N.Korean Firms Abandon Macau

North Korea has moved what to all intents and purposes was its representative office in Macau, the Zokwang Trading Co. The office sign is gone, and North Korean staff of Zokwang Trading across the street from the Macau Department of Transport have disappeared.
A source said Zokwang moved its offices to nearby Zhuhai around the time the U.S. banned transactions of American financial firms with the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia for allegedly being a major money-laundering channel for the North. “Other North Korean firms have also moved their head offices to China because they faced difficulties operating in Macau,” the source added.

North Korea previously had about a dozen firms operating in Macau, but after Banco Delta Asia cut off dealings with them, the North pulled all but three or four out. Banco Delta Asia announced it was suspending transactions with the North just after the U.S. went public with its allegations about the North’s criminal activities, which it says include currency forgery, drug smuggling and arms proliferation.

Zokwang Trading played the role of both consular office and intelligence service. Some staff members are now commuting between Zhuhai and Macau. The U.S. accuses the company of being in charge of money laundering and the distribution of counterfeit dollars though transactions with the Banco Delta Asia, as well as receiving parts needed to develop the country's nuclear program.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Samsung to Launch Slim Slide Phone in U.S.

Samsung Electronics will release what it claims is the world’s slimmest slide mobile phone available outside Korea, the 15.2 mm thick SGH-T809, in the U.S. The gadget is equipped with the wireless Bluetooth and supports Yahoo and AOL instant messengers.

Samsung's mobile telecommunications chief Mr. Lee says the crux with making slimmer handsets lies in accommodating all the cutting-edge technology in the space available. He also reiterated Samsung’s commitment to high-end products.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Russia Defends Sale of Sophisticated Weapons Systems to Iran

Russia has defended the sale of sophisticated missiles to Iran, saying the deal will not upset the balance of power in the Middle East. The United States and Israel have both strongly criticized the sale.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed that Russia will sell Iran tactical surface-to-air missile systems.

But he describes these as "purely defensive" in nature, and that Iran's acquisition of them "in no way" upsets the balance of forces in the Middle East.

Russian media have reported that 29 mobile air defense systems are part of a deal worth an estimated $700 million.

When reports of the sale first surfaced, an Iranian security official expressed surprise there should be any concern.

But Israel has strongly denounced the move, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying it "serves only the interests of the most negative elements in the region."

The United States has also criticized the deal.

Alexei Malashenko is with the Carnegie Center in Moscow. He says that while the weapons sale might be surprising, it is also predictable politically.

"Russia by all means wants to keep its special relationship with Iran," said Alexei Malashenko. "It is very important for Russia, for Moscow to prove to anybody that Russia is able to pursue its independent foreign policy in this area, in particular in this region."

He adds that the new weapons will help Iran present itself as more of a power in the Middle East, and even take a stronger position in its dealings with the United States. This would include the ongoing dispute over Tehran's alleged nuclear-weapons program.

Russian engineers have been building a nuclear power plant in Iran, which both countries insist is only for peaceful purposes. And Moscow strongly opposes any possible referral of the Iranian nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council.

VOA News

Scientist proved stress will kill you...

When human is under stress, NPV level is increased and it weakens immune systems to get human body to get sick.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
NPY, a candidate anabolic effector signalling molecule, stimulates energy intake. Prominent among anabolic effector pathways is a circuit containing neuropeptide Y (NPY).

Injection of NPY into cerebral ventricles or directly into the hypothalamus of rats potently stimulates food intake and decreases energy expenditure while simultaneously inducing lipogenic enzymes in liver and white adipose tissue.

Consequently, continuous or repeated central administration of NPY leads readily to obesity.

Because NPY gene expression and secretion of the NPY peptide in the hypothalamus are increased during active depletion of body fat stores and /or reduced leptin/insulin signalling to the brain, NPY meets the criteria for an anabolic signalling molecule.

Moreever, leptin inhibits arcuate nucleus NPY gene expression and genetic knockout of NPY reduces hyperphagia and obesity in ob/ob mice, indicating that the full response to leptin deficiency requires NPY signalling.The hyperphagic response to insulin-deficient diabetes is similarly accompanied by increased hypothalamic NPY synthesis and release, and this response is blocked by insulin administration, either systemically or directly into the brain.

Schwart M.W., et al. Nature 404, 661-671(2000) NPY is a member of the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) hormone family that includes also PP and Peptide YY (PYY). Several important physiological activities such as induction of food intake, inhibition of anxiety, increase in memory retention, presynaptic inhibition of neurotransmitter release, vasoconstriction and regulation of ethanol consumption have been attributed to NPY.

Strong central influence of NPY in feeding behavior:

• Injection of NPY into the hypothalamus increases food intake

• High NPY levels are correlated with Leptin

• NPY-knockout can reduce obesity in leptin deficient mice.

Two distinct Y-receptor subtypes Y1 and Y5 have been attributed to mediate the stimulatory effect of NPY on food intake.

NPY, PYY, [Leu31, Pro34]-NPY and three N-terminally truncated analogs, NPY(2-36), NPY (3-36) and PYY (3-36) and PYY(3-36) have been shown to increase food intake. Recently, the first analog of neuropeptide Y (NPY), [Ala31, Aib32]-NPY has been developed with highly selective affinity for Y5-receptor (6 nM).

In vivo adminstration of the [Ala31, Aib32]-NPY significantly stimulated feeding in rats.

Cabrele C. et al, The first selective agonist for the neuropeptide Y Y5-receptor increases food intake in rats. (JBC August 15, 2000)

Israel Says Arrow Missile Defense System Test Successful

Israel Says Arrow Missile Defense System Test Successful
Associated Press Newswires 12/02/05
Copyright 2005. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

JERUSALEM (AP)--Israel carried out a successful test of its Arrow missile defense system Friday, intercepting a missile similar to the long-range Shahab 3 being developed by Iran, defense officials said.

The test was carried out at an air force base in central Israel. It was the 14th test firing of the Arrow, which is being developed with the U.S.. The project has suffered several setbacks in the past.

Israel has identified Iran as its biggest threat, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Israeli concerns were heightened recently after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Israel be "wiped off the map."

The Iranian Shahab 3 can be equipped with nuclear warheads, and Tehran has said the missile could reach Israel and various U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

State-owned Israel Aircraft Industries and U.S.-based Boeing Co. (BA) began developing the Arrow system after Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel during the 1991 Gulf War.

Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he was confident all diplomatic efforts to defuse Iran's nuclear program would be exhausted before military action is taken.

But the ability to carry out a military strike "of course exists," Sharon said.

Although Israel is preparing for the possibility Iran will acquire nuclear weapons, it won't lead the fight against the Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Sharon said.

Golfer Michelle Wie looks at a ball

KOCHI, Japan - Michelle Wie at the Casio World Open on Friday.

Korean-American golfer Michelle Wie (16) looks at a ball after she teed off in the second round of the Casio World Open golf tournament organized by the Japan Golf Tour Organization at Kochi’s Kuroshio Golf Club, Japan on Friday. Wie scored three birdies at the second round of the tournament, which carries total prize money of 140 million yen (US$1.35 million) but made six bogeys and shot 3-over par 75. Totaling 4-over par 148, she failed to make the cut

CNN explains 'X' glitch over Dick Cheney's face

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CNN apologized on Tuesday and offered a rare explanation from its control booth for a technical glitch many viewers failed to notice -- a large "X" the network flashed over Vice President Dick Cheney's face.

The wayward graphic, which CNN said lasted for about one-seventh of a second, appeared during the network's live coverage of Cheney's speech on Monday addressing critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq.

Word of the snafu quickly surfaced on the Internet, including still photos of the image posted by online columnist Matt Drudge, along with a story suggesting that some who saw the momentary "X" thought it might have been deliberate.

The Interview with GOD

Interview with GOD...

OIL Gates

WASHINGTON - The chief executives of five major oil companies were asked Wednesday to clarify their recent Senate testimony about the companies' involvement in Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force four years ago.

Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., made the request in letters to the executives after a published report said officials from four of the companies visited the White House complex in early 2001 to discuss energy issues with task force staff members.

The White House has refused to disclose contacts with industry representatives concerning the task force deliberations.

When asked during a Senate hearing on oil industry profits last week by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (news, bio, voting record), D-N.J., whether any of the companies' representatives had participated in the task force, four of the executives said they did not and the fifth said he did not know.

The Washington Post, citing White House documents, reported Wednesday that representatives from four of the companies had visited the White House complex and met with Cheney task force officials in early 2001.

Domenici, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he sent a letter to the oil company executives seeking clarifications that would resolve any "apparent inconsistencies" in their testimony. He was joined in the letter by Bingaman, the energy panel's ranking Democrat.

Earlier, Lautenberg asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the executives might be guilty of giving false statements to Congress.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash., and five other Democrats asked Domenici to recall the executives and require them this time to testify under oath.

The executives who testified last week at a hearing on oil industry profits were Lee Raymond, chairman of ExxonMobil Corp.; David O'Reilly, chairman of Chevron Corp.; James Mulva, chairman of ConocoPhillips; John Hofmeister, chairman of Shell Oil Co.; and Ross Pillari, chairman of BP America Inc.

Chevron was not included in the documents cited by the Post.

Pillari responded that he did not know whether any BP America officials participated because he wasn't at the company at the time. While not commenting specifically about the Cheney task force, BP America spokesman Ronnie Chappell said Wednesday that BP America representatives "routinely meet with government officials."

ExxonMobil said in a statement that Raymond "correctly confirmed in the recent Senate Hearings that ExxonMobil has not been a participant on the Task Force and did not meet with the Task Force to discuss the provisions of the energy policy."

Telephone calls to the other companies was not immediately returned.

'Thinking' Robot Breaks Barriers but not Eggs

The Korean Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intelligent Robot taskforce has created the "T-Rot," which is scheduled to wait on world leaders in a Robot Café at the APEC summit venue. "T-Rot was developed as a service robot for the elderly and disabled,” says taskforce director Kim Mun-sang. "It has the ability to hold conversations with people and fetch items that they want, so we call it a 'thinking robot' or T-Rot.”

T-Rot’s fingers have a human-like sense of touch, so they can grab objects with adjusted strength depending on the materials.

The T-Rot is equipped with two cameras that recognize people and objects -- the face and stature of the people it lives with as well as refrigerators, glasses and other items in the area -- and interpret them in three dimensions. It also recognizes its own location, and sports features that allow it to understand human speech and carry on appropriate “conversations.”
The most important function is the robot’s capacity to recognize things by its sense of touch. Since helper robots live with humans all the time, security is crucial. For that reason, synthetic skin which detects the texture of things like human skin is essential. The skin developed by a team led by Gang Dae-im and Kim Jong-ho from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science has polyamide film and three-axis sensors that can detect vertical pressure and horizontal sliding. It is capable of recognizing the weight of objects with a less than 10 g margin of error when it holds a 100 g object.

Thanks to this attribute, T-Rot can use different amounts of strength when holding a can or a soft drink bottle. When it shakes hands with humans, it senses the person’s strength and adjusts its own accordingly. Previously introduced robots' movements were unnatural because they shook hands according to pre-installed programs.

“The T-Rot is able to pick up eggs without breaking them,” Kim said. “We have also developed sensate skin which can detect stimuli 1 mm away like human fingers, and the tests are underway." With the T-Rot as a foundation, the ministry’s taskforce plans to make helper robots that can assist the elderly in walking and accompany them on shopping expeditions within two or three years.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Las Vegas Air Show

Two U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a mirror formation during Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Albert Hubo

At an IT exhibition on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, a participant shakes hands with a humanoid robot named “Albert Hubo” which has the face of Albert Einstein on Monday. The robot can walk and speak and expresses emotions by moving facial muscles.

Bush ‘Concerned’ About N.Korean Human Rights

On the eve of a fresh round of multilateral talks about North Korea’s nuclear program, U.S. President George W. Bush expressed strong concerns about the way the Stalinist country treats its people. "I have expressed my concerns about treatment of men, women and children in North Korea. I worry about a society that is going hungry. I worry about forced labor camps," Bush told the Chosun Ilbo in a special interview at the White House on Tuesday.
Bush said the role of the U.S. Forces Korea was to ensure peace and stability throughout the region. “The arrangement we have on the Korean Peninsula has worked for a long period of time. And that ought to be the operative model as we go forward,” he added.

The interview was limited to three Asian media -- the other two were Japan's Asahi Shimbun and China's Xinhua News Agency - ahead of an eight-day trip starting Monday that takes Bush to Mongolia, China and Japan as well as this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan. The president went on to meet separately with Korean broadcaster KBS as well as the press from the other three countries.

Striking a conciliatory note, Bush said one goal at the APEC summit was to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance. “One thing I hope people do agree with in South Korea is that they got a good friend in the U.S. We've been a friend for a long period of time, and we will remain a friend,” he said. Korea has been moving toward a more independent defense.

Asked what kind of leadership his administration expects from the North Korean regime, Bush said, “The mark of a good leader is one that cares first and foremost about the human conditions of the people that live in the country, and where there is starvation and hunger, the leader's responsibility is to address that.” But his rhetoric was noticeably more restrained two days after he once again called North Korea leader Kim Jong-il a “tyrant” during a visit to Brazil.

He also stressed the importance of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through diplomatic efforts, saying dialogue to reach that “noble goal” will continue. He said he hoped the North Korean nuclear issue brings about not just dialog but actions and results.

Bush urged South Korea and China on one side and Japan on the other to mend fences after their relations deteriorated over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi continued visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among his country’s fallen. The visits have reopened the wounds of Japan’s brutal colonization in both countries. “It's possible to forget the past... it's difficult, but it is possible," Bush said.

He also pledged that the long-deferred issue of a free trade agreement with South Korea would be discussed at the APEC summit.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Replica of Historic Warship to Voyage Into DMZ

A replica of one of the iron-clad turtle warships or Geobukseon with which Korea’s national hero Yi Sun-shin repulsed Japanese invaders will become the first vessel since the Korean War to travel the Han River-West Sea route that passes through the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

The full-sized replica currently anchored at the Han River Citizens Park will be towed along the lower river that passes through the DMZ to Tongyong in South Gyeongsang Province to take part in an exhibition there.

The middle portion of the lower Han River runs along the military demarcation line, and civilian boats are barred from the area unless they have permission from UN Military Command. But this has never happened, leaving even the waterway's exact measurements and safety unknown.

Using the occasion of the Geobukseon's travel through the DMZ, the Seoul Metropolitan Government hopes to start full-fledged discussions of the use of the waterway for peaceful purposes. Peaceful use of the Imjin and Han rivers by both North and South, it is hoped, could help on the long road toward unification.

The idea was born last year, when Seoul and Tongyong agreed to show the turtle boat on Hansan Island, where General Yi defeated the Japanese in a famous 1592 battle.

The Geobukseon will leave at 11 a.m. next Wednesday and pass through 15 km of the DMZ for around two hours. After sailing through the waters between Ganghwa Island and Gimpo, the vessel will arrive in Incheon harbor. It leaves on Nov.11 and will take around three days getting to Tongyong depending on the weather.

The replica is 34 m long, 10 m wide and 6.30 m high and was recreated by the Navy with W2.2 billion (US$2.2 million) from the government in 1990. Since then it has made regular appearances along the Han River as part of special national events.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Laptop With Detachable Screen Breaks Down Boundaries

Samsung Electronics’ M70, the world's first laptop PC that with a detachable 19 inch LCD screen.

The release of a laptop computer with detachable liquid crystal display screen is breaking down the boundaries between desktop PCs, notebooks and digital TVs. Samsung Electronics said it launched the new M70 model, whose 19-inch LCD monitor can be used separately, on Tuesday.

In that way, the product can be used as a desktop PC with a freestanding monitor, and the parts can be replaced and upgraded separately. According to the maker, it has all international television standards and is equipped with high-quality speakers, making it useful as a portable television or DVD player. The M70 weighs about 4.4 kg and costs about W5 million (US$5,000).

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Charity Earns Michelle Wie a Round With Clinton

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton accepts a check for US$500,000 from Michelle Wie for victims of hurricane Kartrina after wrapping up a round of golf with the Korean American in Las Vegas.

Michelle Wie added a round of golf with Bill Clinton to her precocious resume on Monday when she donated US$500,000 to a fund for victims of hurricane Katrina co-administered by the former U.S. president. The sporting summit took place at the Southern Highlands Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Wie presented a check to the charitable foundation created by Clinton and fellow ex-president George Bush Sr. “I just saw clips of” the devastation, she said. “And I really wanted to help out. I really do hope it helps a lot of people.... Compared to all the disaster, it's such a small amount of money.''

Clinton praised the Korean-American golf prodigy, saying it was not only an extraordinary experience to play with Wie on the course, but that she left a great impression off the course as well. Wie returned the compliment saying her meeting with Clinton was “a great moment.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Mars to Swing Close to Earth This Weekend

AP - Thu Oct 27, 9:02 PM ET LOS ANGELES -

Mars is ready for another close-up. For the second time in nearly 60,000 years, the Red Planet will swing unusually close to Earth this weekend, appearing as a yellow twinkle in the night sky.

Winner takes all the money???

LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) beat analysts' forecasts with a sharp rise in underlying profits on Thursday, as high oil prices more than compensated for production losses due to U.S. hurricanes.

ADVERTISEMENT The world's third-largest listed oil firm by market capitalization said in a statement that its current cost of supply (CCS) net profit, which strips out gains from rises in the value of fuel inventories, rose 68 percent to $7.369 billion.
Excluding one-off items of $1.569 billion, Shell's "clean" CCS earnings were $5.8 billion.
A Reuters poll of 10 analysts gave an average forecast of $5.12 billion for Shell's clean CCS profit.
Investors and analysts focus on the clean CCS figure, considering it the best measure of Shell's underlying health.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted a quarterly profit of $9.9 billion, the largest in U.S. corporate history, as it raked in a bonanza from soaring oil and gas prices.

Record profits for Big Oil at a time when consumers are paying sky-high prices for gasoline have brought calls for a windfall profits tax or other penalties on oil companies.

The companies have been enjoying an unusually rosy environment for months. In the third quarter, oil prices and refining margins rose sharply after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through the Gulf of Mexico, disrupting energy operations in the region.

While Exxon's quarterly profit was up 75 percent from a year earlier, and revenue rose 32 percent to more than $100 billion, the results fell short of Wall Street forecasts due to production outages caused by the hurricanes and sharply lower profit at the company's chemicals division.

"They were a bit disappointing, but this a temporary phenomenon," said Paul Kuklinski, an analyst with Boston Energy Research/Soleil Securities. "This is largely attributable to hurricane effects."

Exxon shares fell slightly in midday trade.

The world's largest publicly traded oil company said net income jumped to $9.92 billion, or $1.58 a share, from $5.68 billion, or 88 cents a share, a year earlier.
Excluding a gain of $1.62 billion from restructuring its stake in a Dutch

Real Time Episode 64

Episode 64 Premiering October 21, 2005
Guests: Arianna Huffington, Tucker Carlson, Michel Martin, Spike Lee, Chris Webber

On a Letter to Valerie Plame

"'You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. Out west, where you vacation...' See, this is how I know it's bulls***. Who talks like this? If you vacation there, you don't have to say it. It's like bad exposition in a movie. 'Ted, you're my brother.' 'Out west, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters. Because their roots connect them.' I think the source of the leak is Walt Whitman." – Bill Maher

On the New York Times

"The New York Times - but the whole country gives it that weight. It's like the Asian kid in math class. Everybody in the media cheats off the New York Times." – Bill Maher

On Health Care

"You know how many parents in neighborhoods don't let their kids learn to ride a bike, because they're afraid if the kid gets hurt - or to play softball or play sports - because if the kid gets hurt, they can't afford to - you know, they could be bankrupt." – Michel Martin

On the NBA Dress Code

"For everybody to say that it's racist, to me, what you're saying to me is that the black man can't be fresh or fly or can't have a suit on." – Chris Webber

On the Governments Response To Katrina

"There was a hurricane - Betsy in '65 - they felt the same thing happened, where a choice had to be made. One neighborhood - got to save one neighborhood and flood another. Look, if we're in L.A. and there's an emergency situation, we call from Beverly Hills and we call from Compton. Which one is the cops coming to first?" – Spike Lee

On A Conspiracy in New Orleans

"So as you - as you sit here, who is someone who is rich and has options, and are watched by people who are poor and have no options, it seems to me it's your responsibility, your obligation to tell them the truth. And you know the truth, which is, the federal government did not blow up those levees. You don't feed the paranoia and the craziness." – Tucker Carlson

Here is a New Rules by Bill Maher...

All right. Time for New Rules, everybody. New Rules. Let's not get too excited here.

All right. Stop making gum packaging so complicated. Gum used to come wrapped in its own cheap, unfunny comic. Now it comes in air-tight, vacuum-formed, foil-wrapped, blister packages like birth control for astronauts. It's not AZT, it's gum! It's just something for the president to chew when he's not walking. He can't...at the same time...

New Rule: Let Vikings be Vikings. Yes, there's outrage that some Minnesota Vikings may have gone on a party cruise and then...partied. Excuse me, but what's the point of getting your ribs crushed every week if you can't occasionally get blown on a boat? Besides, these are the Minnesota Vikings. They can't always be the ones doing the sucking.

New Rule: Sylvester Stallone can't make another "Rocky" movie unless it's called, "Rocky Dies." Come on, Sly, even great characters have to be put to rest. It would be like if Governor Schwarzenegger went around all day quoting "The Terminator." Okay, bad example.

New Rule: Words printed on a coffee cup will not turn you gay. A Baylor University dining contractor has banned Starbucks cups that have a quote from a gay author. Listen, breeders, you can't get AIDS from a Styrofoam container. And besides, if you're holding a double half-caf, vanilla mocha latte, extra foam sprinkled with nutmeg, you're already gay!

And finally, New Rule: Saddam Hussein's trial must be moved to Los Angeles! We are "fiending" out here for our next big celebrity court case! Local news stations are so bored, they've resorted to reporting real news! If we don't get another circus trial soon, Pat O'Brien is going to start drinking again.

So, what do you say, Saddam? Who doesn't want to have their trial in L.A. anyway? It's always sunny. Our juries are stupid. And you can show up in court in your pajamas. You'll love L.A. Most people out here haven't worked in over two years either. And if you find yourself homesick, and long for a filthy spider-hole to crawl into, I'll introduce you to Courtney Love.

But - but seriously, the main reason to have your trial here is, unlike Iraq, we have good Jew lawyers. In Baghdad, they'll say you gassed the Kurds. But that's not the way it'll come out when Mark Geragos or Bob Shapiro is representing you. No, what happened is, you had your Weapons of Mass Destruction with you that night at an Italian restaurant. In the Valley. Where you were dining with the Kurds. Who you love.

Now, you forgot the weapons after dinner, went to retrieve them; and when you returned, the Kurds were already gassed. Saddam, in Hollywood, nobody commits crimes against humanity. That's what a personal assistant is for. Plus, we believe what celebrities say, no matter how stupid. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, you were outside your bunker chipping golf balls. End of story.

And the rape rooms? Please. If you call giving someone at Abu Ghraib a little Jesus Juice and then cuddling with them "rape"...it was milk and cookies; it was charming.

I say, if he's from Tikrit, you must acquit!

In conclusion, the ultimate reason to try Saddam Hussein in L.A. is this: out here, we don't convict celebrities. He'll get off, which is good, because it means the man will be free to get back to work.

People, really, we tried there in Iraq. We really did. But you have to admit, sometimes just needs a "daddy." Okay, an abusive father. Hannibal Lecter. The point is, yes, Iraq was a bad place under Saddam, but let's not throw the baby out with the Baathists. He knows the people. He knows the country. He's tanned, rested and ready. He's had time to think about losing his two precious asshole sons. Maybe he has, dare I say it, grown.

So, what's wrong with giving a sick, twisted, unhinged megalomaniac a second chance? Hell, HBO did it for me! All right, that's our show. I want to thank Spike Lee, Michel Martin, Tucker Carlson, Chris Webber and Arianna Huffington. Thank you, folks. Have a good weekend.

Hurricane Tracker

Hurricane Tracker...

Greenspan: The worst Fed chief ever (Boom into Bubble)

The Fed chairman thinks the central bank has done a fabulous job during his tenure. I beg to differ. Let's set the record straight.
By Bill Fleckenstein

Alan Greenspan gave a speech recently titled "Economic Flexibility." It should have been called "Damn, I'm Good," because the world's biggest serial bubble blower -- and most incompetent, irresponsible Fed chairman of all time -- tried to rewrite history. My column today will endeavor to set the record straight.

At least he was nice enough to organize his speech so that the majority of objectionable material fell into seven or eight consecutive paragraphs, as he tried to set up Ben Bernanke (his likely successor) to be the fall guy for all of the problems that Greenspan and the rest of the yes-men at the Fed have precipitated.

He's got the dates but not the cause

I'll turn first to his brief 1990s synopsis, in which he claimed: "Yet the significant monetary tightening of 1994 did not prevent what must by then have been the beginnings of the bubble of the 1990s. And equity prices continued to rise during the tightening of policy between mid-1999 and May 2000.

His observation of when the mania really took hold and mine are exactly the same. It did start in late 1994. Of course, as with everything, he recognizes the end result but has absolutely no clue as to its cause. The reason for the continued rise in equity prices was that the Fed panicked in mid-1995 and reversed its tightening course after Orange County (and other leveraged entities) blew up. Next, the Fed bailed out the Asian crisis in 1997, Long-Term Capital Management in 1998 and fears of Y2K problems in late 1999.

Continuing on, he notes: "Indeed, the equity market's ability to withstand periods of tightening arguably reinforced the bull market's momentum." No, it was his endless bailouts that caused folks to believe in the notion of a "Greenspan put." Purely and simply, it was his practice of bailouts and market-cheerleading (which reached fevered pitch at the peak) that turned the boom to bubble.

Information on Lost Sayings Gospel Q

According to the Two Source Hypothesis accepted by a majority of contemporary scholars, the authors of Matthew and Luke each made use of two different sources: the Gospel of Mark and a non-extant second source termed Q. The siglum Q derives from the German word "Quelle," which means "Source." Q primarily consists of the "double tradition" material, that which is present in both Matthew and Luke but not Mark. However, Q may also contain material that is preserved only by Matthew or only by Luke (called "Sondergut") as well as material that is paralleled in Mark (called Mark/Q overlaps). Although the temptation story and the healing of the centurion's son are usually ascribed to Q, the majority of the material consists of sayings. For this reason, Q is sometimes called the Synoptic Sayings Source or the Sayings Gospel. Some scholars have observed that the Gospel of Thomas and the Q material, as contrasted with the four canonical gospels, are similar in their emphasis on the sayings of Jesus instead of the passion of Jesus.

Arguments in favor of the Two Source Hypothesis can be found in the essay on The Existence of Q.

On the matter of whether Q was written, Tuckett writes (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 5, p. 568): "The theory that Q represents a mass of oral traditions does not account for the common order in Q material, which can be discerned once Matthew's habit of collecting related material into his large teaching discourses is discounted (Taylor 1953, 1959). Such a common order demands a theory that Q at some stage existed in written form."

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/q.html

Rights Activists to Stage Protest in N.Korea

A group of human rights activists will attempt to stage a protest in North Korea after gaining access to the Stalinist country ostensibly to make up audience numbers for the “Arirang” mass calisthenics performance.

The maverick human rights advocate Norbert Vollertsen said during a conference on North Korea’s human rights violations at the National Assembly the same day that the protest was planned in detail.

Asked about the chances of the protest going ahead, Vollertsen put them at an optimistic 100 percent. The German doctor,

who spent 18 months traveling around North Korea as an honored guest of the regime, said protesters would not go to extremes like burning North Korean flags. Instead, what would be the first demonstration by foreigners in North Korea would focus on the display of images symbolizing the country’s human rights problem, he said.

Vollertsen arrived here on Wednesday to join a Korean medical team that will be dispatched to quake-stricken Pakistan. He was expelled from Korea when his visa expired in May.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Cool Advertising

Cool advertising...

Chandra used to study 'nurturing' black hole

Black hole Sagittarius A* (SGR A*) is found at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. (NASA/CXC/MIT/F.K. Baganoff et al. image)An artist's concept of the ring of stars circling Sagittarius A*. Despite their difficult surroundings, stars born in the disks around black holes tend to grow larger or more "massive" than free-floating stars. (NASA/CXC/M. Weiss image)

Lucifer Visits With Creator

LUCIFER VISITS WITH CREATOR
by Euclides Pereyra ,Universal Press

Heaven, Universe

In a surprise move, Lucifer Morningstar, self-professed ‘Devil’ and the first of the Fallen Angels, visited the Creator in Heaven yesterday. Although their meeting took place behind closed doors, insiders say that they spent the majority of their time catching up and “knocking back a few.”

As most Judeo-Christians know, Lucifer, also known as Satan, Shaiten, the Devil, the Enemy and the Fallen One, was most likely the first being ever created by the Creator, who we have been told prefers to be addressed as YHWH, or, for those who prefer vowels, Yahweh. Yahweh recounts, “I was a bit bored, I’d thought about everything everywhere twice already, and then it hit me. Boom! I’ll make this thing, give it life, see what it has to say. Boy, was I surprised.” Lucifer, who was created fully conscious, has his own memories of that eventful time. (We’d say day, but those had not been created yet. We are assuming ‘Time’ had.) “I opened my eyes, and there was this old guy with a great smile looking down at me. He was, like, real nice and all, but, I don’t know, sorta pushy.” Perhaps the problems between Yahweh and Lucifer began right there.

Yahweh went on to create more beings, as well as the concept of names, bestowing upon his first creation the name Lucifer Morningstar, based, according to insiders, on Lucifer’s idea to create luminescent, fusion-based balls of gas. Yahweh apparently took that idea and ran with it, gave Lucifer major credit and created the idea of ‘names’ on the side. However, given that the concept of Memory had yet to be fully explored at that time, we are not a hundred percent sure of our sources there.

It was during the creation of the Universe, or Multiverse, depending on the perceptual node of the particular species involved, that tensions began to run high between Yahweh and Lucifer. Again, there is a slight discrepancy between Yahweh and Lucifer’s accounts.

Yahweh: “He got all uppity, high and mighty like, bossing the other Angels around [‘angel’ is usually credited to the Jesus aspect of Yahweh, who is known as the one good with words and wood -ed.] and trying to sit in my favorite easy-chair. [Further evidence that the easy-chair is the greatest of all creations -ed.]”

Lucifer: “Let me tell you, Yahweh was always, ‘Go to that nebula and take some pictures’, ‘go bring light to that benighted cosmos’, ‘no, you do the dishes, I’m the creator.’ It was too much. Just because he was a deity, he felt he was owed. And anyway, I came up with the easy-chair idea in the first place. Even the upholstery! [We could get neither a confirmation or denial on that assertion from Yahweh. -ed.]”

It is agreed that about five (5) billion years ago, just after the planet that would end up being known as ‘Earth’ was formed from the primordial soup of the solar system, Lucifer and Yahweh had their final falling out. Yahweh kicked Lucifer out of Heaven, and sent him down to the planet soon to be known as Earth. Why Earth? Gabriel, third angel created by Yahweh around the time he decided to make Super Strings (believed to be .2 seconds after the ‘Big Bang’), had this to say. “Well, see, Yahweh, being Omniscient and Omnipresent, he’s always running, like, a zillion experiments at once. He noticed that little ball of dirt getting together, and he had some plans for it, something about ‘seeing what happens when I just leave it all alone, get scarce and just mess with their minds’. I guess he figured Lucifer would work well with that.”

Lucifer, for his part, has always maintained that the actual parting five (5) billion years ago was amicable. “Hell, he told me to have fun.” Sources indicate that, once arrived on the cooling ball of molten rock soon to be known as Earth, Lucifer shunted a copy of it out of Yahweh’s approved reality and spiffed it up a bit, leading to the now nearly-universal idea of Hell. Yahweh’s thoughts on the matter: “I thought, hey, that works. Heaven, Hell...what great concepts! And they both begin with H. So, I boosted it up to a cosmic level, sent down some angels and told him to set up shop.”

Since that time, except for a minor meeting between the Jesus aspect and Lucifer on a mountain on Earth, Lucifer and Yahweh have not met or spoken. Until now. In a surprising turn of events, Lucifer appeared at Heaven’s Gate with a basket of ripening fruit and a Bordeaux of indeterminate age, asking to speak with Yahweh. Saint Peter met him at the door, and had this to say, “You know, I always thought he was a jerk. You know, the bad-guy. But, really, he’s a great guy. We swapped tall tales waiting for Yahweh to get back to us, and he just seemed like a nice guy, bit arrogant some times, but hey, he’s the second oldest thing in the Universe, you gotta cut him some slack.”

Once admitted to Yahweh’s house, where the easy-chair still sits, according to reports, in the verandah, it is reported by insiders that Lucifer and Yahweh caught up on events and compared notes on the ‘Earth’ experiment. Although at last count over five hundred trillion sentient souls, encompassing four million six hundred and fourteen different species, surrounded Yahweh’s house chanting, “We want Lucifer!” Yahweh and Lucifer have yet to make an appearance. Our sources claim they are preparing a joint-statement concerning the Earth experiment. This reporter notes that the small number of souls in Heaven from Earth leads this reporter to think that perhaps the experiment hasn’t quite worked out. There is no census information for Hell, do to an unfortunate tendency for census-takers to never return, so we have no information on their soul to species ratio.

Until Lucifer and Yahweh decide it is time for their joint statement, there will be little else to report on here in Heaven, which is, all told, somewhat boring. However, it should be noted that whatever they end up having to say, it can be assumed that the shape of the cosmos will forever be altered. Or, at least, for as long as mortal sentients can imagine forever. And maybe longer.

by Cyberfunk

Samsung Develops World’s Smallest DRAM Technology

Samsung Develops World’s Smallest DRAM Technology

Samsung Electronics says it has developed a 512-Mb DDR2 SDRAM memory chip with 70-nanometer processing technology - a sort of grand slam in miniaturizing DRAM technology. Samsung Electronics said Thursday it was the first to develop the 100 nm, 90 nm and 80 nm technology, and set another landmark with the development of this new 70 nm process technology.
The new technology will yield at least twice as many chips from a single wafer than the 90 nm processing technology, and chips will work at an energy-saving 1.8 volt. Samsung says it will show the best performance not only in computers but especially in mobile devices, where size matters most. After the 90 nm technology currently in use in mass production and the 80 nm technology, Samsung Electronics will start applying the new 70 nm technology from second half of next year.

The global DRAM market is expected to grow from US$26.5 billion this year to S$37.4 billion by 2009, largely due to the release of next-generation game consoles, third-generation mobile phones and the launch of the new Microsoft operating system Vista.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Real Time Episode 62

Real Time Episode 62 (HBO)
Premiering October 7, 2005
Guests: Ann Coulter, Andrew Sullivan, Ben Affleck, Salman Rushdie, Kayla Williams

On the President

"Well, I guess you heard, President Bush had a big choice that he had to make, and this week, he finally made up his mind. He's going to be Spider-Man for Halloween" – Bill Maher

On Harriet Miers

"This is the U.S. Supreme Court. It's the third branch of government. Yeah, we do want somebody qualified, surprisingly enough. And I'm second to no one in wanting Roe v. Wade overturned. But, you know, once that's done, there are other cases. And she is simply unqualified for the job. It's stunning that he would nominate her." – Ann Coulter

"The first thing I don't understand about this is I reviewed some of the cases where other Supreme Court justices have recused themselves because they were too close to a case... How come this woman who has been George Bush's 'bitch' -who calls him the most brilliant man she ever met - this is the one thing I know she's ever judged - why is this woman not recusing herself from the entire job?" – Bill Maher

"I have to say it was nice to see Ann Coulter finally get it from George Bush. It was finally him telling her to go fuck herself. He doesn't care. He's the president. He had one accountability moment. It was November last year. She backed him. As far as I'm concerned, she can stick with it" – Andrew Sullivan

"And there's no secular voice. There's no voice of me in this Cabinet. Everyone who gets appointed has to be not just Christ-y, but 'Super-Christ-y,' 'Double-Dog-Christ-y,' 'Twice-Born Christ-y.'" – Bill Maher


On Religion

"Well, I've been - I've been worrying about God a little bit lately. You know, it seems as if he's been lashing out, you know, destroying cities, annihilating places. And it seems like he's been in a bad mood, you know. And I think it has to do with the quality of lovers he's been getting. You know, if you look at the people who love God now, you know, if I was God, I'd need to destroy something." – Salman Rushdie

"That old-fashioned philosopher Karl Marx used to say that religion was the opiate of the masses. Now it's the crystal meth of the masses." – Salman Rushdie


On Torture

"You know, when I saw the incident that I saw, after it was over, I approached the non-commissioned officer in charge, and I said, 'You know, anyone that you have in there that is innocent is a terrorist by the time they walk out.' And he said he knew." – Kayla Williams

Kimchi Culture Could Cure Bird Flu

Among the many miraculous properties attributed to the Korean staple side dish kimchi may be the ability to cure bird flu, Seoul National University scientists say. A research team lead by Prof. Kang Sa-ouk said Tuesday they created a food mixture containing a lactic ferment from kimchi that is effective against the avian flu and sent it to Indonesia, where the virus is rampant.

In March, Kang and his team fed an extract of the lactic ferment found in the pickled cabbage dish -- dubbed Leuconostoc kimchii -- to a group of chickens infected with Newcastle Disease, avian flu and other respiratory illnesses. After one week almost all of the chickens had recovered completely. Reports on the study have appeared as far afield as BBC broadcasts and the Wall Street Journal.

“Our research team has been distributing feed additives made from the lactic ferment culture fluid to poultry farms across the nation since last August,” Kang said. “There were requests from zoos in Indonesia that had to close down due to the bird flu, so we sent a 400 kg shipment of feed additives made from the culture to each of them last week.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/kimchi/kimchi.cfm

Kidz Cartoon ^^

Cartoon Mania...

What causes Earthquakes?

EarthQuakes...

Bush claimed God told him to invade Iraq, Afghanistan

LONDON (AFP) - US President
George W. Bush said GOD told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, a new BBC documentary will reveal, according to details.

Bush made the claim when he met Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and then foreign minister Nabil Shaath in June 2003, the ministers told the documentary series to be broadcast in Britain later this month.

The US leader also told them he had been ordered by GOD to create a Palestinian state, the ministers said.

Shaath, now the Palestinian information minister, said: " President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from GOD.

'GOD would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan'.'

"And I did, and then GOD would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq...' And I did.

"'And now, again, I feel GOD's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East.' And by GOD I'm gonna do it'," said Shaath.

Abbas, who was also at the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, recalled how the president told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation.

"So I will get you a Palestinian state."

A BBC spokesman said the content of the programme had been put to the White House but it had refused to comment on a private conversation.

The three-part series, "Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs", charts the attempts to bring peace to the Middle East, from former US president Bill Clinton's peace talks in 1999-2000 to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza strip.

The programme speaks to presidents and prime ministers, their generals and ministers, about what happened behind closed doors as the peace talks failed and the intifada grew.

The series is due to be screened in Britain on October 10, 17 and 24.

Robotic Hummer Gets Pole in Robot Race

FONTANA, Calif. - A driverless red Hummer snagged the pole position Wednesday in a government-sponsored sequel race across the Mojave Desert that will pit 23 robots against one another.

The finalists were chosen after an intense, weeklong qualifying run at the California Speedway, where the self-navigating vehicles had to drive on a bumpy road, zip through a tunnel and avoid obstacles. No human drivers or remote controls were allowed.

The Hummer named H1ghlander, built by Carnegie Mellon University, flipped during practice a few weeks ago when it struck a rock. But it still managed to complete all four required semifinal runs.

Last year, only half of the 15 autonomous robotic vehicles that ran in the so-called Grand Challenge passed the semifinals. No team claimed the $1 million inaugural prize because all the contestants broke down within a few miles of the starting gate.

So this year, the sponsor, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, doubled the purse with the hope that a vehicle would finish Saturday's $2 million race.

This year's finalists completed the hilly qualifying course littered with hay bales and parked cars at least once. Five of the vehicles finished it four consecutive times. Those included H1ghlander; a converted Humvee Sandstorm; a modified Volkswagen Touareg by Stanford University; a six-wheel truck; and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

"I'm inspired by all the robots," said William "Red" Whittaker, a Carnegie Mellon robotics professor. "Never discount or diminish any of them."

The race is part of the Pentagon's effort to fulfill a congressional mandate to have a third of all military ground vehicles unmanned by 2015. The Defense Department envisions using robotic vehicles to bring supplies in combat zones.

DARPA, the Pentagon's research and development arm, spent $9 million on this year's event. The agency would award the prize to the first team whose computer-driven vehicle can traverse a rough and winding desert course of up to 175 miles in less than 10 hours.

There are several reasons why this year's field is more competitive. Teams had more time to prepare for the race. Many spent the past 18 months focused on the vehicles' computer "brain," beefing up their artificial intelligence through improved computer algorithms.

Teams also had the advantage of practicing in various parts of the Southwest desert under race-like conditions. Even before the semifinals, some robots had already driven hundreds of continuous miles during practice, including some that tested on last year's course between Barstow and Primm, Nev.

"Nobody was ready last year," said Bill Kehaly of Westlake Village-based Axion Racing, whose Jeep Grand Cherokee named Spirit is racing in the finals. "Everybody feels a lot more confident this year."

Because the vehicles must be self-navigating, they are equipped with GPS tracking. Mounted sensors, radar, lasers and cameras feed information to onboard computers to orient the vehicles and help them avoid obstacles and traps.

The exact route that vehicles must follow is kept secret until two hours before the competition. Organizers said the course, which will loop from and to the casino town of Primm will feature rugged desert and mountain terrain. Vehicles have to average 15 mph to 20 mph to finish in time.

"The worst vehicle we have is as good or better than the best vehicle last year," said DARPA director Anthony Tether.

Carnegie Mellon's workhorse, Sandstorm, traveled the farthest in the Mojave Desert last year despite trekking only 7 1/2 miles. It will start third in this year's race.

Of the vehicles that successfully coursed the speedway four straight times, an off-road, six-wheel truck built by Oshkosh Truck Corp., had the slowest time. But team leader Jim Fravert did not think that was a problem. The desert will be tougher and the truck was designed to handle 60 percent grades and push through five feet of water, he said.

___

On the Net:

http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge

http://www.grandchallenge.org

Korea, Russia to Start Joint Missile Development

Still Scene from 'Into the Blue'

Korea and Russia on Thursday started an era of shared arms development when they signed a deal to jointly develop medium-range missiles. The deal covers technology transfer from Russia to help Korea develop a K-MSAM medium-range surface-to-air missile that will replace its Hawk missiles.

These will be the first fruits of a memorandum of understanding on joint weapons research and development signed last April by Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung and his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov.

The K-MSAM missile will be able to detect and intercept enemy planes, helicopters, ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft within a 50 km target range. It is to be ready for Korean use by 2011.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Fossil Fuels Set to Become Relics

Abid Aslam, OneWorld US


WASHINGTON, D.C., (OneWorld) - Energy drawn from the wind, tide, sun, Earth's heat, and farm waste is poised to begin replacing oil and other fossil fuels, a prominent research group said Wednesday in a wake-up call to industry executives and government officials worldwide.

''Energy markets are about to experience a seismic shift,'' Christopher Flavin, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute, said in a speech to oil executives and energy ministers in Johannesburg, South Africa, site of the 18th World Petroleum Congress.

''The question for oil executives is whether you're in the oil business or the energy business.''

The conference's 5,000 participants included ExxonMobil President Rex Tillerson and Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi, Worldwatch said.

To be sure, oil accounts for about 30 percent of the world's energy use while renewable energy sources make up a slim two percent. However, according to Flavin, the market share of renewable energy sources was growing apace.

Unlike fossil fuels, of which there is a limited supply, renewable energy--including solar, wind, and geothermal power and biofuels--is derived from sources that are continually replaced.

Most renewable energies are non-polluting. By contrast, scientists say the burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming, which in turn drives the increased incidence and intensity of major storms such as hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Flavin spoke against a backdrop of soaring oil prices and demand. World oil consumption increased by 3.4 percent in 2004, the fastest rise in 16 years, Worldwatch said earlier this year in a report citing U.N., industry, and other sources.

However, the research group added, oil production is falling in 33 of the 48 largest oil-producing countries. These include six of the 11 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC).

In the continental United States, the think tank said, oil production peaked at eight million barrels per day in 1970 and fell to 2.9 million barrels daily last year.

Production of biofuels, wind power, and solar energy are all growing at rates of 20-30 percent per year, compared with growth rates of around two percent for oil and gas, Flavin said.

The costs of renewable energy were falling fast, news reports Wednesday quoted Flavin as telling the conference. Wind power cost 46 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1980 but now costs less than six cents.

New energy sources are attracting roughly $30 billion in investment annually, he added, with Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, and California leading the emerging market.

''Already, 35 million homes in China get their hot water from solar collectors. That is more than the rest of the world combined,'' Flavin told the Reuters news agency in Johannesburg.

''There are prospects for real take-offs in solar and wind power in China, and not just hot water for homes but in industry,'' he added. ''State-owned industries and private companies there are investing heavily in renewables.''

Renewable sources account for 25 percent of Sweden's energy use and 45 percent in Norway. The United States lagged behind, with only 4.2 percent of its energy consumption coming from renewable sources.

Energy companies and governments were driving growth in renewables, Flavin said, with firms including Royal Dutch Shell Group, BP, and Mitsubishi among the major players.

Additionally, 48 countries now have policies and incentives promoting renewable energy, he added.

World First Robot ammunition transportation

World first Robot Armored ammunition transportation vehicle development

Korean-Made Automated Ammo Supply Vehicle Unveiled 2005 October 5th (Wed)

South Korea recently unveiled a domestically produced manned robotic armed ammunition re-supply vehicle, that automatically delivers ammo to the army's K-9 self-propelled guns, the Army said Tuesday.

The K-10 automatically supplies up to 12 rounds per minute to the K-9 self-propelled gun and has a load capacity of 104 rounds.

The vehicle has an automatic controller which performs ammunition inventory control and automatic defect detection or diagnostic tests. It is priced at around US$2.6 million.

Development started in 2002 with US$12.7 million from the Army and was led by Samsung Techwin along with the Agency for Defense Development and the Defense Quality Assurance Agency. The K-10 will be deployed next year.
(englishnews@chosun.com )

A380 jet flawed

A380 jet flawed, fired worker alleges
Seattle Times 10/02/05
author: Los Angeles Times
(Copyright 2005)


VIENNA -- Ever since the Mangans gave up their comfortable house in Kansas City and moved here a year ago, the family has been living in a kind of suspended animation.

It almost looks as if they just moved into their two-bedroom apartment near Austria's old Imperial Palace: Some boxes shipped from the U.S. have never been open and the bedroom windows are still covered with sheets because the family ran short of money before they could buy curtains.

Joseph Mangan, 41, is a whistle-blower. As a result he and his family find themselves fighting a legal battle in a foreign country with unfamiliar laws that have left them almost penniless.

A year ago, Mangan told European aviation authorities that there was a problem with a computer chip on the Airbus A380, the biggest and costliest commercial airliner ever built. The A380 is a double-decked engineering marvel that will carry up to 800 passengers -- double the capacity of a Boeing's 747. It will enter airline service next year.

Mangan alleges that flaws in a microprocessor could cause the valves that maintain cabin pressure on the A380 to accidentally open during flight, allowing oxygen to leak out so rapidly that everyone aboard could lose consciousness within seconds.

It's a lethal scenario similar to the 1999 crash that killed professional golfer Payne Stewart and five others when their Learjet lost cabin pressure and they blacked out. The plane flew on autopilot for hours before crashing in South Dakota.

Mangan was chief engineer for TTTech Computertechnik, a Viennese company that supplies the computer chips and software to control the cabin-pressurization system for the A380, which is being assembled at the Airbus plant in France.

Last October, TTTech fired Mangan and filed civil and criminal charges against him for revealing company documents, arguing the information was proprietary and he had no right to disclose it to anyone.

TTTech executives denied any wrongdoing. They said there had been a minor glitch in its system but that it had been fixed.

Mangan countersued, saying he had been wrongly terminated for raising legitimate safety concerns. Unlike U.S. laws that shield whistle-blowers from corporate retaliation, Austrian law offers no such protection. Earlier this year an Austrian judge imposed an unusual gag order on Mangan, seeking to stop him from talking about the case.

Mangan posted details about the case anyway on his own Internet blog. The Austrian court fined him $185,000 for violating the injunction.

And the Vienna police, who are conducting a criminal investigation into the matter, searched the family's apartment for four hours, downloading files from Mangan's computer as his children watched.

Boxes of documents detailing his allegations clutter the living room, but Mangan can't show the material or talk about the case -- at least in Austria.

To discuss his case with The Los Angeles Times, Mangan took a five-hour train ride to Munich, Germany, where the gag order doesn't apply. "I don't want to destroy TTTech," he said. "But I still get nightmares of people dying. I just can't let that happen."

House had to be sold

To help pay living expenses and legal fees, Mangan sold his house in Kansas. With only about $300 left in his bank account, Mangan missed a Sept. 8 deadline to pay his $185,000 fine and faces up to a year in jail. This month he's likely to be called before a judge on his criminal case.

The family expected to be evicted from their apartment, but their church in Vienna took up a collection to pay their rent.

At the moment, Mangan is hiding out at a church member's home because he fears he could be arrested at any time.

Mangan's wife, Diana, has been reading a book, "Lord, Where Are You When Bad Things Happen?" to make sense of the family's ordeal. "He's trying to do the right thing. Why are we suffering for it?"

On both sides of the Atlantic, Mangan's case has quietly raised eyebrows in the close-knit aerospace community, which is fascinated by his allegations but unclear about how serious they are.

Hans Weber, a veteran aviation consultant in San Diego, can't say whether Mangan has a legitimate claim because he hasn't seen the evidence. But he is baffled by the extent to which Airbus and TTTech have "gone after" Mangan.

"There is something really unusual about this case in the sense that there is this hard standoff between Airbus and the individual," Weber said. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

Key design allegation

One of Mangan's key allegations is that because of the A380's unusual design, any loss of cabin pressure would be extremely dangerous.

Most passenger jets have two cabin-pressure valves, with separate motors operating each. But because aircraft makers want redundancy on safety systems the planes have three motors for each valve, with different chips controlling each motor. The Boeing 777, for example, has cabin-pressure chips made by Motorola, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. Most jetliners also have a manual override so that the pilot can take control in an emergency.

Airbus has acknowledged that its designers faced challenges as they attempted to reduce the A380's weight. The company elected to go with four outflow valves on the A380, with only one motor on each valve, which are slightly larger than a cabin window. Each motor uses a TTTech controller chip, and there is no backup manual-override system.

"Just there, I would not be happy," said Chris Lomax, a retired engineer who helped design the cabin-pressurization systems for Boeing's 737 and 747. "If all four valves [on the A380] were driven wide open, it would be nip and tuck for the crew to get their [oxygen] mask on and begin a descent."

Airbus notes that the A380 has achieved redundancy by installing the extra cabin-pressure valves, which provide a safety cushion in case a valve fails. As for Mangan's allegations, they are "an unsubstantiated crusade," said Airbus spokesman Clay McConnell.

"Don't you think we would look into it, and if we found it was true we would do something about it?" McConnell asked.

A380 behind schedule

The A380, which is undergoing flight testing, is a year behind schedule due to unspecified problems. But Airbus has told aviation authorities there is ample time to fix any problems that are discovered during the certification process.

TTTech executives insist that their product is safe. They portray Mangan as a disgruntled ex-employee seeking retribution and eager to blackmail them. "He's trying to destroy the company," Chief Executive Stefan Poledna said.

TTTech supplies parts to Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies unit, that is building the A380's cabin-pressurization system. "The matters raised by Mr. Mangan have been thoroughly reviewed," a Hamilton Sundstrand spokeswoman said, "and safety of flight will be assured."

The European Safety Aviation Safety Agency, which is handling the A380's flight-worthiness certification, has reviewed Mangan's allegations. "We have done the research and acted accordingly," spokesman Daniel Holtgen said. "We can't comment on it because it is a matter for Airbus."

Mangan says the European aerospace establishment is whitewashing his claims because of enormous cost savings that will be realized if TTTech's chips are approved for the A380.

TTTech's chip originally was designed for use in autos and the company is trying to get it certified as an existing, "commercial off-the-shelf" product that is acceptable for the A380, according to court records.

Mangan, however, alleges that the chip is being customized for aviation purposes, and thus must undergo stringent testing before being approved by regulators.

If regulators decide that TTTech's chip is a simple commercial device and can be used in the A380, it would then be available for other new aircraft without having to pass costly safety reviews.

That's why Mangan alleges that the industry is so adamant about squashing his claims. Airbus, Boeing's European rival, surpassed Boeing in 2003 as the world's largest maker of airliners.

Mangan's attorney, Franz Karl Juraczka, advised him last spring to leave Austria before his legal problems snowballed. Mangan refused: "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything went wrong with that airplane."

Technology enthusiast

Mangan was born in Ohio and grew up in San Jose, and he always had a fascination for science and technology, family members and friends said. When Apple introduced its first personal computer, the 12-year-old Mangan took apart the family's television set to try to build a PC for himself. He also made a satellite receiver out of coffee cans to try to get weather data from an orbiting satellite.

At 16, while still in high school, he got a part-time job for IBM in San Jose helping to design robotic manufacturing machines. He attended San Jose State University and the University of Massachusetts but never received a college degree.

Later, while working for Honeywell on a military-jet project, he came into contact with TTTech, a company that was founded by two university professors in Vienna to market their computer chips.

Drawn by the firm's potential, Mangan had bright prospects in February 2004 when he was hired as chief engineer at a salary of $100,000, plus $25,000 in moving expenses. Diana Mangan packed up their three children, Shelley, now 12; Timothy, 9; and Jarrod, 6, and they arrived in Vienna in the summer of 2004, just in time for school.

With Austria's subsidized medical care and after-school-care program, it looked like it would be a great place to raise a family. And the family was pleased to discover that Vienna had a Baptist church.

Mangan began work on the chip for the A380's cabin-pressurization system.

Mangan said he found serious flaws early last year in TTTech's computer chips and the software for the A380's cabin-pressurization system, according to legal documents. The system was executing "unpredictable" commands when it received certain data, possibly causing the pressure valves to open accidentally.

Because all four motors in that A380's cabin-pressurization system use the same type of flawed TTTech chip, Mangan says, "If one fails they all fail."

Yet his employer ignored his concerns, he alleges, because fixing the glitches would be costly, could take up to a year and would further delay the A380's launch.

TTTech tried to cover up the defects and forged Mangan's signature on documents to suggest the software passed internal tests and reviews, he alleges in court documents.

"Once they slip this onboard the A380, they can justify using it on all other aircraft," Mangan said.

Indeed, Boeing has ordered TTTech's chips for the flight-control system for its upcoming mid-size 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing executives said they were unaware of any problems with TTTech's chips but said further questions should be addressed by TTTech.

Within days of firing Mangan last fall, TTTech sued him in civil court to retract his statements to aviation authorities about the potential defect.

Unlike the U.S. legal system, in Austria individuals can file criminal charges. A few weeks later TTTech also sued Mangan in criminal court.

Then, in December, a civil court issued an injunction barring Mangan from talking about his case.

Throughout the family's ordeal, Mangan remained dogmatic about not being chased out of Austria and to stand up for what he believed in.

The Mangans live day to day, not sure what will come next. If they can't pay their rent, they hope to return to the U.S. to live with Diana's parents in Ohio, although they have maxed out their credit card and can't afford plane tickets.

Mangan is getting ready to file for personal bankruptcy.

TTTech has offered to drop its legal action against Mangan, court records show, and pay him three months of severance, if he retracts his statements. But Mangan has refused.

Mangan said he is looking for a new job. In the past year he contacted dozens of aerospace firms in the U.S. and Europe. None has returned his calls.

"Nobody wants to touch me," he said.

Hyundai Motor Pushes On

Hyundai Motor Pushes On With Assault on Europe

Hyundai Motor is moving ahead with plans to set up a plant with an annual capacity of 300,000 units in the Czech Republic to cement its foothold in Europe. The plant would boost the production capacity of the group, including its affiliate Kia Motors, to the international top.
When the Czech plant is complete in 2008, Hyundai and Kia will have a combined capacity of some 5.41 million vehicles -- 3 million in Korea and 2.41 million produced abroad.

Hyundai Motor said Friday its chairman Chung Mong-Koo met with Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek in Prague to discuss the plan.

Hyundai is to invest a total of 1 billion euros to establish the plant, possibly in Ostrava, 230 km east of Prague. It wants to start construction next year and begin operations in the latter half of 2008.

The Korean car giant plans to develop and manufacture new models appealing to the European market at the Czech plant. For that purpose it will set up a network linking the Czech plant with the Hyundai Motor Engineering Center in Frankfurt, Germany and Hyundai Motor Europe GmbH to localize the entire production process from planning and design to manufacture and sales.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Real Time Episode 60 - 61

Episode 61
Premiering September 23, 2005
Guests: Willie Nelson, Rep. David Dreier, Christopher Hitchens, Katty Kay, George Galloway, Andrea Mitchell

On Hurricane Rita

"There is another storm now, as you know, Rita, about to devastate the Gulf Region again. President Bush said our prayers go out, to the executives at Chevron." – Bill Maher

On Vice President Cheney

"The other event that has people on edge this weekend, Vice President Cheney will undergo surgery for an aneurysm. And while he is under anesthetic, a man named George Bush will be in charge." – Bill Maher

On the Jet Blue Emergency Landing

"We had a little disaster excitement ourselves here: The Jet Blue Airliners. An airliner full of passengers had to make an emergency landing because the landing gear got stuck, and the irony is, the crew said it could easily have been fixed if someone on board just had a pocketknife." – Bill Maher

On Foreign Oil Dependency

"We have two cars, my wife and I, that run on vegetable oil. She has a Volkswagen. I have a Mercedes. They've never had anything in them expect 100% vegetable oil. Our bus is run on 100% soybeans. So there's no reason for us to be so dependent on foreign energy." – Willie Nelson

On Margaret Thatcher

"In the 20 years or so I've been in the House of Commons, by far the best performer at Prime Minister's Questions, was Mrs. Thatcher, who more than half of the country hated. But she could wipe the floor with the opposition leader before breakfast." – George Galloway

ON American Leadership

"In this country, a smart leader is suspect. That's just the way it is. Even George Bush's father, who was a lot smarter than the son, had to sort of prove that he wasn't that bright." – Bill Maher

On Critiquing the U.S.

"We're not running our country down when we criticize it. We're trying to make it better." – Bill Maher

ON GEORGE BUSH

"His eyes are so close together he could use a monocle." – Christopher Hitchens

"Christians believe in the Prophets, peace be upon them. Bush believes in the profits and how to get a piece of them." – George Galloway




Episode 60
Premiering September 16, 2005
Guests: Sen. Charles Schumer, PJ O'Rourke, Joy Behar, Willie Brown, Dan Senor

On John Roberts

"But my view is that somebody should - who wants this very high position - has an obligation to tell us of his views, and he didn't. And that's one of the things we're now grappling with, because we don't know enough about him on so many issues." – Sen. Charles Schumer

On Bush Taking Responsibility

"That's not saying, 'It was my fault.' That's like when a parent says, after your kid knocks a ball through somebody else's window, 'I take responsibility.' It's not saying, 'I f***ed up.'" – Bill Maher

On Poverty

"The policies of this nation that has allowed the issue of poverty - you understand, voting rights are one thing, but to just vote is not getting rid of the real problem in America. The Republican operation under George Bush has been consistently perpetuating-the existence of an incredible number of very poor people, all whom happen to be black in America." – Willie Brown

"All I want to say is that Republicans are always worried about welfare, welfare for poor people. They never talk about welfare for the rich, education, that George Bush got intoYale. How did he get into Yale? He's not that bright. I could have gotten into Yale." – Joy Behar

On Iraq

"Parts of it are really bad. The violence, the insurgency that keeps targeting Iraqis, sometimes targeting Americans, is certainly not what we expected, and it's bad and it's tragic and it's awful. That said, if you can get beyond the minute-to-minute events that furnish the daily headlines and take a look at the sort of big macro events, you actually have Iraqis risking their lives to build a democracy in the heart of a region that has never known it." – Dan Senor

"You know, if there's one thing I've hated since 9/11, it's that thing I hear all the time, that everything changed. When obviously nothing changed. The best example from the hurricane was the firefighters who came from I forget where, but they were sent down there to help, and they were given - before they could get to the disaster area - eight hours of sexual harassment sensitivity training." – Bill Maher

On the New Tend of Visitors in the Delivery Room

"I've been there. I've done that. But why don't they invite them to the conception of the child? That would be much, much more interesting. Don't you think?." – PJ O'Rourke

Bush Administration Disaster A-Z

Disaster List A - Z Abu Ghraib
Bin Laden
Chalabi
Deficit
Enron
Failure to Find WMDs
Halliburton
Iraq
John Bolton
Katrina
Still to come:

Locusts
Mars Attacks
North Korea
Osama & Jenna
Pregnancy: Osama & Jenna
Queer Revolt
Rodents of Unusual Size
Syrian War
Tigers
Unicyclists, Nuclear
Voldemort
WWIII
X-Rated Tape: Osama & Jenna
Yam Shortage
Zero People Left on Earth

“Hurricane Katrina is George Bush’s Monica Lewinsky.”

Jeweller tells of gunshot escape

The second bullet hit the handset in Mr Prior's jacket pocket BBC News

A jeweller who was shot at by a robber but saved by his mobile phone when the bullet hit the handset has spoken about his attempt to chase the thief.

Darren Prior, 23, said he was not trying to be a hero in the raid at his shop in Horsham, Sussex, on Thursday.

The first bullet missed Mr Prior by inches. The second hit his phone.

"I felt the impact and realised I had been shot. I opened up my jacket to check where, and I couldn't work out why there was no blood."

The jeweller said: "The man came into the shop holding a gun.

"He insisted on taking some jewellery items out of the shop, barged past me on his way out, and that's when I gave chase down the road."

I realised there was nowhere for me to go. I was trapped. The next thing I realised, I felt the impact.

Part of the chase was filmed on CCTV.

"As he was running, he turned the corner and fired the first shot," Mr Prior said.

"I was scared then. It was an instant reaction to try to move out of the way.

"But then I wanted to try to see where he went after that. That's when I chased him further."

He said he came face to face with the robber for the second time in a narrow alley.

"When he was facing me, I realised there was nowhere for me to go," he said.

"I was trapped. "The next thing I realised, I felt the impact on my side."

He said he only realised the bullet had hit his phone when he took it out to dial 999.

"Usually at work I take it out because I don't want it ringing while I'm serving customers," he said.

"I must have forgotten to take it out after lunch - it's lucky that I did."

He said: "Obviously it was quite a dangerous situation and quite scary.

"The main thing was that I was trying to get as much information as possible so that I can help the police."

The attack at the Amore shop in Piries Place is being treated as attempted murder.

Global Celebrity Poker

By Michael Hirsh and Melinda Liu, Newsweek

Oct. 3, 2005 issue - High-stakes diplomacy is not unlike "Celebrity Poker." In both there is a big stage, a rapt audience and swift reversals of fortune. And in diplomacy as in poker, the best players can sense when their opponents are bluffing, wavering—or holding a winning hand. That certainly seemed to be the game that Wu Dawei, China's chief negotiator, was playing last week during the six-party talks in Beijing over North Korea's nuclear-arms program.

For two years the Americans were thought to control most of the chips. The Chinese hosts often fretted about American intransigence—Washington's blunt willingness to walk away if it did not get what it wanted. But this time a subtle shift in psychology occurred at the table. When Wu presented a draft accord on Sept. 16—the fifth the Chinese team had painstakingly drawn up—the U.S. reaction was typical: we can't accept this. The draft alluded to the delivery of a civilian light-water nuclear reactor as one of the rewards Pyongyang would get if it dismantled its nuclear weapons. For the Americans, such a gift to a rogue tyrant like North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had always been a nonstarter (not least because Bill Clinton had once promised him the same thing). And for Washington, the "sequencing"—when the North might get a nuclear reactor—was far too vague.

But then the Chinese pushed back—and hard. "This is the final draft," Wu told the Americans, according to a senior U.S. official who briefed the media only on condition of anonymity. "Take it or leave it." When the chief U.S. negotiator, Christopher Hill, consulted his superiors back in Washington the next day, they again balked at the draft language. But the Chinese simply reiterated their firm stand, the official said. It was no bluff.

Faced with a Chinese wall, the Americans agonized over a threat that usually doesn't faze them: isolation. The U.S. team realized they no longer had South Korea, once a devoted ally, on their side. In a symbolic move, Seoul's delegates even stayed in a different Beijing hotel than the Americans and Japanese did, and Hill was stunned when South Korea took the Chinese line, officially raising the light-water-reactor issue. Nor could the Americans claim an ally in Russia, which was going its own way here and in nuclear talks with Iran. Only Japan remained loyal. "We said if we reject [the draft], we could find ourselves completely isolated or in a minority," said the U.S. official. "We could get blamed for the talks' breaking down."

After a frenzied weekend of consultations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice found a way out. She agreed to accept the draft as long as each party could issue separate statements clearly laying out how they wanted to sequence steps. That way Hill could state unambiguously that the North would have to completely dismantle before the other parties would discuss the reactor "at an appropriate time." Although most details are to be negotiated in November—and North Korean or U.S. second thoughts could upset a deal—President George W. Bush signed off on the tentative pact.

Hailed as a "wonderful" breakthrough by Bush, the North Korean nuclear agreement was also evidence of a perceptible shift in power balances, both in Asia and around the world. For the first time, America hewed to the Chinese line, not the other way around. China, once a timid and indecisive giant—the Baby Huey of nations—was at last asserting itself like a great power. And the Bush administration, weakened by Iraq, hurricane damage (both real and political) and plummeting poll numbers, was more willing to compromise. "The Chinese understand they hold more cards here," says Jonathan Pollack of the U.S. Naval War College. "America is a little distracted these days and China knows that."

Beijing has been exploiting its power advantage in other ways. The People's Liberation Army is building up parts of its military capability faster than Washington expected—especially its rapidly expanding fleet of submarines and naval vessels. And it has pointedly kept Washington from participating in the inaugural East Asia Summit—where officials will discuss an Asian regional trading bloc—being held in Malaysia in December. "China made clear it didn't want the U.S. invited, and it discouraged Japan's efforts to let Washington in as an observer," said an Asian diplomat who would speak only if he were not further identified. In response, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick last week warned Beijing not to seek "to maneuver toward a predominance of power" in the region.

China's growing sway at the bargaining table extends beyond Asia, and Washington finds itself in the uncomfortable position of having to work harder to influence nations than it once did. That was the case last week in Vienna, when the United States and its European partners had to lobby intensively for a resolution at the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council. China, a board member, decided to abstain along with Russia. But a whole new round of globo-poker will be played out at the Security Council, where Beijing bears a critical veto.

Beijing's new assertiveness is also a reflection of its own fears. America is still the lone superpower, while China remains a developing country. Washington, aware that some of its old allies aren't as chummy, is trolling for new partners on China's borders. When Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Washington in July, he was treated to a state dinner in celebration of his new strategic alliance with America. Chinese President Hu Jintao, meanwhile, was penciled in for lunch (it was postponed by Hurricane Katrina).

Of course, there's a big difference between poker and diplomacy. Among nations, everybody around the table can win. If North Korea does de-nuclearize, it will go down as a triumph of Chinese mediation. But America will come out ahead, too.

With Sarah Schafer in Beijing and B. J. Lee in Seoul

© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.