http://www.sott.net Signs of the Times, featuring news and commentary on world events. Never wavering in our unending search for the light of truth in a pathocracy driven world! en-us Original content Copyright 2008 by Signs of the Times. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:38:35 -0400 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167517-Rodents-might-be-behind-mysterious-South-African-disease Johannesburg: The mysterious disease in South Africa that bleeds its victims to death, is suspected to be carried by rodents, as per the health department in the country. Already claiming three lives and subjecting many to the isolation wards, the disease causes the patient to bleed internally as well as externally, finally leading to his or her death. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167517-Rodents-might-be-behind-mysterious-South-African-disease Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:38:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167516-Pilot-and-photographer-die-when-Channel-13-s-copter-crashes-on-the-job Federal transportation officials are in Montgomery County today, searching for the cause of a helicopter crash that killed a pilot and photographer who were on assignment for Houston TV station KTRK (Channel 13). The National Transportation Safety Board has sent an investigator from Denver who will be assisted by Federal Aviation Administration officials, a spokesman for the safety board said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167516-Pilot-and-photographer-die-when-Channel-13-s-copter-crashes-on-the-job Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:31:18 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167515-Excess-Drinking-Shrinks-the-Brain The more alcohol you drink, the more your brain shrinks, a new study has found. "The take-home message is that, if you drink a lot, you're going to hurt your brain," said Rajesh Miranda, an associate professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. "This is something we knew, but this is a huge study that quantifies that." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167515-Excess-Drinking-Shrinks-the-Brain Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:15:33 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167514-Response-To-Immune-Protein-Determines-Pathology-Of-Multiple-Sclerosis New research may help reveal why different parts of the brain can come under attack in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). According to a new study in mice with an MS-like disease, the brain's response to a protein produced by invading T cells dictates whether it's the spinal cord or cerebellum that comes under fire. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167514-Response-To-Immune-Protein-Determines-Pathology-Of-Multiple-Sclerosis Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:05:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167513-Childhood-Schizophrenia-Linked-to-Slow-Brain-Growth-Study-Says Schizophrenic children have slower brain growth, a government study found. Kids with schizophrenia had growth of 1.3 percent a year in their brain's white matter compared with 2.6 percent growth in normal children, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. White matter is the tissue nerve cells use to send messages in the brain. Previous studies had shown that gray matter, which is the part of nerve cells responsible for processing signals, also grows more slowly in schizophrenic patients. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167513-Childhood-Schizophrenia-Linked-to-Slow-Brain-Growth-Study-Says Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:01:32 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167512-Male-pattern-baldness-pinpointed-on-DNA A McGill University researcher has found a mysterious stretch of DNA that can make men lose their hair. The discovery could lead to new ways to prevent male pattern baldness or a quick genetic test to determine if a man is likely to hang on to his hair. But it also may help researchers better understand the human genome. The section of chromosome 20 that Brent Richards and his colleagues have implicated in baldness isn't a gene. It is in a gene desert, one of the many long stretches of DNA that fill the gaps between the roughly 20,000 genes in the human genome. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167512-Male-pattern-baldness-pinpointed-on-DNA Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:42:16 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167511-On-Naomi-Wolf-s-Sounding-the-Alarm Naomi Wolf is one of the brave voices. She warns in this video that a coup has taken place and that we have a small window of time within which to reverse things. I agree with Ms. Wolf in most particulars but do see things in some respects quite differently. I will get to those differences at the end - I encourage you to read the links within this post as they elaborate much further on what's going on and why - but first, a short list of what I would describe as critical points along this sliding path to a police state. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167511-On-Naomi-Wolf-s-Sounding-the-Alarm Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:41:40 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167510-As-Europe-slumps-is-the-far-Right-rising- The death of Jörg Haider has cast a light on the resurgence of facsist politics in Austria and Italy The death of the Austrian far-right politician Jörg Haider has again focused world attention on his country's ambivalent attitude to its Nazi past. The son of an SS officer, Haider won notoriety by praising Hitler's welfare policies and describing concentration camps as work camps. None of this seemed to bother Austrian voters, who gave him and his fellow-travellers a third of the vote in the last elections. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167510-As-Europe-slumps-is-the-far-Right-rising- Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:31:42 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167347-Austrian-far-right-leader-Joerg-Haider-killed-in-car-crash Austrian politicians have paid guarded tribute to one of their most controversial peers after the death of the charismatic far right leader Joerg Haider in a car crash. Mr Haider, 58, who earned worldwide notoriety for making statements sympathetic to Hitler's Nazi regime, suffered fatal head and chest injuries when his car skidded off the road at high-speed near his home town of Klagenfurt. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167347-Austrian-far-right-leader-Joerg-Haider-killed-in-car-crash Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:16:45 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167509-Mossad-spied-on-far-right-Austrian The Israeli secret service spied on Jörg Haider, the right-wing Austrian populist, using one of his closest aides to gather information on his contacts with Arab dictators. Peter Sichrovsky said that he had been a Mossad informant for five years until retiring from politics in 2002. "I wanted to help Israel and certainly did not do anything wrong," said Herr Sichrovsky who was secretary-general of Herr Haider's Freedom party and a member of the European Parliament. The Austrian state prosecutor said yesterday that he would open an investigation to determine whether Herr Sichrovsky should be prosecuted. Spying for a foreign power carries a jail sentence of up to three years in Austria. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167509-Mossad-spied-on-far-right-Austrian Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:14:29 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167508-What-makes-an-Arab-an-Arab- What defines someone's identity? Cultural, geographic, historical, linguistic, religious and political factors all contribute to self-definition - but working out what it means to be an Arab on a genetic level is the goal of a far-reaching project that has the potential to influence the health of millions of people. One hundred people who describe themselves as Arabs - half of them originating on the Arabian peninsula and the rest from the wider Arabic nations including Egypt, Syria and the Maghreb - will have their entire genetic makeup sequenced by the Arab Genome Project. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167508-What-makes-an-Arab-an-Arab- Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:08:32 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167507-Shock-and-Awe-in-Economic-Warfare-Full-Spectrum-Global-Financial-Domination In the Economic War currently being waged, the first phase of the telling of such tale of attack, illustrated vividly by image, and with the objective of further building war chest, is over. We have seen the collapse of Lehman Brothers as sacrificial wolf, heard further sabres being rattled in form of AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and bailout, or rescue gone through on the basis of fear and plunging markets. The public coffers have been prised opened further as to plan. Now the second phase of Economic Blitzkrieg is to begin, and the bad news is that as in total war, the citizen is no more than mere fodder to bomb. The firebombing of Dresden still stands as the worst atrocity of such total war. In Economic War, collateral damage; whether through default on mortgage, wipe out of pension or life savings, loss of livelihood, homelessness - all just battlefield casualty. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167507-Shock-and-Awe-in-Economic-Warfare-Full-Spectrum-Global-Financial-Domination Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:55:43 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167506-Unraveling-The-Complexity-Of-Human-Disease Impressive advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of disease were outlined at the 3rd ESF Functional Genomics Conference in Innsbruck, Austria. The mysteries of the human genome are slowly being revealed -- but the more we uncover the more complicated the picture becomes. This was one key message to emerge from the European Science Foundation (ESF)'s 3rd Functional Genomics Conference held in Innsbruck, Austria, on 1-4 October. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167506-Unraveling-The-Complexity-Of-Human-Disease Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:54:27 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167505-23-killed-in-bus-crash-in-northeastern-India Gauhati - Police say an overcrowded, speeding bus has crashed into a stationary truck in northeastern India, killing 23 people and wounding 44 others. The bus was carrying labourers to work before dawn Tuesday in the Dhubri district of India's Assam state, some 300 kilometres west of the state capital, Gauhati. Dhubri police chief Parthasarathi Mahanta says the bus was carrying 67 passengers when it hit the truck, which was hauling potatoes. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167505-23-killed-in-bus-crash-in-northeastern-India Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:06:01 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167504-New-comet-discovered-where-comets-aren-t-usually-found Calgary - Astronomer Rob Cardinal didn't expect the time he spent installing new software at the University of Calgary's Baker-Nunn telescope earlier this month to change his life. But days later, his computer was telling him there had been some unusual movement through the telescope - motion that Mr. Cardinal hadn't detected while gazing through it. But after some sleepless nights peering through cloud cover and finally spying what he'd missed, Mr. Cardinal is now the confirmed finder of C2008 T2, a never-before-identified comet travelling through the solar system. Or, as it will also be known, Comet Cardinal. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167504-New-comet-discovered-where-comets-aren-t-usually-found Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:48:14 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167503-Reykjavik-stocks-plunge-76pc-on-re-opening Iceland's stock exchange has plummeted by an astonishing 76 per cent during the first session of trading after a three-day suspension. Market officials insist the figure has been heavily distorted by the absence of trading in finance companies. The government has had to nationalise Iceland's three main banks, as the country teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167503-Reykjavik-stocks-plunge-76pc-on-re-opening Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:02:18 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167502-Global-crisis-triggers-reshuffle-of-Russia-s-rich Moscow - Russia's business elite is ripe for a dramatic reshuffle as the country's worst stock market crash in a decade wipes tens of billions off their fortunes in a matter of weeks. Many of the oligarchs - the term for the businessmen who amassed vast fortunes through the flawed privatizations of the 1990s and a natural resources boom under Vladimir Putin's eight-year presidency - have lost paper fortunes through plunging stock prices. But some of them are in a much more precarious position: the ones who borrowed heavily against their shares and who in some cases are being squeezed to sell assets or cancel business deals. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167502-Global-crisis-triggers-reshuffle-of-Russia-s-rich Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:50:54 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167501-Pepsi-to-cut-3-300-jobs-as-profit-falls-10-pct New York - PepsiCo announced plans on Tuesday to cut 3,300 jobs and close six plants as it deals with lagging U.S. drinks sales and a surging dollar, which will hurt profits from its rapidly growing international business. The announcement came as the global snacks and drinks maker reported a 9.5 percent drop in third-quarter profit and offered a downbeat profit outlook. The job cuts amount to roughly 1.8 percent of PepsiCo's global work force of about 185,000 employees. The cuts will affect managerial and factory jobs both in and outside the U.S. Most will be eliminated in the coming months, Chief Financial Officer Richard Goodman said. The nation's second-largest drink maker said it expects to generate a pretax savings of more than $1.2 billion over the next three years, with $350 million to $400 million to be saved in 2009. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167501-Pepsi-to-cut-3-300-jobs-as-profit-falls-10-pct Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:46:49 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167500-When-I-Click-My-Fingers-Australian-Network-Ten-Just-Keeps-Doing-It Channel Ten has been rapped over the knuckles by the regulator ACMA for televising subliminal advertising messages during its telecast of last year's ARIA Awards. So that's that. No more subliminal ads right? Well yes and no... Media Watch broadcast here http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167500-When-I-Click-My-Fingers-Australian-Network-Ten-Just-Keeps-Doing-It Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:03:09 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167499-Wonderland-Economics-Bailouts-balloon-markets-crash-the-dollar-strengthens-and-gold-does-nothing Summary: In a week defined by unprecedented government bailouts and collapsing stock markets all financial logic flew out of the window as the US dollar strengthened and gold hardly budged leading many to speculate as to the extent of the rigging of the global gold market in the face of its purported safe haven status. The announcement, Monday 13th October, that the British government is to take substantial stakes in 2 major UK banks, HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland and the proposal in the US that the Fed is to take similar stakes in US banks while providing guarantees of bank's senior debt, caused the markets to rally. This despite the fact that it should be clear to anybody that the US is going way beyond bailing banks out and is in fact transferring the future wealth, in the form of future labour and taxation, of ordinary American's into the hands of a tiny financial elite. Additionally, following the G7 meeting at the weekend it was announced that central banks around the world would provide unlimited US dollar funding to the markets in order to ensure sufficient liquidity is available at all times. Amid this turmoil the auction of Lehman Brothers bonds at just 8.825 cents on the dollar, resulting in Credit Default Swap payout this coming week of 91.375 cents on the dollar by all sellers of Lehman CDS's, a devastating payout for the sellers, passed almost silently. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167499-Wonderland-Economics-Bailouts-balloon-markets-crash-the-dollar-strengthens-and-gold-does-nothing Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:48:22 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167498-British-troops-not-needed-in-Iraq-says-Nouri-al-Maliki British troops are no longer needed to fight in Iraq and should return to the UK immediately, the country's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167498-British-troops-not-needed-in-Iraq-says-Nouri-al-Maliki Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:29:32 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167497-U-S-Imperial-Forces-Pay-Homage-to-George-Orwell-As-It-Were Suppose you are the publicity officer for a U.S. imperial legion in some God-forsaken hellhole, where your job is to tell the world what the forces have been doing there lately. What they've actually been doing, of course, is killing people, with little regard for who they are, and destroying a lot of property, with equal disregard for who owns it. Just "doing our job," as the soldiers say. As a rule, you describe the persons your forces have slaughtered as "militants," "terrorists," or "insurgents," or you give them some other designation that renders them guilty by definition. No need to get into boring details, such as a man's name, age, occupation, and how many surviving members of his family remain to mourn his death and suffer for want of his support. A militant is a militant is a militant; la la la. If these guys didn't want to get killed, well, they just shouldn't have been born in Afghanistan or Iraq or (fill in the blank). http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167497-U-S-Imperial-Forces-Pay-Homage-to-George-Orwell-As-It-Were Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:24:33 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167496-Palin-ordered-to-save-e-mails Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin must save any e-mails she sent from private accounts regarding state business, an Anchorage judge ordered Friday. The e-mails must be preserved until a lawsuit requesting that the e-mails be made public is resolved, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Craig Stowers said. The judge also said e-mails from private accounts belonging to Palin's staff must be preserved. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167496-Palin-ordered-to-save-e-mails Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:17:17 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167495-Damage-Control-Johnston-speaks-on-Bristol-Palin-Obama-and-baby Wasilla, Alaska - Wasilla teenager Levi Johnston says he's looking forward to marrying the daughter of Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. The 18-year-old Johnston says he's been hearing all kinds of things about his life since it was announced that he's the father of the baby being carried by Palin's daughter, Bristol. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167495-Damage-Control-Johnston-speaks-on-Bristol-Palin-Obama-and-baby Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:09:09 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167494-Tina-Fey-leaving-Earth-if-Palin-wins Actress has had fun with impersonation on 'SNL,' but can't do four years Tina Fey is generating big laughs and big audiences for "Saturday Night Live" with her impersonation of Gov. Sarah Palin, but the actress hopes it doesn't last. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167494-Tina-Fey-leaving-Earth-if-Palin-wins Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:03:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167493-Resignation-letter-from-the-McCain-Palin-Campaign YES WE CAN'T! WE ARE PUTTING OUR COUNTRY FIRST AND SUSPENDING OUR CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD! My Friends, Over the past few days I have come to realize that my campaign for President has devolved into a national disgrace. The negative campaign tactics I have unleashed are dangerously dividing our country while fueling religious and racial hatred along socio-economic lines. In my ruthless attempt to win the Presidency at any cost I have abandoned any principles of decency I once had and am now only a shadow of my former self to everyone who knows me or thought they knew me, or once respected me. Also I have come to realize that my unfair and disgustingly false attacks on Senator Obama's character, which were thinly disguised attempts to link him and his wife Michelle to Muslim terrorists, have been the last thing anyone who claims to be putting "Country First" would do. And worse, I may have even placed him and his family in danger from the radical and dangerous extremists who now inhabit and infect the base of my party - a group I once denounced but decided I needed to vigorously cultivate by turning myself into a "flip-flopper" in order to win this election. I encourage my fellow Senators to file ethics charges against me for having done something so disgraceful like this. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167493-Resignation-letter-from-the-McCain-Palin-Campaign Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:54:28 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167492-Baghdad-not-as-secure-as-government-claims-residents-say The security situation in Baghdad has aggravated recently amid a rise in car bombings and attacks directed mainly at government troops. Residents say conditions are worsening in the Iraqi capital once again despite the heavy presence of Iraqi security forces and a surge in number of checkpoints. The troops have complicated life in the city as they regularly cordon off streets and areas, set up temporary checkpoints and shut streets and bridges to traffic. Some residents spend most of the day in their cars before reaching their offices or shops. "There is a direct link between traffic jams and security. Congested streets in Baghdad are an indication of an upsurge in insecurity," said a resident refusing to be named. Snipers have returned to the city but now they aim their bullets solely at Iraqi troops. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167492-Baghdad-not-as-secure-as-government-claims-residents-say Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:12:23 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167491-How-the-U-S-Military-Turned-Me-into-a-Terrorist-Story-of-An-Iraq-Veteran In March of this year, a courageous group of veterans brought the war home, at a historic event held in Silver Spring, Md., inspired by Vietnam veterans a generation before. "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan" convened more than 200 soldiers who have served in the so-called "War on Terror;" like their fellow soldiers before them, who shared stories that laid bare the nightmare of Vietnam, these veterans bore witness to the crimes that have been committed in Americans' names during the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. The hearings lasted four days; in their testimony, soldiers described how the discarding of the military's rules of engagement and its systematic dehumanization of Iraqi and Afghan civilians has led to horrible acts of violence against innocent men, women and children. "These are not isolated incidents," was a common refrain, even as the episodes they described seemed exceptionally brutal. For many of the veterans, it was the first time they had told their stories. Now, the searing testimony has been compiled in an important new book: Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupation, edited by Aaron Glantz and published by Haymarket Books. I strongly encourage you to buy the book, preferably though the Web site of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which organized the Winter Soldier hearings and continues to hold similar events in cities across the country. All proceeds of books purchased through IVAW will go to support its crucial work. The following excerpt comes from Michael Prysner, a corporal in the Army Reserve who came home in February 2004. -- Liliana Segura, Editor, War on Iraq Special Coverage http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167491-How-the-U-S-Military-Turned-Me-into-a-Terrorist-Story-of-An-Iraq-Veteran Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:03:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167490-Hollowed-out-pumpkin-boat-race-takes-place-in-Vermont It's harvest time and pumpkins are plentiful. But these days gourds are being used for much more than just pies and jack-o-lanterns. Some kayakers on Vermont's Lake Champlain yesterday took the hollow in Halloween quite literally. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167490-Hollowed-out-pumpkin-boat-race-takes-place-in-Vermont Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:30:50 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167489-Amnesty-International-condemns-Saudi-executions Executions in Saudi Arabia are being carried at an average rate of more than two a week, according to a new report by Amnesty International. The human rights group says the rate of executions in the Kingdom has increased markedly in recent years. In their report, they say foreign nationals bear the brunt of executions. Saudi Arabia is also one of the few remaining countries to execute people for crimes they committed while under the age of 18. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167489-Amnesty-International-condemns-Saudi-executions Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:57:52 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167488-Parkinson-s-linked-to-lack-of-vitamin-D Scientists are testing whether vitamin D supplements can ease symptoms of Parkinson's disease. A US team found 55% of Parkinson's patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D, compared to 36% of healthy elderly people. However, the Emory University researchers do not yet know if the vitamin deficiency is a cause or the result of having Parkinson's. The study appears in the journal Archives of Neurology. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167488-Parkinson-s-linked-to-lack-of-vitamin-D Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:42:18 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167487-UK-UFO-sighting-over-Bagillt A UFO sighting has been reported to the Evening Leader in the village of Bagillt. Following a series of UFO sightings across North East Wales, the village of Bagillt, in Flintshire, was this time the scene of unexplained occurrences. A Bagillt resident told the Evening Leader that they saw a strange object "hanging in the sky" between 11pm and 1am on Thursday. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167487-UK-UFO-sighting-over-Bagillt Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:19:12 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167486-Memo-to-GOP-Minority-Homeowners-Did-Not-Cause-Wall-St-Meltdown From 2000 to 2003 I was the communications coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. I don't know whether to be sorry or relieved that I don't have my old job now. ACORN has been through some scandals of its own making, but it is currently all over the news because of a pair of absolutely fraudulent and nationally coordinated attacks. One of these attacks involves accusations of voter fraud. But, of course, "voter fraud" almost doesn't exist, and federal prosecutors have lost their jobs because they couldn't find evidence of its existence to satisfy the Bush White House. In fact, the accusations against ACORN are not about voting, but about voter registration. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167486-Memo-to-GOP-Minority-Homeowners-Did-Not-Cause-Wall-St-Meltdown Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:38:48 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167485-On-the-economic-crisis-Europe-to-US-I-told-you-so- The economic image of the United States as a high-rolling tycoon at a Vegas casino, willing to gamble and reap rewards, has always stood in stark contrast to that of the European bean counter. Now here in Europe, long a bastion of distrust toward unfettered capitalism, there's a question running underneath the financial crisis: Is the era of "anything goes" free markets over? French President Nicolas Sarkozy is refuting the infallibility of free markets. Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti is touting his best-selling book, a treatise against globalization. His German counterpart, Peer Steinbrück, points a sharp finger of blame at the United States, telling parliament recently that it is "the source" and "the focus" of the crisis. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167485-On-the-economic-crisis-Europe-to-US-I-told-you-so- Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:16:58 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167484-2nd-out-of-state-teen-dropped-at-Omaha-Nebraska-hospital A Michigan mother drove roughly 12 hours to Omaha, so she could abandon her 13-year-old son at a hospital under the state's unique safe-haven law, Nebraska officials said Monday. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167484-2nd-out-of-state-teen-dropped-at-Omaha-Nebraska-hospital Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:44:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167483-Magnitude-3-9-Earthquake-Texas-Panhandle Earthquake Details Magnitude 3.8 Date-Time * Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 03:07:27 UTC * Monday, October 13, 2008 at 10:07:27 PM at epicenter * Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 35.760°N, 100.704°W Depth 5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program Region TEXAS PANHANDLE REGION Distances * 9 km (6 miles) NW (322°) from Miami, TX * 33 km (21 miles) WSW (240°) from Canadian, TX * 34 km (21 miles) NE (44°) from Pampa, TX * 121 km (75 miles) ENE (59°) from Amarillo, TX * 488 km (303 miles) NW (314°) from Dallas, TX http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167483-Magnitude-3-9-Earthquake-Texas-Panhandle Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:32:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167481-Magnitude-4-9-Earthquake-Greece Earthquake Details Magnitude 4.9 Date-Time * Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 02:06:38 UTC * Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 05:06:38 AM at epicenter * Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 38.755°N, 23.569°E Depth 25.8 km (16.0 miles) (poorly constrained) Region GREECE Distances 85 km (55 miles) N of ATHENS, Greece 140 km (85 miles) SE of Larisa, Greece 170 km (105 miles) ENE of Patras, Greece 215 km (135 miles) SSE of Thessaloniki, Greece Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 9.4 km (5.8 miles); depth +/- 28.3 km (17.6 miles) Parameters NST= 40, Nph= 40, Dmin=428.1 km, Rmss=1.18 sec, Gp= 61°, M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=7 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167481-Magnitude-4-9-Earthquake-Greece Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:21:10 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167480-Man-wins-contest-with-1-528-pound-pumpkin HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - Thad Starr's giant pumpkin really began putting on weight in August. A lot of weight. The pumpkin gained about thirty pounds a day on its way to victory Monday at the 35th annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off in Half Moon Bay. Starr's pumpkin finished at 1,528 pounds, beating the contest record he set last year by four pounds. "We really pamper them," Starr, 41, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., said about the pumpkins he raises, adding that the secret to growing big pumpkins is good soil. Tim Beeman, a spokesman for the contest, said Starr's pumpkin was four feet, four inches tall with a circumference of about 15 feet. Starr beat out dozens of other growers from Washington, Oregon and California. Beeman said seven pumpkins came in at more than 1,000 pounds. Forklifts were used to place the giant gourds on a 5-ton, industrial-strength scale. Starr said he bought a trailer to transport his giant gourd. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167480-Man-wins-contest-with-1-528-pound-pumpkin Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:19:25 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167479-Polar-bear-slips-into-moat-playing-with-toy-at-zoo Milwaukee, WI - A playful polar bear pawing at a toy lost his balance and slipped into a moat at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Zoo spokeswoman Laura Pedriani says a net caught Zero when he fell Monday so he wasn't hurt. Zoo workers cut the netting and the 19-year-old polar bear was walking around later in the day. Pedriani says Zero might decide to climb out of the moat when he's hungry enough. The polar bear is now closer to visitors but his only exit from the moat goes into his regular enclosure. A fence still separates visitors from the bear and the moat. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167479-Polar-bear-slips-into-moat-playing-with-toy-at-zoo Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:16:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167478-Palin-s-rural-adviser-quits Juneau, AK - Gov. Sarah Palin's rural adviser resigned Monday amid criticism of the governor's record on hiring Alaska Natives. Rhonda McBride, who is not an Alaska Native, made the announcement in an e-mail to several Native leaders, saying there needs to be more Native voices in Palin's administration. "I definitely think it would help to have an Alaska Native in this position," McBride told The Associated Press. Many Alaska Natives have said they felt neglected when Palin, now the Republican vice presidential nominee, made appointments to her administration, including the rural adviser post. State Sen. Al Kookesh, a Democrat, said Palin left the position unfilled her first year in office and ignored Native leaders' suggestions on the selection process. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167478-Palin-s-rural-adviser-quits Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:11:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167477-US-Update-Wildfires-force-frantic-evacuations-near-Los-Angeles-2-die Los Angeles - Two huge wildfires driven by strong Santa Ana winds burned into neighborhoods near Los Angeles on Monday, forcing frantic evacuations on smoke- and traffic-choked highways, destroying homes and causing at least two deaths. Around sunset, residents were warned to stay on alert during the night and winds more than 60 mph were forecast. More than 1,000 firefighters and nine water-dropping aircraft battled the 4,700-acre Marek Fire at the northeast end of the San Fernando Valley, and the 5,000-acre Sesnon Fire at the west end. Winds blew up to 45 mph with gusts reaching 70 mph at midday. They were forecast to diminish in the evening before roaring over 60 mph after 11 p.m. "This fire has the real potential of moving from where it is now ... as far as Pacific Coast (Highway)," said Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167477-US-Update-Wildfires-force-frantic-evacuations-near-Los-Angeles-2-die Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:53:59 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167476-High-Powered-New-Explosive-Developed Since the discovery of nitroglycerin in 1846, the nitrate ester group of compounds has been known for its explosive properties. A whole series of other nitrate esters have been subsequently put to use as explosives and fuels. A research team led by David E. Chavez at Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA) has now developed a novel tetranitrate ester. The compound has a particularly interesting characteristic profile: it is solid at room temperature, is a highly powerful explosive, and can be melt-cast into the desired shape. Nitrate esters are organic nitric acid compounds that can contain enormous explosive force. However, their liquid physical state makes handling very difficult. By mixing in various other components, Alfred Nobel developed dynamite, a distinctly safer and easier to handle nitroglycerine-based explosive. The only solid nitrate ester used as an explosive before is nitropenta. Because of its high melting point of about 140 °C, nitropenta must be pressed into the desired form. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167476-High-Powered-New-Explosive-Developed Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:46:28 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167475-Archaeological-Dig-Uncovers-Roman-Mystery University of British Columbia archaeologists have dug up a mystery worthy of Indiana Jones, one that includes a tomb, skeletons and burial rites with both Christian and pagan elements. This summer, Prof. Roger Wilson led excavations at Kaukana, an ancient Roman village located near Punta Secca, a small town in the south-eastern province of Ragusa in Sicily. Combing through the sand-buried site, the 15-member team made a series of startling discoveries. Central to the mystery was finding a tomb inside a room in a house dating from the sixth century AD. Wilson explains that tombs during this period are normally found only in cemeteries outside the built-up area of a town, or around the apse of a church. And since the building was substantial with mortared walls and internal plaster, this would have been likely a tomb for the wealthy. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167475-Archaeological-Dig-Uncovers-Roman-Mystery Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:41:23 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167474-Homeland-Security-elevates-charge-against-man-accused-of-BLP-trespassing Grand Haven, MI - A Muskegon man will face felony charges for trespassing after a September incident at the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power's Sims Plant. According to the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, the 26-year-old man was apprehended on Sept. 12. Trespassing violations are normally considered misdemeanors, GHDPS Lt. Renee Freeman said, but protocols put in place after Sept. 11, 2001, list the power plant as a "key facility." The Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force were contacted, Freeman said, and advisers from those agencies were instrumental in the decision to pursue felony charges. A warrant was authorized on Oct. 8 and the man was taken into custody. Trespassing on a key facility is a four-year felony. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167474-Homeland-Security-elevates-charge-against-man-accused-of-BLP-trespassing Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:21:49 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167473-An-Inside-Look-at-Comet-Holmes The astronomy world buzzed in the Fall of 2007 when Comet Holmes - a normally humdrum, run-of-the-mill comet - unexpectedly flared and erupted. Its coma of gas and dust expanded away from the comet, extending to a volume larger than the Sun. Professional and amateur astronomers around the world turned their telescopes toward the spectacular event. Everyone wanted to know why the comet had suddenly exploded. The Hubble Space Telescope observed the comet, but provided few clues. And now, observations taken of the comet after the explosion by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope deepen the mystery, showing oddly behaving streamers in the shell of dust surrounding the nucleus of the comet. The data also offer a rare look at the material liberated from within the nucleus. "The data we got from Spitzer do not look like anything we typically see when looking at comets," said Bill Reach of NASA's Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167473-An-Inside-Look-at-Comet-Holmes Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:03:58 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167472-Identifying-Terrorist-Threats-from-a-Distance-Via-Visual-Analysis A hand moves forward, but is it a friendly gesture or one meant to do harm? In an instant, we respond -- either extending our arm forward to shake hands or raising it higher to protect our face. But what are the subtle cues that allow us to interpret such movement so we can properly respond to others? In research projects designed to assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and to provide deeper insight into how autistic individuals perceive others, Maggie Shiffrar, professor of psychology at Rutgers University in Newark, is examining how our visual system helps us to interpret the intent conveyed in subtle body movements. While most autism research has focused on the difficulties in face perception, Shiffrar is one of the first researchers to examine autism as it relates to connections between visual analysis, body movement and our ability to interact with others. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167472-Identifying-Terrorist-Threats-from-a-Distance-Via-Visual-Analysis Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:55:59 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167470-US-Odor-headaches-causes-evacuation-of-Lane-Bryant-in-Rib-Mountain Wisconsin - Rib Mountain fire and ambulance crews have responded to a report of a strong odor at Lane Bryant that is causing people to have headaches, according to emergency dispatch reports. Advertisement The store is located at 4150 Rib Mountain Drive. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167470-US-Odor-headaches-causes-evacuation-of-Lane-Bryant-in-Rib-Mountain Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:49:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167469-US-Officials-still-investigating-gas-odor-in-downtown-Bethel-Connecticut Bethel Volunteer Fire Department Chief Fred Ingram said the odor was first discovered around 9:30 a.m. in the Wine Lovers Shop at P.T. Barnum Square. Ingram said the odor is coming from the brook that runs under the square, as well as under School Street. At a culvert near the Post Office, where the brook emerges, Ingram said, the odor was like gas and chlorine. "We are thinking the odor of chlorine is coming from within the public water supply," Ingram said, because the water supply is treated with chlorine. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167469-US-Officials-still-investigating-gas-odor-in-downtown-Bethel-Connecticut Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:48:52 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167468-Chandrayaan-to-orbit-moon-for-two-years India's maiden lunar mission, the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft that launches on October 22, will orbit about 100 km from the lunar surface for two years, performing remote sensing of the dark side or hidden portion of the moon to unravel its mysteries, scientists working on the project said. About 500 space scientists are working round-the-clock to launch India's maiden lunar mission next week. The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft will be launched on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C11 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota, about 90 km from Chennai and off the Bay of Bengal. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167468-Chandrayaan-to-orbit-moon-for-two-years Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:48:26 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167467-Canada-New-robotic-repair-system-will-fix-ailing-satellites Queen's discovery allows servicing of distant satellites beyond the reach of manned space flight Kingston, Ontario - Researchers at Queen's University are developing a new robotic system to service more than 8,000 satellites now orbiting the Earth, beyond the flight range of ground-based repair operations. Currently, when the high-flying celestial objects malfunction - or simply run out of fuel - they become "space junk" cluttering the cosmos, according to Eurekalert, the news service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "These are mechanical systems, which means that eventually they will fail," notes Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Michael Greenspan, who leads the Queen's project. But because they are many thousands of kilometres away, the satellites are beyond the reach of an expensive, manned spaced flight, while Earth-based telerobotic repair isn't possible in real time. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/167467-Canada-New-robotic-repair-system-will-fix-ailing-satellites Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:47:59 +0000