to come? How do we get out of this mess?

I’m going on vacation for a long weekend…..and hope to be more positive when I return!

Becky Regan, M.A., CCP began her own consulting practice in 1995, Regan HR, Inc. to provide human resources consulting services to businesses in California. She has been successful in growing her business through reputation and client referrals. Her work as a consultant includes the full spectrum of HR technical expertise, including C-level recruitment, compensation studies (design, market and executive pay studies, sales compensation plans), training & teaching, interim assignments as a HR Director for organizations, and employee relations, including workplace investigations and written responses to formal complaints. For more HR tips and to receive my FREE “The Top 5 Secrets to Building a Better Organization that Every HR Pro Must Know

business

2009-08-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

They say it’s almost impossible to call the top of the business cycle or the bottom of a recession. Usually, it is six months after the fact until anyone knows for sure that a recession is occurring or that a recession has ended. This is because often recessions test themselves at the bottom and may go lower and it’s hard to say where the bottom is while you are in it.

Of course, the same thing goes for the top of the business cycle. No one knows for sure when we hit the apex because sometimes it goes down a little bit and then goes back up. So, when I was recently asked if it is time to start a business yet, and if this recession was over, I said it depends while addressing a college class of MBA students. The reality of the question is quite interesting; because it depends on which type of business they will be entering, and which industry.

Different industry sectors expand and contract at different times based on a multitude of variables. This is not a time that I would start an airline, an auto manufacturing company, a home residential construction company, or a bank that makes home loans, but I might start a service company of some type. I might start a wholesale company that sells to “first to recover” type of industry and to the public. So it really depends.

One thing I can tell you is there is a lot of money to be made when you buy everything at the lowest possible prices, right now everything is inexpensive, that means the equipment that will be needed to run a new business, the land or the buildings that the business will be located at, and even hiring top talent; it won’t get any cheaper than it is now and that’s always a consideration.

Any good stockbroker will tell you the way to make money in stocks is to “Buy low and sell high!” So I’d like you to consider that if you’re thinking about getting into a business. Now might actually be a very good choice and good timing. Please consider all this.

Shipping

2009-08-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Shipping is a very important part of a business. Shipping times and quality of shipments can make or break any business. In this article I am going to explain how to ship and how to properly prepare your shipments so your customers are happy and come back to give you business.

When figuring out how to ship, the most important thing you will learn is that packaging is key. Making sure your products are packed tight and right will keep your customers coming back for more. It also saves your business time and money on returns, defects, and broken shipments. The first thing you need to do is make sure your boxes are the correct size for your products.

Each item should only have about 4-5 inches of area around the product being shipped. It’s also smart to properly pack your boxes with bubble wrap or some other packaging material. When boxing an item for shipping remember to first lay your packaging material first, then put your item into the box. After this put your bubble wrap or packaging on all sides of the product. Once it’s snug in the box, finish it up with packaging material on the top of the product so the product is secure from all sides. This will help keep your products safe and reliable on delivery.

Learning how to ship can sometimes be a grueling process but once you get the hang of it, its really quite simple. Just remember that people like their products fast and not broken. If you remember these two simple things you will figure out how to ship in no time

2009-05-28T08:32:00.001-07:00

A Singapore man undergoing treatment for cancer was detained for four hours by U.S. immigration officials after the drug he was taking caused his fingerprints to disappear.

Foreign visitors undergo mandatory fingerprint screening when they enter the United States.

Now, the unidentified man's oncologist is asking patients taking the commonly used drug, capecitabine, to carry a doctor's note when they travel to the United States.

The oncologist, Eng-Huat Tan of the National Cancer Center in Singapore, described the encounter in a letter published in the current issue of the cancer journal Annals of Oncology.

The 62-year-old cancer patient, identified as Mr. S, eventually was allowed to enter the United States and visit relatives after officials determined he did not pose a security threat.

According to the oncologist, the patient had neck and head cancer that had spread. He responded well to chemotherapy.

To prevent a recurrence, doctors placed him on capecitabine, marketed in the United States as Xeloda.

2009-05-28T08:31:00.002-07:00

Google spent Wednesday morning trying to get developers excited about the next generation of Web technologies by showing off how future Web applications will mimic desktop apps.

"It's time for us to take advantage of [this]. . .amazing opportunity," Google's Eric Schmidt told developers.

"It's time for us to take advantage of the amazing opportunity that is before us," said Google CEO Eric Schmidt, kicking off Google I/O 2009 in San Francisco. Schmidt was referring to the growing sense that the Internet and browsers--rather than a computer's operating system--will be the future foundation for application development.

The industry isn't quite ready for that yet. Many of applications demonstrated before the crowd of around 4,000 developers will require the widespread adoption of HTML 5 technologies, which are still under development by a consortium of companies and organizations.

Still, Google's Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering, noted that the four modern open standards browsers (Firefox, Safari, Chrome,and Opera) are all adopting some HTML 5 technologies as they become more stable, taking every opportunity possible to ding Microsoft's Internet Explorer for lagging behind the other four browsers.

However, offstage after his keynote, Gundotra downplayed any conflict with Microsoft, noting that its task in moving toward HTML 5 is more complex because of the large number of enterprises running Internet Explorer, and the possibility that internal applications developed for that browser could break. "As they follow through, they are going to have a huge impact on moving the Web forward," he said.

Gundotra showed off how Web applications will be able to take advantage of five main HTML 5 concepts: canvas tags, video tags, geolocation, application caching and database, and Web Workers.

2009-05-28T08:31:00.001-07:00

A crude bomb made from a water bottle was used in an explosion that damaged a Starbucks coffee shop on New York's posh Upper East Side, New York police said.

Monday's explosion shattered glass at the Manhattan Starbucks coffee shop. No one was injured.

The Memorial Day explosion damaged the shop, but no one was injured and no motive has been identified for the bombing.

"We believe it to be ... a six- to 10-ounce water bottle that was wrapped in black tape," New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told CNN on Wednesday.

He said the bomb's powder may have come from fireworks components, including a fuse. The powder was placed inside the bottle in a way that made it "more powerful," Kelly said.

He said a forensics unit is working on finding fingerprints.

The homemade bomb, which went off around 3:30 a.m., shattered glass, but no one was injured. The store was not open. Police have said the device was planted under a wooden bench outside the coffee shop.

"We have a witness who believes he saw two young people he describes as teenagers, both white males," the commissioner said. One is described as blond, wearing a red shirt, and the other had brown hair and wore a gray shirt.

Kelly said the witness saw the two approach the Starbucks, then looked away. After the witness heard the blast, he said he saw the two young people run away from the building.

Kelly said that for now, it's impossible to say whether the bombing was politically motivated.

"We don't know if they were a corporate target or somebody had a problem [with] what was going on on that corner, in general ... we're not ruling anything out."

In 1999, a Starbucks in Seattle, Washington, was vandalized during a world trade conference. In February 2008, a Vancouver Starbucks and another restaurant were damaged by an overnight explosion.

2009-05-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Meet Kaden, bomb-sniffing dog in training.

His name, a Gaelic word meaning "little battle," is fitting for the energetic 12-pound puppy with a perky tail that curls like a cinnamon bun.

At 4 months old, Kaden is a playful, black- and white-coated basenji being schooled at Georgia K9 National Training Center. Once fully trained, he will assist federal and local police officers as well as private corporations in nosing out deadly explosives at schools, airports and public events.

His detective skills can potentially save thousands of lives in an era where law enforcement agencies are aggressively fighting against drugs and terrorist attacks.

"Think about a scenario like the 1996 Olympic bombings," says Kaden's trainer Jeff Schettler, a cheery man who has coached hundreds of dogs to sniff out bombs, drugs, missing people and corpses since the mid-1990s.

Police dogs remain the most affordable and reliable solution to solving crimes that require scent detection, police officers say. Trained dogs can track down cocaine camouflaged inside car seats. They can find children who have mysteriously vanished overnight. Detection dogs can even weed out pest-infested apples and oranges accidentally left in suitcases at airports.

"They are a growing aspect of law enforcement," says Jim Watson, secretary at the North American Police Work Dog Association and a handler for decades.

Earlier this month, investigators were baffled during the international manhunt for George Zinkhan, a former University of Georgia professor accused of fatally shooting his wife and two other people.

Two weeks into the search, two cadaver dogs, a German shepherd named Circe and an Australian shepherd named Madison, arrived. Within 10 hours, the dogs picked up the scent of Zinkhan's remains in a shallow pit hidden in a thick forest. Once the dogs neared the suspect's body, they gave their handlers personalized signals. Circe barked excitedly. Madison lay down.

Trainer Jeff Schettler explains Kaden is an unlikely candidate for police work. Basenjis, a breed that originated in central Africa, are usually used as hunting or show dogs. There are only two other trained police dog basenjis recorded by the North American Police Work Dog Association.

Most trainers in the police dog world dislike experimenting with new dogs, preferring to stick to breeds with a proven track record. Most law enforcement agencies rely on Belgian Malinoises and German shepherds for detection work because of their protective yet friendly personalities, but labs, bloodhounds and beagles also can be used.

"We're not trying to fix anything," Schettler says. "We're trying to enhance it."

Schettler points out some of Kaden's advantages: The dog's weight will peak at about 25 pounds, enabling him seamlessly to sift between cramped luggage and lockers. Kaden is barkless because basenjis have an oddly shaped larynx, ideal for quiet searches.

On a recent rainy Saturday morning at the Georgia K9 National Training Center, little Kaden undergoes testing. Passing the exam depends on his whiffing talents.

Upon the instructor's command, Kaden's pencil-thin legs playfully trot along the damp grass to an oversize wall scattered with dozens of holes. His instructor has hidden black gunpowder wrapped in pantyhose in one of the holes.

If Kaden's nose sniffs out the gunpowder, he will immediately sit.

Kaden begins on the left side, quickly taking a zigzag pattern from one hole to another. His pace is methodical, a sniff for each hole. Soon he slows, pauses, inhales again and then sinks his tiny hindquarters to the ground.

"What a good boy," coo several of Kaden's trainers, stroking his sleek fur and rewarding him with one of his favorite treats, torn bits of venison jerky.

As Kaden nibbles on his treat, Schettler admits there are drawbacks to training basenjis. Basenjis don't have a furry coat to endure cold weather like a German shepherd.

Basenjis are also a highly independent, stubborn breed with personalities similar to cats, making them difficult to train. Kaden's personality, however, is contrary to most basenjis. He was culled from a litter in Atlanta at 7 days old because of his unusual sociability with humans.

"At eight weeks, he was in the airport going up to people and running around like he owned the place," Schettler says.

Training detection dogs such as Kaden often begins during puppyhood so imprinting scent differentiation becomes innate, handlers say. Puppies are selected based on breed purity, confidence, sociability and temperament.

In any training program, there are doggie dropouts. In those instances, the puppies become pets.

Jeter goes to bat for A-Rod; first Yanks practice uneventful

2009-02-18T21:31:00.002-08:00

TAMPA — New York Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter said he doesn't condone Alex Rodriguez's use of an illegal performance-enhancing drug, but he supports his teammate.

"You ask me if I believe him, I believe him," Jeter said Wednesday after the team's first full-squad workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. "He said it was in the past. Family members make mistakes. You may be disappointed, but you don't lose respect.

DUMPED INXS frontman

2009-02-18T21:31:00.001-08:00

DUMPED INXS frontman JD Fortune has lifted the lid on his humiliating exit from the Aussie rock legends, with the reality TV show winner admitting success turned him to drugs and he is now broke and living in his car.

The 35-year-old - picked to front the group after winning 2005 series Rockstar: INXS - told Canada’s Entertainment Tonight he was unceremoniously given the boot at a Hong Kong airport.

He is now homeless and desperate to launch a solo career.

"I don't know where I am going from sofa to sofa, from night to night. I am trying to get through my life," Fortune said.

"I was in an airport at Hong Kong and literally got a handshake. They said, 'Thank you very much'. I found myself really alone because I had travelled with these guys for 23 months."

Cross-posted to Building & Grounds

2009-02-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Even the giant of higher education is not immune to the ills of the current economy. Drew Gilpin Faust, president of Harvard University, said in two letters issued today that the university will reconsider many of its building plans amid the economic downturn.

“The current yearly endowment distribution — the dollars we take out of the endowment to support activities across the university — is approximately 50 percent higher than it was when the endowment was last at the value we expect as of next June 30,” Ms. Faust wrote in an overview letter. “Tinkering around the edges will not be enough.”

A university’s buildings are inevitably a source of tremendous costs, and Ms. Faust said that Harvard officials would reassess space needs on the university’s campuses. Of particular focus is the planned development of the Allston campus, where work has begun on a 500,000-square-foot science complex that would be built to green standards.

In light of the economic downturn, “I asked our financial and capital planning teams to assess our options with regard to the complex,” Ms. Faust wrote in a separate “Allston update” letter. Construction of the science complex will continue at a slower pace while the reassessment is being considered; the foundation will be completed, a process that would have to be finished regardless of what gets built on top.

“During this time, we will rigorously review the project, including calling on any experts that may be required to work with us in assessing the building design and developing a detailed cost analysis,” the Allston letter continued. “As we approach the end of the current construction phase, we will examine whether economic conditions are enough improved to allow us to continue construction, or whether to reconfigure the building in ways that yield either new cost savings or new space realization, or whether we need to pause construction. Any decision will, of course, depend on our ability to proceed without compromising the university’s long-term financial health, and any decision will engage our academic community, the City of Boston, and the Allston Task Force in any necessary changes.” —Scott Carlson

2008-09-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

Amita Talwar belongs to a rare breed.

A journalist turned publisher turned documentary maker turned photographer, she has enjoyed every role that came her way to the core.

A photographer with a different focus, Amita Talwar was recently in Chennai for her solo photography exhibition.

‘I love travelling. It is like a spiritual quest for something. Here I experience the creator and I can feel the magic,’ says a beaming Amita as she sits amongst her favorite snaps at Sarala’s Art World, Alwarpet.

And these travels have given her unexpected wonders by way of nature and human beings.

We begin to look at nature with renewed respect once we see her photographs in the prakrithi category. They seem to evoke some kind of mysticism in our minds.

The photographs taken during her innumerable travels around the country tell us that she is a born photographer. Sri Nagar, Dal lake, Jaipur, Prayag mela at Allahabad, Chattisgarh, Leh, Ladakh and Bhutan come alive in her photographs.

‘I can see peace in all these pictures. whether it be a Buddhist or a Hindu or an Islamic symbol, they all mean the same to me,’ says Amita.

Interestingly enough temples, rituals and human conditions dominate Amita’s work.

‘I don’t like city temples. They don’t have the beauty of village ones. We need to go to a village to discover the charm of old temples,’ she asserts.
Amita inherited the art of photography from her father Dayakrishna Puri.

Her childhood in Patiala was amongst thousands of black and white photographs clicked by her father, and thus the love for the medium grew upon her.

The editor and publisher of Channel 6 , a monthly magazine published from Hyderabad and Secundarabad Amita has been seriously pursuing photography for the last six years.

And now she has thousands of photographs to her credit. ‘ Video shooting demands that we wait for the programme and also needs huge amounts of money. Besides we need to take help of others. But photography is a one person activity and I enjoy it like anything,’ she says.

A high mega pixel camera she uses ensures a 300 dpi resolution.
Amita believes in upholding the ethics of her profession. She would never invade into other people’s privacy in the name of photography.

‘Prior permission should be obtained before one begins taking pictures. By god’s grace there is no need to take permission for nature photographs,’ she jokes.

There is a larger cause behind her photo exhibitions. The funds so raised will finally contribute to building of schools for the handicapped in Hawaali village in Chattisgarh and Ludhiana in Punjab

2008-09-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Kunnakudi takes the final bow

Tue, 09 Sep, 2008,03:42 PM

An ample forehead smeared with sacred ash and scarlet Kumkum right at the centre.

Amongst a sea of musicians it was hard to miss Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan.

The man and his music were familiar to the scholars of Carnatic music and the laymen alike.

Kunnakudi (he was readily identified with the name of his native rather than the name given to him to by his parents) did what most musicians of his generations considered almost blasphemous.

It was his efforts that took Carnatic music within the reach of the layman. He was a craftsman who simplified Classical music for the common listener and made him appreciate it. The term janaranjagam found true meaning in his music.

Born in 1935 at Kunnakudi to Ramaswamy Sastri and Meenakshi, Vaidyanathan evinced keen interest in Carnatic music since his young age. He mastered his music under the tutelage of his father who was a scholar in Sanskrit besides being proficient in Classical music .

Even at a young age, he accompanied stalwarts like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer and Maharajapuram Santhanam on the violin. He also performed with nagaswara vidwans like T N Rajarathinam Pillai and Thiruvenkadu Subramania Pillai.

Known for his dexterity and subtlety in handling the violin, he catered not only to a scholar of music but also to a layman. His music reflected his own different moods and the demands of his audience with whom he established and enjoyed a good rapport.

He dwelt with ease and competence in the high as well as the low octaves.

A man of many talents, he ventured into the film industry with Vaa Raja Vaa. In the film Deivam, his composition Marudamalai mamaniyae murugaiyya became an evergreen hit.

He had composed music for several films including Agathiyar and Raja Raja Chozhan. He even produced a Tamil musical titled Thodi Ragam featuring Carnatic vocalist T N Seshagopalan.

Vaidyanathan made a special appearance in the Tamil blockbuster movie Anniyan directed by Shankar. He appeared for a scene on the Thiruvaiyaar music festival which preluded the song Iyengaaru Veetu in the film.

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan stopped accompanying vocal artistes in 1976 so as to concentrate on his solo concerts. He is well known for his experiments on the violin, which he referred as fingering techniques.

He was conferred the Padma Shri by the Indian government. He received several honours including Kalaimamani, Sangita Mamani etc.

He served as the president of Raaga Research Centre. Kunnakudi had contributed to the cause of theatres too. During his tenure as the president of Tamilnadu Iyal, Isai, Nataka Manram, he encouraged several new talents.

The Carnatic music fraternity has expressed its deep shock at the sudden demise of Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan on Monday. Kunnakudi, breathed his last at his residence in Mylapore following a cardiac arrest.

Expressing shock at his death, violinists duo Ganesh and Kumaresh said, ‘it is a big loss to Carntic music world. He was a guide for many aspiring musicians. He took up intense research in raagas and took Classical music to the common man.’

‘The annual music festival in Thiruvaiyaru will lose its charm without the presence of Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. His loss is irrevocable’, they added.

According to Carnatic vocalist O S Thyagarajan, ‘Vaidyanathan was a popular name, who rendered yeoman service to Carnatic music. His demise is an irrevocable loss’.

Says dramatist Raadhu, ‘I shared a good raport with Kunnakudi since 1954. He had a zeal to excel in his chosen field. A great scholar and a philosopher, Kunnakudi encouraged everyone and was generous with his praise for real talents.’

He took music close to the layman and always played to the gallery, he added.

‘Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was a great violinist and had no equal in the field. He brought a status to the violin. His achievements cannot be numbered. He had a helping tendency and was responsible for helping many artistes obtain the recognition they deserved. His research on the healing effects of various ragas, was a great contribution to the medical world. He was a close associate of mine and his demise is a personal loss and a great loss to the music world’, said violinist M S Anantharaman.

‘He was a perfect gentleman, a capable administrator and great violinist. He produced melodious music that could entertain and appeal to all sections of people. He made the violin his very own and gave it a special status. His demise is a great loss to the music world’, said violinist M S Gopalakrishnan.

2008-09-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

High alert has been sounded all across Tamilnadu following the serial blasts in Delhi. The blasts in the national capital last night claimed over 20 lives besides injuring 100.

The Tamilnadu police have taken up extensive preventive measures across the State. A round-the-clock vigil has been taken up in Chennai and police conducted vehicular checks last night.

A team of police led by City Police Commissioner Sekar raided lodges and hotels last night. A total of 408 persons have been taken into preventive custody.

Security has been beefed up at Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi, Tuticorin, Vellore, Salem. Police personnel have been deployed at all places of worship including Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple, Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, Thanjavur Brahadeeshwarar temple and Nellaiappar temple in Thirunelveli.

‘We are not taking any chance and have increased patrolling’, a senior police official said.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at the Chennai airport, railway stations and bus stands. Cops have been deployed in large numbers at these exit and entry points. The passengers are allowed to enter these places only after thorough frisking by the cops.

2008-09-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign announced that it raised USD 66 million in August, marking another record fundraising month for the Democrat.

The August total was second to the USD 55 million Obama raised last February during the primary campaign. He reached the USD 66 million mark with help from more than a half million new donors.

Obama's total for August was almost USD 20 million more than the USD 47 million Republican rival John McCain raised last month.

Obama's campaign said that with the latest figures he had more than USD 77 million in cash on hand. More details about the campaigns' finance are expected later this week, when their monthly financial reports are due at the Federal Election Commission.

Obama, a prodigious fundraiser, has decided not to accept public financing for the general election, choosing instead to spend as much money as he can raise on his historic bid to put a Democrat back in the White House.

Republican candidate John McCain has accepted public financing, which limits his direct spending to the USD 84 million he received after the Republican convention earlier this month.

Obama's fundraisers have estimated that he still has to do better in September and October, than the August haul of USD 66 million, to remain on par with McCain and the Republican National Committee.

2008-09-05T23:53:00.001-07:00

London, Aug 31: The Olympic torch relay before the 2012 Olympics will be limited to Britain after protests spoiled the worldwide relay ahead of the Beijing Games.

Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, told The Sunday Times that she had "a lot of enthusiasm" for the idea of the torch being taken round the "villages, towns and cities in the UK". Jowell, unveiling plans for four years of lead-up events, starting next month, said in an interview: "There would be no more powerful way of making them feel part of the Olympics, would there?"

Although welcoming the world will be one of the themes of the Cultural Olympiad that begins on the weekend of September 26, the torch relay is set to be restricted to Britain.

China's decision to take the torch around the world turned into a global protest by pro-Tibet campaigners, who tried to wrestle the torch from the hands of runners on stages in Europe.

The Beijing torch was surrounded by tracksuit-wearing security minders on its troubled passage around the globe.

The plans for Britain's Olympics, to be decared this week, show an effort to create a more welcoming atmosphere.

A week ahead of the opening ceremony on July 27, 2012, two days of free performances will take place on five stages along the Thames representing the continents and Olympic rings.

The World River weekend will mark the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, which begins, with the Open Weekend next month.

Events include the illumination of Windsor Castle and other landmarks in the colours of London 2012.

Highlights over the coming four years will include festivals, free performances and the commissioning of a series of public works of art in each of the nine English regions, and one each in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

These will become national focal points for the Olympic celebrations and new works could include sculptures on the scale of the 65ft-high Angel of the North.

Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst could be among those approached to help the Arts Council choose winners from ideas submitted.

Jowell also disclosed that organisers have shaved 1.5 billion pounds off the cost of the Games by simplifying the design of the main stadium and aquatic centre, and reducing the size of the Olympic Park.

She admitted more money than originally predicted would be needed, but insisted the total cost to taxpayers would not rise above the 9.3 billion pounds budget.

"There's no more money. None from the taxpayer, none from the lottery, none from the government," she said.

Jowell, who has returned from three weeks in Beijing, said there were lessons to be learnt from China's experience.

Although the 2008 Games were acclaimed as the most spectacular ever, there were empty seats at events, security was often overzealous, and the opening and closing shows were considered too long.

Jowell believes there is a "good case" for staging shorter ceremonies and has staked her reputation on ensuring venues are packed.

"My ambition is to see seats filled, every Londoner having the opportunity to see some event, and people being able to come from around the country. It's not simple, but we are determined to crack this," she said

2008-09-05T23:52:00.001-07:00

New Delhi/Vienna, Sep 6: US plan to lift a ban on India on the nuclear commerce was stalled from Friday, Sep 5 to Saturday after the revised proposal of India towards nuclear deal failed to get an approval from the NSG member countries, because it did not bind India to refrain from conducting nuclear bomb tests, diplomats said. The 45 member Nuclear supplier Group (NSG) of IAEA will resume their meeting at 2.30 pm on Saturday, Sep 6 to declare India 'clean waiver' after 34 years of long wait towards nuclear deal.

In an attempt to convince the smaller countries opposing NSG waiver for India, US diplomats have been engaged with the diplomats of smaller countries. The waiver document has already gone through two set of changes.

"You are probably aware that the Indian government has released a significant statement today with respect to India's non proliferation commitments. I report that statement has made a substantial impact on the governments of the NSG and that has facilitated the progress that we achieved today. US remains committed to reaching consensus in Vienna at the NSG to allow for nuclear trade with India." US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security John Rood said.

"This is an important matter. This is a serious subject that is given a very serious discussion by our colleagues and I remain optimistic that we can achieve our objective to reach a consensus here," Rood said.

There were six countries opposing the NSG waiver for India at the start of the meeting, but at the end of round two that concluded at 2 am on Saturday, Austria and Ireland remained unconvinced. The rejection came stating that the amended language presented to them individually by US officials was 'inadequate'.

The two countries said India must categorically commit to refrain from nuclear tests and the document must spell out what kind of 'automatic reprisal' would follow in the event of transgression.

"Even though the negotiations could take more time, there might be a nod for the NSG waiver," said Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Peter Launsky.

"Austria understands the importance of the nuclear deal for India. Austria appreciates significance of the fact that India is able to meet her energy needs. The Ministry of External Affairs said that the ongoing efforts should strengthen international non-proliferation. The objective of Austria going to the NSG meeting is that the result should reflect a net gain for the international security" he said.

"The participants have shown a constructive spirit. Efforts are on to include some auxiliary measures that would compliment existing draft and thus net gain for international security. There are ways and means of extending the limit of the talks by few hours," he added.

Ruling out any substantive changes, India has rejected any attempt to add a clause on testing to the waiver document. However, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said that India was committed to non-proliferation and a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing went a long way in converting sceptic countries over to its side.

Diplomats in vienna are altering the document to make it acceptable from all NSG members.

Even though the negotiations failed to make headway, sources say the fact that the talks haven"t broken down indicate that all the 45 NSG nations hope to evolve a consensus soon. According to the NSG rules, the waiver must be approved unanimously for it to be adopted.

2008-09-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

Nagpur, Sep 6: President Pratibha Patil will arrive here on Saturday, Sep 6 on a two-day visit to Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. After reaching Nagpur by a special flight, the President will fly to Achalpur in Amravati District for laying the foundation stone of Finlay Mills.

After reaching Nagpur by a special flight, the President will fly to Achalpur in Amravati District for laying the foundation stone of Finlay Mills.

After an overnight stay at Amravati, the president will flag off a twice-a-week Amravati-Mumbai train on Sunday afternoon and lay the foundation stone for modernization of Amravati Railway Station. Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir, Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil are attending the President"s programmes. Patil will fly back to New Delhi the same evening via Nagpur.

2008-09-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Sep 5: Patiala High Court on Friday, Sep 5, sentenced Sanjeev Nanda, the key accused in the 1999 BMW hit and run case for five years. Businessman Rajiv Gupta gets one year rigorous imprisonment. A fine of Rs 10,000 is imposed on him. Six month jail was granted for helpers Bhola Nath and Shyam Singh also Rs 100 each to his two employees who were held guilty under section 201(destruction of evidence) of the IPC.

Sanjeev Nanda, I award you five years jail term and the time earlier spent by you inside the jail would be deducted," said Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar, who had earlier convicted him under a stringent penal provision which carries a maximum punishment of 10

2008-09-05T23:48:00.001-07:00

No immediate cut in Deora

New Delhi, Sep 5: The government on Friday, Sep 5 ruled out any immediate reduction in fuel prices, even as global crude oil prices have softened.

''...international prices will have to fall further to trigger a retail price reduction,'' Petroleum Minister Murli Deora told reporters here. Crude oil is being trade at over 106 dollar a barrel which is at the lowest level since April 4. ''Please pray that prices come down further so that we can consider reducing fuel prices,'' he said. The oil marketing companies such as IOC, HPCL and BPCL are are losing about Rs 400 crore per day on sale of petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene.

2008-09-05T23:47:00.001-07:00

Gujarat Chief Minister is a teacher too... Impressed by Laloo's antics, Narendra Modi is the new politician to join the bandwagon of 'teaching' or shall we say 'preaching'. Students in schools and colleges across Gujarat were made to attend a one-hour Modi sermon. The programme, which was telecast live by Doordarshan Kendra, Gujarat.

A notice well before Teacher's Day was sent to all colleges and schools in Gujarat telling Narendra Modi will address the students. Modi also made it mandatory for students to watch this programme attentively, whether they want it or not. The District education officers made sure there were TV sets with cable connections in schools and colleges. The students were also administered an oath by the CM. A copy of the pledge was dispatched to all schools and the principals were asked to distribute photocopies to their students so that they can read the oath correctly.

2008-09-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

Islamabad, Sep 6: Pakistan holds a presidential election on Saturday, Sep 6 to replace Pervez Musharraf, who resigned on August 18 under threat of impeachment by the coalition government led by the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistan's ruling PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari appears set to sweep the presidential poll and would be expected to tackle problems like rising militancy and economic malaise after his election. Security will be tight as voting begins at 10 am on Saturday. Zardari has already moved house due to fears of attempts being made on his life.

2008-08-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

MPs released as Zimbabwe parliament convenes

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- The parliament that Zimbabwean voters elected five months ago finally convened Monday, but not before police briefly detained two opposition members.

Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC faction has a slim majority following parliamentary elections.

The election for parliament speaker is expected after President Robert Mugabe swears in members.

Two members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were arrested as they arrived at the opening session, but they were released after a short time, according to a government spokesman.

An MDC official said the arrests were part of the "sinister agenda of this regime" to "tilt the balance of numbers in their favour during the voting for the speaker of parliament."

One of those detained -- Shuwa Mudiwa -- appeared back in parliament, but the other member -- Elia Jembere -- was not seen, according to sources.

Government spokesman Bright Matonga said Jembere had been accused of rape, but that he has been released from custody.

A third member -- Elton Mangoma -- escaped an arrest attempt when other party members came to his rescue, MDC officials said.

Attendance at the session of parliament is important since the membership is closely divided between the MDC and the Mugabe's ZANU-PF.

The ruling ZANU-PF party lost its majority in the 210-seat parliament in elections in March, but vote recounts and political violence have delayed the body from convening until now.

Final results gave 100 seats to an MDC faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai, the party's presidential candidate. President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF got 99 seats. An offshoot of the main MDC party, led by Arthur Mutambara, won 10 seats. An independent candidate won one seat.

After the swearing-in ceremony, parliament is to vote on a speaker, the fourth most powerful post in the country. ZANU-PF will seek to re-elect incumbent John Nkomo. The two rival MDC factions have not agreed on a common candidate.

Tsvangirai's MDC has put forward its national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, for speaker, while Mutambara's smaller MDC faction is pushing senior party member Paul Themba Nyathi for the post, senior MDC sources said.

Tsvangirai, who was locked in a bitter presidential contest with Mugabe, had objected to Mugabe's decision to convene Zimbabwe's parliament, saying it could "decapitate" power-sharing talks that have been on hold for the past two weeks.

Still, Tsvangirai said he would attend the swearing-in ceremony.

MDC party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said all MDC members elected to parliament were expected to attend "except those few MPs who are still in hiding."

2008-08-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

Indians arrest Kashmir separatists

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- Indian authorities in Kashmir arrested more than a dozen pro-separatist leaders and placed the divided Himalayan region under an around-the-clock curfew to scuttle a planned pro-independence rally Monday.

Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers enforce curfew restrictions in Srinagar on August 24.

Still, stone-pelting mobs took the streets, clashing with police and security forces. One person was killed and 40 others were wounded, officials said.

Separatist groups had planned Monday's sit-in at Lal Chowk, or Red Square, to oppose Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region. Over the last two weeks, protesters have held several such demonstrations calling for independence.

Security forces shut down all roads leading into the city and put up corrugated tin sheets and barbed wires to barricade Lal Chowk.

The political leaders were rounded up in pre-dawn raids at their residences. Among them were Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who head the hardline and the moderate factions of the region's separatist parties.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. The region has been the cause of two wars between the two countries.

Authorities say an Islamic insurgency in the region has claimed up to 43,000 lives since 1989, but human rights groups say the toll could be double.

Violence had dropped off since the two countries launched a peace process in 2004, but surged again after the state government announced a plan in June to donate land to a Hindu shrine, generating massive protests by Muslims.

Hindus took to the streets demanding it be restored and 30 people died in subsequent clashes between police and protesters.

2008-08-25T04:50:00.000-07:00

China releases eight U.S. Olympics protesters

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Eight Americans arrested for planning or staging protests in Beijing were deported to the United States on Sunday, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.

A plainclothes security official, bottom, grabs a Tibetan flag from three pro-Tibet activists in Beijing Thursday.

The U.S. Ambassador to China, Clark T. Randt Jr., had criticized the Chinese government for holding the Americans for several days.

He said it was the first time he knew of that a foreign national was detained for more than a few hours after being detained for protesting during the Olympic Games, which ended Sunday.

Six American members of the group "Free Tibet Reporters" and two Americans who unfurled a "Free Tibet" banner were put on a China Air flight to Los Angeles about 9 p.m. Sunday (1300 GMT), said Nick Snyder, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Chinese law allows police to hold foreign nationals in jail for up to two weeks before pressing formal charges, but most other foreign protesters that China detained were held for only a few hours before authorities deported them.

The six members of "Free Tibet Reporters" were held for about four days, the embassy said, while the other two Americans were detained for about three days.

"We urge China to take positive steps to address international and domestic concerns about its record on human rights and religious freedom," Snyder said.

2008-08-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

Russia signs cease-fire, tensions remain high..

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed the cease-fire plan designed to end its military conflict with Georgia, his office says.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a cease-fire deal designed to end the conflict with Georgia.

However, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said it would not completely withdraw from Georgian territory until troops had finished cleaning up ammunition, weapons and boobytraps left behind by Georgian troops.

Medvedev saw the cease-fire as "very positive," said spokesman Andrei Nesterenko Saturday.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signed the deal Friday, during a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

It has been the toughest week in east-west relations since the end of the Cold War after Georgia launched an offensive against the Russian-allied separatist government in South Ossetia and Russia responded by invading, the conflict also spreading to a second breakaway region -- Abkhazia.

The fighting has died down, but Russian troops remained within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of Georgia's capital Tbilisi Saturday, and were still on the western front around the breakaway section of Abkhazia, according to CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.

Nesterenko told CNN the troops were "completing security operations," which included removing "huge depots" of ammunition and equipment and boobytraps left behind by retreating Georgian troops.

The fighting has raised fears a new era of east-west confrontation was drawing closer, which was worsened Friday by Russian anger over a U.S. deal with Poland to base part of its missile shield in the country.

The deal, signed Thursday, would see U.S. interceptor rockets based in Poland and linked to an air-defense radar system in the Czech Republic.

Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a top Russian officer, highlighted Russia's anger with the system, saying that Poland was now at risk of attack, perhaps with nuclear weapons, The Associated Press reported.

Poland moved to diffuse the situation Saturday, saying it was open to Russian inspections of the missile interceptor base, AP reported. However, the Ukraine said it was interested in joining a joint missile defense system with other European countries.

Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesman Liubov Abravitova would not specify if it was referring to the U.S. system. Watch devastation in port of Poti »

Ukraine also warned Russia it may not allow its ships involved in blockading Georgian ports to return to Crimea bases it leases from Ukraine.

The U.S. maintains its missile shield is to deter rogue attacks from Iran, but Russia says it is aimed at it.

The level of rhetoric on both sides has grown louder through the week, U.S. President George W. Bush chiding Russia for Cold War-style behavior in its territorial conflict with Georgia, accusing it of "bullying and intimidation."

Medvedev said Russia would "guarantee" peace in the Caucasus region but made no commitment to remove its forces from Georgia or its breakaway territories.

Meanwhile Rice warned Russia that it had to withdraw its troops after the cease-fire deal was signed.

Rice said international observers followed by neutral peacekeepers should be dispatched quickly to Georgia and its separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Russia has a peacekeeping mission. Watch Rice demand Russia's withdrawal »

The conflict began late last week, when Georgia launched a military incursion into South Ossetia in an effort to rout separatist rebels.

Russia -- which supports the separatists, many of whom claim Russian citizenship -- has peacekeeping responsibilities for the region and responded by sending tanks into the province for what it said was peace enforcement. From there the violence spread into Georgia and Abkhazia.

Under the cease-fire, about 1,500 Russian peacekeepers are allowed to remain, and can do patrols about 6 kilometers outside, the "zone of conflict," a reference to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

They are not permitted to patrol in Gori and other Georgian cities and cannot hamper aid distribution or control ports, highways or railroads, the officials said. Watch President Bush on 'why Georgia matters' »

2008-08-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

Electric bikes provide greener commute

When Honora Wolfe and her husband moved to the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, she wanted an environmentally friendly way to commute to her job as a bookshop owner in the city.

Ed Poor rides an eZee Quando II electric bike to work in New York City.

Wolfe, 60, found her solution about a month ago: an electric bicycle. It gets her to work quickly, is easy on her arthritis and is better for the environment than a car.

"I'm not out to win any races," she said. "I want to get a little fresh air and exercise, and cut my carbon footprint, and spend less money on gas. And where I live, I can ride my bike seven months out of the year."

The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are flying off the racks.

Official sales figures are hard to pin down, but the Gluskin-Townley Group, which does market research for the National Bicycle Dealers Association, estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2007, up from 6,000 in 2006.

Bert Cebular, who owns the electric bike and scooter dealership NYCeWheels in New York, said his sales are up about 50 percent so far this year over last. Amazon.com Inc. says sales of electric bikes surged more than 6,000 percent in July from a year earlier, in part because of its expanded offerings.

"The electric bikes are the next big thing," said Frank Jamerson, a former General Motors Corp. executive turned electric vehicle guru.

They're even more popular in Europe, where Sophie Nenner, who opened a Paris bike store in 2005, says motorists boxed in by traffic jams are looking for an alternative for short journeys that doesn't involve navigating overcrowded transport systems.

Industry associations estimate 89,000 electric bikes were sold in the Netherlands last year, while 60,000 power-assisted bikes were sold in Germany.

The principle behind electric bikes is akin to that behind hybrid cars: Combine the conventional technology -- in this case, old-fashioned pedaling -- with a battery-powered motor.

The net result is a vehicle that rides a bit like a scooter, with some legwork required. Most models have a motorcycle-like throttle that gives a boost while going up hills or accelerating from a stop. On some models, the motor kicks in automatically and adjusts its torque based on how hard the rider pedals.

Although regulations vary by state, federal law classifies electric bikes as bicycles, and no license or registration is required as long as they don't go faster than 20 mph and their power doesn't exceed 750 watts.

Price largely determines weight, quality and battery type. A few hundred dollars gets you an IZIP mountain bike from Amazon with a heavy lead-acid battery. For $1,400, you can buy a 250-watt folding bike powered by a more-powerful, longer-lasting nickel-metal hydride battery like those in a camera or a Toyota Prius. At the high end, $2,525 buys an extra-light 350-watt model sporting a lightweight lithium-ion battery similar to a laptop's. Most models can go at least 20 miles before plugging in to recharge.

Joe Conforti, a commercial film director from New York, uses a four-year-old model designed by former auto titan Lee Iacocca in the 1990s for running errands or getting to social occasions.

"It's really nice," said Conforti, who is eagerly looking to upgrade to a newer, more powerful ride. "If you've got a date, you go to meet friends -- you go out on a (conventional) bike, you're gonna sweat up. You go out in an electric bike, it's great it's terrific, you're not gonna sweat up and you ride home fine."

Bike dealers said the growing demand goes beyond just the uptick in gas prices, but also because of word of mouth. Cebular said business at his store and on his Web site has been booming.

"Fifty percent of that increase is probably because of gas prices, and the rest is that there's just more bikes out there," said Cebular, who has run his shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side for seven years.

Improved technology also has made electric bikes more popular, Cebular said.

"When I started, there was only one bike that had a nickel-metal hydride battery -- everything else was lead-acid and was 80 or 90 pounds," he said. "That's a huge improvement."

Jay Townley, a partner at Gluskin-Townley, said the latest electric bikes are sleeker, better looking and hide their often-clunky batteries better than ever. That goes a long way to attract baby boomers and other mainstream customers.

"The new designs that we've seen in the marketplace are going to inure to the benefit of the electric bike companies," he said.

Ultra Motor, an England-based electric bike and scooter company, is betting big that it can capitalize on what it seems as a growing market for attractive-looking two-wheelers designed specifically for U.S. commuters. The company on Tuesday unveiled its "A2B" model, a slick, low-riding electric bike.

Ultra Motor took a conventional bicycle and redesigned it with fatter wheels, a lower center of gravity and a thick shaft designed to hide the lithium-ion battery inside, U.S. Chief Executive Chris Deyo said. The result is a cross between a motorcycle and a mountain bike.

The company already has signed up 75 dealers nationwide to sell the $2,500 bike starting next month.

"A year ago, when you mentioned the word electric bike, people looked at you and they really weren't sure what it was," Deyo said. "Today, what we're finding is we're actually having dealers call us seeking an electric bike to meet the demand."

Jamerson, the former GM executive who has become a staunch advocate for electric transportation, believes this is only the beginning for electric bikes. He retired from GM in 1993 after helping develop the company's EV1 electric car, and he's been an avid follower of alternative transportation ever since.

The EV1 project, though widely seen as a spectacular failure, helped convince Jamerson of the value of electric transportation. Given soaring fuel prices and thinning patience with foreign dependence on oil, Americans are ready to embrace electric vehicles, he said.

"Did you know there are 70 million electric bikes on the road today in China, and they are selling at the rate of 2.6 million electric bikes a year?" he said. "The public at large needs to understand that it is the right thing to do to move to electric transportation, and electric bikes and electric scooters will allow you to do that, to get that familiarity."

As for Wolfe, she could not be happier with her bike, a 48-pound mountain bike with a lithium-ion-powered assist made by California-based IZIP. A self-described "tree-hugger for decades," she drives her Honda Insight hybrid car or rides the bus when she's not using her bike to get to work.

It's part of her own personal campaign to reduce her carbon footprint. She also powers her home with help from a set of rooftop solar panels, and a geothermal furnace heats and cools it.

The furnace, she adds, even heats her water. Just one more way to reduce emissions, she said.

"Even my 92-year-old mother has a Prius," she said. "So I come by my green credentials genetically"

2008-08-16T06:04:00.001-07:00

Woman hurt in Olympics stabbing back in U.S.

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The woman whose husband was killed in a knife attack while attending the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, and who was herself critically wounded in the attack, is back in the United States, according to her doctors.

Chinese police are shown at the Drum Tower in Beijing last weekend.

Barbara Bachman arrived at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, late Friday morning, according to a written statement from the hospital.

The release says Bachman suffered "significant and life-threatening abdominal injuries" in the attack, which happened at a tourist site in Beijing last Saturday. She was listed in fair condition.

Her husband, Todd Bachman was killed in the attack. The stabber, a divorced and recently unemployed man from the eastern city of Hangzhou, committed suicide after the attack by jumping from the ancient Drum Tower, a popular tourist attraction.

The couple's daughter is married to U.S. men's indoor volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon. It is not believed the couple were targeted for being Americans, with authorities calling the stabbings "an isolated criminal act."

The clinic said Bachman was "alert, talking, and has good memory function" and that she received "excellent care" while in China, where she underwent surgery after the attack

2008-08-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Georgia men defend Bigfoot body claims

CNN) -- A pair of Georgia men faced more than a half-hour of skeptical questions from reporters Friday as they defended their claim that they stumbled upon the body of Bigfoot while hiking in a remote North Georgia forest.

The thawed body of a creature reputed to be Bigfoot reportedly weighs more than 500 pounds.

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Introduced by a publicist and beside a man who promoted what turned out to be a fake Bigfoot discovery in 1995, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer repeatedly said that their claim is not a hoax and that scientific analysis will prove it.

"We were not looking for Bigfoot. ... We wouldn't know what we were doing if we did," said Whitton, a police officer on leave after being shot in the hand while making an arrest. "I didn't believe in Bigfoot at the time. ... But you've got to come to terms with it and realize you've got something special. And that's what it was."

The men say they were hiking in early June when they discovered the body of a 7-foot-7, 500-pound half-ape, half-human creature near a stream. They also claim to have spotted about three similar living creatures -- and showed reporters video stills of what they say is one of those creatures shadowing them through the woods. Watch report of scientist skeptical of Bigfoot claim »

The announcement, which the men first made on the Internet radio show "Squatch Detective" several weeks ago, has been greeted with healthy skepticism, even among some Bigfoot enthusiasts.

Scientists, including the head of North Georgia College and State University's biology department, have said it's unlikely a tribe of 7-foot-tall creatures would have avoided discovery in a region popular among hikers, hunters and vacationers.

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Several Web sites have popped up questioning the claim and comparing a photo that the men say is the creature's body inside a freezer to a widely available Bigfoot costume.

On Friday, Whitton acknowledged creating a pair of videos posted on the Internet video site YouTube, one in which his brother poses as a scientist and another in which Whitton briefly seems to admit that the body is a fake.

"It seems that the stalkers have busted us in a hoax," he says in the video. But then adds, "we still have a corpse. We just wanted to give you something to do for the weekend."

At Friday's news conference, Whitton first said that no video existed in which he calls the discovery a hoax.

But after speaking to Tom Biscardi, the self-described "Real Bigfoot Hunter" who has been searching for the creature of legend since 1971, he said the video was made "to have a little fun with it" and was originally intended to throw off the "psychos" who had stalked him and his family since the men first made their claim.

The two also promoted a Web site registered to Whitton on June 16 and said they plan to write a book about their experience.

Friday's news conference was held in Palo Alto, California, near the home of Biscardi. About 100 reporters and onlookers attended the event, in a hotel banquet room, including a man who shouted questions while wearing a gorilla suit.

Dyer and Whitton said they were carrying a video camera during their hike to film wildlife.

They said they handed the body over to Biscardi, who is keeping it at an undisclosed location until a team of scientists can examine it.

One of the two photographs the men gave to reporters Friday showed what appears to be the creature's mouth, an effort to disprove allegations that what's in the photo is a costume.

"I want to get to the bottom of it," Biscardi said. "I'll tell you what I've seen and what I've touched and what I've felt, what I've prodded was not a mask sewed onto a bear hide, OK?"

Biscardi acknowledged that he promoted a fake Bigfoot discovery in 1995, saying the woman who claimed to have the body convinced his staff members before he visited her and discovered that she was mentally ill.

2008-08-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

Phelps ties Spitz's record with seventh gold medal ... just barely

His Olympics looking lost, Michael Phelps decided to flap those gangly arms one more time.

Milorad Cavic, inches from spoiling it all, glided along just under the surface, convinced he had won gold.

But it didn't matter who was fastest. Just first.

Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish Saturday, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal by the narrowest of margins in the 100-meter butterfly.

One-hundredth of a second, the time it takes lightning to strike the ground.

Whew!

"Dream as big as you can dream and anything is possible," Phelps said. "I am sort of in a dream world. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it is real."

Call it the Great Haul of China -- and it's not done yet. Phelps has one more race on Sunday, which will likely complete his coronation as the greatest Olympian ever.

Spitz already ceded the title.

"It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he's maybe the greatest athlete of all time," said the icon of the 1972 Munich Games. "He's the greatest racer who ever walked the planet."

The finish was so close the Serbian delegation filed a protest and swimming's governing body had to review the tape down to the 10-thousandth of a second.

Phelps thought he lost -- until he saw the "1" beside his name on the scoreboard.

"When I did chop the last stroke, I thought that had cost me the race," he said. "But it was actually the opposite. If I had glided, I would have been way too long. I took short, faster strokes to try to get my hand on the wall. I ended up making the right decision."

Phelps' time was 50.58 seconds, the only time in these Olympics that he won an event without breaking the world record.

Not to worry. The 23-year-old from Baltimore has now pulled even with the greatest of Olympic records.

"One word: epic," Spitz told The Associated Press from Detroit. "I'm so proud of what he's been able to do. I did what I did and it was in my day in those set of circumstances. For 36 years it stood as a benchmark. I'm just pleased that somebody was inspired by what I had done. He's entitled to every second of what's occurring to him now.

"I feel a tremendous load off my back."

Phelps will return on Sunday to swim in his final event of these games, taking the butterfly leg of the 400 medley relay. The Americans will be heavily favored to give him his eighth gold, leaving Spitz behind.

Phelps slapped his hands on the water and let out a scream after the astonishing finish. The crowd at the Water Cube gasped -- it looked as though Cavic had won -- then roared when the "1" popped up beside the American's name.

Cavic's time was 50.59.

The Serbian delegation filed a protest, but conceded that Phelps won after reviewing the tape provided by FINA, swimming's governing body. USA Swimming spokeswoman Jamie Olsen said the tape was slowed to one frame every 10-thousandth of a second to make sure Phelps actually touched first.

It was impossible to tell on regular-speed replays.

"We filed the protest but it is already over," said Branislav Jevtic, Serbia's chief of mission for all sports. "They examined the video and I think the case is closed. The video says (Phelps) finished first.

"In my opinion, it's not right, but we must follow the rules. Everybody saw what happened."

FINA referee Ben Ekumbo of Kenya said there was no doubt who won after a review of the super-slow replay.

"It was very clear that the Serbian swimmer touched second after Michael Phelps," he said. "One was stroking and one was gliding."

Cavic still wasn't sure he actually lost, but said he would accept FINA's ruling.

"I'm stoked with what happened," Cavic said. "I don't want to fight this. People will be bringing this up for years and saying you won that race. If we got to do this again, I would win it."

Cavic watched the replay himself.

"It's kind of hard to see," he said. "I know I had a long finish and Michael Phelps had a short finish."

A notoriously slow starter -- Phelps was seventh out of eight at the turn -- he really turned it on with the return lap, his long arms gobbling up huge chunks of water as he closed the gap on Cavic and fellow American Ian Crocker, the world record-holder.

As they approached the finish, with Phelps' head in line with Cavic's shoulder, the Serb took his final big stroke and glided underwater toward the gold. Phelps, his timing a bit off but fully aware of where he was, did another mini-stroke, propelling his upper body out of the water, swooping his arms in a huge circular motion and slamming the wall with his hands on the follow-through.

Phelps watched the replay on the video board, then saw it again in the massage area.

"I saw it slow down frame by frame," he said. "It's almost too close to see."

It was reminiscent of the 100 fly finish at Athens four years ago, where Crocker appeared to have the race won but Phelps got him at the wall by 0.04.

"I thought four one-hundredths was close and I was shocked then," Phelps said. "I'm even more shocked now than I was then. One-hundredth is the smallest margin of victory in our sport. I guess it's pretty cool."

Makes that 400 free relay, in which Jason Lezak chased down France's Alain Bernard to win by eight-hundredths of a second, look like a blowout.

"My last two Olympics I've been able to nail my finishes, and it's been by four one-hundredths and one one-hundredths," Phelps said. "I'm happy and kind of at a loss for words."

As if Phelps needed any extra motivation, his coach, Bob Bowman, took note of Cavic's reported comments a day earlier that it would be best for the sport if the American lost.

On their way to breakfast, Bowman brought it up.

"I wasn't going to at first, then I was saying to myself, 'This race is going to be very tight and I'm going to use everything I got,' so I put it out there," Bowman said, chuckling. "Maybe it was worth a hundredth."

Just enough.

"It fires me up more than anything," Phelps said. "I always welcome comments. It definitely motivates me even more."

Cavic didn't leave anything to chance, either. Right before the race, coach Mike Bottom shaved a few stray hairs off the back of his swimmer's neck, looking for any edge he could get.

The 24-year-old Serb endeared himself to his homeland in March when he was suspended from the European championships for wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia" -- a reference to Kosovo's disputed declaration of independence.

After returning home, Cavic was greeted by hundreds of fans and met with Serbian nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who called the swimmer a "hero."

Cavic knew where Phelps was all along.

"There was no need to look over," he said. "I saw his shadow in the corner of my goggles."

Phelps collected a $1 million bonus that Speedo, one of his sponsors, first offered four years ago if he could tie or break Spitz's record. Phelps failed to cash in at the Athens Games, where he won six golds and two bronzes, but he got it on his second try.

What's left? Already the winningest Olympian ever with 13 golds and most likely a 14th before he leaves Beijing, Phelps will have another thing to shoot for at the 2012 London Games. Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina captured a record 18 medals in her career: nine golds, five silvers and four bronzes.

"My big goal is to change the sport of swimming," Phelps said. "I am sure Bob and I can think of some more goals in the next four years."

Phelps set world records in his first six events, some of them by ridiculously large margins. He merely settled for a personal best and Olympic record in the 100 fly, which will at least give Spitz's supporters some reason to gloat: all seven of his wins in Munich were with world records.

But, like Spitz, Phelps is 7-for-7 with a chance for one more.

Or maybe that should be 6.99-for-7.

Andrew Lauterstein of Australia won the bronze medal in 51.12. Expected to be Phelps' main challenger, Crocker was again denied the first individual gold of his career. He didn't even win a medal, finishing fourth by a hundredth of a second in 51.13.

"It was a tight one," Crocker said. "I saw my short differential between getting a medal or not, but then I realized Michael's was pretty close, too. I'm really glad that he came out on top.

"It was everything that an Olympic final should be. It doesn't matter who's in the heats, you just got to get out and race and it's anybody's game. It was one of the more intense races that I've been in, which makes it a great way to end the meet."

While the medley relay figures to be nothing more than a coronation, Phelps isn't ready to talk about No. 8.

"It's not over yet," he said. "I really think the Australian team looks great for the relay. It's going to be a race."

Lauterstein was just thrilled to be part of history.

"It was an amazing final," he said. "Every time you race Phelps, you'll have a great race and a great time. Just hearing his arms slap on the block gets your heart racing, he's amazing."

Those arms sure came in handy Saturday.

Overshadowed by Phelps, two more world records fell on the next-to-last day of swimming -- the 22nd and 23rd of a lightning-quick week.

Rebecca Adlington of Britain won gold in the 800 freestyle, breaking Janet Evans' 19-year-old world record -- the oldest in swimming. Adlington touched in 8:14.10 to crush the mark of 8:16.22 set by the American in Tokyo on Aug. 20, 1989. Alessia Filippi of Italy took the silver and Lotte Friis of Denmark the bronze.

Adlington completed a sweep of the women's distance events in Beijing, having upset American Katie Hoff to win the 400 freestyle. There were no Americans in the field after Hoff and Kate Ziegler were shockingly eliminated in the preliminaries.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe finally won a gold in Beijing, defending her Olympic title in the 200 backstroke with a world record of 2:05.24. She lowered the mark of 2:06.09 set by Margaret Hoelzer at the U.S. trials last month.

Hoelzer not only lost her record but had to settle for silver. Reiko Nakamura of Japan earned the bronze.

No one was happier than Cesar Cielo, who won Brazil's first swimming gold with an upset in the 50 freestyle. He broke down crying on the medal stand and was mobbed by his teammates on deck.

He won in 21.30, lowering his own Olympic mark of 21.34 that he set in the semifinals. Amaury Leveaux of France took the silver in 21.45. Alain Bernard of France, the 100-meter champion, won bronze in 21.49.

World champion Ben Wildman-Tobriner of the United States was fifth and Aussie Eamon Sullivan, the world record-holder and silver medalist in the 100, could only manage sixth.

Also, 41-year-old Dara Torres of the U.S. cruised into the final of the 50 free with the fastest semifinal time, 24.27. Australian teenager Cate Campbell was second at 24.42.

The final is Sunday, the wrapup to a thrilling competition at the Water Cube.

But the legacy of these Olympics is already assured.

2008-08-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Mindzayev described the situation in the city Saturday as "complicated and nervous." He said that there were many unexploded shells laying on the ground. He also accused Georgian agents of shooting at people in the city, a claim that could not be independently confirmed.

Russian Emergency Situations Ministry troops were erecting a camp near the scorched shell of the South Ossetian parliament building. For the first time in days, there were more cars on the street than tanks.

Farther south, the Russian presence in Gori is strategically critical: The city sits along Georgia's only significant east-west highway, allowing the Russians effectively to split the nation in two.

As in many parts of Georgia, aid has been slow to come. On Thursday, staff from the United Nations refugee agency and its World Food Program hoped to enter Gori to assess whether it was safe to deliver humanitarian aid.

The situation turned ugly. South Ossetian militiamen appeared, pointing weapons, and began shoving civilians and shouting at people to leave the area.

Georgian police had come to enter Gori but turned back when confrontation developed between the Russian military and the Georgian army.

On Friday, Russian military vehicles were blocking the eastern road into the city, although they allowed in one Georgia bus filled with loaves of bread.

Garadzim Tamgiashvili, 46, an unemployed electrician with graying red hair, said there was a lot of looting in the city by South Ossetians and Russians before the Russian military arrived. He said they killed civilians.

He said the Russian soldiers told him they planned to "give it to the Americans."

"We know this is a war between the West and Russia," he said.

Residents reported atrocities in the villages between Gori and Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian provincial capital. Outside Gori, an Associated Press reporter saw a burning wheat field. In the village of Tirdznise, the body of a Georgian soldier lay swollen in the heat.

But for the moment, Gori itself seemed to be a showcase. The Russian troops had stopped the looting, restored order.

One of the few younger women left was Iya Kinvilashvili, 30, the owner of a now-empty shop. Standing next to a church that has organized handouts of bread and flour, she said the Russians were behaving well.

"When is peace coming?" she asked. "We only want peace. We never wanted this war.

2008-08-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

GOETI, Georgia - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a truce with Georgia on Saturday, a definitive step toward ending the fighting there despite the uncertainty on the ground reflected by Russian soldiers digging in just 30 miles from the Georgian capital.
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Medvedev spokesman Alexei Pavlov said Medvedev signed the agreement in the resort city of Sochi, where the president has a summer residence, but did not give further details. It was not immediately clear if any troops had begun pulling back after Medvedev signed the cease-fire.

The agreement was signed by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili the day before. It calls for both sides forces to pull back to positions they held before fighting erupted Aug. 8 after Georgia launched a massive barrage to try to take control of the Russian-backed separatist region of South Ossetia. The Russian army quickly overwhelmed the forces of its small U.S.-backed neighbor and then drove deep into Georgia.

The Russian seizure of territory including the strategic city of Gori about 20 miles from Igoeti, raised fears that Russia aimed for a permanent occupation of the country that was once was part of its empire.

The shallow foxholes being gouged out of the earth at Igoeti on Saturday could indicate the Russians' intention to stay awhile. But they could be meant for defensive positions to guard their comrades as they withdraw.

Farther up the road toward Gori, a Russian armored personnel carrier sat behind a newly made earthen embankment. Other military vehicles were on the roadside, camouflaged by tree branches.

Refugees have begun returning to the heavily damaged South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali. On Saturday, many were sweeping up glass and debris from the fighting.

Teams of ethnic Georgians, some under armed guard, were being forced to clean the streets of South Ossetia's capital on Saturday. It was the first apparent evidence of humiliation or abuse of Georgians in the breakaway republic.

Mikhail Mindzayev, the interior minister for South Ossetia said police were cracking down on looters. Officers shot and killed two looters on Thursday, he said, and if they catch someone with a car or truck loaded with furniture or TV sets — and the driver does not seem to be the rightful owner — both the goods and the car will be burned

2008-08-09T03:18:00.001-07:00

2008-08-09T03:06:00.000-07:00

13 killed as heavy rains lash Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: At least 13 people have been killed in heavy rains and flash floods that have wreaked havoc in the state capital and other parts of Andhra Pradesh, officials said. Eight people were killed in three incidents of house collapse as incessant rain since Friday night inundated dozens of residential areas and threw vehicular traffic out of gear. Medak district accounted for three deaths while two people were killed in Vijayawada in the coastal district of Krishna. With this, the death toll in heavy rains and flash floods since last week rose to 26. The rains, under the influence of a low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, led to flash floods as several rivulets, streams and tanks were overflowing. The low-lying areas around the water bodies were inundated. The state capital recorded 13.6 cm rainfall on Friday night, meteorological officials said. The heavy rains resulted in inundation of roads and residential areas, disrupting electricity and communication lines. Three people were killed when a house wall collapsed in Gulzar Houz neighbourhood in the old city area. A couple died in a house collapse in Gokul Plots in Miyapur neighbourhood. A mother and her daughter were killed in another wall collapse in Basvataraka Nagar in Filmnagar area. Three people died in house collapse in Medak district in Telangana region while a similar incident in Vijayawada city claimed two lives. Chief Minister Y S Rajasekahara Reddy cancelled his scheduled visit to Krishna district and reviewed the situation with top officials. He directed the district collectors to take up evacuation of people from low lying areas and take all steps to provide relief to the affected. (IANS)

2008-08-09T03:03:00.001-07:00

FLUMMOXED: V.V.S. Laxman succumbs again to Ajantha Mendis, stumped this time. It is the fifth time in as many innings that the stylish right-hander has been snared by the Lankan spinner in this series.

Colombo: Sri Lanka dismissed India for 249 on the first day of the crucial third Test, gaining the ascendancy through Ajantha Mendis’s five for 56 after being asked to bowl.

It was Mendis’s fifth successive haul of four wickets or more, and it curtailed an Indian innings that was curiously book-ended by two partnerships of 51. India’s famed middle-order didn’t enhance its reputation, the Fab Four managing a mere 76 among them.

Sri Lanka finished Friday on 14 for one in reply.

Earlier, India’s openers affected a manner of assured urgency on a cloudy morning, making the most of some undisciplined new-ball bowling, to race past 50 in just over half an hour. In between, Virender Sehwag was dropped at short square-leg off Chaminda Vaas, the batsman eventually swallowing the baited short-pitched delivery, before nearly being run out.

Prasad pacy

The control Mahela Jayawardene wished to exert over India’s openers, who had sparked similarly busy starts in both innings at Galle, was being compromised. The Sri Lankan captain, although visibly frustrated, persevered with Dammika Prasad.

The debutant reached speeds of 140 kmph, once touching 145, with a bustling, muscly, direct action; but the tendency of his head to fall away at delivery caused him to spray the odd ball like an out-of-control hose. When he got everything together, however, he tested the batsman.

Having been welted on the hand by a cracking Sehwag drive, Prasad let the batsman have a delivery that straightened like a curly strand through a hair iron. Sehwag had to play the ball, such was its line. The resultant nick was pouched by Prasanna Jayawardene, the wicketkeeper.

Double blow

Prasad then switched ends, reduced his pace a fraction to the mid-to-high 130s, and struck a vital double blow. He snared both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar with deliveries that swung in — not dramatic, arcing swing, but enough to defeat the strokes intended.

Dravid, having dealt securely with Mendis, playing with bat well in front of pad, stretched too far across to Prasad, his front foot outside the delivery’s launched line. Umpire Mark Benson deemed that the batsman had hit it, prompting Jayawardene to ask for a review.

Replays showed ball eluding bat; the impact on the front pad was on off-stump — but only just. With the evidence available to Benson, he had to overturn his decision. Tendulkar referred his leg-before decision, and although it appeared to the naked eye as if the ball might have slipped down the leg-side, replays suggested that Benson’s initial estimate was defensible.

Third fifty

India went to lunch at 104 for three, with Gambhir having batted beautifully for his third consecutive half-century. The left-handed opener bested Vaas in an intriguing battle. The left-armer swung deliveries away from Gambhir, testing his ability to keep his shape and not thrust with his bottom hand.

Gambhir countered by playing outside the line, often advancing off the wrong foot with a Hayden-like two step. From this position, Gambhir picked the gap between mid-wicket and mid-on. He pulled the inevitable short stuff that followed. The 26-year-old also picked Mendis and Muralitharan from the hand, leaving deliveries with authority.

Just as Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly seemed to have wrestled back the initiative, taking India to 151 for three, Muralitharan struck. Ganguly, who had charged the off-spinner and struck him for a towering straight six, succumbed to indecision. His bat remained in the way of a quickish off-break, like an overzealous valet disinclined to leave, and Mahela held the catch at slip.

Smart instinct

Gambhir was done in by a smart piece of bowling, and an even smarter show of instinct. Mendis, who had trapped the left-hander in front with a googly at Galle (ball striking pad before bat in the squeezed-together defensive stroke), did the same with an off-break.

Mahela recognised immediately the situation, and the referral returned a favourable verdict for Sri Lanka. V.V.S. Laxman and Parthiv Patel tried to get a partnership started, finding limited success before Mendis deceived Laxman for the fifth time in as many innings. The dismissal showcased both Mendis and Prasanna Jayawardene. The carom ball had Laxman overbalancing — the batsman wristed a non-existent ball to the leg-side, while the real thing slipped past having cut away from the right-hander. Prasanna’s collection and removal of bails was fluidity itself.

Parthiv fell leg before to another carom ball; Kumble played outside a cunning Mendis googly; Harbhajan swiped fatally at Muralitharan: India crashed to 198 for nine.

Ishant and Zaheer applied themselves admirably, showing how it’s done and delaying their bowling stint. Zaheer struck out boldly from time to time, swinging Muralitharan for six and hitting Prasad through cover in a manner befitting a Caribbean. By the time he fell to another splendid bit of work from Prasanna — the keeper collecting softly a high-bouncing Mendis googly and disturbing the stumps before the batsman got back — Zaheer had offered India some succour.

Ishant then ensured India would end Friday in good spirits, bowling Warnapura behind his legs. Much work remains for India if it is to continue to have designs on the series — Saturday’s first session will be vital.

SCOREBOARD

India — 1st innings: G. Gambhir lbw b Mendis 72, V. Sehwag c P. Jayawardene b Prasad 21, R. Dravid lbw b Prasad 10, S. Tendulkar lbw b Prasad 6, S. Ganguly c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 35, V.V.S. Laxman st P. Jayawardene b Mendis 25, P. Patel lbw b Mendis 13, A. Kumble b Mendis 1, Harbhajan c Vandort b Muralitharan 3, Ishant (not out) 17, Zaheer st P. Jayawardene b Mendis 32, Extras (b-1, lb-8, nb-5) 14; Total (in 80 overs) 249.

Fall of wickets: 1-51 (Sehwag), 2-92 (Dravid), 3-102 (Tendulkar), 4-151 (Ganguly), 5-155 (Gambhir), 6-190 (Laxman), 7-195 (Patel), 8-196 (Kumble), 9-198 (Harbhajan).

Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 12-1-44-0, Prasad 17-0-82-3, Mendis 28-4-56-5, Muralitharan 23-3-58-2.

Sri Lanka — 1st innings: M. Vandort (batting) 3, M. Warnapura b Ishant 8, C. Vaas (batting) 0, Extras (b-1, lb-2) 3; Total (for one wicket in eight overs) 14.

Fall of wicket: 1-14 (Warnapura).

India bowling: Zaheer 4-1-9-0, Ishant 4-2-2-1.

2008-08-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

Switzerland can derail Indian nuclear run at NSG meet

EW DELHI: As hectic Indian diplomacy ahead of the August 21 NSG meet wins more and more support, Switzerland remains one country which can give India the jitters on the bumpy road to nuclear glory.

It's unlikely that Switzerland would want to single-handedly derail the India-US nuclear deal but its ambassador to India Dominique Dreyer told TOI on Friday that the Swiss government had not yet taken a decision on whether or not to support the deal at the NSG because of non-proliferation concerns.

"We are still in the process of studying the documents. No decision has been taken yet," said Dreyer.

The ambassador went on to add that the deal posed a problem as far as non-proliferation was concerned.

"There are some problems with the deal as far as non-proliferation is concerned but we are still looking at it," he said, adding that non-proliferation had always been a very important issue for Switzerland.

He, however, left a window open by saying that Switzerland understood India's energy needs. Dreyer made the remarks while talking about Switzerland's plans to celebrate 60 years of friendship with India.

Like Austria and New Zealand, Switzerland too is looked upon as a country which can spoil India's chances at the NSG, which works only through consensus. Its policies demand that there be no nuclear trade with a country which has not signed the NPT.

Switzerland, however, supported India at the IAEA and foreign ministry officials are confident that it won't allow its concerns over non-proliferation to sabotage the deal.

"It creates between the IAEA and a non-state NPT party a new relationship in the area of safeguards and does not take up certain components of the NPT such as global non-proliferation," Switzerland had said at the IAEA while backing the deal, but it added that India adhered to non-proliferation norms.

In another piece of good news for India, Canada seems to have tilted towards NSG waiver after the visit by NSA M K Narayanan to Ottawa earlier this week.

Canada is an extremely important country because it has long been in the vanguard of the non-proliferation movement and its stand may determine what direction many smaller countries move in. Foreign minister David Emerson said that despite his country's concerns and frustrations over its nuclear history with India, it realises that somebody can't be kept in the penalty box forever.

"And India has come a long way in terms of democracy and the rule of law, and the whole nuclear constellation of issues has evolved to the point where we just can't continue with our position that has been absolute and negative to allowing India back into the nuclear club," Emerson was quoted as saying in the interview.

2008-08-09T02:54:00.002-07:00

BLISI, Georgia (CNN) -- Russian paratroopers entered the capital of the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia on Saturday as part a military operation that Russia said was intended to force the Georgian side to cease fire.

A warplane drops bombs near the Georgian city of Gori on Friday as Russian and Georgian forces battle.

1 of 3

Separatist-backed South Ossetian sources reported about 1,600 people have died and 90 have been wounded in the capital of Tskhinvali after two days of fighting, but Georgian officials said the figure was inflated. The Georgians said they didn't have their own death toll, but it would likely be closer to 100.

Inna Gagloyeva, the spokeswoman for the South Ossetian Information and Press Committee, told the Interfax news agency the capital was being "massively shelled" with artillery guns.

It was also unclear which side was in control of Tskhinvali on Saturday, with the Georgian side saying fighting still raged but the Russians saying they have "liberated" the city.

"Battalion task forces have fully liberated Tskhinvali of Georgian armed forces and started pushing Georgian units out of the area of responsibility of the peacekeeping forces," said General Vladimir Boldyrev, commander of the Russian Ground Forces, in an interview with Interfax.

Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, told a news conference that the paratroopers will "implement the operation of enforcing peace" on both sides.

Nogovitsyn also confirmed that Georgians had shot down two Russian aircraft.

Russia said the troops were also reinforcing the Russian peacekeepers already in South Ossetia.

"Our peacekeepers, along with reinforcement units, are currently conducting an operation to force the Georgian side to accept peace," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at the Kremlin, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency. "They are also responsible for protecting the population."

Interfax said 15 peacekeepers were killed in the Friday attack by Georgian troops. Russia has opened a criminal probe into their deaths, Interfax reported.

Georgia, a former Soviet Republic, is a pro-Western ally of the United States intent on asserting its authority over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which both have strong Russian-backed separatist movements.

Russia moved troops into South Ossetia early Friday after Georgia launched an operation in the breakaway region when its unilateral cease-fire was met with what it said was artillery fire from separatists that killed 10 people, including peacekeepers and civilians. Watch images of crashed Georgian war plane »

Russia charged that Georgia had targeted its peacekeepers stationed in the region. Watch Georgian minister describe fighting in South Ossetia »

Medvedev said Saturday that Georgia must be held responsible for the situation in South Ossetia.

"The people responsible for this humanitarian disaster need to be held liable for what they have done," Medvedev said. He said the humanitarian problems were caused by "the aggression launched by the Georgian side against the South Ossetian civilians and Russian peacekeepers."

Russian officials said more than 30,000 refugees have left South Ossetia and crossed into Russia over the past two days, since fighting began, Interfax reported.

A Red Cross official in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi was unable to provide refugee or casualty figures Saturday morning because she said aid workers were still gathering information and visiting hospitals in South Ossetia and western Georgia, where she said two towns suffered damage overnight.

Maia Kardava, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross delegation in Tbilisi, said Russian forces bombarded military and civilian targets the port town of Poti, on Georgia's Black Sea coast. Georgian officials said eight Georgians were killed in the port town.

In the town of Senaki, just inland from Poti, Russian forces damaged a railway line, a military base, and a center housing civilians who fled from nearby Abkhazia, another breakaway Georgian region.

attack from Russian aircraft, Georgian officials said.

Inside South Ossetia, civilians have been without water, electricity, and basic services for more than a day, Kardava said. She said the Red Cross was unable to reach colleagues based in Tskhinvali because their phones had lost power and they were huddled in bomb shelters.

Also Saturday, the commander of Georgian troops stationed in Iraq said the 2,000 soldiers currently there will be withdrawn from Iraq "very soon."

Colonel Bondo Maisuradze said the United States would provide the transport to get them out of Iraq. He said he had no timeframe for the move.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN Friday that the troops were needed in Georgia to defend against the Russian military.

2008-08-09T02:54:00.001-07:00

'Kuselan' – A boon or bane to Tamil cinema

Ever since 'Kuselan' was announced and the exhilarating stills of stylish Rajinikanth were released, expectations began to soar sky high. P. Vasu's decision to make 'Kuselan' after his successful outing in remaking the Malayalam classic 'Manichitra Thazu' as 'Chandramukhi' in Tamil, seemed quite reasonable. Rajinikanth seemed the perfect choice to play a superstar on film.

Both Rajinikanth and P. Vasu have spent decades as filmmakers in Tamil Cinema and yet seem to have completely lost the plot when it comes to presenting their latest release. Despite a lovely story that presents itself as an ode to friendship, can a character exist in a film with just a tag and no plausible role to perform? An insight into the fact that even the tremendously adulated larger-than-life Rajinikanth can never be above the story. This is something Tamil filmmakers will have to think about very seriously.

This is probably the reason why Sreenivasan, the writer of this story made it a point to showcase Mammooty (who played the superstar's role in the Malayalam original 'Katha Parayumbol' for less than ten minutes in the entire film because he carries a tag with no role to perform till the end. If this had been the case with 'Kuselan' things might have been very different.

P. Vasu seems to have banked more on the star appeal of Rajinikanth than what the actor portrays on screen. A major miscalculation. Nayantara has been featured in a nothing role and every time she is seen on screen, the director's thirst to incorporate glamorous scenes cry out loud making mincemeat and mockery of the storyline.

The story of the real protagonist of the film played by Pasupathi and his livelihood have been made in a refreshing manner but then 20 minutes into the film one gets the feeling the lead character had walked out of the sets of 'Veyyil' only to walk into 'Kuselan'.

The final twenty minutes of the film showcases Rajinikanth's inimitable style of narration and appeal synchronizing with the storyline. A sense of great relief can be felt amidst the audiences especially because the irritating 'beating-about-the- bush' sequences are over once and for all and there is an emotion that the audience can finally relate with.

'Kuselan' an adapted remake comes across as a 'what could have been' movie rather than a 'what is' movie.

The film also gives insight into two main facets of filmmaking that no one can ever change – no matter what.

The story has to be the 'superstar' of the film and actors will have to strengthen it (even if the actor is Rajinikanth).
There is no such thing as a sure-shot filmmaker until and unless the basics of storytelling are adhered to with loads of creativity and hard work.

'Kuselan' sure has been successful in making many think along these lines. Probably it's time.

2008-08-09T02:53:00.000-07:00

Iraq bombing kills 21

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A bombing at a crowded outdoor market in northern Iraq on Friday killed 21 people and wounded 50 others, according to police.

Nineveh provincial police said the parked car bomb went off in Tal Afar, west of Mosul. There has been violence in Tal Afar throughout the Iraq war, and U.S. and Iraqi troops in Nineveh province have been taking on al Qaeda in Iraq there.

Also Friday, the U.S. military announced that two Marines died in a noncombat-related incident near Karma on Thursday in Anbar province.

Nine American troops have died in Iraq so far this month -- two in combat and the others in vehicle accidents and other noncombat incidents.

2008-08-09T02:51:00.000-07:00

Activist tries to show Tibetan flag at Olympic venue

HONG KONG, China (AP) -- Security officers have removed a university student who tried to display the Tibetan flag during the Olympic equestrian competition in Hong Kong.

Security officers carry local student and activist Christina Chan from the equestrian venue.

The student, Christina Chan, displayed a placard bearing the Canadian flag and the Tibetan flag underneath during the competition in Hong Kong's suburban Sha Tin district early Saturday. When she tried to peel away the Canadian flag to reveal the Tibetan flag, four or five security officers asked her to leave but she refused. Officers carried her out of the venue about half an hour later.

Lam Woon-kwong, chief executive of the equestrian event, said Chan would be banned from future events.

Several other protesters demanding China abolish the death penalty held a banner that said "stop executions" near the venue.

"She was sort of disturbing other spectators around her, which is against the house rules," event spokesman Mark Pinkstone said.

Pinkstone said Chan -- who also protested at the Hong Kong leg of the Olympic torch relay in May -- was removed from the venue but not arrested.

Organizers said before the equestrian event that the Tibetan flag would be banned under house rules that prohibit the display of national flags of countries not represented at the competition. The rules also prohibit propaganda on banners, clothing or accessories.

TV footage also showed a man wearing a T-shirt that said "democracy and human rights are more important than the Olympics." The man was asked to take off the shirt before entering the venue.

A former British colony now ruled by China, Hong Kong is promised Western-style civil liberties commonly denied on the mainland, like freedom of speech and protest. Still, the local government has apparently tightened controls because of the Olympics.

An opposition lawmaker says three U.S.-based ethnic Chinese democracy activists were turned away at the airport Wednesday.

Olympic organizers moved the equestrian event from Beijing to Hong Kong because of a rash of equine diseases and substandard quarantine procedures on the mainland. Hong Kong has a prominent horse racing scene.

Also on Saturday, five activists staged a "peaceful protest" in Tiananmen Square, breaching heavy security that has surrounded the heart of Beijing for the Olympic Games, a pro-Tibet group said.

Lhadon Thetong, executive director for Students for a Free Tibet, said the protesters draped themselves in Tibetan flags and lay down in the square on Saturday.

It wasn't immediately clear if they were stopped by authorities.

The action came a day after three Americans from the group were detained while displaying Tibetan flags near the entrance to the National Stadium, where the opening ceremony for the games were held.

Tibet has been an extremely sensitive topic since protests against Chinese rule turned violent in the region's capital of Lhasa in March.

2008-08-09T02:47:00.000-07:00

American killed in Olympics attack

An American man was killed and American woman attending the Olympics was wounded in downtown Beijing Saturday by a Chinese man who then killed himself, according to China's official news agency, Xinhua.

A Chinese tour guide, a woman, was also wounded in the attack, which happened around noon at the Drum Tower, a popular tourist site, Xinhua reported.

The attacker, identified as a 47-year-old man from the eastern Chinese city Hangzhou, jumped to his death from the second level of the Drum Tower, a spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office told Xinhua.

The official said both U.S. citizens had entered China with tourist visas. The report did not say how they were attacked.

A White House spokesman said President Bush, who is attending Olympic events Saturday, was told about the attack against the U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Embassy and the White House have offered the victims' families whatever assistance is needed, the spokesman said