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By Ulf Laessing and Asma Alsharif - - - - - o o o o o - - - - - THUWAL, Saudi Arabia, Sept 23 - - - - - o o o o o - - - - - (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia opened its first co-educational university on Wednesday, a high-tech campus with massive funds which reformers hope will spearhead change in the Islamic state. Western diplomats hope the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which has attracted more than 70 professors and 800 students from abroad, will stimulate reform after recent setbacks such as shelving municipal elections and cancelling cultural events opposed by clerics. - - - - - o o o o o - - - - - King Abdullah has promoted reforms since taking office in 2005 to create a modern state, stave off Western criticisms and lower dependence on oil.But he faces resistance from conservative clerics and princes in Saudi Arabia, one of the world's top oil exporters. - - - - - o o o o o - - - - - Al Qaeda militants launched a campaign against the state in...

Osaka - - - - - - oooo - - - - - - Suntory Holdings Ltd said Monday its joint research team with two partners has developed the world’s first chrysanthemum with blue petals. - - - - - - oooo - - - - - - The joint research was conducted by Suntory, the National Institute of Floricultural Science of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Australian biotechnology company Florigene Pty Ltd, Suntory said.According to Suntory, chrysanthemums come with petals in various colors such as white, yellow and red but lack the gene necessary to produce the blue pigment delphinidin. - - - - - - oooo - - - - - - The blue chrysanthemum was developed by incorporating blue pigment-producing genes from pansies, campanula and other plants. As the petal color has a purplish hue, the research team will work on making it bluer. Source : http://www.japantoday.com/

TOKYO ---- oooo ---- Illegal loan sharks who prey on increasingly desperate borrowers; rampant tax evasion; trolls in cyberspace who recruit group suicides or who serve as middlemen for prostitution by minors, or who arrange services of hitmen. Some sell their family registry data to abet sham marriages with foreigners. “Hakobiya” (mules) smuggle drugs and other illegal substances, assuming the risk of imprisonment for a round-trip ticket abroad and a pathetically small payout. - - - - - -oooo- - - - - - Biweekly magazine Sapio (Sept 9) takes up these and other matters in a 12-page special section titled “Writhing of the ‘Dark Society’ that is Swallowing up Japan.” The title and articles that follow imply Japan is becoming a society where the law of the jungle reigns. - - - - - -oooo- - - - - - The three-page story on tax evasion could well provide inspiration for a remake of “Marusa no Onna.” In fiscal 2008, the National Tax Agency charged companies and individuals with evas...

Sep 18, 2009 - - - - - By ABE SELIG - - - - - Every night, dozens of young men in Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood take to the streets and go out searching for girls. - - - - - But theirs is not a promiscuous search. In fact, the group of some 35 volunteers is looking to prevent such interaction and to stop what neighborhood residents have overwhelmingly complained is a growing problem in Pisgat Ze'ev - Arab men going out with Jewish girls. What was once a rare occurrence, residents say, has become the norm in this north Jerusalem suburb, which shares a side of the security barrier with the Palestinian village of Anata and the scattered dwellings on the edge of Shuafat refugee camp. - - - - - Residents now say that, due to Pisgat Ze'ev's location and increasingly mixed Arab-Jewish population, the phenomenon of mixed dating has grown, with violent outbursts breaking out frequently between Arab and Jewish youth over the matter, and with growing communal a...

Arun Kumar Singh - - - - - - Sept.16 : - - - - - - Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s latest admission that military aid provided by the United States to Pakistan for the war against terror during his tenure had been used to strengthen defences against India, and that he ensured Pakistan’s strategic weapons programme was "speeded up", as well as China’s latest border incursions should finally clear the cobwebs from the minds of India’s political leadership. - - - - - - Many Indians wonder why we continue to suffer nasty surprises at the hands of Pakistan and China. Forty-seven years after the Sino-Indian war in 1962, India has again been taken by surprise by China in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Uttarakhand. - - - - - - India’s lack of strategic culture has been repeatedly exposed and its military often forced to fight under very disadvantageous conditions. - - - - - - Our political-bureacratic leadership has allowed defence preparations to fa...

Andrew Keen - - - - - - Okay, I admit it. I was wrong. Wrong about Facebook, even wrong about Mark Zuckerberg. For the last couple of years, I’ve been imagining Facebook as the next dotcom Titanic, the classically over-hyped Silicon Valley start-up, all youthful bluster, but neither a business model nor any meaningful revenue. With its Twitter obsession and endless rumors of anarchy at its Palo Alto offices (not to mention Ben Mezrich’s less than stellar semi-fictional book about Facebook’s founding), I’ve always assumed that Facebook would fail in some meltdown of historic proportion. - - - - - - But, in a blog post today, Mark Zuckerberg began with some stunning news: - - - - - - “As of today, Facebook now serves 300 million people across the world. It’s a large number, but the way we think about this is that we’re just getting started on our goal of connecting everyone.” - - - - - - Just started on connecting everyone? Wow. You’ve got to admire the boy’s chut...

THE ROVING EYE - - - Fifty questions on 9/11 - - - By Pepe Escobar - - - It's September 11 all over again - eight years on. The George W Bush administration is out. The "global war on terror" is still on, renamed "overseas contingency operations" by the Barack Obama administration. Obama's "new strategy" - a war escalation - is in play in AfPak. Osama bin Laden may be dead or not. "Al-Qaeda" remains a catch-all ghost entity. September 11 - the neo-cons' "new Pearl Harbor" - remains the darkest jigsaw puzzle of the young 21st century. It's useless to expect US corporate media and the ruling elites' political operatives to call for a true, in-depth investigation into the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001. Whitewash has been the norm. But even establishment highlight Dr Zbig "Grand Chessboard" Brzezinski, a former national security advisor, has admitted to the US Senate that the post-9/11 "war ...

Nimah Ismail Nawwab is a writer, photographer, lecturer and internationally recognized poet. Educated in Saudi Arabia, she is considered a trailblazing writer and poet. Her work and her book have been featured in Newsweek International, MSNBC, AP, The Washington Post reproduced in the Japanese English Yomiuri Shimbum, LA Times, Asian Age, the Malay Berita Harian, Hi magazine, Arabian Lady, Arab News and Saudi Gazette. She has been interviewed by Channel News Asia, NPR and others. Her widely read articles have been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic including others. A voice from an ancient land, her work is both regional and global.` Nimah seeks to build bridges of understanding and was recently dubbed a ‘cultural ambassadress’ and a ‘voice for Arab women’ based on a range of interactive readings and presentations in various countries across the East and West. Her poetry has been published on several websites, translated into numerous languages and taught at...

By MERESEINI MARAU Monday, September 07, 2009 FULORI Rainibogi is no ordinary woman. At 50 years old, this Nakorovatu woman from Matailobau in Naitasiri is the leader of 175 police officers, two police stations and seven police posts in the Sigatoka Police District. She is the acting officer in charge of Sigatoka district. Acting Assistant Superintendent Rainibogi is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a policewoman and a leader. With all those responsibilities on her shoulders, ASP Rainibogi has a lot on her plate. But this down to earth woman from the mountains believes she can handle all that through the strength she's acquired from above. When she was called to serve in the Salad Bowl of Fiji, ASP Rainibogi was reminded of the Bible verse- Isaah 6: 8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send and who will go for me?'. I said send me". While her superior gave her one week to consider her new post, ASP Rainibogi instantly accept...

Why Pakistan can’t learn from Malaysia’s revolutionary Deep Tropical agricultural system that is a model for feeding the world – fast – and bringing the developing nations out of feudal poverty. We have got genius brains and man-power to achieve self-sufficiency in Food production only if big feudal-lords, agricultural scientists and multibillionaire businessmen like Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari demonstrate their true patriotism and establish an institution to think up creative ideas of emergency Food production. We can create some different methods that suit our local atmosphere and weather conditions. Shall we but when? Our water resources are decreasing day by day and we are still in a quandary about whether Musharraf should be punished or not or what to do with 17th amendment. Shame on the government that is spending billions of rupees on the safety and security of its ministers and high-ups and criminally ignoring the Food crisis that looms large depicting a ...

Senior Editor For "Body+Soul" Magazine Shares The Best Ways To Sleep To Alleviate Or Prevent Sleep-Related Pains - - - - - - - - - Play CBS Video Video Best Sleep Positions - - - - - - - - - - Body + Soul magazine's Terri Trespicio demonstrated which sleep positions are best for your spine. - - - - - - - - - - Terri Trespicio, a senior editor for "Body+Soul" magazine has a model demonstrate different sleep postions. (CBS/The Early Show) Only On The Web Your Health In Focus - - - - - - - - - - CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook hosts a weekly show, CBS Doc Dot Com, all about health issues. - - - - - - - - - - Stories - - - - - Study: Many Kids Not Getting Their Zzzzs All About Sleep - - - - - - - - - - (CBS) How you sleep at night can directly effect how you feel during the day: certain sleep positions are more likely to lead to aches and pains. Terri Trespicio, senior editor for "Body+Soul" magazine, showed Early Sho...

by Saalik Siddikki adamxaad@gmail.com - - - - - - - - Yesterday I watched a young boy desparately trying to make a paper plane to fly but in vain. I had an urgency but his gloomy face compelled me to stop and help him solve the most difficult quiz of his age. - - - - - - - - I taught him to transform a simple plane out of an A4 size paper. The moment he saw the plane floating in the air brought a broad grin on his face. - - - - - - - - In actual fact, I have lately been passing through (rather resisting) the process of a severe nervous breakdown using my strongest power tool of positive thinking. And tell you what the child's grin made my day and relieved me of the irritant feelings for a couple of hours. - - - - - - - - I continued my travel to downtown, accomplished the necessary tasks and went to Jinnah Bagh (previously Lawrence Garden and one of my favourites in Lahore) to refreshen myself by taking pictures of amazing trees. Photography is my passion. - - - - - - - ...

Israel places enormous importance on providing comfortable conditions for travelers with disabilities. Considerable efforts and resources have been invested to enable the handicapped visit destinations and attractions and to receive service comparable to that received by the general public. - - - - - - - - The Israel Government Tourist Corporation, the executive arm of the Ministry of Tourism for developing infrastructure, has initiated numerous projects designed to make dozens of tourist sites throughout the country accessible. We encourage travelers with disabilities to come to Israel to travel, tour, and visit these sites. New sites have been made accessible and old sites have been renovated to make them more suitable. - - - - - - - - For example, the summit of the Massada fortress near the Dead Sea is now accessible, and wheelchairs can now reach the upper level of the site. A special area on Masada has been adapted so that persons with visual disabilities can touch and...

A new player has appeared in Israel's political environment in recent months: - - - - - - - - Saudi Arabia. After years of behind-the-scenes activity, Crown Prince Abdullah has come out with an initiative aimed at "saving the Palestinians" from Ariel Sharon's iron fist and dragging President George W. Bush into deeper involvement in the region. The American press provides a multitude of reports about the Saudi activities. Last August the prince was furious with Bush, who had expressed firm support for Israel, and the prince threatened to cut off ties with the U.S. In response to the ultimatum, Bush sent a letter to Riyadh, promising to change direction. The Qaida attack on New York and Washington interrupted that plan, which was to include a first meeting between Bush and Yasser Arafat. This week, Abdullah surprised again. - - - - - - - - In an interview with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, Abdullah spoke of a draft speech he has prepared for the upcomi...

From John Whitley11-21-3 : - - - - - - - - From southern France, Christopher Jones summarizes and comments on a report on the assassination of President Kennedy. Need I stress that WAIS censors only direct attacks on other WAISers and grossly improper laguage. - - - - - - - - Christopher says: "I glanced at the Kennedy assassination site and found this; it fits into our discussion of Hollywood stereotypes and the slavish behavior of the US press after the 9/11 tragedy and in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. In a quick rundown, the website recapitulates an old story that I heard back in the late sixties and early seventies in California: that Kennedy was liquidated by the mafia whose kingpin was Meyer Lansky (pal of Lucky Luciano). In fact, I could add a small tidbit which the author may or may not have covered: that Marilyn Monroe was murdered by the mafia as a warning to her lovers; Bobby and Jack Kennedy. The story of the Corsican hit squad was documented in a TV doc...

Dates are very sweet but they don't raise blood sugar levels and do help protect against the clogging of arteries (atherosclerosis), according to new research at the Rambam Medical Center and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. - - - - - - - - According to a study by Technion Prof. Michael Aviram that will soon be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, dates offer a bonanza of health benefits. They improve cholesterol profiles and suppress the oxygenization of cholesterol, which causes fatty plaque to stick to the endothelium of the vessels in the heart and those leading to the brain. - - - - - - - - Aviram has long studied the benefits of specific fruits and vegetables on health and was the first to cite the pomegranate, red wine (grapes) and olive oil in suppressing the development of heart disease and stroke. - - - - - - - - "There was a suspicion that dates are sugar bombs," said the Technion/Rambam researcher. But studies ...

Has Israel insulted the United States by approving construction on some 500 new dwellings in the West Bank, and indicating that construction will continue on about 2,500 others? This against President Obama's plan for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations based upon a complete construction freeze, including neighborhoods of east Jerusalem. - - - - - - - - Or is it a reasonable response to a naive American conception that the settlements are a major obstacle preventing agreement between Palestinians and Israel? - - - - - - - - Perhaps the Israeli response is appropriate, but presented in a way that is insulting. If Netanyahu was working with the Americans on the conception of a freeze, what he has done seems far from that. And was it nice to announce new construction a day before the long Labor Day weekend, when Americans would be away from their desks? - - - - - - - - Those inclined to judge Israel should begin by noting that the decision has the backing of the Labor Party. It...

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 17 mins ago - - - - - - - - NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale University has removed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad from an upcoming book about how they caused outrage across the Muslim world, drawing criticism from prominent alumni and a national group of university professors. - - - - - - - - Yale cited fears of violence. - - - - - - - - Yale University Press, which the university owns, removed the 12 caricatures from the book "The Cartoons That Shook the World" by Brandeis University professor Jytte Klausen. The book is scheduled to be released next week. - - - - - - - - A Danish newspaper originally published the cartoons — including one depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban — in 2005. Other Western publications reprinted them. The following year, the cartoons triggered massive protests from Morocco to Indonesia. Rioters torched Danish and other Western diplom...

In a conversation with Bob Arum, as we discussed the visit of Muhammad Ali last week to the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the head of Top Rank revealed that Amir Khan was offered the challenge of fighting the world’s No 1 pound for pound fighter Manny Pacquiao this autumn. By all accounts, his family had turned the fight down insisting it was too early in his career. Khan has come on in leaps and bounds under Freddie Roach, but would he have been ready for an assault on the terrifyingly fast Pacquiao ? - - - - - - - Perhaps not, but judging by how Roach talks about their sparring sessions, Amir is not far behind. Many will speculate that he is too vulnerable, but you could also argue that the young tyro from Bolton is not too far away from such a challenge. No doubt Pacquiao fans would disagree, but I would give Khan, perhaps 18 months down the line, a decent shot at Pacquiao. - - - - - - - - Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, revealed that Khan, now the World Boxing Association 140lb ...

Heidi Kay Smith and Mohsin Saeed Ahmed are to be married Sunday at Starved Rock Lodge in Utica, Ill. Imam Mujadid Shah, a Muslim cleric, is to officiate. -------- The bride, 30, and the bridegroom, 29, are graduate students at Columbia. She is pursuing a doctorate in biological sciences and received a master’s degree last year. He is in his final year of a joint M.D. and Ph.D. program and received a doctoral degree with distinction in neurobiology last February. -------- The bride graduated from the University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign. Her mother, Dorothy K. Smith, lives and works in Bloomington, Ill., where she is a registered nurse at the OSF Medical Group, an internal medicine practice. -------- The bridegroom graduated magna cum laude from Cornell. His parents, Sayeeda B. Zain and Mushtaq M. Ahmed, live in Pittsford, N.Y. His mother is an associate professor of oncology and biochemistry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. His father works ...

A big city might seem chaotic, but somehow everything gets where it needs to go and the whole thing manages to function on most days, even if it all seems a little worse for the wear at the end of the day. Sound a bit like your brain? - - - - - - - Neurobiologist Mark Changizi sees strikingly real similarities between the two. Changizi and colleagues propose that cities and brains are organized similarly, and that the invisible hand of evolution has shaped the brain just as people have indirectly shaped cities. It's all driven by the need for organization and efficiency, the researchers say. - - - - - - - - "Natural selection has passively guided the evolution of mammalian brains throughout time, just as politicians and entrepreneurs have indirectly shaped the organization of cities large and small," said Changizi, an assistant professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute "It seems both of these invisible hands have arrived at a similar conclusion: brains a...