Blogging 'a paedophile's dream'

Online journals and camera phones are a "paedophiles' dream" which have increased the risk to children, the Scottish Parliament has been warned.

The Justice 1 Committee is examining a bill to create the specific offence of "grooming" and bringing in 10-year jail terms for meeting children for sex.

A forensic psychologist spoke about the dangers of online journals, or blogs, and pictures posted directly online.

Rachel O'Connell said adults could use weblogs to learn about children.

Dr O'Connell said that the emergence of moblogs - mobile weblogs - allowed even faster transfer of pictures to the internet using mobile telephones with cameras.

You have children uploading pictures, giving out details of their everyday life because it's an online journal
Dr Rachel O'Connell
Forensic psychologist

She said: "This is just a paedophile's dream because you have children uploading pictures, giving out details of their everyday life because it's an online journal."

The psychologist, whose research and work with police and other agencies has included posing as a child on internet newsgroups, said predatory adults could use an RSS feeder program - a syndication tool - to be instantly e-mailed any picture when it was added to a blogging site.

"The parameters of grooming are now about to alter whereby they don't necessarily have to have contact with the child," she said.

'New dimension'

Dr O'Connell is director of research at Central Lancashire University's Cyberspace Research Unit.

She described a scenario where a group of paedophiles could exchange information on a child's movement, potentially leading to an abduction.

"This is what we're facing, in that situation you have no prior contact with the child," she added.

Labour committee convener Pauline McNeill said: "It takes it to a whole new dimension for us - I'm beginning to wonder if we've really begun to tackle the protection of children with the bill before us."

'No guidance'

Ms McNeill said the committee may have to consider issues beyond the current bill, a view echoed by Nationalist and Tory members.

Dr O'Connell said there was "absolutely no internet safety information or guidance whatsoever" on most blogging sites as their whole point was about giving out personal information.

"It's going to become a huge issue," she said.

She backed the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill, but also urged greater collaboration between law enforcement and technology developers and more parental information.

Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said ministers and the public wanted to be sure the law was "robust".

"We want to ensure that our laws allow for early intervention to help prevent predatory sex offenders targeting and abusing children," he told MSPs.

"The provisions in this bill will ensure that the police and procurators fiscal have a robust package of measures to deal with predatory sex offenders before they go on to commit physical assaults on children and other victims."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/4209801.stm

Published: 2005/01/26 16:40:09 GMT

© BBC MMV

digg

digg
Are you sick of reading what professional technology journalists are telling you? Do you ever feel like reporting your own news or reading about what other likeminded users think is worthwhile? Professionals don’t run the new form of media anymore – you can take a hand in shaping what gets out there, too. If you’re really passionate about something, there are many ways for you to get your voice out to the public. A site called Digg puts the editorial power back where it should be – in the people’s hands.

Let me just tell you right off the bat that I totally dig Digg. For users who just want to read the latest content, browsing through the site is a breeze. Several categories are available for you to peruse as long as you want. By creating a profile on the site, you can click on the “dig this story” option on news stories that you like, and they’ll automatically be referenced on your very own user profile page. Your friends can then use this page to keep track of what you’ve been digging, and they can even keep track of this information through RSS. In fact, all of the categories have their own RSS feeds – very nice.

If you’d like to try your hand at reporting a few stories, just select the option to submit a story. Your submitted story will appear under the selected category’s dig option. If fifteen people dig the story, your submission will appear on the category page, and the home page. This concept is spectacular, and you’ll find stories and links here that you won’t find anywhere else. Power to the people!

Police launch website to protect kids online

Police have launched a website intended to make it safer for children to surf the internet.

The website is part of an international effort to crack down on paedophiles who stalk the net.

Virtualglobaltaskforce.com provides information on how to use the internet safely and contains links to support agencies such as the NSPCC and Childline. Detectives hope its logo - a blue matchstick child and an eye - will become universally recognisable.

The logo is featured on the internet launch site of Microsoft, AOL, BTopenworld and Vodafone.

The system puts an icon on people's screens to let them know of the police presence. The police will engage with other users on the web - making it clear they are officers.

Jim Gamble, deputy director of the National Crime Squad, said: "This is not Big Brother, no one is monitoring you, this is providing you with the safety information and support you need."

He added: "Those who use the internet to search for and share images of child abuse or to approach children in chat rooms to groom them for sexual abuse must be aware that the internet is not an anonymous place."

Childrens Section
JUST CLICK HERE

Government warned over patient choice pledge

19/01/05 - Health section

Government warned over patient choice pledge

Urgent action is needed if the Government is to deliver on its pledge to give patients more choice of where and when they get hospital consultations, a report warned.

The National Audit Office looked at Department of Health progress towards its target of offering every patient referred by GPs for non-emergency treatment the choice of four or five hospitals by December.

It found a tiny fraction of referrals had so far been made through the new e-booking service set up to deliver patient choice, many GPs were against the principle, and nearly a third of hospitals had no plans to implement it.

GPs' reluctance and non-compliance of IT systems in surgeries and hospitals with the £196 million central e-booking system along with an intermittent technical fault have been blamed for hampering progress.

Failure to meet targets

Out of 9.4 million non-emergency referrals, up to December last year, just 63 were booked through the NHS's new Choose And Book computerised system, rather than the hoped-for 205,000.

And the system will only be operational across between 60% and 70% of the NHS by December, NAO warned.

While acknowledging some progress had been made, the report exposed a gulf between the Department's target on patient choice and plans for implementation on the ground.

Nearly a third of Primary Care Trusts have no plans to introduce any patient choice while more than a quarter predict they will not achieve the December target, NAO found.

A survey of 1,500 GPs found that half of them knew very little about patient choice and just 6% were well versed on it, according to the report.

While most thought it will have a positive impact on patients' experience, 90% feared it will make consultations longer, increasing their workload.

And 45% of those questioned said patient choice would make health inequalities worse.

Nearly two-thirds of the doctors were either very or a little negative about patient choice.

'Providing choice will not be simple'

The report recommended the Department of Health urgently addresses the low level of GP support and consider speeding up the e-booking system.

Interim IT systems should be monitored and not affect the implementation of e-booking.

NAO head Sir John Bourn said: "Enabling patients who are referred by their GPs for hospital treatment to choose where they want to be treated promised to bring benefits to the patients themselves and to the wider NHS.

"Providing such choice will not be simple, however.

"The Department of Health must take urgent and effective action to inform and engage with GPs about the new arrangements.

"GPs' support may be hard to secure and indeed choice will be hard to deliver successfully by the end of 2005 if the electronic booking system is not largely up and running by then."

The Department of Health is tackling the problem with a campaign to inform and engage GPs.

A new National Implementation Director for Choose And Book has also been appointed.

Health Minister John Hutton said: "We welcome this report. It confirms that providing greater choice over hospital treatment will deliver very real benefits to patients.

"The report also acknowledges that Primary Care Trusts and GPs are moving in the right direction to deliver choice by the end of this year.

"Offering the choice of four or five providers for hospital referrals to patients by December 2005 is a big challenge for the NHS.

Missed appointments

"As we set out in the Department of Health document Choose And Book, published last August, this will be offered mainly through IT but also other means, such as phone booking.

"We have implemented the choice IT programme in stages. First we procured the equipment, second we made sure it worked, now the challenge is to roll out the service across the NHS.

"That is why since the autumn, as planned, we have intensified our efforts to engage with GPs. More than 2,500 GPs have already been involved in developing systems to support choice and booking, and this engagement will increase during this important next stage of implementation."

On GP support for patient choice, Dr Gillian Braunold, joint clinical lead for GPs at the National Programme for IT, said: "GPs want to enable choice and there is plenty of scope for positive engagement.

"I'm optimistic that the profession will respond positively to the choice and access agenda using both IT and other means to make it happen."

The e-booking system for GP referrals cost £196 million to set up over five years with the added annual cost of £122 million offset against administrative savings of £71 million.

It is hoped it will cut the number of missed appointments, currently costing £100 million a year.


Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=334641&in_page_id=1774
©2005 Associated New Media

Web logs aid disaster recovery

Web logs aid disaster recovery
By Clark Boyd
Technology correspondent

Some of the most vivid descriptions of the devastation in southern Asia are on the internet - in the form of web logs or blogs.

Bloggers have been offering snapshots of information from around the region and are also providing some useful information for those who want to help.

Indian writer Rohit Gupta edits a group blog called Dogs without Borders.

When he created it, the site was supposed to be a forum to discuss relations between India and Pakistan.

But in the wake of Sunday's tsunami, Mr Gupta and his fellow bloggers switched gears.

Text report

They wanted to blog the tsunami and its aftermath.

One Sri Lankan blogger in the group goes by the online name Morquendi.

With internet service disrupted by the tsunami, Morquendi started sending SMS text messages via cell phone from the affected areas of Sri Lanka.

"We started publishing these SMSes," says Mr Gupta.

"Morquendi was describing scenes like 1,600 bodies washed up on a shore, and people burying, and burying and burying them. People digging holes with their hands. And this was coming through an SMS message.

"We didn't have visual accounts on radio or on TV, or in the print media."

Soon, thousands of web users around the world were logging on to read Morquendi's first hand accounts.

In one message, Morquendi wrote about a Sri Lankan woman who was running home with a friend when the wave hit.

"She was being swept away," Morquendi's message read. "She grabbed a tree with one hand and her friend with the other. She says she watched the water pull her friend away."

Mr Gupta says the power of Morquendi's text message blogs was palpable.

"He was running around, looking for friends, burying bodies, carrying bodies," Mr Gupta says of Morquendi.

"I can't even begin to imagine the psychological state he was in when he was sending us reports, and doing the relief work at the same time.

"He was caught between being a journalist and being a human being."

Aid stations

Others blogs are helping to spread information about relief efforts.

Dina Mehta is an Indian blogger who's helping with the newly created South East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog. She says the blog is not meant to be filled with first person accounts.

"What we're doing is we're building a resource," she says.

"Anyone who says, OK, I want to come and do some work in India, volunteer in India, or in Sri Lanka or Malaysia, this is the sort of one-stop-shop that they can come to for all sorts of resources - emergency help lines, relief agencies, aid agencies, contacts for them etc."

Ms Mehta also says she wishes that governments in the region would realise the power of blogs.

"Imagine if they had this resource available to them, if there was a disaster, how quickly you could funnel aid in, and get people to help," she says.

Bloggers in the United States are also getting involved.

Ramdhan Yadav Kotamaraja is originally from India, but now lives in Dallas.

Mr Kotamaraja wanted to help those affected by the tsunami by pooling money with concerned friends.

So, he set up an online payment system on his website.

Then, says Mr Kotamaraja, the blogging world found out.

"All my blogger friends started linking up my site, and I saw a lot of people other than my friends. I'd say 70% of the donations came from people I don't know.

"It's simply unbelievable to me, that people that I don't know will come and start donating."

News spreads quickly on weblogs, a phenomenon that helps bloggers expand their audience and scope.

In Sri Lanka, blogger Morquendi is recruiting others to help.

One recruit calls himself Heretic.

In one of his latest posts, Heretic asks: "Have you ever seen fishing trawlers on the road? Ever seen a bus inside a house?

"Well," Heretic writes, "that was just the least affected areas - so you can just imagine - or can you?"

He concludes: "Keep it blogged."

Clark Boyd is technology correspondent for The World, a BBC World Service and WGBH-Boston co-production.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/4135687.stm

Published: 2004/12/30 17:00:11 GMT

© BBC MMV

Tsunami - Fact file Who's helping?

U.S. announces $350 million in tsunami aid
Pledge will deflect criticism, provide major boost to relief effort


MSNBC
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 4:19 p.m. ET Dec. 31, 2004

The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday. The U.S. aid contribution could rise even beyond that, if needed, Secretary of State Colin Powell said later in the day.


That sum will provide a substantial boost to the overall international aid effort to areas stricken by Sunday's tsunami. As of Thursday, nations had donated about $500 million toward the world's largest-ever relief effort, including $250 million from the World Bank, but U.N. chief Kofi Annan said even more was needed.

The increase in U.S. aid will likely silence criticism of Washington's initial offer, seen by many as meager in light of the enormity of the disaster and the wealth of the United States.

“Initial findings of American assessment teams on the ground indicate that the need for financial and other assistance will steadily increase in the days and weeks ahead,” Bush said Friday in a statement released in Crawford, Texas, where he is staying at his ranch.

“Our contributions will continue to be revised as the full effects of this terrible tragedy become clearer,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this epic disaster.”

The White House announced Thursday that it would be sending a delegation led by Powell to Indian Ocean coastal areas ravaged by earthquake and tsunami to assess what more the United States needs to do. The president’s brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will travel with him.

As the scale of the disaster became clear, other countries, including Spain and China also sharply increased their offers of aid, to $68 million and $63 million, respectively.

Military backup
As fund-raising proceeded, militaries across the globe also geared up to help. A U.S. aircraft carrier battle group was steaming to Indonesia's Sumatra island, which was closest to last Sunday's quake and is home to most of the casualties.

Fact file Who's helping
The United Nations mobilized what it called the biggest relief operation in its history following Sunday’s giant waves, which killed tens of thousands of people.
The following is a list of contributions pledged, compiled from reports by Reuters bureaus and United Nations agencies.
Country/Agency Contributions pledged
Australia Increased aid to $27 million and said it, the United States, Japan and India were considering setting up a group to coordinate help. Also sent five air force transport planes with supplies and medical specialists to Sumatra, and two 15-member emergency medical teams and 12 police to Phuket.
Austria 1 million euros ($1.4 million) in aid to the countries hit.
Belgium Military plane due to stop at Dubai to load most of its cargo -- UNICEF aid such as tents, vaccines.
Britain Pledged 15 million pounds ($28.9 million); plastic sheets and tents worth 250,000 pounds to Sri Lanka; 370,000 pounds to EU aid offer, $100,000 to World Health Organisation.
Canada C$4 million ($3.3 million); Blankets, water tablets, jerrycans and plastic sheeting sent to Sri Lanka.
China 520 million yuan ($63 million), a sharp increase from its initial offer of 20 million yuan.
Czech Republic Sent drinking water and medicine to Sri Lanka and Thailand; pledged 10 million crowns ($446,000).
Denmark Increased aid pledge to 85 million Danish crowns ($15.6 million) after spending almost all initial 10 million crowns pledged. Aid to cover medical supplies, food, water, shelter, reconstruction. UNICEF flight from Copenhagen taking supplies to the area, including oral rehydration salts and medical supplies for 150,000 people for three months.
Egypt Egyptian Red Crescent Society sending a plane with 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($81,000) worth of medicine and other aid as initial step.
Country/Agency Contributions pledged
European Union Ready to release up to 30 million euros on top of 3 million euros already allocated to IFRC.
Finland Pledged 2.5 million euros spread among World Food Program, UNICEF, WHO and IFRC. Local aid groups give 75,000 euros. Finnish Red Cross send field hospital with 15 staff to Sri Lanka and 31 aid workers to Thailand.
France 15 million euros pledged to affected states in Southeast Asia. French authorities and aid groups decide to send 110 tons of aid.
Germany Doubling emergency aid to 2 million euros. Air force medical evacuation plane to set off for Phuket, two more planes chartered to take disaster relief teams, medicine and consular officials there. Germany’s largest utility E.ON donates 1 million euros.
Greece Sending C-130 transport aircraft carrying 25 rescue workers to Phuket on Thursday to help with rescue operations. Sent plane to Sri Lanka with five tons of food and clothes; offered 150,000 euros in aid.
Israel Sent one medical team to Sri Lanka, one to Thailand. Military search and rescue team due in Sri Lanka, held up by coordination problems.
Italy Will send 2 Hercules aircraft, one to Sri Lanka, one to Thailand.
Japan Pledged $30 million in aid, sent three navy vessels to Thailand to help rescue survivors.
Kuwait Pledged aid supplies worth $2 million, sent $100,000 immediate aid.
Country/Agency Contributions pledged
Netherlands Contributing 2 million euros to Red Cross-Red Crescent appeal, plus participating in EU aid program.
Norway Preliminary contribution of 50 million Norwegian crowns ($8.2 million) for emergency relief, including medicine, food, clean water and shelter.
Poland Earmarked 1 million zlotys ($336,000) for Polish NGOs involved in relief.
Qatar Sent urgent relief aid worth $10 million.
Saudi Arabia Pledged $10 million aid package -- $5 million of food, tents and medicine to be distributed via Saudi Red Crescent, $5 million for international aid groups such as the Red Cross and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Singapore Contributing some $1.2 million to global effort, military medical teams and supplies ready to fly to Indonesia.
Slovakia Sent plane with drinking water, tents and medicine to Sri Lanka; aid worth 6.6 million Slovak crowns ($231,660).
Slovenia Donating 20 million tolars ($113,500) of aid through International Red Cross and Crescent.
South Korea Raises aid to $2 million, may send military cargo plane to move aid workers and supplies.
Country/Agency Contributions pledged
Spain Pledges $68 million. It also sent aircraft to Sri Lanka with first aid, sanitary equipment and 19 volunteers.
Sweden Sent 2 communications specialists to help U.N. relief efforts in Sri Lanka. Sending tents and communication equipment to Maldives. Swedish Red Cross to contribute $750,000 to IFRC appeal.
Switzerland Has allotted 2 million Swiss francs in aid on six teams to bring in drinking water, food and shelter supplies.
Taiwan Pledged additional $5 million after giving $100,000 to Indonesia, $50,000 each to Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. Sends more than 100 relief workers.
United Arab Emirates Pledged $2 million in aid; its Red Crescent society to provide food, blankets and clothing.
United States Pledged $350 million. Pentagon ordered 12 vessels to region, though no decision taken on their role.
International Committee of the Red Cross Cargo plane flying from Kenya to Sri Lanka carrying 105 tons of supplies, provide aid to 150,000 people in north and east. Trying to raise more than 50 million Swiss francs ($44 million).
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Has dispensed initial one million Swiss franc grant for relief efforts and launched appeal for 7.5 million francs.
IMF Intends to provide assistance, no specific pledges.
Country/Agency Contributions pledged
UNHCR Initially distributing $380,000 of non-food relief items, including plastic sheeting, clothing, kitchen sets.
UNICEF Delivered 50 water tanks to southern India, 45-tonne shipment of water purification tablets and water systems due to reach Sri Lanka on Thursday. WHO and UNICEF said they were providing four emergency kits to Indonesia to cover 40,000 people for three months, providing shelter, food and clothing.
U.N. World Food Program Sends 168 tons of commodities to Sri Lanka, plus more than 4,000 tons of rice, wheat flour, lentils and sugar, enough to provide 500,000 people with emergency rations for two weeks.
U.N. Development Program Provided $100,000 each to Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Thailand to help assess damage and coordinate emergency needs.
U.N. Population Fund Earmarked up to $1 million and extra staff to help health needs of pregnant and nursing women.
Source: Reuters

C-130 cargo planes touched down there Friday with blankets, medicine and the first of 80,000 body bags. New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Pakistan and scores of other nations also had planes in the air, rushing aid to victims.

"This is an unprecedented global catastrophe and it requires an unprecedented global response," Annan said, as aid agencies warned that 5 million people lack clean water, shelter, food, sanitation and medicine.

Relief flights headed to the region from Britain and France carrying bottled water, tarpaulins, cooking sets and medical supplies. Russia sent a third relief plane to Sri Lanka carrying military-issue tents, drinking water, water purification stations and disinfecting supplies.

Coordinating efforts
On Thursday, World Bank President James Wolfensohn announced release of $250 million for tsunami relief by telephone during a meeting at U.N. headquarters convened to plan the next steps in the unprecedented global relief effort, U.N. chief spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

Representatives of 18 U.N. agencies and private aid groups or coalitions participated in the meeting, either in person or via a telephone or video link, the United Nations said.

Thursday's meeting was the first in a series scheduled at the world body’s New York offices to focus on how to quickly gear up the aid campaign and prepare for an initial emergency fund-raising appeal to be launched by the United Nations next week.

Annan also held a videoconference with representatives of a four-country coalition announced by President Bush on Wednesday that will serve as “the core group” in relief coordination efforts, U.N. officials said.

Coordination appeared to be desperately needed in the chaotic aftermath of the tsunami. Survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them.

The United Nations will launch an international appeal Jan. 6 for money to cover the emergency response phase, but U.N. officials have said billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild the shattered countries.

Debt relief mulled
Meanwhile, there was a growing call among European nations, led by Germany and France, for the Paris Club group of 19 creditor nations to consider granting a debt moratorium for countries hit by the tsunami, to bolster economic recovery and rebuilding.

On Thursday, Canada announced it had taken such a move unilaterally and that it would urge other creditor nations about offering relief to the stricken nations.

Indonesia, which suffered the worst devastation, would likely be the greatest beneficiary of debt relief. It owes the Paris Club around $40 billion and is the largest debtor in the disaster zone, according to the World Bank.

A moratorium would mean little to countries such as Somalia and Myanmar, which stopped paying their debts to the Paris Club years ago.



Corporations give for tsunami aid

Celebrities do their bit
International agencies reported an unprecedented surge in individual donations for disaster relief. The British-based relief agency Oxfam raised $1.2 million in three days from private donors.

Hong Kong Red Cross said it received $3.3 million in donations from the public and various organizations. Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, who heads a global commercial empire, pitched in $3.1 million to disaster relief efforts.

Movie star Jackie Chan donated $64,282 to UNICEF, the agency said, and actor Chow Yun-fat, gave $25,600 to a disaster relief fund set up by Hong Kong's Apple Daily, the mass-market paper reported Wednesday.

In Thailand, the royal family, mourning the death of 21-year-old Poom Jensen, the Thai-American grandson of King Bhumipol Adulyadej, led nationwide calls for help for the survivors.

In the United States, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $3 million and Amazon.com said it raised more than $3.5 million in online donations to aid South Asian countries devastated by tsunamis.
© 2004 MSNBC Interactive

DigitalGlobe | QuickBird Images of Tsunami Sites

DigitalGlobe | QuickBird Images of Tsunami Sites: "QuickBird Images of Tsunami Sites"

For those people who STILL have not dipped deep into their pockets, you may contribute to the Tsunamis appeal at

DONATE HERE:
TSUNAMI EARTHQUAKE DONATE ONLINE

'Christmas is taboo in America, but now people are fighting back'

If you think celebrations in Britain are becoming too politically correct then don't go to the US. Philip Sherwell reports

For her son's school "holiday party" last week, Julie West baked a birthday cake for the baby Jesus - a gesture of defiance both against his teachers and the growing campaign in America to remove any trace of Christmas from public life.

Six-year-old Aaron had brought home a note from his school, in Washington state, that asked parents to provide food that their family traditionally enjoyed during the holiday season.

"He asked for the cake I make at Christmas with the words 'Happy Birthday Jesus'," said Ms West. "I called the school to let them know, but a few days later the teacher phoned back to say that I couldn't bring the cake as the party was not a religious event."

Ms West, who attends a non-denominational church in Edmonds, near Seattle, was amazed. "It wasn't an attempt to impose my beliefs on anyone. It was just a cake," she said. "I think all traditions and religions should be celebrated at this time of year."

After researching the issue on the internet she contacted the Rutherford Institute, a mainstream pressure group that defends religious freedom. It assured her that even though the American constitution bans the promotion of religion by the government, simply bringing a cake iced with "Happy Birthday Jesus" into the school broke no laws. "So I took the cake in for the party on Tuesday and none of the other parents or children were offended," she said. "The only comment was how delicious it was.

"I didn't set out to make a point, but now I hope I have helped a few other people understand their rights."

Not everyone is as robust. Across the United States, celebrations for what many Americans now refer to as the "C word" have been all but restricted to churches and private homes.

In Wichita, Kansas, a local newspaper ran an apology after referring to a "Christmas tree", rather than a "community tree" at the city's Winterfest celebration. In Denver, a Christian church float was barred from the city's parade while Chinese lion dancers and German folk dancers were welcomed. In parts of Florida, fir trees have been banned this year from government-owned property.

A mayor in Massachusetts issued a formal apology to anyone offended by a press release that mistakenly described the town of Somerville's holiday party as a "Christmas party". Schools in Florida and New Jersey have banned all carols and elsewhere in Washington state a school principal banned a production of A Christmas Carol mainly because Tiny Tim prays: "God bless us, every one."

In one New Jersey school district, where the singing of Christmas carols has long been abandoned, officials have this year forbidden children's orchestras to play songs such as Silent Night because that might remind people of their Christian content.

Frosty the Snowman and Winter Wonderland have, however, been deemed acceptable as they are devoid of any religious references.

"The majority of people in the towns think that this policy is unnecessary," said William Calabrese, the town president (mayor) of South Orange. "This feels like a slap in the face to diversity, not a symbol of it. They're sterilising the school systems, taking away freedom of choice. It's a type of totalitarianism."

The fightback, however, has begun. Showdowns are taking place across the country as individuals, and conservative and religious groups, come out against the zealous interpretation of the separation of Church and state.

In Chicago, a Nativity scene has been given police protection after a life-sized model of the infant Christ was briefly stolen before being recovered earlier this month.

"This has been getting worse for years and people have finally had enough," said John Whitehead, the founder of the Rutherford Institute, which has issued its own "Twelve Rules of Christmas" setting out people's religious rights.

"Political correctness is all-pervasive here. Christmas has become a taboo in America but now people are fighting back."

In the Oklahoma City suburb of Mustang, voters angered by a school board's decision to remove a Nativity scene from a school play demonstrated their fury at the ballot box last week. They rejected the board's plans to raise $11 million (£5.7 million) by issuing bonds.

Many parents were particularly angry that the play still featured Santa Claus and a Christmas tree in addition to symbols of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and of Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration established in 1966 as a counter to Christmas. These were deemed "cultural" rather than religious.

Also last week, a court challenge began in New York to overturn a policy that allows the Jewish menorah and Islamic crescent and star to be displayed in schools, but forbids Nativity scenes.

The Catholic League and Thomas More Law Centre are appealing against a lower court ruling that found that the Jewish and Muslim symbols have a secular dimension while the Nativity is "purely religious".

Organisations such as the Americans United (AU) for Separation of Church and State believe that the campaign to put Christ back into Christmas is being pushed by conservative Christian groups buoyed by the victory of President George W Bush and the religious Right in last month's elections. "They are emboldened," said Robert Boston, an AU spokesman.

The Chicago Nativity has been at the centre of controversy since the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Congress and the American Atheists launched a legal challenge against its location on public property.

Their case was thrown out because the scene was erected by a private group. This year, at least, other expressions of religious freedom are also being allowed in the city.

Pressure groups such as the Rutherford Institute and the Alliance Defence Fund, which hires lawyers to fight perceived anti-Christian bias, say that many teachers and public officials are confused about the law and wrongly believe that any religious displays or symbols are forbidden on government property.

Others have been cowed by a stream of complaints and are just seeking "the easy life", according to Mr Whitehead. Retailers are particularly sensitive to complaints. Several stores, including Macy's, have reportedly banned their staff from referring to Christmas in case they deter non-Christian customers, prompting a group of angry Californians to boycott its outlets.

While President Bush's holiday greetings card, posted to a record two million recipients this year, carries a line from Psalm 95 – "Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song" – there is no mention of Christmas on the White House website. Even Fox News, the conservative television network, cannot bring itself to wish a merry Christmas to its viewers. Instead, "Happy Holidays" is flashed up to the tune – but not the words – of Ding Dong Merrily on High.

The Rutherford Institute despairs. "This is not a Left-Right, Republican-Democrat issue," said Mr Whitehead. "It's about everyone's right to celebrate their religious beliefs as they want. We should be including all religions, not excluding one."

The Oil-for-Food Scandal - What happened, and who's to blame. By Michael Crowley

The Oil-for-Food Scandal - What happened, and who's to blame. By Michael Crowley
Fox News's Fred Barnes calls it "the biggest scandal in human history." American soldiers may be dying in Iraq because of it, says Bill O'Reilly. It proves that the United Nations is a failed, incompetent institution—and that its leader, Kofi Annan, must be sacked, says many a Republican on Capitol Hill.

Conservatives everywhere are in high dudgeon over the U.N. oil-for-food scandal. And certainly, the tale of how Saddam Hussein evaded and exploited U.N. sanctions to reap more than $21 billion in illegal profits from 1990 to 2003 is tawdry and venal. But it's also not quite as simple as Fox News claims. The details are complicated, and pinning blame isn't easy. Here's a guide to the key players and their roles:

STOP PRESS

The Labour Party announced today that they is changing the party's emblem from a red rose to a condom. The party chairman explained that the condom more clearly reflects the party's stance today, because a condom accepts inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually getting screwed.

Telegraph | News | Exodus as Dutch middle class seek new life

Telegraph | News | Exodus as Dutch middle class seek new life: "Escaping the stress of clogged roads, street violence and loss of faith in Holland's once celebrated way of life, the Dutch middle classes are leaving the country in droves for the first time in living memory."

Holland first Next England.
Rats and ships comes to mind

"Politically Correct" Christmas Greeting

Reuters reports that the mayor of Sydney, Australia, decorated her city's
town hall with just one Christmas tree out of fear of offending
non-Christians. Am I the only one that believes this "Politically Correct"
type of behavior should disappear? Schools can celebrate a winter holiday
that is only about 38 years old, but they cannot celebrate one that is over
2000 years old because "someone" might be offended? "Someone" needs to get
a grip. There is nothing that says we are guaranteed never to be offended
during our lives, and this bending over backwards to prevent people from
being offended by something is pretty offensive to me.

But since there is still time to get those holiday greetings sent (if you do
that sort of thing) I have a message that you can use to insure that the
fewest number of folks will take offense:

Happy Holidays!*

*Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for
an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress,
non-addictive, gender-neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday,
practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion
of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the
religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice
not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar
year 2005, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other
cultures whose contributions to society have helped make this country great,
and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability,
religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.
It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.
It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes
for herself/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is
revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to
perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a
period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting,
whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish
or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

==================

IRA Refuse Paisley Photograph Demand

The IRA have said there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of any of its members posing for portraits for Ian Paisley, despite the fact that doing so could restore devolution to Northern Ireland.

Proposals on power sharing set out by the British and Irish governments promised to bring an end to the two year suspension of Northern Ireland's political institutions.

But Mr Paisley, the DUP leader who has been annoyed for over 50 years, made it clear that he would not accept the proposals until he had received a Christmas card from the IRA with a photo of some of its members on the front.

?And I don't want to see balaclavas either,? he said. ?I want faces, smiling faces. I'm not asking for much. I have a large fireplace with a wide mantelpiece at home and I never get enough Christmas cards to fill it. The IRA never send me personalised Christmas cards.?

Asked if he would accept a signed photograph rather than a Christmas card, Mr Paisley said ?Yes.? The IRA, however, said ?No.?

Meanwhile, two ex-IRA members, Sean O'Sullivan and Aodh Byrne, who can't be named for legal reasons, said it was highly unlikely that anyone in the IRA would consent to having his photo taken. ?Let's face it. Very few of us like having our photo taken. Members of the IRA are no different, even when wearing balaclavas. The fact that Mr Paisley wants to see them without balaclavas, well, it's just not going to happen.?

In an attempt to resolve the problem, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said Mr Paisley could have his photograph on a Christmas card if he wanted. He said he'd even wear a Father Christmas costume if that would help move things along.

The DUP leader politely rejected his offer. ?Damn the beast to hell! I'd rather have a photograph of Beelzebub himself on my mantelpiece. No! No! No! No! No! No! No!?

Mr Adams has asked republicans not to take Mr Paisley's words to heart. ?Look, the man isn't getting as many Christmas cards as he'd like. It hurts. Don't be too harsh on him. And remember what all this comes down to ? a large mantelpiece. If only Mr Paisley's fireplace was a little smaller. We'd all be as happy as Larry.?
Taken from http://www.thespoof.com/news

Moscow denies scamming

To continue on the last story
#Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko denied the accusation that Moscow was hampering the probe, saying Friday the government was providing full assistance for the part of the probe dealing with alleged bribe-taking by U.N. officials who ran the program.

In Russia, the recipients allegedly included the presidential administration's office, top oil companies Yukos and Lukoil, the Communist Party and ultranationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the report said. The Foreign Ministry also allegedly was a voucher recipient.

UN staff ready historic no-confidence vote in Annan

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN employees are expected to issue an unprecedented vote of no confidence in Secretary-General Kofi Annan, union sources say, after he pardoned the body`s top oversight official over a series of allegations.

The UN staff union, in what officials said was the first vote of its kind in the more than 50-year history of the United Nations, was set to approve a resolution withdrawing support for the embattled Annan and senior UN management.

Annan has been in the line of fire over a high-profile series of scandals including controversy about a UN aid programme that investigators say allowed deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to embezzle billions of dollars.

Staffers said the trigger for the no-confidence measure was an announcement this week that Annan had pardoned the UN`s top oversight official, who was facing allegations of favouritism and sexual harassment.

The union had requested a formal probe into the behaviour of the official, Dileep Nair, after employees accused him of harassing members of his staff and violating UN rules on the hiring and promotion of workers.

Top UN spokesman Fred Eckhard announced on Tuesday that Nair had been exonerated by Annan "after a thorough review" by the UN`s senior official in charge of management, Catherine Bertini.

Annan underlined that he "had every confidence" in Nair, Eckhard said, but UN employees ridiculed the decision and claimed that investigators had not questioned the staff union, which first raised the complaints in April.

"This was a whitewash, pure and simple," Guy Candusso, a senior member of the staff union, told AFP.

Candusso noted that Eckhard`s declaration to the press had said that "no further action was necessary in the matter."

But in a letter sent to the union, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, Annan`s chief of staff Iqbal Riza said Nair had been "advised that he should exercise caution" in future to "minimise the risk of negative perception."

In a resolution set to be adopted on Friday, the union said Riza`s statement "substantiates the contention of the staff that there was impropriety" and that there exists "a lack of integrity, particularly at the higher levels of the organisation."

The draft resolution, also obtained exclusively by AFP, calls on the union president to "convey this vote of no confidence to the secretary general."

Staffers who asked not to be named, afraid that speaking out could damage their future prospects in the United Nations, said the Nair decision was an example of corruption by Annan and his senior staff.

They noted that Riza, UN undersecretary general for information Shashi Tharoor and other top officials had served directly under Annan at least since 1994, when he was head of UN peacekeeping operations.

At the time, the United Nations was widely criticised for failing to stop the Rwanda genocide that left 800,000 people dead, even though UN peacekeepers were on the ground -- a catastrophe for which Annan has publicly apologised.

Annan could not be reached for immediate comment. He is currently in Africa on a high-profile mission aimed at ending the long-running civil war in Sudan.

The latest crisis comes as Annan faces unprecedented calls to resign over the burgeoning scandal about "oil-for-food," a UN aid scheme that US investigators say allowed Saddam to siphon off billions of dollars.

The programme has tainted longtime UN officials like Benon Sevan, who oversaw the operation and is now accused of pocketing Saddam`s money in exchange for turning a blind eye to the Iraqi dictator`s abuses.

Annan stands accused of obstructing US investigators, especially since his hand-picked official Paul Volcker this week rejected calls from the US Senate to turn over documents from the programme and waive UN staff immunity.

Eckhard, his spokesman, on Thursday said that Annan is expected to serve out his term, which ends in 2006.

Veteran UN staff said this was the first time in history that employees had risen up en masse to make a vote of no confidence in a sitting secretary general.

"Kofi Annan is surrounded by corruption, a gang of criminals responsible for some of the worst things that happened to mankind in the 20th century," said one angry staffer, referring to the Rwanda massacres.

"It`s possible that he doesn`t know directly what has gone on," said the employee, who has worked for the United Nations for two decades. "But that`s no excuse."

washingtonpost.com: Surgeries, Side Trips for 'Medical Tourists'

washingtonpost.com: Surgeries, Side Trips for 'Medical Tourists': "Surgeries, Side Trips for 'Medical Tourists'
Affordable Care at India's Private Hospitals Draws Growing Number of Foreigners

By John Lancaster
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, October 21, 2004; Page A01

NEW DELHI -- Three months ago, Howard Staab learned that he suffered from a life-threatening heart condition and would have to undergo surgery at a cost of up to $200,000 -- an impossible sum for the 53-year-old carpenter from Durham, N.C., who has no health insurance.

So he outsourced the job to India."

Cyber-Safety for All

The "Cyber-Safety for All: From Kids to Elders" booklet is a free download
for non-commercial use
Norwich University Professor Michel E. Kabay wrote this guide to "help people of all
ages protect themselves and their loved ones from people who use the
Internet and other aspects of modern telecommunications to harm others."

The guide covers everything from pornography and pedophiles to scams and
chain letters. Hackers, viruses, spyware and online auctions are covered as
well, and every section has a list of additional resources to get more
information on that topic. The Guide presents a lot of common sense ideas
about how to educate yourself and others regarding safety on the Internet.

This is a very good resource to pass along to everyone you know. Even if
they don't have a computer, the information presented in the Guide helps
dispel some myths about so-called dangers, and gives practical advice about
those things we should all be aware of. At 82 pages it is a bit much to
print the whole thing for all of your non-computer-owner friends, but it is
worth having a copy that you can offer to those who want to educate
themselves about the realities of life on the Internet. The sections about
e-mail scams and spam are well worth handing out to those occasional
e-mailers that seem to flood you with questionable information.

TIME.com Print Page: TIME Magazine -- The Enemy With Many Faces

TIME.com Print Page: TIME Magazine -- The Enemy With Many Faces
Driven by jihadis loyal to al-Zarqawi, the insurgency in Iraq is becoming more confident—and more deadly. But splits in the rebels' ranks are beginning to show
By MICHAEL WARE/BAGHDAD

''Beware Americans bearing gifts''

''Beware Americans bearing gifts''
(YellowTimes.org) -- You don't have to be an anthropologist to understand that whenever a caveman left his environs to conquer a neighboring cave, he wanted something for his trouble -- more food, women or even the primitive ego gratification of exercising power. Nor do you have to study folklore to know that whenever a tribe invaded another tribe, its members wanted something the other tribe had -- superior land for agriculture, better hunting grounds or even the capture of slaves. And, as history has shown time and again, whenever one country invades another, it also wants something -- territorial expansion, natural resources or regional hegemony.

This is not an inclusive list of reasons, of course, but it is enough to show that never did anyone invade another to give them a gift. The mythical Trojans should have understood this before they dragged the wooden horse into their midst and barred the fortress gates behind them.

History has now been turned on its ear with George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq because he says, "We did it to spread democracy." In other words, we invaded to give Iraq one of our most cherished gifts -- our form of government! And we will do this under the gun, whether they want it or not.

Wait a minute. Aren't these the same people who "hate our freedoms and our liberty"?

Somewhere along the line, I suffered a logical disconnect. If those people despise the very things that our form of government provides us, how could they possibly look favorably upon our bearing them this unwanted gift of democracy?

When all other arguments failed, we changed the reasoning to, "We went in to free the Iraqis from the tyrannical leadership of the murderous Saddam Hussein." He was, after all, responsible for torturing thousands at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. Oh, perhaps he didn't do it personally but, as head of state, he was responsible nonetheless. Our enemies' sewage rolls uphill and he was covered in it.

Of course, after deposing Saddam, we took over Abu Ghraib and gave Iraqis the gift of American torture and murder, something they already had and needed no more of. However, the blame for this was not laid at the doorstep of George W. Bush, the leader of the US, but to a few rogue soldiers who weren't trained properly. In America, sewage obeys the law of political gravity--it doesn't roll uphill. Dubya didn't do it personally and he's not responsible either. This is how it works in a proper democracy.

So, from an Iraqi point of view, what's the difference between Saddam and George? Well, there is Bush's gift of a lot more dead, and many more homeless, for one. Those who have taken pains to do the accounting estimate the number killed at close to 40,000. We don't know for sure because US forces aren't in the business of totaling "enemy" dead. The gift of bookkeeping is not one that we are giving.

There is also the gift of destroyed buildings -- homes, businesses, water works, sewage and power plants. Getting electricity and clean water, something Iraqis enjoyed under the tyranny of Saddam, is a bit problematic now but that's the price you pay when you are the recipient of American generosity.

It needs to be pointed out that it was with great fanfare that Bush & Co. denied that they were invading Iraq for their oil. Why, it belongs to the Iraqi people they said and will be used solely for their benefit -- namely rebuilding their country. It needs rebuilding, of course, because it is the same country we are destroying to liberate its people from the oppression of torture and murder.

How many of you actually believed that line?

But something happened on the road to Eden. The GAO found that over a billion dollars of said oil revenues mysteriously found their way into the coffers of Halliburton Corp. How it got there, nobody knows, or nobody is telling.

And now the Bush administration has announced plans to shift another $3.46 billion from Iraqi water, power, sewage and other reconstruction projects to improve security, boost oil output and prepare for the elections scheduled for January. The gift of elections and "security," something that has deteriorated daily since the invasion, are certainly more important than pure water, sewage disposal and electric power. (It should also be noted that to date only 5.5% of the money previously earmarked for reconstruction has actually been expended in that effort.)

Magnanimously, this will clear the way for the forgiveness of 95% of Iraq's debt to the US, something Bush has suggested that other countries also consider. Why would he give Iraq the gift of debt forgiveness? It's simple if you think about it. The oil money, if it went to pay off debt, could not easily find its way into the treasure chest of companies such as Halliburton and other administration-favored, no-bid contractors. It would have to go back into the US treasury -- our treasury from whence it came -- not to some fat cat corporate friend of the Bush family. The money would then be used to pay off what we borrowed in order to loan the money in the first place. What a silly idea! Reduction of our national debt is not something this "conservative" administration seems inclined to do.

In any case, I'm not so sure most Iraqis are willing to trade water, sewage disposal and electricity for the gift of boosting oil output—the revenues from which they most probably will never see.

Our modern caveman, the atavistic George W. Bush, has exercised his primitive power urge and gotten a big dose of ego satisfaction. And because he has done so under the guise of bearing gifts, that famous old saying -- "Beware Greeks bearing gifts" must now be updated.

If I were an Iraqi, I don't think I could take too many more of these American gifts.

[Raff Ellis lives in the United States and is a retired former computer industry executive. His writing hobby is stimulated by his ceaseless amazement at the truth of two of his favorite quotations: Puck's observation, "What fools these mortals be"; and "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people," variously attributed to P.T. Barnum and H.L. Menken.]

Raff Ellis encourages your comments: raff426@yahoo.com

YellowTimes.org is an international news and opinion publication. YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to YellowTimes are appreciated.

FIREFOX

The community is spreading the word about Firefox. Millions of people are already using Firefox and helping us chip away at Internet Explorer's marketshare. More than 80,000 websites already link to the Firefox page, with an additional 200,000 linking to mozilla.org. The buzz about Firefox was too hot for the blogosphere and has consumed the mainstream press: this month alone, Firefox has been declared officially "Wired" (IE? "Expired"), USA Today is recommending that its readers use Firefox, and Walt Mossberg, perhaps the most influential tech writer in the US, is telling Wall Street Journal readers that, if you're worried about security, Firefox is a good way to go.

PLEASE NOTE--I have been using this browser now for many months and it does everything AND more that you will ever need in your browser.ITS FANTASTIC
Tony