| The Vatican's Turn to Recant
Since the 1633 trial of Galileo, church relations with the world of science have often been strained. Galileo was put on trial by papal authorities for publishing a book defending Copernicus's theory that the earth revolves around the sun. Copernicus had died nearly a century before, and his "heliocentric" view of the solar system was already generally accepted by astronomers and even by some theologians. Nevertheless, the Vatican insisted Galileo stop discussing the idea; threatened by the Inquisition with torture, he recanted his views and spent the last nine years of his life under the equivalent of house arrest. The episode became symbolic of many things, all negative -- religious closed-mindedness, intolerance, antiscientific attitudes, etc.
Three and a half centuries later, it was the Vatican's turn to recant.
Brady Back At Practice With Patriots
Officials said Monday that, in addition to agencies using all their local resources, approximately 200 FBI agents and 100 ATF agents have been brought in from other areas to assist. More than 50 public safety agencies have been involved in coordinating security efforts, officials said, and the NFL hired more than 3,000 private security guards and 30 security experts. "In this world we live in, deterrence is extremely important, and the deterrence at this event is extremely strong," said Milt Ahlerich, the NFL's vice president of security. Officials said the planning for the security measures at the game has been in the works for more than two years. There will be a no-fly zone around the University of Phoenix Stadium, where the game is being played, and officials urged fans to arrive early at the game because of security procedures at the gates that will include pat-downs.
May 2006
The Minerals Management Service of the US Interior Department yesterday published a Federal Register notice describing the agency's plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Cape Wind proposal."The EIS analysis will focus on the potential environmental effects of the development, operations and decommissioning on the proposed action area and alternatives," the notice states. "This NOI (Notice of Intent) also serves to announce the initiation of the written scoping process for this EIS," which will allow "federal, state, tribal, and local governments and other interested parties to aid the MMS in determining the significant issues, potential alternatives, and mitigating measures to be analyzed in the EIS and the possible need for additional information."A key provision of the notice - "The MMS is considering potential alternatives to the proposed action such as : modifying the size of the development, phasing the development, and considering alternative sites." Alternative locations cited in the notice are south of Tuckernuck Island, Nantucket Shoals, Monomoy Shoals and east of Nauset Beach, which is described as a "Deepwater Alternative." Written comments will be accepted by mail or through the MMS website no later than July 14.Mailed comments should be sent in an envelope addressed, "Comments on the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS on the Cape Wind project, Minerals Management Service, 381 Elden St., Mail Stop 4042, Herndon, VA 20164.MMS is also holding 10 public hearings -- what the agency is refers to as "scoping meetings" where comments can be submitted in person -- across the country between May 18 and June 8.
Lawrence R. Velvel: Halberstam And History
It is often remarked that Korea is a war about which most of us know little or nothing. It is called a black hole by the late David Halberstam in his recent book about it, The Coldest Winter. I personally knew very little about it before reading Halberstam’s book: I was not yet eleven when it started, so, unlike Viet Nam, which was a focus because it took place in my 20s, Korea did not stick in my mind. Halberstam himself knew little about Korea, he says, before he set out to research and write his book about a war which began when he was 16, but which came to interest him because of talks he had about it in Viet Nam in the early 1960s with a colonel who had fought in Korea. .
Highlights from the SEW Blog: January 21-25, 2008
A creepy "Position 6" Google SERPs punishment pattern has emerged, where pages which should dominate the organic SERPs somehow place at lowly #6. SEW Experts: Why Search Is Still Prehistoric
Search is evolving as universal search or blended search results crawl into the SERPs, but it's still primitive. SEW Experts: There's More to Keyword Strategy Than the Long Tail
Choosing which keywords you want to chase in your SEO strategy can be a challenging task. Go after terms that are too competitive, and you might not get there in time, or at all. Go after terms that are easier to rank high for, and you're likely to get there much faster, but at what cost? SEW Experts: SEO Millionaire: Who Wants to Be One?
What separates the winners from the search engine losers? That's the one question you need to ask SEOs who give you the standard advice you hear again and again.
Muslim Bakery head wielded political clout
Politicians knew it. The community knew it. The police knew it. If you really wanted to connect with voters in troubled northwest Oakland, to show people that you understood the importance of African American self-reliance in the Bay Area's most heavily African American city, all roads led to the late Yusuf Bey and his Your Black Muslim Bakery on San Pablo Avenue. Bey and his followers knew they had political clout. They used it to great advantage in obtaining money from the city, lenient sentences from judges, and a virtual hands-off approach from the Police Department - even though evidence now shows that the bakery's leadership was implicated in serious crimes. Jerry Brown - former governor, now state attorney general - understood the importance of the bakery during his successful run for mayor in 1998.
Belo Announces Non-Cash Goodwill Impairment Charge
DALLAS, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Belo Corp. (NYSE: BLC) announced today that the Company completed its annual impairment testing of goodwill and other intangible assets using the methodology prescribed by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142. As a result of the testing, the Company will incur a total non-cash charge to goodwill of approximately $370 million in the fourth quarter of 2007 related to goodwill impairment at The Providence Journal, The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, CA and, to a lesser extent, WHAS-TV in Louisville, which represents approximately $22 million of the total charge. There is no tax effect related to the impairment charge and the Company estimates the EPS impact to be approximately $3.60 per share. Belo also announced today that the Securities and Exchange Commission has declared A.
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