31 August 2007

Quote of the Day...



"We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship..."

--Edward Morgan Forster (1879 – 1970), English novelist and essayist.


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30 August 2007

Quote of the Day...



"Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated..." (1985)

--Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (b. 1918), South Afrikan politcal activist, president, Nobel Laureate


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28 August 2007

Quote of the Day...



"I HAVE A DREAM" (1963)

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi - from every mountainside.

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring - when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"


--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968) Peacemaker





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Flight 5191: Yahrzeit...



It's hard to believe that this all happened a year ago, it still seems so very fresh in my mind and memory...

--ryan





One Year After Comair Crash Flight 5191, Family and Friends Gather in Memory

Posted: 5:25 PM Aug 27, 2007
Last Updated: 5:57 PM Aug 27, 2007

Family and Friends Gather to Remember


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was one year ago today when Comair Flight 5191 crashed taking the lives of 49 people aboard.

Today, families and friends gathered to remember the victims and visit the crash site.


The day started with a private memorial service for families at a Lexington home. It was a chance for them to be together and grieve for those they lost.

It has been one year for us all, but for the families it has been a very short time for them to grieve. As Vice President of Counseling Services with Hospice, Sherry Weisenfluh deals with grief daily she says at this mornings service many families were depending and leaning on one another.

After the service, the families made a trip up the long hill to the crash scene. Some of them choosing to visit the site searching for peace as well as healing.

Shuttles have been coming and going from the crash site most Monday afternoon.

27NEWSFIRST has a copy of a responsive reading they did at the private ceremony this morning, and at the end it reads:

"As long as we live, they too will live. For they are now a part of us as we remember them."





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25 August 2007

Windows: Cruel & Unusual Punishment?



I say that Windows is absolutely cruel indeed!

--ryan



Linux Felon Forced To Install Windows | CNET News.com

By David Meyer

Story last modified Fri Aug 24 11:33:15 PDT 2007


A Linux user who was jailed for uploading a film onto a peer-to-peer service has been told he will have to switch to Windows if he wants to use a computer again.

Scott McCausland, who used to be an administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent server before it was shut down by the FBI, pleaded guilty in 2006 to two copyright-related charges over the uploading of Star Wars: Episode III to the Internet. As a result, he was sentenced to five months in jail and five months' home confinement.

McCausland--who also goes by the name "sk0t"--has since been released from jail, but on Tuesday he reported on his blog that the terms of his sentence meant he would have to install Windows if he wanted to use a computer during his probation. "I had a meeting with my probation officer today, and he told me that he has to install monitoring software onto my PC," wrote McCausland. "No big deal to me...that is part of my sentence."

"However, their software doesn't support GNU/Linux (which is what I use)," continued McCausland. "So, he told me that if I want to use a computer, I would have to use an OS that the software can be installed on. Which basically means: Microsoft and monitoring software or no computer. I use Ubuntu 7.04 now, and they are trying to force me to switch. First they give me two felonies, then they throw me in prison, and now this."

According to the Web site TorrentFreak, McCausland and his attorney will fight the situation. "It isn't the fact that I have to be monitored that bothers me, it is the fact that I have (to) restructure my life (different OS, different software on that OS) and that they would require (force) me to purchase software while I am currently unemployed and relatively unemployable with the two felonies that they gave me," McCausland said. "It is just a ridiculous situation."

David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.


24 August 2007

Shills for Bu$h...

In case you were wondering what's up with the recent herd of moronic commercials puking up Slick Dick's stock line that Iraq was behind 9/11, here's the word. It smells a bit like the Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda to me...enit?

--ryan




First Read : The Donors Behind Those New TV Ads

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Mark Murray

The donors who are financing the new multi-million-dollar TV ad campaign arguing against a withdrawal from Iraq include a Who's Who of former Bush Administration ambassadors (to plum assignments like France, Italy, and Malta); a least one of Bush's original Pioneers; the man ranked by Forbes (in 2006) as the third-richest American; and, of course, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Brad Blakeman, the president of Freedom's Watch, which is running these ads, released the following names as donors to his group. Blakeman told NBC that the rest of the donors are choosing to be anonymous. Freedom's Watch is a 501(c)4 organization, which can collect unlimited contributions and doesn't have to disclose its donors.

Here they are....

-- Anthony Gioia, former ambassador to Malta. Per a White House press release announcing his appointment as ambassador, "Gioia is presently the Chairman and CEO of Gioia Management Company, a management and investment holding company located in Buffalo, New York."

-- Kevin Moley, whom Bush appointed U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva in September 2001. Per the White House press release announcing his appointment, Moley "was a private investor and served on the Board of Directors of five publicly held companies and three privately held companies. He previously served as a consultant to Kinetra LLC, the successor company to Integrated Medical Systems Inc., which Ambassador Moley served as President and CEO. Ambassador Moley was also Senior Vice President of PCS Health Systems, Inc."

-- Mel Sembler, whom Bush appointed as US ambassador to Italy in 2001. According to a State Department bio, Stembler was "most recently the Chairman of the Board of The Sembler Company, one of the nation's leading shopping center developers. He is nationally recognized as an activist in the anti-drug campaign and as a staunch, long-time supporter of the Republican Party and its candidates."

-- Howard Leach, who was Bush's ambassador to France from 2001-2005 and an original Bush Pioneer. Per the US embassy's Web site, Leach is "an entrepreneur, investor and chief executive. He began his career as founder and president of several agri-business corporations. He has served as president and major shareholder of numerous industrial and financial companies."

-- Dr. John Templeton is chairman and president of the John Templeton Foundation

-- Edward Snider

-- Sheldon Adelson, casino mogul, ranked as the third-richest American (worth $20 billion) according to Forbes in 2006

-- Richard Fox

-- Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary

-- Gary Erlbaum

-- Matt Brooks


William E. McAnulty Jr. (1947 - 2007)

Ky.'s First Black Supreme Court Justice Dies

Former Kentucky Supreme Court Justice William E. McAnulty Jr., the first black man on the state's highest court, has died.

Jessica Loving, a spokeswoman for the McAnulty family, said the judge died at about 10:15 p.m. Thursday at home with his family.

She said he was under the care of hospice "and passed away peacefully."

McAnulty, 59, resigned from the court about two weeks ago. He announced in early July he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his brain.

House Speaker Jody Richards called McAnulty "a thoughtful, intelligent justice" who will be sorely missed. "He had an unmatched wit," said Richards who attended McAnulty's swearing-in ceremony last year.

The family is finalizing arrangements, but there will be a memorial service at Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville, probably early next week, Loving said. McAnulty is to be cremated but there will be a burial service at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

Loving said the family is providing information at www.justicemcanulty.com.

In a statement released Aug. 9, McAnulty said, "Serving on Kentucky's Supreme Court has been the most satisfying experience in my career.

"However, my family and I will now devote our energies to completing my cancer treatment."

McAnulty said previously that his cancer was caused by smoking, a habit he quit in December. The justice had surgery July 11 to remove a mass from his brain, and was to receive radiation treatment and chemotherapy for the cancer in his lungs. At the time, he had said he would stay on the court, and he promised to work and write opinions from his bed.

"Justice McAnulty has had an extraordinary career in the Kentucky judiciary," Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert said when McAnulty resigned. "He has served on all four levels of Kentucky state courts with ability, honor and distinction."

McAnulty was appointed by Fletcher in June 2006 to fill a vacancy in the 4th Supreme Court District, which consists of Jefferson County.

He defeated a tough challenge from Jefferson Circuit Judge Ann O'Malley Shake to win election in November. McAnulty's successor will be chosen by Gov. Ernie Fletcher from three names to be presented to him by a nominating commission. Lambert is expected to call a meeting of the commission soon. The successor will serve until the November 2008 election.

21 August 2007

Black Lodge Singers...

The Black Lodge Singers tear it up and throw it down at Red Earth 2006.

Hokahey!





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20 August 2007

Happy Birthday: CDs Turn 25...

How the CD was Developed

The first compact disc was produced exactly 25 years ago in a factory in Germany after years of development by Philips and Sony. We take a look at the humble disc's history and how it shaped the music landscape.


# The compact disc project was launched following Philips' failure with its video disc technology in 1978.

# The video disc was one of the first commercial products to take advantage of laser technology that could read information from a disc without any physical contact.

# Research into the video disc began as far back as 1969, and itself was inspired by Italian Antonio Rubbiani, who had demonstrated a rudimentary video disc system 12 years earlier.

# In 1970 Philips began work on what was called the ALP (audio long play) - an audio disc system to rival vinyl records, but using laser technology.

# Lou Ottens, technical director of the audio division at Philips, was the first to suggest that the ALP be made smaller than the dominant vinyl format and should aim for one hour of music.

# The project initially flirted with the idea of quadraphonic sound but a disc with one hour of music had to be 20cm in diameter and so the plan was abandoned.

# In 1977 Philips began to take the development of a new audio format much more seriously. A new name for the product was discussed and names considered included Mini Rack, MiniDisc, and Compact Rack.

# The team settled on Compact Disc because it was felt it would remind people of the success of the Compact Cassette.

# In March 1979 Philips conducted a press conference to show off the audio quality of its CD system in production and also to impress upon rivals how well it was progressing.

# A week later Philips travelled to Japan after the Japanese Ministry of Industry and Technology (MITI) had decided to convene a conference to discuss how the industry could create a standard for the audio disc. The company left Japan having agreed a deal with Sony.

# Philips' plan for a CD with a 11.5cm diameter had to be changed when Sony insisted that a disc must hold all of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

The longest recording of the symphony in record label Polygram's archive was 74 minutes and so the CD size was increased to 12cm diameter to accommodate the extra data.

# In 1980 Philips and Sony produced their Red Book, which laid down all the standards for compact discs. From that time on the companies worked separately on their own CD equipment but in the early days agreed to share components.

# In April 1982 Philips showed off a production CD player for the first time. "From now on, the conventional record player is obsolete," said Lou Ottens.

# The first commercial CDs pressed were The Visitors by Abba and a recording of Herbert von Karajan conducting the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss.

# US record labels were initially very sceptical about the CD. A year after launch there were 1,000 different titles available.

# In 1985 Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms became the first CD to sell more than one million copies. It is still the world's most successful CD album.

# In 2000 global sales of CD albums peaked at 2.455 billion. In 2006 that figure was down to 1.755 billion.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/6950933.stm

Published: 2007/08/17 10:30:52 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Man Bites Dog Story (Well, sort of...)



All tragedies aside, am I the only one who's jaded enough to wonder why authorities didn't seem to consider the possibility that the victim may well, in fact, have been stupid? I certainly hope that the bears are held blameless in this incident. After all, they are, quite obviously, not stupid; they did what any self respecting predator would do: took excellent advantage of a good opportunity...

--ryan


Bears Eat Man at Beer Festival

BELGRADE, Serbia (Reuters) -- A 23-year old Serb was found dead and half-eaten in the bear cage of Belgrade Zoo at the weekend during the annual beer festival.

The man was found naked, with his clothes lying intact inside the cage. Two adult bears, Masha and Misha, had dragged the body to their feeding corner and reacted angrily when keepers tried to recover it.

"There's a good chance he was drunk or drugged. Only an idiot would jump into the bear cage," zoo director Vuk Bojovic told Reuters.

Local media reported that police found several mobile phones inside the cage, as well as bricks, stones and beer cans.


19 August 2007

Quote of the Day...



"If we keep everything in Balance, we are in Harmony with ourselves and are at Peace..."


--Fools Crow, Lakota Nation


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13 August 2007

Quote of the Day...



"We circled around them, like water swirling around a stone..."

--Two Moons, Northern Cheyenne Warrior, describing the defeat of Custer and the U.S. 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Greasy Grass 25.June 1876




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03 August 2007

Julia Blackhawk (Winnebago)...



We offer Prayers and Smoke to the Creator on behalf of Julia's Family and Tribe...

--ryan



News::Winnebago Tribal Member Killed In Bridge Collapse

The death toll from the Minnesota bridge collapse still stands at four. And, one of the victims has Siouxland ties. 32-year-old Julia Blackhawk is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

Her family got word of her death late last night. Her uncle, John Blackhawk, who's a Winnebago Tribal Council Member, says his niece had been taking classes at the University of Minnesota and was on her way home.

Her route to her home in Savage, Minnesota, takes her across the I-35 West bridge, which collapsed, Wednesday night.

Authorities say Julia Blackhawk died of blunt force trauma.

After watching the events unfold on television, John Blackhawk said it's a shock to know a tragedy, like this, involves a loved one. "I think the thing that she would like to be remembered for is a mother," said John Blackhawk, Victim's Uncle. "She had two boys, of course, and um, I'm not sure how they're going to survive that. So I think first and foremost probably as a mother. The other is the recollection that I have of her is being that I'm her uncle and uncles are held in high esteem. So I guess I remember the respectful way that she treated me."

Julia Blackhawk, a mother of two, has lived in the Twin Cities for about the last decade.

Tribal services are being held Thursday and Friday in Julia Blackhawk's honor. Her funeral is planned for this Saturday in Winnebago, Nebraska.


One Van Gogh Gone, Another Revealed...

Van Gogh Work 'By Another Artist'

A painting long thought to be by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh has been proven to be the work of another artist, an Australian gallery has announced.

The painting, entitled Head of a Man, has been owned by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne since 1940 and had been valued at around £10.5m.

But after a series of tests, experts in Amsterdam concluded it was most likely to have been painted by a contemporary.

The artwork depicts a curly-haired, bearded man against a brown background.

In a statement released on Friday, gallery director Gerard Vaughan said the piece had been accepted as a Van Gogh for more than 10 years before the gallery bought it.

"The reattribution of paintings is part of the daily life in any major gallery," he said.

Verification

The painting was taken to Australia in 1939 by the late newspaper publisher Keith Murdoch, father of media mogul Rupert, as part of a travelling exhibition.

It became stranded in the country after the outbreak of World War II and was purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria for A$4,000 (£1,680).

Doubts over its authenticity surfaced last August when it went on show at the Dean Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Critics said the 1886 work differed in style to other Van Goghs of the period and was not mentioned in any of the artist's correspondence.

After the exhibition, the painting was sent to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam for verification.

Mr Vaughan said he wished to make it clear the painting was not a forgery and had merely been misattributed.

"There is no evidence to suggest someone produced this picture... to pass it off as a work by Van Gogh," he said.

# In other Van Gogh news, art historians have discovered one of his works hidden beneath another.

Experts at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum have long wondered whether an 1889 drawing entitled Wild Vegetation was a copy of a completed painting.

Now an X-ray of Van Gogh's 1889 work The Ravine has uncovered the earlier work, which the artist had painted on the same canvas four months previously.

The museum plans to display the drawing in an upcoming exhibition. The Ravine is currently owned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/6929086.stm

Published: 2007/08/03 14:19:03 GMT

© BBC MMVII


Dr. Brian May, PhD...?



May Looks To Sky To Complete PhD

Guitarist Brian May is to spend two days studying the night sky in the Canary Islands as he completes the PhD he abandoned in 1971 to join Queen.

May is going to La Palma to observe the formation of "zodiacal dust clouds".

The subject forms the basis of a thesis for London's Imperial College, where he had been studying before deciding to pursue a career with the rock group.

The 60-year-old recently published a book on astronomy with The Sky at Night presenter Sir Patrick Moore.

May is basing himself at the Observatory of the Roque de Los Muchachos on the island of La Palma.

A statement issued on behalf of the facility said he had chosen this location because of the "quality of the sky" and the opportunity to use a 3.6-metre optical telescope, "which allows astronomers to study extremely faint objects".

May is also preparing a concert to mark the inauguration of another telescope at the observatory.

He will present his thesis, which he has been preparing for across much of the past year, to Imperial College "within a fortnight".

A number of academics will question him about his work before any doctorate is awarded, a spokeswoman said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/6912307.stm

Published: 2007/07/23 15:27:30 GMT

© BBC MMVII


Queen Star Hands In Science PhD

Queen guitarist Brian May has handed in his astronomy PhD thesis - 36 years after abandoning it to join the band.

May recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of "zodiacal dust clouds".

The subject forms the basis of a thesis for London's Imperial College, where May, 60, had been studying before deciding to pursue a career with Queen.

The musician may have to wait several weeks before he finds out if he will be awarded his doctorate.

"I have no doubt that Brian May would have had a brilliant career in science had he completed his PhD in 1971," said astrophysicist Dr Garik Israelian, who worked with May in La Palma in Tenerife.

"Nevertheless, as a fan of Queen, I am glad that he left science temporarily," he added.

May handed in the thesis, called Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud, to Imperial's head of astrophysics Professor Paul Nandra.

He is scheduled to discuss his thesis with the examining board on 23 August, his spokesman said. The results should be known some time shortly after that date.

The rock star is also preparing a concert to mark the inauguration of a telescope at the Observatory of the Roque de Los Muchachos in La Palma, where he completed his studies last month.

May made his first astronomical observations for his thesis at the Observatorio del Teide in Tenerife in 1971, before his rock career took off.

He recently published a book on astronomy with The Sky at Night presenter Sir Patrick Moore.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/6929290.stm

Published: 2007/08/03 15:08:56 GMT

© BBC MMVII

02 August 2007

The Truth About FISA...



Here are the real facts abot this important issue from the ACLU...

--ryan



American Civil Liberties Union : The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: Myths and Facts

(7/31/2007)


The administration is asking for greater authority to wiretap without warrants in a proposal being floated to House and Senate Intelligence Committees today. President Bush wants Congress to make significant changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would allow warrantless spying on calls and communications between Americans and their friends and relatives overseas.

MYTH: We need this now.
FACT: This is not the time to hand even more power to an administration that has denied the legislative branch's constitutionally mandated oversight role and refused to hold the attorney general accountable for a series of contradictory statements. The only thing more outrageous than the administration's call for even more unfettered power is a Congress that would consider giving it.

MYTH: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act needs to be modernized.
FACT: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has been updated more than 50 times since being enacted in the '70s. It was updated as recently as last year.

MYTH: We need warrants to wiretap foreigners abroad.
FACT: Current law allows foreign-to-foreign communications to be intercepted without a warrant. What this proposal is really about is the right to wiretap Americans - without a warrant - who are speaking with people overseas.

MYTH: FISA has not kept up with new technology.

FACT: There is absolutely no new technology that evades FISA. Even the man responsible for prepping and filing all FISA applications, James Baker, head of the Justice Department's Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, has said that, "There's no type of collection that's prohibited by the statute." FISA was modernized by the Patriot Act, by Intelligence Reform legislation and by the re-authorization of the Patriot Act - indeed has been updated 50 times since it was enacted in 1978.

MYTH: Congress knows the facts about the NSA warrantless spying program.
FACT: The Senate Judiciary Committee asked for the legal rationale for the program nine times before issuing subpoenas, and still hasn't received an answer due to consistent stonewalling by the administration and the Department of Justice. The American public and their elected senators and representatives do not yet know the full extent of the warrantless wiretapping program and the extent to which FISA has been violated. So why would Congress grant additional power to this administration?

MYTH: The telecom giants need immunity.
FACT: The administration has asked for a provision that would give immunity - from criminal prosecution as well as civil liability - for the telecom companies' participation in any future warrantless wiretapping program. It is unprecedented to give sweeping immunity to an entire industry - especially before a full and public airing of the facts.




























© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004