Open Eyes Open Mind: May 2006

AP Wire | 04/28/2006 | Rush Limbaugh arrested on prescription drug charges: "Prosecutors seized Limbaugh's records after learning that he received about 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors in six months, at a pharmacy near his Palm Beach mansion. They contend that Limbaugh engaged in 'doctor shopping,' or illegally deceived multiple doctors to receive overlapping prescriptions.

Limbaugh has not been charged and maintains he's innocent. He has acknowledged he became addicted to pain medication, blaming it on severe back pain, and took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter a rehabilitation program in 2003."

Chavez's oil 'revolution' spreads to Bolivia

Telegraph | Money | Chavez's oil 'revolution' spreads to Bolivia:

Chavez's oil 'revolution' spreads to Bolivia
By Roland Gribben (Filed: 03/05/2006)

Oil companies were reviewing programmes for investment in South America yesterday after the third of the 'three amigos' moved to take control of oil and gas assets.

Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, sent troops to 'occupy' oil fields after signing a decree authorising state control. He stopped short of outright nationalisation.

He wants foreign oil companies to accept new and more onerous operating terms or to pack up their bags and leave a country that boasts the second-largest gas reserves in the region."

$500 Dell Laptop Trade-in from Sony Deal - Best Price Cheap Sale Items Review Wholesale Sale Discount - Techbargains.com

$500 Dell Laptop Trade-in from Sony Deal - Best Price Cheap Sale Items Review Wholesale Sale Discount - Techbargains.com: "Sony has Trade in an old working Dell notebook for a Sony Vaio BX series and get a $500 rebate. Trade in any other working notebook and get $300. The Vaio BX comes in 14', 15' and 17' sizes and includes a fingerprint reader. Exp 6/30

Sony BX VAIO Notebooks from $1099. "

اجلاس پاريس درباره ايران به نتيجه نرسيد

BBCPersian.com: "اجلاس پاريس با شرکت مديران کل سياسی وزارت خارجه کشورهای آمريکا، بريتانيا، چين، روسيه و فرانسه - اعضای دايم شورای امنيت - و آلمان که در مذاکرات هسته ای اروپاييان با جمهوری اسلامی شرکت داشته، در آستانه آغاز مذاکرات شورای امنيت در مورد مساله هسته ای برگزار شد.

در حاليکه کشورهای غربی خواستار آن شده اند که شورای امنيت به دليل خودداری ايران از عمل به بيانيه ماه مارس شورا به صدور قطعنامه ای عليه اين کشور مبادرت ورزند، روسيه و چين با هرگونه مصوبه ای که بتواند زمينه اعمال تحريم هايی عليه ايران را فراهم آورد مخالفت ورزيده اند."

نگرانی توليد کنندگان سيمان و فولاد از تصميم دولت ايران

BBCPersian.com: "دولت ايران با برداشتن تعرفه واردات سيمان و فولاد، واردات اين دو محصول را آزاد کرده و در عين حال صادرات اين محصولات را ممنوع کرده است.

دولت ايران همچنين به وزارتخانه های نفت، نيرو، راه و مسکن اجازه داده که سيمان و فولاد مورد نياز خود را برای اجرای پروژه های عمرانی وارد کنند.

اين تصميم در پی افزايش مصرف و کمبود اين محصولات گرفته شده اما به عقيده برخی توليد کنندگان ايرانی اجرای آن سرمايه گذاری در صنايع مرتبط را با رکود مواجه خواهد کرد. شايد از همين رو است که برخی توليد کنندگان اين تصميم را عجولانه و نسجيده خوانده اند."

شيمون پرز به ايران پيشنهاد صلح داد

BBCPersian.com: "به گزارش خبرگزاری کار ايران، وی در عين حال با انتقاد از ديپلماسی ايران گفت بايد اين ديپلماسی از حالت افراط و تفريط بيرون آيد. وی در سخنان خود هم به سياست تنش زدايی دوره خاتمی حمله کرد و هم شيوه های 'تهاجمی' در ديپلماسی دولت فعلی را تلويحا ناکارآمد توصيف کرد. وی ديپلماسی کنونی دولت را 'ساده انديشی' دانست و جای نخبگان را در آن خالی ارزيابی کرد.

در همين حال، شيمون پرز نخست وزير سابق اسرائيل و برنده جايزه صلح نوبل ضمن هشدار به ايران دست صلح به سوی اين کشور دراز کرده است."

آقای پرز که پدر برنامه هسته ای اسرائيل خوانده می شود افزود: "ما از مقامات هسته ای ايران خواهان صلح هستيم و آنان را ترغيب می کنيم که از تحريکات هسته ای خود دست بردارند."

معاون سینمایی:برنامه استراتژیک سینما با بهره گیری ازدیجیتالیزم تدوین می‌شود - Irna

معاون سینمایی:برنامه استراتژیک سینما با بهره گیری ازدیجیتالیزم تدوین می‌شود - Irna: "معاون امورسينمايي وزارت فرهنگ وارشاد اسلامي گفت: ديجيتاليزم (سينماي ديجيتال) بايد به عنوان يك رويكرد در برنامه استراتژيك سينماي ايران وجود داشته باشد.

'محمدرضا جعفري جلوه' روز چهارشنبه در همايش 'ابزارها و فرآيند سينماي ديجيتال'، افزود: ما امروز به سينماي ملي و عميق بومي با فنون، دستاوردها و مهارتهاي ايراني فكر مي‌كنيم.

نخستين همايش ابزارها و فرآيند سينماي ديجيتال امروز با حضور اهالي صنوف مختلف در خانه سينما گشايش يافت."

واعظ طبسی : مطهری نسبت به تحجر و واپسگرایی بسیار حساس بود - Irna

واعظ طبسی : مطهری نسبت به تحجر و واپسگرایی بسیار حساس بود - Irna: "نماينده ولي فقيه در خراسان رضوي و توليت آستان قدس رضوي گفت : شهيد مطهري نسبت به تحجر ، واپسگرايي بسيار حساس و تكيه‌اش صرفا بر اسلام ناب ، قرآن و سنت پيامبر اعظم (ص) بود.

آيت‌الله عباس واعظ طبسي روز چهارشنبه در جمع ‪ ۳۱۷‬نفر از معلمان نمونه و رييسان ادارات و نواحي آموزش و پرورش خراسان رضوي افزود:اين استاد فرزانه هرگز در بحثها و گفتمان‌هاي علمي، ملاحظات سياسي را دخالت نمي‌داد و با مسائل برخورد سياسي نداشت.

وي با بيان اينكه مطهري صريح و قاطع و با همه وجود دل به اسلام ناب داده بود، اظهار داشت : وي خطري كه دانشگاه‌ها و فضاهاي آموزشي كشور را تهديد مي‌كرد، تشخيص داد."

Why does Superman wear his underwear on top of his clothes?

Why does Superman wear his underwear on top of his clothes?:

Superheroes are a strange breed, often doing things we mortals don't understand. Why does Superman wear his unmentionables on top of his clothes? Hey, man, who the heck knows!

OK, but why does the Man of Steel dress like an '80s aerobics instructor? If we had to hazard a guess, we'd say it's for aesthetics and nothing more. Without the red trunks, he'd look like a male ballerina in blue pantyhose. And not even Superman could pull off that look.

Iran, Syria sign agreements on telecommunication, IT - Irna

Iran, Syria sign agreements on telecommunication, IT - Irna: "The initial monetary values of each agreement has been estimated at dlrs 30 million which will be increased to dlrs 100 million, Soleimani said.

'We expect to increase the value of such agreements to dlrs 500 million in a year,' he said.

The Syrian communication and technology minister heading a high ranking delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday to study expansion of mutual cooperation and sign agreements on jointly run projects."

German MP meets representatives of religious minorities in Majlis - Irna

German MP meets representatives of religious minorities in Majlis - Irna: "For his part, the MP representing the Iranian Assyrians in Majlis, Younatan Botkilia, referred to articles 12 and 84 of the onstitution and said that the representatives of Iranian religious minorities are entitled to rights and duties equal to the Muslim MPs.

Regretting the human rights statements issued by the West against Iran, he noted, 'Religious minorities in Iran enjoy complete freedom, while we are concerned about the unjust approach of the West towards the Muslim minorities of the Western states."

ABC News: Nearly All Sodas Sales to Schools to End

ABC News: Nearly All Sodas Sales to Schools to End: "The nation's largest beverage distributors have agreed to halt nearly all soda sales to public schools, according to a deal announced Wednesday by the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Under the agreement, the companies have agreed to sell only water, unsweetened juice and low-fat milks to elementary and middle schools, said Jay Carson, a spokesman for former President Bill Clinton. Diet sodas would be sold only to high schools."

Immigrants Try to Extend Boycott Momentum - Yahoo! News

Immigrants Try to Extend Boycott Momentum - Yahoo! News: "Illegal immigrants and their supporters vowed to keep up the pressure on Congress for reforms after more than 1 million people stepped out of the shadows and poured into the streets in a nationwide show of economic clout."

Demonstrators hold U.S. flags along Wilshire Blvd., during an immigration rally near La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, Monday, May 1, 2006. More than 1 million mostly Hispanic immigrants and their supporters skipped work and took to the streets Monday, flexing their economic muscle in a nationwide boycott that succeeded in slowing or shutting many farms, factories, markets and restaurants. (AP Photo/Stefano Paltera)

Plane Carrying 113 Crashes Into Black Sea - New York Times

New York Times

The airliner, an Airbus 320 belonging to Armavia, was flying to Sochi from Armenia's capital, Yerevan, when it plunged into the sea at 2:15 A.M., the officials said, according to news agencies.

Big Money Boys: AT&T Doesn't Own The Net

Networking Pipeline | Blog | Big Money Boys: AT&T Doesn't Own The Net: "AT&T may not be able to hijack the Internet after all: The big money boys -- the country's biggest financial firms -- are putting their muscle and cash behind bills that would ban AT&T and other telcos from charging sites extortion-type fees for adequate bandwidth.

That's according to Reuters. Financial services firms worry that if telcos are allowed to charge higher prices for more bandwidth, the firms will be hit with massive bills, which they'd have eat or pass on to their customers."

Lookout Youtube! UN Cooking Podcast-Killing Treaty

Boing Boing: UN cooking podcast-killing treaty: "UN cooking podcast-killing treaty
The UN's World Intellectual Property Organization has reconvened to discuss a treaty that will kill innovative Internet audio/video offerings -- like podcasting, YouTube, Google Video, and Democracy Player -- in order to protect the business models of a few entrenched broadcasters. This is the Broadcast Treaty, and the process -- never pretty -- got uglier than ever today."

Polygraph Results Often in Question

Polygraph Results Often in Question: "The CIA, the FBI and other federal agencies are using polygraph machines more than ever to screen applicants and hunt for lawbreakers, even as scientists have become more certain that the equipment is ineffective in accurately detecting when people are lying.

Instead, many experts say, the real utility of the polygraph machine, or 'lie detector,' is that many of the tens of thousands of people who are subjected to it each year believe that it works -- and thus will frequently admit to things they might not otherwise acknowledge during an interview or interrogation."

USATODAY.com - Supply fears fuel second day of oil price increases

USATODAY.com - Supply fears fuel second day of oil price increases: "Prices have increased this week as investors continue to worry about supplies from key producers. One of the biggest issues stems from concerns that sanctions could be imposed on Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, in response to the nation's nuclear program."

What if... (ethical dilemmas)

BBC NEWS

Suppose you could save five lives by taking one - what would be the correct thing to do? Such ethical dilemmas provide classic "experiments" for philosophers. Here the Magazine presents four such quandaries and asks readers to vote on what they think is right.

Google Operating System: Download Google Videos As AVI Files

How to Exercise an Open Mind - WikiHow

How to Exercise an Open Mind - WikiHow: "How to Exercise an Open Mind

Simply put, all one needs to grow his or her brain is to do unique, random, different, and ridiculous things as often as possible. One hour of increased brain activity via thinking a lot or experiencing new stimuli can make you smarter, more energetic, more creative, and more sociable. Here are some of the endless numbers of activities that can stimulate your brain. The one key ingredient is to have an open mind."

What Iran's leaders are really saying about Israel. By Christopher Hitchens

What Iran's leaders are really saying about Israel. By Christopher Hitchens: "No, what worries me more about Ahmadinejad is his devout belief in the return of the 'occulted' or 12th imam and his related belief that, when he himself spoke recently at the United Nations, the whole scene was suffused with a sublime green light that held all his audience in a state of suspended animation. This uncultured jerk is, of course, only a puppet figure with no real power, but this choice of puppet by the theocracy is unsettling in itself. So is Iran's complete lack of embarrassment at being caught, time and again, with nuclear enrichment facilities that have never been declared to the inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency."

Related Tag Browser for Flickr

http://www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/related_tag_browser/app/

The TIME 100 | The People Who Shape Our World

Leaders & Revolutionaries

Dictators, democrats, holy men (and a TV host)—these are the people with the clout and power to change our world

MSNBC confirms: Outed CIA agent was working on Iran

The Raw Story | MSNBC confirms: Outed CIA agent was working on Iran

How to Cook Rice Perfectly

How to Cook Rice Perfectly:

David Ericson

Perfectly cooked rice is tasty, light, and fluffy. The grains are distinct and tender but not mushy

Administration Conducting Research Into Laser Weapon - New York Times

Administration Conducting Research Into Laser Weapon - New York Times: "The Bush administration is seeking to develop a powerful ground-based laser weapon that would use beams of concentrated light to destroy enemy satellites in orbit.

The largely secret project, parts of which have been made public through Air Force budget documents submitted to Congress in February, is part of a wide-ranging effort to develop space weapons, both defensive and offensive. No treaty or law forbids such work."

The Science of Traffic Jams - Yahoo! News

The Science of Traffic Jams - Yahoo! News: "'If everyone would be good citizens and move over when the signs tell you to, traffic would move more quickly,' said Davis, a physicist at the University of Michigan. 'It's the science of complexity. In large group dynamics special things happen because each individual is trying to maximize their own benefit.'"

ABC News: Study: US mothers deserve $134,121 in salary

ABC News: Study: US mothers deserve $134,121 in salary:

A full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if paid for all her work, an amount similar to a top U.S. ad executive, a marketing director or a judge, according to a study released on Wednesday.

An estimated 5.6 million women in the United States are stay-at-home mothers with children under age 15, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data."

New York - Designing in a post 9/11 world has forced architects and planners to revisit some basic tenets and beliefs

New York - Designing in a post 9/11 world has forced architects and planners to revisit some basic tenets and beliefs. - Europaconcorsi

State & Local Government Planning & Response Activities | PandemicFlu.gov

Each state page contains information about the state pandemic plan, summit materials, formal agreements, and other pandemic information pertaining to the state.

Map of the United States

State Pandemic Plans

Boy, 16, executes father's killer

BBC NEWS : "A teenage Somali boy has stabbed to death his father's killer in a public execution ordered by an Islamic court.

Large crowds gathered at a Koranic school in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, to watch Mohamed Moallim, 16, stab Omar Hussein in the head and throat."

Iran Threatens Israel if U.S. Attacks - Yahoo! News

Yahoo! News:

"'We have announced that wherever (in Iran) America does make any mischief, the first place we target will be Israel,' the Iranian Student News Agency quoted Gen. Mohammad Ebrahim Dehghani as saying.

Dehghani, a top commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, also said Israel was not prepared to go to war against Iran.

'We will definitely resist ... U.S. B-52 (bombers),' Dehghani was quoted as saying."

Iran, Qatar Leaders Argue Over Gulf Name

Newsvine - Iran, Qatar Leaders Argue Over Gulf Name:

"The emir, seeking diplomatic goodwill, said he hoped Iran's national soccer team would bring pride to all the 'Arabic Persian Gulf' region during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Not missing a beat, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shot back:

'I believe you called it the Persian Gulf when you studied in school.'"

Does Iran's President Want Israel Wiped Of The Map - Does He Deny Te Holocaust?

Does Iran's President Want Israel Wiped Of The Map - Does He Deny Te Holocaust?

The statements of the Iranian President have been reflected by the media in a manipulated way. Iran's President betokens the removal of the regimes, that are in power in Israel and in the USA, to be possible aim for the future. This is correct. But he never demands the elimination or annihilation of Israel. He reveals that changes are potential. The Shah-Regime being supported by the USA in its own country has been vanquished. The eastern governance of the Soviet Union collapsed. Saddam Hussein's dominion drew to a close. Referring to this he voices his aspiration that changes will also be feasible in Israel respectively in Palestine. He adduces Ayatollah Khomeini referring to the Shah-Regime who in this context said that the regime (meaning the Shah-Regime) should be removed.

How to Get an Upgrade to First Class

WikiHow: "Have you always wanted to fly first class, but never had the money? There are some other, roundabout ways you can finagle your way into first class. If you're bold enough to try them, you might find yourself sitting on the luxurious lap of first class!"

Iran Lifts Ban Barring Women From Attending Sporting Events

New York Times: "Women can attend games in Iran's stadiums for the first time in nearly three decades, after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unexpectedly lifted a ban last week on their presence in the stands.

I respect him for this move,' said Siamak Namazi, a political analyst at Atieh Bahar Consulting. 'It was a gutsy move because he can lose some of his conservative supporters who voted for him,' he added.

Advocates of greater rights for women welcomed his decision, although they acknowledged that the move was also a way to increase his popularity among women at a time when he needs to bolster his support inside the country."

ABC Launches Full Episode Streaming

ABC Launches Full Episode Streaming: "ABC.com has launched their free online episode streaming service earlier today. Shows available include Lost and Alias among others, and are available to watch for free, albeit with ads and commercials. It works pretty well so far, although no Linux support yet as it requires Flash 8.' The first episode of Lost on there is a clip show. You can skip around to a segment of the show, but are forced through a commercial before you play. The quality is approximately what you would expect from flash video."

پايگاه مرکزی فيلترينگ ايران به بهره برداری می رس

BBCPersian.com: "البته رضا رشيدی مدير عامل شرکت فناوری اطلاعات گفته است: ما به دنبال ثبت اطلاعات کاربران به سايت ها نيستيم و از اين مرکز تنها برای فيلترينگ سايت های غير مجاز استفاده خواهد شد.

زنان ايرانی در مقابل مونيتور

به گفته کارشناسان، نرم افزارهايی وجود دارد که کاربران با استفاده از آن می توانند بدون نگرانی از شناخته شدن مرکز فيلترينگ را دور بزنند اما اين امکان برای تعداد معدودی از افراد در ايران وجود دارد."

ايران خواستار مقابله سازمان ملل با 'تهديدات' آمريکا ش

BBCPersian.com: "نماينده ايران در سازمان ملل متحد در نامه خود تاکيد کرده است:'با توجه به اقدامات غير قانونی گذشته آمريكا، چنين اظهاراتی بار ديگر مسايلی با جديت فراوان را گوشزد می ‌كند و بنابراين لازم است، سازمان ملل و شورای امنيت نسبت به اين تهديدات و اظهارات غيرقانونی توجهي جدی کرده و اقدامی فوری و قاطع به عمل آورند.'"

Open Eyes Open Mind

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Blog of Interesting Links

How to Rip DVDs to Small AVI or MPG Formatted Files - WikiHow

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

AP Wire | 04/28/2006 | Rush Limbaugh arrested on prescription drug charges