Saturday, December 29, 2007

Hotels,motels, casinos and restaurants in Las Vegas and Pondicherry

For Hotels,motels, casinos and restaurants in Las Vegas , do visit the following site :

http://cheap-lasvegas-hotels.blogspot.com/

* Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas
* Mandalay Bay Resort Las Vegas
* Monte Carlo Resort Las Vegas
* Flamingo Hotel Las Vegas
* Paris Las Vegas Hotel
* Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino Las Vegas
* Mirage Hotel Las Vegas
* Bally's Hotel Las Vegas
* Golden Nugget Hotel Las Vegas
* Las Vegas Hilton
* Caesars Palace Hotel Las Vegas
* Vagabond Inn Las Vegas
* Amerisuites Las Vegas
* La Quinta Nellis
* Atrium Suites Las Vegas
* El Cortez Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
* Hawthorn Inn & Suites Henderson Las Vegas
* Westgate Flamingo Bay Las Vegas
* Desert Rose Resort Las Vegas
* Tuscany Suites Hotel & Casino
* Hooters Casino Hotel Las Vegas
* Emerald Suites Cameron
* Four Queens Casino & Hotel Las Vegas
* Harrah's Casino & Hotel Las Vegas
* Americas Best Value Inn & Suites Las Vegas
* Circus Circus Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
* Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower Las Vegas
* Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel
* Four Seasons Las Vegas
* GOLDEN NUGGET HOTEL & CASINO LAS VEGAS
* EMERALD SUITES HOTEL - LAS VEGAS BLVD
* TUSCANY SUITES HOTEL AND CASINO
* RIVIERA HOTEL AND CASINO
* Somerset House Motel
* Arizona Charlie's Decatur
* Fremont Hotel & Casino
* Villa Roma Motel
* El Cortez Hotel and Casino
* Terrible's Hotel & Casino
* Motel 6 Las Vegas - Tropicana
* Las Vegas Club Casino & Hotel
* California Hotel
* Fremont Hotel & Casino
* Main Street Station Hotel, Casino and Brewery

Hotels,motels and restaurants in Pondicherry

St:James Resort Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, India.		JAYARAM HOTEL 90, Kamaraj Salai, Pondicherry, Tamilnadu, India 605 011
Hotel Adhitya 104, Kamaraj Salai, Pondicherry, India. Ph 339769		Ajantha Hotels 44 Perumal Koil Street, Pondicherry, India. Ph 332233
Govt. Guest House Indira Nagar, Pondicherry, India. Ph 372145		Govt. Tourist Home Uppalam Road, Pondicherry, India. Ph 48276
Nadesh Guest House No 539, MG Road, Chinnakadai, Pondicherry, Tamil nadu, India. Ph 339221		Park Guest House Goubert Avenue, Pondicherry , India. Ph 34412
Pondicherry Executive Inn 1A, Perumal koil Street, Pondicherry , India. Ph 224422		Hotel Ram International 39, Anna Salai, Pondicherry , India. Ph 37230
Seaside Guest House 14, Goubert Avenue, Pondicherry , India. Ph 36494		Hotel Sooriya International 55, Rangapillai St, Pondicherry , Tamil nadu, India. Ph 336856
St. James Court Opp.P.E College,Kalapet, Pondicherry , India. Ph 655275		Hotel Surguru S.V.Patel Salai, Pondicherry , India. Ph 339022
Youth Hostel Solai Nagar, Pondicherry , India. Ph 333495		Chunnambar Beach and Backwater Resort Pondicherry , India. Tel: 0413 - 356816,0413-330532.
Amnivasam Guest House 47, Montorsier St, Pondicherry, India.		International Guest House 2A, Suffren St, Pondicherry, Tamil nadu, India. PH :221812
Albert Lodge Raja Nagar, Pondy-13, Pondicherry, India. PH : 225130		Hotel Al-Rasheed. 1 Ellapilai Chavadi Rd, Pondicherry, Tamil nadu, India. PH : 252842
Blue Star Hotel Kamaraj Salaii, Pondicherry, India. PH : 338536		Hotel Bristol 50, Brindavan, Pondicherry
Duvaraga Lodge 40, Anna Sala, Pondicherryi, India. PH : 337149		Hotel Emiraj 130, St.Therese St, Pondicherry, India. PH : 336976
Hotel Ellora 33, Rangapillai St, Pondicherry, India. PH : 334474		Fenns Lodge 108 Mission Streeti, Pondicherry, India. PH : 341121
Hotel Felix 23, Govindha Salai, Pondicherry, India. PH : 335337		Fillo Hotels Kamaraj Salai, Pondicherry, India. PH: 254690
G.K.Lodge 235, Anna Salai, Pondicherry, India. PH : 333555		HMC Lodge 412 Anna Salai, Pondicherry, India. PH : 336990
Hotel Ram Intl 398, Anna Salai, Pondicherry,, India. PH :337230		Pondicherry Executive Inn Pvt. Ltd. 4, Perumal koil St, Pondicherry., India. PH : 334710
Veilankanni Hotels (P) Ltd. 381, M.G. Road, Pondicherry, India. PH : 334407		Yatri Nivas Kennedy Nagar, Pondicherry, India. Tel: 91-413-339474
Youth Hostel Solai Nagar, Pondicherry, India. Tel 91-413-237495		Youth Hostel Solai Nagar, Pondicherry, India. Tele: 91-413-237495
Sri Saibaba Guest House Nehru Street, Pondicherry Telephone: 91-413-337355		Sea Side Guest House 4, Goubert Avenue, Pondicherry, , India. Telephone: 0413-36494, 21825
Ram International 398, Anna Salai, Pondicherry , India. Telephone: 91-413-337230, 337231,		Red Carpet Residence Anandha Rangapillai Nagar, Pondicherry , , India. Telephone: 91-413-253321, 251207
Park Guest House Beach Road, Pondicherry, India. Telephone: 91-413-334412		Raj Lodge 57, Rangapillai Street, Pondicherry , India. Telephone: 91-413-337346
Muthu Cottage Guest House Periya Mudaliarchavady Kottakuppam Post, Pondicherry , India. Telephone: 91-413-622554		Nirmal Guest House 28, Chinna Subryapillai Street, Pondicherry Telephone: 91-413-337362
Kanchi Hotel 223, Mission Street, Pondicherry Telephone: 91-413-335540		Government Tourist Home Colas Nagar , Pondicherry Telephone: 91-413-358276, 358277

http://puducherry-hotels.blogspot.com

Friday, December 28, 2007

Assassinations Foretold in Moby Dick!

The following challenge was made by Michael Drosnin:

When my critics find a message about the assassination of a prime minister encrypted in Moby Dick, I'll believe them. (Newsweek, Jun 9, 1997)

Note that English with the vowels included is far less flexible than Hebrew when it comes to making letters into words. Nevertheless, without further ado, we present our answer to Mr Drosnin's challenge.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

President Rene Moawad

Soviet exile Leon Trotsky

The Reverend Martin Luther King

(The underlined words were found by Shannon Kohl)

Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss

The assassin Sirhan Sirhan

John F. Kennedy

President John F. Kennedy was shot in the head by an assassin who quietly waited in a concealed place. It was in Texas, November 1963, during a presidential motorcade.

Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln was shot dead on April 14, 1865.

Yitzhak Rabin

Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was shot dead on November 4, 1995. His assassin was Igal Amir, who fired three shots of which one hit Rabin fatally in the chest. Amir was a student at Bar-Ilan University, and associated with an underground group Eyal which modelled itself on a historical terrorist group called Lehi. Amir was angered by Rabin's role in the "Peace Process" and especially by the Oslo accords.

The text

You can verify the above messages, and find your own, using the public-domain text of Moby Dick. It can be downloaded as a gzipped text file (478KB, expanding to 1187KB).

Some more information about the pictures can be found here.

Princess Diana's death

The death of Lady Diana was also predicted by Moby Dick. See the Princess Di page for details.

A note to the credulous

It has come to my attention that some people have taken this page as claiming that Moby Dick really predicted the assassinations of famous people. Please be assured that none of these patterns happened by other than pure random chance.

No laws of probability are violated here, or even stretched a little. That is also true of Drosnin's book, which is the whole point of this page. Once you learn Drosnin's rules (none) and the method (a bit of messy programming) you can find things like this anywhere. The reason it looks amazing is that the number of possible things to look for, and the number of places to look, is much greater than you imagine.

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated - Riots in Pakistan

The assassination of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has triggered violent protests in several Pakistani cities, including Rawalpindi, the city where she was killed.

At least nine people have died in rioting throughout the nation. The Pakistani army was put on red alert as enraged protesters set fire to vehicles and attacked shops in Karachi, Lahore and elsewhere.

Bhutto, a prominent opposition leader, was assassinated Thursday as she was leaving a political rally, part of her campaign for parliamentary elections scheduled for January 8.

Police say a suicide bomber fired shots at Ms. Bhutto, then blew himself up seconds later, killing at least 20 other people.

Ms. Bhutto was in an armored car at the moment of the attack, but was exposed, standing up in the sunroof and waving to her supporters.

Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital -- less than two miles from the bombing scene -- where doctors pronounced her dead. She was 54 years old.

Her funeral is planned for Friday in southern Sindh province, the Bhutto family's home.

President Pervez Musharraf has blamed terrorists for the assassination. He declared three days of mourning for Ms. Bhutto and called for calm.

A few hours before the fatal attack, VOA spoke with Ms. Bhutto, shortly after a meeting she had in the Pakistani capital with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The opposition leader said she and Mr. Karzai had agreed to work together to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

Pakistan's other principal opposition leader, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, says his party (the Pakistan Muslim League) will boycott the elections. Mr. Sharif told VOA it is more important to save Pakistan than to hold the vote. He has also demanded that President Musharraf resign immediately.

Ms. Bhutto's husband flew home to Pakistan from Dubai Thursday. His wife's coffin was transferred to Larkana in southern Sindh province, where Ms. Bhutto will be buried next to her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Ms. Bhutto had returned to Pakistan in October after eight years in exile, and almost immediately was the target of another suicide attack - a double bombing aimed at her homecoming procession through Karachi that killed around 140 people.

For months, Ms. Bhutto had been in talks with President Musharraf about a possible power-sharing deal, strongly favored by the United States. But talks had stalled, and Ms. Bhutto was campaigning hard for the vote next month.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Abigail Taylor to get triple organ transplant - pool suction victim

A six-year-old Minnesota girl who had part of her intestinal tract torn out by the suction of a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club is recovering after a transplant operation.

Abigail Taylor of Edina is recovering at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha after an operation Monday to transplant a small bowel, liver and pancreas on Monday. She's listed in serious condition.

picture of Abigail Taylor who was disemboweled by wading pool suction

Abigail Taylor (picture above) is a 6-year-old girl from Edina, Minnesota. On June 29, Abigail Taylor suffered serious injuries when she sat over an open drain hole in a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis park and the drain's powerful suction pulled out part of her intestinal tract.

Since then, the poor little girl was hospitalised and was expected to need a feeding tube for the rest of her life.

After she developed liver disease, Abigail Taylor was performed a transplant of a small bowel, liver and pancreas at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha on Monday December 17. She's in serious but stable condition.

It will be several months before judging if the operation is successful or not. Doctors now are cautious but optimistic about her recovery.

Alan Langnas, Chief of Transplantation says, "Any patient who undergoes a combined multi-organ transplant has a number of hurdles. They have to recover from a very large surgical procedure. They have to withstand the side effects of anti-rejection medications; they have to deal with the possibility of rejection or other opportunistic problems that can occur after transplantation. So it tends to be a rather bumpy road for the first three to six months after transplantation."

Abigail Taylor will be on our thoughts and sincere prayers!

A spokesperson for the Taylor family says transplants could mean Abigail will not need a feeding tube for the rest of her life. It's not known yet whether the operation was a success.
The operation came one day before Congress approved legislation aimed at strengthening pool safety and six months after Abigail was injured.
The legislation would ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards. The House approved it as part of an energy bill, following Senate passage last week. President Bush plans to sign it.

Winter Solstice 2007 - shortest day equinox, first day of winter

A solstice occurs twice a year, whenever Earth's axis tilts the most toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon. The name is derived from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstice, the Sun stands still in declination, that is, its movement north or south is minimal. The term solstice can also be used in a wider sense as the date (day) that such a passage happens. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are related to the seasons. In some languages they are considered to start or separate the seasons; in others they are considered to be center points (in English, in the Northern hemisphere, for example, the period around the June solstice is known as midsummer, and Midsummer's Day is 24 June, about three days after the solstice itself).

Paul Winter's Winter Solstice Celebration in New York: a world music celebration of the return of the light after winter. In the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at the 28th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration on 13, 14 and 15 December 2007

To calculate the date and approximate time of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes and of the summer and winter solstices you can use this online calculator. This is based upon the formulas given by Jean Meeus in his Astronomical Algorithms but without corrections for perturbations, so that the times may differ from the true times by up to 20 minutes.

Start year and End year specify the range of years you're interested in. Only years in the range -100 CE through 4000 CE can be used with this calculator.

The End year box may be left blank. E.g., to get the dates and times for the year 1970 enter "1970" into the Start year box (and click on Submit). This produces:

  Vernal equinox        Summer solstice       Autumnal equinox        Winter solstice
1970-03-21 00:55       1970-06-21 19:39       1970-09-23 10:57       1970-12-22 06:39

These are Gregorian (Common Era) Calendar dates.

Dates for a range of years may be obtained, e.g. for all years in the range 2000 through 2010:

  Vernal equinox        Summer solstice       Autumnal equinox        Winter solstice
2000-03-20 07:26       2000-06-21 01:37       2000-09-22 17:12       2000-12-21 13:25
2001-03-20 13:15       2001-06-21 07:25       2001-09-22 23:01       2001-12-21 19:15
2002-03-20 19:04       2002-06-21 13:13       2002-09-23 04:49       2002-12-22 01:04
2003-03-21 00:53       2003-06-21 19:01       2003-09-23 10:38       2003-12-22 06:54
2004-03-20 06:42       2004-06-21 00:49       2004-09-22 16:26       2004-12-21 12:43
2005-03-20 12:31       2005-06-21 06:37       2005-09-22 22:15       2005-12-21 18:33
2006-03-20 18:20       2006-06-21 12:25       2006-09-23 04:03       2006-12-22 00:22
2007-03-21 00:09       2007-06-21 18:13       2007-09-23 09:52       2007-12-22 06:12
2008-03-20 05:58       2008-06-21 00:00       2008-09-22 15:40       2008-12-21 12:02
2009-03-20 11:47       2009-06-21 05:48       2009-09-22 21:29       2009-12-21 17:51
2010-03-20 17:36       2010-06-21 11:36       2010-09-23 03:17       2010-12-21 23:41

If you are interested in the dates and times after every nth year then you can specify a Period value. E.g., here are some values for years whose difference is 33:

  Vernal equinox        Summer solstice       Autumnal equinox        Winter solstice
1799-03-20 14:16       1799-06-21 12:01       1799-09-23 01:36       1799-12-21 18:23
1832-03-20 14:13       1832-06-21 11:23       1832-09-23 01:19       1832-12-21 18:39
1865-03-20 14:10       1865-06-21 10:45       1865-09-23 01:01       1865-12-21 18:55
1898-03-20 14:07       1898-06-21 10:07       1898-09-23 00:43       1898-12-21 19:11
1931-03-21 14:04       1931-06-22 09:29       1931-09-24 00:25       1931-12-22 19:26
1964-03-20 14:01       1964-06-21 08:51       1964-09-23 00:06       1964-12-21 19:41
1997-03-20 13:59       1997-06-21 08:13       1997-09-22 23:47       1997-12-21 19:57
2030-03-20 13:56       2030-06-21 07:35       2030-09-22 23:27       2030-12-21 20:12
2063-03-20 13:54       2063-06-21 06:57       2063-09-22 23:07       2063-12-21 20:26
2096-03-19 13:52       2096-06-20 06:19       2096-09-21 22:47       2096-12-20 20:41

As noted above, the time calculated by this program is ephemeris time (a.k.a. terrestrial dynamic time or TDT). To get an estimate of GMT to within about fifteen minutes adjust by the appropriate value of delta-T (which is currently about one minute, so no modification is needed for years in the 20th or 21st centuries). For dates around 1000 CE actual times GMT may have been about a half-hour earlier than the times given, and for dates around 1 CE about three hours earlier.

If dates in the Julian Calendar are needed then there is PC software available to do the same as the online calculator except that it gives dates in both the Julian and the Gregorian Calendars.

The VE.EXE program calculates the approximate date and time of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes and of the summer and winter solstices. This program uses the same formulaes given by Jean Meeus in his Astronomical Algorithms as are used by the online calculator, so the results are the same. The times are ephemeris times.

VE.EXE should be run from a DOS command line (see Running Console Applications from Windows). When run with no command line parameters it displays the required command line syntax:

VE.EXE, Version 2.0, Copyright 2000 Hermetic Systems
This program calculates dates of equinoxes and solstices.
Use: VE start_year [end_year]
Range of years: -100 through 4000

The parameter end_year may be omitted. E.g., to get the dates and times for the year 1970 use "VE2 1970", which produces:

 Vernal equinox      Summer solstice     Autumnal equinox    Winter solstice
1970-03-21 G 00:55, 1970-06-21 G 19:39, 1970-09-23 G 10:57, 1970-12-22 G 06:39
1970-03-08 J 00:55, 1970-06-08 J 19:39, 1970-09-10 J 10:57, 1970-12-09 J 06:39

Note that dates are given in both the Gregorian (Common Era) Calendar and in the Julian Calendar.

Dates for a range of years may be obtained, e.g. for all years in the range 2000 through 2010:

 Vernal equinox      Summer solstice     Autumnal equinox    Winter solstice
2000-03-20 G 07:26, 2000-06-21 G 01:37, 2000-09-22 G 17:12, 2000-12-21 G 13:25
2000-03-07 J 07:26, 2000-06-08 J 01:37, 2000-09-09 J 17:12, 2000-12-08 J 13:25
2001-03-20 G 13:15, 2001-06-21 G 07:25, 2001-09-22 G 23:01, 2001-12-21 G 19:15
2001-03-07 J 13:15, 2001-06-08 J 07:25, 2001-09-09 J 23:01, 2001-12-08 J 19:15
2002-03-20 G 19:04, 2002-06-21 G 13:13, 2002-09-23 G 04:49, 2002-12-22 G 01:04
2002-03-07 J 19:04, 2002-06-08 J 13:13, 2002-09-10 J 04:49, 2002-12-09 J 01:04
2003-03-21 G 00:53, 2003-06-21 G 19:01, 2003-09-23 G 10:38, 2003-12-22 G 06:54
2003-03-08 J 00:53, 2003-06-08 J 19:01, 2003-09-10 J 10:38, 2003-12-09 J 06:54
2004-03-20 G 06:42, 2004-06-21 G 00:49, 2004-09-22 G 16:26, 2004-12-21 G 12:43
2004-03-07 J 06:42, 2004-06-08 J 00:49, 2004-09-09 J 16:26, 2004-12-08 J 12:43
2005-03-20 G 12:31, 2005-06-21 G 06:37, 2005-09-22 G 22:15, 2005-12-21 G 18:33
2005-03-07 J 12:31, 2005-06-08 J 06:37, 2005-09-09 J 22:15, 2005-12-08 J 18:33
2006-03-20 G 18:20, 2006-06-21 G 12:25, 2006-09-23 G 04:03, 2006-12-22 G 00:22
2006-03-07 J 18:20, 2006-06-08 J 12:25, 2006-09-10 J 04:03, 2006-12-09 J 00:22
2007-03-21 G 00:09, 2007-06-21 G 18:13, 2007-09-23 G 09:52, 2007-12-22 G 06:12
2007-03-08 J 00:09, 2007-06-08 J 18:13, 2007-09-10 J 09:52, 2007-12-09 J 06:12
2008-03-20 G 05:58, 2008-06-21 G 00:00, 2008-09-22 G 15:40, 2008-12-21 G 12:02
2008-03-07 J 05:58, 2008-06-08 J 00:00, 2008-09-09 J 15:40, 2008-12-08 J 12:02
2009-03-20 G 11:47, 2009-06-21 G 05:48, 2009-09-22 G 21:29, 2009-12-21 G 17:51
2009-03-07 J 11:47, 2009-06-08 J 05:48, 2009-09-09 J 21:29, 2009-12-08 J 17:51
2010-03-20 G 17:36, 2010-06-21 G 11:36, 2010-09-23 G 03:17, 2010-12-21 G 23:41




2010-03-07 J 17:36, 2010-06-08 J 11:36, 2010-09-10 J 03:17, 2010-12-08 J 23:41

As with the online calculator, the times calculated by this program are ephemeris times. The source code for this program is in VE.C.

VE.EXE requires a 32-bit Intel PC. Together with the VE.C source code it may be downloaded from this site as VE.ZIP (23,024 bytes). This software may be used freely by individuals for personal, non-commercial purposes.

CalorieKing - diet and weight loss. Protein - Free membership

Food Guide For Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, or if you are trying to fall pregnant, good nutrition is a top priority.

Not all proteins are equal. In order to assess how valuable a source of protein is, scientists have developed the Protein Efficiency Ration (PER) and the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS).

Protein Efficiency Ratio

The traditional method for evaluating protein quality has been the protein efficiency ratio (PER) which has been in use since 1919. PER is a measure of the weight gain of a growing animal divided by the amount of protein that the animal consumes.

The PER is based on the growth of rats, in response to a given amount of protein. However, rats have different amino acids requirements than we do. In particular, their replacement for methionine is thought to be 50 percent higher. Consequently, the PER undervalues the quality of legume proteins.

The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score

Recently, the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) was introduced as a more accurate way to evaluate protein quality for children and adults. The PDCAAS has now been adopted as the official method by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The PDCAAS is the amino acid score (amino acid pattern of a protein relative to amino acid needs) with a correction factor for digestibility. The PDCAAS uses human, not rat, amino acid requirements to calculate the amino acid score. Specifically, the amino acid requirements used are those established by the World Health Organization (WHO) for two- to five-year-old children. Those proteins that meet the WHO guidelines are a given a rating of 1.

Soy protein contains enough of all the essential amino acids to meet biological requirements when consumed at the recommended level of protein intake.

The PDCAAS for soy protein isolate is 1.0, which makes soy equivalent to animal proteins in quality and higher than other plant proteins

How to Calculate PDCASS

Analyze for proximate nitrogen (N) composition
Calculate protein content (N*6.25 or specific AOAC conversion factor)
Analyze for essential amino acid (Eaa) profile
Determine the amino acid score (uncorrected). The equation is:

Mg of Eaa in 1g of test protein divided by mg of Eaa in 1g of reference protein
Analyze for digestibility
Calculate the PDCAAS:

PDCASS = Lowest uncorrected amino acid score * protein digestibility

On average, Americans eat too much protein. The current recommendation is that protein makes up around 15-20 percent of your total calories for the day. Protein has four calories per gram, so for a 2000 calorie-a-day diet you could eat 75-100 grams of protein. However, most of us consume more than that each day. Eating too much protein can be bad for your body.

Growing children need about one gram of protein for every two pounds of body weight. For example, a 56 pound child needs about 28 grams of protein a day to sustain her growth.

Mini protein counter

Adapted from The Doctor's Pocket Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter. For more information, see the book or the CalorieKing.com online food database.

Where were the 1936 summer olympics held ?

Where were the 1936 summer olympics held ?

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Munich will bid to stage the 2018 Winter Olympics after winning approval from Germany's Olympic Committee (DOSB) on Saturday. Munich, capital of Bavaria in southern Germany, hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics, which were overshadowed by tragedy when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and one policeman were killed by Palestinian guerrillas.

A successful bid would see Munich become the first city to host the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Under a "Munich plus two" concept, it would also see the Winter Games come back to the nearby town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which hosted them in 1936.

The Munich plan would see Garmisch-Partenkirchen stage the skiing, while the bobsleigh and luge would go to the town of Schoenau am Koenigssee.

Germany has staged a total of three Olympics, the other being the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin.

The next Winter Games are being held in Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014).

How will the Games benefit the mass of the Chinese people?

On a recent trip to India, said to have cost around £750,000 of public money, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone offered the Bollywood film industry a cheap deal for the use of some of the Olympic buildings in East London after the Games of 2012 are over. He is obviously keen to find ways of paying off the mountain of bills that appears to get higher by the day!

Earlier this year, the mayor travelled to Beijing, to see for himself how the regime in China was coping with being hosts of the 2008 Olympic Games. That trip, probably no less extravagant, was sponsored by the private firm ‘Freud’ – a company which happens to be run by the son-in-law of Rupert Murdoch, the media tycoon against whom Livingstone has railed on a number of occasions…including in Beijing! There in April this year he likened Tiananmen Square to Trafalgar Square.

He was asked about his attitude to the events of May-June 1989, when the mass movement for democratic rights was crushed, killing 3,000 protesters as tanks were sent in by the dictatorship. He drew some spurious analogies with the Poll Tax riots in Trafalgar Square and the Peterloo massacre in 1819 when men women and children were mown down by Castlereagh’s soldiers. ‘Red Ken’ was more or less saying, “These things happen!” Not a word of condemnation about the continued widespread human rights violations carried out by China’s ruling clique.

Amnesty International has been far more direct. In the July/August issue of Amnesty Magazine it reviews the promises made six years ago on Human Rights when Beijing was ‘awarded’ the 2008 Games. It lists 10 serious violations across the country which they say are “fuelling instability and discontent”.

Human rights violations

China’s one-party regime executes more people each year than the rest of the world put together; two thirds of the 68 crimes punishable by death are non-violent crimes. Re-education through Labour’ camps have been used to hold critics of the dictatorship for up to four years without charge or trial. RTL is also being used, the report says, to “clean up” Beijing in time for the Olympics. ‘Evidence’ in courts can be the result of torture and verdicts given after political interference. Many prisoners, subjected to torture, die in custody.

There has been no independent inquiry into the crack-down at Tiananmen Square nearly 20 years ago and dozens of people arrested then remain in prison. There is widespread internet repression, with sentences ranging from two to twelve years. Religious groups are persecuted and tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners held in prison. Independent trade unions are illegal; the authorities have used intimidation and long prison sentences to try and suppress “a wave of labour disputes” against low wages, mass lay-offs and corrupt management practices.

Harsh repression against the Muslim Uighur people in Xinjiang province and hundreds of Tibetans, including Buddhist monks and nuns, are in prison, subjected to torture and dying in custody.

Groups like ‘Reporters Without Borders’, ‘China Solidarity’ and the ‘Committee for the Support of Tibetan People’ complained from the very beginning to the International Olympic Committee about Beijing being chosen to hold this prestigious event, meant to celebrate humanity itself. They said it was the equivalent of holding the 1936 Olympics in Berlin when the Nazis were in power.

The IOC rejected the objections and said, “A Beijing Games would leave a unique legacy to China and to sports”. Equated with the award of the Olympics to Japan in 1964 and South Korea in 1988, the event is seen as an economic ‘coming-out party’. But Amnesty International says that far from improving, as the Chinese economy has opened up to the world, repression in China is getting worse.

Economic benefits

The Chinese economy will undoubtedly get a boost from the vast sums being spent on the Olympics, including two billion dollars on advertising. The regime hopes to get its ‘flagship’ companies, few of whom have established brands domestically, let alone abroad, better known as four billion TV viewers look on. But, according to China Daily, investment in Olympics-related projects is just 0.59 per cent of China’s annual investment. The ‘Communist’ Party chiefs claim that if this means it will have little effect on the world’s fastest expanding economy. But by the same token, this means it will not suffer the same kind of post-Olympic slowdown that beset the much smaller Greek economy after the Athens Games.

So will anything change for the better for the majority of the 1.3 billion population of this vast country who languish in poverty? Many hundreds of millions of them will still have no regular electricity supply, let alone television sets to watch the Games. The majority have no guaranteed supply of fresh water. Few, if any, now have access to free health and education provision. They lack many basic provisions as well as all basic democratic rights.

When capitalism and landlordism were first eliminated from Chinese society, as Mao Tse Tung and the peasant-based Red Army came to power after the Second World War, workers and poor farmers had no involvement in running the planned economy. There were no committees of democratically elected workers and peasants as in the early days of the Russian Revolution. Mao maintained a totalitarian grip on society.

Now, with the attempt of the ‘Communist’ Party leaders to carry through a controlled return to capitalism, the population not only remains without basic workers’ and democratic rights, but the majority are mired in poverty. The Chinese regime was never genuinely socialist or communist, in spite of the huge economic advantages of state ownership and planning. Today, in spite of paying lipservice to Marxist ideas and egalitarianism, the ruling clique presides over a country which, according to the Asia Development Bank, along with Nepal, has the largest gap between rich and poor

While half a million or so international visitors swarm into Beijing and populate the smart hotels, bars and restaurants, inflation will roar. Prices on basic foods like pork and eggs already increased by 45 and 30 percent respectively this year, putting them beyond the reach of many of the rural as well as urban poor.

Journalists and dissidents

As many as 30,000 foreign journalists are expected to visit China next year to cover the Games. All will be closely vetted, and the International Herald Tribune reported in the summer that the regime has ordered its security services to prepare lists of all “potentially troublesome foreign organisations” including evangelical Christians and anti-Sudanese activists. It quotes a consultant for Beijing’s Olympic organisers as saying: “Demonstrations of all kinds are a concern, including anti-American demonstrations”. But there are also “disaffected domestic groups: Tibetan separatists, farmers upset at land confiscations and Falun Gong – a spiritual movement that the government has suppressed as a cult”.

In the run-up to the Communist Party Congress and well before the Games, numerous journalists, lawyers and other critics of the government were being rounded up. Some are simply ‘disappeared’, others tortured mercilessly. Many of the Chinese sentenced to death each year are accused of fomenting social unrest. An open letter to the government from 40 prominent dissidents in China, calls for an amnesty for all political prisoners estimated to total 25,000.

But the tank-like Chinese state rolls on, crushing its citizens and ignoring practically every human and democratic right that is recognised (if by no means always practiced) in the rest of the world. A similar metaphor is used in an article in the Times of 27 November which says, “Many believe that China’s leaders have trapped themselves on a growth juggernaut, terrified of the unrest that would follow if the growth rate fell much below 9 per cent”. But it also writes that, “The one advantage of a one-party state, and a still substantially planned economy is that when it moves it will move fast…”.

No expense spared

The other advantage the Chinese state has over the London administration is that its coffers are full to overflowing. Livingstone will be acutely aware that for the Olympics, no expense has been spared in Beijing. $38 billion has been allocated - double even the oft-revised budget for London.

No problems either with awkward house owners, travellers or allotment holders; no fears of disruptive strikes or other escalating costs. The English newspaper, the Guardian, summed up the advantages for Beijing’s authorities last year: “Land can be requisitioned, and labourers toil for little more than 1,000 yuan (£70 or $140) a month. With no unions, they can also be made to work round the clock, which means fewer time over-runs”.

Ken Livingstone’s recent attacks on London’s RMT-organised tube workers have undoubtedly been aimed at deterring other workers from considering strike action in pursuit of decent wages and conditions on the East London building sites. Beijing has no such problem with trade unions and strikes being illegal. (There are anyway, 4 million ‘bangbang men’ – casual labourers in Beijing amongst the 20 million population. They have fled poverty in the countryside and are prepared to work for little more than the price of a bowl of rice.)

No fears about slippage on dead-lines in Beijing, either. The 38 new venues and stadiums are either complete or ahead of schedule. The new dragon-shaped Beijing airport, on which 40,000 builders are at work, will be the biggest in the world, far larger than Heathrow. Three new mass transit lines are also on schedule. (The pop anthem for the launching of the count-down to the Games this summer was entitled “We’re ready!”. One columnist in Britain said he was “looking forward to Girls Aloud’s 2011 release, ‘Does Wembley Have any Spare Capacity?’”.

David Smith wrote in his book on China and India (‘The Dragon and the Elephant’), “The city’s Olympic district, once the home of tens of thousands of low-income people, has been cleared of its occupants and flattened … the mobilisation of huge numbers of construction workers – 40,000 on the airport alone – is testimony to China’s huge resources of labour, but also its ability to pick up and dump people at will”. When their work is complete, wrote Deyan Sudjic in the Observer, “They will be shipped back to their distant villages, and two centuries back in time, leaving the glossy new city they have built to the party elite and the foreigners” (Observer).

Whole communities have been physically destroyed. Resistance has been met with baton charges and teargas, just as all protests against land-grabs or environmental destruction and poisoning are.

Pollution

There is one major head-ache that, even with all their authoritarian powers, next year’s Olympic organisers may not be able to cope with. Pollution!

Jokes have circulated for some time now about marathon runners carrying oxygen tanks on their backs or 10k swimmers wearing protective clothing. But it is possible that the ‘Communist’ Party tops will not be able to bring pollution down to acceptable levels by the time of the Olympics next year!

They have overseen the tripling in size in a decade of China’s economy, but have done little or nothing to protect the environment. Most of China’s main rivers are poisoned and this year China is reachinghe has rapidly reached the top of the world’s league of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) emitters. 20 million people a year become ill with respiratory diseases. 600,000 premature deaths in urban areas are a direct result. The effects have been estimated to take 13% off total value production in China’s booming economy.

In Beijing, in spite of schemes to keep up to 2 million cars off the capital’s streets and the re-location of a Beijing steel-works and other factories out of the capital, the volume of fine particulates in the air is still twice the World Health Organisation’s recommended level and living in Beijing is said to be the equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes a day. The Beijing equivalent of Ken Livingstone, Liu Qi, will continue to put the blame on wind-born pollution from surrounding provinces.

Apart from Beijing, there are in China another 19 of the world’s 30 most smog-choked cities. Two thirds of China’s biggest cities have “unhealthy air” but factory-owners who violate state guidelines are often not prosecuted but protected by local officials, not without money changing hands! Jonathan Fenby writing in the Observer on 25 November comments that while central government obviously wants to tackle the huge environmental crisis, it also “hesitates to impose an effective crackdown on the polluting factories driving economic expansion.”

What will happen?

Many sports team managers around the world are now worrying about participating in the 2008 Games. Some are saying they will bring their competitors into the Beijing danger zone only at the last possible moment. Even the Games organisers themselves admit they may have to delay some of the events until the smog clears!

One or two other problems are proving difficult for the dictatorship to solve in spite of, or because of, their centralised control. It has promised the IOC to have a “third generation” (3G) mobile-phone network available in time for the Games. Detailing the crippling bottlenecks that arise from heavy state control, attempts to involve different telephone companies and a plethora of regulatory agencies, the Economist comments, “Foreign investors looking at China often swoon at the country’s vast potential but are driven mad by its conflicting and heavy-handed policies”.

Even the system for issuing tickets to the nearly two million hopeful spectators broke down after the first 9,000 purchases! The culprit here was an American firm ‘Ticketmaster’ brought in by the regime to demonstrate the efficiency of a joint venture with an experienced capitalist firm!
Walking a tightrope

Millions of Chinese turned out on 8th August this year in city squares across the country and along the Great Wall as the countdown to next year’s Games began. The time and date of the opening - 08.08 08/08/08 - is seen as very auspicious. Eight is said to be a lucky number. (As it happens, it was the time and date chosen by students twenty years earlier in Burma to begin their generalised struggle which led to a prolonged general strike – the most serious challenge to the rule of the generals!).

The Chinese regime is walking a tightrope of maintaining heavy state control with the introduction of more and more capitalist practices. As long as the economy goes forward, it is fairly confident of success. But most commentators agree that the Communist Party is sitting on a powder keg of unrest. The credit crunch hitting the world economy will have devastating effects in China and explosions of class struggle will result.

Some members of the ruling party cling to the idea that socialist phrases will help keep the lid on. The main leadership looks to nationalism. The 2008 Olympics offers them a chance to rally national sentiment. The ruling clique in Beijing will be hoping against hope that no major crises beset them before the Olympics are held. And, when the final ceremonies are over, their headaches could become even more painful

Socialists can be enthusiasts for sport, even for major international competitions. But our main concern is the struggle for a new society, free from of all forms of repression and discrimination, free from exploitation and environmental destruction. Only truly democratic socialist planning of publicly owned resources can begin to undo all the harm of past centuries and put us on the road to genuine harmony - between individuals and between nations.

Lightglove - human interface device - wear under your wrist

What is the Lightglove?
The Lightglove is a new human interface device that you wear on the underside of your wrist. Light from the device (visual or infrared) scans the palm and senses wrist, hand and finger motion. This data is translated into either on-screen cursor control or key closures and in addition works as a long distance on/off switch for virtually all electronics.

Wireless operation offers cordless freedom thereby reducing the occurrence of repetitive stress aliments such as carpal tunnel. It fits like a glove made of light.

What does it look like?

Prototypes are a sleek design that has been optimized for comfort. Future models will be a large watch size that will easily tuck under the sleeve and be comfortably worn all day. Since Lightgloves are wireless, hands are free to move about unrestricted, while pointing and gaming are engaged only when needed.

What will it control?
Computers, PDAs, notebooks, telephones, gaming platforms, entertainment centers, car door locks and automotive stereo, smart house functions, kitchen appliances . . . the list grows. ATMs or other public kiosks could support walk-up Lightglove input with specially encrypted personal IDs for security and privacy. Satellite technology may facilitate remote input to your computer wherever footprint coverage is available worldwide.

Why do I need a Lightglove?
It will replace several input devices that you currently use for your computer, PDA, gaming, television and entertainment activities. You can choose your position and distance to your visual screen thereby reducing the chance for injury from repetitive strain disorders, such as, carpal tunnel syndrome. There are many other applications such as smart house controller and family communicators.

Who can use a Lightglove?
Since the lights are used to scan the palm and fingers, individuals with hand challenges due to illness or accident can navigate around the onscreen keyboard or can surf the web with renewed grace.

When using the Lightglove typing feature, the user's wrist motion pans around an onscreen keyboard and highlights the key(s). In the "Hunt and peck" mode, the key is chosen only when a finger is lowered into the beam as if "air typing". It's that easy!

Practiced touch typists may select "virtual typing" mode where the key is accepted immediately upon activation and the key closure is verified on the video monitor, just as with an old fashioned keyboard. Speed, accuracy and comfort are finally yours.

When can I see a demo?

Lightglove demonstrations may be arranged by phoning (703) 754-3032. Past demos have included NBC Connected Expo Sept 2006, Microsoft Home of the Future in Redmond, Cool Product Expo at Stanford University, Int'l CES 2004 in Las Vegas, 2004 IEEE Int'l Wearable Computing Symposium (ISWC) in Washington, DC., TechTV's "fresh gear" Aug & Sept 2003, IEEE held in Seattle Oct '02, the Digital Edge Expo in DC '01 & '02, Hammacher Schlemer 9/11/01 NYC

Is there a patent on this technology?
A U.S. patent was awarded August 1, 2000. The second patent was awarded in June 04 and has been filed internationally. A third patent was issued in October 04.

When can I get a Lightglove?
Unfortunately ETA for Lightgloves has been pushed back until resources are available for manufacturing. We are offering license agreements to companies that will build the Lightglove device. Stay tuned to this website for future availability updates.

NetSuite goes public netsuite.com - one integrated system

One Integrated System to Manage Your Entire Business

on-demand business software suite.

NetSuite is the industry's first and only online business application that supports your entire company—from customer relationship management (CRM) to enterprise resource planning (ERP) to Web capabilities. NetSuite is the first and only web-based application to offer everything in a single, integrated and powerful solution. Additionally, NetSuite enables you to make better, faster decisions through real-time business intelligence.

What this means is sales representatives can view the complete customer record, including support cases, billing issues and more. Warehouse managers can instantly view approved sales orders on their Dashboards, and accounting personnel are able to view support issues when calling customers to collect payments.

NETSUITE BENEFITS

NetSuite business software gives growing businesses a competitive edge.

•	Make better decisions by giving each employee real-time information.
•	Use one powerful solution that’s quick to deploy, easy to use, and flexible enough to support all your business processes.
•	Eliminate IT costs and concerns associated with maintaining and upgrading separate applications.
•	Increase collaboration and improve relationships with partners, customers and vendors.

2009 corvette zr1 revealed

The speculation, rumors and half-truths can now be set aside -- this is the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, officially revealed for all the world to see. Powered by a supercharged LS9 6.2L small-block engine, the ZR1 hasn't even received an official horsepower number from the engineers toiling away at the General. All Harlan Charles, project manager for the Corvette team was able to tell us last week was the new high-powered 'Vette engine is "capable of producing at least 100 horsepower per liter. That's at least 620 horsepower, and approximately 595 lb.-ft. of torque." Chevrolet wasn't even able to give us a time on the 0-60. Charles was only willing to say "it's in the low three seconds." The small-block engine under the hood is only able to hit those massive numbers due to the addition of the positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger with a new, four-lobe rotor design plus an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for increased performance. That's the "go" end, but the "whoa" end is just as impressive. The ZR1 gets some simply huge carbon-ceramic, drilled disc brake rotors. They're so big and are required to be so powerful they're using the same 15-inch-diameter discs found on the front of a Ferrari 599. Except on the ZR1, they go on the 20" tires in the rear. In the front, they'll be getting even larger 15.5-inch-diameter rotors.

CHEVROLET ENTERS THE WORLD OF SUPERCARS WITH 2009 CORVETTE ZR1
New, Supercharged LS9 V-8 is the Heart of the ZR1

DETROIT - Chevrolet officially announced the 2009 Corvette ZR1 - an American supercar that brings the technology and engineering refinement of carbon-fiber, ceramics and electronics together in a distinctive design.

"Chevrolet's goal with the new ZR1 is to show what an American supercar can deliver, at a price that trumps exotics that cost two, three or four times as much - and does so with exceptional driveability," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager.

The ZR1's basic stats:

* All-new LS9 supercharged 6.2L V-8 targeted at producing at least 100 horsepower per liter, or 620 horsepower (462 kW), and approximately 595 lb.-ft. of torque (823 Nm)
* Six-speed, close-ratio, race-hardened manual transmission
* New, high-capacity dual-disc clutch
* Higher-capacity and specific-diameter axle half-shafts; enhanced torque tube
* Specific suspension tuning provides more than 1g cornering grip
* Twenty-spoke 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels
* Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires - P285/30ZR19 in front and P335/25ZR20 in the rear - developed specifically for the ZR1
* Standard carbon-ceramic, drilled disc brake rotors - 15.5-inch-diameter (394-mm) in the front and 15-inch-diameter (380-mm) in the rear
* Larger brake calipers with substantially increased pad area
* Standard Magnetic Selective Ride Control with track-level suspension
* Wider, carbon-fiber front fenders with ZR1-specific dual vents
* Carbon-fiber hood with a raised, polycarbonate window - offering a view of the intercooler below it
* Carbon-fiber roof panel, roof bow, front fascia splitter and rocker moldings with clear-coated, exposed carbon-fiber weave
* ZR1-specific full-width rear spoiler with raised outboard sections
* Specific gauge cluster with boost gauge (also displayed on the head-up display) and 220-mph (370 km/h) speedometer readout
* Only two options: chrome wheels and a "luxury" package
* Curb weight of approximately 3,350 pounds (1,519 kg)

The specialized components of the new ZR1 work harmoniously to deliver the most powerful and fastest automobile ever produced by General Motors. Performance estimates will be announced closer to vehicle's summer 2008 launch.

"Preliminary testing shows the ZR1 builds on the highly respected Corvette Z06 in every performance category, from acceleration and braking, to cornering grip and top speed," said Peper. "It all boils down to the power-to-weight ratio and the ZR1's is exceptional - better than the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 and even the Lamborghini LP640. In fact, the ZR1 is expected to be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph."

Supercharged LS9 engine

The new LS9 6.2L small-block engine is the power plant the supports the ZR1's performance capability. The enabler of the LS9's performance and refinement is a large, positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger with a new, four-lobe rotor design. It is augmented with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance.

A sixth-generation supercharger developed by Eaton helps the LS9 make big power and torque at lower rpm and carries it in a wide arc to 6,600 rpm, as it pushes enough air to help the engine maintain power through the upper levels of the rpm band - the area where supercharged performance tends to diminish. Heavy-duty and lightweight reciprocating components enable the engine's confident high-rpm performance.

The LS9 is hand-assembled at GM's Performance Build Center, in Wixom, Mich., and incorporates specialty processes typically seen in racing engines to produce a highly refined and precise product. For example, cast iron cylinder liners are inserted in the aluminum block and are finish-bored and honed with a deck plate installed. The deck plate simulates the pressure and minute dimensional variances applied to the block when the cylinder heads are installed, ensuring a higher degree of accuracy that promotes maximum cylinder head sealing, piston ring fit and overall engine performance.

Transmission and axle

The LS9 engine is backed by a new, stronger six-speed manual transmission and a twin-disc clutch that provide exceptional clamping power, while maintaining an easy clutch effort. ZR1-specific gearing in the transmission provides a steep first-gear ratio that helps launch the car, and top speed is achieved in sixth gear - a change from the fifth-gear top-speed run-outs in the manual-transmission Corvette and Corvette Z06.

As the term implies, the twin-disc clutch system employs a pair of discs, which spreads out the engine's torque load over a wider area. This enables tremendous clamping power when the clutch is engaged, while also helping to dissipate heat better and extend the life of the clutch.

The twin-disc clutch system also contributes to the ZR1's exceptional driving quality, with smooth and easy shifting. The twin-disc system's design enables a 25-percent reduction in inertia, thanks to smaller, 260-mm plates, corresponding to a pedal effort that is similar to the Corvette Z06's 290-mm single-disc system.

The rear axle also is stronger in the ZR1 and features asymmetrical axle-shaft diameters that were developed after careful testing to provide optimal torque management. The axles are also mounted on a more horizontal plane that correlates with the wider width of the rear wheels and tires.

Ride and handling

The ZR1 is built on the same aluminum-intensive chassis as the Corvette Z06 and features similar independent SLA front and rear suspensions, with aluminum upper and lower control arms. Where the ZR1 differs is the suspension tuning, which was optimized for the car's steamroller-wide front and rear tires.

Magnetic Selective Ride Control is standard and tuned specifically for the ZR1. The system's ability to deliver a compliant ride with nearly instantaneous damping adjustments enabled engineers to develop a surprisingly supple ride quality in a supercar that still delivers cornering grip of more than 1g.

From a high-performance perspective, Magnetic Selective Ride Control helps the rear axle remain planted during launch for smooth, hop-free acceleration. It also helps suppress axle movement when cornering on broken or uneven pavement.

Brakes, wheels and tires

Commensurate with the ZR1's engine output is the braking system, which is headlined by carbon-ceramic brake rotors. Found on only a few exotics and more expensive supercars, carbon-ceramic brake rotors are made of a carbon-fiber-reinforced ceramic silicon carbide material . Their advantage comes in low mass and resistance to wear and heat. In fact, the rotors should never show any corrosion or require replacement for the life of the vehicle, when used in normal driving.

The vented and cross-drilled rotors on the ZR1 measure 15.5 inches (394 mm) in diameter in the front and 15 inches (380 mm) in diameter in the rear - making them among the largest carbon-ceramic rotors available on any production vehicle.

Clamping down on the high-tech rotors are six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers, each painted a ZR1-exclusive blue. The front pads are equivalent in size to the largest on any production car with a single-pad design - double that of the Corvette Z06's 70-sq.-cm. front pads.

The brakes are visible through the ZR1's exclusive wheels: 20-spoke alloy rims that measure 19 inches in diameter in the front and 20 inches in the rear. They come standard with a bright, Sterling Silver paint finish and chrome versions are optional. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires developed specifically for the ZR1, measuring P285/30ZR19 in front and P335/25ZR20 in the rear.

Exclusive exterior

The ZR1 is instantly recognizable, with perhaps the most identifiable feature a raised, all-carbon-fiber hood that incorporates a clear, polycarbonate window. The window provides a view of the top of the engine's intercooler, with the legend "LS9 SUPERCHARGED" embossed on the left and right sides, and an engine cover with the Corvette crossed flags logo debossed at the front.

The underside of the hood has an exposed carbon-fiber-weave. Exposed carbon-fiber is used on the roof, roof bow, rocker molding and front splitter. These exterior components are protected by a specially developed glossy, UV-resistant clear coat that resists yellowing and wear.

Widened, carbon-fiber front fenders with specific, dual lower vents, and a full-width, body-color rear spoiler incorporating the center high-mounted stop lamp, are also unique to the ZR1. All of the exterior features of the car were developed to enhance high-speed stability and driver control.

Interior details
The ZR1's interior builds on the brand's dual-cockpit heritage, with high-quality materials, craftsmanship and functionality that support the premium-quality experience promised by the car's performance. The ZR1's cabin differs from the Corvette and Corvette Z06 with the following:

* ZR1-logo sill plates
* ZR1-logo headrest embroidery
* Specific gauge cluster with "ZR1" logo on the tachometer and a 220-mph (370 km/h) readout on the speedometer
* Boost gauge added to the instrument cluster and Head-Up Display

The "base" ZR1 (RPO 1LZ) comes with accoutrements based on the Z06, including lightweight seats and lightweight content. The uplevel interior package includes unique, power-adjustable and leather-trimmed sport seats (embroidered with the ZR1 logo); custom, leather-wrapped interior available in four colors; navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and more.

By the numbers

In addition to the exterior cues and powertrain, ZR1 models will be distinguished from other Corvette models by their VIN. Each will carry a unique, identifying VIN digit, as well as a sequential build number. This makes it easy to determine the build number of a specific car - information treasured by enthusiasts and collectors. For example, a ZR1 with a VIN ending in "0150" would indicate it is the 150 th ZR1 built for the model year.

Last night, GM pulled the wraps off of the ZR1 (previously referred to as "Blue Devil," "Corvette SS" or "Z07") as an early Christmas present to the Corvette faithful. Nearly every rumor about the car, except for its likely horsepower figure (the rumors were a little optimistic) and the transmission choice (it's a standard manual transaxle and not a DSG) turned out to be pretty accurate.

The biggest change for the ZR1 over the standard and Z06 Corvettes is the all-new supercharged LS9 small block V8 with at least 620 horsepower and 595 lb.-ft. of torque (final SAE certification has not yet been completed on this engine). The engine will be hand built at GM's performance build center, which also assembles the LS7 engine found in the Corvette Z06 and the supercharged 4.4 liter Northstar V8 engines found in the Cadillac XLR-V and STS-V.

Other go-fast goodies featured on the ZR1 include a beefed-up rear axle, stronger transmission, a new twin-disc clutch, and large carbon-ceramic brake rotors. The front brakes have a 15.5 inch diameter and the rear brakes have a 15 inch diameter, and are accompanied by six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers on the rear. The car rides on 20 inch wheels in the rear and 19 inch wheels in the front, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires developed specifically for the ZR1.

The ZR1 is built on an aluminum-intensive chassis that the Z06 uses, and also has several weight saving features such as a carbon fiber hood, roof, roof bow, rocker molding, and front splitter. In spite of the exotic weight saving materials used, the ZR1 tips the scales at approximately 3,350 pounds, which is about 200 pounds heavier than the Z06. The weight gain can be primarily attributed to the ZR1's wider fenders, larger wheels, the addition of magnetic selective ride control, and the supercharger and related hardware.

As a Corvette enthusiast, I think the styling changes for the ZR1 are aggressive and attractive. You won't mistake this car for any other Corvette if you spot it cruising down the road. On the interior, I'm a little disappointed that it's no better than the base Corvette with the 4LT leather wrap package, except for the ZR1 logos on the seats. I wish the car came with a twin clutch automated manual transmission, at least as an option, for ultimate performance, and I wish the curb weight were closer to the ZR1's. Finally, as thrilled as I am to see this car without any disguises, I'm disappointed that GM chose to reveal it now rather than waiting three weeks to unveil it in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show. The only suspense around this car in Detroit will be its final horsepower and torque numbers, but I don't expect them to deviate much from the "at least" numbers.

Pricing has not been revealed for the ZR1, but expect it to be around $100,000. It sounds like a lot of money for a Corvette (or for a GM vehicle, for that matter), until you consider all of the expensive, exotic technology packed into this car and how superlative its performance will be.

Paul Karason feels blue after taking colloidal silver

Ever seen a man with blue skin ? It's not makeup or paint that makes Paul Karason's skin a deep purple color. The 57-year-old started making the transition from fair skin and freckles to blue after using colloidal silver - a substance used in several quack remedies for various skin conditions from acne to pimples to dermatitis.

Paul Karason was fair skinned and freckled 14 years ago - before he developed a bad case of dermatitis caused by stress.

When it got so bad that the skin on his face began to peel and crack he started using a substance called colloidal silver.

The product is reportedly made by extracting silver from metal into water with an electrical current and it is then taken as a drink.

But the 57-year-old has said drinking the potion did not cause his skin to discolour - the change in hue happened when he rubbed he potion directly onto his face.

"The change was so gradual that I didn't perceive it and other people around me likewise," he said.

Screen Actors Guild Awards - SAG awards Nominations for 2007 (14th SAG)

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are an annual award given by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) to recognize outstanding performances by members.

SAG Awards have been one of the major awards events in Hollywood since 1995. Nominations for the awards come from 4200 randomly selected members of the union, with the full membership (120,000 as of 2007) available to vote for the winners. The awards have been televised for the past several years on TNT, but now also air on TBS.

The inaugural SAG Awards aired live on February 25, 1995.

The statue given is called The Actor.

2007 Nominations announced

14th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS®
NOMINATIONS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Daniel Plainview – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage)
RYAN GOSLING / Lars Lindstrom – “Lars And The Real Girl” (Sidney Kimmel Entertainment)
EMILE HIRSCH / Christopher McCandless– “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Nikolai – “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
CATE BLANCHETT / Queen Elizabeth I – “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal Pictures)
JULIE CHRISTIE / Fiona – “Away From Her” (Lionsgate)
MARION COTILLARD / Edith Piaf – “La Vie En Rose” (Picturehouse)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Mariane Pearl – “A Mighty Heart” (Paramount Vantage)
ELLEN PAGE / Juno MacGuff – “Juno” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CASEY AFFLECK / Robert Ford – “The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)
HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz – “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)
TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)
TOM WILKINSON / Arthur Edens – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
CATE BLANCHETT / Jude – “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas – “American Gangster” (Universal Pictures)
CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres – “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)
AMY RYAN / Helene McCready – “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax Films)
TILDA SWINTON / Karen Crowder – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)
AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)
HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)
INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
MICHAEL KEATON / James Jesus Angleton – “The Company (TNT)
KEVIN KLINE / Jacques – “As You Like It” (HBO)
OLIVER PLATT / George Steinbrenner – “The Bronx is Burning” (ESPN)
SAM SHEPARD / Frank Whiteley – “Ruffian” (ABC)
JOHN TURTURRO / Billy Martin – “The Bronx is Burning” (ESPN)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
ELLEN BURSTYN / Posey Benetto – “Mitch Albom’s For One More Day” (ABC)
DEBRA MESSING / Molly Kagan – “The Starter Wife” (USA)
ANNA PAQUIN / Elaine Goodale – “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” (HBO)
QUEEN LATIFAH / Ana – “Life Support “ (HBO)
VANESSA REDGRAVE / Woman – “The Fever” (HBO)
GENA ROWLANDS / Melissa Eisenbloom – “What If God Were the Sun?” (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – “Dexter” (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper – “Mad Men” (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – “House” (FOX)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – “Boston Legal” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – “Damages” (FX)
EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – “Saving Grace” (TNT)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – “The Closer” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 Rock” (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – “The Office” (NBC)
RICKY GERVAIS / Andy Millman – “Extras” (HBO)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – “Entourage” (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – “Monk” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 Rock” (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – “Weeds” (Showtime)
VANESSA WILLIAMS / Wilhelmina Slater – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
THE CLOSER (TNT)
GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)
MAD MEN (AMC)
THE SOPRANOS (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
THE OFFICE (NBC)
UGLY BETTY (ABC)

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
300 (Warner Bros.)
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Universal)
I AM LEGEND (Warner Bros.)
THE KINGDOM (Universal)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
24 (FOX)
HEROES (NBC)
LOST (ABC)
ROME (HBO)
THE UNIT (CBS)

Screen Actors Guild Awards 44th Annual Life Achievement Award
Charles Durning

2006 Nominations

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Helen Mirren - The Queen
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Little Miss Sunshine
- Alan Arkin
- Abigail Breslin
- Steve Carell
- Toni Collette
- Paul Dano
- Greg Kinnear
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls