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Thursday, October 07, 2010
Free Business Web Site
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Green Entrepreneurs
Turning One Athlete's Trash into a Successful Business
Atayne, based in Portland, ME, gets its raw material through a cheap and dirty strategy -- from the streets, literally.
Cleaning up'
By Alex Davidson
Trashole. Rubber necking. Going mechanic.
Those terms may sound like new snowboarding moves, or even names high-schoolers use in social circles. But, believe it or not, they’re actually part of a successful marketing campaign. They belong to a new vocabulary created by entrepreneur Jeremy Litchfield, founder of a clothing company that makes athletic wear from recyclables.
As a way to hawk his products on the cheap, Litchfield created “Trash Running,” where people, clothed in his Atayne shirts and given roles like “picker” or “holder,” follow marathon runners and collect all types of trash. Not only do they label someone a “trashole” if he drops his water bottle, but they get media attention, raw materials and a captive audience -- all for free.
“We had to come up with unique and free ways to cut through the clutter,” said Litchfield, who started Atayne (pronounced “attain”) in September 2008. “[Trash running] has been such a great opportunity for us. It’s given us a way to get involved with a race but not spend a lot of money.”
Saturday, May 29, 2010
USAF successfully launch the new GPS IIF-1 satellite
GPS
Article by: Mike Barrett
Date: 29 May 2010
Last night saw the successful launch and deployment of a new generation of GPS satellites the GPS IIF. These satellites are built by Boeing and will enhance the current GPS constellation by adding a further 12 GPS satellites to replace the current ones that are nearing the end of their service life.This launch was particularly important for a number of reasons: It was to be the first of the new GPS Satellites; It represented a major milestone for the Delta Rockets; and it was to be the first GPS launch on the Delta IV rocket.
The full pre-launch and launch day events follow along with our GPS IIF-1 launch video:
I had arranged to come out to Florida last year to witness this launch but it was postponed from November to February, finally to May 13th. May 13th was a particularly poignant date as this represented the 50th anniversary of the Delta family of rockets. Unfortunately due to the final flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis this date was pushed out to May 20th.
GatorGuy and I were invited by the USAF to attend a pre-launch press conference on launch pad 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base 12 hours before the launch. We headed out the the meeting point outside the security barriers of the AFB where we were met by our Air Force escorts (including Dan @AFSpace on Twitter). With about 25 other reporters we were take out to the Launch Complex in a large convoy.
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/USAF-successfully-launch-the-new-GPS-IIF1-satellite-5123.php
NASA develops new technology to enhance search and rescue operations - May 25, 2010
NASA develops new technology to enhance search and rescue operations
Oneindia - May 25, 2010
Washington, May 25 (ANI): NASA has developed new technology that will more quickly identify the locations of people in distress and reduce the risk of rescuers.
NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies, are now completing the development and testing of the new system and expect to make it operational in the coming years after a complete constellation of DASS-equipped satellites is launched.
When it goes online, DASS will be able to almost instantaneously detect and locate distress signals generated by 406 MHz beacons installed on aircraft and vessels or carried by individuals, greatly enhancing the international community's ability to rescue people in distress, said NASA Search and Rescue Mission Manager David Affens.
This improved capability is made possible because the satellite-based instruments used to relay the emergency signals will be installed on the U.S. military's Global Position System (GPS), a constellation of 24 spacecraft operating in mid-Earth orbit (MEO).
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/05/25/nasadevelops-new-technology-to-enhance-search-andre.html
Washington, May 25 (ANI): NASA has developed new technology that will more quickly identify the locations of people in distress and reduce the risk of rescuers.
The Search and Rescue Mission Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in collaboration with several government agencies, has developed a next-generation search and rescue system, called the Distress Alerting Satellite System (DASS).
NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies, are now completing the development and testing of the new system and expect to make it operational in the coming years after a complete constellation of DASS-equipped satellites is launched.
When it goes online, DASS will be able to almost instantaneously detect and locate distress signals generated by 406 MHz beacons installed on aircraft and vessels or carried by individuals, greatly enhancing the international community's ability to rescue people in distress, said NASA Search and Rescue Mission Manager David Affens.
This improved capability is made possible because the satellite-based instruments used to relay the emergency signals will be installed on the U.S. military's Global Position System (GPS), a constellation of 24 spacecraft operating in mid-Earth orbit (MEO).
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/05/25/nasadevelops-new-technology-to-enhance-search-andre.html
Louvre on the Rocks:
World
(May 29) -- Archaeologists have revealed the first detailed studies of what some call one of the world's most significant collections of rock art, a treasure trove of more than 3,000 stunning paintings and other images spanning as many as 15,000 years.
The extraordinary cache lies in a remote and sparsely populated region of north-central Australia. Known by the Aboriginal name of Djulirri (rhymes with "Hillary"), the site was until now almost completely unknown to science.
The rock walls of Djulirri bear images of kangaroos, the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger, sailing ships from the 1800s, humans performing a ritual with a snake, European missionaries, even a biplane. In some places there are 20 layers of artworks, one painted atop the other.
................
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/cache-of-aboriginal-art-revealed-in-djulirri-rock-shelter-in-australia/19495916
Louvre on the Rocks: Cache of Aboriginal Art Revealed
Traci Watson Contributor:(May 29) -- Archaeologists have revealed the first detailed studies of what some call one of the world's most significant collections of rock art, a treasure trove of more than 3,000 stunning paintings and other images spanning as many as 15,000 years.
The extraordinary cache lies in a remote and sparsely populated region of north-central Australia. Known by the Aboriginal name of Djulirri (rhymes with "Hillary"), the site was until now almost completely unknown to science.
................
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/cache-of-aboriginal-art-revealed-in-djulirri-rock-shelter-in-australia/19495916
Friday, April 30, 2010
Saigon Fell 35 Years Ago, but Its Legacy Endures
World
Saigon Fell 35 Years Ago, but Its Legacy Endures
Updated: 3 hours 3 minutes ago
Across Saigon, the music set Americans moving toward the U.S. Embassy and a parking lot at Tan Son Nhut air base, where they crammed themselves and whatever they could carry into helicopters sent from Navy ships off the coast.
The final "rush to the door," as the Wall Street Journal put it at the time, was on: 150,000 North Vietnamese troops were on the outskirts of the city, with nothing in the way of their advance.
Dirck Halstead, Liaison Agency / Getty Images
People flee as Saigon falls to North Vietnam in April 1975.
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/fall-of-saigon-ended-tumultuous-chapter-in-us-history/19460257
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Robb's Report Resorts
January 01, 2010
Soneva Kiri
The Eco Villa at Six Senses’ new Soneva Kiri resort is best identified by what it lacks: carbon emissions. This environmentally friendly accommodation—which Six Senses intends as a prototype for its future properties—is one of 42 villas at Soneva Kiri, a stylishly sensitive beach resort that opened on Thailand’s Koh Kood Island in November.
Since its launch in 1995, Bangkok-based Six Senses has been committed to eco-friendly building methods. But the environment has never trumped indulgence at the company’s resorts. At the 150-acre Soneva Kiri, butlers service each of the villas, where bathrooms are outdoors but still feature all of the comforts of a marble-laden interior space. Activities at the resort include catamaran excursions on the Gulf of Thailand and evening screenings at Kiri’s over-water theater, Cinema Paradiso. Guests can enjoy contemporary Thai cuisine at the resort’s fine-dining restaurant or in one of several elevated venues called Tree Pods.
Visitors staying in the Eco Villa can select a bottle from the accommodation’s wine cellar to pair with dinner. The villa also features a swimming pond, as well as a bush-filled garden that grows out of a cellulose-insulated roof. Soneva Kiri, +662.631.9777, www.sixsenses.com
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Soneva Kiri
Photo by Kiattipong Panchee
Soneva Kiri
Soneva Kiri’s eco-friendly architecture ranges from a sleek four-bedroom suite (shown here) to a whimsical children’s club. Photo by Kiattipong Panchee
Soneva Kiri’s eco-friendly architecture ranges from a sleek four-bedroom suite to a whimsical children’s club (shown here). Photo by Kiattipong Panchee
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Fallen School Children, Reverse Boom?
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/02/137_60223.html
Monday, January 25, 2010
Return to previous page Chicago Tribune's 2009 pictures of the year
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Kites festival Parents and their children enjoy the sight of a giant kite, while visiting the Annual Kids and Kites Festival at Montrose Harbor.
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Road Trips To So Cal
Idyllwild, California
Idyllwild
California deserts
Distance: 109 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $28.89
What happens if, two-thirds of the way to a Palm Springs weekend, somebody grabs control of your family's vehicle, veers hard to the right, follows the cliff-clinging goat path known as California 243, then roars into the pines looking for a soft meadow between granite peaks?
Idyllwild is what happens. Arriving from Los Angeles, you first climb to the largely residential community of Pine Cove, then descend to about 5,300 feet, where you see half a dozen blocks of shops, restaurants and art and craft galleries, all surrounded by trees, rocks, scattered vacation cabins, the odd A-frame and the odder geodesic dome. The year-round population is about 3,500.
Read more: Find simpler times in Idyllwild's peaceful San Jacinto mountain retreat
California deserts
Distance: 109 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $28.89
What happens if, two-thirds of the way to a Palm Springs weekend, somebody grabs control of your family's vehicle, veers hard to the right, follows the cliff-clinging goat path known as California 243, then roars into the pines looking for a soft meadow between granite peaks?
Idyllwild is what happens. Arriving from Los Angeles, you first climb to the largely residential community of Pine Cove, then descend to about 5,300 feet, where you see half a dozen blocks of shops, restaurants and art and craft galleries, all surrounded by trees, rocks, scattered vacation cabins, the odd A-frame and the odder geodesic dome. The year-round population is about 3,500.
Read more: Find simpler times in Idyllwild's peaceful San Jacinto mountain retreat
Little Petroglyph Canyon
Little Petroglyph Canyon
California deserts
Distance: 177 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $46.91
No one knows for sure who decorated Little Petroglyph Canyon with images out of a dreamscape, some thought to be more than 10,000 years old. Or why the basalt walls of a narrow wash in the bone-dry Coso Mountains at the northern edge of the Mojave became a magic canvas for flocks of bighorn sheep, hunters with bows and arrows poised and more. But the area is probably the richest Amerindian rock-art site in the hemisphere. To see the canyon, you must contact the Navy base or join a tour offered by Maturango Museum. It's a rough 40-mile drive to the trail head, followed by a hike and a scramble along the canyon. Visits only in spring and fall.
Info: Maturango Museum, 100 E. Las Flores Ave., Ridgecrest, CA 93555; (760) 375-6900, www.maturango.org. Private tours through the Naval Air Weapons Station, (760) 939-1683.
-- Susan Spano
California deserts
Distance: 177 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $46.91
No one knows for sure who decorated Little Petroglyph Canyon with images out of a dreamscape, some thought to be more than 10,000 years old. Or why the basalt walls of a narrow wash in the bone-dry Coso Mountains at the northern edge of the Mojave became a magic canvas for flocks of bighorn sheep, hunters with bows and arrows poised and more. But the area is probably the richest Amerindian rock-art site in the hemisphere. To see the canyon, you must contact the Navy base or join a tour offered by Maturango Museum. It's a rough 40-mile drive to the trail head, followed by a hike and a scramble along the canyon. Visits only in spring and fall.
Info: Maturango Museum, 100 E. Las Flores Ave., Ridgecrest, CA 93555; (760) 375-6900, www.maturango.org. Private tours through the Naval Air Weapons Station, (760) 939-1683.
-- Susan Spano
Hurkey Creek Park
Hurkey Creek Park
California deserts
Distance: 113 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $29.95
Hurkey Creek Park has more than 100 sites (plus five large group sites) with picnic tables, fire pits, restroom and shower facilities, and a two-vehicle/six-person limit per site. Large RVs and trailers are permitted, but there are no hook-ups. Sites cost $20 per night. Reserve with Riverside County Parks between April and October. The campground is also open for day use ($2 per adult, $1 per 12-and-under) from dawn to dusk.
Riverside County Parks, (800) 234-7275, www.riversidecountyparks.org
-- Jordan Rane
Read more: Hurkey Creek Park: cold, empty and so refreshing
California deserts
Distance: 113 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $29.95
Hurkey Creek Park has more than 100 sites (plus five large group sites) with picnic tables, fire pits, restroom and shower facilities, and a two-vehicle/six-person limit per site. Large RVs and trailers are permitted, but there are no hook-ups. Sites cost $20 per night. Reserve with Riverside County Parks between April and October. The campground is also open for day use ($2 per adult, $1 per 12-and-under) from dawn to dusk.
Riverside County Parks, (800) 234-7275, www.riversidecountyparks.org
-- Jordan Rane
Read more: Hurkey Creek Park: cold, empty and so refreshing
'
Shields Date Gardens
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Shields Date Gardens
California deserts
Distance: 128 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $33.92
This spot has delicious date shakes and free screenings of that California blockbuster "The Romance and Sex Life of the Date." (760) 347-7768, www.shieldsdategarden.com.
California deserts
Distance: 128 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $33.92
This spot has delicious date shakes and free screenings of that California blockbuster "The Romance and Sex Life of the Date." (760) 347-7768, www.shieldsdategarden.com.
Borrego Palm Canyon
Borrego Palm Canyon
California deserts
Distance: 152 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $40.28
Borrego doesn't get the attention that desert areas farther north do, but it's the biggest state park in California. Borrego Palm Canyon (a three-mile hike, round-trip) is a testament to the violence of desert life -- it lost about 80% of its palms in a 2004 flood -- and it's the park's star hike. Also a good place for spotting bighorn sheep. (760) 767-5311,
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638.
California deserts
Distance: 152 miles one-way
Cost for roundtrip gas: $40.28
Borrego doesn't get the attention that desert areas farther north do, but it's the biggest state park in California. Borrego Palm Canyon (a three-mile hike, round-trip) is a testament to the violence of desert life -- it lost about 80% of its palms in a 2004 flood -- and it's the park's star hike. Also a good place for spotting bighorn sheep. (760) 767-5311,
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638.
Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree
HIDDEN VALLEY Joshua Tree National Park
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree
California deserts
MORE ROAD TRIPS AND PHOTOS ON LA TIMES.COM
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-trw-caroadtrip-pg,0,5191255.photogallery
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Biosphere 2's Second Chapter: Climate Change
Biosphere 2's Second Chapter: Climate Change
Updated: 1 hour 18 minutes ago
Over the past 15 years, experiments conducted at Biosphere 2 by researchers from Columbia University and the University of Arizona have helped shape scientific understanding of how climate change will affect the planet. The story of the facility's evolution, however, is as entertaining as it is surprising.
Great Hopes
Biosphere 2 was built by Space Biospheres Ventures in the late 1980s at a cost of $200 million. The project was heralded around the world as the experiment that would eventually lead to the colonization of other planets. The concept was to create a sustainable ecosystem entirely sealed off from the outside world.
Inside 7.2 million cubic feet of sealed glass, several artificial environments were created, from desert to rain forest to a coral reef. Spanning 3.14 acres -- the size of several football fields -- the scale of the facility, which is about 25 north of Tucson, was unprecedented.
http://www.sphere.com/article/biosphere-2-regains-scientific-respect/19312078
Over the past 15 years, experiments conducted at Biosphere 2 by researchers from Columbia University and the University of Arizona have helped shape scientific understanding of how climate change will affect the planet. The story of the facility's evolution, however, is as entertaining as it is surprising.
Great Hopes
Biosphere 2 was built by Space Biospheres Ventures in the late 1980s at a cost of $200 million. The project was heralded around the world as the experiment that would eventually lead to the colonization of other planets. The concept was to create a sustainable ecosystem entirely sealed off from the outside world.
Lonely Planet/ZUMApress.com
No longer a sealed-off environment, Biosphere 2 now offers guided tours.
http://www.sphere.com/article/biosphere-2-regains-scientific-respect/19312078
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Thailand on the Map
World's Best
Thailand On The Map
Thailand on the map
Thinking about heading east for Christmas or the New Year? Rick Jordan rounds up the latest luxury options from north to south
Traveling guide from North To South In Thailand.
By Rick Jordan
http://www.cntraveller.com/Special_Features/Luxury_In_Thailand/
Bangkok Guide:
The cultural and commercial centre of Thailand.
http://www.cntraveller.com/Guides/Thailand/Bangkok/
Best Asian Spa:
http://www.cntraveller.com/Special_Features/Best_Asian_Spas/The_Baan_Thai_Wellness_Retreat/
Conde Nast Readers Name the Best Places to Go, Where to Stay, and How to Get There
Conde Nast Readers Name the Best Places to Go, Where to Stay, and How to Get There
Top 20 Scores
01. (Resort) Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, 98.9
02. (Hotel) Peninsula House, Dominican Republic, 98.6
03. (Hotel) Blanket Bay, South Island, New Zealand, 98.3
04. (Hotel) La Scalinatella, Capri, 97.3
05. (Resort) King Pacific Lodge, British Columbia, 97.8
06. (Hotel) 21C Museum Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky, 97.2
06. (Hotel) La Colombe d'Or, St-Paul de Vence, France, 97.2
06. (Hotel) Oberoi Udaivilas, Rajasthan, 97.2
06. (Resort) Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan, 97.2
10. (Resort) Mombo And Little Mobo Camps, Botswana, 97.1
11. (Hotel) Il San Pietro Di Positano, Positano, 97
12. (Hotel) Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, 96.8
13. (Hotel) The Peninsula, Hong Kong, 96.5
13. (Resort) Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Bali, 96.5
15. (Resort) One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos, 96.4
16. (Hotel) Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden, Dresden, 96.3
16. (Hotel) The Saxon, Johannesburg, 96.3
18. (Resort) Sandibe Safari Lodge, Botswana, 96.2
19. (Hotel) Grand Hotel A Villa Fel Trinell, Lake Garda, Italy, 96.1
19. (Hotel) Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole, Tuscany, 96.1
http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/readerschoice/top100
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The 10 Best Retiement Havens.
In Pictures: The 10 Best Retirement Havens
By Richard C. Morais
Austria
© Inti St. Clair/Getty Images
Austria
Elegant architecture, classical music, trams that run. Vienna offers the highest quality of life on the globe, according to Mercer, and medical insurers say its private clinics are world-class. Salzburg, Graz and Kitzbühel and surrounding hamlets have much to offer those who love mountains and the outdoors. Look at Austria as a lower-cost Switzerland.
Downside: no Mediterranean-style love of life. Icy reserve.
#2
Thailand
Warmly welcoming of retirees and ideal for seniors on modest budgets, Thailand has everything from bungalows on Phuket's blue lagoons to urban living in bustling Bangkok. Considered Asia's best buy for quality health care at reasonable costs. But the good private hospitals are in Bangkok, so make sure your retreat on the water is within three hours of the capital.
Downside: unpredictable politics.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/15/ten-best-retirement-havens-personal-finance-retire-abroad_slide_2.html?partner=yahoo
Sunday, October 18, 2009
World Most Beautiful Sunset. #2
Rudy Maxa, TV personality, travel journalist: Ban Talae Nok, Thailand
© Rudy Maxa
Rudy Maxa, TV personality, travel journalist: Ban Talae Nok, Thailand
Beautiful sunsets aren't just about the sun. Surroundings, and even local history, add to the experience. Rudy Maxa recalls a recent visit to Ban Talae Nok, Thailand, a small community that lost more than 200 villagers in the 2004 tsunami, including 16 schoolchildren who were playing near the beach. Today, a new school stands out of harm's way high on a hill. And every evening at sunset, Maxa says, "a herd of wild water buffalo go down to the deserted beach and pause as if not sure they want to get their feet wet. Then, as the sun threatens to sink into the Andaman Sea, they step gingerly into the small waves and begin wallowing in neck-high water for about 15 minutes. It's one of the most unusual sunsets I've ever seen."
Rudy Maxa is host and executive producer of Rudy Maxa's World, which airs on Travel Channel International.
http://www.forbestraveler.com/best-lists/sunsets-slide-2.html?thisSpeed=25000
World 25th Sexiest Beach 2009
Phang Nga Bay, Phuket, Thailand
Thailand runs the gamut in terms of sexiness: There’s everything from romantic seclusion to all-night barely clothed partying. No one can argue with the beauty of the stunningly scenic Phang Nga Bay, where giant limestone formations spike dramatically out of the jade waters. National Park protection has guarded the area against creeping over-development.
SEE ALSO: The World's Best Cruises, Period
http://www.forbestraveler.com/islands-beaches/sexiest-beaches-world-2009-slide-20.html?thisSpeed=25000
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
507-Carat Rough Diamond Found
507-Carat Rough Diamond Found
by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) Sep 29th 2009 at 10:02PM
It looks like a chunk of clouded ice but the stone shown at right is a 507-carat rough diamond found at the Petra Diamonds Cullinan Mine in South Africa. The 507.55 carat stone is believed to be of exceptional color and clarity, and is most likely a Type II diamond. The rough was found as part of a run that also included a 168-carat piece of rough and two other stones of 58.5 and 53.3 carats. A lucky day indeed, the stone is one of the top 20 largest high-quality rough diamonds ever found making it incredibly rare.
The Cullinan Mine has yielded some of the world's great diamonds including the largest "gem-quality" stone ever recovered, the "Cullinan," 3,106 carats rough, and was the source for the Golden Jubilee, at 755 carats rough, and the Centenary, at 599 carats rough. Cullinan also produced the piece of rough that became the Taylor-Burton diamond, a stone that is 69 carats polished. The diamonds will be analyzed by a team of experts and then the long process of determining how to best cut them can begin.
by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) Sep 29th 2009 at 10:02PM
It looks like a chunk of clouded ice but the stone shown at right is a 507-carat rough diamond found at the Petra Diamonds Cullinan Mine in South Africa. The 507.55 carat stone is believed to be of exceptional color and clarity, and is most likely a Type II diamond. The rough was found as part of a run that also included a 168-carat piece of rough and two other stones of 58.5 and 53.3 carats. A lucky day indeed, the stone is one of the top 20 largest high-quality rough diamonds ever found making it incredibly rare.
The Cullinan Mine has yielded some of the world's great diamonds including the largest "gem-quality" stone ever recovered, the "Cullinan," 3,106 carats rough, and was the source for the Golden Jubilee, at 755 carats rough, and the Centenary, at 599 carats rough. Cullinan also produced the piece of rough that became the Taylor-Burton diamond, a stone that is 69 carats polished. The diamonds will be analyzed by a team of experts and then the long process of determining how to best cut them can begin.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Mary Queen Of Scots' Last Letter.
When I was in Edinburgh, Scotland, I visited the Edinburgh Castle and saw Mary Queen Of Scots' bed. Several years later, I read "Mary Queen Of Scots" (1969) by Lady Antonia Fraser and it took me back to the Edinburgh's trip and feeling of absolute awe, of wonder, of humility.
FILE - In this June 2006 file photo, visitors, some with audio guide headsets, learn all about Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.
(AP Photo/Jeannette Goldstein, file)
Here is another story reminding me of the cold summer days in Edinburgh in 1965.
Last letter of Mary Queen of Scots appears briefly
Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:17am ED
By Ian MacKenzie
EDINBURGH (Reuters Life!) - At 2 a.m. on a frigid February morning in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots sat at her table and penned a last letter before her execution in the great hall of Fotheringhay Castle in the English midlands.
"Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning," she wrote to her brother-in-law, the king of France.
Fragile with age but in remarkably good condition, the letter by one of the great tragic figures of Scottish history is making a rare appearance until Sept 21 at the National Library of Scotland.
Library spokesman Bruce Blacklaw said the library wanted to promote a new visitors' center and bring to public view treasures tucked away in the library's vaults.
"What we wanted to do is bring people in...There's no better way than to get one of the real iconic treasures from Scottish history out to be seen," he said.
He added Mary's last letter was unlikely to emerge again from its dark air-conditioned safe for "a long time."
...................
In 1603, Mary's son James VI of Scotland acceded to the English throne as James I on the death of Elizabeth I, thus uniting England and Scotland under one monarch.
Mary's remains lie in London's Westminster Abbey, conveyed there by her son. Continued...
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE58F25620090916?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt
FILE - In this June 2006 file photo, visitors, some with audio guide headsets, learn all about Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.
(AP Photo/Jeannette Goldstein, file)
Here is another story reminding me of the cold summer days in Edinburgh in 1965.
Last letter of Mary Queen of Scots appears briefly
Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:17am ED
By Ian MacKenzie
EDINBURGH (Reuters Life!) - At 2 a.m. on a frigid February morning in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots sat at her table and penned a last letter before her execution in the great hall of Fotheringhay Castle in the English midlands.
"Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning," she wrote to her brother-in-law, the king of France.
Fragile with age but in remarkably good condition, the letter by one of the great tragic figures of Scottish history is making a rare appearance until Sept 21 at the National Library of Scotland.
Library spokesman Bruce Blacklaw said the library wanted to promote a new visitors' center and bring to public view treasures tucked away in the library's vaults.
"What we wanted to do is bring people in...There's no better way than to get one of the real iconic treasures from Scottish history out to be seen," he said.
He added Mary's last letter was unlikely to emerge again from its dark air-conditioned safe for "a long time."
...................
In 1603, Mary's son James VI of Scotland acceded to the English throne as James I on the death of Elizabeth I, thus uniting England and Scotland under one monarch.
Mary's remains lie in London's Westminster Abbey, conveyed there by her son. Continued...
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE58F25620090916?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Move Over Myspace.
Brothers Reunited After 70 Years
AOL News
posted: 6 HOURS 52 MINUTES AGO
comments: 36
filed under: National News
(Aug. 4) - Two brothers separated as infants have been reunited after 70 years -– thanks to Facebook.
John Mellinger, of Spokane, Wash., had known since boyhood that he was adopted. When he was in his 40s, he tried to trace his birth parents. He was able to track down an aunt -- who told him that he had a brother. But then his search stalled.
Remarkable Reunions
Dan Pelle, The Spokesman Review / AP
Seven decades after they were separated, brothers John Mellinger, left, and Dan Newburn met again July 22. Newburn, 71, of Las Vegas, contacted Mellinger, 70, of Spokane, Wash., via Facebook. Their teenage mom gave the brothers up in 1939 in Boise, Idaho. They were adopted by different families.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Global Protest.
Protesters Demand Iran End Clampdown
By JILL LAWLESS,AP
LONDON -Protesters around the world called on Iran Saturday to end its clampdown on opposition activists, demanding the release of hundreds rounded up during demonstrations against the country's disputed election.
Groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International backed a global day of action, with protests planned in more than 80 cities, including several in the United States.
The protesters want Iranian authorities to release what they say are hundreds, or even thousands, of people detained during protests that followed the presidential election last month that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
By JILL LAWLESS,AP
LONDON -Protesters around the world called on Iran Saturday to end its clampdown on opposition activists, demanding the release of hundreds rounded up during demonstrations against the country's disputed election.
Groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International backed a global day of action, with protests planned in more than 80 cities, including several in the United States.
The protesters want Iranian authorities to release what they say are hundreds, or even thousands, of people detained during protests that followed the presidential election last month that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Enlightened Next Magazine.
Extreme sport spiritual experience.
The closest that I came to experience spiritual and uplifting feeling was a few times when I was at the top of Heavenly Valley and Sqauw Valley ski trails. Fresh clean air, snow all around with only a narrow trails to ski on, blight blue skies, white clouds, green forest and gorgeous Lake Tahoe down below. That was quite an experience!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 1:13pm
Big Wave Surfing (Think About This #64)
by Megan Cater • 25 Comments
The following excerpt from the movie Riding Giants features Laird Hamilton, considered by many to be the greatest big wave surfer ever, pulling off a move that stunned the professional surfing world.
http://blog.enlightennext.org/?p=1893#more-1893
Monday, June 08, 2009
Myanmar: Collapse of an Ancient Pagoda
Myanmar: Collapse of an Ancient Pagoda
By Global Voices Online • on June 4, 2009
An ancient pagoda (2300 years old) collapsed while it was going under renovation, killing at least 5 people, injuring many workers and pilgrims.
Collapsed Danoke Pagoda (from New Era Journal)
The 180-foot Danoke Pagoda is situated in Dala Township, which is across the Yangon
River, in Yangon Division. The pagoda was originally damaged during Cyclone Nargis, so it had been going under renovation.
Just on May 7th, 2009, there had been an umbrella-hoisting ceremony at Danoke Pagoda, which was attended by military leader Senior General Than Shwe’s wife.
By Global Voices Online • on June 4, 2009
An ancient pagoda (2300 years old) collapsed while it was going under renovation, killing at least 5 people, injuring many workers and pilgrims.
Collapsed Danoke Pagoda (from New Era Journal)
The 180-foot Danoke Pagoda is situated in Dala Township, which is across the Yangon
River, in Yangon Division. The pagoda was originally damaged during Cyclone Nargis, so it had been going under renovation.
Just on May 7th, 2009, there had been an umbrella-hoisting ceremony at Danoke Pagoda, which was attended by military leader Senior General Than Shwe’s wife.
Friday, April 17, 2009
A Room With a Zoo
On Travel Section - MSN:
A Room With a Zoo
MORE ON THE MSN SITE:
http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=994127
A Room With a Zoo
Check out these lodgings where you can get up close and personal with creatures of every stripe.
1 of 15 images
|
These hotels aren't just pet-friendly properties: They're wild about animals, from dogs you can borrow while you're in town to live-in seals and resident giraffes.
All Kimpton hotels nationwide (http://www.kimptonhotels.com) welcome pets and present them with toys as well as in-room bowls and beds. Guests staying at Kimpton's Monaco Hotels get an extra treat: They can borrow a complimentary goldfish for the duration of their stay. Even better, there's no need to clean the bowl or feed the frisky, finned friends: With the "Guppy Love" program, the hotel staff does it all. Even, we suppose, flushing away any fish that have permanently checked out.
Slide show text by Harriet Baskas; photo editing by Connie Ricca.
Harriet Baskas writes regularly about airports, air travel and other adventures for MSNBC.com and USATODAY.com and on her "Stuck at the Airport" blog, http://www.stuckattheairport.com.
A Room With a Zoo
Check out these lodgings where you can get up close and personal with creatures of every stripe.
|
A Room With a Zoo
A parrot named Koko has been living at the Southern Palms Beach Club in Barbados (http://www.southernpalms.net) for at least 45 years. She has a limited vocabulary, but is reportedly a good listener. "Especially," says managing director Britta Pollard, "if you sing to her." Pollard says that many years ago, Koko was sent to a zoo aviary to be near other birds, but she got sick there and recovered only when she returned to the hotel environment.
A Room With a Zoo
Check out these lodgings where you can get up close and personal with creatures of every stripe.
|
In Dubai, a turtle rehabilitation unit based at the Madinat Jumeirah-Mina A'Salam Resort (http://www.jumeirah.com/
en/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Madinat-Jumeirah/
The-Resort) helps save dozens of sick turtles each year. Scientists or local residents who find the animals in the water or on the shoreline have brought many large green turtles and smaller hawksbill turtles to the center. Guests are welcome to visit while the animals recover in a special swimming pen at the hotel. Once rehabilitated, the turtles are returned to their natural habitat.
en/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Madinat-Jumeirah/
The-Resort) helps save dozens of sick turtles each year. Scientists or local residents who find the animals in the water or on the shoreline have brought many large green turtles and smaller hawksbill turtles to the center. Guests are welcome to visit while the animals recover in a special swimming pen at the hotel. Once rehabilitated, the turtles are returned to their natural habitat.
http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=994127
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Earth Hour 2009,
Earth Hour 2009, Saturday March 28, 8:30pm
THIS SATURDAY 28 MARCH AT 8.30PM YOU CAN VOTE EARTH BY SWITCHING OFF YOUR LIGHTS FOR ONE HOUR - EARTH HOUR.
Turn off your lights for Earth Hour, record your vote and share it with the world! Here's how:
http://www.earthhour.org/home/http://www.thegreenpasture.org/
http://eco-pilgrim.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wall Street slides to 12-year low
Wall Street slides to 12-year low
Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:03pm EST
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street slumped to a 12-year low on Monday as investors lost faith that the U.S. government will be able to stabilize the financial system.
The S&P 500 and the Dow both posted their lowest closes since the spring of 1997 as reports the government may convert its stake in Citigroup into a big common stock holding fell short of what many see as necessary to fix big banks.
"It is generally a market 'no' vote to what we're getting from Washington," said Hank Smith, chief investment officer at Haverford Trust Co in Philadelphia, of the reaction to the Citigroup news.
"It certainly doesn't inspire confidence when you do break multi-year lows, so it's just feeding into a real negative cycle that we're in right now," he said.
Adding to the bleak picture, CNBC reported that insurer American International Group could be forced into bankruptcy if new rescue talks with the government fail to secure it more funding.
The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 250.73 points, or 3.40 percent, to 7,114.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 26.71 points, or 3.47 percent, to 743.34. The Nasdaq Composite Index skidded 53.51 points, or 3.71 percent, to 1,387.72.
In addition, worries about a decline in business and consumer spending on technology hurt the biggest names in the tech sector. IBM and Hewlett-Packard were the two of the biggest drags on the Dow industrials, with IBM shedding 5.0 percent to $84.37 and Hewlett-Packard sliding 6.3 percent to $29.28 a share.
The market capitalization of the Dow fell $77.1 billion on Monday. The index is down nearly 50 percent from its record high close in October 2007, with about $10 trillion of value in wiped out since then.
So far this year, the Dow has fallen 18.9 percent while the S&P 500 has shed 17.7 percent and the Nasdaq has dropped 12 percent.
The blue-chip index is down nearly 50 percent from its record close in October 2007.
Fears that some major U.S. banks could be nationalized continued to drag on sentiment on Monday, as stocks briefly came off lows after the White House reiterated that a privately held banking system regulated by the government was still the best way to operate.
As the only boosts to the Dow, Citigroup and Bank of America were up 9.7 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, after having fallen more than 35 percent each on Friday.
Helping to fuel the tech slide was a Morgan Stanley downgrade of its PC sales forecasts for 2009 and 2010, citing lower prices and weaker-than-expected demand for PCs given the rising sales of netbooks, which are cheaper, no-frills notebook computers.
Apple Inc, down nearly 5 percent to $86.95, was the primary drag on Nasdaq.
After the closing bell, JP Morgan announced it will slash its quarterly dividend to 5 cents a share from 38 cents, saying that will enable it to retain an additional $5 billion in common equity per year. Shares rose 1 percent to $19.70 in extended trade. Continued...
Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:03pm EST
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street slumped to a 12-year low on Monday as investors lost faith that the U.S. government will be able to stabilize the financial system.
The S&P 500 and the Dow both posted their lowest closes since the spring of 1997 as reports the government may convert its stake in Citigroup into a big common stock holding fell short of what many see as necessary to fix big banks.
"It is generally a market 'no' vote to what we're getting from Washington," said Hank Smith, chief investment officer at Haverford Trust Co in Philadelphia, of the reaction to the Citigroup news.
"It certainly doesn't inspire confidence when you do break multi-year lows, so it's just feeding into a real negative cycle that we're in right now," he said.
Adding to the bleak picture, CNBC reported that insurer American International Group could be forced into bankruptcy if new rescue talks with the government fail to secure it more funding.
The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 250.73 points, or 3.40 percent, to 7,114.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 26.71 points, or 3.47 percent, to 743.34. The Nasdaq Composite Index skidded 53.51 points, or 3.71 percent, to 1,387.72.
In addition, worries about a decline in business and consumer spending on technology hurt the biggest names in the tech sector. IBM and Hewlett-Packard were the two of the biggest drags on the Dow industrials, with IBM shedding 5.0 percent to $84.37 and Hewlett-Packard sliding 6.3 percent to $29.28 a share.
The market capitalization of the Dow fell $77.1 billion on Monday. The index is down nearly 50 percent from its record high close in October 2007, with about $10 trillion of value in wiped out since then.
So far this year, the Dow has fallen 18.9 percent while the S&P 500 has shed 17.7 percent and the Nasdaq has dropped 12 percent.
The blue-chip index is down nearly 50 percent from its record close in October 2007.
Fears that some major U.S. banks could be nationalized continued to drag on sentiment on Monday, as stocks briefly came off lows after the White House reiterated that a privately held banking system regulated by the government was still the best way to operate.
As the only boosts to the Dow, Citigroup and Bank of America were up 9.7 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, after having fallen more than 35 percent each on Friday.
Helping to fuel the tech slide was a Morgan Stanley downgrade of its PC sales forecasts for 2009 and 2010, citing lower prices and weaker-than-expected demand for PCs given the rising sales of netbooks, which are cheaper, no-frills notebook computers.
Apple Inc, down nearly 5 percent to $86.95, was the primary drag on Nasdaq.
After the closing bell, JP Morgan announced it will slash its quarterly dividend to 5 cents a share from 38 cents, saying that will enable it to retain an additional $5 billion in common equity per year. Shares rose 1 percent to $19.70 in extended trade. Continued...
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Old Manuscript.
An undated handout photo released to Reuters February 6, 2009 shows an ancient manuscript which authorities in northern Cyprus believe is an ancient version of the Bible written in Syriac, a dialect of the native language of Jesus. The manuscript was found in a police raid on suspected antiquity smugglers. Turkish Cypriot police testified in a court hearing they believe the manuscript could be about 2,000 years old. Experts were however divided over the provenance of the manuscript, and whether it was an original, which would render it priceless, or a fake.
To match Reuters Life! CYPRUS-BIBLE/ (Kibris/Handout/Reuters)Tuesday, February 03, 2009
10 New Amphibian Species Discovered
10 New Amphibian Species Discovered
Reuters
posted: 9 HOURS 27 MINUTES AGO
posted: 9 HOURS 27 MINUTES AGO
WASHINGTON (Feb. 2) - Ten new species of amphibians -- including three kinds of poisonous frogs and three transparent-skinned glass frogs -- have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, conservationists said Monday.
With amphibians under threat around the globe, the discovery was an encouraging sign and reason to protect the area where they were found, said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert at the environmental group Conservation International, which made the find.
Marco Rada, Conservation International Colombia
Conservationists discovered 10 new species of amphibians -- mostly frogs -- in a mountainous area of Colombia. This is a rain frog, one of two new kinds of rain frogs spotted on the expedition by the group Conservation International.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
What To Know Before Buying Waterfron Home.
(Dana Point, photos by Jieranai Maier - 2005)
Good Articles to Read about Waterfront Home.
People love luxury waterfront homes, whelther it is a beachfront home, a lakefront home or a home on the canel.
Waterfront Living
An Aquatic Destination
Looking for a home with a water view? Get the inside scoop on what life is like by the water.
Boston is one of the Top Ten Best Waterfront living.
La Jolla, Calif. is another Top Ten Best Waterfront living.
Honolulu & San Francisco made the list also.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Top Countries in Global Competitiveness
No. 1: U.S.
Market Size: 1Innovation: 1Education/Training: 5
The U.S. retains its position this year as the world's most competitive country. Many robust structural features, such as business systems, formidable universities, and top-ranked innovation make the American economy remarkably powerful and productive. They also help to soften economic shocks such as routine business downturns and, with luck, the current financial crisis. However, despite having the largest economy on the planet, fiscal deficits in recent years have weakened the country's global standing and increased public indebtedness. That could limit flexibility in fiscal policy in the future and leave the U.S. more vulnerable to outside influences.
No. 2: Switzerland
Market Size: 37Innovation: 3Education/Training: 7
No. 3: Denmark
Market Size: 46Innovation: 10Education/Training: 2
No. 4: Sweden
Market Size: 32Innovation: 5Education/Training: 3
No. 5: Singapore
Market Size: 53Innovation: 11Education/Training: 8
No. 6: Finland
Market Size: 50Innovation: 2Education/Training: 1
No. 7: Germany
Market Size: 5Innovation: 8Education/Training: 21
No. 8: Netherlands
Market Size: 20Innovation: 12Education/Training: 11
No. 9: Japan
Market Size: 3Innovation: 4Education/Training: 23
No. 10: Canada
Market Size: 13Innovation: 13Education/Training: 9
No. 11: Hong Kong
Market Size: 38Innovation: 24Education/Training: 28
No. 12: Britain
Market Size Rank: 6Innovation Rank: 17Education/Training Rank: 18
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1022_competitive_countries/13.htm
Read the story;
Top Countries in Global Competitiveness
Despite this year's global market turmoil, many of the same countries, including the U.S., remain atop the World Economic Forum ranking
By Matt Mabe
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2008/gb20081022_377709.htm
Market Size: 1Innovation: 1Education/Training: 5
The U.S. retains its position this year as the world's most competitive country. Many robust structural features, such as business systems, formidable universities, and top-ranked innovation make the American economy remarkably powerful and productive. They also help to soften economic shocks such as routine business downturns and, with luck, the current financial crisis. However, despite having the largest economy on the planet, fiscal deficits in recent years have weakened the country's global standing and increased public indebtedness. That could limit flexibility in fiscal policy in the future and leave the U.S. more vulnerable to outside influences.
No. 2: Switzerland
Market Size: 37Innovation: 3Education/Training: 7
No. 3: Denmark
Market Size: 46Innovation: 10Education/Training: 2
No. 4: Sweden
Market Size: 32Innovation: 5Education/Training: 3
No. 5: Singapore
Market Size: 53Innovation: 11Education/Training: 8
No. 6: Finland
Market Size: 50Innovation: 2Education/Training: 1
No. 7: Germany
Market Size: 5Innovation: 8Education/Training: 21
No. 8: Netherlands
Market Size: 20Innovation: 12Education/Training: 11
No. 9: Japan
Market Size: 3Innovation: 4Education/Training: 23
No. 10: Canada
Market Size: 13Innovation: 13Education/Training: 9
No. 11: Hong Kong
Market Size: 38Innovation: 24Education/Training: 28
No. 12: Britain
Market Size Rank: 6Innovation Rank: 17Education/Training Rank: 18
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1022_competitive_countries/13.htm
Read the story;
Top Countries in Global Competitiveness
Despite this year's global market turmoil, many of the same countries, including the U.S., remain atop the World Economic Forum ranking
By Matt Mabe
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2008/gb20081022_377709.htm
Friday, June 20, 2008
Career Management
Career Management
by Toni Bowers, Head Blogs Editor
Employers who check out job candidates on MySpace could be legally liable
If a potential employer uses a social networking site to check out a job candidate and then rejects that person based on what they see, he or she could be charged with discrimination.
——————————————————————————————————————-
According to Workforce.com, a site that helps HR reps stay current with all matters HR, employers who use the data available on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to make hiring decisions could be subject to charges of employment discrimination and litigation.
Employers could be accused of using the data on such sites to cull minorities, homosexuals, and other applicants who are members of protected class. It is even illegal in some states to make a job decision based on applicants’ political activities, a factor that would be easy to find out on a social networking site.
From the site:
A survey of about 350 employers in October 2007 by New York-based Vault.com, a media company focused on careers, found that 44% of employers use social networking sites to examine the profiles of job candidates, and 39% have looked up the profile of a current employee.
Although “failure to hire” lawsuits are rarer than other kinds of employment litigation, their numbers are expected to increase due to the growing use of social networking sites. There’s always a time lapse between problems that arise because of technology and legal precedents that address them.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=338
by Toni Bowers, Head Blogs Editor
Employers who check out job candidates on MySpace could be legally liable
If a potential employer uses a social networking site to check out a job candidate and then rejects that person based on what they see, he or she could be charged with discrimination.
——————————————————————————————————————-
According to Workforce.com, a site that helps HR reps stay current with all matters HR, employers who use the data available on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to make hiring decisions could be subject to charges of employment discrimination and litigation.
Employers could be accused of using the data on such sites to cull minorities, homosexuals, and other applicants who are members of protected class. It is even illegal in some states to make a job decision based on applicants’ political activities, a factor that would be easy to find out on a social networking site.
From the site:
A survey of about 350 employers in October 2007 by New York-based Vault.com, a media company focused on careers, found that 44% of employers use social networking sites to examine the profiles of job candidates, and 39% have looked up the profile of a current employee.
Although “failure to hire” lawsuits are rarer than other kinds of employment litigation, their numbers are expected to increase due to the growing use of social networking sites. There’s always a time lapse between problems that arise because of technology and legal precedents that address them.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=338
Monday, June 09, 2008
First Lady Travels to Afghanistan
First Lady Travels to Afghanistan
By DEB RIECHMANN,AP
Posted: 2008-06-08 18:04:39
Filed Under: World News
BAMIYAN, Afghanistan (June 8) - First lady Laura Bush, on a mission to highlight signs of progress in war-weary Afghanistan, ventured outside the capital Sunday to an area that symbolizes both the destruction and attempt at rebirth.
Laura Bush Visits Afghanistan
Fresh attacks swept across the country and the BBC reported that one of its Afghan journalists was kidnapped and killed.
On her third visit to the country, the first lady flew into Kabul before boarding a helicopter for a 50-minute flight to Bamiyan province, the farthest she has traveled from Afghanistan's largest city.
The helicopter landed in a dusty field at a provincial reconstruction team compound operated by New Zealand. From there she could see the empty niches in a cliffside where two giant Buddha statues once stood.
They were carved into the sandstone cliffs more than 2,000 years ago. The Taliban, which considered the statues idolatrous and anti-Muslim, demolished the treasures in March 2001, causing an international outcry. The repressive Taliban ruled Afghanistan until the U.S. invaded after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Bush's visit came ahead of a conference Thursday in Paris where the U.S. hopes other countries will pledge billions of dollars to help Afghanistan. She intends to address the conference.
"The people of Afghanistan don't want to go back and live like that," Bush told reporters during the nearly 14-hour flight to Kabul. "They know what it was like. The international community can't drop Afghanistan now, at this very crucial time."
President Bush, in an interview in Washington on Friday with RAI TV of Italy, said bluntly, "Afghanistan is broke."
Afghanistan is seeing a resurgence of violence, even as the U.S. and NATO have poured more thousands of new troops into the country, and a spiraling heroin trade. Last year, more than 8,000 people were killed in insurgency-related attacks — the most since the 2001 invasion — and violence has claimed more than 1,500 lives this year.
On Sunday, insurgents attacked a police convoy in central Afghanistan, killing 11 police and wounding one, an official said. Militants in the east attacked and killed four men including a local government official. The BBC said the body of one its Afghan journalists was found after he had gone missing in Helmand province.
During her daylong visit, the first lady met with President Hamid Karzai, saw a police academy where female recruits are trained and visited U.S. troops. The U.S. now has some 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, the most ever.
President Bush has defended Karzai against critics who say his government is weak and not doing enough to battle corruption and drug trafficking.
Karzai said at a news conference with the first lady on the grounds of the presidential palace that his government will go to the Paris conference with a "very realistic evaluation" of the past six years, including a look at problems such as corruption.
"We'll come back with some significant assistance from the international community to the Afghan people," Karzai said.
Laura Bush said the U.S. and other nations should not blame Karzai unless they are going to give him credit for all the progress being made.
"It's really not that fair," she told reporters before meeting the Afghan leader. "I think it's undermining, frankly, to blame him for a lot of the things that may or may not be his fault. He inherited — just by becoming president — a country that's been totally devastated. It is very, very difficult when you have al-Qaida and Taliban all over the borders and making incursions into Afghanistan, and it's intimidating for everyone."
At Bagram Air Field north of Kabul, she told about 600 U.S. soldiers gathering in a hangar of the "huge step forward to defend freedom from the forces of oppression." She thanked them for their service and acknowledged "your work isn't easy," noting multiple deployments and time away from families.
Her trip sought to focus on signs of progress. While standing beside Karzai, she said, "We've been discussing a lot of other issues that have to do both with our partnership between the United States government and Afghanistan, as far as education is concerned, and all the other great projects I visited today, a lot of agriculture, a lot of other things."
Earlier, she met with women training at the National Police Bamiyan Regional Training Center. She celebrated the construction of a paved road linking the Bamiyan airport with its bazaar and town center and toured a learning center under construction that will double as an orphanage.
Several dozen future students, all school-age children in traditional white scarfs, sang to her at the center, a project of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. The council was set up to help women gain the skills and education deprived them under the Taliban.
"Of course we want more girls in school and I think that's really key to the success of Afghanistan," Bush said.
For the Paris conference, France has set a goal of raising $12 billion to $15 billion for Afghan reconstruction projects through 2014. The United States is looking to contribute about one-quarter.
International donors have pledged about $32.7 billion in reconstruction money for Afghanistan since 2001, including $21 billion from the U.S.
"It's more important than ever for the international community to continue to support Afghanistan — certainly for the U.S. to continue to support Afghanistan — because we don't want it to be the way it was when the Buddhas were destroyed," she said.
From Afghanistan, she planned to fly to Slovenia, joining her husband on Monday for his final U.S.-European Union summit.
Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Amir Shah contributed to this report from Kabul.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-06-08 17:06:14
By DEB RIECHMANN,AP
Posted: 2008-06-08 18:04:39
Filed Under: World News
BAMIYAN, Afghanistan (June 8) - First lady Laura Bush, on a mission to highlight signs of progress in war-weary Afghanistan, ventured outside the capital Sunday to an area that symbolizes both the destruction and attempt at rebirth.
Laura Bush Visits Afghanistan
Fresh attacks swept across the country and the BBC reported that one of its Afghan journalists was kidnapped and killed.
On her third visit to the country, the first lady flew into Kabul before boarding a helicopter for a 50-minute flight to Bamiyan province, the farthest she has traveled from Afghanistan's largest city.
The helicopter landed in a dusty field at a provincial reconstruction team compound operated by New Zealand. From there she could see the empty niches in a cliffside where two giant Buddha statues once stood.
They were carved into the sandstone cliffs more than 2,000 years ago. The Taliban, which considered the statues idolatrous and anti-Muslim, demolished the treasures in March 2001, causing an international outcry. The repressive Taliban ruled Afghanistan until the U.S. invaded after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Bush's visit came ahead of a conference Thursday in Paris where the U.S. hopes other countries will pledge billions of dollars to help Afghanistan. She intends to address the conference.
"The people of Afghanistan don't want to go back and live like that," Bush told reporters during the nearly 14-hour flight to Kabul. "They know what it was like. The international community can't drop Afghanistan now, at this very crucial time."
President Bush, in an interview in Washington on Friday with RAI TV of Italy, said bluntly, "Afghanistan is broke."
Afghanistan is seeing a resurgence of violence, even as the U.S. and NATO have poured more thousands of new troops into the country, and a spiraling heroin trade. Last year, more than 8,000 people were killed in insurgency-related attacks — the most since the 2001 invasion — and violence has claimed more than 1,500 lives this year.
On Sunday, insurgents attacked a police convoy in central Afghanistan, killing 11 police and wounding one, an official said. Militants in the east attacked and killed four men including a local government official. The BBC said the body of one its Afghan journalists was found after he had gone missing in Helmand province.
During her daylong visit, the first lady met with President Hamid Karzai, saw a police academy where female recruits are trained and visited U.S. troops. The U.S. now has some 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, the most ever.
President Bush has defended Karzai against critics who say his government is weak and not doing enough to battle corruption and drug trafficking.
Karzai said at a news conference with the first lady on the grounds of the presidential palace that his government will go to the Paris conference with a "very realistic evaluation" of the past six years, including a look at problems such as corruption.
"We'll come back with some significant assistance from the international community to the Afghan people," Karzai said.
Laura Bush said the U.S. and other nations should not blame Karzai unless they are going to give him credit for all the progress being made.
"It's really not that fair," she told reporters before meeting the Afghan leader. "I think it's undermining, frankly, to blame him for a lot of the things that may or may not be his fault. He inherited — just by becoming president — a country that's been totally devastated. It is very, very difficult when you have al-Qaida and Taliban all over the borders and making incursions into Afghanistan, and it's intimidating for everyone."
At Bagram Air Field north of Kabul, she told about 600 U.S. soldiers gathering in a hangar of the "huge step forward to defend freedom from the forces of oppression." She thanked them for their service and acknowledged "your work isn't easy," noting multiple deployments and time away from families.
Her trip sought to focus on signs of progress. While standing beside Karzai, she said, "We've been discussing a lot of other issues that have to do both with our partnership between the United States government and Afghanistan, as far as education is concerned, and all the other great projects I visited today, a lot of agriculture, a lot of other things."
Earlier, she met with women training at the National Police Bamiyan Regional Training Center. She celebrated the construction of a paved road linking the Bamiyan airport with its bazaar and town center and toured a learning center under construction that will double as an orphanage.
Several dozen future students, all school-age children in traditional white scarfs, sang to her at the center, a project of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. The council was set up to help women gain the skills and education deprived them under the Taliban.
"Of course we want more girls in school and I think that's really key to the success of Afghanistan," Bush said.
For the Paris conference, France has set a goal of raising $12 billion to $15 billion for Afghan reconstruction projects through 2014. The United States is looking to contribute about one-quarter.
International donors have pledged about $32.7 billion in reconstruction money for Afghanistan since 2001, including $21 billion from the U.S.
"It's more important than ever for the international community to continue to support Afghanistan — certainly for the U.S. to continue to support Afghanistan — because we don't want it to be the way it was when the Buddhas were destroyed," she said.
From Afghanistan, she planned to fly to Slovenia, joining her husband on Monday for his final U.S.-European Union summit.
Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Amir Shah contributed to this report from Kabul.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-06-08 17:06:14
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