Too Efficient

Really... it's almost like I'm too efficient.

BBC: Hiroshima bomb pilot dies aged 92

Last Updated: Thursday, 1 November 2007, 16:57 GMT
Hiroshima bomb pilot dies aged 92

The commander of the B-29 plane that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in Japan, has died.

Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr died at his home in Columbus, Ohio, aged 92.

The five-ton "Little Boy" bomb was dropped on the morning of 6 August 1945, killing about 140,000 Japanese, with many of them dying later.

On the 60th anniversary of the bombing, the three surviving crew members of the Enola Gay - named after Tibbet's mother - said they had "no regrets".

'No headstone'

A friend of the retired brigadier-general told AP news agency that Paul Tibbets had died after a two-month decline in health.

Gen Tibbets had asked for no funeral nor headstone as he feared opponents of the bombing may use it as a place of protest, the friend, Gerry Newhouse, said.

The bombing of Hiroshima marked the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific.

Japan surrendered shortly after a second bomb was dropped, on Nagasaki, three days later.

On the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima, the surviving members of the Enola Gay crew - Gen Tibbets, Theodore J "Dutch" Van Kirk (the navigator) and Morris R Jeppson (weapon test officer) said: "The use of the atomic weapon was a necessary moment in history. We have no regrets".

Gen Tibbets said then: "Thousands of former soldiers and military family members have expressed a particularly touching and personal gratitude suggesting that they might not be alive today had it been necessary to resort to an invasion of the Japanese home islands to end the fighting."

Air show

Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr was born in Quincy, Illinois, in 1915 and spent most of his youth in Miami.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1937 and led bombing operations in Europe before returning to test the Superfortress.

He retired from the forces in 1966.

In a 1975 interview he said: "I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did... I sleep clearly every night."

In 1976, Gen Tibbets was criticised for re-enacting the bombing at an air show in Texas.

A mushroom cloud was set off as he over flew in a B-29 Superfortress in a stunt that outraged Japan.

Gen Tibbets said it was not meant as an insult but the US government formally apologised.

In 1995, Gen Tibbets denounced as a "damn big insult" a planned 50th anniversary exhibition of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Institution that put the bombing in context of the suffering it caused.

He and veterans groups said too much attention was being paid to Japan's suffering and not enough to its military brutality.

I suppose that knowing you've done something like that, you'd have to be okay with it, or you'd probably live a very, very miserable life. Then again, there's something to be said about being too proud at having killed over 100,000 people. Violence to depose a despot or a corrupt regime alone is tough to justify, let alone the killing of 100,000 people unrelated to the despot/corrupt person.

It's quite lucky that that anti-gay Church has been silenced by the court la, otherwise I'm sure they would've had a whole day of celebration.

Customer Service Review: Smack

I've decided to include a new type of entry to this little piece of internet real estate that I call my own: Customer service reviews. As many know, once I get started on bad customer service, I don't stop. On the other hand, I'm more than willing to acknowledge good customer service, so I feel that I won't be too bad a reviewer.

Review #1: Smack

Business: Authorised Apple Reseller

Location: L2-23 & 25, Level 2, Bangsar Village 2

Website: www.smack.com.my

I was having problems with my iPod (Surprised? You shouldn't be), and went to Smack to try and get it fixed because it's in a convenient location to my office. I figured there shouldn't be a problem, because it was still under warranty. Little did I know.

I waited for over a week, and when they didn't call me, I dropped by when I was in Bangsar to check up on it. Lo and behold, there it was! Right on the table! Was it fixed? No. It wasn't really their fault, though. Apple said that it wasn't under warranty (even though I'd only bought it in January).

The following was a conversation that I had with a storeperson:

Me: Do you have the number for the Apple hotline?

Him: The what ah?

Me: You know the number you call? For Apple?

Him: Ya.

Me: What's the number ah?

Him: What ah?

Genius. So I moved on.

When I gave them my iPod, I presented them with my purchase receipt from the store in Dubai, which the female storeperson took. I asked her for it. This is what happened:

She: [Looked around]. Don't have la... I don't think you gave it to us.

Me: Yes, I did give it to you. I gave it to you, yourself. Remember?

She: [Looked around a bit more]. I think you took it back.

Me: No, I didn't. I gave it to you.

That was when the boss whom they'd been dialling a couple of times since my arrival walked back in the store, found my receipt in my iPod pouch thing, and wrote down the Apple hotline, all without me asking. All in all, we know who really runs Smack.

Verdict: Useless.

Malaysia Boleh!

Today, I was very proud of Malaysians. We're breaking new ground everywhere.

First, I'd heard about this guy from Taiping who was cycling from Los Angeles back home to Taiping. Why? Because it was something he wanted to do before he started work and while he still had the chance to. Whoren and I so related to this.

Then I heard about Whoren's 13 year old cousin who pushed himself to the limit by consuming 32 scoops of ice cream from Haagen Dazs' all-you-can-eat buffet. I applaud him for taking Malaysians to new levels of excellence and efficiency.

But seriously, the cycling guy (his name is Law Tzuo Hann) is quite phenomenal la. I think he's somewhere in Turkey at the moment. Once he started getting more publicity, he hooked up with three charitable causes, including those in Myanmar, and is now cycling for charity. As at 1 November 2007, he's single-handedly raised close to RM52,000.

He's also holding a Charity Ride event in conjunction with the charities to raise awareness. The Charity Ride will accompany TH from Kedah back home to Taiping, and is aimed to begin 3 February 2008, ending on 5 February 2008. It's phenomenal.

For more information

His fundraising blog: http://longwayhomefundraiser.com/beta/

About the Charity Ride: http://longwayhomefundraiser.com/beta/about-the-charity-ride/

About him: http://longwayhomefundraiser.com/beta/about/

About the Charities: http://longwayhomefundraiser.com/beta/the-three-charities/

His travel journal: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/longwayhome

BBC: US anti-gay church to pay $10.9m

There's an anti-gay church in America that went from picketing the funerals of Aids victims (presumably the gay ones), to picketing the funerals of dead soldiers (presumably the ones who fought in Iraq).

There's something to be said for standing up for what you believe in, but there should never be a reason to celebrate the death of someone, be it a tyrant, a despot, a soldier, a gay man, or a religious leader.

Last Updated: Thursday, 1 November 2007, 02:48 GMT
US anti-gay church to pay $10.9m

A US church whose members cheered the death of a soldier as "punishment" for the nation's sins has been ordered to pay $10.9m (£5.2m) in damages.

The Westboro Baptist Church was taken to court by the father of Lance Cpl Matthew Snyder, a marine who died serving in Iraq in March 2006.

The church cited its constitutional right to free speech in its defence.

But Albert Snyder's lawyer urged the jury to ensure the damages were high enough to stop the church campaigning.

Members of the church - based in Topeka, Kansas - have denounced homosexuality for years, initially targeting the funerals of Aids victims but later extending their pickets to the funerals of soldiers, who they say are being punished by god.

Last year they caused outrage when they attended the funeral of Matthew Snyder with signs reading "Thank god for dead soldiers" and "You're going to hell".

On Wednesday, the jury ordered the church and three of its leaders to pay $2.9m in compensatory damages, and an additional $8m for invasion of privacy and for causing emotional distress.

Albert Snyder's attorney, Craig Trebilcock, had urged jurors to agree an amount "that says 'Don't do this' in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again".

Defence attorney Jonathan Katz's argument that the $2.9m in compensatory damages already far exceeded the defendants' net worth and would be enough to "bankrupt them and financially destroy them" was ignored.

The church, which is unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Fred Phelps. Most of its 70-odd members belong to his extended family.

Appeal

Albert Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict.

"I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to stop," he said, according to Reuters news agency.

Members of the church, however, reportedly greeted the verdict with tight-lipped smiles.

"It will take the 4th Circuit of Appeals a few minutes to reverse this silly thing," said Rev Phelps.

Daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper - co-defendant along with another daughter, Rebecca Phelps-Davis - called the verdict a blow against free speech and vowed to continue picketing military funerals.

Way to go, kid.

Last Updated: Wednesday, 31 October 2007, 08:07 GMT
Boy 'admits to California fire'

A boy playing with matches has confessed to starting a devastating wildfire in California, officials say.

The unidentified child, believed to be a pre-teen, was questioned by police on 22 October about a fire that destroyed 63 structures north of Los Angeles.

The boy "admitted that he had been playing with matches" a police spokesman said.

Wildfires forced 640,000 people from their homes last week in the biggest evacuation in California's history.

Massive cost

The boy was questioned in relation to the Buckweed fire, which started on 21 October, and burned 59 sq miles (153 sq km) in the Santa Clarita area.

Three civilians and one firefighter were injured, and state officials estimate the cost of the blaze at $7.4m (£3.6m).

It was initially believed that downed power lines had started the fire.

The boy was sent home after confessing, and the District Attorney's office is said to be considering whether to press charges.

Arson is also blamed for a blaze that destroyed 15 homes in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.

A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

In total, at least 1,800 homes and other buildings were destroyed by last week's fires, and at least 14 people died as a result.

Damage in San Diego county alone is estimated at about $1bn (£487m), with nearly 800 sq miles (2,072 sq km) of land scorched.

A handful of fires are still burning, but they are mostly contained.

This kid's going to be the most loved person in the whole of California. Oh, and he's also going to grow up to be a very well-adjusted person. Yep.

Wikipedia Needs Money

Video Appeal:

Our own goldmine of information (other than Google, of course), is having a fundraising drive. At first, I thought that Wikipedia should have no problem getting money. After all, what are we without Wikipedia? As the days went by, the donation-meter barely went up at all! For shame!

Since I still haven't been approved for a credit card by the bank which shall not be mentioned, I've decided that I will do my bit by featuring their plight on my little piece of internet real estate. No, the birthday donations from my party will not be going to their (worthy though it may be) cause.

How to donate:

1. PayPal / Credit Card
Donate securely online with PayPal. You do not need an account to donate with a credit card. You can send donations in any of the currencies below without having to pay a currency conversion fee.

2. Moneybookers
Donate securely online with Moneybookers. MoneyBookers usually has smaller fees than PayPal.

3. Direct deposit
Deposit money directly into our bank account. The Wikimedia Foundation has a bank account that accepts money transfers.

Account holder: Wikimedia Foundation
Bank: Dexia bank/Banque DexiaPachecolaan 44/ 44, bvd Pacheco1000 Brussels/1000 Bruxelles Belgium
Account number: IBAN BE43 0689 9999 9501BIC GKCCBEBB
National Belgian account number: 068-9999995-01
For transfers inside Belgium or from countries not supporting the IBAN-system

4. Check (by mail)
Donate via regular mail. Please make the check payable to 'Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.' To prevent theft, please do not send cash through the mail.

Our mailing address (for checks): Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.P.O. Box 919227Orlando, FL 32891-9227United States

For more information: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Fundraising

Planned Spending:

LiveScience: Top 10 Ways to Green Your Home

More from LiveScience: Top 10 Ways to Green Your Home. There's nothing really extraordinary in this list, but it gives you new reasons to do what you should be doing already, anyway.

1. One Bright Idea
If you're going to do just one thing for the planet, make it the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Although they cost several times more upfront than regular incandescent light bulbs, they also last about 10 times longer, which means that for every CFL you screw in, you'll be saving eight incandescent light bulbs from landfill purgatory. Plus, you'll save some serious cash in the long run. Because CFLs use 75 percent less energy, swapping one incandescent bulb for a CFL reduces carbon dioxide by 500 pounds a year; replacing 17 has the equivalent effect of taking one car off the road for a year. Just remember to recycle spent bulbs responsibly - CFLs contain trace amounts of mercury, which although isn't enough to be hazardous to you, could pose a problem in landfills when mercury from multiple bulbs leaches into the ground.

2. Seeing Stars
The average home can pump out twice as much greenhouse-gas emissions as the average car. Purchasing energy-saving Energy Star-rated appliances, electronics, and lighting can help mitigate that, while slashing a third of your electric bill. (A power guzzler is nobody's friend.) Improving the energy efficiency of your home could even earn you tax credits from Uncle Sam.

3. Paper Nor Plastic
Eschew plastic bags by bringing your own reusable canvas totes the next time you're at the supermarket or store. Because petroleum-based plastic isn't biodegradable, it's certain to outlive you-by about a millennium or so. Each year, thousands of marine animals, including the endangered leatherback turtle, choke to death on plastic trash they mistake for snackable morsels. Our unholy love for plastic disposables has also bred a swirling vortex of plastic trash the size of Texas in the North Pacific Ocean-not surprising when you consider that Americans run through about 100 billion plastic bags annually, using up an estimated 12 million barrels of oil.

4. No Soliciting
Deforestation is responsible for 25 percent of all carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, through the burning and cutting of 34 million acres of trees annually. Save some virgin and old-growth forests by opting out of paper catalogs and browsing online, instead. Why did you think Al Gore invented the Internet? Shed those extra 41 pounds of junk mail the average American packs on each year by removing yourself from direct-mail mailing lists; if you need a tad more help, companies such as GreenDimes and 41pounds.org have got your back.

5. Get Better Mileage
Who knew cauliflower were such globe-trotters? Or that jet-setting tomatoes racked up frequent-flier miles? But it's true: North American produce typically travels a minimum of 1,500 miles. Grapes can clock 2,143 miles cruising from vineyards in Napa Valley to supermarket aisles in Chicago, gobbling up barrels of crude oil and spewing pollutants and greenhouse-gas emissions in their wake. By buying your produce locally, whether it's through the farmers' market or a community-assisted agriculture program, you can reduce your "food miles," otherwise known as the distance your food has to travel to get from the farm to your plate. Now that's fresh.

6. The 3 Rs
Start rolling those Rs: Reduce, reuse, and recycle-and in that order. Let's face it, we're mired deep in ecological debt because we're consuming more resources than nature can replenish. By gorging on more than our fair share of the world's resources, we're also diverting essentials such as food, clothing, and water from communities in greater need. So let's recap: It's better to reduce your personal consumption than it is to reuse something, and it's less environmentally taxing to reuse a product than to have it recycled. Separating recyclables from your regular trash, which barely takes any effort, is a no-brainer, of course; recycling aluminum, for instance, takes as little as 5 percent of the energy we'd need to manufacture virgin aluminum.

7. Get Off the Grid
Opt for clean, renewable energy if it's offered in your area. Low-impact sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power reduce our dependence on coal-burning power plants, a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions. And because harnessing the power of renewable "fuels" such as sun and wind are free, your electric bill is likely to scale down because of the reduced price of wholesale electricity.

8. Slay Energy Vampires
You may not know it, but households across the globe are infested with vampires. Energy vampires, that is. Cleverly disguised as innocuous household appliances (psst, your television is one of them), their nasty pointed teeth plunge deep into your wall socket, draining power all hours of the day and night, even after you've switched them off. (Americans pay $1 billion a year to power our televisions and VCRs while they're turned off.) Other sleeper agents of the electric undead that consume 1,000 kilowatt hours a year per household, while in standby mode: your toaster, coffeemaker, hair dryer, PC, printer, cable box, and cell phone charger. You don't have to live in a constant state of fear, however, forever checking behind your back for that one appliance you forgot to pull the plug of. Just plug adjacent equipment into power strips with surge protectors, and before you crawl under the safety of your covers-or head out to work-simply flip the switch.

9. Go Au Naturale
Our chemical arsenal may be able to exterminate creepy crawlies and polish our countertops, but they're slowly killing us, too. The man-made chemicals we favor are like the obnoxious houseguest who overstays his welcome-an average of 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals, for instance, were recently discovered in the umbilical-cord blood of newborns. (These included seven dangerous pesticides, some of which were banned in the U.S. more than 30 years ago.) We're serving our kids potent chemical cocktails even before they're born-not quite the head start they may have been hoping to get. Pesticides have also been implicated in Parkinson's disease, infertility, brain damage, and cancer. So ditch the poisons and choose natural, non-toxic, and equally effective methods of cleaning and corralling pests. You probably already have what you need in your kitchen to get started. Chowing down on organically grown food will cut out pesticides from your diet, as well.

10. Build it Green
Trees, in a word, rock. They absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide, hold soil together to prevent landslides, and provide a rich habitat for diverse plants and animals. Choose furniture made from eco-friendly sources such as sustainably managed forests, bamboo, and reclaimed wood. Buying vintage wherever possible, rather than adding something new into the waste stream, is always in style. Also, look for furniture that is durable and likely long-lived-you'll save money on replacements in the future and prevent more wasted materials from winding up in the landfill. And, if for some reason, that dresser or dining table no longer suits your needs, something in fine shape will always have takers via Craig's List, eBay, or Freecycle.

There's a good reason not to buy iPods. They're not long-lived or durable. I'd like to see stats on how much iPods contribute to landfills.

For more information on how to save the (cheerleader, save the) world, check out recommendations by Techlogg and Google on how to save energy if you're a computer user.

LiveScience: Commuters Inhale Heavy Dose of Pollution

The things you find out online...

Commuters Inhale Heavy Dose of Pollution
By LiveScience Staff
posted: 30 October 2007 04:46 pm ET

Driving is more hazardous than anyone knew: A heavy commuter inhales more pollution while driving than in the entire rest of the day, a new study finds. The research was done in Los Angeles, where the average driver spends 1.5 hours behind the wheel. That time in traffic accounts for 33 to 45 percent of total exposure to diesel and ultrafine particles (UFP), the study showed.

On freeways, diesel-fueled trucks are the source of the highest concentrations of harmful pollutants.

"If you have otherwise healthy habits and don't smoke, driving to work is probably the most unhealthy part of your day," said Scott Fruin, assistant professor of environmental health at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California. "Urban dwellers with long commutes are probably getting most of their UFP exposure while driving."

Ultrafine particles are of particular concern because, unlike larger particles, they can penetrate cell walls and disperse throughout the body, Fruin said. Particulate matter has been linked to cardiovascular disease, but the ultrafine fraction on roadways appears to be more toxic than larger sizes.

Previous research found children on school buses breathe more pollution. And a study in London found people in taxis, buses, and cars all inhale substantially more pollution than cyclists and pedestrians.

In the new study, researchers measured exposure by outfitting an electric vehicle with air pollution instruments. A video recorded surrounding traffic and driving conditions on freeways and arterial roads throughout the Los Angeles region.

Measurements were collected during a three-month period from February to April 2003, and four typical days were selected for a second-by-second video and statistical analysis.

"This study was the first to look at the effect of driving and traffic conditions at this level of detail and to demonstrate the specific factors leading to the highest pollutant exposures for drivers," Fruin says. "The extent that a specific type of vehicle—diesel trucks—dominated the highest concentration conditions on freeways was unexpected."

Driving with the windows closed and using recirculating air settings can modestly reduce the particle pollution exposures but does not reduce most gaseous pollutants, the researchers concluded.

"Shortening your commute and spending less time in the car will significantly reduce your total body burden of harmful pollutants," Fruin said.

The study was supported by the California Air Resources Board.

From LiveScience, a new website introduced by die-hard suicide doors reader, Iris. Hee hee.

So I'm quite happy that I live 5 minutes away from the office. I accidentally fell asleep over lunchtime watching TV at home, and I still woke up with plenty of time to be back early at the office. And now I found out that it's also good for my physical health! Awesome!

(Mental health is a given, when understanding how much time I don't have to spend cursing at stupid drivers. Btw, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I hate driving in Brickfields.)

The "Hand of God" Church

Guess what I just found out. There's a religion dedicated to the football legend Diego Maradona. I'm not kidding. It's called the "Hand of God" Church, named after the (in)famous Hand of God goal scored by himself, which was actually a hand ball. The goal was so called because of his statement in the press conference after, saying, "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God".

Members of this church celebrate Christmas on Maradona's birthday, the Christmas tree being decorated with images of Maradona. Maradona's autobiography is their bible.

Here's a photo from Reuters of a Church-goer:

Pablo Lezcano, a member of "The Hand of God" church, which honours Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, shows an image of Maradona tattooed on his chest after a wedding ceremony in Parque Leloir, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, October 29, 2007. Two couples travelled to Argentina from Jalapa, Mexico, to get married before "God Maradona" in the eve of Maradona's birthday, which will marks the start of the year 47 D.D. ('despues de Diego,' or after Diego) according to the 'Maradonian Church' members, who have been celebrating Christmas on October 30 since 1999.

I love freedom of religion. I wish I could practice it.

In the news today

NST: Cyber corner for the blind launched at state library
By : Roy Goh

Blind civil servant Lucia Limboi has found herself a new place to "hang out" when she's in town.

A Cyber Corner for the Blind was launched at the State Library here and Lucia plans to go there often."I have my own computer at home but I think it would be nice to come here during weekends or my free time to meet up with friends," she said.

Lucia, 45, a customer service officer with the Sabah Ports Authority, is among 20-odd members of the Sabah Society for the Blind (SSB) who are computer literate.

She was among several blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals invited to try out the facilities at the centre that was jointly set up by the library, SSB and National Council for the Blind of Malaysia (NCBM).

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin launched the centre in a ceremony which was also attended by NCBM president Datuk S Kulasegaran, State Library director Wong Vui Yin and SSB president Wong On Fook.

"I discovered the internet in 2001 and it opened my mind to many new things," said Lucia who had since then struggled to own a computer, an effort she accomplished a few years ago. The internet has been her guide in finding answers, learning new things and to keep up with the times, said Lucia who is married to a blind foot reflexologist Sindan Bangkiu, 47. They have a child, Christobel, five, who has normal vision.

The Cyber Centre will feature four computers connected to the internet and it can be used for free during operating hours at the library.

Special assistants would also be on hand to help those who come to use the facility, including teaching them how to use various programmes available for blind and visually impaired people.

Malaysia gets a little bit more handicapped friendly. As if we could get any worse.

BBC: Charges brought in Chad child row

Eighteen people have been charged over alleged efforts to abduct more than 100 children in Chad for passage to Europe.

Charges including kidnapping were laid against nine French aid workers and journalists, seven Spanish flight crew and two Chadian nationals.

The Europeans were detained in the city of Abeche on Thursday as they prepared to fly 103 children out of the country.

The charity behind the flight protested its innocence, saying it believed the children were orphans from Darfur.

However staff from the UN children's agency Unicef say many of the children, now being kept in an orphanage in Abeche, cry at night for their parents and say they are from villages in Chad.

Earlier Chad's Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir warned the aid workers from the French charity Zoe's Ark could spend several years in jail.

Slow system

The nine French detainees will face charges of attempted child abduction and fraud, he prosecutor's office said. The seven Spaniards will be charged with being accomplices to the crime, as will the two unidentified Chadian nationals.

It now looks likely the prisoners currently being held in Abeche will be transferred to jail, though whether they will be moved to the capital N'Djamena is unclear, reports the BBC's Stephanie Hancock.

Another European - a Belgian pilot - is in detention in N'Djamena, but is not reported to be facing charges at present.

Our correspondent says it could be some time before those charged appear in court to enter a plea.

She says the Chadian justice system moves notoriously slowly, but that faced with such a high-profile and sensational case the judiciary may well move more quickly than normal.

On the runway

Our correspondent was among a group of reporters taken by Chadian authorities to the airport at Abeche, a town close to the Sudanese border, and shown the private charter plane still sitting on the runway where it was abandoned three days ago.

The reporters were also taken to the orphanage where the children are being cared for by aid workers and UN staff.

The majority of the children are believed to be between three and five years old, with the oldest about eight or nine, and several babies no more than one and a half, our correspondent says.

The charity insists it was trying in good faith to take endangered children abroad for medical treatment. But aid workers said they were not treating any of the children for any serious illnesses or injuries.

The reporters were also later taken to local police headquarters to see the 16 detained Europeans. They are not being held in prison cells but in a large room and are showing no signs of mistreatment, our correspondent says.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the charity workers' actions were illegal and unacceptable, while Chad's President Idriss Deby has promised "severe punishment" for what he has described as a "kidnapping" or "child-trafficking" operation.

Spain, however, is taking steps "aimed at guaranteeing the right to the presumption of innocence," a foreign ministry source said.

The airline which supplied the plane, Barcelona-based Girjet, said its crew was "calm and waiting for the diplomatic authorities to resolve" the situation.

This is what happens when you're too trusting and a do-gooder.

BBC: Dog shoots Iowa man during hunt

A man out hunting in Iowa was shot in the leg after a hunting dog stepped on his gun, authorities said.

The accident happened after James Harris, 37, put his gun on the ground to retrieve a fallen pheasant.

One of a pack of hunting dogs following behind stepped on the trigger, and up to 120 birdshot pellets hit Mr Harris in the left calf at short range.

A local official told a news agency the injury was "not life-threatening, but will give him trouble for a long time".

Alan Foster, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, told AFP it was not uncommon for hunters to be shot by their dogs.

"I hear about it a couple times a year," somewhere in the country, he said.

"They'll step on the trigger assembly and, if the gun for whatever reason wasn't on safety, it doesn't take a whole lot to trip a trigger."

Mr Harris was treated at Grinnell Regional Medical Center and later transported by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, following the accident in Poweshiek County on Saturday afternoon.

An investigation into the accident is under way.

Ever think that dogs might be smarter than we suspect?

BBC: Key Aids strain 'came from Haiti'
By Neil Bowdler Science reporter, BBC News

The strain of the HIV virus which predominates in the United States and Europe has been traced back to Haiti by an international team of scientists.

The strain passed from Haiti to the US in about 1969 before spreading further, says
the team in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences. They hope knowing this could help find a cure for HIV, which can lead to Aids.

"HIV-1 group M subtype B" predominates in the US, Europe, large parts of South America, Australia and Japan.

Now scientists say they know where it came from.

'Single carrier'

The team examined archived blood samples from five early Aids patients - all of them Haitian immigrants to the United States - and analysed genetic sequences from another 117 Aids patients from around the world.

With this data, they recreated a family tree for the virus, which they believe shows conclusively that the strain came to the US via Haiti - probably via a single person - in around 1969.

Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona in Tucson is one of the study's authors. He says the new research suggests HIV first arrived in Haiti in the mid-1960s - probably from Africa where HIV is thought to have originated - before making its crossing into the US.

"By 1966 the virus first starts spreading in Haiti," he told the BBC.

"A few years later one variant from Haiti gives rise to what would then light the fuse and explode around the world as the Aids pandemic that we first became aware of."

Prof Worobey and his colleagues now want to trace the strain back further. His suspicion is that it probably arrived in Haiti from the Congo via Haitians who were working in Africa during those years.

He says understanding the origins of this and other strains of HIV will better enable scientists to predict how the virus may mutate in the future.

That was a hell of a carrier, man. And in 1969, too. "Summer of Love" and all that. Something in dates, maybe?

BBC: Mini pigs are big success on farm

A Devon fun farm is reaping the rewards of a nine-year breeding programme for miniature pigs.

The pigs, which are about a fifth of the size of ordinary pigs, have been a hit with visitors at Pennywell Farm.

TV celebrity Jonathan Ross bought two of the pint-sized porkers as pets at £150 each and there have even been offers from as far away as Australia.

The pocket pigs are a variant of the rare kune kune breed, which are found in New Zealand.

Chris Murray, co-owner of the farm near Buckfastleigh, began cross-breeding the pigs nine years ago and believes he has the perfect pet pig.

Off menu

He said: "Pigs are very cute when they are young, but they outgrow a home environment and can be aggressive when they get older.

"These pigs are just at home indoors or outdoors."

Some pet pigs, such as the Vietnamese pot-bellied variety, have in the past been bought for their cuteness. But they fell out of fashion when it became clear how big they grow.

The world's smallest pig is thought to be the 28in-long wild pygmy hog, an endangered species which lives in wildlife sanctuaries in Assam, India.

Mr Murray said: "They are easy to house train and have a good temperament.

"A sow would normally snap at you if you picked up one of her litter, but these are amazingly content."

Mr Murray doubts if they will be appearing on restaurant menus.

"They are too small, he said. "It would be uneconomic so it's unlikely they will be used for meat and there is already a huge amount of different pig meat available."

Damn cute la. Got picture. Go see.

The Star: Keris tradition to continue

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth will continue to use the keris as its symbol at the coming party general assembly and believes that with time the non-Malays will become de-sensitised to it.

Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said there was no need for the movement to be apologetic or defensive about it.

He believed there was “nothing sensitive with carrying on” the tradition started by the movement two years ago.

“I feel it is important we continue to do it so that the issue becomes de-sensitised over time.

“We will explain our position without any fear and with time, God willing, people will understand that there is no personal, sensitive and ulterior motives for doing it,” he told reporters yesterday after chairing the Umno Youth executive council meeting.

Hishammuddin said that he would touch on the keris and explain what it means to Umno Youth and the Barisan Nasional Youth in his policy speech at the party assembly next Tuesday.

Last year, Hishammuddin had unsheathed and kissed the keris at the assembly.

This later caused uneasiness among non-Malays when one or two speakers at that Umno Youth assembly made racially slanted remarks about using the keris.

At yesterday’s press conference, Hishammuddin said that carrying a polystyrene keris, too, could become sensitive if people allowed themselves to be sensitive about it.

“I think Umno Youth is mature enough that when Gerakan Youth carried two plastic keris it doesn’t raise any concern,” he said.

At the recent Gerakan Youth assembly, a delegate had wielded and waved two keris over his head, in an apparent spoof on Hishammuddin. This had tickled delegates at the Gerakan assembly.

Hishammuddin pointed out that two Umno Youth speakers were hauled up before the disciplinary panel last year to explain their remarks, which had been broadcast live.

“Do not take the voices of one or two speakers as gospel truth,” he said, adding that the media had given too much emphasis on the speeches of these speakers and not enough on his and his deputy’s winding-up speeches, which had addressed the issue.

On whether he would ask the Umno Youth speakers to tone down their speeches this time, Hishammuddin said that it was a maturing process for the movement but it also applied to the Youth wings of the other Barisan component parties as well.

“As much as they want us to tone it down, they should also be sensitive to what is close and dear to our hearts as Umno Youth leaders. And this is our forum and we have to address our issues. But that does not mean that we will neglect issues that are close to them also,” he said.

He noted that at the end of the day, there were trust and comfort between the different races and this allowed the people to carry on together.

You mean the Malays trust the other races to be comfortable with everything they choose to do, don't you? In a country where non-malays are discouraged from talking about their discontent on their treatment as second-class citizens, it's obvious that there is trust and comfort between the different races.

I suppose that if MIC were to start kissing ancient Chinese traditional swords (or whatever it is they used), that the Malay government officials would be trusting and comfortable with it? Riiiiiight...

Three teens arrested for gang-rape
By STEPHEN THEN

MIRI: Three boys aged between 13 and 17 have been arrested on suspicion of having gang-raped a 12-year-old girl here.

The trio, believed to be school drop-outs, were arrested by a team of mobile unit police personnel late Sunday night.

Monday afternoon, they were placed under remand for eight days to facilitate investigations.

Miri police chief Asst Comm Abang Abdillah Abang Othman on Monday confirmed the arrest.

The girl had on Sunday night lodged a police report claiming that she had been gang-raped by these boys in a house outside the city centre.

The girl is also believed to be a school drop-out.

Another what the hell is wrong with Malaysian today article.

And no... I didn't have much work today.

Blackle not an energy saver, but an energy user?

Blackle is basically a black version of Google (not related to Google), started by Toby Heap, a Sydney-based research fellow at the University of Sydney who studies exercise physiology.

The reason Heap started Blackle was to provide a source of energy savings for computer users, claiming that the black background will help monitors use less energy. The problem is that two different studies that I've found have claimed that it doesn't do so. As a matter of fact, Blackle may increase the amount of energy used for some monitors, so before you change your blog background color to black, read on.

The studies:

1. Techlogg: Blackle vs Google power savings – the final test
Written by Darren Yates
Wednesday, 08 August 2007

2. Wall Street Journal: Does a Darkened Google Really Save Electricity?
The Numbers Guy
Carl Bialik examines the way numbers are used, and abused
May 11, 2007, 2:57 pm

Summary:

1. For LCD monitors 22" or smaller, Blackle increased energy usage.
2. For most LCD monitors larger than 22", Blackle fractionally decreases energy usage by an average of 3.16 watts.
3. For the ViewSonic VX2835wm, there was a 2.2 watt increase in energy usage.
4. For CRT monitors, Blackle reduces energy usage, but by a substantially lesser amount than claimed by Heap.

The Verdict:

• If you are using a CRT monitor, you could use Blackle to reduce energy usage. The difference is small, but the ocean is nothing but a lot of drops of water.
• If you are using an LCD monitor, for god's sake don't use Blackle. Unless you've gone black and you can't go back. That's excusable.
• While some say that Heap only started Blackle to get the advertising revenue (it works the same way that Google does), you could argue that he is sincere.

How to do your bit:

In response to these findings, Google and Techlogg have both published simple ways in which to save energy while using your computer:

From Google:

• Turn on the power management features.
• Turn off your monitor and computer when you're not using them.
• Turn down the brightness on your monitor.
• Make sure your next computer meets the efficiency standards of Climate Savers Computing (an efficient computer uses up to 50% less energy than a conventional one) to find the most efficient PCs available today, look for the words "EnergyStar 4.0 compliant."

From Techlogg:

• Turn off your PC after work
• Drop the screen brightness
• Switch of your ADSL modem at night
• Switch everything off at the wall
• Set your desktop PC power management

References:

1. Official Google Blog: Is black the new green?, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-black-new-green.html
2. techlogg.com: Blackle vs Google power savings - the final test, http://techlogg.com/content/view/360/31/
3. techlogg.com: Five simple ways to save electricity with your computer, http://techlogg.com/content/view/367/
4. The Age: Search site cashes in on eco-guilt, http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/search-site-cashes-in-on-ecoguilt/2007/08/01/1185647951527.html?page=2

On the (in)famous Marquis de Sade

One wonders, if the Marquis de Sade were alive today instead of in the 18th century, would he just be another minor European aristocrat who participated in things such as the Lair de Sade or the Singapore Swingers Club, and his writings lost amongst the multitudes of books which feature sex and depravity such as the Sin City comics, Danielle Steele books and movies such as the Saw trilogy?

Reuters: Teenager in go-kart leaves police standing

This guy is my hero.

Teenager in go-kart leaves police standing
Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:34pm EDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - A teen-ager speeding through a German town in a go-kart with seven squad cars in hot pursuit managed to give the frustrated officers the slip, police said on Friday.

After leading the convoy on a 5-km (3-mile) chase through the winding streets of Moenchengladbach, the 18-year-old driver spotted a private garage with an open door, where he decided to lie low, police said.

"We were chasing him across town, but the squad cars couldn't keep up because the go-cart was able to take the corners faster and he was able to get away," police spokesman Willy Thevissen said.

However, police later discovered his hiding place. He was questioned and charged with driving without a license and driving a go-kart on a public street, which is not permitted in Germany.

"He told us he knew driving a go-cart on the street is illegal," the spokesman said. "But he had purchased the vehicle from a friend and said he had no other way of getting it home."

Moenchengladbach has produced two Formula One racing drivers. Both Nick Heidfeld of the BMW Sauber ream and former racer Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who retired in 2003, were born there.

Awesome.

Riiiiiiiiiight... ¬_¬

From The Star Online:

Mum pines for child sold off by drug-addict hubby

A MOTHER of 10 in Alor Star is still mourning her eighth child who was sold off by her ex-husband 10 years ago for RM500 to feed his drug addiction.

The Metro Ahad ran a front-page report that Kamsiah Jalil, 50, from Kampung Lama, claimed she had been unaware of her ex-husband's actions back then because she was preoccupied with her work.

“I'm always filled with distress when I think of my eight child, Muhamad Rusdi Ramli, who was sold off without my knowledge.

“He was only two months old the last time I saw him and I was busy with work because we were so poor, that's why I didn't know what my then husband was up to,” she told the Malay daily.

Kamsiah, who has since remarried, added that all she had left of him was his birth certificate. She hopes to find him one day.

Uhhuh.

Learn to swim, Taib advises river commuters

MUKAH: Frequent boat travellers should learn how to swim, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud advised.

He said they would have a greater chance of surviving during mishaps.

“We must be serious about the safety aspects in rivers although the number of mishaps are not alarming,” he added, when opening a River Safety and Education seminar at Kampung Teh, Sungai Mukah, near here on Saturday.

The event was jointly organised by the Sarawak Rivers Board and United Nations Development Programme.

Taib said with rivers providing an important mode of transportation for people and goods, the safety of commuters had to be improved in all aspects.

Thousands of people, including schoolchildren, rely on boats to go to towns and schools daily.

There are more than 50 navigational rivers state-wide which are served by express passenger boats, speedboats longboats and cargo vessels. Taib said boat operators and river commuters could prevent accidents by strictly adhering to the “do’s and don’ts” drawn up by the Sarawak Rivers Board and observing safety procedures and requirements.

“We must think safety first always, and never take things for granted,” he reiterated.

I thought the point of boats were so that you didn't have to swim across.

Najib: Good economy can offset adverse impact of oil prices

SEREMBAN: Malaysia’s best bet in cushioning itself against the adverse impacts of skyrocketing oil prices is to keep its economy robust and moving, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said yesterday.

“We will do what we can, but ultimately we have to be dependent on global economic growth,” he said.

Last Friday, oil prices hit an all-time high of US$92 per barrel in New York.

The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), which last week projected our economy to expand by 5.7% this year, expressed concern that the rising crude oil prices could derail the global economy.

Responding to questions at a press conference after closing the two-day National Agriculture Convention 2007, Najib told Bernama that the increasing crude oil prices would have an impact on the country in both the short and long terms.

“The immediate short-term impact is some positive balance (in earnings) because we are a net exporter of oil, but beyond that short term is the growing fear that it will lead to a slowdown in the world economy,” he said.

“And if the world economy slows down, certainly this will impact negatively on Malaysia given that it is one of the largest trading nations in the world.”

The deputy prime minister said Malaysia’s other major concern was the increasing amount of subsidies it had to fork out as oil prices rose.

“Our subsidies for petroleum products and gas are getting huge,” he said.

Malaysia has already spent some RM16bil in subsidising petroleum prices in the first eight months of this year. Against such a backdrop, Najib said: “It is not as straightforward as it sounds. The only thing we can do is to ensure our domestic economy continues to be robust and strong.”

In BALIK PULAU, Penang, Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya urged Umno leaders to explain to the people that the increase in global oil prices was beyond the Government’s control.

He said at a Hari Raya open house yesterday for 300 old folk hosted by the Sungai Pinang Komuniti Bestari that briefing sessions would be held for the Indian and Chinese communities to make them understand the global fuel price scenario and its impact on Malaysia.

“For Muslims, we have arranged for explanations to be made during the Hadhari programmes,” he added.

We believe you. No, really.

Food poisoning cases doubled

KOTA BARU: The number of food poisoning cases in Malaysia has doubled from last
year, with most cases involving schoolchildren.

Despite a perceived higher awareness about food hygiene, the country continues to be plagued by food poisoning cases, with 11,226 cases recorded from January to Sept 15, this year – a 100% increase compared to the same period last year.

Selangor has the highest cases of food poisoning followed by Perak, Terengganu and Kelantan, Health Ministry health education division director Abdul Jabar Ahmad said.

“What is alarming is that 67% of the 11,226 food poisoning victims are schoolchildren,” he said after launching the national food safety campaign for schools here yesterday.

To address the issue, the ministry would hold road shows, exhibitions, pop quizzes and enrol artistes to help generate awareness about proper food preparation and the importance of nutrition in cooking, he said.

School canteen operators would also be closely monitored, he said.

Abdul Jabar said questionnaires would be distributed to schoolchildren in the country soon to gauge their level of awareness about food safety and preparation.

Kelantan education department student affairs unit head Ahmad Yani Mohamad said the education authorities had terminated the services of six canteen operators this year.

He also urged local authorities to conduct inspections on hawkers trading outside the school compound to ensure they did not sell sub-standard food and drinks.

Parents who noticed errant hawkers or operators can contact the department at 09-741 8112 to lodge complaints.

Still think it's alright to send your kids to government schools?

Okay, I think that's enough sarcasm/skepticism for today.

I feel a little bit like Doogie Howser, M.D.

It was a superb, adventurous, taxing, fun-filled, enlightening weekend all in one. It was awesome. We did things that I suspected we could but never knew for sure. Now we know.

We

found our way cross-country using ridiculously useless maps.

got lost in Johor Bahru's Wong Ah Fook for about 45 minutes.

pigged out on junk food.

found Nemo about 30x in total.

tanned and toasted ourselves silly.

bitched about people from that country/kind who were inconsiderate.

met people with ridiculously awesome backgrounds.

survived each other/the trip/the traffic/the bad planning of the organizers.

snored.

freaked ourselves out driving at 5am through trunk roads with no street lights.

froze our butts off on the ferry.

I

drove for hours and hours through highways and trunk roads.

spent more time driving than I did diving.

discovered the limits of Mika, my trusty red steed.

pushed Mika to whole new limits.

proved that I really can drive long-distance/cross-country.

survived true backpackers' accomodation.

surprised myself with my resilience in true backpackers' accomodation.

came one step closer to skydiving.

met someone who works at Michelin.

pigged out on junk food like crazy.

got to see my uncle's house.

She

let her kiasu-ness come out.

brought out the crazy in the two of us.

pushed her bladder to new limits.

good-naturedly put up with my need for clean toilets.

snored.

found our way through state lines.

acquired new powers for moving people out of our way.

discovered a new love for Gardenia.

All in all, a very awesome, zen, rejuvenating trip.