THE READER’S DIGEST

20 Ways to Combat Allergies. Stop being sneezy with these simple strategies

Annoying Allergies

If the drip, sniff, sneeze, and itch of allergies have you thinking of buying stock in the company that makes Kleenex, dry your eyes and prepare to take action.

You're going to wage battle inside your house and even inside your body to reduce the number of allergy attacks you suffer and minimize those so-annoying symptoms. Allergies may not be life-threatening, but they're nothing to sneeze at either. Here are 20 of the best ways to protect yourself.

1. Choose chicken instead of beef. A two-year study of 334 adults with hay fever and 1,336 without found those who had the most trans oleic acid in their diets, a form of monounsaturated fat found primarily in meat and dairy products, were nearly three times as likely to have hay fever as those who ate the least. Don't worry, olive oil is okay; although it's got a lot of oleic acid, it's not the "trans" form.

2. Pop a fish-oil supplement every morning after you brush your teeth. A study of people with allergic asthma (asthma caused by allergies) found those who took daily fish-oil supplements for a month had lower levels of leukotrienes, chemicals that contribute to the allergic reaction.

3. Turn on the AC. Air conditioners remove mold-friendly moisture and filter allergens entering the house. Just make sure to clean or change the filters often or you'll just make things worse.

4. Eat one kiwifruit every morning. They're rich in vitamin C, which acts as a natural antihistamine. Some studies link low levels of C with allergies. When your allergies are flaring up, consider taking a vitamin C supplement.

5. Steam vacuum your furniture and carpets and include a solution of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT), a boron-based product, in the water. A 2004 study published in the journal Allergy found DOT cut dust mite populations and their associated allergen levels to undetectable levels for up to six months.

6. Take 250 milligrams of quercetin three times a day. This natural supplement is a potent anti-inflammatory flavonoid, and it is widely used in natural medicine practices to fight allergies.

7. Clean out your gutters and make sure they're not clogged. Clogged gutters can result in water seeping into the house, leading to mold growth, which can exacerbate allergies. Next time it rains, check your gutters. If you see water leaking out of end caps, flowing on the outside, or dripping behind them, it's time to get out the ladder.

8. Always run the exhaust fan and/or leave the window and door open when taking a shower or bath. Another option is to run a small portable fan (away from water sources) during and after showers. Again, you're trying to keep surfaces dry and prevent the growth of mold. Also, check to see that the vent on the outside of your house where the exhaust exits isn't blocked by leaves.

9. Wash the shower curtain in hot water and bleach every month. Or use a shower liner that you can replace every couple of months for just a few bucks.

10. Keep your thermostat set above 65°F in the winter. If you set it too low, you're encouraging the growth of mold in damp air. The heat dries out the air, preventing mold growth. Of course, too-dry air can also irritate your lungs and sinuses. The perfect humidity in a home is around 50 percent.

Locate and Destroy

11. Wash all your bedding in very hot water every week. It's the best way to kill those pesky microscopic dust mites that love your bed even more than you do.

12. Follow your dryer vent and make sure it's vented to the outside. For every load of laundry you dry, 20 pounds of moisture has to go somewhere! If your dryer is vented to the garage or basement, you're just asking for mold buildup.

13. Clean the tray under the fridge with a bleach solution and sprinkle with salt. The tray is a veritable mold magnet. Adding salt reduces the growth of mold and bacteria. Also, clean under the refrigerator occasionally; food can become trapped there, become moldy, and the mold spores are blown into the kitchen every time the compressor kicks in.

14. Water your plants sparingly and put pebbles on top of the dirt to discourage mold spores from getting into the air. Overwatering houseplants can contribute to the growth of mold. Also, water might leak through the plant onto the carpet.

15. Spend this weekend decluttering. Throw out or give away coats and other clothing you haven't used in the past year. Put sports equipment in the garage or basement where it belongs. Slip shoes into hanging shoe bags. When you finish, you should be able to see all your closets' floors and back walls. Now give everything a good vacuum and you'll have significantly reduced the amount of dust in your house.

16. Keep your bedroom door shut so your dog and/or cat can't get in. Let him bark or meow. You spend more time in your bedroom than any other room of the house, and this keeps down cat and dog dander, to which many people are allergic.

17. Choose a doormat made of synthetic material. Doormats made of natural material (wicker, etc.) can break down and become excellent feeding grounds for mites, mold, and fungus, and then get tracked into the house. Wash all mats weekly.

18. Clean all dead insects from your porch lights. As they decompose, they can become an allergen source.

19. Put a shelf by the front door for shoes and encourage your family and guests to remove their shoes before entering to reduce the amount of dust, mold, and other allergens tracked in. Keep some soft slippers in a basket by the front door for people who don't want to walk around in their stocking feet.

20. Read labels and avoid foods that contain the additive monosodium benzoate. An Italian study found that monosodium benzoate triggered allergy-like symptoms, including runny, stuffy nose, sneezing, and nasal itching, in adults without allergies. The preservative is often found in juices, pie fillings, pickles, olives, and salad dressings.

Last Updated: 2005-08-16

THE READER’S DIGEST

Achieve a Deep, Uninterrupted Sleep. 24 ways to get the rest you need.

Nighttime Habits

Blessed sleep -- the holy grail of health. Lack of sleep can send your blood sugar levels skyrocketing, contribute to weight gain, lead to depression, put you at risk for diabetes, and cause brain damage.

That's just the warm-up. Sleep deprivation can alter your levels of thyroid and stress hormones, potentially affecting everything from your memory to your immune system, heart, and metabolism. Of course, lack of sleep can kill you instantly -- as when you run your car off the road because you've dozed at the wheel (an estimated 71,000 people are injured in fall-asleep crashes each year). In fact, studies find that if you've been awake through the night, it's as if you had a performance impairment equal to .10 percent blood alcohol content, more than enough to get you arrested for drunk driving in most states.

Given the evidence, you'd think we'd all be hitting the pillow as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon. Ha! Today Americans get 25 percent less sleep than they did a century ago. Nearly 4 out of 10 don't get the minimum 7 hours of sleep necessary for optimal health and daytime functioning, while 15 percent get less than 6 hours most nights.

Since we're all in agreement that a good night's sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health and mood, pick three of these tips to follow each night until you get the night's sleep you so desperately crave.

1. Create a transition routine. This is something you do every night before bed. It could be as simple as letting the cat out, turning out the lights, turning down the heat, washing your face, and brushing your teeth. Or it could be a series of yoga or meditation exercises. Regardless, it should be consistent to the point that you do it without even thinking about it. As you begin to move into your "nightly routine," your mind will get the signal that it's time to chill out and tune down, dialing down stress hormones and physiologically preparing you for sleep.

2. Figure out your body cycle. Ever find that you get really sleepy at 10 p.m., that the sleepiness passes, and that by the time the late news comes on, you're wide-awake? Some experts believe sleepiness comes in cycles. Push past a period of sleepiness and you likely won't be able to fall asleep very easily for a while. If you've noticed these kinds of rhythms in your own body clock, use them to your advantage. When sleepiness comes, get to bed. Otherwise, it might be a long time until you are ready to fall asleep again.

3. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water and iron them before making up your bed. The scent is scientifically proven to promote relaxation, and the repetition and mindlessness of ironing will soothe you. Or, instead of ironing your sheets, do the next best thing: Put lavender water in a perfume atomizer and spray above your bed just before climbing in.

4. Hide your clock under your bed or on the bottom shelf of your night stand, where its glow won't disturb you. That way, if you do wake in the middle of the night or have problems sleeping, you won't fret over how late it is and how much sleep you're missing.

5. Switch your pillow. If you're constantly pounding it, turning it over and upside down, the poor pillow deserves a break. Find a fresh new pillow from the linen closet, put a sweet-smelling case on it, and try again.

Adjust Your Bedroom

6. Choose the right pillow. One Swedish study found that neck pillows, which resemble a rectangle with a depression in the middle, can actually enhance the quality of your sleep as well as reduce neck pain. The ideal neck pillow should be soft and not too high, should provide neck support, and should be allergy tested and washable, researchers found. A pillow with two supporting cores received the best rating from the 55 people who participated in the study. Another study found that water-filled pillows provided the best night's sleep when compared to participants' usual pillows or a roll pillow. Yet another study found that a pillow filled with a special "cool" material composed of sodium sulfate and ceramic fiber provided a much better night's sleep than one filled with polyester. The reason, the researchers suggest, is that the cooler pillow kept the subjects' head cooler during the night, improving their sleep. While you may not be able to find a sodium sulfate-filled pillow, you can buy a pillow made of natural fibers, which are better at releasing heat than polyester.

Other pillow tips: if you're subject to allergies or find you're often stuffed up when you awake in the morning, try a hypoallergenic pillow. And experiment with the pillow's thickness. While a thick, fluffy pillow might sound appealing, it might be too thick for you, leading to neck strain. Try a thin pillow.

7. Switch to heavier curtains over the windows, and use them. Even the barely noticeable ambient light from streetlights, a full moon, or your neighbor's house can interfere with the circadian rhythm changes you need to fall asleep.

8. Clean your bedroom and paint it a soothing sage green. Or some other soothing color. First, the more clutter in your bedroom, the more distractions in the way of a good night's sleep. The smooth, clean surfaces act as a balm to your brain, helping to smooth out your own worries and mental to-do lists. The soothing color provides a visual reminder of sleep, relaxing you as you lie in bed reading or preparing for sleep.

9. Move your bed away from any outside walls. This will help cut down on noise, which a Spanish study found could be a significant factor in insomnia. If the noise is still bothering you, try a white noise machine, or just turn on a floor fan.

10. Tuck a hot-water bottle between your feet or wear a pair of ski socks to bed. The science is a little complicated, but warm feet help your body's internal temperature get to the optimal level for sleep. Essentially, you sleep best when your core temperature drops. By warming your feet, you make sure blood flows well through your legs, allowing your trunk to cool.

11. Kick your dog or cat out of your bedroom. A 2002 research study found that one in five pet owners sleep with their pets (and we're not talking goldfish here). The study also found that dogs and cats created one of the biggest impediments to a good night's sleep since the discovery of caffeine. One reason? The study found that 21 percent of the dogs and 7 percent of the cats snored!

Lose Some, Gain Some

12. Sleep alone. Sure you love your spouse or partner, but studies find one of the greatest disruptors of sleep is that loved one dreaming away next to you. He might snore, she might kick or cry out, whatever. In fact, one study found that 86 percent of women surveyed said their husbands snored, and half had their sleep interrupted by it. Men have it a bit easier; just 57 percent said their wives snored, while just 15 percent found their sleep bothered by it. If you absolutely will not kick your partner out (or head to the guest room yourself), then consider these anti-snoring tips:

* Get him (or her) to stop smoking. Cigarette smoking contributes to snoring.

* Feed him (or her) a light meal for dinner and nix any alcohol, which can add to the snoring.

* Buy some earplugs and use them!

* Play soft music to drown out the snoring.

* Present your lover with a gift-wrapped box of Breathe Right strips, which work by pulling the nostrils open wider. A Swedish study found they significantly reduced snoring.

* Make an appointment for your sleeping partner at a sleep center. If nothing you do improves his or her snoring, your bedmate might be a candidate for a sleep test called polysomnography to see if sleep apnea is the cause. Better to help your partner -- and yourself -- than to exile the poor sonorous soul!

13. Take a combination supplement with 600 mg calcium and 300 mg magnesium before bed. Not only will you be providing your bones with a healthy dose of minerals, but magnesium is a natural sedative. Additionally, calcium helps regulate muscle movements. Too little of either can lead to leg cramps, and even a slight deficiency of magnesium can leave you lying there with a racing mind.

14. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid.

15. Munch a banana before bed. It's a great natural source of melatonin, the sleep hormone, as well as tryptophan. The time-honored tradition, of course, is warm milk, also a good source of tryptophan.

16. Drink water before bed, not fruit juice. One study found it took participants an extra 20 to 30 minutes to fall asleep after drinking a cup of fruit juice, most likely because of the high sugar content in juice.

Relax Yourself

17. Take antacids right after dinner, not before bed. Antacids contain aluminum, which appears to interfere with your sleep.

18. Listen to a book on tape while you fall asleep. Just as a bedtime story soothed and relaxed us when we were children, a calming book on tape (try poetry or a biography, stay away from horror novels) can have the same effect with us grown-ups.

19. Simmer three to four large lettuce leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add two sprigs of mint, and sip just before you go to bed. Lettuce contains a sleep-inducing substance called lactucarium, which affects the brain similarly to opium. Unlike opium, of course, you won't run the risk of addiction!

20. Give yourself a massage. Slowly move the tips of your fingers around your eyes in a slow, circular motion. After a minute, move down to your mouth, then to your neck and the back of your head. Continue down your body until you find you're so relaxed you're ready to drop off to sleep. Another option: alternate massage nights with your significant other. You get Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Your significant other gets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You do each other on Sundays.

21. Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime. A research study published in the journal Sleep found that women with insomnia who took a hot bath during this window of time (water temperature approximately 105°F), slept much better that night. The bath increased their core body temperature, which then abruptly dropped once they got out of the bath, readying them for sleep.

22. Use eucalyptus for a muscle rub. The strongly scented herb provides a soothing feeling and relaxing scent. You can find eucalyptus oil to mix into a carrier oil, or even a eucalyptus-scented cream.

23. Spend 10 minutes journaling the day's events or feelings after tucking yourself into bed. This "data dump" will help turn off the repeating tape of our day that often plays in our minds, keeping us from falling asleep.

24. Keep a notepad at your bedside along with a gentle night-light and pen. Then, if you wake in the middle of the night and your mind starts going, you can quickly transfer the to-do list to the page, returning to sleep knowing you "caught" those thoughts.

If you're tired of feeling like you're not at your best or like you're not getting the sleep you need, then it's time to take action! Sign-up for the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep Challenge today!

THE DAILY EXPRESS

WAR ON TERROR HAS BEEN A 'DISASTER'

Monday October 8,2007

The so-called War on Terror has been a "disaster" and British military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan must be fundamentally changed if al Qaida is to be defeated, a new report states.

The report, by the Oxford Research Group think tank, calls for major changes in foreign policy and warns of the dangers of military action against Iran.

Iraq has become a training ground for violent jihadists and British and US forces should withdraw from the country immediately, it adds.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is due to update MPs in the House of Commons following his visit to Iraq last week when he announced that 1,000 British troops would be back in the UK by Christmas.

The report claims the present fight against international terrorism has failed and has instead played into the hands of al Qaida.

The dismantling of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001-02 was of "direct value" to al Qaida and the extraordinary rendition and detention of terror suspects is a "constant source of propaganda", it adds.

The report, Towards Sustainable Security - Alternatives to the War on Terror, calls for a complete withdrawal from Iraq, a scaling down of military operations in Afghanistan and the ending of extraordinary rendition and detention without trial.

Report author Paul Rogers said: "Every aspect of the War on Terror has been counterproductive in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the loss of civilian life through to mass detentions without trial. In short, it has been a disaster. Western countries simply have to face up to the dangerous mistakes of the past six years and recognise the need for new policies."

And he warned: "Going to war with Iran will make matters far worse, playing directly into the hands of extreme elements and adding greatly to the violence across the region.

"Whatever the problems with Iran, war should be avoided at all costs - the mistakes already made will be completely overshadowed by the consequences of a war with Iran."

THE DAILY EXPRESS

HARRY POTTER AUTHOR GOES TO THE DOGS by David Scott

Tuesday October 9,2007

The owner of a greyhound rescue centre was stunned after she realised Harry Potter author JK Rowling was offering to rehome one of their dogs.

Celia Fernie, who runs Greyhound Rescue Fife, said she had no idea who JK Rowling was when she arrived with her family to view the abandoned greyhounds.

She questioned the woman - who introduced herself by her married name of Mrs Jo Murray - on whether she could provide a loving home for one of their dogs.

And she only agreed to allow ’Mrs Murray’ and her family to rehome a dog after she provided photographic evidence that her home had a large garden for a greyhound - with a wall at least six feet high.

Mrs Murray told her she would be able to lavish the dog with constant love and attention because she “worked from home.”

Mrs Fernie, 61, who runs the rescue centre with her retired lecturer husband, Jimmy, 70, only realised who her visitor was after the family had chosen a Blue breed Greyhound bitch - named Sapphire - to take home.

Mrs Fernie asked the family for a Ł30 donation to meet the cost of the dog’s muzzle, lead, non-slip collar and vaccinations.

But she was left stunned when the author - whose estimated wealth is over Ł545 million pounds - wrote a cheque for Ł1,000 and signed it JK Rowling.

Mrs Fernie said: “When I looked at the cheque I couldn’t believe it. The first thing I noticed was the amount she had made it out for.

“Then I spotted her name and realised who it was. I just said ’Oh, I didn’t recognise you,’ and she just smiled politely.

“She was a lovely woman - the whole family were very nice.”

JK Rowling - who was embroilled in a row with her neighbours after seeking permission from the City of Edinburgh

Council to increase the size of her walls to keep out intruders - visited the greyhound rescue centre, near Kinghorn, Fife, last month.

Mrs Fernie said: “I always ask a person a bit about their lifestyle - what size their house is, do they have a garden and quite importantly does it have a wall at least six feet high, because I would hate for the dog to get out and run off.

“She was very nice and said her garden was a ’good size’ and that yes, she had a large wall around it.

“She sounded very genuine, but, as I always do, I asked her to take a photograph of the garden showing the wall.

“They showed me the photo of their house in Edinburgh and I could see the big wall.

“I could see Sapphire was going to a good home.

“Now I know just how good.”

The author and her whole family - including their pet Jack Russell, Butch, visited the centre.

Mrs Fernie: “Once we had agreed to the family taking Sapphire I asked for a Ł30 donation.

“She just smiled and started to fill in the adoption form and write the cheque.

“When I saw how much it was for I was really taken aback, and then I saw her signature and realised who she was.

“When I recovered I asked her if she would send a couple of pictures of her and Sapphire for our website.

“She said she would and a few days later three pictures arrived of Sapphire at her new home."

“One is of Sapphire in Butch’s tiny bed and Butch in Sapphire’s tiny bed, which Ms Rowling has captioned ’bed swapping’.

“Another shows Sapphire on his back with all four paws in the air, which Ms Rowling has captioned ’Cockroach’.

“And the third is of Sapphire and JK Rowling herself.”

She added: “Sapphire looks very happy in her new home.”

The Greyhound Rescue Fife, which is not a registered charity but which relies on donations and volunteers, has rehomed more than 100 greyhounds since it was set up.

Anyone wishing further information on the rescue centre can visit www.greyhoundrescuefife.com.

THE DAILY EXPRESS

HAIRPIN CLIMB TO AN AWESOME SITE Kieran Falconer

Sunday October 7,2007

Remote Wastwater in the Lake District - recently voted Britain's Favourite view - may not be the easiest to get to but it is well worth the journey...

WORDSWORTH thought it “long, narrow, stern and desolate” but Coleridge gave it a thumbs-up thinking it “a marvellous sight”.

Wastwater has always been a popular view in the Lake District but it got further rave reviews recently when it was voted Britain’s Favourite View on the ITV programme of the same name. Championed by Coronation Street’s Sally Whittaker, it won comfortably.

The Lake District is no slacker when it comes to tourism, so there’s already a tour of Britain’s favourite view provided by the popular Mountain Goat bus company. The name turns out to be quite prophetic because to get to Wastwater we have to travel up England’s steepest road, the Hardknott Pass.

It’s not just the one-in-three gradient that’s terrifying, however, it’s the treacherous hairpins that accompany it. Sheep stared at us nonchalantly as we struggled to the top in our 16-seater bus, where we were rewarded with a view down the Eskdale Valley topped by a sliver of the Irish Sea and the gloom of the Isle of Man.

What goes up, must come down and driver Peter Walker showed nerves of steel as we descended towards the lake. With my heart pounding we entered something like a fjord.

Cracks appeared in the clouds and the sun whitened the immense piles of scree stretching up the steep fells.

Wastwater was eerily calm, an expanse of grey velvet crowded and pinched by the surrounding mountains. The big fell, Great Gable, rose in the middle and to the sides were Kirk Fell and Lingmell. Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain at 3,210ft, was hidden by wisps of cloud to the east.

The Lake District National Park actually uses this view, looking north over the lake, as the image on its logo but it is not a cutesy view, rather awe-inspiring and desolate. Its power seeps into you and it has a very raw quality to it.

I was all set to climb Scafell Pike to get an alternative view of Wastwater, a relatively modest three miles by half a mile but, with a depth of more than 250ft, the deepest lake in Britain but the weather was against me. No great loss,

Mountain Goat manager Graham Wilkinson later told me: “The best view is from the bottom by the lake really,” he said. “The true majesty of the place is obvious from there.”

We headed on another half mile to the Wasdale Head Inn, with ancient pews and a wood-panelled interior. It’s the nearest pub by many a mile to Wastwater. I had a pint of its own brew, the very fetching Great Gable, and was informed that the pub is brewing a Britain’s Favourite View ale in celebration of the accolade.

The western side of the Lake District is protected by all these mountains. Only one narrow road offers access and, with more punishingly steep gradients, it is no surprise that the western coast has avoided excessive tourism.

Ravenglass, five miles away, is the only seaside village in the Lake District park. It has a quaint high street which, during its smuggling and stagecoach heyday, was mostly composed of pubs, and the wonderfully quirky Muncaster Castle.

When the tide is out, there is a vast crescent beach. In an hour of walking, I encountered only one man and his dog.

For many years the view to the north has been marred by the four horrible cooling towers of Sellafield, a couple of miles from Ravenglass (the worst view in Cumbria) so it was fitting that my visit should coincide with their demolition, the towers having been decommissioned a few years ago.

Standing more than a mile away I saw them fold into the ground, billowing white dust clouds into the Irish Sea like sacks of flour.

For the past few years Cumbria has been invaded by artists for the two-week FRED festival. With more than 32 large-scale works spread across the county, it’s the largest open-air art festival in Europe. “We want to get artists into the towns and countryside of Cumbria and let them create something which is fun and works with the landscape,” said Steve Messam, director of FRED.

Projects include digging a 200ft ring in the sand at White Creek near Arnside which the tide will fill to give an illusion of a ring of light; another is to create 18,000 sandcastles on the beach of St Bees tomorrow – volunteers welcome. Coniston Lake, meanwhile, is bedded with multi-coloured lights which will gently illuminate the lake as the evenings draw in. Very different types of view.

* GETTING THERE: Virgin Trains (08457 222333/www.virgintrains.co.uk) has fares from London Euston to Oxenholme, The Lake District, from Ł33 return.

The Pennington, Ravenglass (01229 717222/ www.thepennington.co.uk) offers doubles from Ł120 per night (two sharing), B&B.

The Mountain Goat (015394 45161/www.mountain-goat.com) offers bus tours across Cumbria from Ł32.50pp per day.

The FRED art festival (www.fredsblog.co.uk) continues until October 14.

THE DAILY EXPRESS

GET THE TASTE FOR GOING DUTCH Rodney Bolt

Sunday October 7,2007

Rodney Bolt picks the best places to sample his home city Amsterdam's changing cuisine...

DUTCH food used to be synonymous with stodgy stews, rubbery cheese and overdone steaks. Not any more.

Eager young chefs are taking their cue from the likes of Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson and embarking on culinary adventures. New restaurants with exciting menus are opening all over Amsterdam, while older establishments are perking up their dishes for their customers’ more demanding palates.

FRESH AND WILD

De Kas (The Greenhouse) is just that – a former municipal nursery greenhouse dating back to the Twenties. As well as the greenery growing under glass, De Kas has its own allotments nearby and otherwise deals only with local farmers, so your food is the freshest of fresh. That means there is no choice on the menu. You take what’s ripe and in season.

Since this involves such delights as perfectly-cooked perch with sweet lettuce, crisped up for just a second or two in hot olive oil, or juicy confit of pork with an onion tart and lentils, few complain though.

* De Kas, Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3 (dialling from UK: 0031 20 462 4562); five-course set menu from Ł100 for two, including wine.

ROMANTIC MOMENTS

A quiet meal in an historic building beside a canal is an absolute must on any Amsterdam visit, especially if romance is in the air. De Luwte has it all – it’s located in an old house beside one of the prettiest canals in town. Outside are a few tables along the water. Inside, the mood is a touch Thirties with gentle lighting and faded frescoes.

Good-quality Dutch soul food such as steak, sauerkraut and black pudding sits happily alongside marinated monkfish, braised pigeon and lighter Mediterranean fare. Although the service can be a little slow, it just provides more opportunity to gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes.

* De Luwte, Leliegracht 26 (20 625 8548); three courses from Ł85 for two, including wine.

TOUCH OF KLAS

Restaurant 1e Klas on Platform 2b of Amsterdam’s Central Station was built as the first-class waiting and dining room in the 1880s by the same architect who designed the city’s Rijksmuseum.

You sit amid parquet floors, potted palms, bowl-shaped lanterns and elaborately painted walls, while waiters in traditional white aprons move deftly between the tables.

It offers good brasserie cuisine, such as duck breast stuffed with fruit, or guinea fowl served with a thyme and garlic sauce.

* Restaurant 1e Klas, Amsterdam Central Station, Platform 2b (20 625 0231); three courses from Ł70 for two, including wine.

TAKE THE CHILDREN

At the Kinderkookkafé (Children’s Cooking Café), on the edge of the Vondel Park, youngsters and their tag-along grown-ups can drop in between 10am and 5pm to make pizzas and ice cakes, and bake croissants, then eat it all up afterwards.

Supervision is in Dutch but there is generally someone there who can help out in English and so much of the fun is non-verbal anyway.

For something a little less hands on, head to Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis. Up a rickety flight of stairs, in a tiny room hung with scores of teapots, you watch as the cook makes superb Dutch pancakes.

* Kinderkookkafé, Vondel Park 6b (20 625 3257); prices depend on what you choose to make, from Ł1 to Ł3 per dish. Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis, Grimburgwal 2 (20 626 5603); pancakes from Ł4.

CUTTING EDGE

Current frontrunner for the most adventurous menu in town is Envy; part restaurant, part futuristic deli. The restaurant stretches from front to back of a long, narrow canal house.

You sidle past a bustle of chefs in the open kitchen and a gastronomic rainbow of dishes on their way to be served, then discover an entire wall taken up by glass-fronted fridges, finished in chrome and oak. Behind the glass are cheeses, oysters, oils, wines and salamis.

The idea is to order a selection of dishes and share, rather like Spanish tapas but a very upmarket version. From

rack of lamb with a thyme and chocolate sauce to scallops wrapped and baked in pata negra and served with a truffle mousseline, this is haute cuisine in miniature.

* Envy, Prinsengracht 381 (20 344 6407); selection of dishes from Ł85 for two, including wine.

* GETTING THERE: Thomson Cities And Short Breaks (0870 606 1476/www.thomsoncities.co.uk) offers two nights B&B at the Albus Grand Hotel from Ł185pp (two sharing), including return flights from Gatwick. Netherlands Board of Tourism: 0906 871 7777/www.holland.com or www.visitamsterdam.nl

THE DAILY EXPRESS

MADRID COMES BACK TO LIFE WITH NEW ENERGY

Saturday September 29,2007

If you fancy a weekend of indulgence – and culture – you can’t beat Spain’s capital Madrid. PAUL MANSFIELD discovers a city full of new additions thanks to a design makeover

MY ROOM on the fifth floor of Hotel de las Letras looks down on the Gran Via. The “Great Way” is the great east-west artery that runs across Madrid, a 24-hour river of people, noise and cars.

Tonight, however, the real action is downstairs. In D&L’s – the hotel restaurant where the bright modern feel is offset by the odd shelf of books and quotations on the wall from the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez – a mixed crowd is beginning to assemble.

There are artistic-looking men in jeans; besuited businessmen; a group of women of a certain age; and a few hand-holding couples, all tucking into a fusion menu of such delights as Teriyaki lamb with couscous. All of Madrid, you might say, is here – and all the better for it.

Madrid is not like other Spanish cities. It has few real tourist sights and lacks the exquisite history of Granada or the look-at-me cool of Barcelona. What it does have is energy and a dedication to the good life.

It has Spain’s best restaurants, best bars, best shops, the best of everything – or so the fiercely partisan inhabitants will tell you – because this is a city run for their benefit, and their standards are high. “Desde Madrid al cielo,” they say: after Madrid, there’s only heaven.

And, recently, heaven’s waiting-room has been getting a design makeover. Nothing flashy or noisy, just the quiet addition of a number of top-end boutique hotels which have helped make the Spanish capital one of the coolest, if most underrated, spots on the short-break circuit.

Madrid has always been a style favourite of those in the know. First off the block, in 2001, was the luxury design Hotel Hesperia. Even today its Zen-like interior, where smooth Japanese contours and pastel colours mingle with comfy Italianate furniture, still turns heads (as do the prices in its Michelin-starred Santceloni restaurant).

In the past five years more than 30 three- to five-star hotels have opened.

The Hotel de las Letras opened in 2005, a clever and tasteful restoration of a 1917 building which occupies one of the best locations in the city.

Downstairs is noisy and buzzy, with a sleek lobby and corner bar overlooking the Gran Via. Upstairs in the dimly lit, dark-tinted corridors (and near pitch-black lifts) there’s a sense of cool restfulness. The orange and sienna rooms have clever design touches – sliding green bathroom doors and subtle down lighting – and on the top floor, with stupendous views over the city, is a sofa-lined roof terrace bar.

The latest addition to the Madrid hotel canon is the Hospes Madrid, which opens next month. This new member of the renowned chain is a stunning restoration of a 19th-century mansion in the Plaza de la Independencia. Beneath the ornate exterior the Hospes’s clean lines and grey-and-pastel colours are uncluttered and soothing.

Meanwhile, other improvements have taken place. When Madrid put in a bid for the 2012 Olympics (only to be beaten by London, of course), it embarked on a programme of civic renewal which is still going today. The metro and road systems have been upgraded and improved, and visitors arriving at Barajas airport are greeted by the recently-opened Terminal 4, a Richard Rogers-designed masterpiece of plate-glass walls and wavy wooden ceilings.

In the city centre the Prado – one of three museums (along with the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza) which have rightfully given Madrid the title of “European capital of art” – is being extended.

The home of Velazquez and Goya, two of Spain’s greatest painters, has long struggled with limited space, with much of its collection in storage. The new extension, which opens in October, will not only solve the space problem but is also a design masterpiece in itself, a Rafael Moneo building with much of its bulk hidden beneath the Prado gardens and a bold new edifice built around a ruined medieval cloister.

This effortless merging of the old and new is one of the most striking features of life in Madrid. Ask Madrilenos for their favourite bar or restaurant and for every hip establishment in the ultra-cool Chueca or Malasana districts there’ll be a counter-vote for one of the old-fashioned tabernas near the Playa Mayor.

No other Spanish city offers such an easy mix of age, styles and attitudes. Add in a growing list of cool places to stay, and in its own quiet way Madrid just keeps getting better and better.

THE HERALD

CONVICTS: Two-thirds in Scotland reconvicted in two years

Almost two-thirds of criminals released from jail in Scotland are reconvicted within two years.

The figures were branded "appalling" by opposition parties at Holyrood, while Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill admitted they were unacceptable.

He said it underlines the challenge facing the Scottish Government in the area of penal policy.

"Nearly two thirds of people released from prison were reconvicted within two years," he said.

"That is not acceptable."

Figures also showed that almost half of all offenders, whether discharged from custody or given a non-custodial sentence in Scotland, were reconvicted inside this period.

The level of those reconvicted following community service has fallen 10% in ten years, but even here the re-offending level remains too high, according to Mr MacAskill.

"I believe that the time is now right for a more focussed approach to the community disposals available to the courts," he said.

"That is why we are currently reviewing community sentences to revitalise them.

"We want tough community sentences to protect the public and improve reparation and rehabilitation for persistent offenders."

Mr MacAskill said jail is needed for "serious and dangerous criminals".

But he added: "We believe less serious offenders currently filling our jails should be paying back their debts to society - not adding to society's bill for their bed and board."

The figures show no improvement on previous years and indicate that reoffending is likely to go up in line with the level of previous convictions.

The statistics on Reconvictions of Offenders Discharged from Custody or Given Non-Custodial Sentences in 2003-04 were published by Scotland's chief Ssatistician today.

They show that 45% of offenders discharged from custody or given a non-custodial sentence in Scotland in 2003-04 were reconvicted within two years.

This is the same level of reconvictions as 2002-03.

The likelihood of reconviction increased markedly with the number of previous convictions.

Just over a quarter (26%) of offenders with no previous convictions were reconvicted within two years, compared with three-quarters of offenders with over ten previous convictions.

Men were more likely to be reconvicted than women across all age groups, with 46% of men and 38% of women reconvicted within two years.

Almost two-thirds of those released from jail (64%) or given probation (61%) were on average more likely to be reconvicted.

This compares with 39% given community service or a 41% given a fine.

However, once the age, sex and number of previous convictions of offenders are taken into account, these differences are less pronounced.

Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken said: "These figures are appalling and the previous administration, the Lib-Lab pact should be ashamed.

"This is further evidence that we are not rehabilitating criminals successfully, and failing to get more of them off the conveyor belt of crime."

He said there was a "regrettable erosion" of the criminal justice system under the previous Labour/Lib Dem administration.

This led to "fewer police on the beat, easy access to bail, ineffective community sentences and, as today's figures show, an unacceptable number of repeat offenders causing mayhem and misery".

THE PRAVDA

Aliens forced Americans out from the Moon

03.10.2007

One of Russia's central television channels, RTR, has recently aired a documentary about US astronauts who allegedly came across extraterrestrial civilizations. The film showed Russian ufologist Vladimir Azhazha and astronomer Yevgeny Arsyukhin telling that expeditions to the Moon launched within 1969-1972 allegedly came across UFOs.

The researchers state that flying objects of extraterrestrial origin were persistently spying on American Apollos. They said the expeditions to the Moon looked very much like a race and presented a film demonstrating a luminous object closely following an American spaceship. Records of communication between astronauts and the Mission Control Center were also included into the film but they were absolutely inaudible as they had been purposefully jammed by Americans. They expected that the expeditions would find something astonishing on the Moon and with the view of keeping their communication with the surface secret they encoded their messages to the MCC. When the records of communication were later deciphered it turned out that the US missions came across lunar bases, remains of space vehicles and deserted towns on the Moon.

The film stated that lunar creatures would not tolerate the presence of Earth dwellers for long. When Americans brought a dummy car to furrow Moon craters, the creatures living on the satellite began to demonstrate their furious protest against the US presence on the Moon. Filmmakers said that green dwellers of the Moon told Americans to go home as they wanted to keep secret the sublunar bases that they used to observe the life on the Earth. It was alleged that NASA was afraid of conflicting with a highly developed civilization and immediately stopped the program. Does the film sound believable?

In a couple of days, Americans demonstrated their documentary about the Apollo expeditions, In the Shadow of the Moon, with records of the flights to the Moon that were specially processed after the video archives of the Moon program had disappeared. Is it true that the archives were lost? It seems that the CIA wanted to wipe out tracks of a contact between US astronauts and extraterrestrials.

It is an open secret by the way that films demonstrating the landing of American astronauts on the Moon and Neil Armstrong’s walk about the lunar surface were lost. What is more, records telling about astronauts’ health during the flights to the Moon, information about spaceships and other 700 messages sent from the board of spaceships launched in the framework of the Apollo program are also missing. Before the late 1970s the films had been kept at the US National Archives then were moved to NASA and later disappeared at all. It took NASA officials a year to conduct searches of the films but they managed to find just not more than ten films. Will anyone believe that evidence of US’s biggest triumph may so easily disappear from the NASA archives?

An expertise of the Moon pictures demonstrated in the Russian documentary revealed that they were no ordinary photos but simply some daub. Deputy director of the Comparative Planetology Laboratory Doctor of geological sciences Alexander Bazilevsky says that experts are from time to time requested to conduct an expertise of this type of photos. The Lunar Orbiter stations shot the Moon surface, then developed films right on board the spaceships and telecast them to the surface. As a result of this film development any unexpected things or elements could appear on pictures, and it explains why one of the pictures showed in the documentary had the word ‘spire’. In a word, none of the pictures demonstrated in the documentary can be the evidence of aliens’ existence on the Moon.

This is strange that films with really important evidence can disappear from NASA. Several years ago, over 100 g of lunar soil and meteorites were stolen from the collection of the Johnson Space Center. And that was not the only incident of the kind there. A former NASA official explained that the unique films had been probably lost after they were several times moved from one place to another within the past forty years.

The NASA official who requested anonymity also told a really interesting story. When President Bush announced recommencement of the lunar program the National Aeronautics and Space Administration asked aged researchers who had taken part in the Apollo expeditions earlier to meet experts who were going to start a new mission. One of the aged researchers who came to the meeting had designed a device to measure lunar radiation. The device could measure radiation before humans landed the planet and could transmit information even when the Apollos were back to the surface. In the framework of the program heaps of records were collected. But when the program was no longer financed and stopped the bobbins with ciphered films were discarded. But the old engineer took the films and placed them to his basement where they are still being kept. Unfortunately there is no opportunity to decipher the films as a special device able to decode such records was also utilized when the program ended.

The NASA official admits that the flights to the Moon were rather a political mission as the USA wanted to gain revenge after the Soviet spaceman Gagarin was the first to enter the space. And the USA spent $150 billion to start the lunar program to demonstrate the power of the American science and engineering. It was a very expensive project that was easily abandoned as soon as financing was stopped.

The American Internet service Google is ready to pay $20 million to a private company that succeeds in landing a buggy on the Moon for transmitting photo and video information of one gigabyte in size right to the Earth surface. The sum is to be paid in case a buggy lands the Moon before 2012, and a company may get just $15 million if it launches such a buggy within the two next years after 2012.

At that, Google conditions that such a buggy must walk at least 40 centimeters along the Moon surface, transmit a series of pictures from the Moon including ‘a self-portrait’ against the lunar background, a panoramic picture of the planet and on-line video.

As it turned out, meteorites hit the lunar surface oftener than is usually believed which is really dangerous for automatic stations and manned spaceships. The Moon has no atmospheric protection, and even a small meteor can cause a tragedy if it hits a spaceship or a manned space station.

Today, the Russian project of the Moon expedition is even less developed than it was under the direction of Korolev.

The documentary In the Shadow of the Moon includes an interview given by five of the eight extant men who had ever entered space. They are now aged over seventy. None of them has ever officially stated that he saw something supernatural in space. At that, they are unanimous that the lunar race was part of the cold war when pure science was of second importance.

Neil Armstrong, the first man to land the Moon, is now living an anchorite life in Ohayo where he teaches astronautics at the university.

NASA is going to conduct another mission to the Moon with a spaceship Orion resembling Apollo and stuffed with steroids. It is planned that four astronauts will fly round the Moon in 2018. If the project goes OK a landing module is to land the lunar surface in 2020.

Russia’s ambitions as concerning Moon exploration are rather modest. A Russian astronaut may land the planet only as a member of a Chinese-Russian expedition. Chinese researchers are working on this project and invite Russia to participate in it as well.

THE GULF TIMES

Tunnels are a goldmine for Gaza gangs

Palestinian security personnel prepare to seal a tunnel on the Egypt-Gaza border in this May 5, 2007 file photo

RAFAH, Gaza Strip: Abu Mohamed’s journey home took a half hour, but seemed like the longest of his life.

The 22-year-old Palestinian was stranded in Egypt with hundreds of others after the militant group Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in June.

With the overland crossing closed, Abu Mohamed decided to go underground through one of dozens of tunnels that crisscross the frontier between Egypt and Gaza, run by gangs that smuggle everything, including weapons, people and contraband goods.

He paid a smuggler $4,000 to use his tunnel to go home, along with a cargo of bootleg cigarettes.

“It took me about half an hour to crawl back but I thought it was a year,” said Abu Mohamed, who spoke on condition that his real name not be used because of his clandestine passage.

“I crawled on my stomach like a snake, I could not raise my head the whole time,” he said.

Israel declared the Gaza Strip an “enemy entity” last month and the flow of people and commercial goods through border terminals has been cut sharply since Hamas, shunned by the West for refusing to recognise the Jewish state, took control.

That has translated into steep price hikes for the territory’s 1.5mn inhabitants and huge profits for smugglers and the clans that dig the tunnels.

“There has been an increase in demand especially since June,” said Abu Salman, a veteran tunnel builder. “Many other tunnels are being constructed.”

Abu Salman said each tunnel is built with several shafts so that if one opening is blocked by Israeli forces raiding Gaza or by the Egyptians, smuggling can continue.

Now that Israeli forces have left their positions in the coastal territory — while continuing to mount frequent incursions to target militants — tunnel-diggers are able to break ground closer to the Egyptian frontier.

“We bring in cigarettes, car engines, fertiliser and medicine, including Viagra,” said Abu Salman, 35.

The fertiliser, he said, can be used to make explosives.

Gazans began building tunnels in the early 1980s to smuggle in goods from Egypt. Palestinian militant factions took advantage of the underground route to bring in weapons in the 1990s to fight Israeli occupation and build up their power base.

In the years preceding its 2005 Gaza pullout, the Israeli army had blown up dozens of tunnels — but is powerless to cut the cross-border connection completely.

Guns are now so plentiful in Gaza that once-lucrative weapons smuggling has all but dried up, Abu Salman said.

“I think we have the ability to sell (guns) to Egypt now, not to buy from them,” he said.

The real money is in commercial goods, Abu Salman said, estimating a tunnel-owner can make at least $50,000 for three shipments a month to Gaza merchants.

Abu Salman, who employs 10 diggers, said he has allowed only a few stranded Palestinians to use the 800m tunnel that he built under his family home.

“It is not open to just anyone — only those we trust fully, because we do not want to burn our business,” he said.

Tunnel-building is a dangerous and tough job, and several diggers have died in collapses in recent years.

But, Abu Salman said, Gazans “want to do anything for money and to feed their families”. – Reuters

THE NEWSWEEK

Do Women Lead Differently Than Men? By Barbara Kantrowitz

Americans could elect our first female president in 2008. What the most powerful women of the past can teach us about how to rule in the future.

Oct. 15, 2007 issue - She was born into a profoundly dysfunctional family. Her father married six times—and essentially ordered hits on two of his wives, including her mother (whose major crime may have been giving birth to a daughter instead of a son). Jealous relatives plotted against her. As a teenager, she was locked up in a tower. If she were alive today, she could write a best-selling memoir about her abusive childhood and appear on "Oprah." Instead, Elizabeth I became one of the most powerful and respected leaders in history.

This year, as Americans contemplate making Sen. Hillary Clinton our first female president, it is instructive to look back at Elizabeth and other women who wielded power long before the age of speechwriters, personal stylists and YouTube campaigning. Cleopatra, for example, ruled ancient Egypt with fierce political savvy while giving birth to children by Julius Caesar and Mark Antony (twins in the latter case). If she worried about balancing work and family, she left no record of it. This was a woman who understood the importance of the grand gesture. Once, according to a history by Pliny the Elder, she bet Antony that she could spend 10 million sesterces (a Roman coin) on dinner. In the midst of a pedestrian meal, she dropped a valuable pearl earring into a cup of vinegar, watched it dissolve and drank it.

In their pursuit of power, women have been as ruthless as any man. And they haven't had to apologize for it. In 18th-century Russia, Catherine the Great vastly extended the borders of the Russian Empire, became a generous patron of the arts and enjoyed many lovers (royalty does have its privileges)—although any story you may have heard about shenanigans with a horse is apocryphal. More recently, elected leaders like Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher proved that women can be just as tough as men, and often tougher. And just like a man, they can pay the ultimate price in their pursuit of power, as Gandhi did when she was assassinated in 1984 by Sikh separatists.

Even in this stellar company, Elizabeth I still stands alone. From her coronation in 1559 until her death nearly 45 years later, she guided England with great skill. The country was transformed from an economically troubled backwater beset by religious strife into one of the strongest nations on earth. Commerce flourished. Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake explored the New World. Shakespeare, Marlowe and Spenser produced their greatest work. England defeated the Spanish Armada in an epic battle.

In the 400 years since her death, Elizabeth's legend has been burnished by hundreds of plays, books and movies—most recently, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" with Cate Blanchett, which opens Friday. (Portraying Elizabeth is a good deal for an actress; the role earned Helen Mirren an Emmy and Judi Dench an Oscar.)

In many of these re-creations, Elizabeth is a remote, archaic figure—the unmarried Virgin Queen (exactly how virginal is a mystery). But she was actually a public-relations whiz. On the day of her coronation, she rode through London under a brocade canopy as crowds cheered. Then she immediately tackled her nation's toughest problem—religion—by reinstating the Protestant Church. She discouraged persecution of Roman Catholics, however, telling her counselors, "I have no desire to make windows into men's souls."

Over the years, Elizabeth downsized her Privy Council, her closest advisers, in order to run her government more efficiently. She also made it clear that while she listened to them, the final decision was always hers. She exercised power as firmly as any man, but used her femininity to reinforce her popularity. In her most celebrated speech, just before the defeat of the Armada, she addressed the matter directly. "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman," she said, "but I have the heart and stomach of a king." Her particular blend of strength and compassion would play just as well in 2008. © 2007 MSNBC.com

THE DUBLIN POST

Premier League today

October 9, 2007

1 Arsenal Kolo Toure is refusing to get carried away with the team’s impressive start to the season. “For the moment we can’t talk about the title,” he said. “We have to focus on doing well and playing well. At the end we will see how far we will go.”

Played 8 Won 7 Drawn 1 Lost 0 For 19 Against 6 Points 22 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Bolton Wanderers (h)

2 Manchester United Lee Martin, the 20-year-old winger, is to hold talks with a number of Coca-Cola Championship clubs about a loan move after failing to impress in the Carling Cup last week. Stoke City and Plymouth Argyle are known to be keen.

Played 9 Won 6 Drawn 2 Lost 1 For 11 Against 2 Points 20 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Aston Villa (a)

3 Manchester City Tord Grip, Sven-G�ran Eriksson’s right-hand man, is searching Europe for players, with a central midfield player and a striker the top priorities. “Tord has been travelling a lot,” Eriksson said. “He saw four games in three days last week.”

Played 9 Won 6 Drawn 1 Lost 2 For 14 Against 7 Points 19 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Birmingham City (h)

4 Liverpool Ryan Babel, who was omitted from the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive match against Tottenham Hotspur, says he has no problem with Rafael BenÍtez’s rotation policy. “It’s something different, but it’s not an issue,” the forward said.

Played 8 Won 4 Drawn 4 Lost 0 For 14 Against 4 Points 16 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Everton (a)

5 Portsmouth Tony Adams has praised the performances of Sean Davis, the holding midfield player. “He played that way when he started at Fulham, sitting in front of the back four,” the assistant manager said. “He knows that role and plays it superbly well.”

Played 9 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 2 For 17 Against 12 Points 15 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Wigan Athletic (a)

6 Blackburn Rovers David Bentley hopes to beat his tally of seven goals in all competitions last season. “I’m looking to get into double figures this year,” the forward said. “If I continue to work hard, I believe that I can get there. I believe in my ability.”

Played 8 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 1 For 9 Against 6 Points 15 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Reading (h)

7 Chelsea Andriy Shevchenko still has a big role to play at Stamford Bridge, according to Avram Grant, the first-team coach. “He is a great player,” Grant said. “We have a long season and he is trying hard. I am sure that he will be good for Chelsea.”

Played 9 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 2 For 8 Against 8 Points 15 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Middlesbrough (a)

8 Aston Villa Moustapha Salifou, the Togo midfield player, should join the club later this month. He has been training in Switzerland while resolving problems with his international clearance. “He will be here the week after next,” Martin O’Neill, the manager, said.

Played 8 Won 4 Drawn 2 Lost 2 For 12 Against 8 Points 14 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Manchester United (h)

9 Newcastle United Alan Smith has said that Alan Shearer provided his inspiration when he played up front against Everton. “He was such a great forward for Newcastle and England,” the forward said. “He was on my mind and he was driving me on.”

Played 8 Won 4 Drawn 2 Lost 2 For 13 Against 10 Points 14 Next match Monday Oct 22 Tottenham Hotspur (h)

10 Everton The club have received permission from the Premier League to sell the pink shirt created in aid of breast cancer research. Permission was required because three replica shirts are already on the market. The shirts go on sale in the new year.

Played 9 Won 4 Drawn 1 Lost 4 For 12 Against 11 Points 13 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Liverpool (h)

11 West Ham United Matthew Etherington is in contract talks after overcoming problems with gambling. The midfield player’s deal expires at the end of next season. He has made 141 league appearances since he joined from Tottenham Hotspur four years ago.

Played 8 Won 3 Drawn 1 Lost 4 For 9 Against 8 Points 10 Next match Sunday Oct 21 Sunderland (h)

12 Reading After the 7-4 mauling away to Portsmouth, Marcus Hahnemann was happy with the 1-0 win over Derby County on Sunday. “Three points and a clean sheet is all that matters,” the goalkeeper said. “After the previous game, I wanted to throw up.”

Played 9 Won 3 Drawn 1 Lost 5 For 10 Against 18 Points 10 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Blackburn Rovers (a)

13 Birmingham City Gary McSheffrey rued missed opportunities after the 2-1 defeat by Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. “It’s a results business and we didn’t get any points again,” he said. “We deserved to take something but didn’t. That’s the bottom line.”

Played 9 Won 2 Drawn 2 Lost 5 For 8 Against 12 Points 8 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Manchester City (a)

14 Wigan Athletic Denny Landzaat, the midfield player, is fit again after surgery to correct a sight problem. Chris Hutchings, the manager, said: “Denny had blurred vision when looking up, but the surgery has solved the problem.”

Played 9 Won 2 Drawn 2 Lost 5 For 8 Against 12 Points 8 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Portsmouth (h)

15 Middlesbrough After four defeats in five matches, the club face Chelsea and Manchester United, but the international break should allow key players to return to full fitness. “We can see light at the end of the tunnel,” Gareth Southgate, the manager, said.

Played 9 Won 2 Drawn 2 Lost 5 For 10 Against 16 Points 8 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Chelsea (h)

16 Sunderland Kenwyne Jones has conceded that the club “shot ourselves in the foot” by conceding two early goals in the 3-2 defeat away to Arsenal. “We showed what we can do, but the problem we’re having is doing it to the teams around us,” he said.

Played 9 Won 2 Drawn 2 Lost 5 For 10 Against 16 Points 8 Next match Sunday Oct 21 West Ham United (a)

17 Tottenham Hotspur Martin Jol has backed Paul Robinson to keep his position as England No 1, despite criticism that the goalkeeper is prone to mistakes. “I have no worries about Paul,” Jol said. “Every game is different; he has confidence.”

Played 9 Won 1 Drawn 4 Lost 4 For 16 Against 18 Points 7 Next match Monday Oct 22 Newcastle United (a)

18 Fulham Lawrie Sanchez, the manager, will decide this week whether to allow Moritz Volz, the defender, and Collins John, the forward, to join Southampton on loan. The Coca-Cola Championship club expressed an interest in the players last week.

Played 9 Won 1 Drawn 4 Lost 4 For 12 Against 16 Points 7 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Derby County (h)

19 Bolton Wanderers Joey O’Brien, the defender, was shocked to hear of his recall by Ireland for this month’s Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Germany and Cyprus. “I heard about it when my brother called to say he heard it on the radio in Dublin,” he said.

Played 9 Won 1 Drawn 2 Lost 6 For 9 Against 14 Points 5 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Arsenal (a)

20 Derby County Stephen Pearson says that Scotland can move closer to the European Championship finals with good displays against Ukraine and Georgia. “Our teams in the past have slipped up against lesser nations,” he said. “We can’t afford that now.”

Played 9 Won 1 Drawn 2 Lost 6 For 5 Against 22 Points 5 Next match Saturday Oct 20 Fulham (a)

THE GULF TIMES

Bodies of dolphins packed in sacks found near rail track

PATNA: Bodies of at least half a dozen endangered Ganges river dolphins have been found near a railway track Patna district.

The dolphins had been cut into pieces and stuffed into sacks.

The incident is seen here as a major setback to the ongoing conservation of the river dolphin.

“Bodies of dolphins were found cut into pieces in eight sacks on Sunday morning. But we are yet to find out how many dolphins were killed and packed,” a police source said.

The wildlife department said the bodies were found near a railway track at Hathidah on Mokama-Begusarai route, about 100km from capital Patna.

A local source in Mokama said that at least seven to eight dolphins were killed and cut into pieces. The sacks were noticed by the villagers who informed the police.

“The evidence suggests that the consignment was being taken to Kolkata or northeastern states by train. And something must have forced the smugglers to throw them out of the train,” a police official said.

Dolphins are locally called sons of the Ganges river, but pollution and rampant fishing have threatened their existence.

In the last two years, nearly a dozen dolphins were found dead in the state.

They were killed after they were trapped in fishing nets. Dolphin experts said the endangered animals are also killed for their meat, skin and oil.

The experts said the actual death toll never gets recorded since only a few incidents get reported. The carcasses are either buried or thrown into the river.

The government set up the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur district a decade ago for conservation of the species. The sanctuary is spread over a 50km stretch of the Ganges.

Last year, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a plan to save the species, but things have hardly moved beyond that.

“Nothing has happened at the ground level to save them,” an official admitted on condition of anonymity.

R K Sinha, head of the zoology department at Patna University, said: “If we fail to save these mammals, the future generations may only see them in photographs. A rapidly shrinking Ganges and the river’s changing course are threatening the dolphins.”

Sinha also heads the central government’s dolphin conservation project.

Sunil Choudhary, another wildlife expert, said: “On paper conservation work is going on. But in reality the sanctuary has no formal conservation plan. Unless locals are involved in conservation and awareness is created, dolphins will continue to die.”

Untreated sewage, rotting carcasses and industrial effluents that find their way into the Ganges during its 2,500km-long journey across several states from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal adversely affected the dolphins, he said.

The Ganges has already shifted its course near Patna. It now flows 2km away from the city due to silting and pollution.

Researchers estimate the dolphin population across India to be a little over 1,500. Half of these are found in the Ganges in Bihar. The numbers have dropped drastically over the past decades. In the 1980s, the Gangetic delta zone alone had around 3,500 dolphins. – IANS

THE GULF TIMES

Is Korea to reunite someday? By Dmitry Kosyrev

MOSCOW: There is a superstition against making forthright predictions lest they never become true. Say, “the two Koreas will certainly reunite someday”, and you will be bombarded with no end of arguments on their incompatibility; the North and South Korean modes of life are poles apart, to say nothing of their economies.

Conversely, saying “never the twain shall meet,” is likely to provoke an avalanche of truisms along the lines of “never say never,” and “difficult does not mean impossible,” even though “the road may be long, and the going tough.”

Tellingly, there was no mention of reunification in the official information for the second inter-Korean summit, which was held in Pyongyang last week. Nonetheless, other optimistic noises are plentiful.

When I met South Korean experts and officials in the late 1990s, they were quite explicit about Seoul’s attitude to building economic bridges with the North. Several South Korean agencies and offices are currently making in-depth studies of the possibilities, with visits to Germany to learn from its trying reunification process in the 1990s.

Time is the keyword here. The South thinks integration would take 50 years if it took the most benign road. More rapid integration could take a mere 20 years, though it might have disastrous consequences. Reunification would demand generous investment in a great many projects to develop the North’s infrastructure.

There is also the human factor to be considered — rapid change will come as a shock to many and may have unpredictable consequences. The huge project could produce an economic giant with a population of 80-90mn.

South Korea’s annual GDP currently stands at $888bn — two-fifths of China’s, nearly one-third of Japan’s, and one-thirteenth of America’s — and is growing at 5% a year. Electronic and engineering goods account for a half of GDP. The country is among world leaders for technical innovation and industrial design.

The North Korean economy also has something to offer — comparatively high educational standards, which promise quick training of a workforce that is accustomed to token earnings.

This combination of cheap skilled labour and technological innovation could offer lucrative joint development opportunities. If the initial impetus provided by such development could generate enough wealth, the North, which currently suffers from eye-watering commodity shortages, could become an excellent consumer market.

Proceeding from current events, one can also forecast the political role of a reunited Korea in the world. It would be a headache for Japan, which already has problems with both Korean states, and a good partner for Russia and China (the latter already economically dominates both the Korean North and South).

As for the US, it would have no problems with a united Korea, provided Washington maintains a reasonable policy. But then, a united Korea would behave even more independently than Seoul today.

On the whole, the integration would further enhance the Asian states’ growing role in the world — since tensions on the Korean Peninsula may be regarded as the region’s only time bomb. – RIA Novosti/M

THE DUBLIN POST

Malaysia celebrates as its first astronaut blasts into space By SEAN YOONG,

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysians watched with pride Wednesday as their country's first astronaut blasted off aboard a Russian rocket bound for the International Space Station - vowing as a Muslim to keep praying and fasting in space.

Television networks showed a live broadcast of Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor lifting off in a Soyuz-FG rocket, adorned with a Malaysian flag, from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

"This is a truly historic moment for all Malaysians," King Mizan Zainal Abidin said, adding that Sheikh Muszaphar's voyage would help the country "attain further progress in science, technology and innovation."

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and more than 1,000 Malaysians, including eager schoolchildren, held a special ceremony to pray for Sheikh Muszaphar's safety.

They clapped and cheered as a giant TV screen at a Kuala Lumpur convention hall showed scenes of Sheikh Muszaphar smiling inside the spacecraft minutes after the liftoff.

Sheikh Muszaphar is being accompanied by American Peggy Whitson and Russian Yuri Malenchenko on his trip - which includes about nine days on the station - to conduct scientific experiments.

Malaysian newspapers Wednesday devoted several pages and published special pullouts about the mission, which coincides with the last days of Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast from dawn until sundown.

Sheikh Muszaphar wrote in his Web journal Tuesday that he "definitely would be praying and fasting in space," even though Malaysian clerics decreed he can be excused from fasting.

"I am not sure how it would be done but I will share my experiences (with) all the Muslims all over the world when I get back," Sheikh Muszaphar wrote.

Sheikh Muszaphar, a 35-year-old physician, beat more than 11,000 applicants in a nationwide search that began in 2003 to be Malaysia's first astronaut.

He was taking vacuum-packed Malaysian food, including skewered chicken, banana rolls, fermented soybean cakes and ginger jelly, to mark Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, in space.

Sheikh Muszaphar - a bachelor widely regarded as a heartthrob due to his handsome looks - is to experiment with microbes of tropical diseases and with proteins for a potential HIV vaccine, and study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on cancer cells and human genes.

The US$25 million (euro17.7 million) agreement for a Malaysian to fly to space was negotiated in 2003 with a US$900 million (euro637 million) deal for Malaysia to buy 18 Russian fighter jets.

Sheikh Muszaphar, who underwent months of training in Russia, is slated to return Oct. 21 with two Russian members of the current space station crew.

THE DUBLIN POST

Online Dating -- Five Things to Avoid by Joshua Fruhlinger

Everyone's doing it - over 40 percent of U.S. singles are finding matches online. That's more than 40 million single Americans cruising the Internet looking for love (based on census results that say there are over 100 million single Americans).

So the Internet must be a great place to find true love, right? Not so fast. While online dating can be a great way to find someone new, dating sites are littered with scam artists, cheaters, and straight-up liars.

Now, this doesn't mean you should avoid online dating altogether -- just don't believe everything you see out there. In order to help sort out the winners from the losers, we've compiled a list of the top five types of online daters you should definitely avoid, along with some tips to help you save some heartache. Be careful out there, and good luck!

1. Liars

In a recent survey, it was found that most online profiles contain some sort of lie, whether it's the person's age or -- in some cases -- relationship status. White lies -- adding an inch to height or dropping a couple pounds -- are the most common and not a big deal to most people.

Consider these facts according to the April 2007 issue of Proceedings of Computer/Human Interaction:

* About 52.6 percent of men lie about their height, as do 39 percent of women.

* Slightly more women lie about their weight (64.1 percent) than men (60.5 percent).

* When it comes to age, 24.3 percent men lie compared with 13.1 percent of women.

But when it comes to misrepresenations of age or relationship status, it's a a whole other matter entirely. In one recent case, a woman met a man on a popular dating site with whom she immediately hit it off. She even put her life on hold to go with him to Dubai when he was transferred for work. Eleven months into the relationship, she came across an e-mail -- from his son! What's more, the e-mail said something about "Mom" saying hi. In one fell swoop, our poor girl found out the man she met online was not only a father -- he was married! She moved back to the United States and has given up on online dating since.

How to Avoid Them:

Ask questions. Though it may be listed on someone's profile, someone's age is fair game in the questions department, so feel free to ask your potential date how old (or young!) they are. You may find that 35 suddenly becomes 42. While you don't want to ask too many questions and scare the person away, it's perfectly fair to verify the big things: age, weight, height, and -- most of all -- whether or not that person is, in fact, single. Half the time, people lie on their profiles to get people interested -- nine times out of ten, someone will level with you about their stats once you show some real interest, since they know they might have a chance of meeting you in person.

2. Photo Fakes

Dating site traffic analyses show that profiles with pictures are clicked on twice as much as those without. Having a good picture of yourself can be the difference between getting seen and getting lost. However, some people take the notion of "looking good" a little too far. They post misleading pictures that can trap you into thinking you're meeting your dreamboat only to find a shipwreck waiting for you. Let's face it, not everyone looks as good as George Clooney or Angelina Jolie.

Joan, a woman from New Jersey, had thought she met Mr. Right. He was charming and -- according to the picture on his profile -- quite handsome. She looked forward to seeing his auburn hair and deep eyes when it turned out that Mr. Right had gone gray. He also hadn't seen a gym in years. Turns out that his profile picture was over five years old. While there's nothing wrong with gray hair or a couple extra pounds, people who misrepresent their looks aren't being honest.

How to avoid them:

Look for profiles with more than one picture. People who choose only flattering angles could be hiding something. Ask for a recent picture, and if the person refuses, you could be looking at that person's high school yearbook photo. And if someone looks as good as George Clooney or Angelina Jolie, you need to double-check that it's for real.

3. Fixer-Uppers

Most marriages end in divorce -- that's just a fact of life. But many people on the rebound make their profiles all about what they don't want. The truth is, these people are on the rebound and are likely to still be living with the wounds of their last relationship. You may be in for some serious scrutiny, criticism, and baggage-handling, so beware. Imagine, for example, what any of Sir Paul McCartney's new lovers must think as he talks about his past relationships!

Consider these recent profile headlines:

• Cheaters Need Not Apply

• Tired of Meeting Women in Bars

• No Manipulative B*thces, please!

• Please Don't Be A Liar

• Felons, potheads and jerks need not apply

What we have here are jilted lovers. Run. Run away. While it's a good idea to learn from your past relationships, no one wants to date a bitter, angry person. By telling people what you don't want, you're scaring off potential mates.

On the other side, if you're reading profiles, avoid these singles as they are either recently out of relationships or still getting over something pretty big. They're not ready, and you don't want to be their fixer-upper.

How to avoid them:

To steer clear of the fixer-upper at all costs, watch out for the aforementioned profile headlines. While you may hate the same things these rebounders do, you still shouldn't pursue a relationship with them. Having something in common can be great, but those things should be positive, not negative. As the old saying goes,"You must love yourself before you love another...."

4. Membership Fishers

You finally got a response to your profile, and she's hot! You're all set to respond to the beauty queen, but there's one problem: Her profile happens to be over at some other site.

Of course, before you can send her a note on her profile, you're asked by the new dating site she's listed with the to sign up. Before you know it, you're a member of a new dating site, and it has your credit card info, and, it turns out, your new love doesn't exist.

Dating sites make their money on membership dues, and with thousands of them competing for daters, they're in a vicious fight to get you to sign up. Some wily sites have taken to trolling single people from other sites, making them think that a new lovely wants to meet them... at a new site that requires signing up.

How to avoid them:

Make sure anyone you hear from is already signed up with the online dating site you're signed up with. If someone responds to your profile, it means they already have a profile at the site you are using. Don't fall for the "meet me over here" tactic. If they really like you, they'll come talk to you where you are.

5. Cheaters

How is it possible that this new, wonderful person is still single? In fact, he or she may not be. While there are some great singles out there waiting to steal your heart away, some of them are not, in fact, single. Surprise, surprise, it turns out that some people use dating sites as a way to get a little something on the side when they're out of town.

Consider this story about Jill, a 27-year-old Washington, DC, marketing executive, who met the "man of her dreams" online:

"Since he lived in a different city ‑- Roanoke, Virginia ‑- it was easy for him to sneak around." She told iVillage, "Although he made excuse after excuse about why he continually had to cancel a date at the last minute ‑- one time claiming he'd been in a car accident ‑- I got suspicious only after I knew everything." There had been numerous red flags. For instance, he only called from his cell phone while driving in his car. It turns out that Joe (not his real name) was talking to several women online. According to his wife, Jill was the only one he'd actually met and kissed.

How to avoid them:

Look out for people who can only talk to you during the day, will only talk online or via text message, or who mysteriously disappear at night and on weekends. Other warning signs include out-of-town lovers who happen to be in town a lot. And be especially cautious of people who live thousands of miles away, since you have no real way of verifying what's actually going on with them day-to-day. There's a good chance you could be on the back burner. Also, look out for people who list their status as "separated" -- they could be separated in mind, only.

THE PRAVDA

Oliviero Toscani starts his campaign against anorexia

24.09.2007

Photographer Oliviero Toscani's latest shock ad campaign was expressed in an advertisement for an Italian fashion house with the headline "No anorexia."

The ad had its premier Monday, at the start of Milan's fashion week, and was featured in a two-page center spread in the daily La Repubblica and other newspapers as well as on billboards around the country.

Toscani, best known for provocative ads for the Benetton clothing company featuring death row inmates and people dying of AIDS, was commissioned to shoot the ad by Flash&Partners, which puts out the fashion label Nolita.

"Toscani literally stripped his subject, to show everyone through this nude body the reality of this illness, which in the majority of cases is caused by stereotypes caused by the fashion world," Nolita said in a statement on its Web site.

The fashion industry has been in the spotlight about anorexia since the 2006 death of a 21-year-old Brazilian model who died from the eating disorder.

A fashion manifesto initiated by the Italian government and signed last year by representatives of the Italian fashion chamber called for regulations on age and weight for models participating in the myriad of fashion events held in this country year round.

Organizers of the London Fashion Week issued a report earlier this month saying models should be 16 or older and should be screened for eating disorders, although the British Fashion Council stopped short of recommending a ban on ultra thin models.

The subject of the Toscani photo, a 27-year-old French woman named Isabelle Caro, says on her blog that she is a comedian, and has suffered from anorexia since she was 13 because of a difficult childhood. She says she wants to get better because she loves life.

While fashion designers largely praised the campaign, groups working with anorexics said it actually did a disservice to those afflicted with the disorder. ABA, the Italian association against anorexia, bulimia and obesity, said the "devastating" image risked making women want to emulate Caro to get publicity and visibility, the ANSA news agency reported.

Toscani himself said on the Nolita site that it was significant that a fashion house was willing to confront the issue with what he called a "courageous" campaign.

Giorgio Armani, who presented his Spring-Summer 2008 show Monday, said the campaign - while using a "harsh and crude" image - was "correct, opportune," ANSA said.

Designing duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana also praised the ad, but said it showed that anorexia was not just a problem of the fashion world. "Finally, someone says the truth about anorexia, that it's not a fashion problem but a psychiatric problem," ANSA quoted the pair as saying.

THE PRAVDA

Yoko Ono to unveil peace tower in Iceland in memory of Lennon's 67th birthday

10.10.2007

Yoko Ono urged the world to give peace a chance Tuesday as she unveiled a monument in memory of her husband, John Lennon.

Ono lit up the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy island near the Icelandic capital's harbor on what would have been Lennon's 67th birthday.

The former Beatle was shot dead outside his New York apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980 by deranged fan Mark David Chapman.

Ono was joined at the ceremony by the couple's son, Sean Lennon, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and bandmate George Harrison's widow Olivia.

"We're all here for Johnny.s birthday and the big light," Starr said. "I love the light."

Paul McCartney also was invited, but did not attend.

The tower is a beam of light, radiating from a wishing well bearing the words "imagine peace" in 24 languages. The plan is for it to be lit each year between his birthday, Oct. 9, and the anniversary of his death on Dec. 8.

Ono, an artist, said she had gathered hundreds of thousands of wishes for world peace at gallery shows around the world. The wishes will be stored in capsules and buried on the island, each topped with a tree.

Ono, 74, has said she came up with the concept for the light tower in 1965 and that Lennon was interested.

"I got the idea because I just liked the romantic idea of having a building that just appears, emerges once in a while but sometimes it is not seen," Ono said on Iceland's Channel 2 television.

She said the world was less peaceful now than 40 years ago, but she said her faith in humanity was not shaken.

"Of course we can bring about world peace because we are very reasonable people," she said. "We know that if we don't, it is going to be very painful for us."

She said she chose Iceland, the world's northernmost country, because it was a very eco-friendly country that relied on geothermal energy.

"It's so beautiful," she said. "There's a certain strangeness to it. I would like to say it's magical."

THE GUARDIAN

World's future hinges on peace between faiths, Islamic scholars tell Pope BY Riazat Butt and Martin Hodgson

Thursday October 11, 2007

The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians, Islamic scholars told the Pope today.

In a letter addressed directly to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, 138 prominent Muslim scholars said that finding common ground between the world's biggest two religions was not "simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue".

The letter, which is entitled A Common Word between Us and You, says: "Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world's population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians."

The 29-page document argues that the basis for this understanding can be found in the common principles of the religions: "Love of the one God, and love of the neighbour".

Supporting their argument with quotations from both the Bible and the Qur'an, the signatories say that Mohammed was told the same truths that had already been revealed to previous Christian and Jewish prophets, including Jesus.

But the scholars also stress that there is more at stake than "polite ecumenical dialogue" between religious leaders.

"With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world's inhabitants. Thus our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake," the letter says.

It adds that the Qur'an entreats Muslims to treat Christians and Jews with particular friendship, though it also warns against aggression from Christians.

"We say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them - so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes," the letter says.

Organised by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, a non-governmental organisation based in Amman, Jordan, the document comes a year after another open letter to the Pope following a controversial speech in which he quoted a medieval text linking Islam and violence.

The institute said: "This historic letter is intended by its 138 signatories as an open invitation to Christians to unite with Muslims over the most essential aspects of their respective faiths - the principles of love of one God and love of the neighbour.

"It is hoped that the recognition of this common ground will provide the followers of both faiths with a shared understanding that will serve to defuse tensions around the world."

Many of the signatories are grand muftis who each have tens of millions of followers. There are four British supporters, including the Cambridge academic Shaykh Dr Abdul Hakim Murad Winter.

At the letter's UK launch, Professor Dr Aref Ali Nayed, one of the British signatories, warned people not to get "too hung up" on expecting an answer from the pope.

Dr Nayed, a senior adviser to Cambridge University's interfaith programme, said: "It has taken almost three years to build this momentum and consensus, it is unprecedented. Every person who extends his hand for a handshake would like something in return but we're offering this as free love. It's not a competition. It's not about reciprocity.

"Islam calls upon us to do this."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, one of the recipients, welcomed the pledge to further dialogue between the two faiths.

"The theological basis of the letter and its call to respect each other, be fair, just and kind to another, are indicative of the kind of relationship for which we yearn in all parts of the world especially where Christians and Muslims live together.

"It is particularly important in underlining the need for respect towards minorities in contexts where either Islam or Christianity is the majority presence."

The common scriptural foundations for Jews, Christians and Muslims would be the basis for justice and peace in the world, he said.

"The call should now be taken up by Christians and Muslims at all levels and in all countries and I shall endeavour in this country and internationally, to do my part in working for the righteousness which this letter proclaims as our common goal."

A Common Word coincides with the end of Ramadan and comes just days after the Vatican's official Eid message, which urged Muslims to respect people of all faiths and not exclude them on the ground of religion, race or any other personal characteristic.

Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, the newly appointed president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, has expressed concern about the treatment of Christians in Muslim-majority nations.

In his Eid statement, he called for a "culture of peace and solidarity" and for religious believers to spread a teaching "which honours all human creatures".

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

THE GUARDIAN

Monk reveals how Burmese security forces tortured protesters by Matthew Weaver

Thursday October 11, 2007

New evidence emerged today of the torture of monks and other protesters in Burma, as the security forces arrested more prominent anti-government activists.

A recently released monk revealed today that he and hundreds of others were interrogated to provide the names of the ringleaders of the protests.

When they failed to answer they were kicked and beaten, he told Reuters news agency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, he said they were packed in so tightly at a makeshift prison at the Technical Institute campus in Rangoon that they could not lie down.

They were denied toilets, medical treatment and were fed on barely cooked rice, which they were forced to eat with their hands.

Yesterday an exile group said it had learned that Win Shwe, an active member of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party in Burma, had died under interrogation.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for the National League for Democracy, said 225 party members had been detained.

Several activists have been arrested in the past two days, including the spokesman for the 88 Generation Students, a group that organised the protests against fuel price hikes in August.

The protests mushroomed into mass demonstrations of tens of thousands of people.

Today one of the most prominent demonstrators in the protests, the actor Kyaw Thu, was arrested with his wife, according to the Thai-based Burmese news website, the Irrawaddy.

The couple went into hiding after the crackdown, but were tracked down and seized last night, it said.

Human rights organisations estimate that up to 6,000 protesters were rounded up at the height of the protests and that hundreds were killed.

The military regime has admitted arresting more than 2,000 people, but it claims only 10 were killed.

Today the junta repeated its claim that the protests were whipped up by foreign media.

The state-owned New Light of Myanmar said the protesters were "stooges of foreign countries putting on a play written by their foreign masters".

Burma' military leader, General Than Shwe, has offered to meet the detained opposition leader, Ms Suu Kyi, only if she rejects the call for sanctions against Burma and drops her confrontational stance against the regime.

The official press has made no mention of such talks. Today Human Rights Watch urged the UN security council to impose and enforce an arms embargo on the country.

India, China, Russia and other countries are supplying Burma with weapons that the military uses to commit human rights abuses and to bolster its power, the group said.

"It's time for the security council to end all sales and transfers of arms to a government that uses repression and fear to hang on to power," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

THE GUARDIAN

Michael Jackson teams up with Kanye West and will.i.am by Paul MacInnes

The rappers are helping Jacko with his comeback album and having boring telephone conversations with him. Meanwhile, Mika chooses between Rufus and Brian May, and Muse cruise

Thursday October 11, 2007

"I'm working on stuff for Michael Jackson." With these words, Kanye West has teased the world. Just what is the stuff he is working on? A giant space rocket in the shape of Jackson circa 1989, ready to blast off and take the King of Pop (and a tight circle of his dearest friends) off to a new life in space? A new form of Jesus Juice that reduces the calorific content while upping the wooziness quotient? A new cross-breed of giraffe and monkey (the girkey)?

No, the truth of the matter is stranger than even these fictions. Kanye is actually, really, honestly, working on producing some music for Jacko's first album since 2001's Invincible!

As much has been confirmed by Jacko on his personal webbo: "I've been really busy lately. Soon I will be sharing exciting and surprising news with you. Your continued love and support means so much to me. I really love and appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart." Etc, and so on.

There's no comeback better than a comeback from sexual scandal, public humiliation and borderline bankruptcy, so it's no surprise to find Kanye and that idiot from out of the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, revealing their involvement in the new, highly anticipated (by teenagers in Malaysia) Jacko meisterwerk.

As part of his announcement, detailed in full on the pages of Top Goth popster Vicky "Eye of' Newton, will.i.am detailed at tedious length how he was first approached to do the job and how he couldn't believe it was Jacko, etc.

"Michael just called me out of the blue and I just didn't believe it was him."

Surely the voice pitched three octaves higher than normal gave the game away?

"I was like, 'Come on, who is this, how did you get my number? Stop playing around.' He said: 'No, it's really me, it's Michael.'"

Did he? Wow, that's a killer. We hope this story never ends!

"I still didn't believe it was him and was like, 'Dude, seriously, I got to go.'"

That was amazing. Expect the album to be released in 2008 and will.i.am to have another scintillating anecdote to tell at the launch party.

While we're dealing with matters Vicky this morning, it seems appropriate to doff our trucker hats in her direction and, in particular, towards her steadfast devotion to plugging the Brit Awards a good six months ahead of the actual event.

Vick must be hoping to get a few relatives in on the guest list or something as she's been revealing lukewarm tidbits of gossip for weeks now. Today is no exception as she exclusively reveals...

And we really should take a pause here...

As she exclusively reveals...

One more pause for effect...

As she exclusively reveals... that Mika is to play the show! And will do a duet with somebody! Somebody as yet unconfirmed!

Here's the full scoop: "Now I can reveal that next year's event will see Mika perform with either former Queen guitarist Brian May or Rufus Wainwright."

Such exciting possibilities! On the one hand Mika would get to play up his Freddie Mercury impersonating side, on the other he'd get to act really camp!

Either way it's a rock'n'roll legend in the making and if you don't believe us just listen to some PR working on the awards!

"[Mika] knows how to put on a great show on his own - but with either Brian or Rufus on stage next to him he would blow the roof off."

Too right it would! BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

Everybody knows that Muse like to push the boundaries of live performance. Their Wembley shows this summer featured some of the wildest stunts ever seen, from people having sex with zebras to a full recreation of the Bible's Book of Ezekiel live on stage. [Are you sure about this? - editor/reader's editor/lawyers representing Muse.]

But as wild as all that was, next year, they plan to go one better. Yes, they're going to hire a boat and do some shows on that instead.

"I'm a stadiums man at heart," drummer Dom Howard told Kim Dawson of Kim Dawson's Playlist, but that didn't stop him from revealing a brave new direction.

"We've talked about a tour of the Med coast next year and doing gigs from a boat.

"We see ourselves rocking up to a port in a nice town, opening the back of the boat and doing the gig. Then closing it up and going off to the next town - touring by sea."

It's great to see the guys have boat safety at the forefront of their minds - to all those planning to take a boat out, please follow Muse's lead and close it up before doing so - and we can imagine the gigs will change the way live sea-to-shore performance is perceived forever. Either that or it'll be like hanging around with Simon Le Bon in 1987. We will see.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

Mills and McCartney meet in divorce court by Martin Hodgson

Thursday October 11, 2007

Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are meeting in court today for the opening round of what may become the costliest divorce battle in British legal history.

Dozens of reporters were waiting outside the Royal Courts of Justice when the couple arrived in separate cars at the back of the building.

Ms Mills was shrouded in a blanket as she entered the building, while Sir Paul wore a dark grey suit.

Once inside, the estranged couple used the judges' private stairs to reach court 16, which was closed to the public.

The secrecy surrounding the case was underlined by the fact that the noticeboard outside the court contained neither the names of the two parties in the case nor that of the judge. Even a small spy hole in the courtroom door had been covered.

At today's meeting the pair and their lawyers are expected to seek to reach a financial settlement and avoid a costly and public hearing.

It has been reported that Sir Paul, 65, has offered Ms Mills, 39, a lump sum of between Ł15m and Ł20m. Further annual payments of between Ł3m and Ł3.5m would continue until the couple's daughter, Beatrice, now four, turns 18.

Under such a settlement the total payout could approach Ł70m, according to some divorce lawyers.

The deal is expected to outstrip the Ł48m that the insurance broker John Charman, 53, was ordered to pay his ex-wife Beverley in May this year in Britain's biggest contested divorce settlement to date.

Sir Paul and Ms Mills met at a charity event in 1999 and married in June 2002, four years after his first wife, Linda, died of breast cancer.

It is expected that any settlement would include a clause preventing either party from speaking publicly about their marriage breakdown.

News reports have suggested the relationship was stormy from the start. When the former Beatle and Ms Mills announced last May that they were ending their four-year marriage, they insisted the parting was "amicable".

But acrimony soon broke out, reaching a low point last October when a leaked set of divorce papers set out a catalogue of sensational allegations by Ms Mills. She accused Sir Paul of assaulting her at least four times, and cutting her arm with a broken wine glass. She also claimed he had stopped her breastfeeding their daughter, frozen her bank account and changed the locks at the marital home.

The warring couple hired the lawyers who negotiated the divorce of the Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. Ms Mills retained Diana's solicitor, Anthony Julius of Mischon de Reya, and Sir Paul recruited Fiona Shackleton of Payne Hicks Beach, who had represented the prince.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

THE BBC NEWS

Gore and UN panel win Nobel prize

Climate change campaigner Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The committee cited "their efforts to build up and disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change".

Mr Gore, US vice-president under Bill Clinton, said he was "deeply honoured".

Mr Gore, 59, won an Oscar for his climate change film An Inconvenient Truth while the IPCC is the top authority on global warming.

He told a cheering crowd of colleagues and journalists outside his office in Delhi that he hoped the award would bring a "greater awareness and a sense of urgency" to the fight against global warming.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it wanted to bring into sharper focus the "increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states" posed by climate change.

It highlighted a series of scientific reports issued over the last two decades by the IPCC, which comprises more than 2,000 leading climate change scientists and experts.

The reports had "created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming", the committee said.

Mr Gore was praised as "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted", through his lectures, films and books.

The choice of recipients continues a trend of the Nobel Peace Prize redefining the potential sources of conflict and threats to peace, says the BBC's world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge.

'Planetary emergency'

Speaking in Washington, Mr Gore praised the IPCC, "whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years".

"We face a true planetary emergency," Mr Gore warned. "It is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

He said he would donate his half of the $1.5m prize money to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Mr Gore's selection has prompted supporters to renew calls for him to stand in next year's US presidential race. Until now, Mr Gore has said he will not run.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC)

Established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep)

Made up of more than 2,000 leading climate experts

Tasked with assessing scientific data on the risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for mitigation

Does not carry out any research of its own

First Assessment Report published in 1990; its Fourth Assessment Report called Climate Change 2007 to be published mid-November

President George W Bush, who defeated Mr Gore in a bitter fight for the presidency in 2000, was "happy" at the "important recognition" for his rival and the IPCC, a White House spokesman said.

However, the president was not about to change his more sceptical stance on global warming to a more "Gore-style" approach, the spokesman said.

The former vice-president has emerged as a leading climate campaigner. His 2006 documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, was an unlikely box-office hit and won two Oscars - though it was also criticised by a British judge this week for containing nine errors, and for being alarmist.

The IPCC, established in 1988, is tasked with providing policymakers with neutral summaries of the latest expertise on climate change.

The organisation involves hundreds of scientists working to collate and evaluate the work of thousands more.

THE TIME

My Friend, Steve Fossett By Richard Branson

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007

I first met Steve Fossett on a freezing January evening at the Busch stadium in St. Louis, Mo., in 1997. He was about to attempt a solo circumnavigation of the world by balloon, and although we were rivals, I decided to see him off in the spirit of sportsmanship that still inhabits the world of record-breaking. As I neared his balloon, a TV crew approached, and I found myself being filmed chatting with a man I thought was on his team. I said one had to be a bit mad to test oneself in this way. The quiet American in front of me looked at me sympathetically and said, "I am Steve Fossett."

That was the beginning of a long and close friendship with one of the most generous, good-natured and kind people I have ever met but also one of the bravest and most determined adventurers and explorers of all time. Steve held more world records than any other human being. He began adventuring in a modest way, swimming the English Channel in 1985. Over the next 22 years, he amassed 115 records in aviation, gliding, ballooning, sailing, boating, mountaineering, skiing, triathlon, even dogsledding. He truly was the adventurer's adventurer.

Less well known is Steve's fantastic success in business, which allowed him the focus in later life on pushing the boundaries of human endeavor and materials technology in pursuit of whatever goal he set his mind to achieving. Within 14 years of graduating from Stanford, he had worked for IBM, become a leading Chicago futures broker, set up his own business and made his first million dollars. Through all this, Steve developed an acute understanding of risk, something essential in business but also in pushing other frontiers.

In no project that Steve undertook did he demonstrate management of risk with greater skill than during his circumnavigation of the globe in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. He later described this in his autobiography, Chasing the Wind, as one of his proudest achievements. The aircraft, displayed in the Smithsonian Institution, is a unique carbon-composite jet that led the way in new, energy-efficient technology now being developed by Boeing and Airbus. Steve proved it was possible to safely fly an ultralight high-altitude jet burning lean fuel. He did so by sitting in one alone for 3½ days without rest (apart from a few of his legendary power naps) in difficult weather conditions at altitudes of 50,000 ft. (15,250 m); a mechanical failure meant temperatures inside his tiny Perspex canopy for a time reached 130 degrees F (55 degrees C). Passengers on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is expected to burn 30% less fuel than today's jets, will have a lot to thank Steve for.

But Steve got there first and helped give confidence to airlines like Virgin to order the first generation of modern planes not built of metal. His epic flight also led the way for the design of a unique aircraft we are now building to launch people, payload and science into outer space next year. We plan to name it Spirit of Steve Fossett in his honor.

Steve's latest project was to have been to push the frontiers of aerodynamics and fuel technology in car design by attempting the supersonic land-speed record next year from a dry salt-lake bed in Nevada. He may have been looking for alternative sites for this attempt when his light aircraft disappeared without a trace on Sept. 3.

When I look back at my friendship with Steve, I realize we were very different people, but there were many things that we had in common. Steve put it best when he told me, "People often assume I am a thrill seeker, but I am not. I do not enjoy roller coasters, and you won't find me bungee-jumping... It is a disadvantage that my pursuits are inherently dangerous. A large part of my effort is to reduce the risk."

I and all his many friends around the world miss Steve very much. On behalf of them, I would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to his lovely wife, Peggy. It is hard to say goodbye to a true American hero when a part of me can't help thinking he will still walk out of that harsh and unforgiving desert that encompassed so much of what he loved about the great outdoors.

THE TIME

Yellowstone Wolves: Embattled Again By Pat Dawson/Yellowstone National Park

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007

After grazing around a mostly dormant hot spring known as Soda Butte, bison amble single file to ford the Lamar River and join the herd on a recent sunny fall afternoon. Two young bull bison bringing up the rear jostle each other playfully with their massive black heads. Aspen trees are gilding, and a few fly fishermen wade into the river. A narrow road runs through this corner of Yellowstone National Park, and cars and vans have stopped all along it, depositing wildlife watchers gripping binoculars, spotting scopes and cameras. The tourists stand at the edge of the panorama like fence posts, surveying the free-roaming bison in the mountain valley perhaps hoping also to glimpse a grizzly bear — and maybe even the latest attraction in northeast Yellowstone, wolves.

It was near Soda Butte in 1924 that the last Yellowstone wolves — two pups — were killed by rangers. Wolves remained starkly absent from the landscape until 1995, when the first experimental packs of gray wolves (Canis lupus) were brought from western Canada to the Lamar Valley to repopulate Yellowstone and restore a natural balance to the Park's wildlife. For 71 years, with no year-round predator to control them, the Park's elk herds had grown bloated and complacent, threatening to overgraze the land's willow and aspen shoots. But since the reintroduction of wolves, their grazing patterns have changed and the elk have become wary and more dispersed — as they ought to be.

The reintroduction of the wolf — what ecologists call a "keystone species" — to Yellowstone has been a resounding success. The wolves thrived on the Park's abundant elk and moose along with weakened or winter-killed bison. They reproduced quickly, formed new packs and fiercely defended their territories. So, it did not take long before the wolves got into trouble. They wandered, inevitably, past the protective boundaries of the Park and out onto ranchland in the surrounding states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, where they were shot for preying on sheep and cattle. But these were isolated cases — the wolf retained most of the legal status of endangered species, protected from all but official "management" killing — and they did not go unpunished. In 1995, a trigger-happy gunman who killed a wandering Yellowstone wolf wearing a radio-tracking collar was convicted in federal court and sentenced to six months in jail, $10,000 and year of probation.

Still, the wolf's triumphant return to Yellowstone may be its undoing. The 66 wolves brought to Yellowstone and the Central Idaho wilderness in 1995 and 1996 have grown to about 1,300. At the request of the state legislatures in Wyoming and Idaho — lobbied heavily by organized shooting-sports interests — the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&WS) is about to remove the Yellowstone-area wolf from the federal Endangered Species list and allow the states to manage them. Known as the 10(j) rule, a special exemption to the Endangered Species Act allows government agencies extra leeway in controlling "experimental populations" like the gray wolf; in short, the government is allowed to kill them. Both Wyoming and Idaho expect USF&WS to lift wolf protection early next year. Then it will be open season for many eager shooters, including Idaho's governor, C.L. "Butch" Otter, who told a rally of petitioning sportsmen in Boise earlier this year, "I'm prepared to bid for that first ticket to shoot a wolf myself." Idaho's official stance is to allow the killing of all wolves over and above the statutory minimum number of breeding pairs: 100 of the approximately 673 wolves in the state.

Until they're delisted, federal and state wildlife officers can go after wolves only when they kill livestock. A few besieged ranchers in wolf habitat are also given shoot-on-sight authority to protect their flocks and herds. In Montana, more than 50 wolves have been killed so far this year, often from government helicopters and airplanes.

The debate over delisting is a noisy one. Wildlife advocates are fighting state shooting and trapping plans: in Wyoming courts, they have opposed the state petition to delist and locally manage wolves outside national parks, saying there's no science to support delisting. Stripping wolves of their protected status now, before their numbers are high enough, advocates say, would threaten the species' genetic diversity. Federal biologists also dismiss claims that wolves, left uncontrolled, will decimate a state's elk and deer populations. There are close to 300,000 elk in the Northern Rockies, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) — well above state objectives in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana — and only 1,300 wolves. If you're seeing fewer elk, it's because they're warier these days and harder to hunt.

Meanwhile, ranchers, daunted by the threat of wolves preying on their livestock, are hoping for better protection. To affected ranchers, wolves present a very real menace to their economic and psychic survival, despite the fact that the wildlife advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife reimburses ranchers for all proven wolf kills of lambs and calves. (Reimbursement will end if the wolf is officially taken off the Endangered Species list.) And, finally, there is the large faction of sportsmen who can't wait to begin shooting wolves in Wyoming and Idaho. There, the wolves, once delisted, will sink to the lowly status of varmints and predators — like coyotes, skunks and gophers — which hunters may shoot for sport.

Wolf advocates have moved their case beyond cowboy country to the rest of the nation. Early this month, the NRDC Action Fund began running national TV advertisements dramatizing the threat to wolves by aerial hunting. The ad seeks to rally outraged viewers to write to the government by October 11, when the window for public comment on the federal delisting proposal closes. So far, more than 78,000 people have written in opposing the 10(j) rule in direct response to the ads, says Craig Noble of the NRDC Action Fund — in addition to the 130,000 letters from supporters in July, and another 136,500 comments against the delisting plan sent in April.

Back in the Lamar Valley, wildlife watchers congregate for last daylight, then stream away in a long parade of headlights. Two hours after sunset, Druid Peak slowly assumes a halo of pale light as the moon rises behind it. The night is silent except for the gentle rippling of the river. Then, as the moon tops the peak, the cry of a wolf floats out. Not a wild howl, but one short melodic measure of high notes, an eerily exotic sound. Inside the park, the wolves can still sing. But outside, it might prove to be a death song.

THE BBC NEWS

China building more power plants By Roger Harrabin

China is now building about two power stations every week, the top climate change official at the UK Foreign Office, John Ashton, has said.

He said there was no point blaming China for rising global CO2 emissions.

Rich nations had to set an example of low-carbon development for China to follow, Mr Ashton told the BBC.

His statement came as a new report suggested that China may have already become the world's biggest polluter - much earlier than expected.

The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency said China's CO2 emissions had risen by 9% last year, compared with 1.4% in the US.

Carbon footprint

"It is a massive challenge," Mr Ashton told the BBC following a recent trip to China.

"We need to convince China that they don't have to make a choice between prosperity and protecting the climate. We need to help them towards a low-carbon future.

"There is also a moral case. Most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been put there by developed countries without the constraint of having to worry about the climate. That means we should bear the leading edge of responsibility.

Mr Ashton added that the Chinese had put out their first climate strategy, in an effort "to get to grips with their emissions and use energy efficiently".

He pointed out that much of China's emissions growth was being driven by consumers in the West buying Chinese goods, and noted that China's emissions per person were still well below those of rich nations.

It is estimated that the average American still pollutes between five and six times more than the average Chinese person.

Climate sceptics in the UK have been asking why Britons should switch off lights, turn down central heating and avoid foreign flights in order to save carbon when the Chinese are increasing emissions at their current rate.

"Responsibility for China's soaring emissions lies not just in Beijing but also in Washington, Brussels and Tokyo," said Greenpeace UK director John Sauven.

"All we've done is export a great slice of the West's carbon footprint to China, and today we see the result.

"Let us not forget that the average Chinese emits just 3.5 tonnes of CO2 per year, whereas Britons emit nearly 10 tonnes and Americans 20 tonnes.

"The West moved its manufacturing base to China knowing it was vastly more polluting than Japan, Europe or the US," he added.

"No environmental conditions were attached to this move; in fact the only thing manufacturers were interested in was the price of labour.

"This trend kept the price of our products down but at the cost of soaring greenhouse gas emissions. Long term, this policy has been a climate disaster.

"We should export clean energy technology to China to increase low carbon and renewable energy take-up so the products we import have a smaller carbon footprint."

THE NEWSWEEK/MSNBC

Scientists Confirm 'Hobbit' Species Was Human By Jessica Bennett

A new study of a skeleton of a member of a race of three-foot-tall ‘hobbits’ who lived 12,000 years ago in Indonesia shows that they were a species of human—and that the evolutionary path to Homo sapiens has been tortuous indeed.

Updated: 2:16 p.m. ET Sept. 20, 2007

Sept. 20, 2007 - It was an astonishing discovery: the skeletal remains of a new human species that lived for eons on a remote island while man colonized the rest of the planet. Back when it was first discovered in 2003, on the tiny Indonesian island of Flores, the three-foot-tall adult female skeleton was dubbed "the hobbit," because she—and the 11 other skeletal remains that were found like her—bore more of a resemblance to the Tolkien fantasy characters than to modern humans. The hobbit's discovery presented evidence that as recently as 12,000 years ago another species of human may have roamed the earth and, more startling, that our evolutionary history was a lot more complex than previously thought. Many scientists were more skeptical—the bones, they said, most likely belonged to a diminutive human with physical defects: a freak.

The skeptics, however, were wrong. According to a new study published Thursday in the journal Science, the hobbit species, Homo floresiensis, or Flores Man, was indeed a new human species—an offshoot of an earlier human ancestor from Africa that somehow reached Flores and likely survived by hunting pygmy elephants and dodging Komodo dragons. The key was an analysis of the skeleton's wrist. Matthew Tocheri, a postdoctoral anthropology fellow at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, says the hobbit bones are primitive; the wrist bones are shaped differently from those of humans and Neanderthals—and thus represent a human lineage that appeared before the modern wrist evolved, with Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Tocheri, who has been studying wrists since 2001 and began looking at the hobbit's wrist bones last November, spoke with NEWSWEEK's Jessica Bennett. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: What's different about what was published back in 2004 and what you're publishing now?

Matthew Tocheri: In 2004, when the initial reports came out, not everything had been analyzed, and they mainly focused on the skull, because that's what's generally most preserved in the fossil record. The reason this paper is catching such a storm is because it's basically coming out of left field. The main hobbit specimen has three wrist bones preserved, and the results are quite clear. Within our human, great-ape family tree, we've got two very different types of wrists: those of humans and those of living African apes, like chimps and bonobos and gorillas. And the hobbit wrist looks just like that of the African apes.

What does this say about human evolution?

It smashes the long-cherished scientific belief that our species, Homo sapiens, has had the earth to ourselves for tens of thousands of years. It makes us realize how much more complicated our recent evolutionary history is. Before the hobbit was found, we thought that for the last 30,000 years or so we've been alone in the world, and that all the other earlier hominid forms that we see in the fossil record between 1 and 3 million years ago had died out. Now we know that not all of those lineages went extinct prior to 1 million years ago, and some lived all the way up to the present time.

Does it also raise even more questions about where we come from?

It doesn't necessarily raise questions about where we come from, but it does raise many questions about where the hobbits came from. When did the hobbit's ancestors leave Africa? How did they get all the way to Southeast Asia, and when? It looks as if this could be just the tip of the iceberg, which makes it such an exciting discovery for science. It tells us that, hey, we've got a lot of work to do.

What about the argument that there could be a pathological explanation to all of this?

Pathology cannot adequately explain why the shape of the hobbit's [wrist] is just like what we've seen in Australopithecus, early species of Homo, and African apes. The characteristic shapes of wrist bones develop during the first trimester [of gestation], well before genes that cause growth disorders and other skeletal defects begin to express themselves. Therefore, pathology cannot explain, for example, why the hobbit's wrist is indistinguishable from that of a normal chimpanzee.

But there are still skeptics, no?

In this debate most people have sat somewhere in the middle, waiting for more evidence. I think what this paper does is convince all those who were undecided, people who are allowing the evidence to help make up their minds, that this is really a primitive species of human and not a modern human with some form of pathology.

What was your involvement back when the hobbit was first discovered in 2003?

None at all. I was an innocent bystander until about a year ago, when by accident these wrist bones basically ended up in the same room I was in. At that point I hadn't made up my mind about anything. But even without knowing what I now know, if you had shown me these wrists without any other contextual information, I'd have said it is the wrist of a small African ape or fossil hominin. They don't look anything like what the bones look like in modern humans.

Flores Man's grapefruit-size brain was two-thirds smaller than ours, a size at one time thought too small for sophisticated thought. But evidence suggests that the creatures made stone tools, tended fires and organized hunts. If that's true, would it overturn scientific axioms about the relationship of brain size to intelligence?

There's never been a skull that small in the genus Homo. It's basically equivalent to a chimp or Australopithecine [an apelike hominin closely related to humans]. And that small brain size creates a problem, because we thought that once the brain size started getting big, all the other hominin species with smaller brains went extinct. But these hobbits not only made it out of Africa but across Asia to a small, remote Indonesian island. How they did it and when they did it—these are questions we now have to solve. But it definitely tells us that big brains may not be everything about the story. All the parts of the skeletal anatomy need to be explored.

What does this discovery say about Africa holding or not holding the answers to how and where we came to be? Could there be other types of people who lived?

Africa is still the most likely place of our ancestry, but that doesn't mean that different types of hominins didn't get out of Africa earlier than we previously thought. We've always known that there are other types of hominins, but the hobbits tell us that there are other types that have lived almost up until today. So all of a sudden certain places that may not have been interesting [for excavation] because their sediments weren't old enough, now are. Hobbits are opening up a whole lot of doors, telling us that the next 50 years or so are going to be very exciting in human origins research. Is it going to make the picture complicated? Yes. But it's going to result in good science in the long run, and it's going to be tremendously exciting.

So what's the next step?

To do more excavations on Flores and the islands surrounding it, as well as more detailed analyses on the fossils we have. We've got a whole lot of looking and studying to do.

THE BBC NEWS

Skies to be swept for alien life

The switch has been thrown on a telescope specifically designed to seek out alien life.

Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the finished array will have 350 six-metre antennas and will be one of the world's largest.

The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) will be able to sweep more than one million star systems for radio signals generated by intelligent beings.

Its creators hope it will help spot definite signs of alien life by 2025.

First light

The ATA is being run by the Seti Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory from the University of California, Berkeley, US

"For Seti, the ATA's technical capabilities exponentially increase our ability to search for intelligent signals, and may lead to the discovery of thinking beings elsewhere in the Universe," said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Seti Institute in a statement.

On 11 October, the first 42 dishes of the array started gathering data that will be analysed for signs of alien life and help with conventional radio astronomy.

The first test images produced by the array are radio maps of the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy.

The ATA is pioneering a novel design.

Rather than being hand built, each six-metre antenna is made of a mass-produced dish and off-the-shelf components. Behind the scenes, digital signal processing software is used to analyse data and clean out man-made interference that would otherwise make the captured information useless.

The layout of the array has also been carefully plotted so the instruments work in unison to take a single snapshot of huge swathes of the sky.

The ATA's creators claim that even with only 42 antennas on-stream, the instrument already rivals larger instruments in its ability to carry out brightness, temperature and point source surveys.

When all 350 dishes are gathering data, the ATA's creators say it will allow the gathering of data on an "unprecedented" scale.

The finished instrument will be able to study an area of the sky 17 times larger than that possible with the Very Large Array in New Mexico.

Mr Allen has provided Seti and Berkeley with a $25m grant to fund the initial construction work on the instrument. Other sponsors are being sought for the other $25m needed to complete the project.

It is expected to help improve understanding of such phenomena as supernovas, black holes, and exotic astronomical objects that have been predicted but never observed.

The array is situated in Hat Creek, California, and lies about 290 miles (470 km) north of San Francisco.

THE BBC NEWS

Netherlands bans magic mushrooms

The Dutch government is banning the sale of all magic mushrooms after a series of high-profile incidents involving tourists who had taken them.

The decision will go into effect within several months, said a spokesman for the Dutch Justice Ministry.

A major Dutch producer of the psychedelic mushrooms said he stood to lose millions of euros as a result.

The Netherlands is famed for its liberal drugs policy, with marijuana openly sold in licensed cafes.

Magic mushrooms, more properly known as psilocybe, contain the psychedelic chemicals psilocybin and psilocin.

"We intend to forbid the sale of magic mushrooms," said Justice Ministry spokesman Wim van der Weegen.

"That means shops caught doing so will be closed," he said.

Currently in the Netherlands the sale of dried magic mushrooms - in which the psychoactive chemicals psilocybin and psilocin are stronger - is banned but fresh mushrooms are allowed.

This is because it is more difficult to ascertain how much of the chemicals fresh mushrooms contain. But Mr Van der Weegen said this was exactly the issue.

"The problem with mushrooms is that their effect is unpredictable. It's impossible to estimate what amount will have what effect."

Calls for a re-evaluation of the drug grew after a 17-year-old French girl jumped from a building after eating magic mushrooms during a school trip to Amsterdam in March.

Other incidents involving the drug have included an Icelandic tourist jumping from a balcony and breaking both legs and a Danish tourist driving his car wildly through a camping ground, narrowly missing sleeping campers.

"It's a shame, the media really blew this up into a big issue," said Chloe Collette, owner of the FullMoon shop, which sells magic mushrooms in Amsterdam.

She said all the incidents had involved magic mushrooms in conjunction with other drugs.

Murat Kucuksen, whose farm supplies about half the magic mushrooms on sale in the Netherlands, said he stood to lose several million euros as a result of the ban.

Users of fresh mushrooms experience effects ranging from giggling fits and intensification of colours, lights and sounds to, more rarely, hallucinations. Negative effects can include vomiting, and anxiety.

THE AFTENPOSTEN

Cold War shivers re-emerge by Nina Berglund

Norway's military has felt it necessary to dispatch fighter jets 29 times so far this year, to monitor Russian military flights offshore. Now it's emerged that at least one of the Russian aircraft was equipped with a cruise missile.

Newspaper Aftenposten carried a photo of the Russian Tupolev 22 bomber on its front page on Thursday. The photo was taken by a Norwegian fighter jet crew sent out to monitor the flights of two such aircraft about seven weeks ago.

Military officials say the two Russian flights were in "classic position" to fire cruise missiles off Bodø, but both turned away before reaching Norwegian territory, 12 nautical miles from land.

The maneuvers were said to be "unusual," and part of a series of Russian flights in recent months that many are beginning to view as "sabre-rattling" on the part of Russian officials keen to assert their authority in the area.

Norwegian military officials are quick to note that the missile incident wasn't considered a direct provocation. Tor Sandlie, chief of NATO's air operations in northern Norway, told Aftenposten that "we look at this as normal training activity."

On the agenda

The heightened Russian activity is being closely watched, however, and was a topic of talks this week among the foreign ministers of Norway, Sweden and Finland in the northern city of Bodø. There, they received a briefing from military brass inside a NATO facility.

While 29 Russian military flights have been photographed, an equal number haven't been. The Russian activity over the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas has extended as far south as Great Britain, and it's increasing, but remains nowhere near the scale of activity during the Cold War.

Foreign Ministers Ilkka Kanerva of Finland, Carl Bildt of Sweden and Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway agreed that the activity doesn't appear aimed at the Nordic countries and that it can be considered part of legitimate training operations. Local politicians hope residents of northern Norway won't be frightened by the flights, and instead view them merely as Russian officials' desire to demonstrate that they once again have military muscle.

The ministers, meanwhile, expressed solidarity and cooperation on security issues in the north, with Kanerva of Finland noting that among the three countries, "there aren't any foreign or security policy questions that can't be discussed."

THE NEWSWEEK/MSNBC

'You Do What You Have to Do' By Allison Samuels

How two Hollywood women who faced family tragedies use their fame and contacts to help others

Oct. 15, 2007 issue - At first glance, Lilly Tartikoff and Holly Robinson Peete seem to have only one thing in common: busy Hollywood lives. Tartikoff found fame, visibility and fortune during her marriage to wunderkind NBC programmer Brandon Tartikoff. Robinson Peete, married to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, became a familiar face when she appeared opposite Johnny Depp on the show "21 Jump Street."

But the two women share a deeper connection. Both endured the death of a loved one: Brandon Tartikoff died of Hodgkin's disease in 1997; Robinson Peete's father, Matt Robinson (Gordon on "Sesame Street"), succumbed to Parkinson's disease in 2002. Both also know the heartache of raising children with disabilities. On New Year's Day 1991, Tartikoff's oldest daughter, Calla, 8 at the time, suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident. Robinson Peete's 9-year-old son, Rodney, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. And both have turned personal pain into public good, raising money and awareness of the problems that transformed their families. The women spoke with NEWSWEEK's Allison Samuels at Robinson Peete's Beverly Hills home.

SAMUELS: Lilly, tell us about your journey with your husband.

TARTIKOFF: Brandon was on the receiving end of some amazing science that kept him alive for 10 years, or maybe longer, than expected. I became obsessed with moving that science forward. So I took my husband's massive Rolodex and just started calling everyone in it for money [to fund research]. No one was safe from my call. It was tough work. You have to remember this was in the '80s, when cancer was still very hush-hush in some circles.

Holly, your experience began with your father taking you to college.

ROBINSON PEETE: My dad was a writer for "The Cosby Show" in New York when I began college. The day he dropped me off, I saw him wobbling a little bit as he walked away, so I yelled, "Hey, why are you walking like Fred Sanford?" And he yelled back, "You just make sure you don't end up in the junkyard with bad grades." We always laughed things off in our family. But gradually the symptoms became worse and we couldn't ignore it anymore.

He had Parkinson's. And you ended up starting a foundation for those with the disease.

ROBINSON PEETE: At a certain point my dad couldn't take care of himself anymore, so my husband and I moved him to Los Angeles. It was a lot of work and it took a lot of help—which made my husband ask, "What do people do when they don't have the resources we have?" And so the HollyRod Foundation was born.

So you dealt with cancer and Parkinson's disease, but it doesn't end there. You have both very privately faced other challenges.

TARTIKOFF: You do what you have to. I would take Brandon to chemo in the mornings and go to rehab with Calla in the evenings. They told me she'd never walk again, and I couldn't accept that. She was such a bright girl who wrote her first book when she was 5. So it broke my heart, like it would any mother's, to hear that.

There had to be days when it was too much.

TARTIKOFF: Of course. I remember the year that most of Calla's friends turned 16 and had birthday parties. [Calla is now 24.] Those days were tough, because so many mothers get excited when their kids begin applying and getting accepted at Yale or Harvard. For me as a mother, the day my daughter was able to lift her head up and hold it for several minutes at a time was my great day. I don't know if many mothers can understand how the little things bring joy when you face what we've faced.

ROBINSON PEETE: Amen. The day Rodney said his first complete sentence was just so incredible for me, and it sounds like nothing to most moms. I didn't really come out and talk about my son's autism until this year, because I just couldn't. I had to get a handle on it myself before telling the world.

Do you keep trying to give back, or do you stop at some point for your own sanity?

ROBINSON PEETE: For me there is no stopping, because now I have another journey with my son and it's really important that I get that story out there, particularly for African-American parents.

TARTIKOFF: I don't do the Fire and Ice Ball [a legendary Hollywood fund-raiser] anymore, but money and awareness are still being raised. I took time off to focus on my daughter and help her adjust to adulthood, and she's doing wonderfully. But as Holly said, you're always giving, and I do remember having to leave my kids when they were young to work on projects because one woman said, "Your work is going to save the next woman—maybe not me—but the next woman." That's a hard thing to walk away from.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Bridging fears

September 29, 2007

Conquer that fear of heights and get the best view of Sydney, writes Kelsey Munro.

It's like something from a dream: a seagull flying beneath my feet. I am high above the harbour, stepping gingerly down a narrow steel mesh staircase under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I look down at my sneakers and the vertiginous drop below. Then a white gull glides serenely underneath and it feels as if the sky has turned upside-down. I'm not particularly scared of heights but right then I take a deep breath and grip the skinny rail.

Others might nominate the Opera House sails, the sparkling harbour or perhaps the glittering city skyline as the best view from the bridge climb. But, spectacular as that all is, the gull sticks in my mind. And according to my non-scientific poll of acrophobic bridge climbers who have battled their fear of heights, the mesh catwalk beneath the bridge is the part of the climb that sticks most in their minds. Being able to see through the floor you're treading on runs counter to some very sensible instincts.

Since 1998 almost 2 million jumpsuit-clad visitors have ascended to the Coathanger's summit on the original BridgeClimb route. Now there's a second option: the Discovery Climb, which is the same price as the original but follows a more complicated route. On it, you edge out further beneath the bridge, duck and weave through some tight little spaces and then climb up the inner arch above the roadway.

The confronting news for acrophobes is that the Discovery Climb features even more exposure to the mesh catwalk. Launched late last year, it's still less popular than the original route, probably because it's more challenging. But it's spectacular, literally breathtaking - particularly when there's nothing but a piece of steel lattice between you and nothing. (Of course, you're tied to the bridge the entire time. But just try reasoning with a phobia.)

Before we start our Discovery Climb our group is breathalysed and elaborately kitted out at the climb HQ. First it's the fetching grey jumpsuit, an item of clothing that manages to be both generic and unflattering. By the time the belt, the slider (which latches us to the bridge), the radio, headset and various other bits and pieces are clipped to our jumpsuits, we look as if we're lost on our way to Comic-Con.

The Trekky gear is to ensure nothing can drop off while you're on the bridge - so no cameras, mobiles, jewellery or watches allowed. This is great; it leaves you free to absorb the experience rather than fret over photos for posterity. The climb leader does that for you, interrupting the ascent several times to take pictures of everyone in the group. If you want a memento it's a tourist-gouging $20 and upwards for a photo at the souvenir shop - incidentally, the best place in the world to stock up on bridge kitsch: snow domes, golf balls, stubby holders and more.

Our group's climb leader is Ben, who has the blokey bonhomie and cheesy humour that must be hardwired into the DNA of every Australian male in the tourism industry. But he's genuinely funny, too, and his commentary, coming through our radio headsets, is lively and off the cuff. He says later he's led more than 2000 climbs, so even sounding spontaneous must be hard work.

We have landed a perfect Sydney winter's day for our climb: the sky is cloudless and crystalline blue. After latching ourselves to the cable, our group of 12 edges out along the suspended catwalk. Wending through tricky little staircases and passages beneath the bridge, we suddenly pop up in the middle of several roaring lanes of traffic.

Tight security measures mean the group has to split up to pass through the locked double gates to the lower arch. We begin the ascent and it's almost dreamlike walking alongside the great steel girders spanning the arches. It's like defying gravity in a place not intended for walking. And it's exciting. Every time you pause to look around there is a new, unexpected vista.

Many Sydneysiders would give the 75-year-old bridge little thought, except when she's tarted up for New Year's Eve. (She has been sporting a jazzy star for the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting.) As a local, you stop seeing the bridge anew - it's like an old but loved piece of furniture. But clambering up on the bones of the arch, stepping on the fat mushroom rivets and laying a hand on the sun-warmed steel combine to resurrect its splendour. From the inside out, she's beautiful. And that's even before you consider the engineering feat and the unbeatable views.

Towards the middle of the arch we begin climbing a steep diagonal stairway to the summit. There she is: Sydney. My heart swells at the sight of my home town looking so splendid. From the CBD out to the Heads, over the leafy northern suburbs, then west over Cockatoo Island towards the sinking sun. The rapture gives way to a brief depression over unattainable property values. Sydney is a cruel temptress.

After several more photo stops, we cross the top to begin the gradual descent and catch the red-gold sun at the exact moment it sinks behind the Blue Mountains. Perfect.

On the final stretch, Ben tells a story of BridgeClimb founder Paul Cave and how he set up the lucrative business. It turns out to be a partly apocryphal version of events, but a good one. As the story goes, when Cave first approached the State Government, it had to work out who legally owned the bridge. Turns out it's the people of NSW; the Government is just taking care of it.

Isn't that great? Chances are you won't be able to trade your one-in-7-million-odd share for a free climb, but it might be worth a try.

FAST FACTS

BridgeClimb is at 5 Cumberland Street, The Rocks. The 3 1/2 hour weekday daytime Discovery Climb costs $179 for adults and $109 for children; twilight climbs cost $249/$189. For bookings call (02) 8274 7777 or see http://www.bridgeclimb.com

Participants must be reasonably fit and strong, with full body control and hand-eye co-ordination. Climbs are cancelled only during electrical storms or exceptionally high winds - otherwise wet-weather gear is provided.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/02/1191091110107.html

THE TIME

Rice: Missile Plans to Proceed By AP/ROBERT BURNS and MATTHEW LEE

Friday, Oct. 12, 2007

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says plans to expand the U.S. missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic will proceed, but she wants to seek Russian suggestions for cooperation to address Moscow's opposition to the program.

Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Rice and Gates face arms control and diplomatic disputes that are testing the strength of U.S.-Russian relations, such as Iran's nuclear program, Russia's commitment to democracy and the U.S. missile shield in eastern Europe.

The Pentagon plans to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland, linked to a missile tracking radar in the Czech Republic. The Pentagon says the system will provide some protection in Europe and beyond for long-range missiles launched from Iran, but Russia believes the system is a step toward undermining the deterrent value of its nuclear arsenal.

Rice said the U.S. would go ahead with the program as planned. "We've been very clear that we need the Czech and Polish sites," she said Thursday, although there's "considerable interest" in Russian ideas for cooperation such as sharing a Soviet-era tracking station in Azerbaijan. "We're going to keep exploring ideas, we want to explore ideas," she said. "We are interested in other potential sites as well and we may be able to find ways to put that together."

Rice acknowledged Thursday that she would welcome a face-to-face discussion with Putin about his future political plans, including his interest in becoming prime minister.

The prospect of Putin clinging to power after his presidential term ends has caused U.S. dismay, with the Bush administration expressing concerns about democratic backsliding in Russia, a consolidation of power in the Kremlin, and crackdowns on independent media and opposition groups.

Rice, an expert on the former Soviet Union before she joined the administration, said she would not raise the issue herself. "I wouldn't turn down that offer," Rice said with a smile when asked by reporters how she would respond if Putin raised the topic. But she refused to be drawn out on the subject.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Jury shown suppressed photos of dying princess by Stephen Bates in London

October 13, 2007

PHOTOGRAPHS of the mortally injured Princess Diana, taken by paparazzi while she was trapped in the wreckage of her Mercedes limousine in a Paris underpass, have been shown to the jury at her inquest at the High Court in London.

Although the pictures were offered for sale immediately after the crash and before the princess's death, they have never been shown in public.

Lord Justice Scott Baker, the coroner, ordered that they not be released for publication.

The photographs, shown on Thursday on the seventh day of hearings, were pixelated to obscure the princess's face but showed her hair and her position on the floor of the car beside the back seat.

Other images shown to the jury depicted a photographer squatting beside the open door of the car. Some indicated that pictures were taken through the windows before the doors had been opened to reach the casualties.

Tracks through the debris appeared to show that the photographers who followed the Mercedes had passed it after the crash and returned to take pictures. Photographs taken a few minutes later showed the French emergency doctor Frederic Mailliez tending the princess.

The coroner said: "Although ordinarily everything that the jury hears and sees will go almost immediately on the inquest website, these … will not … for the reason that it is possible for photographs that have been pixelated to be unpixelated if they get into certain hands."

Michael Mansfield, the lawyer representing Mohamed Fayed, father of Dodi Fayed, the princess's companion who was killed instantly in the crash, told the jury: "It is perfectly clear … that the paparazzi who were present at the scene … had no compunction about taking photographs of the victims both inside the car and being carried outside the car."

Richard Keen, representing the parents of the driver, Henri Paul, asked Inspector Paul Carpenter of the Metropolitan Police, who showed the pictures to the jury: "Would you agree that the paparazzi tend to fire off their cameras at the first opportunity of the shot they are looking for?" He replied: "Yes, if you examine the photographs that would certainly appear to be the case."

The day's hearing concerned testimony from witnesses to the crash in the tunnel on August 31, 1997. One, Thierry Hackett, who had been driving the same route, said via a videolink from Paris that he saw the Mercedes swerve as though hindered by motorcycles, though he admitted his memory was now vague.

Guardian News & Media

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Snoop sticks his nose in the trash

October 12, 2007 - 11:11AM

Snoop Dogg will spend 160 hours picking up trash at an Orange County park as part of his sentence for carrying an illegal weapon.

Snoop Dogg will spend 160 hours picking up rubbish in a Southern California park as part of his sentence for carrying an illegal weapon in an airport last year, authorities said.

The rapper, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., will do "everything from raking leaves to painting benches" at an Orange County park in order to meet the 160 hours of community service he was ordered to perform, his lawyer, Donald Etra, said.

Snoop Dogg chose the park site from a list of probation-approved community service sites and will be supervised by a park ranger, county Deputy District Attorney Andre Manssourian said.

A Superior Court judge approved the park service yesterday.

No date was given for him to start or complete the service, but he wants to perform it as quickly as possible, his lawyer said.

"He feels 'whatever it takes' to get this behind him. His goal is to make music, not court appearances," Etra said.

The 35-year-old rapper pleaded guilty last month to one count of felony possession of a dangerous weapon.

He was arrested Sept 27, 2006, after the discovery of a collapsible baton in his computer bag at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Authorities said the baton was a dangerous weapon. Snoop Dogg said it was a prop for a video he was filming in New York.

The felony conviction on his record will be reduced to a misdemeanour if the rapper does not break the law for a year.

His sentence included community service, three years of probation, $US1,000 in fines and court costs, and a $US10,000 donation to a county charity for troubled children.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

The rocky horror show

September 22, 2007

On a trip back to her home town, Katrina Lobley gets caught between a beer and a hard place.

As we pick our way through the beer garden of Brisbane's Breakfast Creek Hotel, my brother asks, "Want a pot off the wood?" He's speaking English, clearly, but I don't know what he means.

"It's Fourex from a wooden keg," he says, as if I should know.

As it turns out, it's all to do with being in the right place at the right time. The Brekky Creek, one of the city's best-known watering holes, serves the state brew "off the wood" only on Fridays and only from its public bar. We find a table for our pots of XXXX and look up to see a wall plaque that explains the tradition better than my brother can.

The pub, it says, has served Fourex from wooden kegs since opening in 1889. Paddy Fitzgerald, the managing director of Castlemaine Perkins, which brews XXXX, "decreed that the custom continue when the use of wooden kegs ceased in 1977".

Local wharfies - the pub's regulars - fought to keep the tradition alive at the Brekky Creek as the rest of the industry embraced stainless-steel kegs in the 1970s. One wharfie, Lulla Wilson, was so upset that he and his colleagues headed to brewery headquarters and argued that the placing of the keg on the Brekky Creek bar was part of Queensland's heritage. After agreeing to continue supply (the brewery fills about 25 wooden kegs a week, these days), Fitzgerald went to the pub to tap the first post-dispute keg and shouted the bar for the rest of the day.

Fourex "off the wood" is not a bad way to wash down a lunch of eye fillet with pepper sauce; the Brekky Creek does a roaring trade in chargrilled beef.

I could sit here all afternoon, watching women slurp white wine chilled with ice cubes and workers stretch their lunch hour, but I have to sober up for night rock-climbing at the Kangaroo Point cliffs. My brother thinks I'm mad - since when did I give up lazy afternoons at the pub for adventure sports? But I've been looking forward to the experience since picking up a brochure at Brisbane airport.

By the time I arrive at the 22-metre cliffs across the river from the CBD, nerves are getting the better of me. The perky receptionist at the Riverlife Adventure Centre assures us that beginners conquer night rock-climbing all the time.

She hands out harnesses, helmets and chalk bags. Those without proper rock-climbing shoes are encouraged to ditch the sneakers and climb barefoot. Floodlights have transformed the cliff face, throwing up shadows and sharp angles. It looks like something Picasso painted.

What type of rock is this, I ask the instructor. "I don't know - we call it Brisbane tough," he says cryptically. Later, I'm told the cliffs are a prominent example of Brisbane tuff (pronounced "toof"), a hard rock formed millions of years ago from compacted volcanic ash. If I'd known that I might have kept my shoes on.

I'm about two metres off the ground and I can't work out where to go next; the chunks are in all the wrong places. Luckily I've scored the instructor's sidekick on the end of my rope. He convinces me that tiny pimples of rock are indeed enough to hang from or stand on. I advance a few metres more before I simply get stuck. Ground Control is telling me to lift my foot to where my knee is, but I can't.

Finally the sidekick yells to the instructor: "We need a pull over here!" I'm yanked further up the cliff but can't seem to find a grip. I swing like a pendulum, scraping elbows. This cannot look elegant from below.

Once I re-attach to the rock, the rest of the climb goes better. I tip the metal ring near the top and zip back down on the rope, collapsing in a heap at the bottom. "Want to go again?" Ground Control asks brightly. Not on your life, sunshine.

FAST FACTS

Breakfast Creek Hotel is at 2 Kingsford Smith Drive, Albion. A pot "off the wood" is $3.20. Phone 07 3262 5988 or see http://www.breakfastcreekhotel.com.au.

Riverlife Adventure Centre, Kangaroo Point, has Friday-night rock climbing, 6.30-8pm, for $39. Phone 07 3891 5766 or see www.riverlife.com.au.