Topic: NEWS english - on August 14, 2008 at 11:25:00 AM CEST
The New King of Tonga
On August 1st, the Kingdom of Tonga crowned its newest ruler, King George Tupou V. In a ceremony that lasted for days, and cost over $2.5 million (US), the 60-year old King was crowned as one of the few remaing monarchs with true ruling power - but that is about to change. In 2006, pro-democracy riots shook the small island nation of 112,000. The coronation was postponed, and now King George pledges that "The Sovereign of the only Polynesian kingdom... is voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic aspirations of many of his people." He promised to cede most power to a prime minister, and to hold parliamentary elections in 2010. (14 photos total)
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Topic: NEWS english - on June 9, 2008 at 12:40:25 PM CEST
Google News from a better world
A brilliantly done spoof of GoogleNews from a parallel universe where all the world's problems have been solved, from the petty: 'Apple announces unlocked iPhone, built-in VOIP' To the more profound: 'Amnesty International reports massive drop in detainments' and 'Darfur peace process well underway
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Topic: NEWS english - on April 23, 2008 at 12:28:00 PM CEST
Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower
Your IQ is basically hardwired. Still, there are lots of ways to get smarter — to max out your so-called functional intelligence. Think of it as a software upgrade. Our guide to better brainpower shows you how to boost your memory, sharpen your concentration skills, and even pop the right combination of drugs and supplements. Start download now.
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Topic: NEWS english - on April 11, 2008 at 10:26:00 AM CEST
Car wash finds $500,000 diamond pendant
Car cleaners at a Russian firm got a surprise when they cleaned out a vacuum cleaner this week: a diamond pendant worth up to 300,000 euros ($475,400).
"I didn't know how much it was worth at first so I got a jeweler to come around and he said it was worth as much as 300,000 euros," Vladimir Shapiro, owner of the car cleaning firm in Russia's northern city of St Petersburg, told Reuters.
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Topic: NEWS english - on April 9, 2008 at 11:25:00 AM CEST
Texans Build World's Most Powerful Laser
Scientists have switched on the world's most powerful laser, which for one-trillionth of a second is 2,000 times more powerful than all the power plants in the United States. The laser's output tops a petawatt, which is a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) watts of power.
In the basement of the physics building at the University of Texas at Austin, the school's High Intensity Laser Science Group built a petawatt laser in hopes of recreating astronomical phenomena like supernovae in miniature.
"We can put materials into states that you can't access here on earth," said Mikael Martinez, the laser project's manager. "You'd have to go out into space and hang out with an exploding star to observe what we plan to observe here in Texas."
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Topic: NEWS english - on March 26, 2008 at 11:58:00 AM CET
Easter Island statue's ear stolen on Easter Sunday
A Finnish tourist was detained after allegedly stealing a piece of volcanic rock from one of the giant Moai statues on Easter Island during the Easter weekend.
Marko Kulju, 26, faces seven years in prison and a fine of 8.6m pesos (£9,550) if convicted of stealing pieces of the right earlobe from a Moai, one of numerous statues carved out of volcanic rock between 400 - 1,000 years ago to represent deceased ancestors.
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Topic: NEWS english - on March 18, 2008 at 2:31:00 PM CET
No call for China boycott - Rogge
No governments have called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games, says International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.
The issue has arisen following China's handling of the unrest in Tibet.
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Topic: NEWS english - on February 28, 2008 at 10:02:00 AM CET
Cola Wars in Mexico - Tzotzil Indians in Mexico know the dangers of globalization and soda pop.
Thousands of candles flicker in the dim chamber. The air is thick with the smoke from copal incense. On the altar, men in black wool tunics and white knee-length pants play solemn music on drums and gourds. Below them, a score of Tzotzil Indians chant in small circles on the pine needle-covered floor. In the center of each circle are candles, eggs, copal and pox—fermented corn mash—in an old glass container, stopped with a corn cob. And next to the pox is a half-liter bottle of Coca-Cola or Pepsi.
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Topic: NEWS english - on December 22, 2007 at 8:30:00 PM CET
FBI Apparently Believes That Court Orders Are For Suckers
Wired's invaluable Ryan Singel has been panning for gold in the muddy stream of FBI e-mails and other documents recently obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation under a Freedom of Information Act request, and has already hit a couple of intriguing nuggets, such as overeager agents' willingness to bypass court-order requirements when seeking cell phone records. The documents reveal how this caused tension and dispute even within the Bureau.
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Topic: NEWS english - on December 18, 2007 at 5:21:00 PM CET
SF Considers Tax on Sugared Drinks
I hope this doesn't get the "crazy" label applied to San Francisco again. What am I thinking, of course it will.
SF is considering taxing sellers of sugary drinks, such as soda. This would be part of mayor Gavin Newsom's new "Shape up San Francisco" program, which started this past summer with a walking program.
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Topic: NEWS english - on December 13, 2007 at 12:17:00 PM CET
Author Pratchett has Alzheimer's
In a letter published on the website of artist Paul Kidby, the writer said the condition was behind a "phantom stroke" he had earlier this year.
Pratchett said his statement should be interpreted as "I am not dead" and that he had taken the news "philosophically" and "possibly with a mild optimism".
The Discworld author, 59, has sold more than 55 million books worldwide.
bbc.co.uk Terry's letter on Kidby's site. guardian.co.uktheregister.co.uk
Terry Pratchett: 'I had a stroke - and I didn't even notice'via
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Topic: NEWS english - on December 11, 2007 at 1:05:00 PM CET
Charitable giving guide, the 2007 edition
It's that time of year again -- time to make some charitable donations while the giving spirit is on you and while you have the chance to shelter some of your income from the revenooers. I'm rerunning last year's Charitable giving guide for the end-of-year, with a few updates. I've been lucky enough this year to have some money to put toward the causes I support -- hope you're lucky enough to do this, too. Here's my charitable list for the year.
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