NEW-LIFESTYLES NL-2000 Activity Monitor: "The NL-2000 is not your ordinary pedometer. More accurately called an accelerometer (some refer to it as a piezoelectric pedometer), the NL-2000 provides users with an accurate estimate of the calories they burn throughout the day or week. You input your age, gender, height and weight, and the monitor determines your basal metabolic rate (BMR)."

U.S. Armed Forces on Guard Everywhere Except on America's Border -- Freedom Underground: "Of the 192 countries in the world, the United States currently has military units stationed in 135 of them. "

Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide: "This book is a tutorial and reference for the Ruby programming language"

What's Ruby - Ruby Home Page: "Ruby is the interpreted scripting language for quick and easy object-oriented programming. It has many features to process text files and to do system management tasks (as in Perl). It is simple, straight-forward, extensible, and portable.
Oh, I need to mention, it's totally free, which means not only free of charge, but also freedom to use, copy, modify, and distribute it."

Voinovich Slams Bolton but OKs Senate Vote - Yahoo! News: "Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, last year's Democratic presidential nominee, portrayed Bolton as a loose cannon whose pronouncements would prompt other diplomats to ask, 'Who is he speaking for?'
'What is at stake here is our national interest, our security interests, our ability to advance our interests within the United Nations,' Kerry said. "

Voinovich Slams Bolton but OKs Senate Vote - Yahoo! News: "'After hours of deliberation, telephone calls, personal conversations, reading hundreds of pages of transcripts, and asking for guidance from Above, I have come to the determination that the United States can do better than John Bolton,' Voinovich said"

Lord Kelvin's Water Dropper: "Generating electricity with water might seem like a strange idea, but this experiment is designed to do just that."

SMART Recovery : "SMART (Self-Management And Recovery Training) helps people recover from all types of addictive behaviors, including: alcoholism, drug abuse, substance abuse, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, gambling addiction, cocaine addiction, and addiction to other substances and activities. SMART is an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous."

US Backing for Colombia Drug War Criticized: "On Wednesday, Colombian police announced the arrest of two U.S. Army soldiers for allegedly attempting to sell thousands of rounds of stolen U.S. ammunition to right-wing paramilitary death squads. They are in custody of U.S. officials and face court-martial in the United States.

In April, rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, launched an offensive in the Andes Mountains of southwest Colombia. It followed a string of rebel attacks across Colombia that killed dozens of Colombian troops. 'The intensity of the attacks are clearly a concern,' Wood said.

In March, five American soldiers in Colombia were accused of smuggling cocaine to the United States aboard a U.S. military plane. They were whisked off to the United States, where they were arrested. Some Colombian lawmakers called for their extradition to Colombia.

The White House reported in March that, despite a massive aerial fumigation offensive against cocaine-producing plantations in 2004, coca cultivation increased slightly to 281,323 acres as farmers quickly replanted."

It is even worse.: "British Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith was at the meeting. He had to think up a justification for the war in international law. Britain is in Europe, and Europe takes international law seriously. You could have war crimes trials. (Remember that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet almost got tried in Spain for killing 5000 people in the 1970s).

Goldsmith was as nervous as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs: 'The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action. There were three possible legal bases: self-defence, humanitarian intervention, or UNSC authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case. Relying on UNSCR 1205 of three years ago would be difficult. The situation might of course change.'"

But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.
: "British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw admitted it at the meeting: 'It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran.'"

Bush was lying to the American people at the time and saying that no final decision had been made on the war: "Godfrey Sperling of the Christian Science Monitor could write on August 27, 2002, 'Indeed, Bush has said he welcomes a 'debate' on Iraq from those in Congress and from the public. But he has made it clear that he will make his decision based on what his intelligence people are telling him.'"

Secret British Memo Shows Bush Tampered with Iraq Intelligence
: "The head of MI6, or the foreign intelligence service of the UK, is known as 'C.'

Here is the smoking gun:


'C [Dearlove] reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

Tom's Hardware Guide Mobile Devices: Mobile Storage: Your Entire CD Collection In Your Pants Pocket - 40 Audio CDs On Your Key Ring, Or A Whopping 400 In Your Vest Pocket: "The contents of 40 CDs encoded in very good MP3 quality fit easily on a four Gigabyte Microdrive, which Archos has bundled with a USB 2.0 interface and a fold-out USB port in a miniature case. Archos, with disarming modesty, calls this the Arcdisk 4 GB HD USB Key. Weighing in at less than an ounce and a half, the Arcdisk 4 GB fits handily on any key ring. "

THERMOACOUSTIC RESONATOR - Thermoacoustic Cycle engine: "A Thermoacoustic Cycle engine is typically comprised of a resonant cavity in the approximate shape of a cylinder, tube or torus, in which a working fluid resides, and in which an applied difference in thermal potential, across internal isothermal heat exchangers that are separated by a regenerative heat exchanger (stack) and spaced along the length of the resonant cavity by a nominal wavelength or fraction thereof, produce and amplify acoustic waves which transport thermal energy from one heat exchanger to another, and maintain a state of oscillation, or periodic thermal and acoustic flux, in the working fluid. To extract useful work from the engine, the oscillating pressure component can be applied to a mechanical member, such as a piston, in order to perform reciprocating work, and thereby used to perform tasks such as pumping fluids or generating electrical energy. The maxima, or peak pressure points in the traveling thermoacoustic wave train, also transport thermal energy in accordance with the pressure-temperature relationship in a gas, as described in Charles Law, and this property can be employed in a reverse entropy cycle to produce refrigeration."

Two U.S. Soldiers Detained in Colombia - Yahoo! News: "Colombian police have detained two U.S. Army soldiers near a huge military base southwest of the capital in an alleged arms smuggling plot, Colombian and U.S. officials said Wednesday."

CNN.com Specials: "There have been 1,768 coalition troop deaths, 1,589 Americans, 88 Britons, 10 Bulgarians, one Dane, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 21 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians in the war in Iraq as of May 4, 2005. "

Time Warner says data on 600,000 workers lost | InfoWorld | News | 2005-05-03 | By Lucas Mearian, Computerworld: "Time Warner reported Monday that a shipment of backup tapes with personal information of about 600,000 current and former employees went missing more than a month ago during a routine shipment to an offsite storage site. "

High Court to Review Ban on Campus Recruiters: "The Supreme Court today stepped into a major dispute over the rights of colleges and universities to deny Pentagon recruiters equal access to campuses because of the military's discriminatory policy toward gays and lesbians"

American Rhetoric: Online Speech Bank: "THE ONLINE SPEECH BANK is an index to and growing database of 5000+ full text, audio and video (streaming) versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a declaration or two. There are currently [453] active links in this site area. Links are arranged alphabetically by first name and checked for errors at least once every two weeks."

The Top 100 American Speeches in the 20th Century: "THE TOP 100 SPEECHES is an index to and partial database of full text transcriptions of the 100 most significant American political speeches of the 20th century, according to a list compiled by Professors Stephen E. Lucas and Martin J. Medhurst. Dr. Lucas is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Dr. Medhurst is Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication at Baylor University (Texas). 137 leading scholars of American public address were asked to recommend speeches on the basis of social and political impact, and rhetorical artistry."

Rhetorical Devices in Sound: "Rhetorical Figures in Sound is a compendium of 200+ brief audio (mp3) clips illustrating 37 different figures of speech. Most of these figures were constructed, identified, and classified by Greek and Roman teachers of rhetoric in the Classical period. For each rhetorical device, definitions and examples, written and audio, are provided. Audio examples are taken from public speeches and sermons, movies, songs, lectures, oral interpretations of literature, and other media events. Some artifacts have been edited further to make the devices easier to detect. In the interest of diversity, "

A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples:

"Socrates: The fact is, as we said at the beginning of our discussion, that the aspiring speaker needs no knowledge of the truth about what is right or good... In courts of justice no attention is paid whatever to the truth about such topics; all that matters is plausibility... There are even some occasions when both prosecution and defence should positively suppress the facts in favor of probability, if the facts are improbable. Never mind the truth -- pursue probability through thick and thin in every kind of speech; the whole secret of the art of speaking lies in consistent adherence to this principle.
Phaedrus: That is what those who claim to be professional teachers of rhetoric actually say, Socrates.
--Plato, Phaedrus 272"

Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric: "Figures of Speech"

You gotta read what high school seniors and college freshmen from across the United States and Britain are writing...
It's at least astonishing.

Awful Ethos:

"(1) Ancient Egyptians wrote in hydraulics; they lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot.

(2) The pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.

(3) Pharaoh forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led the Hebrews to Mount Cyanide, but he died before he ever reached Canada.

(4) The Greeks invented three kinds of columns: corinthian, ironic, and dorc. They also built the Apocalypse.

(5) In Greek mythology, the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in The Iliad, by Homer. Homer also wrote The Oddity.

(6) Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. He died from an overdose of wedlock.

(7) Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. He was killed by his friend Brutus and a group of senators. Dying he gasped out the words, 'Tee hee, Brutus.'

(8) The Middle Ages came next, and King Alfred conquered the Dames. King Arthur lived in the age of shivery. King Harold mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings. Victims of the blue-bonnet plague grew boobs on their necks.

(9) In mid-evil times, most people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the futile ages was Chaucer.

(10) The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt their value as human beings. Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull.

(11) When Henry VIII ruled England, he had difficulty walking because he had an abbess on his knee.

(12) Queen Elizabeth's navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo.

(13) Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world "

re:invention blog - for women entrepreneurs: "You Can't Always Get What You Want. You Get What You Negotiate."

Mailinator: "You are on the web, at a party, or talking to your favorite insurance salesman. Wherever you are, someone (or some webpage) asks for your email. You know if you give it, you're gambling with your privacy. On the other hand, you do want at least one message from that person. The answer is to give them a mailinator address. You don't need to sign-up. You just make it up on the spot. Pick jonesy@mailinator.com or bipster@mailinator.com - pick anything you want (up to 15 characters before the @ sign).

Later, come to this site and check that account. Its that easy. Mailinator accounts are created when mail arrives for them. No signup, no personal information, and when you're done - you can walk away - an instant solution to one way spammers get your address. Its an anti-spam solution for everyone. The messages are automatically deleted for you after a few hours.

Let'em spam."

OneOffMail: "The idea behind this service is an instant recyclable email address: you use it once and toss it away, no email address - no spam. Creating an email account is a breath, in fact it does not require anything from you at all. Just give someone a random address @oneoffmail.com and when a email is sent to this address new account will be created! "

SC Solid-Top Guitar by Guitar Imports: "SC-Solid Top
Acoustic Electric Guitar"

Takamine EG523SC Jumbo Cutaway Includes Takamine Hardshell Case a $129 Value and Free Items at Musicians Buy: "Takamine EG523SC Jumbo Cutaway Includes Takamine Hardshell Case a $129 Value and Free Items"

Defense Tech: EUROPE'S KILLER DRONES: "The Italians are about to start testing a prototype killer drone of their own"

Un sito davvero molto utile per discutere il celibato ecclesiasticoAlternative nella Chiesa - Introduzione

donne COntro il SIlenzio

Culture of Conversation: Home: "Silence will not rebuild trust or contribute to the effective proclamation of the Gospel...Let us work together to create a culture of conversation, consultation, and collaboration among ourselves, within our organizations, and with the official structures of our Church"

Have you never want to learn easily Chemistry?
Here there is a site that is supposed for kids, but.... I would suggest for everyone curious about C H E M I S T R YRader's CHEM4KIDS.COM: "So you're asking, what is CHEMISTRY? Well... Here's our best definition. Chemistry is the study of MATTER and the changes that take place with that matter.

Don't ask us why that matters. It just does. A lot. Everything on Earth, everything in our solar system, everything in our galaxy, and everything in the universe is made up of matter. Matter is the name scientists have given to everything that you can touch, or see, or feel, or smell. Go take a look! "

.074% for residential fuel cells.
0.21% for residential solar.
4.82% for home energy efficiency improvements.
Those are the numbers allocated by the new Energy Bill!!!
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Free Market in Energy - Check the Math: "The real 'meat' of HR 6 is in the $8.09 billion of energy tax provisions, and according to the April 12th Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Tax analysis, the bill is weighted towards 'business as usual.'

The glimmer of hope, of course, is the $415 million of clean energy provisions; including, residential fuel cells for $6 million, residential solar for $18 million, and existing home energy efficiency improvements for $391 million. Please note that all these numbers calculated by CBO represents the 'loss' to the US Treasury for ten years, from 2005 - 2015.

So where did the other $7.675 billion go to? To the traditional energy industries, of course. The United States imported over $160 billion of oil and natural gas in 2004, and nothing in this Bill would change that. In fact, the tax provisions dump money into a set of petroleum and gas industries that have record profits.

Nuclear energy received a $1.313 billion benefit for decommissioning costs. The National Academy of Sciences just released its findings that the nuclear storage of waste in 'pools' was not the safest approach in the post-September 11th world, and press reports regarding cover-ups on the safety of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Test Site are being aired frequently."

Il Dialogo - Preti sposati? Si grazie!, Sono oltre centomila i preti sposati nel mondo.: "Discutiamo di una questione che sta facendo soffrire inutilmente moltissime persone."

::CHIF:: CHRISTIAN HOME INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: "se il celibato obbligatorio avesse la stessa essenzialit� del sacramento dell'Ordine, la mancanza di tale requisito menomerebbe il sacerdozio non celibatario, come � in uso in Oriente e, per alcuni casi significativi, nello stesso Occidente"

potete già intuire quanto mi abbia amato allora ( dico allora perché adesso non c’è più clinicamente) colei che dopo quindici ore di lavoro accoglieva il mio corpo stanco, distrutto dalla fatica; (non visto crollavo addormentato abusivamente alcuni minuti, accovacciato per terra sul pavimento del "cesso" col capo reclinato sul water-closed );.. quanto mi abbia accudito colei che gestiva il mio corpo solo vegetativo che non mangiava se prima la fatica od il sonno fossero scesi a livelli sopportabili. Vogliate pensare con simpatia a chi buttava ogni due giorni nella lavatrice una tuta lurida; a chi accarezzava senza parlarmi, senza dire che sarei stato un pulito " elegante" professore di religione, bastava solo che lo avessi voluto….Mi sarebbero bastati alcuni gesti semplici esterni di pentimento e qualche vescovo "progressista" in zone neutre in cui non fossi conosciuto, avrebbe addirittura permesso di farmi vivere economicamente insegnando religione……..

La Chiesa che perdona e non comprende…i preti sposati: "Ottomila preti sposati in Italia e centomila nel mondo: forse sono piccoli numeri rispetto al totale dei sacerdoti cattolici ma, se si considera la grande quantit� di quelli che preferiscono vivere in segreto una storia d'amore, ci si render� conto che siamo di fronte a un fenomeno le cui proporzioni vanno oltre ogni aspettativa.
Questa inchiesta sul celibato ecclesiastico � basata su una serie di testimonianze di preti, e delle loro donne, che si sono trovati e si trovano a vivere prima la fase dell'innamoramento e poi la scelta di andare fino in fondo: sposarsi nonostante la contrariet� della gerarchia e della legge ecclesiastica. Molti i risvolti teneri e drammatici delle loro esperienze, che non possono non colpire profondamente l'animo di chi legge, perch� quello di preti sposati � un vero e proprio fenomeno sociale."

Got a stingy ISP? If you find yourself bumping up against attachment size limits, hie yourself over to YouSendIt, which lets you send files up to 1GB; your recipients get an easy download link by e-mail. YouSendIt can send securely and scans files for viruses. You can be stingy, too: YouSendIt is free.
YouSendIt | Email large files quickly, securely, and easily!

If you're anything like me, you're a glutton for computing tips. MalekTips lets you gorge on over 2,000 of 'em, with two new tips daily on everything from antispyware to HTML tables.Free Computer Help, Tech Support, and Tips at MalekTips: Windows - Internet - Digital Camera - Tweak UI - Software - More!

Without even making you register, Mail2Web lets you check almost any e-mail account from virtually anywhere. Enter your address and password and voilà, there's your mail. If you register, you can store your e-mail server names and get a personal Mail2Web home page.mail2web.com - Pick Up Your Email

DLL-files.com - Download all your missing dll-files.: "Everyone has received a 'Couldn't find ****.dll...' pop-up message at some time.
Well folks, your problems are over!
Here you will find the most common files that may be missing or corrupted on your computer."

The CAIDA Web Site - CAIDA : HOME: "CAIDA, the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis, provides tools and analyses promoting the engineering and maintenance of a robust, scalable global Internet infrastructure."

Computer History Museum - Exhibits - Internet History: "'In the Beginning, ARPA created the ARPANET.
And the ARPANET was without form and void.
And darkness was upon the deep.
And the spirit of ARPA moved upon the face of the network and ARPA said, 'Let there be a protocol,' and there was a protocol. And ARPA saw that it was good.
And ARPA said, 'Let there be more protocols,' and it was so. And ARPA saw that it was good.
And ARPA said, 'Let there be more networks,' and it was so.'
-- Danny Cohen"

Continental Automotive Systems USA - Electro Mechanical Brake: "Advantages of the Electro Mechanical Brake
Shorter stopping distances and optimized stability
More comfort and safety due to adjustable pedals
No pedal vibration in ABS mode
Virtually silent
Environmentally friendly no brake fluid
Improved crash worthiness
Space saving, using less parts
Simple assembly
Capable of analyzing all required braking and stability functions
Can be easily networked with future traffic management systems
Additional functions such as an electric parking brake can be integrated easily"

RF Cafe - An Engineer, a Theologian, and Psychologist Go Hunting...

Vatican: the Holy See: "HABEMVS PAPAM
BENEDICTVM XVI"

Journal of Roger Pink (16): "Divergence tells you how quickly or slowly the lines from the point charge are spreading out (diverging) in the space around that point charge."

“Is it right to sedate children with ADHD so they fit in? Are we not ready to accept these children as they are? Can’t we find creative ways of channeling their unique energy and force?”
: "Rx: Ritalin or Relationship?
Why I Stopped Drugging My Hyperactive Child"

Wonderful website with many many FREE E-books: "Dozens of free e-books in PDF and Palm Reader formats."

Monument to Benedict XV: "Benedict XV died unexpectedly early, at the age of 67, of influenza which developed into pneumonia. Two years before, the Turks had erected a statue of him (by Canarica) in Istanbul which saluted him as 'the great pope of the world tragedy ... the benefactor of all people, irrespective of nationality or religion'"

Monument to Benedict XV: "The election of Benedict XV coincided with a terrible moment in history. The pope was unhesitating in his condemnation of the First World War, against which he courageously made eight pronouncements and which he declared to be 'degrading' to mankind. He demanded a league of all nations, and disarmament. When these were not forthcoming, he organized relief work on a wide scale. He denounced the Versailles peace terms as a 'consecration of hatred'."

The Future and the Popes: "Pope Benedict XVI will die prior to, or at the very beginning of, World War III. Therefore, he will die in either 2009 or 2010. His reign will be short, like the reign of the holy Pope who reigns after him."

The Future and the Popes: "The next Pope after John Paul II will take the name Pope Benedict XVI, in imitation of Saint Benedict and also of Pope Benedict XV. Just as Pope Benedict XV was an emissary of peace, so will Pope Benedict XVI be an emissary of peace. Just as Pope Benedict XV sought peace and spoke of peace and wrote papal documents seeking peace, so will Pope Benedict XVI do also. Just as Pope Benedict XV failed to achieve peace in the world, so will Pope Benedict XVI fail to achieve peace in the world. Just as the Pontificate of Benedict XV began prior to World War I, so will the Pontificate of Benedict XVI occur prior to World War III. After the Pontificate of Benedict XVI, World War III will begin. The Arab nations will threaten and attack the United States; they will threaten, attack, invade and conquer Europe; they will threaten, attack, invade and conquer the northern part of Africa. It is God's will. "

Finally Opera 8 came out. The built-in RSS reader is no longer categorised as mail: thanks guys. The mail client itself is largely hidden until you create an account.
Opera Features

Many times we make a terrible confusion bewteen Worship and worship. I call Worship with a capital letter what St. Paul meant: Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I found this beatiful and funny articles about this common confusion.

The Internet Monk

Stirling Engine a>: "The Stirling engine was invented in 1816, before the gasoline and Diesel engines. A Stirling engine can use any type of fuel, as well as solar energy and hot spring heat."

This is an owesome site about Non Destructive Tests. Well worthy to be studied.Community College Magnetic Particle Inspection

The Gutless Pacifist: "Do we really have a culture of life when single mothers are forced to choose between an abortion and a life of poverty?
Do we really have a culture of life when war becomes our tool of choice rather than our last resort?
Do we really have a culture of life when hundreds of thousands of our people do not even have a bed to sleep in at night and a warm meal to eat in the morning?
Do we really have a culture of life when a poor child born in our country has a greater chance of winding up in prison than going to college?
Do we really have a culture of life when we cut off any opportunity for repentence by executing our murderers?
Do we really have a culture of life when millions of Americans cannot afford health insurance and therefore would not even have Terri Schiavo's OPTION to stay alive for 15 years in a vegetative state?
Do we really have a culture of life when we continue to ignore the cries of the poorest of the poor - those who live on less than $1 a day?
Do we really have a culture of life when we continue to be the leader in the international arms trade?
The problem I have with Mr. Bush's 'culture of life' is not that it is asking too much, but rather that it is satisfied with far, FAR too little."

iPodder, the cross-platform podcast receiver.: "If you want to listen to internet audio programs (podcasts) music and shows but can't listen to them when they are scheduled this program is for you.

iPodder is the premier Podcasting application, allowing users to capture and listen to Internet audio programs anytime, anywhere.

It allows users to select and download shows and music and to play whenever they want on their iPods, portable digital media players, or computers automatically, after specifying which music or shows they want to listen to. "

iPodder, the cross-platform podcast receiver.: "Want to listen to internet audio programs but can't when they are scheduled? This program lets you create your own custom online audio anytime, anywhere. Really. "

Wired News: Podcasts: New Twist on Net Audio: "For anyone who loves listening to the wide variety of internet audio programming, but can't always listen to their favorite shows when they're scheduled or take the time to download them manually, help has arrived.
Known as podcasting, the technology is a new take on syndicated content feeds like RSS and Atom. But instead of pushing text from blogs and news sites to various content aggregators like FeedDemon and Bloglines, podcasting sends audio content directly to an iPod or other MP3 player."

Podcasting seems the way to go for busy people... like me. Many times I don't have the time to listen some interesting programs on NPR. I could hear them podcasted!PodCasters.org

Connexions - Sharing Knowledge and Building Communities: "Knowledge should be free, open, and shared. Connexions is a rapidly growing collection of free scholarly materials and a powerful set of free software tools to help:
authors publish and collaborate
instructors rapidly build and share custom courses
learners explore the links among concepts, courses, and disciplines. "

The CTDP Network Certification Reference Introduction: "This is a reference for those interested in learning and referencing information relevant to obtaining a professional certification. This reference is for the networking side and does not cover operating systems or programs that are used on them any more than is necessary. This material is intended as a reference, not specifically as a learning tool. It repeats some of the information in the networking guide with the purpose of being a single reference as an aid for a network certification examination. "

The culture of secrecy is hindering the War on Terror and putting Americans at riskFOXNews.com - Politics - Government Holds Information Close to Vest: "'Somewhere in the vast cache of data that never should have been classified, and may never be declassified, is that tiny nugget of information that, if shared, could be used to detect and prevent the next deadly terrorist attack,' "

Another example of misinformation by one of my fellow countryman Dr. Gian Luigi Gigli president of World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations. He is stating that the only "crime" that Terry did is to be a "burden" to her husband!!!!
Dear Dr. Gigli if Terry it is a burden for her husband why in the world HE had been close to her bed for 15 years!!! Global Catholic News - Schiavo Case Could Open "Floodgates," Warns Group

I am Catholic. But I am ashamed by this misinformation about the Schiavo case. The article in "Catholic Cuture" is stating: "A woman who can talk, who is aware, who expresses laughter, who has swallowed on her own, who expresses fear". This is quite different from what the medical reports are stating. You can find a thoroughly discussion
here Catholic Culture : Document Library : High Noon In U.S.: If Schiavo Is Allowed to Die, It Will Be to Our Everlasting Shame

Informed Comment: "Republican Hisba will have the same effect in the United States that it does in the Middle East. It will reduce the rights of the individual in favor of the rights of religious and political elites to control individuals. Ayatollah Delay isn't different from his counterparts in Iran. "

Informed Comment: "The Muslim fundamentalists use a provision of Islamic law called 'bringing to account' (hisba). As Al-Ahram weekly notes, 'Hisba signifies a case filed by an individual on behalf of society when the plaintiff feels that great harm has been done to religion.' Hisba is a medieval idea that had all be lapsed when the fundamentalists brought it back in the 1970s and 1980s."

Informed Comment: "The cynical use by the US Republican Party of the Terri Schiavo case repeats, whether deliberately or accidentally, the tactics of Muslim fundamentalists and theocrats in places like Egypt and Pakistan. These tactics involve a disturbing tendency to make private, intimate decisions matters of public interest and then to bring the courts and the legislature to bear on them. President George W. Bush and Republican congressional leaders like Tom Delay have taken us one step closer to theocracy on the Muslim Brotherhood model."

Beautiful actualization of the Samaritan encounter with Jesus Just how shocking is the Gospel?: "Just how shocking is the Gospel?"

Analogy between Iraq and Vietnam Martin van Creveld: The Blemish of Conquest: "To kill a much weaker opponent is unnecessary and therefore cruel; to let that opponent kill you is unnecessary and therefore foolish. As Vietnam and countless other cases prove, no armed force, however rich, however powerful, however advanced, or however well motivated, is immune to this dilemma. The end result is always disintegration and defeat; if American troops in Iraq have not yet started fragging their officers, the suicide rate among them is already exceptionally high. That is why the present adventure will almost certainly end as the previous one did�with the last American troops fleeing the country while hanging onto their helicopters� skids. "

Respectful of Otters: "The natural course of life ends with death. To allow that natural process to take its course is profoundly different than hastening it along. Asking others to refrain from interfering with nature is profoundly different from asking them to make, or be complicit in, the decision that nature is not progressing quickly enough - as in euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide. Euthanasia asks the physician to play God, to decide whether another person's life is sufficiently without value that it should be actively terminated. The cessation of life support asks the physician to stop playing God, to refrain from intervening further in a disease process which has its natural terminus in death."

Respectful of Otters: "We have the right to say 'enough,' and let the natural dying process take its course. We have the right to have the integrity of our bodies unviolated by unwanted medical treatment - just as we have the right to insist on aggressive efforts for life extension. We have the right to choice. And when we are no longer able to exercise that right ourselves, we have the right to designate our closest others to do so on our behalf."

Respectful of Otters: "What is at issue in the Terri Schiavo case is not whether it is legitimate to kill her or actively promote her death (for example, by an overdose of morphine), but whether it is legitimate to refuse medical treatment intended to prolong her life. (Make no mistake about it: nutrition and hydration are medical treatment, when they're supplied through a stomach tube.) While the distinction between active promotion of death and witholding lifesaving medical treatment may seem like hair-splitting, in fact they are critically different."

Respectful of Otters: "The 17 affidavits all put considerable weight on the fact that, in the video snippets on Schiavo's parents' website, she appears to be responding to stimulation. Her eyes track a balloon. She smiles in response to her mother's voice. The affidavits therefore conclude that Schiavo is appropriately responsive to external stimuli, and that she is at least minimally conscious - not in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) at all. Yet none of the exhibited behaviors are, in themselves, unusual for patients with PVS."

Tom Reeves: Exposing the Coming Draft: "11% of the 648,560 soldiers (including officers) who fought in the Vietnam War at its height were Black--when they were 13.5% of the general population. The Black percentage of combat marines and army infantry was 14%. Among the 1.8 million who fought in Vietnam at any time during the 20-year conflict, 16% were black, but of all U.S. combat deaths in Vietnam, 12% were Black. It is interesting to compare some religious demographic figures: though less than 25% of the general population was Catholic at the time, more than 33% of combat deaths in Vietnam were Catholic. "

Tom Reeves: Exposing the Coming Draft: "The Pentagon admits there were 5,500 desertions last year--and some feel this figure is far too low. As many as 1/3 of the 4000 Ready Reserves called back for duty last year applied for exemption or simply did not show up. "

Tom Reeves: Exposing the Coming Draft: "By early March, Bush had given Syria a May deadline to withdraw completely from Lebanon or face--what? Invasion?"

Tom Reeves: Exposing the Coming Draft: "during the election debates in November, both Bush and Kerry categorically denied that either would allow the activation of a draft. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld dismissed the idea as ridiculous, noting that he has always supported the 'volunteer army' which he helped create and is now 'reorganizing.' Most major media called the 'draft scare' pure urban myth created by internet rumor mills. The Selective Service System website states categorically that there are no 'active plans' to revive a draft."

U.S. military killed in Iraq: 1,469
Number of U.S. troops wounded in combat since the war began: 10,938
Monthly average before the June 28, 2004 “transition”: 449
Monthly casualty average (dead and wounded) since the “transition”: 802
Iraqi soldiers and insurgents killed since May 1, 2003: approximately 24,000
Iraqi civilians killed: Estimates range from 15,000 - 100,000
Number of civilian contractors killed: 207
Number of insurgents in Iraq:
November 2003 estimate: 5,000 fighters
December 2004 estimate: 40,000 fighters and 200,000 Iraqi sympathizers
What the Iraq war has created, according to the U.S. National Intelligence Council: “a training and recruitment ground
(for terrorists), and an opportunity for terrorists to enhance their technical skills.”
Effect on al Qaeda of the Iraq War, according to International Institute for Strategic Studies: “Accelerated recruitment”
Percentage of Americans who believe the situation in Iraq was “worth going to war over”: 39%
Percentage of Americans who believe that the Iraq War has worsened the U.S. image in the world: 65%
Percentage of people polled in 21 countries around the world who believed Mr Bush’s re-election to the White House made
the world more dangerous: 58%
Percentage of Iraqis expressing “no confidence” in U.S. civilian authorities or coalition forces: 80%
Fraction of the 148,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq who are Guard members or Reservists: 4 out of 10
Status of Army National Guard recruitment: down 30%
Average number of attacks by Iraqi resistance per week: 425
What General James Helmly, the Army Reserve’s commander, told the Pentagon in December 2004: his men were
“degenerating into a broken force”
Percentage of reserve troops who earn lower salaries while on deployment: 30-40%
Percentage of U.S. police departments missing officers due to Iraq deployments: 44%
The bill so far: $146.6 billion
February 14 request from the President: $61 billion more
What $207 billion could have paid for in the U.S.:
Affordable housing units: 1.86 million or
Health care for uninsured Americans for one year: 47 million or
Scholarships for university students: 40 million
Head Start slots for a year: 27 million
Port container inspectors: 3 million
The $146 billion already allocated could pay for 2 years worth of:
Food for half the hungry people in the world and
A comprehensive global AIDS treatment and prevention program and
Clean water and sanitation throughout the developing world and
Childhood immunizations for all children in the developing world
Estimated cost of war to date to every U.S. household: $2,000
Average monthly cost of the Vietnam War, adjusted for inflation: $5.2 billion
Average monthly cost of the Iraq War: $5.8 billion
Amount contractor Halliburton is alleged to have charged for meals never served to troops and for cost overruns on fuel
deliveries: $221 million
Kickbacks received by Halliburton employees from subcontractors: $6 millionTomPaine.com - The True Costs Of War: "The True Costs Of War"

TomPaine.com - Mapping The Oil Motive: "It appears that the U.S. incursion into Iraq�begun with such high expectations two years ago�has largely failed to achieve its intended purposes. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq, so the invasion cannot be said to have eliminated a potential WMD threat. The danger posed by terrorism is no less severe now than it was in 2003, and in some cases has grown stronger. It is true that democracy has made some inroads in Iraq, but it is not al all evident that elections will produce a stable, unified state. And it is clear that Iraq is in no position to quench America�s voracious thirst for petroleum."

TomPaine.com - Blogs: "The assassination of Rafik Hariri, the Saudi-connected billionaire, could have been carried out by any number of factions�from personal, business enemies of Hariri�s, Hezbollah, other Shiite factions, Syrian intelligence, Israeli intelligence, Iran and even some factions in Iraq. To believe that Syria did it�thus making itself is the instant target of U.S. wrath�seems ludicrous. More likely, to speculate, it seems that the murder was carried out specifically as a provocation to embarrass Syria and to provide Washington with a pretext to do what it wants to do anyway: Regime Change II."

TomPaine.com - The Democracy Lie: "President Bush and his supporters are taking credit for spreading freedom across the Middle East. Middle East expert Cole disputes the domino theory in the region and labels Iraq�at best�a failed state. Where changes are genuinely occurring they have nothing to do with the U.S. invasion of Iraq."

New evidences appears confirming the connection betweeen the war in Iraq and Oil Supply. It's worthy to be read this article by BBCBBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | Secret US plans for Iraq's oil

Finally... it seems has been proved that there is a link between Mercury pollution and Autism. Mercury Pollution, Autism Link Found - U.S. Study

Here there is a novel way to search websites... through their location! Fill in your search latitude and longitude. Click on the "Go" button to search and here there are a bunch of websites... near you
A2B Location-Based Search Engine

This is a way to advertise your blogPing-o-Matic!

Blogging for Beginners: "Search Engine Optimization for your Blog"

This is a good place for beginners blogger like meBlogging for Beginners

The Progressive has a great article on a Bush's claiming credit for the outbreack of democracy in the Arab world.Amitabh Pal's Blog | The Progressive magazine

Iraq Turning Out To Be New Vietnam: "The North won the Civil War on the ground, but it took a century to defeat the South�s discrimination against blacks. And during most of those years, the South took and held power and control of the U.S. Congress, assuring that civil and human rights for millions were, at best, limited and, at worst, downright repressed. In a very real way, the 100-year aftermath of the Civil War was a bloodless insurgency in the South. "

Bush saied:God's Politics: An Interview With Jim Wallis: "�I don�t understand poor people, I�ve never been around poor people. I�m a white Republican guy who doesn�t get it. I�d like to. How do I get it?� "

God's Politics: An Interview With Jim Wallis: "Poverty could be the thing that calls us together across our political dividing lines. But you need political leaders who articulate that and say why this is connected to our faith, our humanity, and our security. The line [from my book] that draws a great response every single time is, �Unless we drain the swamp of injustice in which these mosquitoes of terrorism breed, we�ll never overcome terrorism.� Everybody knows that. Most Americans know that you can�t defeat terrorism by killing terrorists. So the president says, �My response to terrorism is to kill terrorists.� And John Kerry says, �Yup. And my response is to kill even more of them.� That was our debate. It�s politically foolish and spiritually bankrupt. "

God's Politics: An Interview With Jim Wallis: "This is America. This is the most religious nation on the face of the earth. Religion will be a factor in our public life. The founders wanted to separate church and state not to diminish the role of religion but to strengthen it. Europe has a state church framework and religion has almost no influence. Here, where it�s separated, it�s more dependent and more vital, and stronger. The founders thought strong religion was a factor in the political health of the nation. "

God's Politics: An Interview With Jim Wallis: "I think the Right has made a serious mistake in adopting a moral-values strategy, because they�re winning in the short run. [But] in the long run, they�re going to lose this debate because they won�t be able to restrict it to two issues. Once you open that door to a values conversation, it�s going to undercut a right-wing economic agenda, which values wealth over work and favors the rich over the poor, or resorts to war as the first resort and not the last. To quote the White House, when it comes to moral values in this discussion, I say, �Bring it on!� Let�s have the conversation, because the Right�s going to lose this debate in the end. But not if the Left doesn�t even get in the conversation. "

God's Politics: An Interview With Jim Wallis: "I think the Right has made a serious mistake in adopting a moral-values strategy, because they�re winning in the short run. [But] in the long run, they�re going to lose this debate because they won�t be able to restrict it to two issues. Once you open that door to a values conversation, it�s going to undercut a right-wing economic agenda, which values wealth over work and favors the rich over the poor, or resorts to war as the first resort and not the last. To quote the White House, when it comes to moral values in this discussion, I say, �Bring it on!� Let�s have the conversation, because the Right�s going to lose this debate in the end. But not if the Left doesn�t even get in the conversation. "