The Biggest Website Ever

Word Of The Day 

billingsgate: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

billingsgate: foul, abusive language.

Watch The Olympics 

Skier Stiegler injured at training

U.S. skier Resi Stiegler injured her left knee when she crashed after hooking a gate during giant slalom training Thursday.

IAAF 'almost there' in resolving Semenya gender issue

The IAAF said Friday it is still working behind the scenes with Caster Semenya and the South African government to resolve issues about the 18-year-old runner's gender identity and future career.

Cyclist Rebellin to appeal to CAS in doping case

ROME (AP) Cyclist Davide Rebellin plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being stripped of his Olympic silver medal for doping.

On the blueline: An Olympic journal from Caitlin Cahow

USA women's hockey national team member Caitlin Cahow, a 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, will document her experience as she prepares to compete at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

J-Rod's journal: Notes from Olympic veteran Jennifer Rodriguez

Three-time U.S. Olympic team member and 2002 speedskating medalist Jennifer Rodriguez will write a journal for USA TODAY as she attempts to earn a berth on her fourth Olympic team.

Doping scandal: IOC strips Bahrain's Ramzi of 1,500 gold

Middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi has been stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal for doping, officials with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Vancouver 2010 news and notes

See the latest news and notes ahead of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

New study finds amputee sprinter Pistorius gets boost from blades

The prosthetic legs of double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius give the South African a 10-second advantage over a 400-meter race, according to a new study.

Ohno takes USA TODAY weekly award with three Marquette medals

Apolo Anton Ohno showed that he is strong medal contender for Vancouver by earning three medals at the Marquette World Cup event in Michigan and won this week's USA TODAY Olympic Athlete of the Week award.

Italian cyclist Rebellin stripped of Olympic silver medal

The Italian Olympic Committee says cyclist Davide Rebellin has been stripped of the silver medal he won in the road race at last year's Beijing Games for doping.

GapingVoid Cartoon 

BBC News 

Match-fixing claims 'stun' football body

About 200 football ties are under investigation in what one Uefa official calls Europe's biggest match-fixing scandal.

Drug resistant swine flu hits UK

Health officials in Cardiff say a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu has spread between hospital patients.

Re-start for 'Big Bang' machine

The Large Hadron Collider experiment, designed to shed light on the cosmos, re-starts after 14 months of repairs.

New EU foreign head dismisses critics

The new EU foreign affairs chief rejects criticism of her lack of experience, saying she is the "the best person for the job".

Sears Towers plot leader jailed

The leader of a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago is sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Easyjet sorry for Holocaust error

Easyjet apologises after fashion photographs shot at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin were published in its in-flight magazine.

Italian sex scandal woman 'dead'

A transsexual prostitute linked to a sex row involving an Italian politician is believed to have been burned to death, media report.

UK region hit by severe floods

Cumbrian police searching for an officer missing after a bridge collapsed during record rainfall find a body in police uniform.

UK navy fires on 'Spanish flag'

The UK apologises to Spain after the Royal Navy uses a buoy with Spanish colours for target practice off Gibraltar.

Oprah to end daytime talk show in 2011

A tearful Oprah Winfrey announces her talk show will end in September 2011 after 25 years on the air.

CNet News 

Techmeme Mobile launches for iPhone, Pre, Droid

Popular tech news aggregator Techmeme has launched a new mobile version of the site for the Apple iPhone, Palm Pre, and Motorola Droid.

How smoking can ruin your Mac

According to a report, AppleCare warranties can be voided if Apple deems the damage was caused by secondhand smoke. Appeals to Steve Jobs have, apparently, not succeeded.

Windows 8 in 2012?

It's not clear what Microsoft's desktop plans are, but the Windows Server team included slides at PDC suggesting a new major release coming around 2012.

CNET News Daily Podcast: Nokia's layoffs and Skype's eBay adieu

Nokia is cutting its R&D workforce, while eBay says goodbye to Skype. Hear more about these stories and others in today's episode.

Electric-car maker Tesla preparing IPO

An IPO filing for the electric-car start-up is expected any day, according to sources. Public offering would be the first from a U.S. automaker since Ford Motor shares debuted in 1956.

Sony planning new online store

Taking a page from Apple's iTunes, Sony is devising an online store offering music, movies, books, and other downloadable content for its various devices.

Nook sold out for the holidays

Barnes & Noble has announced on its Web site that its much-anticipated e-book reader, the Nook, is sold out through 2009. Is that good news for Amazon?

Bedside vital signs monitor goes mobile

Drager's Infinity M540 displays a patient's real-time vital signs on the go. Designed to fit in the palm of a caregiver's hand, the display auto-rotates so that it is always upright.

Brin: Google's OSes likely to converge

Puzzled onlookers have wondered why Google is overseeing two separate operating-system projects. Co-founder Sergey Brin thinks that at some point the two will become one.

Week in review: Browser breakthroughs

From Azure to Windows 7 to Firefox, operating systems and browsers grabbed headlines this week as Google proved, with its unveiling of Chrome OS, how interrelated they are.

Music Videos 

Off The Cuff With Peter Travers: Nikki Reed

At The Movies With Peter Travers: "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"

New Music Report: Blakroc

Motley Crue On "Home Sweet Home"

Motley Crue On "Dr. Feelgood"

Video Premiere: Bob Dylan's "Must Be Santa"

The Onion, Daily 

In Focus: Overweight College Student Announces Plans To Wear Shorts, Sandals For Rest Of Year

STATE COLLEGE, PA—Kyle Norton stated that he would also forgo a winter coat and continue to don the same coffee-stained sweatshirt he has been wearing since mid-October.

Senator Byrd The Longest-Serving Lawmaker

After more than 56 years in office, 92-year-old Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) has become the longest-serving member of Congress. What do you...

Sports: LeBron James Encourages NBA To Stop Jumping In Honor Of Michael Jordan

WASHINGTON—Prior to Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers all-star LeBron James announced that he would stop jumping during professional basketball games in order to properly honor recent Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan.

Montessori School Of Dentistry Lets Students Discover Their Own Root Canal Procedures

NEW YORK—"At Montessori, we believe dentistry to be more than just the medical practice of treating tooth and gum disorders," said school director Dr. Howard Bundt. "It's about fostering creativity."

Inside The Obama White House: Specifically The Air Conditioning Duct Near The East Wing

[audio] Survey: Positive Things Better Than Negative Things

Onion Radio News - with Doyle Redland

Sports: Eagles Settle For Field Goal After 260-Yard Drive

SAN DIEGO—The Eagles were forced to settle for a field goal against the Chargers Sunday after sustaining a 260-yard, 64-play drive that featured six separate red-zone appearances and took 52 minutes off the game clock.

In Focus: Queen Elizabeth II Announces She's Pregnant Again

LONDON—The queen assured her 59-year-old son, Prince Charles, that he was still special, and the baby would not replace him as the heir apparent to the crown.

Heroin Addicts Pressure President To Stay Course In Afghanistan

LOS ANGELES—As the White House considers sweeping strategic shifts in the war in Afghanistan, heroin addicts across the nation called on...

[video] Boy Finds Own Real-Life E.T.

11 year old Thomas Demming visits Today NOW! with the magical friend he hid for weeks in his bedroom closet.

Scientific American 

Fight to protect California condors from lead ammunition moves to Arizona

It has been 22 years since the last 22 California condors ( Gymnogyps californianus ) were collected from the wild and placed in captive breeding programs. The species, which nearly went extinct due to habitat loss, poaching, DDT and lead poisoning, has since rebounded to 332 birds, according to counts maintained by the Zoological Society of San Diego . But despite that conservation success, condors still face a major threat from lead poisoning, which often occurs when the birds eat carcasses killed by hunters' lead ammunition. [More]

Circulation of LHC Beams Could Resume in Earnest over the Weekend

The Large Hadron Collider , the world's most powerful particle accelerator, is drawing near to its long-awaited reboot. More than a year after the European collider's initial start-up was quashed by a helium leak caused by a faulty electrical connection , particle beams have been injected into the collider, known as the LHC, and may be guided fully through its rings in the coming hours. [More]

Measuring Up: New NIST Director, Plus Big Budget Put Measurement Science in Public Eye

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce confirmed Patrick Gallagher as the 14th director of its National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) . Although the title may be new to Gallagher, NIST's mission of developing measurement science, standards and technology isn't. The 46-year-old physicist began his career in the organization's NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in 1993 to pursue studies in neutron and x-ray instrumentation; in 2004 he became NCNR's director. [More]

How Long Can a Nuclear Reactor Last?

Could nuclear power plants last as long as the Hoover Dam? Increasingly dependable and emitting few greenhouse gases, the U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants will likely run for another 50 or even 70 years before it is retired -- long past the 40-year life span planned decades ago -- according to industry executives, regulators and scientists. [More]

What to Do About Endocrine Disruptors? A Q&A with Linda Birnbaum

Nearly a year ago, toxicologist Linda Birnbaum was named director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program. She sat down with Environmental Health News journalist Jane Kay in San Francisco on Wednesday to answer questions about the environmental health risks we face today. [More]

Women should undergo fewer Pap tests for cervical cancer, medical group says

Just days after the release of controversial new guidelines recommending against routine mammograms for most women under 50, a different group of medical professionals has announced that the frequency of Pap tests for cervical cancer detection should also be decreased for most women. [More]

Novel Nova: Stellar Blast Powered by Helium May Leave a Tantalizing Remnant

A stellar explosion known as a nova that was detected in 2000 formed a two-lobed shell of material ejected from the star. Shaped like a bow tie, it continues to swell at great velocity. But, curiously, the coat of ejecta flowing outward from the star lacks hydrogen, the most common gas in the universe. [More]

Plants Share Light If Neighbor Is Related

We humans are known to help out members of our own families. When it comes to business we call it nepotism. Now plants have demonstrated the same predilection, in a study published in the American Journal of Botany . [More]

Leading British climate centre hacked

[More]

Homes That Use Thermal Inertia to Maintain Comfortable Temperatures

Dear EarthTalk: I recently saw a reference to "Enertia houses" that require little in the way of external sources for heating or cooling.  Do you have any information on this housing design? --Alan Marshfield, via e-mail [More]

Buzz Machine 

Newspapers want enemies, not friends

On today's On Point, Michael Wolff, Steve Brill, and I talked about Murdoch and Google and the show's blog quoted me thusly:
But News Corp isn't the only one making the mistake here. I think the mistake that Google has made in this ? and I'm an admirer of Google, I wrote a book to that [...]

Gained something in the translation

Tweet: A tweet paraphrased my link-economy line and showed me I've been saying more than I thought I have. **
In Twitter today, one @rpaskin paraphrased something I've been saying – and said again in my talk at Web 2.0 Expo Tuesday (generously covered in that link by Aneta Hall). My line has been that in [...]

Podcast madness

I had the privilege of being on This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte, John Dvorak, and Baratunde Thurston right after appearing on This Week in Google with the aforementioned Leo, Gina Trapani, and Mary Hodder. Much fun.

The opportunity of bankruptcy

Tweet: How bankruptcy can help a newspaper get theah from heah. Don't squander it. **
I fear that Tribune Company – and other newspaper companies – will come out of bankruptcy having squandered the opportunity it presents to rebuild from the ground up.
At the New Business Models for (Local) News Summit at CUNY last week, my [...]

’nuff said

(Thanks, Ed Reading)

Nose, face, cut, spite: Blocking Google

There's been a swine flu of stupidity spreading about the Murdoch meme of blocking Google from indexing a site's content (to which Google always replies that you've always been able to do that with robots.txt – so go ahead if you want). I love that The Reach Group (TRG), a German consulting company, has quantified [...]

WWGD? – The videos (7)

At last! A week of videos comes to an end. Here are the last of the videos from the aborted v-book edition of What Would Google Do?:
Here I ask how Googley headhunters would operate:

And, finally, a video from Oxford about the future of the university:

WWGD? – The videos (6)

And they never end: Here's the sixth day of videos from the aborted v-book edition of What Would Google Do?:
A touch dated now, here's a video I made on my Flip a year ago arguing that it was the Googley way to do video because it serves the creation generation:

A very quick little video [...]

My advice to German media

I have an op-ed in today's Welt Kompakt newspaper in Germany giving my advice to a German mediasphere that I see becoming more protectionist. It's not online (ironically) but so you can see the play, a PDF of it is here and here. [Update: Here's the piece online.] This is my original English text:
* [...]

WWGD? – The videos (5)

And they never end: Here's the fifth day of videos from the aborted v-book edition of What Would Google Do?:
First, a lesson in turning a challenge into an opportunity from the German publishers of the Wikipedia Lexicon:

This one's probably not for you. It was intended as an appendix to the book to suggest ways [...]

Slashdot 

iPhone Owners Demand To See Apple Source Code

CWmike writes "iPhone owners charging Apple and AT&T with breaking antitrust laws asked a federal judge this week to force Apple to hand over the iPhone source code, court documents show. The lawsuit, which was filed in October 2007, accuses Apple and AT&T of violating antitrust laws, including the Sherman Act, by agreeing to a multi-year deal that locks US iPhone owners into using the mobile carrier. On Wednesday, the plaintiffs asked US District Court Judge James Ware to compel Apple to produce the source code for the iPhone 1.1.1 software, an update that Apple issued in September 2007. The update crippled iPhones that had been unlocked, or 'jailbroken,' so that they could be used with mobile providers other than AT&T. The iPhone 1.1.1 'bricked' those first-generation iPhones that had been hacked, rendering them useless and wiping all personal data from the device. The plaintiffs say that the source code is necessary to determine whether all iPhones were given the same 1.1.1 update, and whether it was designed to brick all or just some hacked iPhones." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Proton Beams Sent Around the LHC

feldhaus writes "The BBC reports that the first beams for over one year have been successfully sent around the complete circumference of the Large Hadron Collider. Engineers do not yet have a stable circulating beam but they hope to by 0600 GMT on Saturday." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Microsoft's Lack of Nightly Builds For IE

Ricky writes "Many wonder why Microsoft doesn't offer nightly builds of Internet Explorer — or at least something more frequent than months-to-years. Ars talks with Microsoft's general manager for IE, who says the IE9 development cycle will look much the same as previous versions. Not a great idea." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Some Claim Android App Store Worse Than iPhone's

eldavojohn writes "If you think the iPhone app store is the only mobile game store suffering an exodus, some game publishers claim Android's app store isn't much better, for a different reason — it doesn't generate much revenue. In fact, French game developer Gameloft (which owes 13% of its profits to iPhone game sales), said, 'We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like... many others. It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue. We are selling 400 times more games on iPhone than on Android.' So the trade-off seems to be more sales but an annoying approval process, versus a lack of sales promotions and no annoyance around approval. It seems that those in it for money will opt for iPhone, and those in it for distribution will opt for Android. Or maybe someone will get it right one of these days?" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Climatic Research Unit Hacked, Files Leaked

huckamania was one of many readers to write with the news that the University of East Anglia's Hadley Climatic Research Unit was hacked, and internal documents released. Some discussion and analysis of the leaked items can be found at Watts Up With That. The CRU has confirmed that a breach occurred, but not that all 61 MB of released material is genuine. Some of the emails would seem to raise concerns about the science as practiced — or at least beg an explanation. From the Watts Up link: "[The CRU] is widely recognized as one of the world's leading institutions concerned with the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change. Consisting of a staff of around thirty research scientists and students, the Unit has developed a number of the data sets widely used in climate research, including the global temperature record used to monitor the state of the climate system, as well as statistical software packages and climate models. An unknown person put postings on some climate skeptic websites that advertised an FTP file on a Russian FTP server. Here is the message that was placed on the Air Vent today: 'We feel that climate science is, in the current situation, too important to be kept under wraps. We hereby release a random selection of correspondence, code, and documents.' The file was large, about 61 megabytes, containing hundreds of files. It contained data, code, and emails apparently from the CRU. If proved legitimate, these bombshells could spell trouble for the AGW crowd." Reader brandaman supplied the link to the archive of pilfered data. Reader aretae characterized the emails as revealing "...lots of intrigue, data manipulation, attempting to shut out opposing points of view out of scientific journals. Almost makes you think it's a religion. Anyone surprised?" And reader bugnuts adds, for context: "These emails are certainly taken out of context, whether they are legitimate or fraudulent, which adds to the confusion." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Aging Nuclear Stockpile Good For Decades To Come

pickens writes "The NY Times reports that the Jason panel, an independent group of scientists advising the federal government on issues of science and technology, has concluded that the program to refurbish aging nuclear arms is sufficient to guarantee their destructiveness for decades to come, obviating a need for a costly new generation of more reliable warheads, as proposed by former President Bush. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and other Republicans have argued that concerns are growing over the reliability of the US's aging nuclear stockpile, and that the possible need for new designs means the nation should retain the right to conduct underground tests of new nuclear weapons. The existing warheads were originally designed for relatively short lifetimes and frequent replacement with better models, but such modernization ended after the US quit testing nuclear arms in 1992. All weapons that remain in the arsenal must now undergo a refurbishment process, known as life extension. The Jason panel found no evidence that the accumulated changes from aging and refurbishment posed any threat to weapon destructiveness, and that the 'lifetimes of today's nuclear warheads could be extended for decades, with no anticipated loss of confidence.' But the panel added that federal indifference could undermine the nuclear refurbishment program (as this report from last May illustrates). Quoting the report (PDF): 'The study team is concerned that this expertise is threatened by lack of program stability, perceived lack of mission importance and degradation of the work environment.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Netbooks Have Higher Failure Rate Than Laptops

Barence writes "Netbooks are more likely to fail within the first year than their more expensive laptop brethren, according to new research. SquareTrade, an independent US warranty provider, analyzed the failure rates of more than 30,000 laptops covered by its own warranties. It found that 5.8% of netbooks malfunctioned within the first year, compared to 4.7% for regular laptops and 4.2% for premium laptops costing more than $1,000. The research also raises question marks over the legendary reliability of Macs. Three PC manufacturers — Asus, Toshiba, and Sony — boasted better reliability rates than Apple. Macs have a 17.4% malfunction rate over three years, compared to market-leader Asus, which has a 15.6% failure rate. HP was the worst of the nine PC vendors listed, with a malfunction rate of 25.6% over three years." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Xbox Live Class Action Being Investigated

eldavojohn writes "Were you negatively affected by the recent ban on Xbox Live for modifying hardware you own? Did you modify yours for homebrew or altering things you paid for and not to engage in piracy? Abington IP would like to hear from you and may be able to help. From that page: 'If you are an Xbox Live subscriber, had your modified Xbox console banned from Xbox Live, were not refunded a prorated sum for the time left on your subscription, or have experienced other problems as a result of being banned, and would like to participate in a class action against Microsoft, please submit your information below.' Someone is finally standing up for the legitimate hobbyists. Should Microsoft worry?" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Patent Issued For Podcasting

pickens writes "The EFF is reaching out for help after a company called Volomedia got the Patent Office to grant them exclusive rights to 'a method for providing episodic media' that could threaten the community of podcasters and millions of podcast listeners. 'It's a ridiculously broad patent, covering something that many folks have been doing for many years,' writes Rebecca Jeschke. 'Worse, it could create a whole new layer of ongoing costs for podcasters and their listeners.' To bust this patent, EFF is looking for additional 'prior art' — evidence that the podcasting methods described in the patent were already in use (PDF) before November 19, 2003. 'In particular, we're looking for written descriptions of methods that allow a user to download pre-programmed episodic media like audio files or video files from a remote publisher, with the download occurring after the user subscribes to the episodes, and with the user continuing to automatically receive new episodes.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Linus Torvalds For Nobel Peace Prize?

An anonymous reader writes "I'm as much of a Linux fanboy as anyone else, but I've never thought of anything in computing as being worth a Nobel Peace Prize. Apparently, there are those who take global collaboration seriously, though..." The suggestion has been bouncing around the Portland Linux community, where Torvalds lives. Is it worthy of wider attention and discussion? Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Guardian Unlimited 

Cumbria flood rescuers find body of policeman

? Missing police officer named as Bill Barker ? Hundreds evacuated as riverbanks burst A policeman swept away during devastating flooding was trying to save lives by directing motorists off a bridge across a swollen river. PC Bill Barker, who would have been 45 tomorrow, was praised by the prime minister, Gordon Brown, as a "very heroic, very brave man". His body, still in uniform, was found on a beach today. The father of four went missing after a bridge in Workington collapsed amid what the local MP described as the kind of flooding seen only "once every 1,000 years". Barker went missing when Northside bridge, on one of the main routes into Workington, collapsed at about 4.40am. It is one of two bridges to have collapsed in the town, where conditions are described as "extremely dangerous" after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks. Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: "He was directing motorists off the bridge, saving lives, when the tragic incident occurred." Cumbria police Chief Constable Craig Mackey said Barker had served with the force for 25 years and described him as "a wonderful police officer and a real family man". "Bill is a hero who died saving the lives of others and our thoughts are with his family at this devastating time," said Mackey. "He was a much-loved friend, colleague and an inspiration to everyone he knew ? he will be sadly missed." Barker's wife, Hazel, said he was her "best friend, my forever friend, and an amazing dad". "I have the comfort of knowing that Bill died doing the job he loved, and the fact that he was helping others is just typical Bill," she said. Brown said: "He was a very heroic, very brave man who will be sorely missed by everybody who was close to him. "I think we owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for the service he has shown." Severe flooding has caused the evacuation of hundreds of people in Cumbria, which saw record levels of rainfall. The Environment Agency's gauging station at Seathwaite Farm recorded 314mm in the 24 hours up to 12.45am ? a record for England. More than 200 people were forced to leave their homes in Cockermouth. Twenty-five people were still being winched to safety in the area, where both rivers had burst their banks and were running through the town, Cumbria police said. Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson said: "We currently have helicopters taking people from Derwent Mills, where we have 25 people between the age of 85 and two years of age who have been sheltering there overnight. "We still can't get to them through the floodwaters so they are now being rescued making use of helicopters. "Some of them are infirm, some of them are vulnerable and they need medication and they need help." The armed forces were called in to help emergency services cope. Police said all but 10 properties in Cockermouth had been searched with no further casualties found. Police and armed forces were trying to reach the remaining buildings. Residents said they feared more rain tonight would bring renewed flooding. Alan Smith said: "The thing with the River Cocker is it can fall as quickly as it can rise. "It's come down four feet from last night but the fells are sodden, and if we get any more rain it will just come straight off and into the river and the level will rise again." The Environment Agency said Cockermouth and Keswick had been hit the hardest. Its Floodline service has received more than 12,000 calls from members of the public over the last 48 hours and issued more than 43,000 flood alerts via phone, text, email and fax. "We have seen unprecedented rainfall, with what we believe is a record amount for a 24-hour period in England," said the agency chairman, Lord Smith. "Towns and villages across Cumbria have been evacuated with floodwater driven by heavy rainfall, saturated ground and swollen rivers." The Workington MP, Tony Cunningham, said the flooding was "of biblical proportions" and on a scale seen "once every 1,000 years". He told Sky News: "The scale and the force of the devastation in Cockermouth is huge. "I went down to the bridge last night and I've never seen the river Derwent as wide as it was. The force of the river was absolutely incredible. This is a stone bridge; to wash away a bridge of that size and dimension is incredible." Emergency 999 calls made from some flood-hit areas were not getting through, the police said. People in Workington, Cleator Moor and Harrington were advised to call 0845 330 0247 to reach all emergency services. Police have opened a casualty bureau to deal with concerned members of the public seeking news of friends and relatives. People are advised to call 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010. FloodingWeatherHelen CarterCaroline DaviesAdam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Ukraine crisis first test for Ashton

Europe and Russia are embroiled in an escalating contest over Ukraine ? its direction, its stability, and its alliances. Diplomats, analysts, and EU officials are warning that the situation could worsen sharply within weeks, in an early test of Catherine Ashton's crisis management skills. The new EU foreign policy chief will hardly have had time to get her feet under her desk on 1 December, when Ukraine dominates her computer screen. An EU-Ukraine summit three days later will mark her international debut as foreign policy high representative. Ashton's predecessor, Javier Solana of Spain, is known to be extremely "frustrated" with the worsening political, economic and security crisis in Ukraine. A fresh bout of the perennial gas war between Ukraine and Russia may break out after the new year, affecting Ukraine's bitter presidential election later in January. Then there is Iran, Afghanistan, relations with the US, bureaucratic infighting in Brussels, non-stop travel, overseeing and fronting a new global EU diplomatic service, chairing monthly meetings of European foreign ministers as well as performing the functions of a vice-president of the European commission. "This is an excruciating job," said the EU official who noted that Solana spent two thirds of his time travelling. Ashton's job is much more arduous since its powers and responsibilities are expanded and it combines being a de facto foreign minister with also being a commission vice-president. The other international emergency that will test Ashton's mettle quickly is likely to be Iran. For most of the last six years, Solana and the senior EU policy strategist, Robert Cooper, have been dealing with the Iranians on behalf of Britain, France, Germany, and tacitly the Americans. It is not clear, however, whether Ashton will retain that pivotal role. "I'd be surprised if she does. There is no automaticity," said a Brussels diplomat. "That will be a test of her authority," said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. "If she loses the role on Iran that will be a setback." Inside the Brussels beltway, turf battles are already being waged between competing parts of the European bureaucracy over how to organise, staff, and control the so-called external action service, Europe's fledgling global diplomatic arm. "Ashton needs to be the engine and the figurehead for that service," said the diplomat. "It will be a brutal start," said Leonard. Lady AshtonEuropean UnionForeign policyIan Traynor guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Ireland deserved to win, says Henry

? 'Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won' ? 'I am not a cheat and never have been' insists Henry Thierry Henry believes a replay would be the "fairest solution" to the continuing furore over the handball which led to the goal that eliminated the Republic of Ireland from World Cup qualification, and said Ireland "deserve to be in South Africa". "Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa," said Henry in a statement today. "Of course the fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control." ? The referee breaks his silence amid the controversy ? Keane tells FAI: what goes around comes around ? French economy minister demands Republic replay ? In video: Barry Glendenning on Henry's handball The France captain and striker handled the ball twice immediately before passing to team-mate William Gallas to score his side's decisive goal in the 1-1 draw on Wednesday, but referee Martin Hansson still allowed it despite vehement protests from the Ireland players. Henry's statement read: "I have said at the time and I will say again that yes I handled the ball. I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area. "As a footballer you do not have the luxury of the television to slow the pace of the ball down 100 times to be able to make a conscious decision. People are viewing a slow motion version of what happened and not what I or any other footballer faces in the game. If people look at it in full speed you will see that it was an instinctive reaction. "It is impossible to be anything other than that. I have never denied that the ball was controlled with my hand. I told the Irish players, the referee and the media this after the game. Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa. There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish." The Irish FA demanded that Fifa arrange a replay of the match, but both world football's governing body and the France Football Federation have formally rejected its appeal today. Ireland's captain, Robbie Keane, said: "On behalf of the Republic of Ireland players, I would like to thank Thierry Henry for his statement this afternoon that in his opinion a replay would be the fairest option. "As captain of the French team, to make such a statement took courage and honour, and all of us recognise that. As captain of the Republic of Ireland team, I would also be happy for a replay to happen in the interest of fair play so that whichever team qualifies, can do so with their heads held high.  We can only hope that the French Football Federation might accept the wishes of both captains in the best interests of the game." Thierry HenryRepublic of IrelandFranceWorld Cup 2010Jeremy Campbell guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Kidnapped couple make video plea

The British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates appeared in television footage tonight showing them surrounded by gunman and pleading for help to free them before they are killed. Looking nervous and subdued, Paul and Rachel Chandler said their captors were "losing patience" and feared they could die within a week. The couple were filmed for Channel 4 News on Wednesday and the footage was broadcast tonight. Mr Chandler said they were "unharmed and in reasonable physical health" but urged the Government to start negotiations over a ransom. "This is our 27th day in captivity. So far we have been provided with adequate food and water and facilities and so we are unharmed and in reasonable physical health. Mentally we are under great stress and threatened. "Our kidnappers are losing patience, they are concerned that there has been no response at all to their demands for money. "We ask the Government and the people of Britain and our families to do whatever you can to at least open negotiations with these people about money so that perhaps our lives can be bought back." He said: "I have no doubt that they will not hesitate to kill us, perhaps between a week or so of now if there is no response. His wife said: "We are very concerned about the future. Our captors are very impatient. She continued: "We are also feeling very much under threat now that these people themselves won't hesitate to take our lives." The footage show the couple surrounded by armed men pointing rifles and machine guns at them. It is the first time they have been seen on camera since they were kidnapped. Channel 4 said that their family had agreed that the film should be broadcast. The Chandlers said their captors had told them that a terrorist cell was looking for them and that they could "sleepwalk to a tragic end". The Chandlers disappeared on October 23 as they sailed from the Seychelles in their 38ft yacht Lynn Rival towards Tanzania. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said tonight: "We are aware of the video. Any such video will be distressing for the family." She said that the couple were innocent tourists and the Government sought their immediate release, but that "substantive concessions" would not be made to hostage takers. Piracy at seaMilitarySomaliaDamien Pearse guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Threat of Christmas postal strikes

Union may suspend talks if no headway made over modernisation plans The postal dispute could reignite next week if Royal Mail continues to stall over peace talks, sources close to the Communication Workers Union have warned. The two sides began negotiations under the auspices of mediation service Acas this week but it is understood that little headway has been made. "So far, it's been a case of talks about talks," one source said. "If no progress is being made you can't rule out the union going back to strike action." Next Thursday, the CWU will review what progress has been made after it called off strike action earlier this month in order to try to thrash out an agreement with Royal Mail over its modernisation programme. If the union believes that the two sides are no closer to reaching a deal, it is expected to suspend the talks. Further strike action before Christmas could also be announced as the ballot for industrial action which was passed by CWU members last month still remains in place. The Guardian has also learned that Roger Poole, until recently the chairman of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, has been appointed by the two sides to act as an independent mediator. Poole, also a former assistant general secretary of the Unison union, began mediating on Thursday. Four more days of talks are due next week, culminating in Thursday's review when the CWU ? as well as Royal Mail and Poole ? will assess how well negotiations are progressing. Earlier this month, the two sides reached an "interim agreement" where the CWU committed to calling off industrial action in return for holding talks under Acas to agree how to implement a long term modernisation programme of the business. This would cover the introduction of "walk sequencing machines" next year, the impact of modernisation on postal workers' workloads, pay and job security. The two sides have also committed themselves to local reviews of practices to resolve local disputes. But it is understood that Royal Mail union members in London, where the industrial action was the most severe, remain particularly concerned over Royal Mail practices. Royal Mail is far less efficient than its rivals and postal workers have to spend hours each day sorting mail by hand before beginning deliveries. The company is introducing automatic sorting machines but the union argues that managers are using modernisation to push through working practices resulting in unreasonable workloads and hours for staff. There is also concern that the changes will lead to thousands of redundancies. The interim agreement allows for a "period of calm" with the "intention of both parties to make significant progress by early December with the aim of concluding a final agreement by the end of 2009". Royal MailPostal serviceTrade unionsTim Webb guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lockerbie row over Megrahi lifespan

Three months after the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, American families of victims question medical advice Three months after the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the families of American victims of the Lockerbie bombing have reignited a row over the medical advice that allowed him to be freed early from his 27-year sentence. Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds from prison in Greenock on 20 August after the Scottish justice minister, Kenny MacAskill, received advice that he was terminally ill with prostate cancer. It was said that the Libyan, who was convicted of carrying out the bombing, only had three months to live. Relatives of the victims have been monitoring the release, counting down the days; today that three-month period passed. Rosemary Wolfe, the president of Justice for Pan Am 103, which represents families of the 270 people who died, and who opposed the release, said: "It does not surprise me that he is alive and well. It was a major mistake for the Scots to let him go. It is just horrible." Today a Democratic senator in New York called for the "immediate" return of the Libyan former intelligence agent to prison in Scotland. "The bottom line is Megrahi should have never been released in the first place but it would be even more outrageous if he were to be able to live a long and free life after his release," said Charles Schumer, in a letter to the prime minister, Gordon Brown. Megrahi has been treated at Tripoli's medical centre but has not been seen in public since September, when he was photographed in a wheelchair, coughing badly, looking frail and surrounded by visiting African MPs. His brother, Mohammed, said 10 days ago Megrahi was in hospital but it is not clear whether he is still there or being cared for in the family's villa in the Dimashq suburb of the capital. Megrahi's Scottish lawyer, Tony Kelly, said his client was alive, but refused to make any further comment. "He's very ill," an Arab source close to the case told the Guardian. "His condition hasn't improved. It's just a matter of time." Libya's state-controlled media has had nothing to say about the convicted Lockerbie bomber in recent weeks except to insist in October that he was alive after an incorrect media report that he had died. The Libyan government has been anxious to avoid any further publicity since the international row over the hero's welcome given to Megrahi when he flew home. The importance of the move was underlined by the fact that he was escorted by Saif al-Islam, the influential son and likely heir of the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The negotiations for his release were conducted by one of Libya's most respected officials. The hope in Tripoli ? as in London ? is that relations with the UK, focusing on billions of pounds worth of business, investment and oil, can now develop quietly without further controversy. In an interview earlier this month Gaddafi brushed aside a question about Megrahi's release, saying: "It is a matter of concern for the British, Scots, Americans. We are not really concerned about it." The British and Scottish governments were braced for the row being rekindled as the three-month date was reached. They have sought to play down the damage done in the US by the release, but there is a lingering resentment in America and a renewed bout of publicity will not be welcomed by the governments. The British embassy and its consulates in the US received hundreds of letters and phone calls expressing hostility to the release. Conservatives in the Scottish parliament are pressing MacAskill to publish Megrahi's medical papers as well as the latest updates on his health. Under the terms of the release Megrahi is required to update officials in Scotland every month via a video link on his medical status. Bill Aitken, the Scottish Tory justice spokesman, said: "Megrahi lost all rights to patient confidentiality when he became Britain's worst mass murderer. Scotland is still sickened by the sight of his hero's return to Tripoli." At the time of his release MacAskill was at pains to say the three-month lifespan was an estimate. But he relied entirely on a report by Dr Andrew Fraser, the head of medical services for the Scottish prison service, stating that Megrahi's health had declined significantly in the weeks before his release. "The clinical assessment therefore is that a three-month prognosis is now a reasonable estimate for this patient," Fraser said. Wolfe, from South Carolina, whose 20-year-old stepdaughter Miriam was killed by the bomb aboard the transatlantic flight in December 1988, said she had put in a freedom of information request seeking details of Megrahi's health but had been unsuccessful so far. "If he was dying, I would want him to stay in prison. I would want him to be made comfortable but not let him go," she said. Another relative, Susan Cohen, from New Jersey, whose daughter Theodora was killed on the flight, also opposed the release. "Scotland was shameful in this and the whole British government. It is absolutely sickening. I am very angry," Cohen said. "He is in the hands of Libya and when he is dead, we want to see the body. If he had been in Scotland, we would have at least believed it when told he was dead," she said. The US ambassador to Britain, Louis Susman, likened the Lockerbie row with Scotland to a "little fight ? but you don't get divorced" when he visited Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister and Scottish National party leader, last month. Abdelbaset al-MegrahiLibyaCrimeUnited StatesLockerbie plane bombingScotlandEwen MacAskillSeverin CarrellIan Black guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Man who killed in sleep goes free

Prosecution drops case against chronic sleep disorder sufferer who killed wife during bad dream on holiday A "decent and devoted" husband who strangled his wife while he dreamt she was a intruder has been cleared of murder after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted he had not been in control of his actions but was not a danger to anyone else. Father-of-two Brian Thomas killed his wife, Christine, as he was in the throes of a nightmare about a "boy racer" who had broken into the camper van they were sleeping in. Members of the jury at Swansea crown court wept after they were ordered to formally acquit Thomas, who had suffered "night terrors" for about 50 years without ever being treated. Experts said afterwards that about 2% of the population in the UK suffered from the condition, also known as pavor nocturnus. It was possible that many other similar attacks were carried out, though not with fatal consequences, and so went unreported. Thomas, a retired steelworker from Neath in south Wales, will be advised to seek treatment for his condition. Friends and family said he was devastated by the loss of his beloved wife of almost 40 years. In court he was described as a "broken man" who might try to harm himself. Since he was a child Thomas had been prone to sleepwalking and other sleep disorders. At home he and his wife slept in separate bedrooms but shared a double bed when they went away in their campervan. Thomas, 59, used to take tablets for depression but stopped taking them when he and his wife, 57, went away in their van because they made him impotent. In July last year the couple went on one of their regular jaunts in their camper van. They parked up in a carpark in the seaside village of Aberporth, west Wales but were disturbed by "boy racers" performing wheelspins and handbrake turns at 11.30pm. They drove to the carpark of the Ship Inn in the village where they settled down for the night. But later Thomas made a 999 call saying he had strangled his wife in his sleep. He told the operator: "What have I done? I've been trying to wake her. I think I've killed my wife. Oh my God. I thought someone had broken in. "I was fighting with those boys but it was Christine. I must have been dreaming or something. What have I done? What have I done? Can you send someone?" At first police were sceptical but friends and relatives told detectives they were a loving couple. They enjoyed regular nights out, watched rugby together and had booked a Mediterranean cruise to celebrate their forthcoming 40th wedding anniversary. Tests carried out on Thomas, some while he spent 10 months in prison on remand, confirmed he suffered from night terrors. At the start of the trial the prosecution said it was a "unique" case. It accepted Thomas should be found not guilty but initially called for a special verdict of not guilty due to insanity, which would have meant he could have been held in a secure psychiatric hospital. The law dictates that this is a verdict that cannot be determined by anyone other than a jury, which is why the case had to go to court. But in the end the CPS decided to offer no more evidence and the jury returned a straightforward verdict of not guilty. The judge, Mr Justice Nigel Davis, told Thomas: "You are a decent man and a devoted husband. I strongly suspect that you may well be feeling a sense of guilt. In the eyes of the law you bear no responsibility. You are discharged. "All of us who have been in court and who listened to the 999 call know exactly what your feelings were when you found that your wife was dead." Iwan Jenkins, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS Dyfed Powys, defended the handling of the case, saying: "This has been a unique case with a unique set of circumstances. We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review, and following expert evidence from a psychiatrist it was suggested no useful purpose would be served by Mr Thomas being detained and treated in a psychiatric hospital, which would be the consequence of a special verdict in this case." The jury had been told that Thomas's sleep disorder meant he was in a state of "automatism" ? his mind was not in control of his body. It is possible he had suffered particularly severe night terrors because he had come off his regular medication." Members of his family cheered as the verdict was returned. Speaking outside the court, Thomas's brother, Raymond, said: "He's a gentle man and always has been. He's a good man. Christine and Brian loved each other." He said it was wrong that his brother had been held on remand.A neighbour from Neath, Anita Gore, 75, said: "There is nothing that he has to feel guilty about ? it is just all so tragic." Night terrorsAs many as 10% of children in the UK suffer from pavor nocturnus. Most grow out of it but at least 2% of adults carry on having terrible, vivid dreams. Chris Idzikowski of the London Sleep Centre was an expert witness in the Thomas case. He said it was known for people to attack partners while having a nightmare. Most cases went unreported because usually no lasting damage was caused and those involved were often embarrassed to discuss it with outsiders. Both pavor nocturnus and other conditions such as REM sleep behaviour disorder, often a violent episode during the rapid eye movement stage of sleep, can be controlled with drugs. In 2005 a man from Manchester, Jules Lowe, was found not guilty of murdering his father, Eddie, due to insanity while he was sleepwalking. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital. In 1998 chef Dean Sokell was jailed for life after battering his wife Eleni to death in an attack at their home in Paignton, Devon, that began while he was asleep. The 27-year-old admitted murder on the basis that he had woken up to find he was hitting his wife with a claw hammer ? but then, while awake, carried on and finally stabbed her to silence the screams. Another high-profile case turning on the concept of automatism was that of the guitarist Peter Buck of the band REM. He was acquitted of attacking BA staff on a transatlantic flight to London in 2002. The court accepted he had no recollection of the incident because he was suffering from non-insane automatism at the time, brought on by combining alcohol and a sleeping pill at the start of the flight. CrimeWalesHaroon Siddique guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Enrol at Detroit's cannabis college

Horticulturalists, doctors and lawyers among instructors after Michigan legalises drug as a medicine It goes without saying that there's no smoking in class. But there is a good deal of sniffing of leaves, discussion of the finer points of inhaling and debate over which plant gives the biggest hit. Welcome to Detroit's cannabis college, recently opened with courses on how to grow marijuana ? and harvest, cook and sell it too ? after Michigan legalised the drug as a medicine.  Students get instruction from horticulturalists, doctors and lawyers as well as hands-on experience cultivating plants and guidance on how to protect their stash from the criminal element.  "Growing pot by chucking seeds in the garden is fine for the recreational industry," says the college co-founder, Nick Tennant, whose wholesome and youthful appearance, including acne-covered cheeks, startles some of the more ragged-looking students. "But when we're using this from a medicinal standpoint, you really need to document your strains and your genetics. The horticultural process is very complex. If you want to do it right you're going to need to learn. There's a lot of money in this if you do it right." With more than 1,000 medical marijuana certificates issued each month in Michigan for users and growers to sell to them, there is demand for places at MedGrow Cannabis College, located in a small office block. Among the first students paying $475 (£285) for six evening classes are people reliant on marijuana for pain relief and those who help them, including a clergyman who runs an Aids clinic.  Then there are young men such as Ryan Hasbany, a 20-year-old business student. He's still a year too young to get a grower's licence but he wants to learn the trade. "My father is a family practice doctor and he is issuing medical marijuana cards so I know there are a lot of people getting them. It could turn into a very lucrative business. The street prices are ridiculously high," he says of medical grade marijuana, which sells at $250 (£150) an ounce in Michigan. "There's Harvard economists who say this is what we need to bring the economy back." Hasbany has no hesitation in admitting that he might  be in a good position to judge the quality of what he grows. "I smoke it. In my high school graduating class, I'd say 25% of them were smoking it," he said.  Michigan became the 14th state to legalise medicinal marijuana this year after about two-thirds of voters supported the measure in a referendum. The move reflects growing acceptance of the drug in large parts of the country. In the past week, the US's first marijuana cafe opened in Oregon and Colorado ordered cannabis sales subject to tax.  The path was carved by California, where permission to buy marijuana requires little more than telling a sympathetic doctor it would make you feel better. Attitudes are changing in Washington too, where the Obama administration has told the FBI and other federal agencies to adhere to state marijuana laws in deciding who to arrest. For all that, there is still hesitation over identification with what is now a legal industry in Michigan.   The first class of the evening at cannabis college is led by a physician who wants to be known only as Dr Powell. "Don't mention my first name. It'll make it harder for them to identify me," he says.  Powell explains to the students the range of conditions that permit him to issue a medical marijuana certificate, from cancer and Aids to a broad category of severe chronic pain. "If someone's had back surgery or a gunshot wound," says Powell. There are questions. "Can I get it for gout?" asks a student. Powell thinks it unlikely. The doctor says he is not concerned about addiction but regular cannabis users should find an alternative to smoking. That's why the course also includes a cookery class with recipes as varied as hash cakes and marijuana sushi. The horticulture lecturer is even more wary than the doctor about being identified.  "They might ask how I know how to grow all this stuff," he says. "I've been doing it for rather longer than it's been legal." He, like many of those who lecture at Cannabis College, is also a consumer because of severe injury in a bad sporting accident. Tennant obtained a medical marijuana certificate to deal with a stomach condition that causes nausea. It is what brought out his acne.  The horticulturalist pulls open a couple of large white doors that act as an entire wall at the front of the classroom. Bright white light streams through the cracks and across the classroom to reveal a den of silver-lined walls, air conditioning ducts, fans and intense lights. At the heart sit a handful of plants ? some of them bushes really. The teacher runs through soil versus hydroponics, lights (red and blue better than LED), pruning (pluck, don't cut) and the intricacies of cloning. There's an explanation of ozone generating devices to cover the smell. "You might not want the neighbours to know. You don't want them raiding your house for your supply," he says.   Pasted to the wall is a chart of the labyrinth of marijuana species, their effect on different diseases and their particular tastes. The horticulturist explains that there's money to be made from the trade in medicinal marijuana but growers must tailor the plant to the customer's need. "There's pot that makes you not shut up for five hours. There's pot where you sit on the couch and drool for five hours. That's not what you need if you're going to hold down a job. There's thousands of people getting patient cards and they all have needs. If you can work out how to meet those individual needs you're gonna get rich," he says. DrugsUnited StatesMichiganHealth & wellbeingUS healthcareHigher educationChris McGreal guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

2,000 jobs go at off-licence chain

Administrators at off-licence group First Quench to close 381 more stores with loss of 2,000 jobs after failing to find buyer First Quench, the off-licence group behind Threshers and Wine Rack, is to close a further 381 stores with the loss of nearly 2,000 jobs after an initial flurry of interest from prospective buyers faded away. Administrators overseeing the failed company ? which also runs the Haddows, Victoria Wine and Bottoms Up chains ? have been forced to more than double the number of store closures and job losses just two weeks after announcing an initial round of more than 1,700 job losses and 373 shop closures. They have asked property agents Christie & Co to try to sell on the leases of shut stores. Richard Fleming, one of the joint administrators from KPMG, said he was still hopeful of selling "a significant number" of the 500-plus remaining stores as going concerns. Talks are believed to be progressing with several trade buyers and are likely to end in a series of break-up transactions. EFB Retail, a company controlled by entrepreneur Ranjinder Chatha, is thought to be among the interested parties. It bought about 100 Wine Cellar stores out of administration last month. Some supermarket groups are also thought to be interested in cherry-picking sites. Fleming described the likely outcome as a "jigsaw" series of transactions. Meanwhile the latest round of First Quench store closures will be completed by 16 December, depending on stock levels. Clearance sales will start next Tuesday, presenting early Christmas shoppers with a chance to replenish their drinks cabinets ahead of the festive rush. Heavy discounts may also raise concerns over socially irresponsible alcohol retailing. "Unfortunately there has not been sufficient interest in these 381 stores as part of the going concern sale, so we have no option but to close them," Fleming said. Administrators had been contacted by more than 700 potential buyers for some or all of First Quench but many are believed to have since lost interest, including Costcutter and Endless, a private equity turnaround specialist. High street off-licences have been losing trade for years because of aggressive discounting by supermarkets, a trend exacerbated by the recession. The introduction of extended opening hours for pubs and bars in 2005 also affected business. Supermarkets regularly use drinks promotions to draw customers through their doors, especially around peak trading spells such as Christmas, Easter and the summer holiday season. In recent weeks Asda has been selling boxes of 15 275ml bottles of Carlsberg Export for £5, with customers limited to three cases per visit. Mark Brumby, a leisure analyst with Astaire Securities, described the deal as "a new low point", noting that it was equivalent to 24p for a unit of alcohol. In the year to June 2008, the latest for which figures are available, First Quench lost £1.7m on sales of nearly £700m. It has also been hit by a withdrawal of credit insurance, which left shelves empty as suppliers refused to deliver goods in case they did not get paid, and was placed into administration on 29 October. Among the latest round of job losses are 34 posts at the company's head office in Welwyn Garden City, suggesting administrators believe a break-up is the most likely outcome. In 2005 Unwins, the 162-year-old rival chain, was shut down by administrators from KPMG with the loss of 1,800 jobs. Myles Halley, joint administrator, said at the time: "Unwins has suffered, like other off-licence chains, from increased competition from supermarkets and tight margins." Threshers, on which First Quench was built, has had several owners in recent years. Until 1998 it was part of Whitbread but then merged with Victoria Wine, part of the drinks group Allied Domecq. The chain was founded 112 years ago by Samuel Thresher and was bought by Flowers Breweries in the 1950s and became part of Whitbread in 1962. In 2003 it was bought out by Nomura's Principal Finance group and two years later purchased 200 shops from Unwins. Since 2007 it has been owned by the US private equity group Vision Capital. Since the 1990s Whitbread has moved away from a focus on brewing and alcohol retailing and is now owner of Premier Inn and Costa Coffee. Job lossesRetail industryRecessionSimon Bowers guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Tamiflu-resistant swine flu strain spreading

Resistant strain discovered in Cardiff hospital, prompting concern among health officials Doctors in Wales have discovered a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu that has been spreading from patient to patient in a Cardiff hospital. The emergence of an easily transmissible, resistant strain is a worrying development for health officials and appears to be the first documented case in Europe. Five patients at University Hospital Wales, in Cardiff, were infected and isolated for treatment. All had severe underlying conditions that left them with weakened immune systems. At least three had acquired the infection in hospital. There have been a handful of reported cases from around the world of Tamiflu-resistant strains of the H1N1 virus. Only one previous case, at a US summer camp, however, involved person-to-person transmission. The Cardiff patients have been treated with an alternative anti-viral drug. Two have recovered and been discharged and three others remain in hospital, one in intensive care. Dr Roland Salmon, the director of the communicable disease surveillance centre in Wales, said: "The emergence of [H1N1] viruses that are resistant to Tamiflu is not unexpected in patients with serious underlying conditions and suppressed immune systems, who still test positive for the virus despite treatment. "In this case, the resistant strain of swine flu does not appear to be any more severe than the swine flu virus that has been circulating since April. "For the vast majority of people, Tamiflu has proved effective in reducing the severity of illness. Vaccination remains the most effective tool we have in preventing swine flu so I urge people identified as being at risk to look out for their invitation to be vaccinated by their GP surgery." Any spread of a Tamiflu-resistant strain of the virus into the community would constitute a serious public health concern. The government recently reminded those who caught swine flu to take Tamiflu as a first line of medical defence. A Department of Health official in London said: "We take this development seriously, but the Health Protection Agency considers that the risk to the general healthy population is low. The Tamiflu-resistant virus has emerged in a group of particularly vulnerable individuals ? this type of resistance is well documented. "Our strategy to offer anti-virals to all patients with swine flu is the right one ? to help prevent complications and reduce the severity of the illness. We are keeping the situation under review." HealthSwine fluOwen Bowcott guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

ComputerWorld 

Microsoft launches beta tests of free Office 2010, 'streaming' delivery

Microsoft has launched new betas for its free Office suite and for the "streaming" technology it will use to deliver some paid versions of Office 2010 next year.

Third-party screensavers return to Snow Leopard

When Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) was first released, I noted that many (maybe even all) third-party screensavers would no longer work in the new OS. This was because 10.6 required 64-bit compatible screensavers, whereas existing screensavers were 32 bit.

Teen gets prison term for attack on Scientology Web site

A New Jersey teenager was sentenced to a year in jail and was fined $37,500 after pleading guilty to charges in connection with a DDOS attack on the Church of Scientology Web site.

Google's Chrome OS hits BitTorrent

Chrome OS, the operating system that Google released to open source yesterday, has been compiled and posted for download on several file-sharing sites, Internet searches showed.

Toggle sidebar visibility in all open Finder windows

When I publish hints here on Macworld, I usually try to walk through and explain how they work, so as to help you understand what's going on behind the scenes. Sometimes, though, I'll just present a solution without much of an explanation, such as with today's hint.

The 5 best and worst features of Google Chrome OS

What users are most likely to like - and detest - about Google's new operating system.

Ballmer: Windows 7 Sales 'Fantastic'

Excitable Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer actually had something to be excited about at yesterday's shareholder meeting, where he announced that Windows 7 sales are "fantastic."

Twitter turns on geolocation functionality

Twitter is now allowing its externally built applications to provide geolocation features to end users, after announcing its intention to do so in August.

Nokia cuts research staff by up to 330 people

Mobile phone maker Nokia said it will cut up to 330 people from its research and development staff.

iPhone owners demand to see Apple source code

iPhone owners charging Apple and AT&T with breaking antitrust laws asked a federal judge this week to force Apple to hand over the iPhone source code, court documents show.

Christian Science Monitor 

Pentagon to probe 'internal weaknesses' behind Fort Hood shooting

In the wake of the Fort Hood shooting, the Pentagon will conduct an inquiry to assess its ability to identify and root out internal threats. The review will be headed by two retired service chiefs.

Honduras interim leader may step down. Will that help President Zelaya?

Honduras interim leader announced Thursday he intends to leave the presidency for about a week. But ousted President Zelaya is no closer to getting back in.

Great American Smokeout 2009: Which states have most smokers?

Biggest opportunity for Great American Smokeout 2009 is in West Virginia, where 1 in 4 residents smokes.

New Moon opening night: In India, a teen's online petition brings series to the big screen

New Moon opening night is Dec. 4 in India. The first movie, which Ritisha Mishra petitioned for, opens Nov. 20.

New York, terror trial capital of the US

New York's federal courts have seen many major terrorist trials since the early 1990s, several involving Al Qaeda-linked operatives.

Church Of The Customer 

New company, new history

Advertising without advertising

Kicking out unwanted customers

Twitter: the killer app for customer service

Fees are penalties. Always.

4 questions with author Jeanne Bliss

A social media truism

How to create a killer conference

Facebook fan pages are the future

David Letterman, part 2

Wired News 

Make an Independent Movie on the Cheap

Anyone with a camera phone and poor impulse control can be a YouTube star for 15 seconds. But what does it take to make a feature film that will get noticed by Hollywood?

Listen to 'World's First Twitter Album'

Digital music students create a crowdsourced album within the 140-character confines of Twitter by writing short strings of code that can be translated into songs.

Malaria Gaining Resistance to Best Available Treatment

Malaria has begun showing troubling signs of developing resistance to artemisinin, which is currently the best available treatment for the disease.

VW Builds the World's Coolest SUV

You need a tough truck to take on Dakar. VW delivers.

Hacked E-Mails Fuel Global Warming Debate

A trove of e-mails stolen from a leading climate-research group in Britain has sparked an online debate over global warming data. Bloggers claim the e-mails reveal that scientists colluded and manipulated data to support global warming theories.

Sushi DNA Tests Reveal Fraud

Using DNA barcoding, scientists tested tuna at 31 sushi restaurants and discovered many of the restaurants were selling endangered species, or fish that wasn't tuna at all.

Wired Backs Internet for Nobel Peace Prize

Nothing has done a better job of circumventing censorship, spreading democratic thought and promoting understanding between nations than the internet. Join Wired's global campaign to award the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to our beloved series of tubes.

IR Image Shows Ghostly Bones of Galactic Feast

Using new processing techniques in the near-infrared part of the spectrum, astronomers have peered through the thick dust of the Centaurus A galaxy to reveal the leftovers of another galaxy it consumed.

The Illustrated Man: How LED Tattoos Could Make Your Skin a Screen

The title character of Ray Bradbury's book The Illustrated Man is covered with moving, shifting tattoos. If you look at them, they will tell you a story.

New LED tattoos from the University of Pennsylvania could make the Illustrated Man real (minus the creepy stories, of course). Researchers there are developing silicon-and-silk implantable devices which sit under the skin like a tattoo. Already implanted into mice, these tattoos could carry LEDs, turning your skin into a screen.

The silk substrate onto which the chips are mounted eventually dissolves away inside the body, leaving just the electronics behind. The silicon chips are around the length of a small grain of rice ? about 1 millimeter, and just 250 nanometers thick. The sheet of silk will keep them in place, molding to the shape of the skin when saline solution is added.

These displays could be hooked up to any kind of electronic device, also inside the body. Medical uses are being explored, from blood-sugar sensors that show their readouts on the skin itself to neurodevices that tie into the body's nervous system ? hooking chips to particular nerves to control a prosthetic hand, for example.

Chips are already used inside bodies, most notably the tiny RFID tags injected into pets. But the flexible nature of these "tattooed" circuits means they can move elastically with the body, sitting in places that a rigid circuit board couldn't.

The first displays are sure to be primitive, but likely very useful for the patients that receive them. You won't be getting the full-color, hi-res images that come with ink, but functional displays. This doesn't mean that the commercial and artistic possibilities are being ignored. Philips, the electronics giant, is exploring some rather sexual uses:

[HTML1]

It's certainly rather creepy, but we're sure that the inevitable next stage of playing adult movie clips on your partner's back will be appealing to some. We, of course, are considering the geekier side of this tech. GPS, with a map readout on the back of the wrist would certainly be useful, as would chips that cover your eyeballs and can darken down when the sun is shining too bright.

And a full-body display will eventually be used for advertising. Combine this with bioluminescent ink, for example, and you could turn yourself into a small, walking version of Times Square. At least, unlike a real tattoo, you can switch this one off.

In fact, if you start to imagine the possible uses, they seems almost endless. Just like the stories that play across the body of the Illustrated Man.

Tattoo You [ H+ Magazine]

Implantable Silicon-Silk Electronics [ Technology Review]

Photo of real tattoo: Spacemanbobby/Flickr

10 Geeky Things to Be Thankful For

While you are giving thanks for the important things in your life next Thursday, mull these 10 geeky things for which we all have reason to be grateful.

CNN Live 

Woman takes stand at racially charged Wal-Mart trial

A woman accused of cutting in line in a Wal-Mart and assaulting police officers took the stand Friday and denied all charges in the racially charged case.

Couple to plead guilty in Cuba spy case

A former State Department employee and his wife, accused of illegally aiding the government of Cuba for nearly 30 years, say they intend to plead guilty to federal charges.

Burned teen having skin graft surgery

A Florida teenager attacked and set on fire last month, allegedly by five teenage friends, was undergoing skin graft surgery Friday, the first procedure in his recovery, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Right-wing activists storm TV station

A band of right-wing activists ransacked an Indian television station in the country's financial hub of Mumbai in an assault their party said was an act of retaliation against the channel's "bias" against their veteran leader.

Lincoln letter to schoolboy fetches $60K

Less than a month before the Civil War's start, a newly inaugurated President Lincoln took time from his frantic schedule to write to an Illinois boy whose classmates didn't believe he'd met the president.

Students occupy buildings in protest

Students are occupying buildings today on several campuses of the University of California system in protest of a 32 percent tuition increase.

Arrests in human fat ring in Peru

Peruvian authorities say they have arrested four members of a gang that specialized in selling fat obtained from dead humans.

Google OS: End of the hard drive?

Google today unveiled more details of Chrome OS, a lightweight, browser-based operating system for netbooks.

Poll: Public shifting blame for recession

Nearly two years into the recession, opinion about which political party is responsible for the severe economic downturn is shifting, according to a new national poll.

'New Moon' sets midnight record

The second installment in the "Twilight" saga, starring Robert Pattinson as vampire Edward Cullen, Kristen Stewart as his star-crossed love and Taylor Lautner as the wolfboy who loves her, has already ripped through a box office record.

ESPN 

• New York Knicks won't pursue free-agent guard Allen Iverson, president Donnie Walsh says
• Jayson Williams' hearing delayed by judge over travel issues
• Michael Jordan thankful, but says others just as worthy of jersey retirement
• ATP won't reopen Andre Agassi drug case despite admission
• Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight sells 1.25 million pay-per-views
• NFLPA wants concussion expert ousted, report says
• The Chicago White Sox are in negotiations with Omar Vizquel's agent
• Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini expects Josh Cribbs to play Sunday vs. Detroit Lions
• Jimmie Johnson signs multiyear extension with Hendrick Motorsports
• Kansas coach Mark Mangino defends program, blames bitterness, parents of players
• Shawn Marion to miss Friday's game for Dallas Mavericks
• Gasol returns, scores 24 in Lakers' win vs. Bulls
• Chris Simms of Denver Broncos appears likely to start Sunday
• Williams' three TDs lead Dolphins past Panthers

Cool Tools 

Overland Journal

Last month I helped out a guy stuck on Tioga pass get his vegetable oil powered Gelaendewagen back on the road. He showed me a copy Overland Journal and I was so impressed I subscribed and ordered all the back issues once I got home. To give you an idea of the flavor of the magazine, one of the contributing editors is the author of my previously reviewed Vehicle Dependent Expeditions book.

For anyone who does car camping, 4x4 exploring, vehicle trips abroad, or just enjoys armchair exploration, I cannot recommend this publication enough. It has amazing comprehensive comparison reviews of the type of gear no other publication would cover, ranging from vehicle rooftop tents to converting a LandCruiser to bio-diesel. On top of the fantastic information and writing in the magazine, it is gorgeously designed and features beautiful expedition shots from around the world. It is the first publication I have come across in years that has me reading every word, review and even advertisement. They publish four issues per year, plus a gear guide and back-issues are available to '97.

-- Alexander Rose

Overland Journal
$45, one-year subscription (5 issues)

Available from Overland Journal

Neti Pot

My brother-in-law introduced me to the neti pot, for nasal irrigation, about three years ago. He had had chronic sinus infections that have largely stopped since he started using it. Since I began using it, I've had fewer illnesses and just breathe easier. I used to take decongestants regularly in order to sleep soundly (due to mild allergies), but haven't in the past three years, since the neti pot became part of my daily routine. My sinuses don't dry out as much during winter anymore, and my wife says my snoring has decreased.

The neti pot flushes your sinuses of pollutants, allergens, pollen and dust that build up during the day. By flushing your sinuses you allow your nose to do its secondary job more effectively -- keep the bad stuff out. It also has the added benefit of relieving sinus headaches and congestion. The interesting thing is, it's been around for a long time (several thousand years) and is used by many yoga practitioners to ease breathing during meditation. Eight ounces of warm tap water and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (with no iodine) is all it takes to wash the grime away, and that's a lot cheaper than over-the-counter decongestants.

I recommend getting a neti pot with a pot belly look, like the Himalayan Institute one available from Amazon. I've tried two other brands/styles and they don't provide as consistent water pressure through the nose. Currently I use my neti pot once a day, in the evenings, to wash the day's grime away and help with sleeping.

Try it once or twice and you'll agree your sinuses have rarely felt better or clearer. As a side note, if it burns a little, stop and add a tad more salt. Too little salt and the water won't flow well through the nasal cavity. If you've had a broken nose, please check with your doctor to make sure your nasal cavity is still properly aligned for nasal irrigation.

-- Jeff Young

I'm sure the video will turn some people off, but you've got to know how it works. How else did you expect to irrigate your nasal passages?

Neti Pot
$9

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by the Himalayan Institute

Printed Space

My initial experience with Printed Space came about when family in England bought my wife and I a couple of canvases that used photos from our wedding. An artist at Printed Space worked with my brother to edit a batch of 300 photos down to 60, then cropped and arranged them and gave my brother various digital proofs, from which he selected the one he thought we'd like the best. The canvas was shipped from England to our home in San Francisco in a custom-made picture-frame box, in perfect condition.

When we found out that Printed Space also puts your images (or stock images) on blinds and wallpaper, we got a bedroom decorated for a friend's 4-year-old son. (Pictured here).

The company now does flooring too, so I'm planning to get the lobby and other areas of my office covered with custom flooring.

What we liked: Limitless choice in images -- use your own, or images you can buy from any online source. Printed Space has partnerships with a number of stock image sources, photographers and artists, so you're not going to end up with the same all-too-obvious images you see elsewhere.

Fully customized to your space. These are not posters. I've had other canvases made by online poster vendors, but they've been just that -- posters printed on canvas. These are images that can be enlarged, cropped, rotated, whatever, to suit the space you're trying to decorate. Printed Space gave us advice about planning around windows, doors, light switches and power outlets. You pay no extra for this design service.

I couldn't be happier with the quality of their work.

-- Philip Leonard

Printed Space
From
£14 for 20cm2 unframed canvases
£55/meter2 for wallpaper and floors
£74 for 60cm2 blinds

All-Clad Roaster

Last year, Williams-Sonoma released a line of exclusive All-Clad flared roasters. They are expensive, but well worth it if you do a lot of oven cooking. I cooked a 27lb turkey in the extra large one for Thanksgiving last year, and have since been using this pan for all kinds of things. The design makes for very even cooking, especially if you don't have a convection oven: the low flared sides give good heat exposure, so you get excellent browning on the underside of roasts, and the aluminum core provides outstanding heat distribution. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much of a difference these two design changes made. Of course, it's basically a very large saute pan, so it gives the results you'd expect from All-Clad on the stove as well.

I've also used it successfully to make a huge pan of mac and cheese (mixing the roux/bechamel right in the pan on the stove), and I use it often for large batches of braised lamb shanks and short ribs. In the latter, the low wide design encourages a lot of reduction of the braising liquid to yield a more flavorful sauce.

The extra large size is unwieldy - before buying, make sure it fits in your oven and sink. Although the curved design also makes it very easy to clean with a brush (there are no sharp corners for gunk to get stuck in), this size barely fits in my sink.

And while I love the extra large one and it's great at what it does, it is a bit of a beast to get out (but indispensable if you need the capacity). I've spent the last year wondering how I could justify spending the money for the large version as well, and they made it easier for me by recently releasing an even smaller and cheaper version for roasting chickens.

This one is essentially the same pan in a smaller form factor which makes it much more convenient if you don't need the larger capacity. This has quickly become my standard everyday pan for most things. It also comes with a suspension arm for cooking a chicken elevated.

I've experimented with the suspension arm a bit, which I initially dismissed. At least in my oven, which is not a convection oven, breast side up is a disaster. Not enough heat reaches the bottom, and the white meat gets overcooked while the thighs stay very undercooked. Breast-side down, however, gives outstanding results. Twice in a row, I've gotten evenly cooked meat (very tender and juicy breast meat, properly cooked thighs) and crispy skin, with no added oil or basting (just salt and pepper or a dry rub). The suspension arm can be a little testy. If it's jostled too much, the whole chicken will fall into the pan. It's a bit of work to get it put back up, but it does actually yield good results with less work overall.

Regardless of which size is right for you, these are just great roasting pans, and I highly recommend them. The images are pretty deceptive with respect to the size differences and it's difficult to judge from the picture how big they actually are. It's worth a trip to the store to see which size is actually best for you.

-- Adam Fields

All-Clad Stainless Steel Flared Roaster
$280 (extra large: 18 3/4" x 14 3/4" x 3" high)
Available from Williams Sonoma

All-Clad Ultimate Chicken Roaster
$180 (14 1/2" x 11 3/4" x 2 1/2" high)
Available from Williams Sonoma

Chaco Sandals

When weather permits, I live in sandals. Over the years I've tried all the major brands. A few years ago a friend suggested that I try a brand, Chaco, that I had never heard of. Initially I balked at the price, but when I found a pair that was closeout priced I decided to give them a try. I've never looked back.

While I own a variety of Chaco sandals, I primarily wear the general purpose Z/1.The primary advantage of these sandals is their unique means of attachment to your foot; a single slide buckle. The strap for the front of the sandal is one continuous length that is threaded through slots in the sole. You initially adjust the sandal to your feet by pulling until you've got the fit you want. You then take the sandal off and on by using the slide buckle. To put the sandal on you slip in your foot and pull down on the buckle strap. To loosen the strap to remove the sandal you pull up on the buckle bottom. This is so easy and natural to do that with reasonable balance you can take them on and off while standing on one foot, then the other. This design provides a superbly comfortable fit, primarily through the elimination of the typical stiff Velcro closures.

Another feature of all Chaco sandals is their unique contoured footbed. First, it has an aggressive arch support (that the manufacturer claims counters pronation). Second, it has a deep heel cup that helps your foot stay centered. For my foot, they are more comfortable than any other shoe I have ever worn. This is, of course, a very personal observation, and you should probably try a pair on before buying. Also, the company has recently switched to a newer footbed material that I haven't yet tried.

While they aren't marketed as such, I consider them a hiking sandal. They have a stiff Vibram sole with a very aggressive tread, just like what you'd find on a hiking boot. The slightly oversize footbed protects toes from being stubbed. I wear them for everything: strolling around town, driving, canoeing, biking and hiking. In all these roles they are every bit as comfortable as well-fitting shoes, while also providing the glorious open-air experience. As added bonuses, they float, and can be re-webbed or re-soled.

When I travel to warm countries this is the only shoe I pack. My sandals have experienced Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Death Valley and Petra. The only concession I make for exceptional conditions is to also pack a pair of lightweight neoprene socks. The only place I seldom wear the sandals is hiking in heavily forested areas, where exposed tree roots can be toe-killers.

In the (previously reviewed) Keens, your feet are quite confined, and I can't imagine that they feel anything like sandals. I don't really think of the Keens as sandals; they are really quick-dry athletic shoes with cut-outs. The Keen's soles are similar to those of an athletic shoe, while the Chaco's are more similar to the soles on hiking boots. I wouldn't want to do any serious hiking or rock scrambling, where stiff soles are important, in the Keens.

The Keens definitely offer better toe protection. Still, I've put many hundreds of hiking and biking miles on my Chacos and have never once stubbed my toe. I think that the thick, oversize soles are what provide the protection. If you don't seek the open-air feeling of true sandals such as the Chacos, the Keens would be a fine choice for everyday use. However, for serious hiking and river travel, Chacos are the answer.

As far as cost, the sandals list for $95, but annual design updates result in numerous Internet closeout opportunities in the early spring, and I've never paid more than $65 for a pair.

-- Dave King

[I don't know whether or not a sponsorship deal is involved, but National Geographic Explorer in Residence J. Michael Fay walks in Chaco sandals throughout his epic journeys. Not a bad endorsement. ?es]

Chaco Z/1 Unaweep Sandal
$95

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Chaco

Klean Kanteen

Klean Kanteen offers a range of stainless steel water bottles that are well made, relatively lightweight, and come with a variety of interchangeable tops. They seal tightly (I pack them in my briefcase with my computer), even with the sport top. They're light enough to compare well with a plastic water bottle, but without the ecological waste of disposable bottles or the odor of reusable plastic bottles.

They come in various sizes (12 oz. to 40 oz.) and the 18 oz size fits nicely in a bicycle bottle cage. I take mine through airport security empty and fill it on the other side.

-- David Krathwohl

[The new Sport Cap 2.0, a sport cap perched alongside a loop, is a particularly cool and functional design. I prefer them to Sigg bottles (previously reviewed) for the simplicity of the Klean Kanteen's design and many cap options -- each member of my family uses a different one. Also, it turns out some older Sigg bottles contained BPA, though the company initially claimed otherwise. Klean Kanteen's bottles are 100% 18/8 stainless steel -- they even have a stainless steel cap option now -- and there's not any doubt about their safety. --es]

Klean Kanteen
18 oz w/ Poly Sports 2.0 Cap
$20

Available from Amazon

Monarch Butterfly Chair

This chair caught my eye immediately because it looked like a clever solution to a problem I've wrestled with for a long time — how to carry comfortable seating that takes up minimal weight and space. As a motorcycle rider, meeting friends for "car camping" means I'm much more limited than they are in the luxuries I can bring along.

One way this chair saves weight is by eliminating the two front legs; you lean back in it as you would when tipping a chair back on its hind legs, using your own legs for control and balance. At first I thought this would be tiring, but it really isn't. Nearly all of my weight rests comfortably in the seat, with the kind of lumbar support I need. When collapsed, the Monarch fits into not much more space than a water bottle, and it weighs only 18 oz. At least as importantly, it's simple to set up and it seems very solidly constructed.

I've had problems with foam seats such as the Crazy Creek chairs because the stress points don't hold up well to repeated use. And another chair I've used, the GCI Trail-Sling (no longer made, though still available through some online stores) is a light, comfortable chair, but it can be a little tricky to set up and doesn't seem likely to hold up to too much wear and tear. I still have a couple Trail-Slings, but I believe they'll get left behind in favor of the Monarch going forward.

The Monarch's legs are sturdy milled aluminum poles, connected with shock cords like tent poles, and seem designed for years of use. Similarly, the seat appears thoughtfully shaped to minimize possible points of failure, and the pockets into which the poles fit are thick and reinforced beyond what I've come to expect from most consumer outdoor gear. Really, the whole chair has a feeling of quality and craftsmanship. It's not inexpensive at $60, but I find it's worth it.

-- Bill Emmack

[Chair setup video here. --es]

Alite Monarch Butterfly Chair
$60

Available from REI

Manufactured by Alite Designs

Recipe Aggregators

I love to cook but I don't have many recipes memorized, and much as I like cooking from any of the several cookbooks in my library, I often look for new recipes online. It's not an easy task. I'm amazed at the number of ad-riddled pages I find when typing the name of any dish into Google. I do have an online subscription to Cook's Illustrated (previously reviewed), and there are a handful of other individual free sites I turn to for recipes and technique info. However, as a research librarian, I'm always keen to execute a search in a manner that maximizes the number of relevant results by querying a specific set of targeted resources. For scientific queries, I use freely accessible databases such as Public Library of Science or PubMed, or I use one of my library accounts to access subscription-based databases such as Wiley InterScience or Elsevier's Science Direct. When I put my home-cook hat on, I approach recipe-finding with a similar set of expectations. Though there's no shortage of recipe information online, there's not really an equivalent set of databases for cookery. Here's a round-up of the best recipe aggregation resources I've found.

Epicurious is my go-to recipe site; I've used it for four years. One of the aspects I like most about it is the user comments. Because the site is older, most recipes have at least a handful of comments, and I've found that most users leave really helpful feedback (usually suggestions for how to scale or tweak recipes). However, it's also very easy to ignore user comments if you just want to stick to the original recipe. I usually cook from printed versions of the recipes (rather than bringing my laptop in the kitchen), and Epicurious offers several options for the size of the printed page, whether or not images are included, and even the option to print a separate shopping list.

Most recipes come from Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines (the site is owned by Conde Nast). Some come from cookbooks published by Random House, with whom Epicurious has some kind of republication agreement, it seems. Some have also been reprinted from other cookbooks, with permission. In addition to the 25,000 recipes from these professional resources, they also boast 50,000 member-submitted recipes. Epicurious is the online food site to beat.

Cookstr publishes recipes by professional chefs, including Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters, Jacques Pepin, Michael Recchiuti, Mark Bittman, and on and on. In addition to recipes, the site also provides informative profiles for each chef. Features are fairly minimal, with a video section still under development, but I do like the simplicity of the site. Site registration allows you to save and comment on recipes. Although Cookstr only has a few recipes from each chef, it's the closest thing to a massively cross-cook[book] database I've found. I hope it grows.

I learned about Food52 when the New York Times ran a round-up of new, crowd-sourced food sites. The hook of this site, founded by two food writers, is that every week there's a theme-based competition; after a year of these contests, the winning recipes will be collected in a book. Any registered user can compete in the competitions, the founders select finalists and post slideshows of them testing the recipes, and then users vote for a winner. The focus of the site is the contests, and all recipes submitted for the contests are accessible, but registered users can upload any type of recipe. Although there is a pretty sizable diversity of recipes on the site, I most often use it when I'm looking for inspiration to try something new, not when I have a few keystone ingredients I'm trying to hang together.

Serious Eats is another curated food community with some social features, including a set of forums, and original video content in addition to a large collection of recipes. Recipes come largely from featured cookbook writers and chefs, but also the wider community base (in the forums). It's more inclusive than Food52, because of its forums, and it's more polyphonous because its cast of contributors is quite long and revolving. However, it's less inclusive in the sense that the Recipes section of the site is limited to those curated by contributors (mostly recipes from featured books and chefs).

Foodbuzz is a network of foodbloggers (more than 10,000). They offer a set of services for "featured publishers," including ad management and other perks, as well as several social networking-type features for individual users. Foodbuzz is one of the few sites I've found that actually aggregates recipes from across the web. You can submit links to recipes to be indexed, and you can also submit recipes for direct publication at the site. It displays some characteristics of a curated site in as much as it highlights recipes from members of its featured publishers network, but overall it's quite open since anyone can submit a recipe or recipe link.

Epicurious, Cookstr, Food52, SeriousEats, and Foodbuzz are my favorite recipe aggregators. To reduce my search load even further, I've created a custom Google search engine that queries these sites in addition to a few of my favorite individual sources (you can see it here).

-- Camille Cloutier

Epicurious
Cookstr
Food52
Serious Eats
Foodbuzz

String Saver

This Band-Aid for tennis rackets saved the day for me during a tournament when I was playing well with a favorite racket, but the strings were frayed and close to breaking. It's a little tool that lifts the string and inserts and leaves behind a small piece of plastic that sits right at the intersection where the two strings cross, preventing them from sawing across one another and breaking. Extra plastic inserts are stored in the handle.

If you carry it in your tennis bag you can use it to extend the life of your strings, though obviously not indefinitely. It's essential if you have only one racket and you don't want to sit any games out.

-- Phil Reed

Gamma String Savers
$9

Available from Amazon

Eagle Creek

There may be a better product here and there in a particular piece of luggage, but it's just not worth my time messing around to find out. I've replaced all of my duffels, carry-ons and backpacks with Eagle Creek products, and have been using them for the past two years. I've standardized on Eagle Creek luggage because I've found their stuff to be uniformly excellent, and it just saves me the frustration of trying stuff out and finding it has deficiencies.

Eagle Creek makes a handful of practical accessories for space-saving and orderly packing. Their Pack-It Folders compress lots of shirts, pants or skirts into a compact, wrinkle-free stack. And their Cubes are ideal for organizing underwear and socks while compressing them and maximizing space. They also offer Compression Sacs, giant Ziploc-like bags with one-way air valves that can compress your dirties into a fraction of their uncompressed size. All of these accessories work quite well with other brands of luggage; they are by no means specific to Eagle Creek.

Another reason I've chosen Eagle Creek: the company's products are extremely rugged and have a lifetime warranty. I took them up on their warranty on a bag that got slashed. I live in San Diego and found that I could just take it by their headquarters rather than mail it in. They gave me a new bag, no questions asked.

Just to qualify as an experienced traveler, I've accumulated more than 6 million lifetime miles in the American Airlines AAdvantage program, more than two million on United, and a million on two or three others.

-- Don Lyle

Eagle Creek Universal Traveler Backpack
$120

Available from Amazon

Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Folder 20 Organizer
$30

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Eagle Creek

Digg Frontpage News 

Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic

If you own any shares in alternative energy companies I should start dumping them NOW. The conspiracy behind the Anthropogenic Global Warming myth (aka AGW; aka ManBearPig) has been suddenly, brutally and quite deliciously exposed after a hacker broke into the computers at the University of East Ang...

Bishops Press Obama to Strike Provision on Abortion Funding

A coalition of Christian leaders -- including New York's Archbishop Timothy Dolan -- are putting heat on the White House to strike down any provision in the Senate's health care reform bill that allows abortion coverage in federally subsidized plans.

Star of The Messenger Says "I Would Do Anything for Woody!"

Ben Foster stars in Oren Moverman's incredible film The Messenger along with Woody Harrelson (last seen in Zombieland). In the film, the two actors play Casualty Notification Officers. Foster delivers a spectacular performance (as does Woody) and here he talks about researching the role, what it meant to him, and how hard it was to leave it behind.

Future colliders: Beyond the LHC

The Large Hadron Collider is by no means the last of the particle smashers. A group at CERN recently explored the various scenarios that might emerge from the atomic debris in Geneva ? and how they would shape what colliders we build next. We draw out the key points about each of the scenarios.

Cool Over the Back TD Pass

He puts the 'back' in quarterback. Maybe this is the play Belichick should've called on 4th and 2?

Gyromancer: Square-Enix and Popcap's addictive, $15 spawn

PopCap and Square-Enix decided to make a baby, and you should be mighty happy about that decision. The two companies have come together on a product that may seem somewhat familiar, but will soon have you playing late into the night.

Cy&H: Nutrition Man [Comic]

Cyanide and Happiness #1864 from Explosm.net

Decades Worst NHL Teams

The 10 worst teams of the last decade

Apple Exec's Backyard Is Designed for Barfing

When you think of backyards, the first things you probably think: Dogs woofing, July 4th grilling, swingsets. Then again, you're not a senior Apple exec by day, and an art collector on the weekends.

Peru police: Gang killed people for fat

Peruvian police say a gang has been killing people and draining fat from the corpses to sell on the black market for use in cosmetics, although experts say they doubt a major market for fat exists.

Wonkette 

Small Figurines Teach People Important Lessons

Today, November 20 through Thursday, January 3: If you've ever fallen victim to being set up on a blind date by your father, you'll love the play The Fantasticks. Its got meddlesome parents, singing, dancing, and Christmas lights! [Arena Stage]

Opening Tuesday, November 24: Family time is fun time! If you're braving a visit [...]

Peggy Noonan Takes Delightful Cab Ride Down Fifth Avenue!

Death, it has been omnipresent this annum. Most humans have expired. This datum is known by Mme. Peggington Noonington, a prosemonger famous to children, and regal oligarch wordsmith for the Wall Street Journal banking pamphlet. Peggington did not faceth the Grim Reaper this year. For someone who was born in 1820's London, in the actual [...]

The Sausage Is Piping Hot On Obama's Taint, Or Something

Look, it's Obama's approval ratings over time! Right right right, whatever, who cares, etc. We just wanted to share Marc Ambinder's full analysis of this: "This: well — it's been a month of sausage making, and as we learned in July, when the sausage is in the oven, Obama can't escape the taint of partisanship [...]

These People And Their Violence, Sheesh

The "Lafayette County Republican Central Committee" of Missouri — an evil power of greater strength than the Chamber of Commerce and AHIP and Jackie Seal combined, times Halloween — has posted this warning on the highway: when the Second Revolutionary War comes… get your ass to New Hampshire and hide, because war is really scary! [...]

Oh Come On Blanche Lincoln, You Are Not Winning Anything

A new poll from Zogby (grain of salt!) shows Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln slightly ahead of her possible 2010 opponents for the moment, but when people are asked how they would vote if Blanche Lincoln voted for health care reform, she is losing by double digits. Televised pundits and such will see this and [...]

Terrifying Homeless Camp Filled With Palin Drones

Laugh all you want, but once the remaining people skinny enough to get on an airplane finally escape the doomed land of America, these slobs will actually have the whole place to themselves. Sarah Palin will be their "Mrs. Everyday President" or something and she'll promise them dinner at Red Lobster once a year, but [...]

Asses: Another Installment In an Irregular Series

By the Comics CurmudgeonAs your Comics Curmudgeon demonstrated earlier this year, political cartoonists love butts. Just love 'em! The ass is the most polysemous of images, representing everything from sex appeal to debasement and humiliation to an actual butt. So we're presenting a panoply of ass shots this week, with a greater [...]

Engadget 

Archerfish Quattro video monitoring and recording system now available at Amazon

Cernium's just announced something that should really please the 'I know the cat is putting my stuff on Ebay while I'm at church' crowd. The Archerfish Quattro is a full scale, no messing aroung video monitoring and recording system that pays attention to the little details while you're not around. Analyzing info in real time, if the Archerfish Quattro spies something funky, it'll send a message to your mobile phone or email. The system is expandable so that you can have as many cameras in the setup as you want, and best of all? It's available at Amazon now, so you can order it without having to leave home -- which you don't want to do yet. It's just not safe. The Archerfish Quattro system can be purchased now for a starting price of $1700. Full PR is after the break.Continue reading Archerfish Quattro video monitoring and recording system now available at Amazon Filed under: Household Archerfish Quattro video monitoring and recording system now available at Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Amazon  | Email this | Comments

The Engadget Podcast, live at 6:15PM EST!

Hey, it's Friday, and the Engadget Podcast crew is ready to blow out the week in news live -- and not only is there tech news to talk about, but we've got a hot new site to call home. It's all going down at 6:15PM EST, but the chat below is open, so settle in and we'll see you soon.Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 6:15PM EST! The Engadget Podcast, live at 6:15PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Mangrove WinMo tablet rough-handled, teased for being 'tubby'

Not too long ago C-motech popped up on our radar with Mangrove, the 7-inch touchscreen tablet that's been tragically saddled with Windows Mobile 6.5. The kids at SlashGear have just had a chance to play with the device, and to be honest they don't seem too terribly impressed. When stacked up against the Quanta Android Smartbook, for instance, the form factor was deemed unimpressive and "tubby," while the 1GHz Snapdragon seemed lackluster compared to the similarly powered HTC HD2. And it doesn't seem that the 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen has won many fans. But who knows? Maybe at the right price, this guy will find its (albeit small) audience. Or they can slap Android on the thing, in which case we have the perfect name for it: Mandroid.Mangrove WinMo tablet rough-handled, teased for being 'tubby' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  SlashGear  | Email this | Comments

The Engadget Show tapes this Sunday with HTC's Drew Bamford and Chris Grant of Joystiq!

The Engadget Show is happening again, humans! This Sunday, November 22nd, we'll be bringing that live magic back to the stage as we sit down with Drew Bamford (you can read a bit about him here), director of HTC's Innovation Center (the place where things like the Sense UI are born). We'll also be joined by Joystiq's Editor-in-chief Chris Grant for a special roundtable discussion focused on gaming. As a bonus, we've got giveaways for everyone in the audience, plus one of the lucky attendees will walk away with that Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle we just got our hands on!

The show takes place at the Tishman Auditorium at Parsons The New School for Design. As you may already know, we film live in front of an audience once a month -- but if you can't make it, don't worry. We're bringing the video back home to Engadget (and as a free download here, in the iTunes Store, or the Zune Marketplace) for your viewing pleasure.

The beautiful venue (which you can see in a photo after the break) is located at 66 W. 12th Street between 5th and 6th Aves. Seating is limited and tickets will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis -- which means if you want to join us in the audience for the show, you'll have to arrive early and be prepared for a little wait.

Here are the facts you need to know about the show:

The show is graciously sponsored by Nokia, and hosted by Parsons The New School for Design

The total show length will be around an hour
The amazing Glomag will be performing live along with visualist Dan Winckler!

Here is what you need to know if you want to be part of the audience:

There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free
The event is all ages
The venue seats just over 450 people
Parsons students are welcomed, and we encourage them to come!
Tickets will be available for pickup at the Tishman Auditorium at 2PM on the 22nd, and we're strongly encouraging people to get their tickets and not stand in line -- if you have a ticket, you'll have a seat!
You'll need to hold onto your ticket stub to be eligible for the giveaways
You cannot pick up tickets for other people -- if you want your friend to get a ticket, bring your friend!
The show begins at 5PM, and doors will open at 4:30PM

If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget.com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget.com.Continue reading The Engadget Show tapes this Sunday with HTC's Drew Bamford and Chris Grant of Joystiq! The Engadget Show tapes this Sunday with HTC's Drew Bamford and Chris Grant of Joystiq! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Cellphones

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.

True smartphones like the Palm Pre, Motorola Droid, and iPhone are all chewing up a majority of wireless mindshare these days, which makes it particularly easy to forget that there's this huge, vibrant catalog of cool non-smartphone handsets sitting right below them in your favorite carrier's lineup. They can play music, games, sometimes last for days on a charge (try that with a G1 -- we dare you), and often take up just a fraction of the space in your pocket that a more powerful handset would. They're not for everyone, but odds are you know a couple folks who fit the featurephone mold, and... well, it is the season of giving, isn't it? Follow the break for a few of our recommendations.

Note: Looking to give a few smartphones away to friends and family? This particular guide's all about regular cellphones -- but don't worry, we'll be posting our smartphone guide in the not-too-distant future!Continue reading Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Cellphones Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Entelligence: Chrome OS, babies, and bathwater

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

In an age where products that have never been announced get coverage and even critiqued over rumored shipping delays, it's no surprise that Google received a lot of coverage this week with an update on its Chrome OS strategy. While not quite rumorware, it's a lot like the cloud it depends on: more vapor than substance.

I don't think Chrome would be a bad idea if it were something that was targeted to complement existing PC architectures. Why isn't it? If it's web-based, Chrome OS could and should co-exist with Mac OS, Linux and Windows. It's the idea that Google is promoting Chrome as a PC OS replacement for mobile devices and riding the netbook hype all at the same time that gets me, as does the fact that I need to get a new device to run Chrome OS. That's ridiculous, as are reference design requirements like SSDs instead of hard drives. Worse, trying to merge the PC and phone into some weird new intersection of devices is not what the market wants or has ever looked for. This type of specialized hardware sounds like it's going right into the 'tweener category and we know what happens to those devices. You just have to look how successful netbooks running Linux and Firefox have been to get a sense as to how well this concept is likely to go over with consumers.Continue reading Entelligence: Chrome OS, babies, and bathwater Entelligence: Chrome OS, babies, and bathwater originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive

We've ridden our fair share of electric bikes and motorcycles, but we've yet to get our hands on one that's been hand assembled in Berlin/Biesenthal. Grace boasts a water-tight / ultra-light CNC-Aluminum frame, a 1300-watt motor, lithium-ion batteries, a 40 30 MPH speed, a range of up to 31 miles, and a one-hour recharge time. Looks good enough for a Kraftwerk video, although you'd better steer clear of the Autobahn with this thing. The bike starts shipping in January for €5,877 ($8,760-ish).Video after the break.
Gallery: Grace street legal e-bicycle

[Thanks, Christopher]Continue reading Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink DVICE  |  Grace E-motorbikes  | Email this | Comments

How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine

Itching for some Chrome OS? Well, we all are, but you might be a bit disappointed at the fact that while Google has open-sourced its progress on the OS so far, the version that is currently available for download seems eons behind what Google showed off at its event yesterday. Still, if you just have to see it for yourself, the good news is that it's a total breeze to get a virtual machine running. We used a VMWare image that was packaged up by the kind folks at gdgt, and set it up with VMWare Fusion running on a recent model MacBook Pro. Your mileage may vary depending on your particular setup (there's also an image available for the free, cross-platform VirtualBox software), but the principles should remain the same. Check it out on video after the break.Continue reading How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Robots perform synchronized interpretive dance for the holidays, fill us with cheer

You know what we love? Dancing robots and Christmas tunes. So combining the two and throwing the video up on YouTube would be akin to heaven, right? Well, as you'll see in the amazing video after the break: it doesn't get much better than this. In fact, it might even be enough to clear the "bah humbug" out of us for good.Continue reading Robots perform synchronized interpretive dance for the holidays, fill us with cheer Robots perform synchronized interpretive dance for the holidays, fill us with cheer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Plastic Pals  |  YouTube  | Email this | Comments

Barnes & Noble's Nook now sold out for the holidays

Hoping to put your hands on a Nook this holiday season? Here's hoping you got in the door early, because bookseller Barnes & Noble claims that the Kindle-competitor has sold out for anyone hoping to gift the thing this year. According to the New York Times, B&N says pre-orders on the device have exceeded its expectations, and the well has now run dry on forthcoming stock. To make up for the loss, the seller is offering placeholder certificates for buyers, with a promise that the next round of devices will be shipping out around January 4th. Are suburban moms to blame? Only B&N knows for sure.Barnes & Noble's Nook now sold out for the holidays originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  New York Times  | Email this | Comments

Motley Fool 

5 Dynamic Dividend Stocks

Check out these solid stocks that pay you to hold them.

Bottling Up Beer Investors

Many of these companies make it impossible for shareholders to have a say.

This Baby Is a Nice Addition

A month into an acquisition, and Merck already sees a benefit.

5 Deathbed Stocks?

Are these companies dead -- or just dead-ish?

Fertilizer Firms One Step Closer to the Altar

Shareholders cast their ballots and turn the tide of this takeover battle.

5 Signs of a Strong Dividend Stock

Simplify your strategy.

This Week in Solar

The race to grid parity, one week at a time.

Will the Sun Set in Oracle's Backyard?

Larry Ellison is many things, but never a quitter. He will buy Sun in the end, but the question is why.

Who Killed Terrestrial Radio?

It's a classic whodunit.        

Buy This Stock Before Your Neighbor Does

Want great returns? Strike out on your own.

Salon 

Oprah, don't leave us!

The talk show goddess's exit sparks abandonment issues as women everywhere ask, "How will we go on?"

Glenn Beck's white nationalist fans

After an ADL report says Beck may foment violence, I visit racist Web sites to see if their denizens are listening

A wobbly Democrat's moment of truth

Pressured from both sides, will a poll-wary Sen. Blanche Lincoln help the GOP sink healthcare reform?

Tearful Oprah: It's over

Ending show after "prayer and careful thought"

"Project Runway" trips and falls

The winner of Season 6 is announced, and no one cares. Did Lifetime murder Bravo's favorite pet?

The Annie Oakley of American politics

She's scrappy, she's folksy, and she won't take any of your bullcrap. Like it or not, Sarah Palin is here to stay

Who's flying this thing?

It's time to put to rest the idea that planes fly themselves. And who wants a pilotless jetliner anyway?

How the GOP got its groove back

Republicans look ahead to 2010, without bothering to figure out whether they've solved their problems first

Clouds over "New Moon"

It might break box-office records, but this "Twilight" follow-up is a total bust

I'm bitter and resentful and have no trust

How can I overcome this debilitating distrust?

Scobleizer 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEW BLOG

Hello, we know you're still subscribed to this blog (9,000 of you are on Bloglines, for instance). So, please unsubscribe from this blog and come over and visit me in my new home at http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/
My new RSS feed is here: http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/feed/
I have permanently moved over there, so please do come and visit!

Come visit me on my new WordPress blog

I should have been clearer. My new blog is over on WordPress's new hosted service, which is still in beta. I've been posting frequently over there. http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/
I'm still playing around, though, and learning the new system. I'm also setting up a separate blog over on TypePad to learn that blog tool. And have yet another one over on DABU too.
Oh, and of course, there's our book blog (which is also on TypePad) and the Channel 9 video blog, done on modified version of Community Server. So, I'm getting around to a variety of blog tools and services. I find I don't like a lot about all the tools. It's interesting to me that no one has really come out with a big blog breakthrough lately.
I'm getting another demo of Flock tomorrow, too.
Oh, and ou might check in on Channel 9. I just uploaded three videos, including my first Xbox 360 one, an interview with a Vice President in charge of half of our developer division (we're shipping Visual Studio "within days" I hear).

Slate 

Slate V: Reviews of: Twilight, The Blind Side, and Planet 51

In this week's Summary Judgment, Mark Jordan Legan sums up what critics are saying about the big weekend movies: Reviews of: The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Blind Side, and Planet 51.

Stupid drug story of the week: NBC's Today show discovers huffing.

In the annals of stupid drug reporting, a special commendation must be reserved for NBC's Today show, which on Nov. 19 aired (video) one the stupidest drug stories in broadcast news. The program, which specializes in terrorizing mothers with sensationalist stories, discovered that today's kids are "huffing" inhalants from hair spray and air duster cans. [more ...]

Today - NBC - Television - Broadcasting - Arts

Slate writers and editors debate the ramifications of new cancer-screening guidelines.

This week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that most women begin regular mammograms starting at age 50 instead of 40. Days later, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revised its guidelines on cervical cancer screening: Now it suggests women receive their first Pap smears later than previously recommended and, depending on certain risk factors, get them less frequently. The move to reduce unnecessary screening has some critics of health care reform suggesting that America is moving headlong toward rationing care. In a Facebook note today, Sarah Palin wrote, "We need to carefully watch this debate as it coincides with Capitol Hill's debate and determine whether we are witnessing the early stages of that rationed care before the Senate bill is rushed through as well." After chief political correspondent John Dickerson sent Palin's note around, Slate staffers began debating what, exactly, rationing is; the value of screening; and the relationship between patients and the medical community. An edited transcript of the discussion is below. [more ...]

Cancer - United States - U.S. Preventive Services Task Force - Cervical cancer - American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

What it will cost you to deny health insurance to illegal immigrants.

In his Sept. 9 speech to Congress on health care, when President Obama said, "The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally," Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shot back: "You lie!" What Obama meant was that health care reform would not extend government subsidies to illegal aliens to purchase health insurance. What Wilson meant was that health care reform would nonetheless allow illegal immigrants who were uninsured to purchase unsubsidized health insurance through the exchanges that reform would create. Indeed, to whatever extent the government could track down uninsured illegal immigrants through the tax system, it would compel them to buy health insurance. This was unacceptable to Wilson and other conservatives?not because they felt illegal immigrants should be left in peace, but because they felt illegal immigrants should be excluded entirely from whatever superstructure would be created by health care reform. [more ...]

Joe Wilson - United States Congress - Health insurance - Barack Obama - Insurance

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleansreviewed.

This review only needs to consist of six words: Werner Herzog. Nicolas Cage. Bad Lieutenant. Not every one of those elements (with the possible exception of Herzog's name) is enough to sell a movie on its own, but the combination? Most definitely. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Edward R. Pressman Films) isn't really a remake of Bad Lieutenant, Abel Ferrara's 1992 exploration of a crooked cop's journey through the depths of spiritual debasement. It's more like a dream one might have after watching the original Bad Lieutenant, doing three lines of cocaine, staying up all night, and collapsing on some none-too-clean sheets in a seedy New Orleans motel. The main thing the two films share is a fascination with abjection?these aren't just bad lieutenants, they're baaaad lieutenants. It's a fascination so extreme and so systematic that it exists at the permeable border between high drama and low comedy. [more ...]

BadLieutenant - AbelFerrara - New Orleans - Nicolas Cage - Werner Herzog

Reviews of: Twilight: New Moon, The Blind Side, and Planet 51

A daily video from Slate V. [more ...]

New Moon - Solar System - Earth - Astronomy - Planets

The Slatest: Afternoon Edition

House finance vote a "major blow" to Washington power brokers; McCain faces tight race in Senate primary; U.S. feared vaccine additive would boost skepticism. [more ...]

Bidenisms: A collection of the vice president's gaffes and head-slappers.

The vice president did not produce any new Bidenisms this week, but we've dug one out of the archives in honor of his 67th birthday today. Please continue to send your nominations (with a link, please) to slatebidenisms@gmail.com. For more, and our stab at a definition, see "The Complete Bidenisms." [more ...]

United States - Gmail - History - Vice Presidents - Complete Bidenisms

The Blind Side reviewed.

Michael Lewis' book The Blind Side tells the true story of Michael Oher, a poor black kid who gets adopted by a rich white family and transforms himself into a football star. The movie version zooms in on Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), the woman who gave the hard-up prodigy the care and feeding that he needed to become a man and an NFL draft pick. This feels less like an artistic choice than an economic one. The Blind Side plays like filmmaking by focus group, a movie that aims to please and ends up condescending to its audience. [more ...]

Sandra Bullock - Michael Oher - Blind Side: Evolution Of A Game - Michael Lewis - Blind Side

What's the greenest way to get home for Thanksgiving?

A new report from AAA, the car association, predicts that 33.2 million Thanksgiving travelers will be driving at least 50 miles to their holiday destinations this year. Another 2.3 million are expected to fly somewhere for the weekend, and many more will be riding intercity buses and trains. Last year around this time, the Lantern looked at the carbon emissions associated with these various forms of travel. The column is reprinted below. [more ...]

Thanksgiving - Travel - holiday - American Automobile Association - AAA

SquidooCool Blog 

The $2000 Lens Challenge

Joe from CaptainSquid is back from many adventures, with a new challenge for himself and anyone who wants to follow along.
Joe will attempt to get a brand new lensmaster account from $0 to $2000-per-month, using only the tools available to all lensmasters.
So anyone will be able to emulate his success.
If you are able to join [...]

#1 Most Important Thing… About Guestbooks

If you've put Guestbook modules on your lenses, and you have 10+ published, you'll be very familiar with the kind of comments I'm talking about here.
If a guestbook comment doesn't say anything interesting, and add to the conversation, DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT DELETING IT.
Don't think just because someone left you a comment you have to [...]

Pinging Your Lenses

WHAT IS A PING?
Any time you update certain webpages or publish a new blog post or lens, you can send a Ping for it.
A Ping is a little signal your new updated page sends to various search engines and directories. A ping is the online equivalent of your new lens running up to Google's doorstep [...]

New Squidoo Job – More Money For Lensmasters $

According to Seth Godin's blog, Squidoo is hiring a sales pro.
Here is what the official lens says:
"Squidoo is one of the largest websites in the world, with millions of pages, half a million members, more traffic than cbs.com and more than 20,000,000 page views a month. We're hiring someone to run our ad and promotion [...]

Tags Are Back!

Good news ladies and gentlemen
Squidoo Tags are back in the game! They are now indexable by search engines once again!
I have been meaning to write this post for about two weeks, so here we go!
Very simple:
A while ago Squidoo HQ made some changes that made squidoo tags pretty useless. The tags pages were ranking very [...]

Free SEO Lens Content: Words From YouTube!

Tiffany Dow, Social Media Smarty and my business partner at BuildMyLens.com, has posted a great tip on her blog.
How to get free [and easy] content for your lens from YouTube:
"Many marketers are being taught that video is a required element of their online success (and I agree). So if you go to YouTube you'll [...]

The New Text Link Ads VS Your Own Intro Link Ads

Cashing In On The Lessons Learned

The Bad:
Have you seen the new Text Ads that appear automatically on all your lenses?
If you haven't go now and take a look at one of your lenses. There will be 3 links on your lenses in green, and hovering over them will pop up an ad box. Personally [...]

Automatic Twitter Posting: Automate Your Twitter Account

Squidoo and Twitter have quite a nice little relationship going.
You can feature your latest Tweets in your lens, you can build a Twttrlist list lens, or a Twttrstrm lens, and of course just promote your latest lenses on Twitter!
So I thought I would put together a nice and easy list of….
Some ways to automate your [...]

Could you run an Offline Squidoo Business?

Here's an interesting idea. Do a google search right now for driving lessons + your city 
For example, for me it's Driving Lessons Cardiff.
Stick yours into Google and see what comes up. Knowing what you know about how Squidoo lenses rank in google, do you think you could rank in the top 5?
Try something else. Maybe Personal [...]

The Best Squidoo Advice Ever

Want to be a successful lensmaster?
Be unique.
Want to earn money on Squidoo?
Be honest.
Want to rank well in Google?
Genuinely help your readers.
Want to be a Giant Squid?
Don't give up.
Want to be in the Top 100 Lists?
Learn from the best.
Want a lens that earns $hundreds per month?
Make a LOT of lenses.
Want your lenses [...]