Pakistani Taliban seize control of key Swat valley town | World news | guardian.co.uk

リンク: Pakistani Taliban seize control of key Swat valley town | World news | guardian.co.uk.

Pakistani Taliban seize control of key Swat valley town

 

The Taliban have seized control of the main town in Pakistan's
Swat valley, threatening a return to full-blown fighting with the army
and signalling the death knell for a fragile peace deal with the
provincial government.

Taliban fighters are laying siege to the main power station in Mingora, where an estimated 46 security personnel were holed up after a firefight last night, residents and officials said.

Elsewhere militants patrolled the deserted city streets and occupied the rooftops of several tall buildings. Yesterday the militants blew up an empty police station and a government school and kidnapped several officers.

Frightened residents, who spent a sleepless night amid sounds of gunfire and explosions, remained in their homes. The government imposed a curfew but the militants were in charge, with police confined to their stations.

FT.com / Comment / Editorial - Japan’s deceptive green shoots

リンク: FT.com / Comment / Editorial - Japan’s deceptive green shoots.

Japan’s deceptive green shoots

Published: April 26 2009 19:54 | Last updated: April 26 2009 19:54

Japan is a cautionary tale for anyone with an eye for green shoots. At least twice in its “lost decade”, fleeting signs of recovery yielded to the reality that the economy had not yet overcome a crisis emanating from its burst bubble at the start of the 1990s. Twenty years later and even the seemingly verdant foliage resulting from six years of growth between 2002 and 2008 has shrivelled to nothing. The shockwaves from a crisis this time manufactured in the US will scythe some 6 per cent off output.

'Britain's Got Talent' Contestant Susan Boyle Captures Hearts (Video) | wowOwow

リンク: 'Britain's Got Talent' Contestant Susan Boyle Captures Hearts (Video) | wowOwow.

'Britain's Got Talent' Contestant Susan Boyle Captures Hearts (Video)

   

British singing sensation wOws us … and Simon Cowell.

   

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

       

Susan Boyle

   

Susan Boyle captured the hearts of "Britain’s Got Talent" fans and, more importantly, Simon Cowell, fellow judges and YouTube crawlers.

Boyle, 47 and unemployed, got the crowd standing and cheering within seconds of beginning her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream,” from "Les Miserables." Check out the crowd as they cheer for Boyle, who some are now saying could win the entire competition.

Actress Demi Moore said the performance "moved me to tears." Will you have the same reaction? We did!

Watch the video here:

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

Psychology Today: You're Driving Me Crazy!

リンク: Psychology Today: You're Driving Me Crazy!.
Without doubt, there are big problems that afflict relationships; infidelity, abuse, and addiction are not perishing from the earth. A highly sexualized society delivers an alluring drumbeat of distractions. But it may be the petty problems that subvert love most surreptitiously. The dirty socks on the floor. The way our partner chews so loudly. Like the relentless drip of a leaky faucet, they erode the goodwill that underlies all relationships. Before you know it, you feel unloved, unheard, and underappreciated, if not criticized and controlled. Intimacy becomes a pale memory.

Yet irritations are inevitable in relationships. It's just not possible to find another human being whose every quirk, habit, and preference aligns perfectly with yours. The fundamental challenge in a relationship, contends New York psychiatrist John Jacobs, is "figuring out how to negotiate and live with your partner's irritants in a way that doesn't alienate them and keeps the two of you connected." When marriages don't work, he adds, often the partners are fighting not over big issues but over petty differences in style.

1,500 farmers commit mass suicide in India - Asia, World - The Independent

リンク: 1,500 farmers commit mass suicide in India - Asia, World - The Independent.

Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to   debt by crop failure, it was reported today.

The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.

"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a   few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told   Down To Earth magazine

"Most of the farmers here are indebted and only God can save the ones who do   not have a bore well."

Mr Sahu lives in a district that recorded 206 farmer suicides last year.   Police records for the district add that many deaths occur due to debt and   economic distress.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Chinese 'find' radioactive ball

リンク: BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Chinese 'find' radioactive ball.

Chinese officials say that potentially deadly
radioactive material lost in north-western Shaanxi province may have
been found at a steel mill.

Officials told the BBC that they had detected what may be the missing Caesium-137, adding that it may have been melted down.

The Caesium-137, encased in lead, was lost this week when workers at a cement plant demolished an old factory.

The material was part of a measuring instrument and is extremely dangerous.

Caesium-137
is a radioactive isotope, formed mainly through nuclear fission. The
smallest amount can cause infertility, cancer and even death.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Tibetans' lives 'hell on Earth'

リンク: BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Tibetans' lives 'hell on Earth'.

Thousands of Chinese troops and paramilitary police are said to have been deployed in Tibetan-populated regions amid fears of fresh violence on the sensitive anniversary.

Nepalese police detain a Tibetan monk at Buddhist site in Bodnath
Security was tight in Nepal as Tibetan exiles held demonstrations
Campaign groups have already reported some unrest in areas around Tibet. China does not allow foreign journalists unrestricted access to Tibet or restive areas surrounding it, making it extremely difficult to verify these reports.

Beijing says it has tightened its border controls in preparation for "expected sabotage activities by the Dalai Lama clique".

But there have been demonstrations around the Asia-Pacific region.

Four people were arrested in clashes with police outside the Chinese embassy in the Australian capital Canberra but later released.

In Nepal about 100 Tibetan exiles were blocked by police outside Kathmandu, as the government imposed a ban on protests outside the Chinese embassy, AFP news agency reported.

Always on the side of the egg - Haaretz - Israel News

リンク: Always on the side of the egg - Haaretz - Israel News.

Please do  however  allow me to deliver one very personal message. It is something that I always keep in mind while I am writing fiction. I have never gone so far as to write it on a piece of paper and paste it to the wall  Rather  it is carved into the wall of my mind  and it goes something like this:  "Between a high  solid wall and an egg that breaks against it  I will always stand on the side of the egg."  Yes  no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg  I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who  for whatever reason  wrote works standing with the wall  of what value would such works be 

極東ブログ: 村上春樹、エルサレム賞受賞スピーチ試訳

リンク: 極東ブログ: 村上春樹、エルサレム賞受賞スピーチ試訳.

I have only one thing I hope to convey to you today. We are all human beings, individuals transcending nationality and race and religion, fragile eggs faced with a solid wall called The System. To all appearances, we have no hope of winning. The wall is too high, too strong - and too cold. If we have any hope of victory at all, it will have to come from our believing in the utter uniqueness and irreplaceability of our own and others' souls and from the warmth we gain by joining souls together.

トヨタの報復でマスコミが火だるまに！頼みのパチンコ屋も「CM自粛するわｗ」:アルファルファモザイク

リンク: トヨタの報復でマスコミが火だるまに！頼みのパチンコ屋も「CM自粛するわｗ」:アルファルファモザイク.

「まだ決まらないのか」——。広告代理店業界は今、異例の事態に慌てている。新年度まで3カ月を切り、普通なら次年度広告予算が見えてくる時期だというのに、「自動車メーカー各社は何も言ってこない」と、大手広告会社社員が口をそろえる。

　自動車メーカーの広告は、国内4マス（テレビ、新聞、雑誌、ラジオ）広告の6％強を占めるうえ、1社当たりの広告宣伝金額が大きい。下表ランキングを見ればわかるように、トップ5に3社が顔を出す。こうした大手の動きが見えないと、来年度の展望が開けないのだ。

最高裁と金融庁が放った“爆弾” 消費者金融は消滅する!?｜Close Up｜ダイヤモンド・オンライン

リンク: 最高裁と金融庁が放った“爆弾” 消費者金融は消滅する!?｜Close Up｜ダイヤモンド・オンライン.

　これに対し債務者側は、リボルビングは一連の取引であり、返済のたびに発生した過払い金は次の返済に充当されるため、解約するまで時効の起算点は発生しないと主張した。つまり、契約を解除してから10年たたないと時効にはならない、また、一連の取引であるため、延々とさかのぼって返還請求できるというのだ。

　今回、最高裁は、債務者側を支持する判決を下した。消費者金融側は「そもそも過払い金を次の返済に充当すると決めた覚えはない」と言うが、この判決によって今後は、20年前だろうが30年前だろうが、さかのぼって返還請求されることになった。

一斗缶 村上春樹エルサレム文学賞受賞スピーチ抄訳

リンク: 一斗缶 村上春樹エルサレム文学賞受賞スピーチ抄訳.

　少し考えがありました。そこで行くことにしました。多くの小説家と同じ立場を、ぼくに言われていたこととは反対の立場をとることにした訳です。小説家としては自然なことでしょう。小説家は自分の目で見るか、自分の手で触れていないことを信じることが出来ません。ぼくは見ることを選びました。何も言わないことよりも、話すことを選びました。 　こんな風にぼくは述べに来たのです。

　仮に壁が堅く高く、卵が潰えていようと、たとえどんなに壁が正しく、どんなに卵が間違っていようと、ぼくは卵の側に立ちます。

　何故でしょう？　ぼくらはそれぞれが卵だからです、ユニークな魂が閉じこめられた、脆弱な卵だからです。ぼくらはそれぞれ高い壁に直面しています。高い壁とはすなわち、ぼくらに普段通り個人的には考えさせないよう仕向けている、システムにほかなりません。

　ひとつだけ、小説を書く時に意識していることがあります、個々人の神々しいまでのユニークさを描き出すことです。そのユニークさを喜べるように。そしてまたシステムがぼくらを絡み取ってしまわないように。だからぼくは——人生についての物語を、愛についての物語を書いています。人々に笑い泣きしてもらえるように。

　ぼくら人なるものはすべて、個々の、脆弱な卵なのです。壁に逆らうことなどかないません……それはあまりに高く、陰気で、冷ややかなのですから。ぬくもりや強さを求めて魂をひとつにする、ぼくらはそうやって壁と戦うよりほかないのです。決してぼくらを、システムのコントロールに——ぼくらがつくったものに委ねてはなりません。ほかならぬぼくらが、そのシステムをつくったのですから。

Murakami defies protests to accept Jerusalem prize | Books | guardian.co.uk

リンク: Murakami defies protests to accept Jerusalem prize | Books | guardian.co.uk.

apanese novelist Haruki Murakami last night accepted Israel's prestigious literary award, the Jerusalem prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society, despite opposition from pro-Palestinian groups.

Murakami was presented with the $10,000 (£70,000) prize, given to the author whose work "best expresses and promotes the idea of the 'freedom of the individual in society'", on Sunday evening at the opening of the 24th Jerusalem international book fair, for a body of work including Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which all reached Israel's bestseller lists.

Previously, an open letter from a pro-Palestinian group had asked him to reconsider accepting the prize and participating in the book fair. "Please turn your attention to the Palestinians, who are being denied their freedom and dignity as human beings," the letter from the Palestine Forum Japan said. "We would humbly ask you to consider the effects your receipt of the Jerusalem prize would have, what sort of message the world would receive in this Middle East situation, what kind of propaganda value it could have to Israel and the possibility of aggravating the critical situation Palestinians are facing." The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel also appealed to Murakami not to accept the prize.

Murakami, in trademark obscurity, explains why he accepted Jerusalem award | Books | Jerusalem Post

リンク: Murakami, in trademark obscurity, explains why he accepted Jerusalem award | Books | Jerusalem Post.

"Novelists aren t the only ones who tell lies - politicians do  sorry  Mr. President  - and diplomats  too. But something distinguishes the novelists from the others. We aren t prosecuted for our lies  we are praised. And the bigger the lie  the more praise we get.  "The difference between our lies and their lies is that our lies help bring out the truth. It s hard to grasp the truth in its entirety - so we transfer it to the fictional realm. But first  we have to clarify where the truth lies within ourselves.  "Today  I will tell the truth. There are only a few days a year when I do not engage in telling lies. Today is one of them."

"If there is a hard, high wall and an egg that breaks against it, no matter how right the wall or how wrong the egg, I will stand on the side of the egg.

"Why? Because each of us is an egg, a unique soul enclosed in a fragile egg. Each of us is confronting a high wall. The high wall is the system" which forces us to do the things we would not ordinarily see fit to do as individuals.

"I have only one purpose in writing novels," he continued, his voice as unobtrusive and penetrating as a conscience. "That is to draw out the unique divinity of the individual. To gratify uniqueness. To keep the system from tangling us. So - I write stories of life, love. Make people laugh and cry.

"We are all human beings, individuals, fragile eggs," he urged. "We have no hope against the wall: it's too high, too dark, too cold. To fight the wall, we must join our souls together for warmth, strength. We must not let the system control us - create who we are. It is we who created the system."

BBC NEWS | Health | Is sexual desire entering a recession?

リンク: BBC NEWS | Health | Is sexual desire entering a recession?.

Valentine's Day, by tradition, is an opportunity for declarations of love and lust. But will 2009 be different?

Given the economic downturn, is passion too in recession? Or will couples fling themselves into each other's arms to compensate for their inability to spend, spend, spend?

Professor Helen Fisher, of Rutgers University, holds this latter theory.

The sheer stress of money worries in general, and fear of redundancy in particular will, she argues, elevate levels of the chemical dopamine in the brain - and dopamine is associated with romantic love.

これから起こる大激変 - 池田信夫 blog

リンク: これから起こる大激変 - 池田信夫 blog.

これは日本も同じで、輸出バブルが崩壊した現状のほうが潜在GDPに近いので、池尾氏もいうように「1割の輸出産業が9割の国内産業を食わしていく」産業構造は、もはや持続可能ではない。製造業を捨てる必要はないが、競争力のない製造業にこだわると日本経済全体が沈没する。新しい産業を育てて投資機会を増やし、内需拡大することが究極の経済対策だ——という点で、意外にも多くの論者の基本的認識は一致している（これは野口氏も同じ）。ようやく日本でも、まともな政策論争が可能になってきたようだ。

それから、いうまでもないがリフレ派は全滅（笑）。

ITmedia News：「Haiku」案もあった「Origami」の由来

リンク: ITmedia News：「Haiku」案もあった「Origami」の由来.

Haiku」案もあった「Origami」の由来 MSが「Origami」と呼んでいたUMPCだが、実は「Haiku」という案もあったという。その心は。 2006年04月04日 13時50分 更新

　米Microsoftが当初「Origami」とコードネームで呼んでいたUltra-Mobile PC（UMPC）。なぜ日本の「折り紙」だったのか。4月4日の発表会で、名付け親の同社Ultra Mobile PCゼネラルマネージャーのオットー・バークス氏が語った

電通、第2四半期の純利益は前年同期比43.8％減：MarkeZine（マーケジン）

リンク: 電通、第2四半期の純利益は前年同期比43.8％減：MarkeZine（マーケジン）.

電通が11月12日に発表した、第2四半期連結累計期間（平成20年4月～平成20年9月）の業績によると、売上高9,486億2100万円（前年同期比 4.9％減）、売上総利益1,564億6400万円（同 5.7％減）、営業利益177億9500万円（同 24.1％減）。また、ピュブリシスグループに対する持分法投資利益26億89百万円などによって、経常利益221億1700万円（同 26.7％減）、四半期純利益81億1100万円（同 43.8％減）となっている。

　日本経済研究センターによると、平成20年度の総広告費は前年度比4.1％減少し、マス四媒体の広告費も減少すると予測されていることから、下期には「2008FIA F1 世界選手権フジテレビジョン日本グランプリ｣などのビッグイベントがあるものの、広告市場の先行きは引き続き厳しいことが予想される。

Iraqi woman had 80 women raped then recruited as suicide bombers | World News | News.com.au

リンク: Iraqi woman had 80 women raped then recruited as suicide bombers | World News | News.com.au.

"We arrested Samira Jassim  known as  Um al-Mumenin   the mother of the believers  who was responsible for recruiting 80 women    Major General Qassim Atta said.  "She confessed her responsibility for these actions  and she confirmed that 28 attempts had been made in one of the terrorists  strongholds    he said.  Samira Jassim was arrested on January 21. She is allegedly linked to the Ansar al-Sunnah insurgent group.  Two of the attacks for which Samira Jassim admitted responsibility in the video confession took place in Diyala province  in central Iraq  which is considered one of the most dangerous areas of the country.  The Associated Press reports US military figures indicate at least 36 female suicide bombers attempted or carried out 32 attacks last year. Women are often allowed through military checkpoints without being searched  making it easier for them to hide explosives under their traditional robes.

MyNewsJapan：キヤノン（2004）

リンク: MyNewsJapan：キヤノン（2004）.

　御手洗社長は、30～40代をずっと米国で過ごし、1989年に帰国するまでの10年間、キヤノンＵ．Ｓ．Ａ．の社長を務めた。実際の御手洗社長にはわがままな面があり、米国での社長時代には、秘書は昼前までに、常に、中華、フレンチ、日本料理といった3件の予約をしておかなければならなかったという。その日の気分で選び、2件はキャンセルさせるのだ。

　同社は、成果主義の人事報酬制度における成功事例として登場するケースも多いが、具体的な根拠とともに語られることはほとんどない。制度の仕組み上はごく普通の目標管理制度で特徴もない。実際に、業績が良く、終身雇用を守れており、もともと実力主義のカルチャーがあったとされることから、成功と認定されている模様である。

　実際には、他の大手メーカーと比べると後発であったがために、まだ社員の高年齢層が薄く、これから他メーカーと同じくリストラせざるを得ない構造問題に突き当たる可能性が高い。雇用維持を大命題とするあまり、労組が組合員全体の労働条件（フレックス制度廃止や休日数減）で妥協している実態を見ている若手社員のなかには、「（必要以上に人員数が多い）バブル組のリストラを早くやってくれ」と内心思っている者も多いという。そのような時期を前に、出身地である大分に新工場を建設することが「わがまま」なのかどうかは後世が判断するだろうが、現状では批判的なマスコミはない。

安藤忠雄氏らコンクリート信者に住宅を語らせてはならない

リンク: 安藤忠雄氏らコンクリート信者に住宅を語らせてはならない.

　実は、３年前、Ｕさんというお施主に頼まれて、RC造の家を解体し、ツーバィフォーのR-2000住宅に建替えたことがあった。 　そのRC造は、若手の建築家の作品で「新建築」や「建築文化」などに「新進気鋭の若手建築家の打放しコンクリートの家」として10年前に大きく紹介された。 　ところが、新婚の奥さんは、その家をみてへたり込んだ。「こんな、動線が悪く、収納スペースもなく、階段がやたらと威張りくさっている家に何故私が住まなくてはならないのか」と。 　若奥さんの心配は、動線などの住みづらさのみにとどまらなかった。打放しコンクリートだから、当然のこととして断熱性能が悪く、冬は底冷えがしてくるし、夏はコンクリートに蓄熱された熱が、真夜中になっても抜けず、一晩中クーラーを回し続けねばならず、身体がだるくなるとともに、常に寝不足状態であった。 　 そこで、内側から断熱材の補充工事をしてもらったが、どうしても二階の床などはヒートブリッジになり、結露が避けられない。 　そのうち、もっと悪いことが生じてきた。雨洩り。 　打放しのコンクリートの、どの部分から雨が洩っているのか原因を特定出来ない。このため、直しようがない。それこそ全体に防水工事でも行わない限り、不可能であろうという結論になった。

バラエティ・ジャパン | 「沈黙」の米映画版にデイ＝ルイスとデル・トロ

リンク: バラエティ・ジャパン | 「沈黙」の米映画版にデイ＝ルイスとデル・トロ.

　マーティン・スコセッシ監督が手がける遠藤周作の小説「沈黙」のハリウッド映画版に、ダニエル・デイ＝ルイスとベニチオ・デル・トロ、ガエル・ガルシア・ベルナルが出演交渉中であることが明らかになった。

　「沈黙」は、17世紀の長崎を舞台に日本人信徒たちに対するキリシタン弾圧の渦中に置かれたポルトガル司祭の苦悩を通して、信仰の意義を問うストーリー。スコセッシが10年以上にわたり、映画化を熱望してきた素材だ。

Ｗｈａｔ is 四六判？

リンク: Ｗｈａｔ　is 四六判？.

「四六判」 ってなんのこと？

Ａ．本の大きさのことです。

◆「四六判」とは、現在出版されている単行本の標準的なサイズの呼称の一つです。

『四六判は、明治初年に輸入されたイギリスの規格（クラウン）が基礎になったもので、日本工業規格（JIS)ができあがるまでは菊判とともに洋紙寸法の基準になっていた。原紙寸法は788mm x1091mmで、規格のB列本判(765mm x 1085mm)に相当し、長辺を順次折ることによって、四六判系の書籍、雑誌その他の紙加工品がつくられる。原紙寸法が美濃判のほぼ8倍の大きさに近いことから、はじめは〈大八ツ判〉といわれていた。また原紙寸法を32に裁断して仕上げると、横4寸2分、縦6寸1分の本になることから、〈大八ツ判〉に代わって、いつしか〈四六判〉といわれるようになった。』 　

〜 平凡社『世界大百科事典』より 〜

Time to Crank Up the Kindle Rumor Mill: Amazon Press Conference Set for Feb. 9 | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

リンク: Time to Crank Up the Kindle Rumor Mill: Amazon Press Conference Set for Feb. 9 | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD.

Time to Crank Up the Kindle Rumor Mill: Amazon Press Conference Set for Feb. 9

Posted at 7:36 AM PT on January 27, 2009

Print Sphere

When will see a new version of the Kindle, Amazon’s much-talked-about e-book reader? Maybe in two weeks: The company will be holding an “important” press conference in New York on Monday, Feb. 9, it tells me.

Besides the where and when (10 a.m. at the Morgan Library in midtown), the company hasn’t provided any other details. But I’ll note that the last time Amazon (AMZN) held a New York press conference, in November 2007, it was to unveil Kindle 1.0. When CEO Jeff Bezos spoke to Walt Mossberg at All Things Digital in May 2008, he wouldn’t peg a time frame for a new Kindle iteration. But it seems reasonable to expect a new one more than a year after the launch of the initial version.

World breathes sigh of relief, Hillary Clinton says - Los Angeles Times

リンク: World breathes sigh of relief, Hillary Clinton says - Los Angeles Times.

World breathes sigh of relief  Hillary Clinton says After calling dozens of world leaders  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks of their  appreciation  for the Obama foreign policy team s new direction. By Paul Richter 5 58 PM PST  January 27  2009 Reporting from Washington -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that world leaders are joining in a collective sigh of relief as President Obama s foreign policy team begins dismantling the policies of the Bush administration.  "There s a great exhalation of breath going on around the world as people express their appreciation for the new direction that s being set  and the team that s put together by the president to carry out our foreign policy goals " Clinton said after telephoning dozens of world leaders in her first five days on the job. "We have a lot of damage to repair."

John Updike, the novelist, has died aged 76 - Telegraph

リンク: John Updike, the novelist, has died aged 76 - Telegraph.

ohn Updike  the novelist  has died aged 76 John Updike  the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author  has died aged 76.    By Urmee Khan  Digital and Media Correspondent Last Updated  11:13PM GMT 27 Jan 2009 Author John Updike Author John Updike Photo: REUTERS  The writer  whose themes were often those of sex  divorce and Protestantism in postwar America  died of lung cancer.  He published more than 50 books in a career that started in the 1950s. Updike has won several major literary prizes  including two Pulitzers  for "Rabbit Is Rich" and "Rabbit at Rest " and two National Book Awards.  Mr Updike attended Harvard and  after graduation  decided to pursue a career in graphic arts before attending The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford.  He wrote for the The New Yorker magazine before before becoming a full-time writer.  Mr Updike worked in a wide array of genres  including fiction  poetry  essay  and memoir.  He once wrote: "Existence itself does not feel horrible; it feels like an ecstasy  rather  which we have only to be still to experience."

Outcry Over a Plan by Brandeis to Sell Its Museum’s Holdings - NYTimes.com

リンク: Outcry Over a Plan by Brandeis to Sell Its Museum’s Holdings - NYTimes.com.

The Massachusetts attorney general’s office said on Tuesday that it planned to conduct a detailed review of Brandeis University’s surprise decision to sell off the entire holdings of its Rose Art Museum, one of the most important collections of postwar art in New England.

BBC NEWS | UK | Study reveals 'shocking' kebabs

リンク: BBC NEWS | UK | Study reveals 'shocking' kebabs.

The worst doners inspectors came across contained 1,990 calories before salad and sauces - over 95% of a woman's recommended daily calories, 346% of a woman's saturated fat intake and 277% of an adult's daily salt intake.

Researchers uncovered significant regional variations, with the average kebab in the north-west of England containing 1,101 calories, compared with 1,084 in Scotland, 1,055 in Wales and 1,066 in England's south-east.

Northern Ireland's average of 843 was the lowest in the UK.

Mr Theobald said it was "totally unacceptable" that inaccurate labelling was so widespread.

もうすぐ家が建たなくなる - レジデント初期研修用資料

リンク: もうすぐ家が建たなくなる - レジデント初期研修用資料.

もうすぐ家が建たなくなる

何となくだけれど、自分たちの業界では、もうすぐ「家が建たなくなる」予感がする。

業界からは、「いわゆる大工さん」がいなくなる。

煉瓦を積む専門家だとか、かんなをかける専門家はたくさん生まれるだろうし、 そうした「部分の専門家」の腕前は、おそらくは昔ながらの大工さん以上に優秀なんだけれど、 家は建たない。

「家建てる人」を目指している研修医は少ないか、もしかしたらみんな、「家を建てる」ことから逃げている。

Q and A - Is Cold Air Cleaner Than Warm Air? - Question - NYTimes.com

リンク: Q and A - Is Cold Air Cleaner Than Warm Air? - Question - NYTimes.com.

Q. I tell my children to get out and enjoy the cold winter weather because cold air is cleaner than warm air. Is it? Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Victoria Roberts

A. Sometimes and sometimes not, weather experts say. And cold air, even if clean, can carry its own health risks.

“Temperature plays some role in the cleanliness of the air,” said Todd Miner, a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University. One temperature-related case involves the chemical reactions that produce ozone. Higher temperatures combined with sunlight provide the conditions that promote ozone, which has well-known irritating effects on the respiratory tract.

In general, winter weather systems promote the mixing of the layers of the atmosphere, diluting pollutants, and sometimes those systems import cleaner air from Canada, Mr. Miner said. But mixing can be inhibited in temperature inversions, which are more common in winter in most places. In an inversion, the temperature increases with altitude, rather than the more typical decrease. The inversion can cause pollutants to build up near the ground.

DNA can reveal ancestors' lies and secrets - Los Angeles Times

リンク: DNA can reveal ancestors' lies and secrets - Los Angeles Times.

In a search for their ancestors, more than 140 people with variations of the last name Kincaid have taken DNA tests and shared their results on the Internet.

They have found war heroes, sailors and survivors of the Irish potato famine.

    * Who’s your daddy?
      Who’s your daddy?

They have also stumbled upon bastards, liars and two-timers.

Much of it is ancient history, long-dead ancestors whose dalliances are part of the intrigue of amateur genealogy. But sometimes the findings strike closer to home.

Review: 'Inkheart' - Los Angeles Times

リンク: Review: 'Inkheart' - Los Angeles Times.

The convoluted fantasy adventure film is no page turner. By Sheri Linden January 23  2009 In the fashionably medieval-tinged fantasy adventure "Inkheart " contemporary people known as Silvertongues bring literary characters to life simply by reading aloud from the pages in which they exist. One of the drawbacks to this unasked-for abracadabra -- and there are several -- is that the transformation requires an exchange  For every fictional person or animal or thing that crosses into the here and now  an innocent flesh-and-blood bystander gets whooshed into the book. One such inadvertent spell cost a Silvertongue named Mortimer his wife  when their daughter was just an infant.  Which might explain the dour expression on Brendan Fraser s face. Or that might be the effect of a headache from trying to parse the internal logic of this story.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Islam film Dutch MP to be charged

リンク: BBC NEWS | Europe | Islam film Dutch MP to be charged.

Islam film Dutch MP to be charged Geert Wilders (file) Mr Wilders said he had absolutely not expected the ruling and was shaken

A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the ruling was a "black day for me and for freedom of speech".

"I am shaken. I had absolutely not expected it," he told the Dutch news agency, ANP.

On Culture by Robin Givhan: The First Lady's First Wardrobe, Speaking First to Mrs. Obama's Personality - washingtonpost.com

リンク: On Culture by Robin Givhan: The First Lady's First Wardrobe, Speaking First to Mrs. Obama's Personality - washingtonpost.com.

For the historic moment when she became this country's first African American first lady, Obama chose a lemon-grass yellow, metallic sheath with a matching coat by the Cuban-born designer Isabel Toledo. The dress followed her curves -- paying special attention to the hips -- and announced that the era of first lady-as-rectangle had ended. It signaled a generational shift in what women could be on the national stage. They could boldly embrace color and reveal their power, their fe

FT.com / World - Obama: We must change with the world

リンク: FT.com / World - Obama: We must change with the world.

Obama: We must change with the world

By Daniel Dombey and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: January 20 2009 15:19 | Last updated: January 21 2009 00:15

President Barack Obama signalled a decisive break with the Bush years on Tuesday, vowing a “new era of responsibility” in which he would rebuild the economy and restore America’s standing in the world.

Moments after taking the oath of office to become the 44th US president, Mr Obama declared the country “ready to lead again” and set out policies on issues ranging from the economy to climate change and the struggle against Islamist extremism.

ミシェル夫人のドレスが話題、の意味：日経ビジネスオンライン

リンク: ミシェル夫人のドレスが話題、の意味：日経ビジネスオンライン.

　「ミシェルには、ローラ（・ブッシュ）やヒラリー（・クリントン）が着ているパステルのスーツは似合わないわよ」。これは、言葉を選んでいるが、白人女性の本音である。「肌の色が違えば、似合う色も違うでしょう。だから、よく分からないのよ」という意味である。

Optimism in Washington, but Pessimism on Wall Street - NYTimes.com

リンク: Optimism in Washington, but Pessimism on Wall Street - NYTimes.com.

President Obama took office Tuesday urging Americans to choose hope over fear, but on Wall Street, fear was making a comeback. Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Calculate Your Financial ComebackInteractive Graphic Calculate Your Financial Comeback Related Times Topics: Credit Crisis -- The Essentials Add to Portfolio

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Stock markets had one of their worst Inauguration Day losses in more than a century, skidding more than 4 percent. Financial companies plunged more than 15 percent, their biggest one-day drop in nearly two decades, as investors worried that the troubles facing the country’s biggest banks might be larger and deeper than anyone had thought.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama inauguration | Obama's sobering inaugural speech

リンク: BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama inauguration | Obama's sobering inaugural speech.

Back when he was still just the president-elect, Barack Obama took his family to the Lincoln Memorial to see the inscription of one of America's more memorable inaugural addresses.

Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address on the steps of the Capitol building, Washington DC, 20 January 2009

BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama inauguration | Jury out on First Lady's get-up

リンク: BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama inauguration | Jury out on First Lady's get-up.

"Is she walking around in inaugural upholstery?" asked a former editor of Glamour magazine, Bonnie Fuller.

Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches - Times Online

リンク: Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches - Times Online.

Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross says that performing two Google searches uses up as much energy as boiling the kettle for a cup of tea

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 Boiling a kettle generates about 15g. “Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact.”