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The US and Cuba to hold immigration talks in Washington within days...




HAVANA – The United States and Cuba have agreed to hold immigration talks in Washington within days, a U.S. official said Saturday, the first since a similar meeting in Havana in February.



The talks scheduled for Friday are intended to monitor adherence to a 16-year-old agreement under which the United States issues 20,000 visas to Cubans a year, though in the past the sides have used the meeting to delve into more contentious issues.



In the last round of talks, U.S. diplomats pressed Cuba to release Alan Gross, a jailed American contractor that Cuba has accused of spying. Gross has been jailed for more than 6 months without charge.



The American delegation also met with dissidents in Havana, raising the ire of Cuban officials.



The latest round of talks will take place at an as-yet undetermined location in Washington, Gloria Berbena, a spokeswoman for the U.S Interests Section in Havana, told The Associated Press. The U.S. maintains the Interests Section instead of an embassy.



After a brief period of hope that U.S. President Barack Obama would usher in a new era of rapprochement with America's longtime Caribbean foe, relations between the United States and Cuba have been on a downward trajectory for some months.



Fidel Castro, once a grudging admirer of the president, has been harshly critical lately of everything from Obama's work at global climate change talks, to America's backing of Israel, to the use of American soldiers as part of relief efforts in quake-ravaged Haiti.



Cuba was particularly angry when Washington included the island on a list of state sponsors of terrorism back in December.



For its part, U.S. officials have made clear that there is little hope for improved relations while Cuba holds Gross. They have also continued to call on Fidel and his brother, President Raul Castro, to open up the island's political system to democratic reform. Cuba insists that the U.S. drop its 48-year trade embargo and stop meddling in the island's internal affairs.



Despite the lukewarm relations, there have been far more contacts between U.S. and Cuban officials than in years past. The State Department confirmed bilateral talks a few weeks ago on how to respond to the Gulf oil spill, which could threaten Cuban shores. And American and Cuban officials have met to discuss ways to coordinate aid to Haiti.


Acknowledgements: Associated Press

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Kiwi police looking at internet giant Google..





New Zealand police are looking into the actions of internet giant Google.



The Privacy Commissioner has asked the police to investigate Google's recent gathering of personal wireless internet data during its street view operation.



The commission and the police have recently met to discuss Google's possible breach of the Crimes Act after concerns about reports it collected WiFi information while photographing houses and streets for its mapping service.



Google has admited collecting WiFi data in more than thirty countries.

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Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter tragically killed in car crash on eve of World Cup


 Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter was tragically killed in a car crash on the way home from a concert in Soweto on the eve of the World Cup, his office said.



The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Zenani Mandela died in a one-car accident and no one else was injured. No other details on the crash were immediately available.



Zenani, who celebrated her 13th birthday June 9, was one of the anti-apartheid icon's nine great-grandchildren.



"The family has asked for privacy as they mourn this tragedy," the foundation said in a statement.



- AP

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NZ beats Serbia 1-0 in Soccer World Cup warm up...


A great story for a minor New Zealand sport; its not rugby or rugby league; not really football at all, but soccer. But another magnificent chapter in New Zealand Soccer's history. Its best since its last and only previous entry into world cup finals in 1982. It is really a great sporting achievement in New Zealand sporting history. Go for it the All Whites!



New Zealand's stunning 1-0 victory over fellow World Cup qualifiers Serbia on Saturday was the greatest in their footballing history, claimed the 'All Whites' coach Ricki Herbert on Sunday.



The 49-year-old former defender - capped 61 times and who was a member of the Kiwi squad that played in the 1982 World Cup finals on their only previous appearance at football's showpiece tournament - was also delighted with the performance of his rank outsiders.



"It was without doubt the greatest footballing victory in our history," Herbert told Austria press agency APA referring to the Serbian clash, in which Shane Smeltz' first-half goal proved the difference.



"But I was even more satisfied with our performance," purred Herbert, who had a spell in English football with Wolverhampton Wanderers.



Herbert, who played in two of the New Zealanders three matches at the 1982 World Cup where they failed to garner a point, said the performance would be a real boost to morale ahead of their Group F campaign.



In South Africa they will face defending champions Italy, Paraguay and debutants Slovakia.



"This match boosts the confidence of everybody," said Herbert.



"We have shown what we are capable of," added Herbert, who was especially pleased as two of his key players were absent in the form of Middlesbrough striker Chris Killen and New Zealand-based midfielder Tim Brown, who is injured.



Whilst Herbert admitted that despite the victory against a strangely subdued Serbian side his aim at the finals, which run from June 11 to July 11, remained modest.



"We are still outsiders," said Herbert.



"My country lost all its matches at the 1982 World Cup finals and we want to change that record," he added.



New Zealand have one more friendly to play prior to ending their preparations in Austria, against another qualifier Slovenia on June 4 in Maribor. Good luck NZ All Whites!



Serbia - who are drawn in Group D against three-time winners Germany, Africa Cup of Nations finalists Ghana and Asian powerhouses Australia - will look to regroup and gain a morale boosting victory over non-qualifiers Poland in their final friendly on June 2 in Kufstein, Austria.



© AFP 2010

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Teasing turned into cowardly bullying of disabled youth by four teenage bullies...




 Four teenage bullies allegedly forced a disabled boy into a home in the US and tattooed the word "poop d***" on his behind.



Police have charged the teens over the May 10 incident, in which the 14-year-old victim was told he'd no longer be teased at school if he agreed to be inked, The Smoking Gun website reports.



An affadavit said the New Hampshire student, who suffered from self-esteem issues, was frequently ridiculed because he once wore a Spider Man cap to school.



The group took the boy to a home in the city of Concord, in New Hampshire's south-east, where he was tattooed with a penis and the words "poop d***".



The group allegedly told the boy they would bash him if he tried to escape and that "he was going to get tattooed whether he liked it or not".



A raid on the home turned up tattooing equipment.



The teens have been charged with assault, endangering the welfare of a minor and tattooing without a licence.



A fifth boy is expected to be charged.



Want more news? Go here: MSN NZ News stories

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From Jakarta in Indonesia comes this story  of an  object lesson in parental irresponsibilty.


A two year old  Indonesian boy has become addicted to  cigarettes after his father gave him his first when he was just eighteen  months old.

Ardi Rizal, who lives in the fishing village of Busi Banyuasin, in Indonesia's South Sumatra, is part of what has been described as a disturbing trend. Data from the Central Statistics Agency showed that 25% of children aged from 3  to 15 years have tried cigarettes,  with 3.2% of those active smokers.

The percentage  of five to nine year olds lighting up had increased from 0.4% in 2001 to 2.8% in 2004. In a country with a population exceeding 400 million people this represents a huge number of young children smoking.

The boy's father, Mohammad Rizal reportedly said,"I'm not worried about his health. He looks healthy. He cries and throws tantrums when we won't let him smoke. He's addicted." Really? .

Seba Mulyadi, chairman of Indonesia's child protection  commissiom, blames the increase on aggressive advertising and parents who smoke. Don't blame advertising in this instance - it is not the young children who buy the cigarettes, it is their parents or other adults.

Mr Mulyadi claims there should be laws enacted to protect children and passive smokers. While there are already laws passed in 2009 recognising that smoking is addictive, and an anti-smoking coalition is pushing for even tougher measures to be taken against smoking in public places, advertising bans and larger health warnings on cigarette packets, what is needed is for parents to accept their responsibility as adults and protect their children against smoking. Whatever happened to the word no? It is the parents who should be prosecuted for allowing their children to smoke. In many countries the children would be removed from such irresponsible parents.

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We knocked the bastard off!


 Ed Hillary's comments in 1953 after he and  Tenzing Norgay officially climbed and returned from Mount Everest...


Those were the comments of the late Sir Ed Hillary after he and Tibetan born  sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, climbed and returned from Mount Everest in 1953. That was the beginning of the legend surrounding the young  New Zealander. A climber and adventurer who also became so well known for his deeds within Nepal itself, his second home and a country he loved almost as much as his homeland. He became an icon and one of the greatest living New Zealanders until his death just a couple or so years ago. This mountainous country also claimed the lives of his first wife and eldest daughter in a small plane crash that almost cost Hillary his sanity. The great man recovered and returned to Nepal to continue his works there building schools and hospitals and assisting the Nepalese people. It was so sad that the Nepalese Government recently  refused to allow Sir Ed's last ashes to be scattered om Mount Everest.

In recent years there have been claims that Hillary and Norgay's place as the conquerors of Mount Everest were disputed. The question that has been repeatedly asked is "Did those intrepid British climbers Mallory and Irvine actually climb the mountain in 1924, before the definitive success of Hillary and Norgay 29 years later and died on their descent?  The climbing community is split on the issue. Did they reach the summit or did they fail to climb beyond what is known as the Second Step? George Mallory's body was found some years ago and has fuelled the speculation that he and  Andrew Irvine had beaten Hillary and Tenzing to the summit 29 years earlier. Their technology was as inferior to Hillary and Tenzing's, as the latter is to that of the 21st century.

Are these claims true or just a case of attempting to use theories to fit the facts? It is also very doubtful that a film in a camera that was found on the mountain will be developed and able to cast any light on the speculation that surrounds the conquest of Everest. The speculation may continue; but as the then young Ed Hillary said in 1953, "We knocked the bastard off!

Mallory & Irvine 1924 Theories and Maps:
http://www.everestnews2004.com/malloryandirvine2004/theories2.htm

Did Mallory & Irvine reach the summit? An interview with American historian and climber, Tom Holzel.
http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=17030

Did Mallory & Irvine make it to the summit of Everest?
http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/did-mallory-irvine-make-it-summit-everest

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The Jesus Secret...


The translators of the first English Bibles were forced to guess what many of the Greek words meant. For the first English Bibles were translated at a time when scholars didn’t know the language they were translating ever even existed.




Prior to the twentieth century scholars had never come across any document that was written in the same type of Greek as the Bible. So they assumed the Bible was written in a special language; a language made specifically and only for the Bible itself. But at the turn of the twentieth century, so many original Greek manuscripts were pulled from the sands of Egypt that the mass of material was measured in the tons. And it wasn’t long before archaeologists realized these tons of materials were all written in the very same Greek as the Bible itself.



Overnight the world went from not even knowing the language ever even existed to having the complete vocabulary, grammar, and style fully revealed in one fell swoop. And while scholars applauded the discovery of the biblical language, they haven’t yet produced any Bibles which use the meanings revealed by the discovery. The Jesus Secret documents how many passages of the Bible read when they are translated in light of this historic discovery. And in doing so The Jesus Secret unveils a large number of original Christian teachings that had been lost to the sands of time for almost two thousand years.

http://theunhiddenbible.org/the=jesus-secret/

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Gulf oil spill - has to be one of the worst...




Gulf oil spill disaster  -  has to be one of the worst...



The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to wreak havoc on the environment in the United States and the Caribbean. The April 20th blowout and explosion off the coast of Louisiana is expected to eclipse the Exxon Valdez spill as the worst oil disaster in US history.



Despite clean-up crews working 24/7 since the fatal explosion took place, it is expected that Gulf fishing and tourism industries will never recover, and habitats for hundreds of birds have been destroyed forever.


How much permanent damage has been done in the gulf? The financial cost could be beyond the clean-up of the oil spill and damage by BP  -  people of the area could be the real losers for many years!

http://travel.msn.co.nz/glance/1053922/gulf-oil-spill-disaster  Photos here:

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Absinthe  -  "The Green Fairy"  -  named for its emerald colour and its ability to make your head swirl.



Does this alcoholic beverage deserve its reputation? Personally I have never tried it; in my younger days I was not into liqueurs, preferring to drink brown and golden brown ales and lagers in my journeys and  youthful  socialising. But, however, there were plenty around who did, and enjoyed it, it has been widely claimed. And Absinthe does have its very old reputation; does it indeed warrant this? Does it deserve its reputation to make your head swirl after drinking its emerald green contents? Has any alcoholic beverage attracted as much conjecture as Absinthe?


New Zealand is, according to a recent claim, one of the few countries in the world where Absinthe is sold across the counter without any regulation or other restraint. Bartenders here are using it in cocktails and it is also available to take home from most liquor stores as well.


This is apparently remarkable because some brands contain quantities of thujone, a derivative of the leaves and flowers of the wormwood plant from the Mediterranean with a reputation  as a 'psychotic convulsant'  (described in a number of books and stories over the years) dating back to an earlier time when science and medicines were a great deal different than their modern varieties.

Well do the old reputations stack up today! Will it make you blind and mad, as I have read? There is no evidence to support any assertation or claim that modern Absinthe  resembles the rudimentary drink from the past. Recent studies have found small ineffectual doses of thujone may accumulate in the body  and produce, over time, minor toxicity.  While this might explain Absinthe's alleged reputation for producing  a heady buzz, any light- headedness  is more likely to be a reaction to over-indulgence of a highly alcoholic beverage that contains a myriad of unfamiliar herbs and flavourings. What a let down! So it was just a case of going on an Absinthe bender? The modern variety perhaps, but like many of the old alcoholic drinks with reputations emanating from  the dark and distant past -  the Scotch and Irish whiskies for instance -  the old Absinthe may well have lived up to its history.

While the modern form of Absinthe has been variously attributed to apothecaries in Switzerland and France,   tonics in the manner of Absinthe have existed for thousands of years. Pythagoras and Hippocrates   reportedly recommended wormword elixirs for a variety of ailments and were  included in medicine chests of doctors in many places for centuries. Even that ubiquitous  Vicks VapoRub that many of us have in our own medicine cupboards today, is claimed to contain small quantities of thujone.   

Thujone can be reportedly found in other modern alcoholic drinks today, such as Vermouth, Chartreuse and Benedictine. In fact Vermouth, made from using flower heads from Wormword, takes its name from the German' wermuth'  . Wormwood is also popular  as flavouring for branvin, an alcoholic drink made from potatoes in Sweden. 

This is not the end of the wormwood or Absinthe story, just a pause here. I hope you enjoyed the information in my story; I enjoyed researching and  writing it. Absinthe, the emerald 'green fairy'  may swirl a few more Kiwi  heads yet.       

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Socialism? No, blame the Republicans, says correspondent to  Augusta Chronicle...





I just finished reading Andy Windham's letter "Socialism slowly trapping our country" (May 11), and Mr. Windham is pointing the finger, concerning the $12.4 trillion debt, in the wrong direction.



We had socialistic programs -- such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Tennessee Valley Authority -- many years before 1980, when we owed $1 trillion. In 1980, Ronald Reagan promised to balance the budget in three years. The first thing when he came into office was to cut taxes on the rich (trickle-down economics), and eight years later when he left office the debt was $4 trillion. In came George H.W. Bush ("Read my lips; no new taxes"), and when he left four years later, we owed $5 trillion.



Bill Clinton came in, and when he left eight years later we still owed $5 trillion, with a treasury full of money with a plan to pay off the debt in eight years.



In came the cowboy George W. Bush, who wanted to be -- had to be -- a wartime president. Only thing wrong: the war he started was on borrowed money, mainly from the Far East. The national debt soared from $5 trillion to $12 trillion, and he left an economy that drove the debt even higher during his administration.



I hate to tell Mr. Windham, but it looks like socialism is not the root of the problem on our national debt, but the Republicans in office. The country could not have stood eight more years of Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin in the White House if history is an indicator.



By the way, I noticed that Mr. Windham didn't mention Social Security and Medicare as a socialistic problem in his letter

Acknowledgements:  Jim McGaughey, Augusta Chronicle

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From the Green Planet comes the "Singapore in sand grab"...



Cambodia is devastating its coastal areas by dredging vast quantities of sand to export to tiny Singapore for reclamation, a watchdog group has reported recently.



Cambodia has become a prime source of sand used to enlarge Singapore's territory now that several other nations - including Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam - have banned sand exports.



Singapore has reportedly increased its surface area by 20% in recent decades through reclamation. London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness has also noticed that the wealthy island state claims to be a leader on environmental issues. Yeah right. Some people will believe anything!

Acknowlegements :http://worldofcae.blogspot.com/

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Elvis Presley reportedly died of chronic constipation at home in Graceland in 1977...

I like human interest stories. This is an unusual revelation after forty years of the real cause of Elvis Presley's death in 1977. The King of Rock and Roll reportedly died of chronic constipation on his toilet at home in Graceland. It has been claimed for decades that heart failure was the cause of his death. That is true of course, because death comes when the heart stops beating.

Most of us who can remember the iconic Elvis singing and entertaining, can remember just how obese and ill-looking he became in the latter days. A far cry from the fit and healthy man of his younger years.

New revelations claim he refused the surgery which would have relieved him of his chronic constipation. Health professionals obviously didn't realise just how ill Elvis was. His constipation was so bad that a stool had been in his colon  for four to five months due to the lack of bowel mobility. Surely this would have led to an infection in his bowels?

He would reportedly get embarrassed when having an accident on stage, and  have to go off  and change his clothes. It was caused by the method he was being treated for his constipation. Elvis reportedly suffered from an hereditary condition called  "bowel paralysis" - a colostomy was vital because his colon was 4-5 inches in diameter instead of 2-3 inches -  double the normal size.

Elvis was found dead sitting on his toilet. What a hell of a way for the King of Rock and Roll, and arguably one of the three greatest entertainers in history, to meet his demise. I was of that generation who regarded Elvis with awe and lamented his passing.

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