Planet Seen Around Distant Sun

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Planet ‘seen’ around distant sun: “The European Southern Observatory group said the red image is the first direct shot of a planet around another star.

The planet, known as 2M1207B, is about five times the size of Jupiter and is orbiting at a distance nearly twice as far as Neptune is from our Sun.

The parent star and planet are more than 200 light-years away near the southern constellation of Hydra.

There has been a lot of competition among astronomers to secure the first direct picture of an exoplanet.

When the ESO group first released the picture last September there was doubt over whether the star and planet were gravitationally bound.”

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Florida: Pregnant 13yr Old Abortion Blocked

(2005-04-30) PALM BEACH, Fla. — “A state court granted an injunction which prevents the girl from terminating her pregnancy.

She is three months pregnant and had planned to have an abortion on Tuesday of this week.

The American Civil Liberties Union says it will launch an urgent appeal against the ruling.

‘Too young to choose’

Florida’s department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, is too young and immature to make an informed medical decision. Judge Ronald Alvarez in Palm Beach accepted that argument and has granted a temporary injunction and psychological evaluation, which effectively blocks her from terminating the pregnancy.

It is a case which, once again, plays into the heated and divisive debate about abortion in America.

The judge’s ruling comes in spite of Florida state law which specifically does not require a minor to seek parental consent before an abortion.

The American Civil Liberties Union ‘s executive director in Florida, Howard Simon, said forcing a 13-year-old to carry on an unwanted pregnancy to term, against her wishes, is not only illegal and unconstitutional, it is cruel.”

We would love to know your thoughts on this decision?

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Iraq’s New Cabinet Formed

Iraq’s new cabinet: “Three months of jockeying among Iraq’s victorious Shiite and Kurdish parties have finally produced a Cabinet that won quick ratification from a legislature where those same parties dominate. The January election that began this process was inspiring. The months of petty haggling that followed were not, and while the formation of an elected Iraqi government is a historic moment, its makeup is far from ideal. Crucial choices have been needlessly delayed, and an incomparable opportunity for drawing patriotic Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency was largely squandered. Many Iraqis, particularly supporters of secularism, women’s rights and national unity, will greet this government warily.

What will matter most is whether Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari can summon the vision and the strength to master his unruly coalition and start living up to voters’ expectations. His initial broadcast to the Iraqi people was promising, but he faces a lot of obstacles.” More…

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Something in Common?

Now we are not sure what side of the political spectrum you are on, but you have to admit there is a similarity here! - zzb

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Israel Gets Bunker Busters

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration has authorized the sale of as many as 100 large bunker-buster bombs to Israel. One expert said the move should serve as a warning to Iranians with nuclear ambitions.

The proposed deal, worth as much as $30 million, would provide Israel with the capability to drop 5,000-pound bombs that can penetrate bunkers and other buried structures. The GBU-28 bombs can be dropped from Israel’s American-made F-15 fighters.

Comment from lgf: Israel Gets Bunker Busters: “I love the smell of busted bunkers in the morning.” – Cato the Elder / LGF

And now for your daily Random Fatwa, courtesy of “Ask the Imam“:

Q. Sheikhs and my fellow students in my school think that having worldy knowledge is Jehad. In the light of Quran and hadith what do you say?

A. Jihaad literally means to sacrifice. Therefore, the Shaykhs opinion only in the literal sense is correct. The reward of that sacrifice depends on the good intention of the seeker of worldly knowledge, for example, contributing to the propagation of Islam. However, Jihaad includes physical and monetary sacrifice against the Kuffaar even to the extent of placing one’s life at risk.

Generally, the Qur’aan and Ahaadith refers to the latter understanding of Jihaad.

[ The above quote from Islamic Imam Allah Ta'ala should leave no doubt about the intentions of Islamic Jihaad. ]

Mufti Ebrahim Desai FATWA DEPT.

And there you have it, friends, straight from the imam’s mouth: ‘Generally, the Koran etc. refers to the latter (i.e. KILLING INFIDELS) understanding of jihad.’

No more lies!” — Cato the Elder / LGF

Any doubts about the intention of Tehran? Those “nuclear reactors” won’t last to power one lightbulb. All 30 targets will be taken out in a matter of hours. Who really believes oil laden Iran really requires a nuclear reactor program to provide energy for it’s people?… let’s get real.

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"I Punched Saddam in the Mouth"

(2005-04-13): “In a south-city Saint Louis Bread Co., a young auto mechanic named Samir puts down his coffee long enough to carefully eye the other patrons. Assured no one is paying him any mind, he lowers his voice to a guttural whisper, fidgets with the zipper on his black tracksuit and rubs his grease-stained fingers along a finely manicured goatee. Then, in a syncopated rhythm of street slang and accented English, he transports himself back in time to a bitter-cold December night in Iraq.

It had to have been the most sublime moment of his life. Samir tells how he arrived in Tikrit as an Arabic interpreter for United States Special Forces in late 2003, how he peered into a hidden bunker and heard a voice begging for mercy, how he reached into the darkness and pulled out Saddam Hussein.

‘I was so angry,’ says Samir, who immigrated to St. Louis eleven years ago after fleeing Iraq. ‘I began cussing at him, calling him a motherfucker, a son-of-a-bitch — you name it. I told him I was Shiite from the south and was part of the revolution against him in 1991. I said he murdered my uncles and cousins. He imprisoned my father.

‘All these years of anger, I couldn’t stop. I tried to say the worst things I could. I told him if he were a real man he would have killed himself. I asked him: ‘Why are you living in that dirty little hole, you bastard? You are a rat. Your father is a rat.”

In Arabic, Saddam told Samir to shut up. And when Saddam called him a traitor, an enraged Samir silenced his prisoner with a flurry of quick jabs to the face.

‘I punched Saddam in the mouth.’”

Samir’s extravagant story is difficult to believe — until he pulls out his laptop computer and rifles through the dozens of photographs he shot that night. There’s the photo of Samir posed next to the bodyguard who will ultimately lead U.S. forces to Saddam. There’s the photo of Samir standing behind the stack of $12 million in U.S. currency seized near Saddam’s hideout. And there’s the most riveting image of all: Samir kneeling behind the bruised and bloodied dictator just minutes after his inglorious capture. More… must read

What’s your reaction to this interview of the interpreter soldier who pulled Sadam Hussein out of his rat hole? His relatives were killed by Saddam… he describes his emotions!

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Going Down with the Ship

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A380 – Super Jumbo Jet – EU Flop or Marvel?

“The Airbus A380 ‘superjumbo’ touched down in the southern French city of Toulouse at 2:22 p.m. (1222 GMT) Wednesday after a flight of nearly four hours.

Nearly 30,000 spectators watched the double-decker plane take off and land.

The white jet with a blue tail carried six crew members and test equipment. The crew, dressed in bright orange overalls, waved happily when they threw open the door of the plane and descended the steps after landing.”

Made by European company Airbus, the A380 is set to challenge the Boeing 747′s long dominance of the jumbo jet market.

Airbus says dozens of airports are being updated to cope with the huge plane and extra passengers although its American rival Boeing says few are ready now.

The U.S. company also has embarked on a midsize long-range aircraft it is calling the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is also looking at further modifying its aging 747 to take 450 passengers.

Boeing scored two victories this week in its trans-Atlantic battle with Airbus with announcements of major purchases by Air Canada and Air India.

More…

It will remain to be seen which mega aircraft manufacturer is right with their strategies. Boeing questions the demand and market for such a monstrosity…. developing instead the 777 and new Dreamliner… 787… with less disruption to airport infrastructure for accommodation… What’s your view … ? Will France and the EU succeed in it’s quest for industrial innovation domination?

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