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noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:39:00 +0000

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Former Soccer Wife Cheryl Cole Beats Marisa Soccer and women: Miller for Title of Sexiest Woman Alive - by Michael Hurley

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:39:00 +0000

If you're American and you don't care about soccer, chances are you don't know who Ashley Cole is. So let's make it simple: Ashley Cole is the soccer player who was unfaithful to his wife ... and his wife just so happens to be the sexiest woman alive.

Cheryl Cole, for the second straight year, has been named the Sexiest Woman Alive by FHM.

That wasn't enough for Ashley, apparently, as he reportedly pulled a Tiger Woods with five different women.

For more: Former Soccer Wife Cheryl Cole Beats Marisa Miller for Title of Sexiest Woman Alive - Daily Blend - NESN.com

German Jobless Drops as Economy Shrugs Off Winter, Greek Crisis - by Patrick Donahue and Frances Robinson

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000

German unemployment fell at the fastest pace in more than two years in April as Europe’s largest economy shrugged off the coldest winter in 14 years and a worsening fiscal crisis in the euro region’s periphery.

The number of people out of work declined a seasonally adjusted 68,000 to 3.29 million, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. The drop was the biggest since January 2008 and exceeded the decline of 10,000 that economists had forecast, based on the median of 30 estimates in a Bloomberg survey. The jobless rate fell to 7.8 percent from 8 percent.

The data highlights the split between Germany and its euro- region neighbours such as Greece, Spain and Portugal, which are grappling with mounting budget deficits and higher unemployment rates. Bundesbank President Axel Weber said this week that the German recovery will gather steam this quarter after poor weather curbed construction and spending in the first quarter.

For more: German Jobless Drops as Economy Shrugs Off Winter, Greek Crisis - BusinessWeek

Banking: Out of Control Bank Fees in America

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:06:00 +0000

In America when you do what the bank calls a wire transfer, but which basically is an electronic transfer handled by computers from one bank to the other, the sending bank charges a minimum of $20 for sending the funds and the bank retrieving the money charges $ 15.

Using an ATM costs an average of $1.97 -- and that's when you use your own bank. The average charge for out-of-network ATM fees is $3.43. In addition, overdraft protection has gone up 2.5% in the last year and currently averages $28.95. If you want to earn interest on your checking account, you need to pay a yearly fee of $12 and keep a minimum balance of $3,500.

Unfortunately we have had lots of talk,but no banking regulations so far.

Britain: Caesar the terrier dog and what his appearance ay Edward VIII's funeral tells us about the state of our nation today

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:30:00 +0000

An unconventional image dramatically symbolized the grandeur of the British Empire. On a bright morning in early 1910, the funeral cortege for the late Edward VII made its way from Westminster through the streets of central London.

With huge crowds lining the route, a procession of international dignitaries followed behind the coffin, some on horseback, some in carriages. Their number included princes and presidents, emperors and elected leaders. But in front of all of them walked a small dog, his leash held by a kilted Highland soldier. This was Edward’s beloved fox terrier, who bore the appropriately imperial name of Caesar.

At the funeral of Edward VII, the New York Times reported: ‘The varied and gorgeous uniforms of the royal personages gathered from the ends of earth glittered in the summer sun.’ In reality, however, it was a world and Empire on which the sun was setting very quickly.

For more: Caesar the terrier dog and what his appearance ay Edward VIII's funeral tells us about the state of our nation today | Mail Online

Catholic Church needs total reform ( and women must be part of that equation) - by Pat Power

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:10:00 +0000

The current crisis facing the Catholic Church arising out of sexual abuse is arguably the most serious challenge the Church has faced since the Reformation in the 16th century. The response must in the first instance be clearly focused on the victims of such abuse, their families and other secondary victims. The untold damage done to innocent people and its life-long consequences in many cases need to be clearly and honestly acknowledged. I am pleased where every effort is being made to see that justice is done for those affected and where all possible measures are being taken to bring about healing and reparation.

The reform needed by the Church today will involve much more than just “tinkering around the edges”. Issues such as the authoritarian nature of the Church, compulsory celibacy for the clergy, the participation of women in the Church, the teaching on sexuality in all aspects cannot be brushed aside. Listening must be a key component of reform and at times that will involve listening to unpalatable truths. It needs to be recognized that all wisdom does not reside exclusively in the present all male leadership of the Church and that the voices of the faithful must be heard.

Let us not forget it was largely Jesus’ female disciples who stood by him dying on Calvary, that Mary Magdalene was the first witness to the resurrection and that she could legitimately be called an apostle in that she was sent to bring the good news to the other followers of Jesus. Would the Church be in its present state of crisis if women had been part of the decision-making in the life of the Church.

Note EU-Digest: Hear hear...

For more: Catholic Church needs total reform - Eureka Street

Anglo-French Freemasonry, Naïve Russia: Authors of the Assassination of Pres. Kaczynski of Poland - by Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:11:00 +0000

The fact that England´s one time one-penny newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, found it necessary to have one of his one-penny staffers publish an urged and premature denunciation of what the so-called conspiracy theorists may have later identified as reasons for the assassination of Poland´s president Lech Kaczynski demonstrates the absolute paranoia of the ruling elite that plunged the entire Mankind in the unprecedented and abysmal chaos of our times.

Paranoia is an utterly inhuman situation; the normal, human reaction of someone rejecting the assassination scenario would be to first wait until the day a commentator or analyst publishes an analysis of the reasons for which the air plane crash should be interpreted as an assassination, and then come up with a refutation.

For more: American Chronicle | Anglo-French Freemasonry, Naïve Russia: Authors of the Assassination of Pres. Kaczynski of Poland

Turkey: Noah’s Ark Has Been Found in Mount Ararat, Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:32:00 +0000

The Biblical Noah’s Ark has been found in Mount Ararat, Turkey according to a Chinese-Turkish evangelical exploration team. They said they are 99.99 percent sure that this is the Noah’s Ark set to ride the flood that swept the entire world 4,800 years ago.

The exploration team is claiming that the Noah’s Ark found fits the description in the Bible – it has the exact length noted in the bible which is 300 Egyptian cubit or 515 feet. Also, they have analysed the wood they have found in the interior and it has been carbon-dated to 48,000 years ago – the same time of the Noah’s Ark.

Paul Zimansky, a historian and an archaeologist at Stony Brook University, specializes in studying the region around Mount Ararat. He said that Mount Ararat, also called Mount Urartu, is believed to be the resting zone of the Noah’s Ark.

For more: Noah’s Ark Has Been Found in Mount Ararat, Turkey • Gwabble

Wireless Navigation: TomTom to offer real-time traffic info in Europe | Wireless

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:18:00 +0000

TomTom's Go Live 1000 navigation device, set for a European launch this summer, will offer real-time connection for traffic, weather, and fuel info on the European continent. The connectivity across 33 European countries will come via Vodafone. That service will be free for the first year and cost 50 euros (about $67) annually after that. The GPS device itself doesn't have a price tag or exact launch date yet.

The Go Live 1000 will feature a 500MHz ARM 11 CPU, 4GB of storage, 128MB of RAM, and a new user interface based on the open-source WebKit browser engine.

With TomTom's IQ Routes tech, the device will review past traffic patterns to plan routes. TomTom's HD Traffic system will analyze and show traffic flows and jams to continually determine the fastest route, the company said. The device will be able to download updates and new services remotely via an integrated modem.

For more: TomTom to offer real-time traffic info in Europe | Wireless - CNET News

Goldman Saga Could Take Heat Off Greece - MarketBeat - WSJ

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Today’s grilling of Goldman Sachs Group by the U.S. Senate is likely to be the main event for traders around the world. That could temporarily ease tensions in Europe’s wobbly bond markets, where fears of full-blown contagion from Greece’s debt problems are growing.

Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein will tell the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that his firm didn’t consistently bet against the residential housing market or bet against clients. Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shocked markets by alleging that Goldman and trader Fabrice Tourre committed fraud by selling a mortgage-related security without telling investors that a hedge-fund betting against the deal had helped create it.

It’s a sure bet that traders in the City, London’s financial district, will be breaking out the popcorn and turning on the TVs when the Senate hearing commences around 10 a.m. Washington, DC-time. The schadenfreude is almost palpable; many of Goldman’s long-time rivals probably feel like the firm hasn’t stumbled during this financial crisis as much as it should have.

For more: Goldman Saga Could Take Heat Off Greece - MarketBeat - WSJ

Soccer: Rising star Oar believes time is right for Europe move

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:40:00 +0000

Teenage Socceroos sensation Tommy Oar is confident he's making a move to Europe at the perfect time to further his promising career.

The 18-year-old World Cup hopeful, who impressed on debut for Australia against Indonesia last month, will link up with Dutch club FC Utrecht next season on a five-year deal.

Oar will be accompanied by former Brisbane Roar teammates Michael Zullo and Adam Sarota, who were each signed for three seasons in a package deal with the A-League club.

For more: Rising star Oar believes time is right for Europe move

US Economy: Will The Next Crisis Bankrupt America?

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:36:00 +0000

"I was disturbed to learn after 9/11 that various intelligence agencies did not always share information with one another. I thought we learned something from that, but apparently not." said Anton R. Valukas, Examiner, Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy before the Committee on Financial Services, United States House of Representatives.

For more: Lawrence G. McDonald: Will The Next Crisis Bankrupt America?

Financial octopus-vampires on the attack against Portugal- by Mario Queiroz

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Worrying economic indicators and gloomy forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are rapidly making Portugal a magnet for international speculative capital.

Independent lawmaker Rui Tavares, a historian, writing in the local press, described the international financial actors preparing to attack the fragile Portuguese economy as "gigantic octopus-vampires" that manipulate markets to make money.

The IMF revised its 2010 forecast for Portugal's economic growth sharply downward on Apr. 20.

EU-Digest: After going after Greece financial speculators now are taking on Portugal and not a sole dares to stop them Where are the promised regulations.

For more: Portugal Faces Carve-Up by Financial Speculators - IPS ipsnews.net

Consumer always has to pay up: Air fares 'to rise 5% after ash'

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:34:00 +0000

The ash cloud crisis and soaring oil prices are likely to mean a 5.2% rise in air fares this year, according to new figures. And fares could go up by a further 11.5% in 2011, sending the average cost of a London to New York economy class ticket up by £62.

The figures came from a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research produced for e-commerce company Kelkoo.

It put the cost to airlines of the ash-induced northern European airports' shutdown at around Euro 1.5 billion by the end of last week.

Note EU-Digest: As with the financial crises the consumer always turns up in having to pay the bill...

For more: Air fares 'to rise 5% after ash' - UK & Ireland, Breaking News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

EU to overhaul air traffic system after ash chaos - by Slobodan Lekic

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:27:00 +0000

The European Union (EU) will this week start overhauling its air traffic control system after the crisis caused by volcanic ash, which turned much of Europe into a no-fly zone for days.

“The worst is over, but a huge amount of work must be done to deal with crisis management,” EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said.

Germany has invited aviation experts, EU officials and industry representatives to Berlin tomorrow to discuss setting air travel standards, and Spain — which holds the EU’s rotating presidency — said EU transport ministers would meet next Tuesday for talks on a unified European airspace.

For more: BusinessDay - EU to overhaul air traffic system after ash chaos

Germany and France get tough with Greece - Crisis : news, world | euronews

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:05:00 +0000

Europe’s economic big boys France and Germany have promised to take a hardline with Greece in exchange for financial support. French finance minister Christine Lagarde insisted she will hold Athens to account after it was forced to go cap in hand to the EU and IMF on Friday for a massive bailout.

Serious doubts have emerged over whether the 45 billion euros asked for will be enough. Germany’s finance chief Wolfgang Schäuble also said further difficult steps by Greece were needed to grapple with its deficit.

For more: Germany and France get tough with Greece - Crisis : news, world | euronews

US officials watched internet porn during recession

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:05:00 +0000

US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials meant to mend the economy during the recession spent much of their working hours surfing the internet for pornography instead.

An investigation by the SEC at the request of Senator Chuck Grassley found 31 employees of SEC spent hours on the commission's official computers looking at pornography sites over the past two and a half years, ABC News reported Friday.

Seventeen of the offenders were senior officers with salaries ranging from $100,000 to $222,000 per year.

One senior attorney at the headquarters in Washington spent up to eight hours a day accessing internet porn. When he filled all the space on his government computer with pornographic images, he downloaded more to CDs and DVDs that accumulated in boxes in his offices, the report said.

For more: US officials watched internet porn during recession

Putin says: Russia can fuel Europe for a century

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:01:00 +0000

Austria has joined Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia and Croatia in agreeing to host sections of the Russian South Stream gas pipeline to Southeastern, Southern and Central Europe. The pipe will run under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and then branch in the directions of Greece, Italy and also Austria and Slovakia. The flow should amount to 65 billion cubic metres a year. Austria alone should get at least 2 billion cubic metres. The pipe’s resource base can ensure a stable supply for at least a century.

For more: Russia can fuel Europe for a century – Putin: Voice of Russia

UK elections: Thanks to debates, the UK heads for a political crisis

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:11:00 +0000

The usual third-running Liberal Democrats party has leapt into second place, and the Scottish and Welsh nationalist parties are expected to pick up seats.

The country is heading for a result that is genuinely unpredictable and that promises to spark a full-blown crisis of political legitimacy. It is quite likely that Labour will get the least number of votes but retain the largest number of seats, and the Liberal Democrats will have half the seats of the other parties for about the same vote. Any relationship between voting numbers and representation will be visibly sundered.

This can all be put down to one single cause: the debates. For the first time in British history, party leaders agreed to a series of three debates. Even if Labour achieves only a 28 per cent vote, they will take around 280 seats in the 650-seat Parliament; the Tories on 33 per cent will get 245 seats, and the Lib Dems on 29 per cent will get only around 95. The seats would suggest that the Lib Dems then support Labour, the raw vote would suggest they support the Tories.

For more: Thanks to debates, the UK heads for a political crisis

Obama Says Reforms To Hold Street Accountable Should Continue, Despite Revival In Auto Industry

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:00:00 +0000

In his weekly address President Obama said though the auto industry is more stable today and showing the strongest growth in the decade, reforms to hold Wall Street accountable should continue. He added that the reforms would put an end - once and for all - to taxpayer bailouts and restore trust and confidence in market.

Remembering the potentially devastating crisis in auto industry one year ago, Obama said now General Motors announced that it has repaid its loan to taxpayers with interest five years ahead of schedule, and Chrysler Financial has already fully repaid with interest its loan as well.

For more: Obama Says Reforms To Hold Street Accountable Should Continue, Despite Revival In Auto Industry

Iceland volcano: eruption 'could just be rehearsal' for worse ash chaos if Katla blows -by Philip Sherwell

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:04:00 +0000

On the first official day of Icelandic summer, a bitter sub-zero wind whipped newly-fallen snow across the majestic mountain glacier that enveloped the crater of the Katla volcano.

The solitude and serenity was disturbed only by the rumbles from its cloud-shrouded and now notorious neighbour Eyjafjallajökull, whose violent eruptions paralysed international air travel for a remarkable week.The usually pristine white wilderness was dotted with dirty smudges of crusty ash deposited in recent days. And several miles below the 2,000 ft thick ice field, the magna chambers of a volcano that has some 10 times the power of Eyjafjallajökull are long "overdue" an eruption after an unprecedented 92 years of inactivity.

For more: Iceland volcano: eruption 'could just be rehearsal' for worse ash chaos if Katla blows - Telegraph

A fateful day for the eurozone - by Gavin Hewitt

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:56:00 +0000

Friday will be remembered as the day the euro needed rescuing. Sure it is Greece that has asked to be bailed out but it was still a day that the architects of the single currency had never envisaged. For when it came to it, there were no plans to save a euro member in trouble.

The last few months have been a long, agonising drama. It is the financial markets that have been in the driving seat. The politicians, the eurozone countries, the European Central Bank, the European Union have all played catch-up, scrambling to put together a rescue plan. Now Europe is faced with what is potentially the biggest ever bail-out of a country.

The rescue pot is around £40bn. Two-thirds of it will come from eurozone countries and one-third from the IMF. For a long period, European countries resisted any involvement from the IMF. Pride stood in the way. They feared that the reputation of the euro would be tarnished. It has been. If they had turned to the IMF earlier, however, the pain might have been less and the crisis shorter.

Note EU-Digest: Obviously this is a British viewpoint which by default is always skeptical about the capabilities of any other European country or the EU to be able to handle a crises, but it financial or political.

For more: BBC - Gavin Hewitt's Europe: A fateful day for the eurozone

Wall Street: Three simple fixes for Wall Street's reckless ways

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:38:00 +0000

Most thoughtful observers agree that Wall Street's crazy casino culture contributed mightily to last year's global financial crisis, and the economic meltdown that followed.

By manufacturing impenetrably complex debt bombs that promptly exploded in the hands of unwary investors, Wall Street's pocket-lining paper shufflers brought the financial system to its knees.

While Wall Street is already back to its old ways, racking up huge profits and doling out big bonuses, American taxpayers are stuck with the tab. They'll be paying the price for years.

For more:Three simple fixes for Wall Street's reckless ways

A Turkish Martin Luther? -Dr. Elie Elhadj

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:33:00 +0000

The BBC reported on February 26, 2008 that Turkey's Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University's School of Theology to carry out a revision of the Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet. An adviser to the project says some of the sayings can be shown to have been invented hundreds of years after the Prophet Muhammad died, to serve the purposes of contemporary society.

Turkey, yet again takes the lead in trying to usher the Muslim world into the modern age. However, the challenge ahead is formidable. Accusations of heresy and apostasy will be flying around by those who have an interest in maintaining the status quo—Islamists, extremist ulama and their political benefactors, especially from the Arab world. The following explains the nature of the controversy and the reasons for being cautious with guarded optimism.

Is Turkey's undertaking likely to succeed? Among moderate Muslims, the answer is positive. However, among the orthodox, especially among the Arab orthodox, the answer is negative. The Quran describes the Arab peoples as the "best people evolved to mankind" (3:110). The Prophet, His companions, the Quran, and the Sanctuaries in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem are all Arabic. Arabs feel they are the guardians of an Arabic religion.

For more: A Turkish Martin Luther? :: Weekly Blitz

British Elections: Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg also wins debate

noreply@blogger.com (A-News) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:06:00 +0000

Following tonight’s second leadership debate held in Bristol, a snap poll held by The Drum has found that Nick Clegg has once again been voted the winner by the creative industries.

Tonight’s debate, broadcast on Sky News, saw 60 percent of voters choose the Liberal Democrat Leader as the winner of tonight’s debate, following his victory in the first debate last week.

23 percent voted for Prime Minister Gordon Brown as tonight’s winner, while 16 percent voted for Conservative Leader David Cameron.

For more: Nick Clegg wins second general election leaders' debate Drum poll - News - THE DRUM - Advertising, Design, Media, Marketing, Digital, PR - News, Information & Jobs