BBC NEWS | UK | Lust declared virtue, not vice: "Lust has been wrongly branded a vice and should be 'reclaimed for humanity' as a life-affirming virtue, according to a top philsopher."

BBC NEWS | Americas | Cuba cracks down on internet use: "The bill says the state phone company Etecsa will use technical means to detect and impede access."

The Archive of Endangered, Special or Fun Words

BBC NEWS | Americas | Rogue mountain lion killed in US

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bangladesh bans Islam sect books The Ahmadiyya movement, which claims 200 million members worldwide, was founded in the 19th century in what is now Pakistan.

It vows to revive Islam by stressing non-violence and tolerance.

But it also believes there can be prophets after Mohammed, which mainstream Islam regards as blasphemous.

BBC NEWS | Business | Ethical shopping 'hits big brands': "Boycotts by ethical shoppers cost big brands at least 2.6bn pounds a year, claims the Co-operative Bank."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Richer, stouter, and no happier: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems
"The Worldwatch Institute says more than 25% of the world's people now enjoy the style which used to belong to the rich.
But it says rising obesity and debt, and increasing pressures on time, are reducing many people's quality of life. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | New giant squid predator found: "A little known shark that lives in waters off Antarctica is only the second creature known to science that hunts giant squid for food. "

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Aggressive' e-mail health threat: "Some companies have recently taken the step of banning the use of e-mail for internal communications between colleagues on the same site - claiming that it is fast becoming more of a burden to efficient working and teambuilding than a boon."

MSNBC - The Dean Dilemma: "In any case, Clark has the potential to be Trippi's—and Dean's—worst nightmare, and a comeuppance of a sort as well: a second, fast-closing Web-based outsider who can, in ways Dean cannot, appeal to insiders while at the same time 'plugging that hole' Dean has on defense and foreign policy."

BBC NEWS | Americas | Reunited twins embrace entwined future: "The two students are at neighbouring universities in Long Island, New York. They share a birthday, they are exactly the same height, and they both love hip-hop. The most important thing they share is the same Mexican mother."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | This World | Undercover with the Hells Angels

Mac applets coming soon to Windows | CNET News.com

Red Cross Red Crescent - Emblems

BBC NEWS | Health | Christmas joy 'all in the mind'

BBC NEWS | Health | How to avoid being a glutton BBC News Online examines how best to ensure that you don't become a victim of your own stomach.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Analysis: 'Hard slog' against Al-Qaeda

BBC NEWS | In Depth | The iGeneration BBC special report: The iGeneration

BBC NEWS | Americas | America's controversial Christmas trees For an overwhelmingly Christian country which prides itself on freedom of expression, removing "offensive" Christmas trees and censoring school Santas may seem curious.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan suspects nuclear 'greed'

The 10 most overpaid jobs in the U.S. There were some surprises to me...

BBC NEWS | Business | Argentina's threadbare recovery Two years on from Argentina's worst-ever economic crisis, the economy is growing strongly again.

BBC NEWS | Business | Argentines march to demand jobs

BBC NEWS | Health | Romance health alert splits sexes Getting married may be bad for men's health but good for women, according to a study.

BBC NEWS | In Depth | Photo Gallery | In pictures: Replacing the twin towers

Howard Stern on Health Care Howard says to outlaw circumcision.

Circumcision FAQ
When and why was routine neonatal circumcision introduced in English-speaking Western countries?

Doctors in the English-speaking countries started circumcising babies in the mid-1800s to prevent masturbation, which some doctors claimed caused many diseases, including epilepsy, tuberculosis and insanity. Of course, these arguments are not accepted today.

Nonreligious infant circumcision is not an issue in European, Asian or South American countries. In Canada the average rate of infant circumcision for boys is roughly 25%, with large regional variations. The rate in the United States has dropped to less than 60%, and will drop below 50% in a few years if present trends continue. This is already true in the Western US (35% in 1993).

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Malaysia moots cross-cultural circumcision Malaysia mulls mass circumcision to help racial harmony.

BBC NEWS | Americas | New weapon can fire round corners

BBC NEWS | Americas | Popular Peruvian PM stands down

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Fax - the technology that refuses to die

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam capture stuns Arab world

BBC NEWS | Technology | Apple's Panther bares its teeth

BBC NEWS | Middle East | How Saddam Hussein was captured

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam to face justice - Bush US forces found Saddam Hussein on Saturday, hiding in a tiny cellar at a farmhouse about 15km (10 miles) from his home town Tikrit.

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Brazil's small farmers milked dry

Bush’s Advisers Focus on Dean as Likely Opponent Next Year

BBC NEWS | Middle East | 'Scrap nuclear arms' Israel urged

Heads-Up Displays Move From Cockpits to Cyclists’ Helmets

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | A mighty end to Jackson's trilogy

BBC NEWS | Technology | Iranian bloggers rally against censorship

BBC NEWS | Europe | Headscarves: contentious cloths A number of European countries have been struggling with the dilemmas posed by the Muslim headscarf, which throws up a variety of difficult issues relating to tolerance and equality.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Nobel winner blasts rights abuses Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has criticised states for infringing human rights "under the cloak of the war on terrorism".

BBC NEWS | South Asia | 'Bling-bling' birthday for Goan politician

Silicon Valley Biz Ink :: Headlines Tribe battles Craigslist with $6.3M round of VC

BBC NEWS | Americas | Gore supports Dean for Democrats "Dean's been knighted by the ultimate insider. It's game, set and match. It's over," Democratic consultant Dean Strother told the Associated Press.

BBC NEWS | Business | Ailing dollar slumps to new lows

BBC NEWS | Health | Eat worms - feel better

BBC NEWS | In Depth | The iGeneration

BBC NEWS | Europe | German cannibal tells of fantasy Mr Meiwes told investigators he took Mr Brandes back to his home in Rotenburg, where Mr Brandes agreed to have his penis cut off, which Mr Meiwes then flambéed and served up to eat together.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Cat banned for scaring residents A black cat has been barred from the stairwell of a housing block in Israel because he scares local residents.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Thai MPs protest mistress ban

BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft suffers Longhorn loss Pirated versions of Microsoft's next generation computer operating system are on sale in Malaysia, more than a year before the official release date.

MobiTV MobiTV is a service that transforms your mobile phone into a TV, enabling you to watch the news, get sports updates, and catch your favorite shows wherever you are. MobiTV is live TV, not canned clips or slide shows. The same broadcast and premium channels you watch on your television at home are now available on your mobile phone.

Logitech Webcam follows your face

PBS | I, Cringely . Archived Column

Gizmodo : A Tablet Mac by January?

BBC - Watchdog - SMS Poll

BBC - Joy Of Text - Homepage

BBC NEWS | UK | Hppy bthdy txt!

BBC NEWS | Technology | Text blocking aid fights bullies

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Bollywood gets message across Bollywood has found a new, cost-effective way to publicise Hindi films - through mobile phone text messages.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Fiji's 'extinct' bird flies anew A small songbird believed to have become extinct more than a century ago has been found alive and well in Fiji.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel seizes Osama, Saddam dolls

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians Doctors and experts are baffled by an Indian hermit who claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for several decades - but is still in perfect health.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mediterranean dolphins' net peril

Scientists find Machu Picchu 'lost' suburb

Newsday.com - Pornographer says he bought nude Jessica Lynch photos; calls her 'a good kid'

The Matrix unravelled - November 7, 2003

BBC NEWS | Health | Ancient man 'used tooth picks'

BBC NEWS | Americas | Fiennes completes marathon feat Sir Ranulph has fought back from a heart attack and a double heart bypass operation to carry out his latest test of endurance.

BBC NEWS | Americas | German crowned world beard champion Men sporting anything from classic Euro moustaches to "free-style" shapes were up before the judges in 17 categories.

The Russia Journal Daily::Economy - Russia to nationalize natural resources The semi-official version is that Mr. Khodorkovsky, Russia's richest man and YUKOS’ largest shareholder, has mostly himself to blame for his troubles. After all, he started to meddle in politics, supporting various opposition groups and breaking an implicit agreement between Russian oligarchs and President Vladimir Putin, according to the newspaper.

CNN.com - Girls pummel man who exposed himself - Oct. 31, 2003 A man described by authorities as a known sexual predator was chased through the streets of South Philadelphia by an angry crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked and punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police said Friday.

BBC NEWS | Technology | World drowning in oceans of data

I read something interesting today. "Bush is the Devil himself, and you can't beat a Shaitan. Saddam will magically appear in cuffs two months before the elections and American soldiers will be at their homes partying by New Year's. The ground will start spitting up WMD's and al-Qaeda links the moment he touches the ground with his nose, and he will be the next american president."

Here's me making an effort at being politically conscious. At heart, I am actually extremely apolitical - I hate conflict and arguing moot issues, I mostly prefer to be couped up in my bubble listening to the Beatles; and not be bothered by all the suffering and injustice that goes on in the world. It is a daily struggle between the half of me that just wants to chill and enjoy what's going on in my surroundings--knowing fully well that my voice can't make an impact on people's lives halfway across the world--and the side that feels selfish and beligerant not speaking out against what I know is wrong...

Bush Won't Commit to Giving Classified Reports to 9/11 Panel Burn!

What Will Iraq Cost Bush? Burn Bush, burn.

With Cable TV at M.I.T., Who Needs Napster? AWESOME. "The quirk in the law that makes the system legal, Mr. Winstein said, has much to do with the difference between digital and analog technology. The advent of the digital age, with the possibility of perfect copies spread around the world with the click of a mouse, has spurred the entertainment industry to push for stronger restrictions on the distribution of digital works, and to be reluctant to license their recording catalogues to permit the distribution of music over the Internet.

So the M.I.T. system, using the analog campus cable system, simply bypasses the Internet and digital distribution, and takes advantage of the relatively less-restrictive licensing that the industry makes available to radio stations and others for the analog transmission."

Questions & Answers: Touch wood/knock on wood “What is the origin and true meaning of knock on wood or touch wood?” And an interesting addition - "A Jewish version says it originated during the Spanish Inquisition under Torquemada during the 1490s. During that time Jews were in flight and since temples and synagogues were built of wood, they evolved a code to use in knocking on doors to gain admission. Since this resulted in lives being saved, it became commonplace to knock on wood for good luck."

NYTimes - Apple's Latest 0.1 Adds a Lot This much is certain: In Panther, Apple has taken an already sparkling, super-stable operating system and made it faster, better equipped and more secure.

SONY TAKES ‘NO COMPROMISE’ APPROACH TO NEW SLIM CAMERA My next camera ;)

Home @ 1&1 Internet Inc. Sign up for 1&1's unique pre-launch promotion and upgrade to the next generation of web hosting. It's completely free for 3 full years, with our firm guarantee to back it up!

Fool.com: VeriSign Out of Solutions [Motley Fool Take] October 17, 2003 As has happened with so many big-ticket Internet assets, the business known as Network Solutions was sold off relatively quietly yesterday. Authentication software vendor VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN) said Thursday morning it was selling Network Solutions to Pivotal Private Equity for $100 million -- $60 million in cash, a $40 million note, and a 15% stake in the company.

Backers of Medical Marijuana Hail Ruling

Fast Company | If It's Broke, Fix It Put yourself in your customers' shoes, see what's broken about what you do, and fix it. / Interesting fastcompany article. Typical Godin.

"What about tollbooths? If you live in the Northeast, you know that bridges almost always have tolls, which were originally put in place to pay for the bridges. But do we need tolls today? For every dollar collected on the George Washington Bridge, the government is effectively taxing the people waiting in line. That's at least several dollars in wasted time. You lose the time, but the government gains nothing. There's probably no less efficient way to collect a tax (and that's what a toll is) than making people wait anywhere from five minutes to an hour to pay a few bucks to use a small piece of road. There are dozens of ways to fix this and other things that are broken -- ways that save everyone time and money."

Fool.com: Oil's Not Well [Motley Fool Take] September 25, 2003 If you've been waiting for gas prices to settle down, as many experts expected they would after Labor Day weekend, you might want to stop waiting.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Is US winning its war on terror?

A Fast Climber Who Has Made Some Enemies (washingtonpost.com) Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark entered a crowded and wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday.

New Scientist: "Mays Swicord spent 26 years searching for a health effect of radio-frequency radiation. He tried and tried to falsify the notion that this radiation - the kind emitted by mobile phones - has no effect. He failed. He changed sides, and for the past 8 years he has been working for the mobile phone maker Motorola. Now he is trying to convince us that mobile phones are safe, and that enough research is enough. David Cohen caught up with him when he visited London "

New Scientist The NHC predicts that major East Coast cities could fall in Isabel's path, with a five per cent probability that it could pound New York City by Thursday morning. But Saunders says: "Unless there are dramatic changes in its track, New York should be quite safe."

MSN Money - Extra!: 7 reasons the job market is about to take off Here's hope for those who've lost jobs or worry they will. A better economy is unfolding right now, and the Great American Jobs Machine is about to kick into high gear.

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Girls more confident of success Women have overtaken men at every level of education in developed countries around the world.

A Tribute to the Legacy of Johnny Cash in Word and Song

where lies wudon?

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Yale man Martin creates buzz Demetri was a colleague in this lame company just a few months ago. Now he's out doing it. I saw his show. Funny shit.

Album: Carey's I'm not sure how linkable imagestation albums are - they might require registration (free and spam free, though). Anyhow Carey's wedding was so enjoyable and beautiful, you'd think it could not have happened in the midwest.

ABCNEWS.com : Dean Braces for Criticism in Dem Debate Wow, now the press writes like Dean is the man to beat for the Dems. I feel like it's 2000 and Dean is a dot-com. But then, I went dot-com and am still working dot-com. So go figure.

Hip Hop Lyrics, Rap Lyrics, R&B Lyrics, Modern Rock Lyrics Good site for quick lyrical look at popular jams.

New Scientist.com - The World's No. 1 Science and Technology News Service Very good site. Think smart, intellectual -- not dork. Well ok, some dork.