denero's diary

Indonesian Government Asks for Virus Not to be Abused by WHO

2008-03-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Indonesian government has received a guarantee that the 15 bird flu virus (H5N1) samples that have been sent to the World Health Organization (WHO) were only to be examined for risk assessment, as to whether the virus is resistant to oseltamivir or not.

“Before the virus was sent, we already had the risk assessment guarantee letter,” said Siti Fadilah Supari, Health Minister, at her residence, Jalan Denpasar, Kuningan, Jakarta, two days ago (1/3).

According to Minister Siti, the bird flu virus samples were sent along with the material transfer agreement (MTA) that the government proposed be signed by the WHO.

If the WHO is willing to sign it, then the government will send more virus samples.

“Otherwise, the government will struggle again,” said Minister Siti.
According to her, the dispatch was a test as to whether the WHO will approve the MTA or not.

In December 2006, the government stopped sending bird flu virus samples.

This policy was taken to prevent multinational companies from using Indonesian virus samples to develop vaccines with a high sales price.

Minister Siti said that with the MTA, the bird flu virus sample dispatch mechanism is more transparent and fair in terms of responsibility towards the virus sending country.

The government's desire to change the mechanism, according to her, is not only useful for bird flu cases but also other diseases.

Under the old mechanism, virus samples were prone to be misused and
could therefore spread again in Indonesia and cause a new cases.

This is because the bird flu virus spread in Indonesia is inappropriate with epidemiology.

“This needs a great deal of attention,” said Minister Siti.

With the new mechanism, she said, the government has tried to overcome the large number of bird flu case in Indonesia.

“With transparency, what ever the virus is used for can be known,” said Minister Siti.

C.A. Nidom, Head of the Avian Influenza Tropical Disease Center Laboratory at Airlangga University, supported the government's measure to start sending bird flu virus samples.

According to him, the government needs to prioritize the bird flu handling in the country instead of fighting for the right in the MTA process at the WHO.

“What we're facing are human lives and the world's community,” said Nidom when contacted yesterday (2/3).

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source :
Margahayu Land
http://margahayuland.blogspot.com/2008/03/indonesian-government-asks-for-virus.html

Abu Dujana Admits Keeping Weapons

2008-03-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Abu Dujana, the defendant in the alleged terrorism case, admitted keeping weapons and explosives. According to him, the weapons were the remains of the conflict in Ambon, Maluku. “There was an M-16 and a few broken pistols,” said Abu Dujana, answering Wahjono, the chairman of the panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court, yesterday (3/3).

Despite admitting possessing weapons, none were bought by him. The agenda of the trial yesterday was hearing defendant Abu Dujana's statement.

Abu Dujana was charged by terrorism as possessing, keeping and distributing firearms and explosives. Abu, arrested on June 9, 2007 in Banyumas, Central Java, was charged with Article 9 of the Anti-terrorism Decree. In addition, he was charged with Article 17 of the Anti-terrorism Decree regarding his involvement in terrorism cooperation.

At the trial Abu Dujana a.k.a. Ainul Bahri, denied some of the investigation results in the deposition. According to Abu, his health at that time very much affected his statement he gave to the investigators. A gunshot wound in his left thigh, he said, made him so that he could not concentrate. “The wound on my leg made me tired, dizzy and nauseous,” he said.

Abu also recounted having participated in war training between 1999-2000 in the Philippines, then in Afganistan in 1989. He also acknowledged being acquainted with Noor Din M. Top, the most wanted terrorist fugitive. However, he said, how he knew Noor Din was not like what is written in the deposition, as if they were solidly cooperating in a terror.

After hearing the defendant's statement, the trial was resumed by the agenda by reading the charge. The panel of judges' chairman, Wahjono, asked the prosecutor to prepare the charge against Abu Dujana in the trial in the next two weeks.

After the trial, the public prosecutor Narendra Jatna, said Abu Dujana's explanation in the trial this time was his right as a defendant. According to Narendra, the defendant also has the right of objection. However, Narendra believed Abu Dujana only denied certain matters that did not influence his charge of terrorism . “For instance, admitting to keeping firearms and explosives and meeting Noor Din M. Top,” said Narendra.

Asludin Hatjani, a member of Abu Dujana's legal team, did not comment much. She said she would just wait for the charge announcement.

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source :
Margahayu Land
http://margahayuland.blogspot.com/2008/03/abu-dujana-admits-keeping-weapons.html

Regional Governments’ Funds Diverted to Capital Market

2007-07-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

The Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) has signaled the existence of funds that belong to regional governments being distributed in the capital market industry.

These funds are for buying securities instruments, including bonds or promissory notes.

“We’ve already received the report,” Yunus Husein, PPATK Chairman, told Tempo in Jakarta last week.

He said he suspected that some of the funds were from project or government program budgets.

As the programs cannot be implemented yet, the funds have been diverted to the capital market.

“This could be to take advantage of the low budget absorption rate,” he said.

According to Yunus, the regional governments’ transfer of funds may be through cooperation with banks, especially regional development banks.

This is because the funds must be deposited first in the banking system before being transferred to the capital market.

“The problem is, we’re experiencing difficulties in monitoring when the funds already entered the capital market,” he said.

PPATK has not yet confirmed who the perpetrators are that have invested regional governments’ money in the stock exchange.

However, “the officials in charge may be involved as the transaction amounts are quite large,” said Yunus.

He said there was in fact no problem if the funds invested in the capital market were regional government officials’ personal monies.

However, he said, this is still need to be questioned.

“Where are the funds from?”

The Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) has in fact discovered placement of regional governments’ funds in the capital market.

According to Emerson Juntho, ICW’s Coordinator for Legal and Monitoring Division, this occurred due to the weak monitoring of funds usage in regions.

Emerson said the regional government’s funds were actually public funds, so any transfers to the capital market were clearly violations.

The use of the regional government’s funds, he said, could also involve corruption because, “Who receives the benefits?”

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tempo

Singapore Counters Indonesia's Accusation

2007-07-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry has denied that it is deliberately hampering the defense cooperation agreement (DCA) process between Indonesia-Singapore by delaying the extradition agreement.

By the spirit of friendship and cooperation, the ministry instead claimed to have presented a proposal to Indonesia that contains a method of continuing and advancing cooperation agreements between the two countries.

“Yet, so far Singapore has not yet received any response from Indonesia regarding the proposal,” said Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson in a press statement sent via fax from Singapore's Embassy in Jakarta, Friday (6/7),

Singapore instead accuses Indonesia of hampering for refusing to sign the implementing arrangement on May 7.

This is in spite of the regulation having apparently been agreed by both sides on April 23.

Kristiarto, the Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Department's spokesperson, has not yet been able to provide any comment on Singapore's explanation.

Via an SMS, he said he was out of town.

Defense Minister Juwono Sudardono, said earlier that Singapore asked for military training 15 days a month in Bravo Area, which stretches from the Anambas Islands to Natuna Besar, Riau.

He considered this to be a very demanding request that Indonesia certainly rejected and that this was Singapore's attempt to hamper the DCA process so that the extradition treaty, which is in the same package, also failed.

Juwono also explained that the implementing arrangement for Bravo Area was not yet agreed on April 23, 2007.

What has been agreed was only the training location.

On the other hand, according to Singapore, it is Indonesia who has asked for substantive changes in the document that has been agreed, and this was the core problem.

Thus, Singapore reminded about the guarantee Indonesia promised that the DCA will not be altered from the agreement.
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tempo

Buildings in hot seat over smoking ban

2007-06-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta

Two years after the city administration imposed a smoking ban, many buildings, including government offices, are still yet to comply, a survey has found.

A recent study conducted by the Jakarta Environment Management Board (BPLHD) showed that half of the 197 inspected buildings did not have standard smoking areas.

"And 15 of the buildings have done nothing to comply with the regulation," BPLHD head of pollution control Ridwan Panjaitan, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Governor Sutiyoso announced the survey's results during Environment Night late Monday, awarding 10 building managements, including four hospitals and two universities, for their achievements.

The survey, which was conducted from December to June, examined 165 public places and offices as well as 32 universities and hospitals.

The survey audited the commitment of building operators to the smoking ban, through analyzing internal policies such as the number of security officers assigned to enforce the ban on their premises.

"We also check whether the operators have put clear signs in no-smoking areas or installed the required equipment inside the smoking zone," Ridwan said.

He said that the administration would send warnings to 15 companies prior to fully enforcing the ban in September.

The smoking ban is part of the 2005 bylaw on air pollution control, and requires all building managers to designate smoking rooms and erect clear no-smoking signs in public areas.

The bylaw bans smoking in health care centers, children's activity areas, places of worship, schools and on public transportation.

The operators of public spaces such as restaurants and shopping malls must allocate separate rooms for smokers.

Owners of businesses that violate the law can face up to six months in jail and a Rp 50 million fine. The administration has also threatened to withdraw business permits.

However, just two months after the implementation in 2005, the city administration did not have enough money to hold a mass trial for businesses found breaking the law.

The administration had to spend up to Rp 50 million to hold one trial session, far more than the total fines paid by the violators.

Since the smoking ban was yet to be fully enforced, the court only ordered the accused to pay Rp 50,000 per person.

The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, in a survey last year, found that half of the city's university campuses had not put up no-smoking signs or designated smoking rooms.

I-box

Best at implementing smoking ban

1. ITC Cempaka Mas
2. Ravindo building
3. STC Senayan
4. PT Telkom building
5. Metropolitan Medical Center
6. Pondok Indah Hospital
7. Pondok Kopi Islam Hospital
8. Cempaka Putih Islam Hospital
9. Indonesia Esa Unggul University
10.Institute of Business and Informatics

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jakarta post

Yahoo Cooperates with Telkomsel

2007-06-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Internet-based content provider from the United States, Yahoo Inc., has arranged to cooperatie with PT Telekomunikasi Seluler Indonesia (Telkomsel).

The cooperation is in the form of Yahoo Onesearch service distribution in Indonesia.

Through this cooperation, Telkomsel’s customers will have faster access to news searching, web images, weather, photos and other Internet sites from cellular phones.

Eddy Kurnia, Telkomsel’s Vice President of Public and Marketing Communication, said that the cooperation between Yahoo and Telkomsel is only a corporate brand cooperation.

The point is, content download service from Yahoo is carried out without profit-sharing.
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tempo

OIL Rich Regents Prostest Against New OIL & GAS Bill

2007-06-18T01:07:00.000-07:00

Regents of oil producing areas this week protested over the oil and gas bill which is expected to be passed into law next month.

The Consultative Forum of Oil Producing Regencies chairman, Irianto M.S. Syaifuddin, said that the forum had demanded a role in formulating the national oil and gas policy and in supervising the implementation of the policy.

But, he said, the government and the House of Representatives had failed to pay any attention to the demand in the debating process of the oil and gas bill.

"We have delivered our proposal to the House, but we only received an answer that the House will help," Irianto, who is also regent of Indramayu regency in West Java, told a media conference.

The forum, established in September, has members from 45 regencies, five municipalities and 14 provinces.

Under the forum´s proposal, the new oil and gas law should have a clause requiring the formation of a special agency, called the Coordinating Board of National Oil and Gas, where the forum would have representatives.

This "super" agency would be assigned to watch over the Executive Body, which, under the oil and gas bill, will take over state oil and gas company Pertamina´s role of supervising and managing the country´s oil and gas industry.

Legislators said last week that they had completed a debate of the oil and gas bill proposed by the government and are now putting finishing touches on the bill before it is officially passed into law in a plenary session slated for mid-October.

The new law is aimed at liberalizing the country´s oil and gas sector, removing Pertamina´s decades-long monopoly on the sector and turn the state company into a limited-liability company.

Irianto called on the House to postpone the plenary session to pass the bill into law until it is reviewed to accommodate the forum´s aspiration.

He said any rejection of the demand by the House could create dissatisfaction among people in the regencies and create security problems for oil and gas operations in the areas.

"If the oil and gas producing regions are denied a participation (in forming oil gas policies), this will create a fatal consequence," he warned.

East Lampung regent Irfan N. Djafar called on the government and the House not to underestimate the role of local authorities in providing security for oil and gas companies.

"Thus far, we have taken pains to persuade local people not to take anarchic action against oil and gas companies in their areas. But it seems that the central government and the House are not sensitive to the problems," Irfan said.

Separately, legislator Julius Bobo of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle faction said the demand would be hardly accepted as the House had assumed the central government had coordinated with regional administrations prior to submitting the bill.

"If the regency administrations act like that, the districts and the villages will follow, and the country will be in disorder, " he told local reporters.

Besides, he said, the forum had submitted its proposal when the House and the government were about to finalize the debate of the oil and gas bill.

He suggested the regencies have further talks with the central government over what suitable roles should be given them.

(source : www.indonesian-observer.com)
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indoexchange

DPR Asked to Evaluate Tangguh Gas Price

2007-06-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

The House of representatives (DPR) has been asked to form a special team to investigate the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales contract from Tangguh gas field in Papua.

The price of Tangguh gas overseas is regarded as cheaper compared to that of domestic gas sales.

Effendi Situmorang, an oil industry observer, said that the team was aimed at researching and probing the contract and sales price of Tangguh gas.

The special team, he said, comprises DPR members, government officials and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

“The purpose of forming the team is to take responsibility as regards whether the 20-year gas sales contract will result in benefit or loss for the state,” he told Tempo yesterday (13/6).

According to Effendi, the Tangguh gas sales price, US$3.5 per mmBtu on average, is the lowest price in the history of Indonesia's LNG sales.

“LNG price from Tangguh is lower than gas price in domestic market, which is above US$4 per mmBtu on average,” said the former Pertamina's Director of Production Sharing Management (now the Upstream Oil and Gas Executing Body or BPH Migas).

He explained that now the State Electricity Company's (PLN) power plants buy gas at prices above US$4 per mmBtu on average.

Moreover, Tangguh gas sales price can cause price discrimination in LNG from Arun gas field in Aceh and Badak gas field in East Kalimantan.

“Up to now Japan buys LNG from Indonesia at between US$7 and US$8 per mmBtu on average,” said Effendi.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, disagreed that Tangguh gas sales price was too cheap.

His reason was that the US$3.5 per mmBtu price is the export price (free on board).

“When the goods reach the destination, the price can reach US$7 to US$9,” he told Nieke Indrietta from Tempo.

Purnomo went on to say that around 50 percent of Tangguh's LNG for Sempra is also transferred to other contract to gain a better price.

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source

Humpuss To Issue US$400 Million In Bonds

2007-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

PT Humpuss Intermoda Transportasi Tbk. plans to issue bonds worth US$400 million to purchase five ships this year. Earlier, this company that runs a sea transportation business planned to obtain a banking loan to fund its expansion.

Agus Darjanto, President Director of Humpuss Intermoda, said that based on analysis the company has carried out, it had been decided not to obtain a banking loan.

“If we borrow from banks, there is little ‘room to move,’ despite us needing a large amount,” he said after holding a press conference following Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings of Shareholders in Jakarta yesterday (13/6).

Agus said the bonds that will be issued comprise of senior debt amounting to US$350 million with eight year period and junior debt of US$50 million with five year period.

The funds will be the sources of the company's expenditure up until to 2010.

He went on to say that after purchasing the new ships, the company plans to continue securing the company's assets in order to look for new loans.

The funds, said Agus, will be used for refinancing all the company's debts, including bond obligations.
Humpuss has allocated US$159.6 million (around Rp1.4 trillion) to purchase five new ships.

According to Agus, the five ships consist of Panamax ships and chemical tank ships.

As regards Panamax, those we are aiming at are that like the ships of Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Korea,” he said.
In terms of chemical tank ships, the targets are 13,000 dead weight tons (DWT) ships.

The purpose is to meet the international market segment.

Earlier, Sapto Basuki, Humpuss Intermoda's Corporate Secretary, said that some of the funds for purchasing will be gained from the sales of two oil tank ships whose contract terms have ended and are worth US$36 million (Rp316 billion).

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source

European Commission and Japan Grant US$15 Million for Bird Flu

2007-06-13T05:00:00.002-07:00

The European Union and the Japanese government have given grants amounting to US$10 million and US$5 million respectively for handling the bird flu virus in Indonesia.

The grants were announced during a meeting between the Indonesian government and the donor countries at the “ HPAI in Indonesia: Latest Situation and Future Steps to Control H5N1 Virus” as the theme, at the Gran Melia Hotel, Jakarta, today (13/6).

“The spread of bird flu virus in Indonesia is sporadic and doesn't show any certain pattern. The war against this virus must be applied in all directions, especially as regards animals as the source of infection,” said Bayu Krisnamurthi, Head of the National Team for Bird Flu Handling and Readiness to Face Pandemic Influenza (Komnas FBPI).

It is planned that the grants will be used for supporting activities such as vaccine quality, socialization of fowl vaccination, vaccination officer training, access to vaccine storage and vaccine procurement.

The grants will be divided, for the Agriculture Department US$9.56 million and the remainder for the Komnas FBPI for many activities.

The time to use the grants is between July, 2007 and July, 2009.

Many activities to handle bird flu on animals have been prepared.

However, Musny Suatmojo, Director of Animal Health at the Agriculture Department, refused to give the details.

“Now it's being discussed in the meeting. Tomorrow there'll be certainties as regards the activity details,” he said.

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source

Newmont's Lawsuit Against New York Times Postponed

2007-06-13T05:00:00.001-07:00

The panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court postponed the civil claim of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya's President Director, Richard Bruce Ness, against The New York Times newspaper, yesterday (11/6).

The reason is, during the trial headed by judge Heru Pramono, only Newmont's legal adviser, Arief Surowidjojo, was present. As from The New York Times, the side was absent. “The trial is adjouned for a week,” said Heru, closing the trial.

In the lawsuit, Ness regarded The New York Times as having contained the article that defamed his reputation and assassinated his character. The articles were written by the reporter Jane Perlez and were published three times: September 9, 2004; September 24, 2004 and October 7, 2004.

Ness, in his lawsuit, says that the news of The New York Times and several other media of its subsidiaries such as the International Herald Tribune and The Boston Globe, has caused Newmont to suffer loss as what was printed was not true.

The New York Times along with reporter Jane Perlez, contained articles with such headings as, “Spurred by Illness, Indonesians Lash Out at U.S. Mining Giant” on September 9, 2004 and “Gold Mining Company to Pay Indonesia $30 million” on February 17, 2006.

Ness wanted the recovery of his reputation and apology to be published as a first-page story in the newspapers and all media subsidiaries of The New York Times and www.nytimes.com website. He also asked The New York Times to pay immaterial compensation amounting to US$63.930 million.

Richard Bruce Ness was acquitted by the Manado District Court on April 26, 2007. As PT Newmont's President Director, Ness was found not guilty in environmental pollution in the Buyat Bay area.
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source

Sarwono Awaits Constitutional Court's Decision

2007-06-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

Jakarta Gubernatorial candidate, Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, acknowledged he could not register as gubernatorial candidate because he was not supported by a political party.

“I can't register anymore,” said Sarwono after attending the material review trial of the Regional Governance Decree at the Constitutional Court, today (7/6).

Now he is waiting for the decision of the Constitutional Court which is still in the middle of its Regional Governance Decree judicial review.

“Because I chose the independent lane,” said Sarwono.

The former Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister acknowledged the experts' statement during the Regional Governance Decree judicial review that there should be an opportunity for independent candidates to become regional leaders.

“A non-party lane is in fact needed,” said Sarwono.
He then made an analogy of his candidacy as the Regional Representatives Assembly (DPD) member.

At that time Sarwono did not need to have support from any political party in order to become a DPD member.

“I was elected by the people without going through any political lane,” he said.

The Jakarta Governor Election entered the last day today for the registration of gubernatorial candidates and the deputies at the Regional Election Commission (KPUD) Jakarta.

However, so far there has not been any candidate pairing who have registered at the KPUD.

As already reported, the pair of Sarwono and Jeffry who was previously put forth by the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) have canceled their participation in the Jakarta Governor Election because they did not have 15 percent of the votes of the Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD).
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source

Contested land claims

2007-06-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Which Dongi people should be compensated for land?

Adam Tyson

Of all the diverse scenery on the winding road north from Makassar, South Sulawesi, most unusual of all is the view as you approach the small mining town of Soroako. The night sky is perpetually alight in a haze of red and orange, giving the impression of a blazing fire. The red haze is emitted by PT Inco, in its relentless endeavours to produce greater quantities of primary nickel.

PT Inco, a profitable multinational corporation, is firmly rooted, with approximately 118,387 hectares of land in the newly-formed district of East Luwu. The recent renewal of the company’s work contract has led to increasingly vocal criticism, specifically on environmental issues and indigenous rights.

Since 1998, activism has been increasing in the region, and previously marginalised actors are reasserting their claims for compensation. They are not alone in this struggle, as networks of NGOs are blossoming and district authorities are empowered to take a more active role in negotiations.

Open for business

PT Inco’s first work contract allowed mining to begin in Sulawesi in 1968, during highly controversial times. In the aftermath of the regional rebellion in Sulawesi led by Kahar Muzakkar in the 1950s, Soroako was largely deserted. Much of the indigenous population had fled to neighbouring provinces. Once stability was restored, the Suharto government seized the opportunity to sell off large tracts of vacant land as mining concessions to PT Inco. This was done before the original inhabitants could return and restore their normal way of life, thus avoiding the burden of negotiating with local communities and stakeholders. PT Inco’s first work contract allowed mining to begin in Sulawesi in 1968, during highly controversial times. In the aftermath of the regional rebellion in Sulawesi led by Kahar Muzakkar in the 1950s, Soroako was largely deserted. Much of the indigenous population had fled to neighbouring provinces. Once stability was restored, the Suharto government seized the opportunity to sell off large tracts of vacant land as mining concessions to PT Inco. This was done before the original inhabitants could return and restore their normal way of life, thus avoiding the burden of negotiating with local communities and stakeholders.

As recent events have illustrated, this was a strategic error. The policy of decentralisation implemented in Indonesia in 2001 has encouraged greater local autonomy, which in turn has made the local communities bolder. Following an initial round of negotiations in the 1970s, local people have again begun reclaiming land and are forming activist alliances. Two ‘indigenous’ local ethnic groups are currently engaged in negotiations for land compensation: the Soroako and the Karongsi’e Dongi. This suggests that the first round of negotiations in the 1970s wasn’t conducted properly, or that the next generation of claimants are becoming more politicised. The sale of the land to PT Inco and the failure to finalise compensation at the early stages of PT Inco’s operations in Soroako has created a legacy of unrest and dissent.

The turning point seems to have occurred in 2000 when NGOs and activists converged on Soroako, setting the stage for a new wave of public protest. During the next four years the land compensation movement was characterised by demonstrations and reprisals, producing limited results. However, this changed in 2004 with the appointment of some new representatives in PT Inco’s Department of External Relations, as well as with the election of a new mayor in East Luwu.

Members of the Soroako community are represented by an organisation called KWAS (Soroako Indigenous Union). KWAS consults with community members then submits proposals for development programs to PT Inco. As a result of these negotiations, the original citizens now receive full healthcare courtesy of PT Inco.

However, walking around Old Soroako, I did not get the impression that infrastructure is well-developed or that the community is by any means affluent. Common signs of hardship persist, and many people said they felt that they weren’t able to participate fully in the consultative process. But a large number said they would prefer this process to continue, rather than endure more direct confrontation and violence.However, walking around Old Soroako, I did not get the impression that infrastructure is well-developed or that the community is by any means affluent. Common signs of hardship persist, and many people said they felt that they weren’t able to participate fully in the consultative process. But a large number said they would prefer this process to continue, rather than endure more direct confrontation and violence.

Unresolved matters

Many members of the Karongsi’e Dongi community still feel aggrieved. They felt excluded from the original compensation package offered by PT Inco. As a result of the turbulence in the 1950s, Dongi families fled to various parts of Sulawesi, such as Palu and Poso in Central Sulawesi; Manado in North Sulawesi; and Lele and Bahudopi in Southeast Sulawesi. Not everyone could afford to return to Soroako immediately, so families returned gradually.

Families which did return quickly discovered that Soroako had changed. Former village land on the lakeside had been converted to housing units for expatriate workers and managers. Interior lands once used for housing and cultivation were now corporate property, and the Soroako Golf Course now stood on the site of ancestral lands.

After decades of frustration there seems to be a more conciliatory approach to the Dongi dilemma. PT Inco’s Department of External Relations is working directly with both the district government and the Team of Five community representatives appointed by the local government to represent the Dongi community. Weekly meetings are now held between the parties in an effort to resolve long-standing problems about land entitlement and compensation.

A formal offer has been issued by the district government, led by the mayor and supported by the relevant agencies. PT Inco has accepted district legislation (SK Bupati 166/2004), which stipulates that 57 Dongi family heads (mostly men representing a household) have been recognised as legitimate claimants and are thus eligible for compensation. A relocation settlement has been approved, and there is hope that the Dongi can build a new village. According to a map produced in 2005 by the District Agency of Mining, Energy and Environment in East Luwu, the site is located in a village called Ledu-Ledu in the sub-district of Wasuponda. The total size of this plot of land is approximately 6835 hectares.

Each family will be allotted a plot of land measuring 20 by 30 metres, where it can build its own house, and it will be issued ownership certificates. The plan also includes provision of all necessary facilities, including roads, water supply, electricity, a school, places of worship and a customary house (rumah adat). The surrounding lands are semi-cultivated, making food production possible. More importantly, the villagers already living in the area are not hostile to the idea of a new Dongi village. So what is preventing a resolution to this dilemma?

Internally, only three out of the original 57 family heads are still alive, and now it is the responsibility of the second generation of Dongi (at least 214 descendents) to sort out who will accept the offer. This has led to sibling rivalry and domestic disputes. There are complex political interventions going on within the small Dongi community. On the one hand, the ‘Dongi Diaspora’ has been mobilised and now wants to return to Soroako, either for reunification or to avoid losing out on the prospect of compensation from PT Inco. These new arrivals are complicating efforts to determine who should be negotiated with, and which of the claimants are legitimate.

There are also external players. Domestic NGOs determined to oppose PT Inco sporadically arrive and use the Dongi community as a platform for this opposition. They have introduced arguments about customary (adat) rights, and these now feature prominently in the current dilemma. This intervention may be motivated by good intentions, but it has certainly complicated the process of negotiation and caused some resentment.

One of the early external interventions by activists in 2000 involved securing various ‘point of leverage’ that could be used to bolster the bargaining position of the community. For example, an activist with networks in Jakarta led eight families to a contested site called Kuratelawa, located within the PT Inco concession zone. She encouraged them to build homes there because it was considered ancestral land.

According to customary (adat) law, ownership is determined by those who first cultivate land, after which ownership is inherited by the next generation. This link was severed because of the regional rebellion, a crisis forcing communities to relocate. Advocates of indigenous rights argue that this does not mean customary ownership was nullified, and thus they reject the validity of PT Inco’s concession rights because people were forced off the land. This is the reasoning behind the relocation of the eight families mentioned. However, the residents of Kuratelawa who I met did not want to discuss the political situation, preferring to defer to their representatives in the city.

Internally, the Dongi community is divided, which hinders their negotiations with PT Inco and tests the patience of the district government. One member of the Team of Five stated that 85 per cent of the Dongi community are prepared to accept the proposal for Dongi relocation. An official from the Office of the Mayor put the percentage at 90. Other activists completely reject these figures and are determined to continue to struggle for more concessions. For the sake of the ordinary Dongi citizens bearing the brunt of this protracted and politicised struggle, hopefully a positive and neutral mediator can assist in mediating between the conflicting parties. It is important that this conflict is resolved before the funds and political will are exhausted, and the relocation proposal is shelved.

Adam Tyson (ipi2at@yahoo.co.uk) is a PhD student in the School of Politics and International Relations, University of Leeds, UK.

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Former Rose Team Commander Wants Judicial Review of Human Rights Court Law

2007-06-07T02:33:00.003-07:00

Former “Rose Team” Commander, Major (retired) Bambang Kristiono, filed a proposal for s judicial review of the Human Rights Court Decree at the Constitutional Court, yesterday (5/6).

Bambang, via his attorney Mahendradatta, asked the Court to correct Article 43 Point 2 of the Decree No. 26/2006.

“Bambang is worried because the articles can lead him being scrutinized again by the ad hoc Human Rights Court,” said Mahendradatta at the Constitutional Court, yesterday.

Bambang is a former Army Infantry Major who was Battalion 42 Commander Group 4 of Special Force Command (Kopassus) and concurrently “Rose Team” commander.

“Rose Team”was the team involved in kidnapping and making activists disappear by force cases of in 1997-1998.

Bambang was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment by the Supreme Military Court in 2000 and was also dismissed from the Army because of the case.

Mahendratta said Article 43 Point 2 of the law states that the ad hoc Human Rights Court was formed based on the House of Representatives' (DPR) suggestion with the President's decision.

The article's explanation states that the ad hoc Human Rights Court was formed after the House deemed there had been a severe human rights violation during a certain event in a certain time and place prior to the Human Rights Decree being effective.

According to him Mahendratta in the activists kidnapping case, the Human Rights National Commission sent a letter to the House on December 27, 2006, and Bambang's name is in the letter.

The letter states that Bambang can be asked for statement as regards activists kidnapping cases.

“The nebis in idem principle may not be valid for our client,” said Mahendratta.

The trial began with preliminary questioning by the panel of judges led by judge H.A.S. Natabaya.

Constitutional judge Natabaya asked the applicant which constitutional right of him that was infringed due to the decree.

He asked the applicant to strengthen the legal standing of the judicial review.

“The constitutional loss suffered by the applicant is not clear,” he said.

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Tax Directorate General Oversees Indosat Tax Problem

2007-06-07T02:33:00.001-07:00

The Tax Directorate General has acknowledged that there has been a decrease in the tax deposits from PT Indosat Tbk.'s revenues during the last couple of years.

However, tax officials have not yet carried out an investigation as there are not any indications of tax manipulations by Indosat, in which Singapore Technologies (ST) Telemedia owns the majority shares.

“We've collected the dossiers but they are insufficient as there must be indications of (tax) manipulation,” said Darmin Nasution, Tax Director General, Jakarta yesterday (5/6).

Signals of the state's losses due to Indosat's tax income and dividend shortfalls amounting to around Rp323 billion were brought up by Dradjad H. Wibowo, a member of the House's Banking and Finance Commission.

According to him, the potential income tax losses are Rp196 billion, the potential loss of revenue from dividends Rp65 billion and the potential loss of income tax from dividends Rp62 billion.

The losses were due to Indosat's mismanagement in carrying out derivative transactions.

Darmin asked that Indosat's tax manipulation allegation not to be taken for granted as it must be proved first.

“It's really a loss or a manipulation. Those must be differed. If it's a loss, we (Tax Directorate Genera) can't do anything. But the Capital Market Supervisory Board (Bapepam) might,” he said.

Wong Heang Tuck, PT Indosat Tbk.'s Finance Director, stated he was ready to be checked by Bapepam regarding Indosat's loss and tax deposit potential loss due to derivative transactions.

However, he denied that the losses were because of mismanagement or foreign currency speculation activities.

“Moreover, derivative transactions are not against tax rules,” he said after the nnual General Shareholders' Meeting (AGM) in Jakarta yesterday.

According to him, Indosat's derivative transactions were included in the financial statement submitted to Bapepam and the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Indosat will continue carrying out derivative transactions until the end of Indosat's Dollar bonds I and II issuing terms.

“Indosat has the obligation of hedging at least 50 percent of the total long-term debt obligation.”

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Government Prepares CPO Export Duty Increase

2007-06-06T01:28:00.003-07:00

The government will monitor the development of cooking oil price before increasing the export duty on crude palm oil (CPO) export duty.

CPO and cooking oil producers are regarded as not yet having been optimum in terms of market operations.

“If (the ideal cooking oil price) isn't reached, we'll certainly implement (the export duty increase0” said Boediono, Coordinating Minister for the Economy, in Jakarta yesterday (5/6).

Earlier, the government had threatened that it would the raise export duty, which has been 1.5 percent up until now.

This is stated in an agreement between the government and producers that if by June 1, 2007, cooking oil prices have not reached an ideal price of between Rp6,500 and Rp6,800 per kilogram.

However, the price stabilization program, which has been carried out since March, has not yet been successful in decreasing cooking oil prices.

Currently, cooking oil prices are still between Rp8,000 and Rp9,000 per kilogram.

The government planned to implement the domestic market obligation (DMO) policy if cooking oil prices remain high.

According to Boediono, CPO producers are not yet optimum in carrying out market operations (procuring the product in markets).

This is seen from the high CPO export volume, uncontrolled domestic supply and high cooking oil prices.
“Due to increasing CPO prices abroad, we want the players in the business to hold more effective market operations,” he said.

CPO producers circle stated they are ready to procure 150,000 tons for cooking oil price stabilization program this June.

“We're ready to procure 150,000 tons. All producers are committed that the price stabilization program in June will lower prices,” said Akmaludin Hasibuan, General Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Businesspeople Association, when contacted in Jakarta yesterday.

Benny Wahyudi, Director General of Agriculture and Chemical at the Industry Department, said the government will increase export duty and implement DMO policy in July, after the price stabilization program evaluation in June.

Unsuccessful price stabilization program in May was because a lot of suppliers didn't fulfill the procurement commitment,” he said.

Out of the commitment to procure 97,000 tons of CPO, around 35,000 tons had not been realized.

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Foreign Languages on Radio to be Regulated

2007-06-06T01:28:00.001-07:00

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) will regulate the use of foreign languages in radio programs.

This is because up to now no such regulation has yet been made.

Currently, the government only regulates the use of foreign languages on television.

M. Izzul Muslimin, a KPI member, said that there were possibilities that the use of foreign languages in radio programs will be the same as for television, that is 30 percent.

“However, perhaps there will be special criteria for radio stations that broadcast programs in foreign languages, for instance Indonesian radio programs specially broadcasted,” said Izzul yesterday (5/6).

It is expected that the regulation will be completed soon and that it does not deviate from the material in the Broadcasting Decree.

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Entrepreneurs Push for Fuel Oil Tax to be Abolished

2007-06-04T19:20:00.001-07:00

Industry players hope that the government is serious in responding the proposal to abolish the industry fuel oil value-added tax (VAT) of 10 percent per liter.

The proposal for the fuel oil tax abolition was in response to the possibility of fuel oil price hikes in line with the increase of the Mid Oil Platts Singapore (MOPS) rate.

“Fuel oil price hikes would clearly put pressure on the industry's position. Therefore, we need policy alternatives to help smoothen the industry's cash flow,” said Thomas Darmawan, Head of Food and Beverages Businesspeople Association Chairman, yesterday (3/6).
On June 1, 2007 Pertamina increased fuel prices.

Diesel is up five percent from the previous level of Rp5.522 per liter to Rp5.797 per liter.

Pertamina increased the price in accordance to the price standard in Singapore of between 2.9 and 12.0 percent compared to the previous period.

The abolition of industry fuel oil tax, said Thomas, would not lower the state's revenues.

The reason for this is that 10 percent VAT will be imposed on ready-goods products.

“With production being smoother, the amount of production goods and the government's VAT will also increase,” said Thomas.

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New Economic Policy Package Being Prepared

2007-06-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

The government will cut the time it takes to issue a business license to 30 days from the previous 197 days.

This decision is one of the policies included in a new economic package that will be launched in a few days’ time.

This package is a development of the economic package that was issued last year.

Boediono, Coordinating Minister for the Economy, explained there are four important points in the package.

These are: investment climate improvement, infrastructure development, financial sector repair and small- and medium-scale enterprise (SME) development.

“In terms of investment climate, there is a reduction in the time involved in processing business licenses,” said Boediono during the Investor Forum II in Jakarta yesterday (30/5).

The Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Economy Faculty Professor emphasized that this economic package was better compared to the previous one, especially in terms of regulations, license processing and taxes.

Financial and non-bank sectors, such as capital market and insurance, will also be improved.

Unlike the previous package, the new one will also discuss SMEs.

M. Ikhsan, a special member of staff of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, said that previously SME development was discussed in separate package.

However, this time the government will discuss it in one package.

M. S. Hidayat, Head of the Indonesian Chamber of Trade and Industry (Kadin), said he hoped that the new economic package would be more concrete and could be realistically implemented.

“If the government has issued policies, it must be ready to realize them,” Hidayat when contacted by Tempo yesterday.

He also he hoped that the economic package was not like the previous one, which was only a concept.

On the occasion, Boediono also focused on the flow of funds in the capital market.

According to him, flow of funds in the capital market must not always be separated from the real sector.

He cited the State Debt Securities (SUN) and Bank Indonesia Certificate (SBI) trade transactions.

Funds withdrawn by the government from these bonds trades were used for infrastructure development.

Boediono also said there was no need to worry about the capital market's fund flow reversal trend.

The reason for this was because Indonesia's current economic system was already more prepared compared to the time of the economic crisis in 1997.

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Maximum Campaign Fund Donation of Rp1 Billion per Person

2007-06-03T20:35:00.001-07:00

The government has proposed increases in the maximum limit for campaign fund donations from a person, a group and an enterprise in the
next presidential election.

A person may donate a maximum of Rp1 billion, while a group and enterprise Rp5 billion.

This is included in the President and Vice President Election Bill proposed by the government to the House of Representatives (DPR), last Friday.

These limits are higher compared to the provisions in the 2004 President Election Decree when the maximum individual donation was Rp100 million and an enterprise Rp750 million.

Didik Supriyanto, a member of 2004 General Election Supervisory Committee, said he supported the increase of maximum donation amounts.

However, Didik also said he believed that the limits in the government's proposal were too high.

“This in fact allows a person to buy a candidate and a party. Don't be too contrasting with the previous regulation,” he said when contacted yesterday (30/5).

However the maximum limits must also be supported by transparency of campaign fund accounting.

According to Didik, the law must regulate public access in terms of funds transferred to campaign accounts and candidate pairing campaign fund audit results.

However, the House Commission of Governance Deputy Chairman, Priyo Budisantoro, said he considered tit not necessary for he technical provision of campaign funds to be included in the law.

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New Economic Policy Package Being Prepared

2007-06-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Crude Palm Oil Policy to be Effective from June 1

2007-05-30T02:32:00.001-07:00

Crude palm oil (CPO) producers are to be obligated to set aside some of their products for domestic needs.

The domestic market obligation (DPO) policy will come into effect as from June 1, 2007.

“The DPO implementation is a mandate of the State Decree on Plantations,” said Anton Apriyantono, Agriculture Minister, after accepting bird flu vaccine aid from Chinese government at the Agriculture Department building, Jakarta, yesterday (29/5).

“(The implementation provision) is the Agriculture Minister Decision for a start,” he said

Anton explained that for the time being, the DMO policy was being implemented in order to fulfil domestic cooking oil needs because cooking oil is one of the nine staple household goods.

Therefore, CPO stocks are prioritized for domestic needs.

“It's unfortunate (for producers) if the price abroad is high, but we limit it here,” said Anton.

On the other side, in order to secure domestic stocks, the government cannot determine the price.

“We still leave the price to the market mechanism,” said Anton.

Regarding the CPO quota per producer, he went on to say it will be determined later with the Industry and Trade Departments.

“It can't be set by us alone,” said Anton

What is certain is the minimum limit being calculated based on the company's tax payment and amount shipped abroad.

Anton said that the DMO policy is effective even for companies associated with Malaysia.

Fahmi Idris, the Industry Minister, instead stated that the DMO policy for fulfilling domestic palm oil need will be effective by the end of the month.

He explained domestic CPO needs reach 4.5 million tons per year.

“So the obligation (DMO) amount is between 4.5 million to 5 million tons per year,” he said, on Monday (28/5) at the Vice President's office, Jakarta.

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Prosecutor Rejects Australian Expert Witness’ Statement

2007-05-30T02:31:00.000-07:00

The public prosecutor in the review trial of the illegal drugs case involving Australian citizens--Tan Duc Tan Nguyen, Si Yi Chen and Matthew James Norman—has rejected an expert witness from Australia.

According to prosecutor Olopan Nainggolan at the Denpasar District Court, yesterday (29/5), the statement of Professor James R.P. Ogloff from Monash University was considered not to be relevant with the trial materials.

In his statement, Oglof said that during the last 30 years the number of countries which still implement death penalty continues to decrease.

The prosecutor also objected to the statement because the permit from the Australian Justice Minister for Ogloff was only sent by e-mail the print-out of which was not submitted during the trial.

The convicts' lawyer, Erwin Siregar, stated he brought a copy of Australian Supreme Court's statement that explained about Ogloff's whereabouts.

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MoU Must be Reviewed, Indonesian Workers in Malaysia Suffering Losses

2007-05-28T20:18:00.003-07:00

A number of Indonesian migrant workers activists have asked the government to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia signed in Bali in 2006.

The agreement is regarded as being detrimental to Indonesian citizens working as migrant labors.

Miftah, Chairperson of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Association, said that under the MoU, employers were allowed to seize employees’ passports.

This was despite passports being individual identities which cannot be held by anybody except police and immigration officers.

“But the government easily gives permission that passport is submitted to employers or agents in Malaysia,” Miftah told Tempo yesterday (27/5).

The policy that allows employers to hold passports, said Miftah, actually triggered the large number of trafficking cases.

It is not surprising therefore that the rights of Indonesian workers in that country are often violated.

For example, torture, unpaid salary, prohibition to marry at work place and impediments to meet family members.

“All are human rights violations,” said Miftah.
Anis Hidayah, Executive Director of Migrant Care, questioned the deportation policy carried out by Malaysia.

According to Anis, a lot of Indonesian workers are to be deported due to the wrong recruitment system in Indonesia.

“Indonesia should have been able to struggle to remove the deportation option, and fight for legalization. The documents are legalized because the laborers there actually already have jobs.”

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Tangguh Field's Gas for America Can Be Transferred to Other Buyer

2007-05-28T20:18:00.001-07:00

The sales of some liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Tangguh gas field, Papua, to Sempra, United States, can be transferred to another buyer.

The transfer will be carried out if the LNG sales price is higher than that of Sempra’s.

Eddy Purwanto, Deputy of Marketing and Finance at the Upstream Oil and Natural Gas Business Executing Body, emphasized that the gas transfer from Sempra can be done to any other buyer.

“As long as the sales price is better than Sempra’s,” he told Tempo last weekend.

Based on information received by Tempo, gas sold to Sempra will be transferred to a buyer from Japan.
The reason is, Sempra's LNG facility was built quicker than first planned, in mid 2008.

Sempra signed Tangguh's 20 year gas purchase contract for a volume of 3.7 million tons at the price of US$5.94 per mmBtu.

Eddy went on to say, that the transfer of gas that was bought by Sempra to another buyer has compensations.

“Sempra will obtain certain compensations,” he said.

However, when asked whether the compensation was a penalty that the government must pay, Eddy did not give any answer.

Kurtubi, an oil and gas observer, said that the Tangguh gas sales price, which is under the average gas sales price from Badak refinery in East Kalimantan, will not result in any revenues for the state.

This is because, he said, with investment totaling US$6.5 million and the revenues totaling only US$8.5 billion for 25 years, all revenues are only sufficient to cover the investment costs.

“So what does the state obtain?” he said to Tempo.

Currently, the gas sales contract amounts to 2.6 million tons to Fujian, China for 25 years, with an average price of US$3.35 per mmBtu.

The contract with SK Power Korea amounts to 0.55 million tons for 20 years with US$3.5 per mmBtu sales price.

The contract with Posco Korea 0.55 million tons for 20 years with US$3.36 per mmBtu sales price and Sempra (West Coast, US) 3.7 million tons for 20 years with US$5.94 per mmBtu sales price.

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Supreme Court Annuls Mystic Programs Provision

2007-05-24T23:06:00.001-07:00

The Supreme Court has passed the judicial review proposed by the Association of Indonesian Private Television Stations (ATVSI) against the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission's (KPI) decision on the broadcasting performance guide and broadcasting program standard.

KPI must revoke the provisions, including mystic and pornographic television programs.

ATVSI Chairperson Karni Ilyas acknowledged having received the Supreme Court's decision recently.

“It was already sent to the Association's office this afternoon (yesterday). It was only the summary, the details will follow,” she said when contacted by Tempo yesterday (23/5).

In the decision, the Supreme Court gives three month time for KPI to revoke the letter no. 009/SK/KPI/8/2004.

If within three months the letter is not revoked, the provision will not have any legal force.

According to Karni, actually from the aspect of content, the association agrees with KPI provision.

“We agree that programs with mystic and porn nuance must in fact be limited,” he said.

According to him, the association's claim is more because KPI made the provision earlier than the government.

“In addition, KPI regulates the sanctions. Through the sanction is already regulated in the Broadcasting Decree,” he said.

In article 57 of the decision, for example, factual programs with occult, paranormal and black magic themes may only be broadcasted between 10pm and 3am.

The sanctions stated in article 77 are the forms of written notice, program temporary halt, duration
limitation, fines, freezing television program, turning down license extension up to television station's license revocation.

These sanctions are what the association considered as too heavy.

KPI acknowledged it will study the Supreme Court's decision.

According to KPI member, Don Bosco Selamun, the provision they made for all television stations including TVRI (state-owned television station), is normal.

“Because KPI is given the job in the Broadcasting Decree to protect the society from violence, pornography, sadism and mysticism,” he said.

According to Don Bosco, this KPI provision is different from ATVSI's code of ethics.

“ATVSI's code of ethics are valid for the internal, KPI's decision is general,” he said.
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World Health Assembly Grants Indonesia's Demand

2007-05-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

The World Health Assembly, during the 60th meeting in Geneva, Swiss, granted Indonesia's request for a more transparent mechanism as regards sending bird flu virus samples.

Because of this, developed countries will no longer be able to take advantage of poor countries attacked by bird flu.

“The resolution will bind all members of the World Health Organization (WHO),” wrote I Nyoman Kandun, Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Improvement at the Health Department, in a short message to Tempo yesterday (23/5).

Earlier, Indonesia refused to send H5N1 virus samples to the WHO's collaboration laboratory.

The reason for this is the virus, that must be given freely by infected countries, will later be used for research, including for producing bird flu vaccines.

The problem is, the vaccine made by developed countries will then be sold at an expensive price to the infected countries.

“Bird flu virus is provided free from developing countries, but medicinal companies take on a patent on the vaccines and sell it at an expensive price,” said Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari.

According to Kandun, in the future the resolution will be followed up with cooperation among governments and among divisions.

The cooperation is aimed at revising the term of reference and documents on virus shipping.

“Virus shipping must be done transparently, responsibly and beneficially for all sides in maintaining the world's health,” he said.

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Indonesia: Market for China's Export Product Remainders

2007-05-24T02:18:00.002-07:00

Indonesian domestic product industries are losing the competition against China's imported goods in the domestic market.

The goods from China which enter Indonesia are export remainders.

Cyrillus Harinowo, BCA's Independent Commissioner, said most of China's goods in Indonesia are export goods remainders.

“So the prices are much cheaper,” he said during the “Dragons at Your Door: China's Position in the World Trade Course and How Indonesian Entrepreneurs Response China's Excellence” discussion yesterday (21/5).

Almost all of Chinese exports to Indonesia are export product remainders sold at a very low price.

It is estimated that Chinese products that enter Indonesia amount to 10 percent of China's total exports.

Cyrillus asked that domestic producers make goods which can compete with China-made products.

This is because tariff and non-tariff impediments for restraining the export goods remainders are also not effective.

“It's difficult to face such goods,” said Cyrillus.
Imposing a 100 percent import duty, he said, would not influence the abundance of Chinese products.

The reason for this is that Chinese products will still be cheaper than the normal prices on the international market.

Cyrillus suggested that producers group together to produce medium quality products in order to face the invasion of Chinese products.

This is because Indonesia can export more natural resources products especially energy source and agriculture products that China does not have.

The University of Indonesia's Chinese Study Center Head, Ignasius Wibowo, said that productivity of workers in China is very high, so China can produce cheap products.

“No bureaucracy impediments and production costs are much cheaper. China has managed to build industrial centers,” he said.

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World Bank Supports Freedom of Information Bill

2007-05-24T02:18:00.001-07:00

The public being ably to access easily information from governmental institutions is considered as one of the important factors in advancing corruption eradication.
This was conveyed by World Bank communication officer, Ahmad Sukarsono.

“Indonesia already has good instruments for corruption eradication, but without public open access, i believe corruption eradication will be more difficult,” said Ahmad during the Workshop of Access to Obtain Information and Good Governance in Indonesia at Le Meridien Hotel, Jakarta, Tuesday (22/5).

According to Ahmad, the Freedom to Obtain Public Information (KMIP) Bill which is being discussed by the House of Representatives (DPR) will be the oxygen for corruption cases in Indonesia.

World Bank as a financial organization which often provides loans, supports this KMIP Bill being passed.

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Medicine Prices in Indonesia Extremely High

2007-05-22T20:12:00.002-07:00

The public buys medicine with a price that is actually higher than the standard price. This fact is rarely realized because the medicines are needed and the consumers are not given an option to use other medicines.

“Patients are often deceived,” said the Head of Indonesian Health Consumers Empowerment Foundation, Marius Widjajarta, in Jakarta yesterday (21/5).

According to Marius, the foundation he is leading has carried out a survey in 25 hospitals in Indonesia. The result is the costs expended by patients for medical devices and medicines reach 60 to 70 percent of the total cost. “This isn't natural. Patients should only spend 30 percent of the total cost for buying medicines,” he said.

Marius assumed that the ruse against patients is practiced by pharmaceutical companies and doctors who give the prescription. Pharmaceutical companies set a high price for medicines they produce. “The difference can be 200 percent of the generic medicines price,” he said.

It is very rare that patients refuse a prescription given by a doctor. In the meantime, doctors have a motive that patients buy the medicines they recommend. “Pharmaceutical companies give commissions to doctors. The commission is a reward as the doctors prescribe the medicines they produce,” said Marius.

This sham actually does not have to happen if the government's role in monitoring the labeling of medicines runs well. The government must also issue a regulation to determine the price of branded medicines.

Director General of Pharmaceutical Service and Medical Device Improvement at the Health Department, Richard Panjaitan, said that the government does not have the authority to determine the prices of branded medicines.

The government is only authorized to determine the prices of generic medicines to be consumed by the public. “For determining medicine’s price, a law is necessary. Now the draft is being composed by us,” he said.

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AGO Reopens BPPC Case

2007-05-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) will once again investigate the alleged corruption of the Coordination Body and Clove Marketing (BPPC) which involved Hutomo Mandala Putra a.k.a. Tommy Suharto. The investigation is the AGO's priority as it is considered as the case with the fastest verification process compared to the other Tommy's cases.

“The order to begin investigation was issued on May 7,” said Director of Criminal Act Investigation, Muhammad Salim, yesterday (21/5).

Salim explained that the indications of corruption in the BPPC case are strong. He said these include the requirement that BPPC did not carry out as regulated by the Presidential Instruction No. 1/1992. However, he did not explain it further.

Salim also stressed he will examine all sides related to BPPC, including the former Main Village Unit Cooperative Chairman, Nurdin Khalid. The AGO team, he said, is formulating the role of the main cooperative chairman.

AGO's Civil Director, Yoseph Suardi Sabda, said the alleged corruption in BPPC can be made as a means of disbursing Tommy Suharto's money in Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) Paribas of the Guernsey branch by the Indonesian government. If the investigation states Tommy's money must be seized, Yoseph believes that the money in Guernsey can be used to pay the compensation. The disbursement can be done through the civil and criminal procedure.

Tommy's lawyer, O.C. Kaligis, is of the opinion that AGO's measure is only a manipulation and seems to be forced. “The main purpose is only the verification of the Guernsey trial,” said Kaligis when contacted by Tempo.

A member of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) working body, Adnan Topan, is optimistic about the AGO's scenario. “The case hasn't expired. AGO can even name Tommy as a suspect,” he said.

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“England Must Oversee Origins of Oil Palm”

2007-05-21T03:02:00.001-07:00

England, as the biggest palm oil importer in the world after the Netherlands, must set up tight regulations on the origins of palm oil, which is to be a bio-fuel base commodity. This is because the development of a palm oil estate is closely related to deforestation and the orangutan slaughtering.

“We hope that the palm oil plantation will not destroy forests or habitats,” said Director of the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), Hardi Baktiantoro, during a rally in front of the British Embassy, Wednesday (16/5). In the rally, four COP activists wore the uniform of plantation officers and carried orangutan puppets, also fuel jerry cans.

Throughout 2006, said Hardi, the rescue team from the Forestry Department and the Nyarumenteng Orangutan Reintroduction Center, Central Kalimantan, managed to save 368 orangutans from a number of palm oil plantations. The plantation workers generally consider orangutans as pests as they eat palm oil leaves. They also chase orangutans from palm oil plantations. As a result, orangutans lose its habitats, water and food sources.

“This cruelty is a violation against the Decree No. 5/1990 on Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation. The perpetrators could face five year imprisonment or Rp100 million fine,” he said.

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Producers Lower CPO Sales Price

2007-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

The producers of crude palm oil (CPO) lowered the sales price at the factory level to Rp6,100 per kilogram starting yesterday (14/5). On Friday (11/5), the CPO sales price was Rp6,500 per kilogram.

By the decrease of the CPO sales price at factory level, it is expected that the price of cooking oil can decline to between Rp6,500 and Rp6,800 per kilogram, as expected by the government. The national average retail price of cooking oil is still Rp7,900 per kilogram.

This was an agreement between the government and CPO and cooking oil producers during the cooking oil price evaluation meeting at the Trade Department yesterday.

In the agreement in early May with the producers, the Trade Department threatened it will impose sanctions in the form of a hike in CPO export levies if producers could not lower the cooking oil price to Rp6,500-Rp6,800 on June 1.

Industry Minister, Fahmi Idris, said that producers were ready to supply between 100,000 and 150,000 tons of CPO to Java and outside Java. “As much as 80 percent goes to Java,” said Fahmi after the meeting.

Director General of Agriculture Products Marketing and Processing at the Agriculture Department, Djoko Said Damardjati, said yesterday that producers who are not in the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association were also willing to provide 10,000 tons of additional CPO, which only awaits the approval of company leaders in Malaysia.

The price of cooking oil up to last weekend in several regions was still high.

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Some State Officials Do Not Pay Tax

2007-05-17T18:40:00.002-07:00

The Tax Directorate General revealed several names of state officials who have not paid tax or submitted the Yearly Information (SPT) of Tax. “They also don't have a personal tax number (NPWP),” Tax Director General Darmin Nasution told reporters in Jakarta, yesterday (14/5).

Although he has pocketed the names, he refused to explain the identities of state officials who did not pay tax. He was also reluctant to give the details of institutions or departments of the officials who did not report their tax obligation by the Tax SPT because he will first report the cases to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Regarding the names of civil officials of echelon IV up to I who neither have NPWP nor submitted Tax SPT, they will be reported to the respective ministry or state institutions. “This is a part of tax intensification to optimize the state revenue,” he said.

A House member, Andi Rahmat, said that the signals of state officials not paying tax have already been there a long time and this could happen. However, there is a possibility that the officials did not intend to break the law or avoid the obligation to pay tax.

The State officials generally have NPWPs. The problem is, he said, they are not accustomd to filling out Tax SPT. “Perhaps many ministers don't know how to fill out Tax SPT,” he said while mentioning that he already filled out his Tax SPT.

Therefore, he said that the Tax Directorate General must intensify the campaign of self assessment of tax much more. “Everybody must have an NPWP, especially those whose income exceeds the income that is tax-free,” he said.

He was sorry that Indonesia does not have a solid system yet like European countries which already implemented NPWP ownership. “In Europe, even people who want to make a call must show his or her NPWP, so they comply with the tax system,” he said.

He still supports the publication of the tax embezzlers. “The Tax Directorate General's findings must be revealed soon so that people feel the obligation to pay tax.”

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tempo

Tax Officials to Hunt Down Sukanto Tanoto

2007-05-17T18:40:00.001-07:00

The Tax Directorate General at the Finance Department will concentrate on hunting down the main players in the Asian Agri Group tax embezzlement case, including the company's owner Sukanto Tanoto and the other shareholders.

Mochamad Tjiptardjo, Director of Tax Intelligence and Investigation at the Finance Department's Tax Directorate General, did not deny the possibility that the Asian Agri's owner could be legally charged.

”If there is proof, then why not? This is already classified as a criminal case,” said Tjiptardjo in Jakarta yesterday (15/5).

“The numbers of the suspects and the amount of the state's losses may increase,” he said

When asked the same question, whether or not the Tax Directorate General would also hunt down Sukanto Tanoto, on a separate occasion, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said, “We'll see how the Tax Directorate General handles the case. But clearly, the government will chase after payment of all the tax debts plus the fines.”

On Monday (14/5), the Tax Directorate General already stated that five Asian Agri Group directors were suspects of tax embezzlement. The five persons' initials are LA, WT, ST, TNK and AN.

Asian Agri is the second biggest holding company in the Grup Raja Garuda Mas – a company owned by Sukanto Tanoto, Indonesia's richest person in 2006 according to Forbes magazine.

According to Tjiptardjo, 18 members of the Tax Directorate General investigation team are working domestically and abroad to search for new findings in the case.

The legal base being used to charge the embezzlers, including those who asked for the manipulation to be carried out, he said, was Decree No. 16/2000 on Tax General Provisions and Procedures.

So far, according to him, the case development was only as far as the involvement of the five Asian Agri directors.

Signs regard new suspects have not yet been reached at this level of the investigation.

It is so far estimated that the state's losses amount to Rp786.3 billion, or around 30 percent from the total funds marked-up by the company which reached Rp2.62 trillion, but this amount could rise.

According to M. Salim, Director of the Attorney General's Office Investigators, the AGO is still analyzing public complaints about Asian Agri’s alleged corruption and tax embezzlement practices.

“We just received the reports last week,” said Salim.

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tempo

Bappenas Reviews Foreign Loan Agreement Clause

2007-05-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) will review the clauses in the foreign loan agreement document.

According to the State Minister for National Development Planning, Paskah Suzetta, so far there is not any room for the government to change the current clauses in the foreign loan agreement document. The government could only agree upon the foreign loan agreement document. “Of course this has the potential to cause unfairness for debtor countries (Indonesia),” he said in Jakarta yesterday (10/5).

The composition of the foreign loan agreement document is a crucial phase. During this phase, he said, there must be a mastery of many substances such as financial and legal. “The two aspects are important prerequisites in the negotiation process,” he said.

So that the negotiation agreement is beneficial for Indonesia, the government will compose a guide of negotiations and composition of foreign loan agreement documents. The guide is aimed at making sure the bargaining positions of the government and the donors are equal. As a result, the relation between debtor and creditor is beneficial for each and this reduces the interest of one side. “The guide must be accompanied by the increase of the negotiators' ability,” said Paskah.

On Wednesday (9/5), Bappenas' Director of Development Funding Monitoring and Evaluation, Benedictus Benny Setiawan said the requirements and grant program or loans are made only for the creditors' interest. This can happen because the diplomatic ability of Indonesians is still weak. However, now the government's bargaining position has increased so it can decide by itself the project priority or programs funded by grant or loan in line with the work and development agenda

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source

Seven Companies Ready to Form Palapa Ring Consortium

2007-05-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

Seven companies have stated their readiness to form a consortium of national fiber optic network construction project worth US$1.517 billion or around Rp13 trillion.

The seven companies will sign the memorandum of the project known as Palapa Ring next Wednesday (16/5).

Basuki Yusuf Iskandar, Director General of Post and Telecommunications, said that the consortium business model was taken to overcome the need of large funds for the Palapa Ring project.

“Together, the cost burden will be lesser,” said Basuki after the transfer of Information and Communication minister post at the Information and Communication Department building, Jakarta, Wednesday (9/5).

He explained that the ownership of the fiber optic network will be submitted to each of the companies in the business scheme consortium.

The government only acts as facilitator for each company.
The companies that are ready to join the Palapa Ring consortium are PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk. (Telkom), PT Indosat Tbk., PT Exelcomindo Pratama,Tbk., PT Infokom Elektrindo, PT Bakrie Telecom Tbk., PT Powertek Utama Internusa and PT Nusantara Ekaprana Teknoguna Kelola.
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tempo

Government to Accelerate SOE Privatization

2007-05-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

The government will accelerate the privatization of several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) this year.

“Privatization that has already been approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) must be speeded up,” Sofyan Djalil, SOE Minister, told reporters at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, yesterday (7/5).

Sofyan was installed as SOE Minister recently, replacing Sugiharto in the cabinet reshuffle announced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, on Monday (7/5).

In addition to BNI, he said that SOE privatizations to be accelerated include PT Wijaya Karya and PT Jasa Marga.

“As regards Garuda (Indonesia), I don't know yet,” said Sofyan

According to him, another privatization that must be accelerated include further divestment and the rights issue of PT Bank Negara Indonesia because this has already have approved by DPR members.

“With right issue to market, capitalization will be strong,” said Sofyan.

DPR in fact approved BNI privatization using a secondary public offering of 15 percent and rights issue of 15 percent with an additional option of five percent.

Maximum divestment is 35 percent and minimum 30 percent.
Currently, 99.17 percent of BNI shares is owned by the government and the remainder by the public.

Divestment of BNI shares is aimed at fulfilling privatization target in the State Budget by Rp3.3 trillion.

Further BNI divestment is targeted to be realized in the first half of this year.

Wijaya Karya will carry out an initial public offering (IPO) of 35 percent with targeted proceeds of Rp500 billion.

As regards Jasa Marga, it will offer 30 percent shares in an IPO, with proceeds target of Rp2 trillion.

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tempo

Banks Compelled to Implement International Standard Financial Statement

2007-05-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

Bank Indonesia (BI) will oblige banks to implement the International Financial Reporting Standards/IFRC) by 2010. The implementation of this international-scale international financial reporting standard will be carried out gradually starting next year. “The implementation is gradual, but in 2010 all banks must utilize it,” said Deputy BI Governor Siti Fadrijah in Jakarta yesterday (7/5).

The standard international financial statement are the accounting and reporting standards which are valid internationally. The financial standard accounting statement used by the Indonesian Accountants Association (IAI) is also based on the international provision.

The implementation of the standard international financial statement will influence the evaluation of companies’ or banks’ assets and liability. This affects both profit and loss. If the net difference is negative, the profit decreases automatically. Thus, he said, Bank Indonesia will analyze any concepts or components which will be included in the international standard financial statement analysis.

According to him, BI and IAI are also analyzing accounting standards which are to be included in the international financial statement component. “This (IFRS implementation) must be analyzed carefully so that it doesn't cause an upheaval.”

PT Bank Mandiri 's Director, Pahala N. Mansyuri, said that consistent IFRS implementation will benefit banks in the long term.

However, he is of the opinion that IFRS will face impediments if the international accounting standard component (IAS) 39 is included.

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tempo

Met Idul Fitri 1 - 2 Syawal 1427 H

2006-10-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

wah... udah ga kerasa sudah mau lebaran lagi,
waktu terus berlalu,

dan tak teraasa, dosa dan kesalahan menumpuk
kawan....
maafkan aku
selama ini selalu menyusahkan mu

Minal Aidin Wal Fa Idzin
Mohon Maaf Lahir & Bathin

*kirim2 ketupat yoo...

Microsoft Confirms Vista Pricing

2006-09-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corp. announced on Tuesday U.S. prices for Windows Vista, the long-awaited new version of the operating system that sits on more than 90 percent of the world's PCs.

Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, also reconfirmed its plan to target a general launch of the product in January after making it available to large-volume business customers in November.

Windows Vista, already five years in the making, has been postponed by Microsoft several times.

The pricing is identical to what Amazon.com reported last week. Click here for the complete list.

The software maker set the retail price for Vista at between $199 to $399, ranging from the basic version to the top-end "ultimate" edition. For customers upgrading from Windows XP, Vista will cost between $100 and $259.

Microsoft released on Friday a test version of Windows, dubbed Release Candidate 1, and made it available to more than 5 million customers worldwide.

Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund said the initial feedback on the test version of Vista is encouraging.

"While substantial progress has been made with Vista, the timing is still iffy in our view and feedback over the next few weeks will be critical," said Sherlund in a note to clients.

Shares of Microsoft fell 6 cents to $25.78 on the Nasdaq.

Hurricane John killed 5 people in Mexico

2006-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, Mexico -- An American surfer and a British camper were among five people killed by Hurricane John as it swept through the Baja California peninsula, authorities said Tuesday.

In Todos Santos, John Anthony Ralls, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot from California, was killed while trying to surf in the crashing waves whipped up by the hurricane, said state police spokesman Juan Carlos de Jesus Jimenez.

Peter George Clark, 66, a British man with U.S. citizenship, died when his camper was swept away by Hurricane John floodwaters. Mel Humer, another camper whose nationality was unknown, was reported missing, Jimenez said. He had no further details.

Three Mexicans also died: a 34-year-old rancher who was carried away by a current after he went to check on his horses; a 56-year-old woman who fell from her roof; and a state worker clearing debris who was carried away by floodwaters. The woman's 55-year-old companion was reported missing.

Officials earlier had said there were no reported fatalities from John, which struck Friday near the southern tip of the Baja peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 180 kph (110 mph). In La Paz, the state capital of about 150,000 people, John ripped tin roofs off houses, downed trees and power lines, and flooded streets.

A total of 160 houses on the peninsula lost roofs and four houses collapsed, officials said. About 1,155 people remained in government shelters. Mexico's health secretary was sending in teams to protect the state against dengue and other diseases.

John initially was forecast to slam into the resort area of Los Cabos and move westward out to sea, but forecasters said a high-pressure ridge was weaker than expected and enabled the storm to keep traveling north up the peninsula.

'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin dead

2006-09-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

SYDNEY, Australia -- Steve Irwin, the enthusiastic "Crocodile Hunter" who enthralled audiences around the world with his wildlife adventures, died Monday morning after being stung by a stingray while shooting a TV program off Australia's north coast.

Media reports say Irwin was snorkeling at Batt Reef, a part of the Great Barrier Reef about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) from the town of Port Douglas, when the incident happened.

Irwin, 44, was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest, according to Cairns police sources.

Irwin was in the area to film pieces for a show called "The Ocean's Deadliest" with Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques, according to Irwin's manager and friend John Stainton. But weather had prevented the crew from doing work for that program, Stainton said, so Irwin decided to do some softer features for a new children's TV show he was doing with his daughter, Bindi.

"He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," Stainton said.

Wildlife documentary maker Ben Cropp, citing a colleague who saw footage of the attack, told Time.com that Irwin had accidentally boxed the animal in. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest," said Cropp. "It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger."

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media.

Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family had been notified.

Irwin was director of the Australia Zoo in Queensland. He is survived by his American-born wife, Terri, and their two children, Bindi Sue, born 1998, and Robert (Bob), born December 2003.

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns, according to The Associated Press. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!' "

"Steve was a larger-than-life force. He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe," said Discovery Communications founder and chairman John Hendricks in a statement. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to Terri, Bindi and Bob Irwin as well as to the incredible staff and many friends Steve leaves behind."

Irwin's "Crocodile Hunter" show aired on the company's Animal Planet network.

Rise to popularity

Irwin became popular with his show "Crocodile Hunter," which first aired on Australian TV in 1992. Eventually, the program was picked up by Discovery in the United States, establishing Irwin worldwide.

His popularity led to a film, "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course" (2002).

Irwin was caught in a minor flap in January 2004 when he held his then 1-month-old son while feeding a crocodile at his Australian zoo.

In 2003, Irwin spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s "Australian Story" television program about how he was perceived in his home country.

"When I see what's happened all over the world, they're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke," he told the ABC.

"And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing. You know, there's this ... they kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with 'Crikey' and 'Look at this beauty.' "

At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes, the AP reported. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate, according to the AP.

"He has left a legacy: That people do love some of the unloved animals like crocodiles and reptiles that people wanted to kill," Stainton told CNN. "He's actually put a position in their hearts for them. I want that to continue. ... I want people to really go out there and remember Steve Irwin for what he really was, which was a great conservationist, saving wildlife and actually promoting wildlife that people didn't love."

Eonia

2006-09-04T01:45:00.000-07:00

Eonia (Euro OverNight Index Average) is an effective overnight rate computed as a weighted average of all overnight unsecured lending transactions in the interbank market. It has been initiated within the euro area by the contributing panel banks. It is one of the two benchmarks for the money and capital markets in the euro zone (the other one being Euribor). The Eonia benchmark was 2.6% on June 15, 2006.

Eonia reference rates are published on the Moneyline Telerate pages 247 and 47867. Informative historical data can also be found at the Euribor homepage.

SanDisk Unleashes New Midrange MP3 Player

2006-09-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

On the heels of SanDisk's excellent Sansa e200 series of flash-based MP3 players comes the new c200 series, which benefits from SanDisk's increasingly aggressive pricing strategy. The Sansa c200 will be available in 1GB (c240) and 2GB (c250) capacities for $79.99 and $99.99 (list), respectively, in October.

The players will also have a microSD card slot for up to 2GB worth of expandable storage, as well as a 1.4-inch LCD screen, an FM tuner, a voice recorder, and a user-replaceable rechargeable battery rated for up to 15 hours of playback. The c200 will be significantly slimmer than the c100 series (which use triple-A batteries), measuring 0.6 by 1.3 by 3.1 inches and weighing a mere 1.5 ounces.

The devices will support playback of MP3, WMA, protected WMA (PlaysForSure-compatible), and Audible audiobooks, as well as JPEG photos. Photos must be transferred to PC via the included SanDisk Media Converter software, but music can also be loaded via Windows Media Player or through Windows or Mac OS file systems.

he c200 fills out a very nice lineup of products, falling squarely in between the c100 and the e200 series. Given SanDisk's excellent position in the flash memory market, which enables its aggressive pricing, it's no wonder SanDisk is the clear Number Two behind the Apple juggernaut.

At 2-Year Colleges, Students Eager but Unready

2006-09-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

At first, Michael Walton, starting at community college here, was sure that there was some mistake. Having done so well in high school in West Virginia that he graduated a year and a half early, how could he need remedial math?

Eighteen and temperamental, Mickey, as everyone calls him, hounded the dean, insisting that she take another look at his placement exam. The dean stood firm. Mr. Walton’s anger grew. He took the exam a second time. Same result.

“I flipped out big time,’’ Mr. Walton said.

Because he had no trouble balancing his checkbook, he took himself for a math wiz. But he could barely remember the Pythagorean theorem and had trouble applying sine, cosine and tangent to figure out angles on the geometry questions.

Mr. Walton is not unusual. As the new school year begins, the nation’s 1,200 community colleges are being deluged with hundreds of thousands of students unprepared for college-level work.

Though higher education is now a near-universal aspiration, researchers suggest that close to half the students who enter college need remedial courses.

The shortfalls persist despite high-profile efforts by public universities to crack down on ill-prepared students.

Since the City University of New York, the largest urban public university, barred students who need remediation from attending its four-year colleges in 1999, others have followed with similar steps.

California State set an ambitious goal to cut the proportion of unprepared freshmen to 10 percent by 2007, largely by testing them as high school juniors and having them make up for deficiencies in the 12th grade.

Cal State appears nowhere close to its goal. In reading alone, nearly half the high school juniors appear unprepared for college-level work.

Aside from New York City’s higher education system, at least 12 states explicitly bar state universities from providing remedial courses or take other steps like deferred admissions to steer students needing helping toward technical or community colleges.

Some students who need to catch up attend two- and four-year institutions simultaneously.

The efforts, educators say, have not cut back on the thousands of students who lack basic skills. Instead, the colleges have clustered those students in community colleges, where their chances of succeeding are low and where taxpayers pay a second time to bring them up to college level.

The phenomenon has educators struggling with fundamental questions about access to education, standards and equal opportunity.

Michael W. Kirst, a Stanford professor who was a co-author of a report on the gap between aspirations and college attainment, said that 73 percent of students entering community colleges hoped to earn four-year degrees, but that only 22 percent had done so after six years.

“You can get into school,” Professor Kirst said. “That’s not a problem. But you can’t succeed.’’

Nearly half the 14.7 million undergraduates at two- and four-year institutions never receive degrees. The deficiencies turn up not just in math, science and engineering, areas in which a growing chorus warns of difficulties in the face of global competition, but also in the basics of reading and writing.

According to scores on the 2006 ACT college entrance exam, 21 percent of students applying to four-year institutions are ready for college-level work in all four areas tested, reading, writing, math and biology.

For many students, the outlook does not improve after college. The Pew Charitable Trusts recently found that three-quarters of community college graduates were not literate enough to handle everyday tasks like comparing viewpoints in newspaper editorials or calculating the cost of food items per ounce.

The unyielding statistics showcase a deep disconnection between what high school teachers think that their students need to know and what professors, even at two-year colleges, expect them to know.

At Cal State, the system admits only students with at least a B average in high school. Nevertheless, 37 percent of the incoming class last year needed remedial math, and 45 percent needed remedial English.

New Skype Phone Doesn't Need PC or Wi-Fi

2006-09-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Skype announced a new cordless phone on Thursday that sends and receives Skype calls just like a landline, but without the need for a computer.

Typically, Skype phones work through a computer or a laptop. The new Philips VOIP841 plugs into a standard RJ-11 home phone jack, as well as into an RJ-45 broadband connection jack. It can send and receive Skype calls as well as calls from a regular home phone number.

"So now in order to have Skype, you don't have to have a PC," said Manrique Brenes, director of hardware business development for Skype. But you do have to have a broadband connection.

"If someone calls on the regular phone, it will ring. If someone calls you on your Skype, it will ring. It's similar to the experience you have on the laptop, but it's a lot easier to use. We've had a lot of success with the regular USB phones, and we think this is taking it a step further."

Skype partnered with Philips to make the new cordless phone, but they expect to partner with other manufacturers in the near future. The phone will debut at the Internationale Funkausstellung, a consumer electronics show in Berlin, on Thursday. It will be available to consumers during the holiday buying season for around $150.

The Philips VOIP841 has a screen with an interface that looks like Skype's program where users can log in with their password so that the phone automatically downloads the users' Skype contacts. Users can also search for Skype contacts directly on the phone and add them to an integrated contact list for both Skype contacts and traditional phone numbers.

Although a cordless Skype phone could in theory replace a home phone, Brenes was careful to point out that replacing landlines is not the company's intention.

"Ultimately, we don't intend to be a landline replacement service," Brenes said. "Landlines provide services that we don't provide, like emergency calling services. We see this as an extension of our Skype plan, that provides video and file transfer that the landlines don't do. This is essentially a bridge between your traditional landline and the Skype experience."

Brenes said that a cordless Skype phone is ideal for consumers who make a lot of international and long-distance calls, but aren't necessarily computer savvy.

"My parents for example are really not computer centric people," Brenes said. "So I can get one of these devices for them, hook it up to their broadband connection and suddenly you don't need a computer. My parents have children that are still teenagers and they have a PC with a broadband connection, but my father never sits in front of it."

With the success of Skype, telephony vendors seem eager to bring the service to business and home lines as quickly as possible. On Tuesday, Actiontec announced a Skype-approved private branch exchange (PBX) product that allows every phone extension in an office to make and receive Skype calls without changing existing phone equipment.

Designed for businesses of 10 to 300 employees, the VoSKY Exchange is a videocassette-sized device that plugs into the PBX on one end and a Windows XP computer on the other. It adds up to four outgoing Skype lines to the PBX, with rollover capabilities in the event that one line is busy. It is available now for $799.

Microsoft's Family Safety Enters Public Beta

2006-08-31T23:35:00.000-07:00

After a period of internal beta testing, Microsoft today released the Family Safety service to public beta. At the same time, Microsoft announced plans to move Family Safety into the OneCare brand, along with the free Safety Scanner and OneCare Advisor toolbar.

According to Dennis Bonsall, Director for Windows Live OneCare, initially the products will just be re-branded—for example, Family Safety becomes Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. Going forward they will be integrated into OneCare, with automatic updating like the existing OneCare features. This will effectively produce two tiers of OneCare subscription, a free version and a paid version. Windows Defender won't be part of this package; while it's installed along with OneCare it's not actually a part of OneCare.

Alan Packer, Product Manager for Family Safety, referenced a survey showing that 90% of parents said they wanted some kind of protection for their children but only 10% were using parental-control products. Some didn't like the idea of controlling or spying on their kids. Others found the products awkward and obtrusive. Family Safety aims to keep the family safe yet be easy to use, minimally intrusive, and non-punitive. The free opt-in service ties directly to existing or new Windows Live accounts. It can limit access to age-inappropriate sites and can also keep your family safe from inappropriate contacts—predators and frauds.

Microsoft has worked with outside experts such as the American Academy of Pediatricians to define just what categories of content are appropriate for children of different ages. For example, a 12-year-old is allowed by default to visit sex education sites, while younger children aren't. Besides allowing or blocking each category, you can set the product to "warning mode". In this mode it warns that the requested page may be inappropriate, but lets the user choose whether to visit it anyway. This warning mode can be useful even for administrators, to avoid visiting porn sites accidentally by mistyping a URL. For very young children you can restrict access to a user-defined list of allowed sites or use a Microsoft-defined list of kid-oriented sites.

Once configured, your settings can "roam"—they apply to each computer that has Family Safety installed. A small client application on each computer filters all HTTP traffic, regardless of the browser, and sends each requested URL to a Web service for analysis. For pages that have been pre-analyzed by Microsoft's Web crawlers, the response will come back right away. Access to dynamic content or a not-yet-analyzed page may be slowed by a few seconds.

If Family Safety blocks a page your child thinks is valid, she can click a simple link to request permission. A parent at home can grant permission "over the shoulder" by typing the administrator password. Otherwise Family Safety notifies each administrator of the request via e-mail. On receiving the notification at work or around the world you simply log on, click a link, and allow or deny the request. You can also view a log of each child's surfing history, including whether each site was allowed or blocked. And you can quickly change any logged site to allow or block it.

Asked about the Parental Control feature built into Vista, Packer said Family Safety complements it. Vista does include content-based filtering, and Family Safety will use defined APIs to tie directly into that feature. But Vista also offers application control, game control, and scheduling of when each user is allowed on the Internet. These client-side parental controls are distinct from and complementary to the connection-based Family Safety service.

The initial beta of Family Safety includes just this content filtering. Packer said Microsoft wants to get it into the hands of many users and get their impressions. In particular, he admitted that the process of signing up for Windows Live IDs and defining the family links is rather awkward at present—user feedback will help refine and simplify this process. Going forward the contact management features will be rolled into the beta. Parents will be able to view and control their children's contact lists for Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail. In addition, if the children have set up a page in Windows Live Spaces parents will define just who is allowed to visit that page. That way the kids can share personal information and pictures of themselves with family and friends, but not with Internet predators. The final full-featured product release is planned for the end of this year.

You can download the beta version of Family Safety now at http://onecare.live.com/familysafety.

Yahoo!

2006-08-30T02:35:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! Inc. is an American computer services company. It operates an Internet portal, the Yahoo! Directory and a host of other services including Yahoo! Mail. It was founded by Stanford graduate students David Filo and Jerry Yang in January of 1994 and incorporated on March 2, 1995. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

According to Web trends companies Alexa Internet and Netcraft, Yahoo! is the most visited website on the Internet today with more than 412 million unique users. The global network of Yahoo! websites received 3.4 billion page views per day on average as of October 2005.

History

Yahoo! started out as "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web", a web site featuring a directory of other sites, organized in a hierarchy (rather than a searchable index of pages). It was renamed "Yahoo!" shortly thereafter. "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle" is a backronym for this name, but Filo and Yang insist they selected the name because they liked the word's general definition, as in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth." As the backronymed version of the name implies, it was not the first directory of its kind, but it was the first to become widely popular as "the" directory of the fledgling Web. Yahoo! itself first resided on Yang's student workstation, "Akebono," while the software was lodged on Filo's computer, "Konishiki", both named after famous sumo wrestlers. The "yet another" phrasing goes back at least to the Unix utility yacc, whose name is an acronym for "yet another compiler compiler".

Yahoo! had its initial public offering on April 12, 1996, raising $33.8 million, by selling 2.6 million shares at US$13 each.

As Yahoo!'s popularity has increased, so has the range of features it offers, making it a kind of one-stop shop for all the popular activities of the Internet. These now include: Yahoo! Mail, a Web-based e-mail service, Yahoo! Messenger, an instant messaging client, a very popular mailing list service (Yahoo! Groups), online gaming and chat, various news and information portals, online shopping and online auction facilities. Many of these are based at least in part on previously independent services, which Yahoo! has acquired - such as the popular GeoCities free Web-hosting service, Rocketmail, and various competing mailing list providers such as eGroups. Many of these take-overs were controversial and unpopular with users of the existing services, as Yahoo! often changed the relevant terms of service. An example of this is their claiming intellectual property rights for the content on their servers, which the original companies had not done.

At the pinnacle of the Internet boom in the year 2000, the cable news station CNBC reported that Yahoo! and eBay were discussing a 50/50 merger. Although the merger never materialised the two companies decided to form a marketing/advertising alliance six years later in 2006.

Yahoo! has partnerships with telecommunications and Internet providers - such as BT in the UK, Rogers in Canada, and AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth in the US - to create content-rich broadband services to rival those offered by AOL. The company offers a branded credit card, Yahoo! Visa, through a partnership with First USA.

Beginning in late 2002, Yahoo! began to bolster its search services by acquiring relevant companies. In December 2002, Yahoo! acquired Inktomi, and in July 2003, it acquired Overture Services, Inc. and its subsidiaries AltaVista and AlltheWeb.

As of 2005 Yahoo!'s news message boards have gained something of a cult following. Attached to every story is a discussion board, yet rarely are the posts pertinent to the story. Often, the posts are deliberately outrageous, attempting to provoke angry responses which, in turn, lead to more offensive posts and so on.

In June 2005 Yahoo! acquired blo.gs, a service based on RSS feed aggregation, primarily from weblogs (hence the name), which produces a simple list (and also an RSS feed thereof) of freshly updated Weblogs, ordered according to recentness of update. blo.gs was the first Internet company hosted on a domain hack Yahoo! acquired, del.icio.us being the second.

Yahoo!-owned sites and services

This is a partial, alphabetized list. For a complete listing of the services see List of Yahoo! services.

Ask Yahoo! – a question and answer column, http://ask.yahoo.com/
Blo.gs – a directory of recently updated blogs, http://blo.gs/
del.icio.us – popular social bookmarking site, http://del.icio.us/
Dialpad – a phone company, http://www.dialpad.com/
Flickr – popular photo sharing site, http://flickr.com/
GeoCities – free web hosting service, http://geocities.yahoo.com/
Kelkoo – price comparison service for ten European countries – http://www.kelkoo.com/
My Yahoo! – customizable portal, http://my.yahoo.com
Upcoming.org – Social event calendar driven by people, http://www.upcoming.org/
Webjay – playlist sharing community http://www.webjay.org/
Yahoo! 360° – free blogging and social networking service, http://360.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! 7 – joint entity with Seven Network Australia, http://yahoo7.com.au
Yodel Anecdotal – Yahoo!'s Corporate blog, – http://yodel.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Answers – a place where you can get your questions answered by real people in real time, http://answers.yahoo.com
Yahoo! Avatars – http://avatars.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Auctions – an online auction site, http://auctions.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Autos – http://autos.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Assistant – a Browser Helper Object for Internet Explorer
Yahoo! Briefcase – free file hosting service, http://briefcase.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Broadway – http://broadway.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Buzz Log – a column that talks about what people are searching Yahoo! for, http://buzz.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Developer Network – resources for software developers using Yahoo! technologies and Web services, http://developer.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Directory – hierarchical web directory, http://dir.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Finance – stock exchange rates and other financial information, http://finance.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Gallery – Directory of applications built by third-party developers using Yahoo! technology, http://gallery.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Games – playing games (i. e. on-line against other users), http://games.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Greetings – an e-card service with partners American Greetings, http://www.yahoo.americangreetings.com/
Yahoo! Groups – electronic mailing list and internet forum, http://groups.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! HotJobs – job search engine, http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Local – customized local information, http://local.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Mail – web-based email, http://mail.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Maps – mapping portal, http://maps.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Messenger – instant messaging client, http://messenger.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Mobile – Yahoo! for mobile phones, http://mobile.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Movies – showtimes, movie trailers, movie information, gossip, http://movies.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Music – Music videos and internet radio (LAUNCHcast) plus pay service Yahoo! Music Unlimited. http://music.yahoo.com/ and Yahoo! Music Engine.
Yahoo! News – news updates and top stories at Yahoo! News, including world, national, business, entertainment, sports, weather, technology, and weird news. – http://news.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Personals – http://personals.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Photos – http://photos.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Podcasts (beta) – http://podcasts.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Publisher Network – advertising network, http://publisher.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Real Estate – http://realestate.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Research – http://research.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Search – web search engine, http://search.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Search Marketing – pay per click search engine, http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Shopping – shopping search & compare, http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Small Business – domains, web hosting and ecommerce services, http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Soccer Manager – online soccer game, http://uk.soccermanager.yahoo.net/
Yahoo! Sports – scores, stats, and fantasy sports, http://sports.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Tech – product information and advice, http://tech.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Travel – travel guides, booking and reservation, http://travel.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! TV – TV listings, scheduling recordings on Tivo box remotely http://tv.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Video – Video sharing site http://video.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Widgets – a cross-platform desktop widget runtime environment, formerly called Konfabulator
Yahooligans! – Children's version of the web portal. – http://www.yahooligans.com/

Inside Windows Vista Build 5536

2006-08-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

With Release Candidate 1 expected in the near future, Microsoft quietly produced another interim release. Microsoft continues to focus on polish and overall improvement in compatibility, stability, and performance in Build 5536.

This weekend, Microsoft quietly produced a new interim release of Windows Vista, build 5536, which is available to select beta testers. Build 5536 is the first release we've seen that's officially on the RC1—Release Candidate 1—branch of the Vista code base. With RC1 itself expected in the near future, we haven't tested build 5536 aggressively, since the actual RC1 code will provide the best indication of how close Vista is to being truly ready for the marketplace. But, of course, I did install build 5536 to get a sense of the progress Microsoft has made since build 5472, the last release I covered in depth.

Build 5536 installed smoothly on both my desktop and notebook test systems. Then again, I've generally had better luck than some of my colleagues with various Vista beta releases, and I can't claim that my experience is necessarily typical. I did notice that build 5536 seemed to install much faster than earlier builds I've tested—on the order of 30 minutes (starting from a newly-reformatted partition) rather than the hour or so it's required in the past. It also silently downloaded a patch and some drivers for audio hardware that wasn't initially recognized during the installation process.

So far, build 5536 has behaved fairly well and seems to run snappily. Aside from my inability to install some applications, the biggest problem I've encountered in this release is that resuming from sleep has been unreliable and extremely slow. Putting a computer to sleep only takes a few seconds, but resuming has taken as long as 2 minutes.

At this point, overtly apparent changes in Vista from release to release are relatively minimal. Microsoft is applying cosmetic polish and working on improving compatibility, stability, and performance. In particular, I'm finding networking capabilities in build 5536 behave much more like I'd expect—machines connected both by Ethernet and Wi-Fi are able to locate nearby machines and share files without hassles. Connecting to shared printers finally seems to work the way it should, too.

Windows Media Player 11, which seemed plagued by instability in the previous build I tested, has so far worked reliably. I'm happy to see that Vista's application-specific volume controls also seem to be shaping up.

Build 5536 includes a link to a Program Compatibility Wizard on the desktop. When Vista thinks an application didn't install successfully, it offers to retry the installation in a compatibility mode that lets you emulate earlier versions of Windows. Even after running the compatibility wizard, though, I wasn't able to successfully install one of the programming tools I rely on, ActiveState Perl.

The User Account Control feature that's a key aspect of Vista's security strategy seems like it's getting less intrusive—either that, or I'm getting more used to it. But in my conversations with Microsoft since Beta 2, the company has convincingly demonstrated how it uses the instrumentation built into Vista to determine which use cases most often generate dialogs and then work to mitigate those, so I'm not surprised that the experience is improving.

Evidence of Microsoft's continued efforts to fine-tune Vista's interface are also apparent in build 5536. The Flip 3-D view that shows you open applications in perspective when you press Windows-Tab has eliminated the jaggy edges that detracted from previous implementations.

Tiny wireless memory chip debuts

2006-08-29T04:38:00.000-07:00

A chip the size of a grain of rice that can store 100 pages of text and swaps data via wireless has been developed by Hewlett-Packard.

The tiny chip was small enough to embed in almost any object, said HP.

The chip could be used to ensure drugs have not been counterfeited, on patient wristbands in hospitals or to add sounds or video to postcards, said HP.

But it warned that the device was at least two years away from being a finished product.

Quick chip

The chip, developed by the Memory Spot research team at HP, is 2-4mm square and current versions can hold up to 512 kilobytes of data.

HP said the amount of memory onboard the tiny chip was likely to grow in future versions.

Data can be moved in and out of the chip at speeds of up to 10 megabits per second - far faster than is possible with other short-range radio systems such as Bluetooth or Radio Frequency ID tags.

"This really bridges the digital and physical worlds," said Howard Taub, associate director at HP Labs. "The digital data is attached to the physical object it's related to."

Mr Taub speculated that the tiny chip could be used to identify drugs and spot fake pharmaceuticals, or in hospitals to log all the treatment a patient has received.

Because the chips were so small and easy to make, they could be embedded in documents as they were printed, stuck to any surface or made into a book of self-adhesive dots, he added.

"There's no question that it has long-term potential," said Tim Bajarin, head of Californian market researcher Creative Strategies.

All the components to make the chip, including modem, antenna, microprocessor and memory, can be fabricated as a single unit helping to keep unit costs low. HP speculated that once in production the devices could cost as little as one dollar each.

No battery is needed because devices reading data from the chip will provide power by induction.

HP said it would show the chip to standards bodies in the hi-tech industry with a view to getting it widely adopted. It warned that the chip was at least two years away from commercialisation.

The Memory Spot chip has been developed over the past four years by researchers at HP's research laboratory in Bristol, UK.

Mesothelioma

2006-08-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. There is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.

Sign and Symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

chest wall pain
pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
shortness of breath
wheezing, hoarseness, or cough

In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:

abdominal pain
ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
a mass in the abdomen
problems with bowel function
weight loss

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:

blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
low blood sugar level
pleural effusion
pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
severe ascites

A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history. A history of exposure to asbestos may increase clinical suspicion for mesothelioma. A physical examination is performed, followed by chest X-ray and often lung function tests. The X-ray may reveal pleural thickening commonly seen after asbestos exposure and increases suspicion of mesothelioma. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI is usually performed. If a large amount of fluid is present, abnormal cells may be detected by cytology if this fluid is aspirated with a syringe. For pleural fluid this is done by a pleural tap or chest drain, in ascites with an paracentesis or ascitic drain and in a pericardial effusion with pericardiocentesis. While absence of malignant cells on cytology does not completely exclude mesothelioma, it makes it much more unlikely, especially if an alternative diagnosis can be made (e.g. tuberculosis, heart failure).

If cytology is positive or a plaque is regarded as suspicious, a biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. A doctor removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a histopathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples.

If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a laparoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.

Equity loan

2006-08-28T04:18:00.000-07:00

An equity loan is a mortgage placed on real estate in exchange for cash to the borrower. For example, if a person owns a home worth $100,000, but does not currently have a lien on it, they may take an equity loan at 80% loan to value (LTV) or $80,000 in cash in exchange for a lien on title placed by the lender of the equity loan.

Many lending institutions require the borrower to repay only an interest component of the loan each month (calculated daily, and compounded to the loan once each month). The borrower can apply any surplus funds to the outstanding loan principal at any time, reducing the amount of interest calculated from that day onwards. Some loan products also allow the possibility to redraw cash up to the original LTV, potentially perpetuating the life of the loan beyond the original loan term.

The rate of interest applied to equity loans is much lower than that applied to unsecured loans, such as credit card debt.

Witnesses: 2 Israeli missiles hit Reuters car

2006-08-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

Israeli aircraft fired two missiles early Sunday at an armored car belonging to the Reuters news agency, wounding five people, including two cameramen, Palestinian witnesses and hospital officials said.

The Israeli army said it did not realize the car's passengers were journalists and only attacked because the vehicle was driving in a suspicious manner near Israeli troops in the middle of a combat zone.

The airstrike on the journalists' car came as Israeli soldiers backed by two dozen tanks, two bulldozers, helicopters and drone planes moved into an area just inside the Gaza Strip near the Karni crossing, witnesses and Palestinian security officials said. (Watch as bloodied victims are rushed to the hospital -- :43)

The army said the troops were searching for explosives planted by Palestinian militants alongside the border fence and for tunnels under the border. After the operation began, groups of militants repeatedly gathered to try to attack the soldiers, the army and witnesses said.

The Reuters cameraman, Fadel Shama'a, 23, and Sabah Hamida, 25, who worked for a local television company, had the doors open and were about to get out of the armored vehicle in the nearby Shajaiyeh neighborhood to film the raid when it was struck by the missiles, according to Shamas Odeh, chief of Reuters TV in Gaza.

The cameramen, along with three bystanders, were injured with shrapnel wounds and all five were to undergo surgery, hospital officials said.

The front seats of the car were covered in blood and shrapnel had ripped up much of the inside of the vehicle. One of the bulletproof windows was completely destroyed.

The white sport utility vehicle was emblazoned with the Reuters logo and had "TV" and "Press" written on it in English, Arabic and Hebrew.

"This is a cold-blooded crime," said Mohammed Dawdi, head of the local journalists union.

Capt. Noa Meir, an army spokeswoman, said the vehicle was the only one in the combat area, was driving suspiciously and came near Israeli forces during the nighttime raid.

"That's why it was targeted. It was seen as a threat," she said. "There were no clear TV marks (on the car). At least we didn't see one."

"It's unfortunate when journalists get hurt, but that is not the intention," Meir added.

However, the area was an active battlefield and the reporters should not have been there, she said, adding that three Hamas militants attacked soldiers from the same spot 10 minutes after the airstrike.

Europe Pledges a Larger Force Inside Lebanon

2006-08-26T02:15:00.000-07:00

BRUSSELS, Aug. 25 — After a week of confusion and missteps, Europe pledged to add up to 6,900 troops to the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, officials said at an emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers here on Friday.

But the officials cautioned that the force would not be used to disarm Hezbollah. That job, if it is done at all, will be left to the Lebanese government and army.

The international force, joined by Lebanese national soldiers, is the solution that world powers agreed to after a month of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, an Islamist militia that dominates southern Lebanon. Israel, in particular, wanted a strong European contingent in the force.

But after the force was agreed to, a number of countries said that the rules of engagement were unclear, and that they feared their troops would end up fighting with either Israel or Hezbollah. Their conflict is partly a local one, over prisoners that each side holds, and the history of Israel’s occupation of the region.

But it is also a result of Hezbollah’s refusal to recognize Israel’s legitimacy, and it is widely viewed as a proxy conflict between the United States and Iran.

The largest contribution to the expanded force came from Italy, which confirmed that it would contribute 3,000 troops and was asked by Secretary General Kofi Annan to succeed France in command of the force in February. The force seemed unlikely to reach the 15,000-troop level authorized under United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the fighting in Lebanon. President Jacques Chirac of France on Friday called the 15,000 figure “totally excessive.” Currently, there are more than 2,000 United Nations troops in Lebanon.

“Europe has lived up to its responsibility,” said Mr. Annan, who attended the emergency session of European Union foreign ministers here. He called the commitments the “credible core” called for by Resolution 1701.

He said that he hoped several thousand of the additional troops would deploy “within the next few days, not the next few weeks,” and that the total force would arrive in three waves extending over several months.

Mr. Annan said agreement was reached on new rules of engagement that authorize the peacekeepers to use deadly force against those preventing them from doing their job.

“If, for example, combatants, or those illicitly moving weapons, forcibly resist a demand from them, or from the Lebanese Army, to disarm,” then armed force could be used, he said. He added, however, that disarming Hezbollah — a central goal of two United Nations resolutions on Lebanon — “is not going to be done by force.”

The expanded peacekeeping force’s mandate is to support the Lebanese Army in enforcing the resolutions. But disarmament of Hezbollah “has to be achieved through negotiation, and an internal Lebanese consensus, a political process, for which the new Unifil is not, and cannot be, a substitute,” Mr. Annan said. Unifil is the acronym for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Mr. Annan also said the peacekeepers would not be deployed along the Lebanese border with Syria unless the Lebanese government expressly requested them. Syria has said that it would regard such a deployment as a “hostile act” and Lebanon has already said it did not want United Nations support in policing the border.

Mr. Annan’s presence at the ministers’ meeting today underscored the urgency of getting additional peacekeepers on the ground in Lebanon to cement a fragile cease-fire. But given the limits on the peacekeepers’ mandate, it is unlikely that the expanded international force will resolve the central issue of Hezbollah’s armed presence in southern Lebanon — a fact that Mr. Annan and European officials alluded to.

“Our main concerns now relate to the political context in which the U.N. force will operate,” Mr. Annan said. “The U.N. — Security Council and Secretariat alike — is fully seized of the need to move the political process forward, to stabilize the situation and secure a durable cease-fire.”

He said he would visit Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories next week and then make recommendations to the Security Council on ways to resolve the political situation that led to the crisis.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim organization that is supported financially, politically and militarily by Syria and Iran. The Lebanese Army, which will be responsible for stopping the flow of weapons from those two countries to Hezbollah, is largely made up of Shiite soldiers.

With Hezbollah represented in the Lebanese government, few people expect the Lebanese government or its army to be capable of disarming the powerful militia or moving it out of southern Lebanon without the cooperation of Syria and Iran.

Nintendo Wii Launch Details Set For Sept. 14

2006-08-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

What's Nintendo got planned for September 14? Well... something. Something big, hopefully.

Thanks to a tastefully-decorated Wii-emblazoned invitation, 1UP is heading for a party on September 14th. The invitation reads, simply "Please Join Us for a Celebration of Video Games". Since Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has promised to be there in person with a little something called "the upcoming line up," we suppose we can fit it in.

Popular wisdom might lead a body to believe that such an event could provide Nintendo the perfect opportunity for dropping a bomb or two -- say, the official Wii release date and price point? Those of you paying attention might remember that Microsoft also chose Sept. 14 as the day those particular facts crystallized for the Xbox 360.

Google Reader

2006-08-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

Web applications don't come much easier to use than Google Reader, a good and free news-feed reader that's still growing in that incubator of neat new stuff, Google Labs. Those who love all things Google will latch right on to this one. It's certainly superior to its (also free but very rudimentary) counterpart in Internet Explorer 7. And compared with the venerable My Yahoo! feed pages, it looks sleeker, makes navigation easier, and simplifies compartmentalizing of news feeds—although it probably won't pull away users of that service. Likewise, that small, intrepid, news-feed-crazed crowd jonesing for every conceivable bell and whistle will still want FeedDemon.

I like Google Reader's simple interface, which has just a handful of menu buttons—Home, Read items, Starred, Subscriptions, Labels, and Share. Click on Subscriptions to get to the dialog for editing the list of feeds or to pick a single feed to view—its items will appear in a vertical scroll box on the left of the page. Selecting Home takes you to a "reading list" of all articles from all feeds you subscribe to. You can sort it by date or automatically by order of importance, and view all items or hide those you've read. Click on Read Items to see only articles you've viewed previously.

Choosing a particular article from any list will expand a fly-out window with a link to the original item (and often, a summary). Clicking on the link for an article brings up a separate window containing the story. An option in the fly-out window lets you categorize the item with a name of your choosing. When you want to see only stories in that category, click on Labels in the Reader menu, and choose the name you assigned.

Adding a feed couldn't be easier. You can type a URL into the search box at the top of any Reader page, hit Enter, and if a Subscribe button appears—indicating a feed exists—click on it. Or you can enter a keyword and select the Search for New Content button—each result will have a Subscribe button next to it. Navigating through the reading- or subscription-list scroll box is easy using the supplied buttons (top, up, down, refresh, and page down) or keyboard shortcuts. You can also move down through the items by hitting the spacebar and move up by holding down the Shift key, then hitting the spacebar.

If you have a personalized Google home page, you can add Reader to it as a module by choosing the Add Content link, searching for Google Reader, and clicking on Add It Now in the appropriate result. Now, from within your personal page, you can scroll through and select article entries, go to an item's parent home page by clicking on the source link, and change settings (number of items to display, sort order, and more) by clicking on the Edit link. You'll find a few more features in the module than in the normal Reader. My favorite is the default for the way article entries open when you select them—a cartoon-like pop-up bubble that contains the headline, post time, a link to the original item, and the first line of the story. You can move up and down the item list using little triangles at the top and bottom of the module—but only one article at a time, which is annoying.

Reader hasn't finished percolating through Google Labs, so I wasn't surprised to encounter some quirky behavior in testing. The app didn't pop up on my Google accounts page originally, for example, but that problem seems to have been fixed. I also noted that clicking on my labels sometimes failed to open up any feeds. But these minor annoyances aside, I enjoyed playing with Google Reader. For those who haven't had much experience and just want to see the feeds without the technology, it delivers.

Iran leader opens atomic project

2006-08-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has inaugurated a new phase in the Arak heavy-water reactor project, part of Iran's atomic program which the West fears is aimed at producing bombs.

A Reuters witness said on Saturday the president inaugurated the project and toured the site at Khondab, which is near Arak, 190 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of the capital Tehran. The plant's plutonium by-product could be used to make atomic warheads.

The move came days before a U.N. deadline for Iran to halt uranium enrichment, the part of the program which is the biggest worry to the West. But the latest development is likely to raise further fears in Western capitals.

"Inaugurating the heavy water production plant in Arak is a big step towards using Iran's right, which means reaching peaceful nuclear technology," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted by state television as saying.

An Iranian nuclear official said this week that heavy water production itself was not a proliferation risk, but a Western diplomat said such a move would not be a constructive step.

Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to master technology to produce nuclear weapons. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, insists its aim is only for electricity.

A small group of correspondents from foreign news organizations were taken with Iranian journalists to Khondab, the site near Arak where the heavy-water project is being built, to attend the presidential speech.

The complex was protected by dozens of anti-aircraft guns and surrounded by a four-meter high barbed wire fence. Photographers and TV journalists were asked not to take any images except in areas where they were specifically permitted.

The Iranian nuclear official had said Iran would start up heavy-water production but not the reactor. He said this unit had no military use so supervision by the U.N. watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was not obligatory.

"The product of this project provides for cooling and depleting systems of the reactor, that can be used in various industries," the official had told Reuters.

'Be afraid'

The West's main concern is Iran's program for enriching uranium, a process that can be used to make fuel for nuclear power stations or material for bombs.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on July 31 giving Iran 30 days to halt enrichment or face possible sanctions. The resolution also cited a call by the IAEA for Iran to reconsider construction of its heavy water reactor project.

Iran's deputy parliament speaker, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, warned the West in comments published by Iran's Sharq newspaper on Saturday that putting pressure on the country could prompt public calls for Iran to pursue a weapons program.

"Be afraid of the day that the Iranian nation comes into the streets and stages demonstrations to ask the government to produce nuclear weapons to combat the threats," he said.

Iranian officials consistently say Iran has no plans to build atomic weapons. Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued a religious decree, saying making, stockpiling or using nuclear weapons was against Islamic beliefs, the official IRNA news agency reported in August 2005.

Six world powers have offered Iran incentives to halt enrichment. But Iran has so far only hinted it might be ready to consider halting the work as a result of talks, not as a precondition.

The reply seemed tailored to divide the four Western powers and Russia and China who agreed to the deadline on Aug. 31.

The United States has said the six powers will move quickly to adopt sanctions if Iran disregards the deadline. Britain, Germany and France have been less conclusive in public.

Russia and China, both trade partners of Iran, have been unwilling and could veto sanctions in the Security Council.

2007 Dodge Ram SRT10: Overpriced, Overpowered and Proud of It

2006-08-21T01:58:00.000-07:00

TIDAL power generators harness the energy of water flowing to and fro through a channel during each tidal cycle. What does this have to do with the Dodge Ram SRT10 Quad Cab? Well, if the principle could be applied to a hybrid generator powered by the body motions of this 5,691-pound truck, a suitably bumpy road would probably generate enough electricity to power a parking lot full of Priuses.

As it is, the Ram’s vertical kinetic energy is wasted, and I got a distinctly un-Priuslike 11.5 miles a gallon out of the truck’s 8.3-liter V-10 engine. (The E.P.A. estimate is 9 m.p.g. in the city, 12 on the highway.) But this truck doesn’t care about mileage, or about refinement, or about not scaring children. This truck could be more politically incorrect only if it ran on whale oil and panda tears.

And that’s why I like it, sort of. The SRT10 is not a truck of half-measures — it’s gleefully over-the-top in just about every way. Its 510-horsepower engine, borrowed from the Dodge Viper, is a callous brute, rocking the truck on its suspension even at idle.

At full throttle, the four-speed automatic shifts so hard that you expect to see it in the rearview mirror, scattered about the pavement. Twin tailpipes emit a guttural roar pretty much constantly, but you can drown them out with the 508-watt Infinity stereo.

There’s a deep air dam in the front, a hood scoop that wears a “Viper Powered” badge and a spoiler perched atop the tailgate.

The tailgate spoiler gets my vote as the new reference to complete the phrase “As American as ...”

We are a people who create downforce-producing aerodynamic devices for pickup trucks, because our pickup trucks go so fast that they’d otherwise fly right into the air like the magic car in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

You listening, Al Qaeda? You may as well just give up right now.

From a practical standpoint, this thing is a tough proposition. On one hand, it has four practical doors, and it can tow up to 8,150 pounds. Wonderfully unburdened by a speed limiter, the two-door version does 150 miles an hour, and this one probably also approaches that distinctly untrucklike velocity. So it’s potentially useful if you like to tow boats down the autobahn.

On the other hand, the sticker on my test truck totaled $57,460, which included a $1,595 navigation system and a $1,200 rear-seat DVD entertainment system, among other niceties. For that stack of cash, you could have a Hemi-powered regular-cab Ram 1500 and a Mercedes-Benz C230 sedan.

Or — I just looked this up — you could buy 20 acres of ranch land in Montalba, Tex. But I have a feeling that if you’re really interested in buying a $57,000 pickup truck, you might already own Montalba, Tex.

The SRT10’s ride-handling balance is tilted in favor of comfort, probably in deference to the fact that an object this immense is never going to give a Lotus a run for its money in the twisties, no matter how stiff the suspension, and like a classic muscle car it gets confused by corners.

I’ll wager that if the truck had merely gargantuan wheels (say, 20-inchers), it would keep its tires in better contact with the pavement. As it is, the springs and dampers struggle to control the weight of the huge 22-inch wheels at each corner.

Trying to make a suspension work properly with 22-inch wheels is like fashioning a yo-yo out of a bowling ball and some string. They do look nice, though.

The interior is pretty much stock Dodge Ram, with the exception of heavily bolstered seats with suede inserts, a red starter button à la Viper, and a boy-racer oil temperature gauge that juts out of the left windshield pillar like some kind of growth. (Not only did it keep me up to the moment on the oil temp, it reminded me that I was overdue for my checkup at the dermatologist.)

The navigation system worked fine, but unlike every other system I’ve seen — including this very unit in other Dodges — its display doesn’t automatically dim when the headlights are on. I didn’t notice this immediately in the brightly lighted city, but out in the sticks it occurred to me that the navi screen’s impression of Times Square was causing acute night blindness, which is a bad thing when you’re driving 65 miles an hour in a truck the size of Djibouti.

Now, I know that thrifty fuel economy isn’t a priority here. I also know that your garden-variety 4x4 pickup will probably never see 20 m.p.g. But the Ram SRT10 rivals a torched oil well for sheer profligacy — and, oh yes, it demands premium.

I managed mileage in the double digits only because I made a highway-heavy road trip. Around town, I was getting 7 or 8 m.p.g. With more than a quarter-tank of fuel remaining, I gassed up to the tune of $74.28. If I’d come close to running the 34-gallon tank dry, the big red truck would have had the dubious distinction of being my first $100 fill-up.

One advantage of the Ram’s pavement-crushing weight and cinder-block aerodynamics is that those are two identifying characteristics of a truck, and trucks are not subject to the federal gas-guzzler tax. So while the Viper and its 20 m.p.g. highway rating get hit with the guzzler label, a Ram SRT10 with the same engine but much worse fuel economy does not. But nobody ever said life was fair for Viper owners.

The Ram SRT10 Quad Cab may not make fiscal or ecological sense, but I appreciate the chutzpah it represents. Nobody else was making a four-door truck with 510 horsepower, so the Dodge people took it upon themselves to fill the void.

Mission accomplished, it seems: after a three-year run, 2006 is the last year for the Viper-powered pickup. The SRT10 Quad Cab is the truck to end all trucks, including itself.

Road Trip: Nokia Launches Free NYC Wi-Fi

2006-08-19T02:10:00.000-07:00

Nokia and WiFi Salon have partnered to bring free Wi-Fi access and streaming radio, news, and other mobile multimedia services to New York City parks.

Nokia's free Wi-Fi network is now available in two New York City locations: Battery Park and Central Park. Eight more parks will be added to the Wi-Fi coverage by fall 2006, including Union Square Park, Prospect Park, and Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The Wi-Fi network is operated by WiFi Salon, which was granted a three-year allowance to install and operate a total of 16 Wi-Fi hot spots in 10 of the city's parks. Access to the Wi-Fi hot spots are possible with Nokia's Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as the N Series phones, the N80 or the N90, as well as the Nokia 770 tablet. Park goers can also use their laptops or other portable Wi-Fi devices.

However, Nokia's idea for free Wi-Fi access in parks also extends to offering mobile multimedia services through Nokia's downloadable software application, known as the Parks Software Suite.

The Parks Software Suite includes three channels. The first, "ParkCast", allows users to stream live radio and music from CBS Radio, a sports and news station, plus Voice of the Park, a local station that broadcasts events and streams jazz music. The "Park" channel provides event information and maps of parks, as well as content from amNewYork and the New York Times. Also featured in the software application is the Park WiFi Detector: one click of the button automatically detects a free Nokia Park WiFi network – if there is one – and connects to it.

"Wi-Fi connectivity gives Nokia an excellent opportunity to pilot new services and show the capabilities of Nokia's Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices," said Floris van de Klashorst, director of multimedia for Nokia. "Accessing fresh content from our media partners through the new WiFi application software loaded on their Nokia N80, N91 or the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, New Yorkers can enjoy some of their favorite pastimes—such as reading the paper, listening to music or accessing the Internet—in an entirely new way."

amNewYork, with a 239,000 daily audited free circulation in New York City, saw Nokia's Wi-Fi project as a step toward enhancing its young professional readership and offering content to new readers.

"[It's] a natural step for us and extends our ability to provide a great read beyond our newspaper and [our] website, amNY.com," said Floyd Weintraub, senior vice president of business development and external relations at amNewYork.

To download the Park WiFi application, users can go to http://parkwifi.nokia.com and click on "Downloads" to download the software to your PC. A compatible Nokia device then needs to be connected via USB or over Bluetooth to install the software. Since Web content needs to be optimized for mobile use, both amNewYork and the New York Times offer RSS feeds for both the N80 and N91.

Wi-Fi coverage is currently offered in six locations within Central Park, specifically Sheep Meadow, Delacourt Theatre, SummerStage, Dana Discovery Center, The Dairy, and the Arsenal. In Battery Park, hot spots are located around both the southern and northern kiosks and the Battery Gardens Restaurant.

Picasso’s Other Muse, of the Dachshund Kind

2006-08-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

PARIS, Aug. 25 — Some old masters made a point of including the faces of fellow artists and patrons in the crowds portrayed in large oil paintings. Pablo Picasso paid similar homage to a more unusual friend: a self-assured little dachshund called Lump.

Yes, that’s Lump at the bottom of the canvas in Picasso’s multiple reinterpretations of Velázquez’s masterpiece “Las Meninas.” Gone is the somnolently regal hound of the original. In its place is, well, a sausage with four short legs and two pointed ears.

Picasso painted 44 studies in his “Meninas” series between Aug. 17 and Dec. 30, 1957 — and Lump appears in 15 of them.

Now, thanks to the devotion of its former owner, the veteran American photographer David Douglas Duncan, Lump’s long-overlooked place in the history of modern art — even if it’s just a four-footed note — has at last been heralded.

More than three decades after the deaths of the Spanish-born artist and the German-born dachshund, Mr. Duncan has published “Picasso and Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey” (Bulfinch Press, $24.95), a 100-page book of photographs taken in 1957 that show Lump as the top dog in the Villa La Californie, Picasso’s hillside mansion in Cannes.

The sequence starts on April 19, 1957, the day that Lump met Picasso. Mr. Duncan, who had first photographed Picasso a year earlier, brought Lump along for the ride, largely because the dog did not get along well with Mr. Duncan’s other pet, an Afghan hound called Kublai Khan.

“Lump immediately decided that this would be his new home,” Mr. Duncan recalled in an interview on a visit to Paris, noting pointedly that “lump” means “rascal” in German. “He more or less said, ‘Duncan, that’s it, I’m staying here.’ And he did, for the next six years.”

Picasso was apparently equally entranced. That very day, he did his first portrait of Lump, a signed and dated portrait of the dog that he painted on a plate while having lunch with Jacqueline Roque, his new partner, whom he would marry four years later.

Mr. Duncan kept returning. Already renowned for his work as a war photographer in Korea, he enjoyed privileged access to La Californie, taking thousands of photographs of Picasso and Ms. Roque as well as of Claude and Paloma, Picasso’s children with his former mistress Françoise Gilot. And Lump was frequently in the pictures.

Now 90 and still living in the South of France, Mr. Duncan has so far published 25 books of photographs, including eight of Picasso at work and play.

He has also long defended Picasso against criticism of his personal life and this continues in his new book: by showing the artist in the intimacy of his home, Mr. Duncan seeks to portray him as an affectionate family man with a sentimental attachment to a funny little dog.

Certainly, even though a large boxer called Yan and a goat called Esmeralda already lived in La Californie, Lump enjoyed the run of the house. In Mr. Duncan’s photographs, the dachshund is seen around the dining table at mealtimes, and in one shot he even stands on Picasso’s lap to eat off the artist’s plate. In another, Picasso cradles Lump in his arms as he might a baby.

Picasso liked to work alone, albeit allowing Mr. Duncan to be present. But Lump is often also on hand, occasionally demanding attention by bringing in a stone and insisting that Picasso kick it away to be chased. One series of images shows Picasso buying some respite by making a cardboard rabbit; Lump immediately seized it and carried it into the garden to chew on. (How much would that Picasso be worth today?)

At times, the dog was merely a silent witness to family scenes recorded by Mr. Duncan, as when Picasso amused his children by making — and wearing — a grotesque mask, and when he entertained Yves Montand and Simone Signoret over lunch. On other occasions, Lump was the center of attention as Claude and Paloma played with him in Picasso’s studio.

It was clearly an idyllic year for both dog and children. But in time, as Picasso squabbled with Ms. Gilot over their children’s right to his name, he began distancing himself from them. And in December 1963, shortly before Ms. Gilot further infuriated him by publishing her memoir, “Life With Picasso,” he — or perhaps Ms. Roque — forbade Claude and Paloma from visiting him.

That was also the year Lump’s life changed. During a visit with Picasso, Mr. Duncan learned that Lump was unwell, suffering a spinal problem common to dachshunds, and was being treated by a vet in Cannes. Mr. Duncan visited Lump and, told that the dog could not be cured, took him home.

Mr. Duncan did not give up. He drove Lump to Stuttgart, Germany, where he had acquired the dog seven years earlier. And he found a vet willing to look after Lump. One year later, Mr. Duncan recovered the dog. After that, when Mr. Duncan visited Picasso, Lump did not come along.

So, Mr. Duncan was asked, in the end, did Picasso neglect Lump?

“No,” Mr. Duncan insisted, “he’d have gotten sick anyway. Lump had an absolutely pampered life there. Picasso once said, ‘Lump, he’s not a dog, he’s not a little man, he’s somebody else.’ Picasso had many dogs, but Lump was the only one he took in his arms.”

In April 1973, Mr. Duncan lost two dear friends almost simultaneously: Lump died one week before Picasso.

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2006-08-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

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Intel, AMD Talk Hot Chips

2006-08-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

As Intel pursues its multicore strategy, the company is looking for a little help in developing adequate benchmarks to test the forthcoming chips.

Both Intel and AMD are charging forth into multicore technology. But Intel seems more anxious to cram a few dozen cores into a chip, while AMD is going slower and making more changes across the board to its core design.

Justin Rattner, chief technology officer and senior fellow at Intel, was one of the keynote speakers at the 18th HOT CHIPS conference, an annual semiconductor conferences being held here at the Stanford University campus.

His speech covered the hardware and software development process that will be required to support multicore chips as Intel moves beyond dual core into processors with four, eight, 16, 32 and 64 cores.

Intel has found applications, including benchmarks, scale well to around four cores before leveling off. The company has known for a while that just throwing cores at the problem won't necessarily make computers run faster.

"[The code we have] is optimized for a small number of threads. Attention was paid to getting the most performance out of thread count. No one was concerned with scaling beyond that because there were no machines scaling beyond four processors," he said.

To that end, Rattner called up Dr. Kai Li, a professor of computer science at Princeton University, to discuss plans to create and host a repository for benchmark suites for multicore processors.

They readily admitted there isn't much out there for multicore benchmarks or frameworks and such a centralized site needs to be built. A hosting site will be announced shortly.

Intel is looking at up to 64-core chips and how to properly scale up. Just adding cores does nothing, as Rattner noted in his speech. With the addition of hardware threading, cache improvements and new instruction sets, Intel saw scalability and performance improvements with more cores.

Just adding cores is not enough to see improvements of scale. Motion capture, for example, requires more than 100GB/sec of memory bandwidth, well beyond what PCs are capable of today. "Memory bandwidth will be a key area for multicore design going forward," said Rattner.

Rattner focused on three specific areas where multicore chips could be of particular use: recognition, mining and synthesis. In the area of recognition, he showed off four cameras capturing the movements of an individual and rendering a 3D image on the fly in the computer.

The mining demo involved searching for a similar instance of data. In the demo, they did searches through databases of thousands of images looking for pictures of a certain type. In this case, blue skies and water. For further drill down, the search was narrowed to look for just a dolphin, and more images with the dolphin image were found.

The last demo was fluid flow synthesis and ray tracing, something not possible in real-time yet. It showed the dynamics of watch splashing around while being rendered in real-time, and the prototype CPU showed all 16 cores at full utilization to do the rendering.

The afternoon brought a speech from Pat Conway, a senior member of the AMD technical staff, who discussed the Opteron NorthBridge architecture. The old x86 architecture, he pointed out, has the inherent bottleneck of forcing everything through the memory controller.

It didn't matter how many cores you added to the chip, they had to go through an external processor to access memory. Opteron's northbridge, with the memory controller, is on the CPU, so the chip goes straight to memory.

"Because each CPU is a memory controller, there is inherent scaling of memory as you add nodes," said Conway.

The previous generation of Opterons used three HyperTransport links for up to 2GB/sec of throughput from the CPU to the memory and had an L2 cache of 2MB.

The next-generation of Opteron will change things around a bit. Future Opterons will have four HyperTransport ports, each running 2.5 times faster than the previous generation for up to 10GB/sec of throughput.

The future Opteron chips will come with three levels of cache instead of two. L1 will be 64k for the most critical data, L2 will be 512k and dedicated to each core, and L3 will be a 2MB cache optimized for multicore use.

Vote Makes It Official: Pluto Isn’t What It Used to Be

2006-08-11T01:59:00.000-07:00

Throw away the place mats. Redraw the classroom charts. Take a pair of scissors to the solar system mobile.

After years of wrangling and a week of debate, astronomers voted for a sweeping reclassification of the solar system. In what many of them described as a triumph of science over sentiment, Pluto was demoted to the status of a “dwarf planet.”

In the new solar system as defined by the International Astronomical Union, meeting in Prague, there are eight planets instead of nine, at least three dwarf planets and tens of thousands of so-called smaller solar system bodies, like comets and most asteroids.

For now, the other dwarf planets are Ceres, the largest asteroid, and an object known as 2003 UB 313, nicknamed Xena, that is larger than Pluto and, like it, orbits beyond Neptune in a zone of icy debris known as the Kuiper Belt. But there are dozens more potential dwarf planets known in that zone, planetary scientists say, and so the number in the category could quickly swell.

In a nod to Pluto’s fans, the astronomers declared it to be the prototype for a new category of such “trans-Neptunian” objects, but declined in a close vote to approve the name “plutonians” for them.

The outcome yesterday completed a stunning turnaround from only a week ago, when the assembled astronomers were presented a proposal that would have increased the number of planets in the solar system to 12, retaining Pluto and adding Ceres, Xena and even Pluto’s moon Charon.

The reversal, said Dr. Alan P. Boss, a planetary theorist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, speaks to the integrity of the planet defining process.

“The officers were willing to change their resolution,” Dr. Boss said, “and find something that would stand up under the highest scientific scrutiny and be approved.”

Jay M. Pasachoff, a Williams College astronomer who attended the Prague congress and favored somehow keeping Pluto a planet, said, “The spirit of the meeting was of future discovery and activity in science rather than any respect for the past.”

Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, who discovered UB 313 three years ago and so had the most to lose personally from the downgrading of Pluto and Xena, said he was relieved.

“Through this whole crazy circuslike procedure, somehow the right answer was stumbled on,” Dr. Brown said. “It’s been a long time coming. Science is self-correcting eventually, even when strong emotions are involved.”

It had long been clear that Pluto, discovered in 1930, stood apart from the previously discovered planets. Not only is it much smaller — only about 1,600 miles in diameter, smaller than the Moon — but its elongated orbit is tilted with respect to the other planets, and it goes inside the orbit of Neptune on part of its 248-year journey around the Sun.

Pluto, some astronomers had argued, made a better match with the other ice balls that have since been discovered in the dark realms beyond Neptune. In 2000, when the Rose Center for Earth and Space opened at the American Museum of Natural History, Pluto was denoted in a display as a Kuiper Belt object and not a planet.

In the decision yesterday as to what constitutes a planet, astronomers voted by standing and holding up yellow cards. In the crucial vote, the result was sufficiently one-sided that no formal count was taken.

Under the new rules, a planet must meet three criteria: it must orbit the Sun, it must be big enough for gravity to squash it into a round ball, and it must have cleared other things out of the way in its orbital neighborhood. The last of these criteria knocks out Pluto and Xena, which orbit among the icy wrecks of the Kuiper Belt, and Ceres, which is in the asteroid belt.

Dwarf planets, on the other hand, need only orbit the Sun and be round.

“I think this is something we can all get used to as we find more Pluto-like objects in the outer solar system,” Dr. Pasachoff said.

The final voting was by some 400 to 500 of the 2,400 astronomers who registered for the congress; many others had already left.

Pointing to the very small fraction of the world’s astronomers who had been in Prague and thus eligible to vote, Alan Stern, lead investigator for New Horizons, NASA’s mission to Pluto, called the resolution “laughable.” Dr. Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., pointed out that both Earth and Jupiter have asteroids in their neighborhoods.

“This is so scientifically sloppy and internally inconsistent,” he wrote in an e-mail message, “that it is embarrassing.”

This is not the first time that astronomers have rethought a planet. The asteroid Ceres was hailed as the eighth planet when it was discovered in 1801 by Giovanni Piazzi, floating between Mars and Jupiter. But the subsequent discovery of more and more things like it in the same part of space led astronomers to dub them asteroids.

Although many astronomers watched the vote on the Internet, Neil deGrasse Tyson of the Rose Center said he had not bothered.

“Counting planets is not an interesting exercise to me,” Dr. Tyson said. “I’m happy however they choose to define it. It doesn’t really make any difference to me.”

Far more compelling, he added, are aspects of planets like weather, ring systems and magnetic fields.

Dr. Tyson said a continuing preoccupation with what the public and schoolchildren would think about this was a concern and a troubling precedent.

“I don’t know any other science that says about its frontier, ‘I wonder what the public thinks,’ ” he said. “The frontier should move in whatever way it needs to move.”

EW review: 'Idlewild' a wonderful ride

2006-08-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

In "Idlewild," the madly soulful and enjoyable period musical romance starring the two members of OutKast, the '30s Prohibition nightclub where most of the action takes place is reminiscent of other movie-dream cabarets, like the ones in "Moulin Rouge" or "The Cotton Club."

This one, though, isn't a famous big-city venue. It's a speakeasy in Idlewild, Georgia -- the sleazy hub of fun and danger in a sleepy small town.

It's a place run by croaky hustlers and ice-cold gangsters, where people come to cast off their identities and, in the process, reveal who they are.

The movie was written and directed by Bryan Barber, who made a handful of OutKast's irresistible music videos, notably the Ed Sullivan-on-acid jam bash "Hey Ya!," and he establishes the club as a place of swirling pleasure and danger.

On stage, Rooster, played by Antwan A. Patton (a.k.a. Big Boi), is the headlining rapper, and he clicks out the words with such lickety-split velocity that you're on the edge of your seat trying to take them all in. The people dancing in front of the stage are like a stylized funk mosh pit.

Yes, you heard right: Rooster raps. This is one of those post-MTV modern-music-in-an-old-setting movies, yet here, as in "Moulin Rouge," the conceit doesn't take a lot of getting used to.

André Benjamin, looking as solemn as a statue of one of the founding fathers, plays Percival, who lives with, and works for, his stern, widowed undertaker dad (Ben Vereen). Benjamin brings off the considerable trick of making silence speak, yet Percival has a hidden crazy-cool side. He sleeps under a dozen cuckoo clocks (they accompany him in one of the film's best numbers), and he's the club's onstage piano player, composing music he shyly longs to share. This is, among other things, a movie about a mortician who learns to get his groove on.

"Idlewild" is a movie of spiky delights, a vision of African-American pop culture rising above the sin and heartache that has nurtured it. When Terrence Howard shows up as Trumpy, a dapper, soft-voiced "businessman" who wastes no time bumping off his adversaries in order to take over the club, it is, in a sense, a standard gangster's rise to power, except that it has a different texture from the dynamic among white movie gangsters.

The assertion of criminal power is, if anything, even more of a violation here, since these men presume, on some level, to be brothers. Trumpy puts Rooster in charge of the club, only to drown him in debt, jacking up the price of illegal booze, and the effect of this backdrop of exploitation is to raise the stakes of everything that happens.

The most exciting thing that happens is that a singer named Angel Davenport walks into the room, and -- I don't get to say this often -- a star is born. Paula Patton, who had a small role in "Hitch," is as gloriously gorgeous as the young Whitney Houston, and she acts with an eagerness and hope and pain that electrifies the movie.

Angel isn't free of sin herself, yet when she stands on stage, singing the numbers Percival has written for her, she's like dynamite wrapped in silk. The love story between these two is the heart of the movie.

Can they save each other? By the end of "Idlewild," you'll be yearning, if not shedding a tear, to find out.

Little big cars

2006-08-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

Vehicles for those who want lots of room in a small space.

The most important fuel-saving technology in new cars may be empty space.

Though the average passenger vehicle in America today gets only about 21 miles per gallon - not much different than 25 years ago - it also is much bigger, heavier and faster. We're doing more with that fuel, we're just not going any farther with it.

With gasoline now topping $3 a gallon, it seems car buyers are finally willing to trade in some of that bulk to actually travel farther on their fuel.

But, spoiled as we are by years of driving minivans and SUVs, we aren't willing to give up all that much. Weight and bulk outside are one thing. Space for passengers and cargo is another. We're not going to give that up.

That's why empty space is so important to fuel savings. Buyers will shift to smaller vehicles only as long as they can still stretch their legs and carry some wood sheeting once in a while.

Some of the basic techniques for opening up small cars have been around for decades. Front wheel drive - now the de facto standard for passenger cars - became popular mostly because it opens up interior space. With the engine, transmission and such all stacked up over the front wheels, the rest is left as little more than a big people-hauling trailer.

But auto makers have been working on a few other tricks to get the most space out of a tiny box.

Nissan's new Versa is, perhaps, the best example. Outside, it's a teeny car. At least it is by U.S. standards. In Japan and Europe, it's on the big side of its class. But sit inside and you'll think you're in a midsize car. By the numbers, front and rear seat legroom nearly equal that of a Toyota Camry.

Everything in the Versa is about fitting "big" into a little package. The Versa is short, front to back, but it's tall. The seats are mounted high in the car's body so that, when you get into the car, you aren't falling down into your seat. Even the engine and rear suspension were specially engineered to intrude into as little of the car's precious space as possible.

The Versa's ride and steering were also tweaked for that "big car" feel, not something that all small car buyers will appreciate. Still, the overall impression of size is remarkable.

Other cars now on the market exhibit similar genius in stretching the carrying capacity of a relatively small space. Check out our photo gallery for a few more examples of spacey thinking in cars.

The joy of reading

2006-07-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

Reading to your child can be one of life's sweetest pleasures. You're spending focused time together and teaching a habit that can open countless doors throughout his or her life.

But an 8-month-old will appreciate books and reading differently from the way a 4-year-olds or an 8-year-old will. Read on for tips on what to expect and how to make reading an experience of happiness and growth for every age.

Babies and toddlers

What they love about books:

• Open. Shut. Open. Shut. Openshut.

• Bright colors

• Cool pictures

• Cardboard's good for chewing -- not too hard, not too soft

• Books mean pleasant, rhyme-y, happy voices

• Book time is snuggle time

What they'll be learning:

• How books work -- we open them, the story is inside

• We read from left to right

• Books can tell a story

• Stories have a beginning and an end

• Books are a normal and expected part of life

What you can do:

Read aloud -- to a point. It's just as important to let your baby play with books as he pleases. If he shows no interest, it's not a big deal.

Keep it brief. Little people have little attention spans, and ten minutes -- even five minutes -- is a long time.

Interact with the book and your child. Ask him to find simple things, like the baby's eyes or the pretty flower. "You're bringing what's happening off the page and into an interaction between the two of you," says Amy Flynn, director of the Bank Street Family Center at Bank Street College of Education, in New York.

Follow your child's lead. If your baby grabs the book from you to explore it on his own, let him -- just hold him on your lap and cuddle with him as he looks. "Playing with books is a precursor to reading, just like playing with food is the first step for a child learning to feed himself," says Anita Silvey, author of 100 Best Books for Children.

What to look for when choosing books for babies and toddlers:

Durability: Babies aren't going to treat books with care, and you don't want to try to make them. So buy tough board books. This is not the age for cute pop-ups and easily torn paper.

Options for exploration: Shiny surfaces, fur, textures, or elements that move or smell are ideal. Those kinds of bells and whistles may seem gimmicky, but babies and toddlers love them. Take your baby with you to a library or bookstore and show him board books with bold colors, squeaky buttons, and soft, fuzzy fabrics -- seeing what captivates him can help you choose which ones to bring home.

Illustrations of real things: Young eyes (and brains) will delight in objects they recognize. Good choices are ones with photos of everyday items. Not much plot. They simply don't need it and won't get it. (This also means you can skip reading the text entirely if it doesn't seem to be thrilling your child -- or you.)

What to look for in first picture books:

Simple, clear illustrations. They needn't be realistic, though-- a mouse in overalls is fine.

Straightforward but limited text. Many classic titles for toddlers, like Good Night, Gorilla and Hug, have little or no text, allowing you to tell the story behind the illustrations however you like and to speed along or slow down depending on your child's attention span.

Repetition -- think books like We're Going on a Bear Hunt, says Flynn. Toddlers like to hear the same words or phrases over and over and love being able to memorize or say one or two along with you.

Preschoolers

What they love about books:

• They can be propped open on the floor to be like a tunnel for a toy car or train, or a tent for a doll.

• They have pictures of their favorite things.

• If you pretend to read one, you'll look just like a grown-up.

• Book time is snuggle time.

What they'll be learning:

• Specific words make specific sounds

• Words are made of letters

• The words on the page are related to the pictures

• Facts about their favorite things

• The fun of stories

• That they can be in charge of a book

• Books are a normal and expected part of life

What you can do:

Be patient. Your child might want to hear the same book over and over and over -- and it may very well be the dopiest book in the house. Just go with it.

Be flexible. Skipping pages, starting in the middle, rereading certain pages, stopping to discuss an illustration -- all these requests signal interest in the book and are more important than reading all the pages in order.

Get longer books. By the time they're 3, most children are ready for story books with more text, an actual plot, and complex illustrations. The best picture books for this age often have pictures that make your child want to linger and take in every detail. At the same time, plot lines that make them laugh or anticipate what might happen next keep kids with short attention spans turning the pages.

Expand your collection. Nonfiction can act as a launching pad for investigations and activities, and books on your child's favorite topic du jour will keep her coming back for more. Issue and topic books about welcoming another baby, starting school, or everyday social dramas (like going to the dentist) can be pretty engrossing to a 4-year-old.

Ask questions. What do you think will happen next? Why did the bunny take the carrot? Do you think it was a good idea for him to lie to his father?

Go to the library. Librarians almost always have favorite books to recommend, so you can spice up the selection at home with fresh choices. Also, letting your child choose puts her in charge and will excite her about her picks.

Don't force it. Some kids will love to read a lot. Some won't. Encourage it, make books available, but don't turn it into a battle. Your child will learn to read eventually and may even grow into a bookworm.

Read yourself. If you don't like to read, why on earth will your child?

What to look for when choosing books:

The repetition of similar words subtly teaches kids the fundamentals of phonics, but mostly it's fun!

Pictures with lots to examine. There are few things more fun than poring over the illustrations in a book like The Yellow Balloon, by Charlotte Dematons, to find the tiny escaped balloon and the recurring items on every page.

Timelessness. New books are great, but also seek out the classics of children's literature, like Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey, or The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss. There's a reason these books are favorites.

Alternatives to TV-based books. Books based on favorite TV shows or characters are fine, but be sure to have books unrelated to other media. It feeds a child's imagination for a character to come to life only in the pages of a book and your child's mind, as opposed to the mind of an animator.

Kindergarten and beyond

What they love about books:

• Reading is fun

• By reading the same books as their friends, they'll feel like part of a group, and be up on the latest heroes and fads of kid culture

• There's a book on practically every single topic in the whole world

• If you read every single book in a series you'll feel really cool

• Book time is snuggle time

What they'll be learning:

• How to read

• How to follow a story from chapter to chapter

• How to use their imaginations

What you can do:

Keep reading. Your child's attention span and capacity for understanding complex plots and language when you're reading outstrip his own ability to read. So until his literacy catches up with his intellect, keep reading to him.

Don't play teacher. You might take turns reading paragraphs, pages, or chapters if your child likes to do that. But not all kids will. So don't turn storytime into reading practice unless your child initiates it.

Embrace abundance. Keep plenty of chapter books, storybooks, and picture books around on lots of topics.

Accept antsiness. If he's super-squirmy, let him do some other activity while he listens. After all, you can listen to the radio and do the dishes at the same time. Drawing, hair brushing, fiddling with some doodad -- all are fine.

Choose thoughtfully. Pick books that embrace the values that are important to your family, and then talk about them.

Keep it light. Reading is fun -- the last thing you want to do is make it feel like drudgery.

What to look for when picking books:

Pictures, still. They can provide visual clues to help decode what's in the text.

Short chapters. And short sentences. You'll keep a new reader motivated by letting him succeed -- move through a book, finish chapters, get to the end.

Real stories. Older kids' sophistication about how the world works mean they're ready for more involved plots.

Your child's interests. A growing sense of self means books on his favorite topics will be compelling.

Books you liked when you were little. There's joy for both of you in turning your favorite memories into your child's exciting discovery. Which, in the end, is what you want reading to be about.

Lemon Laws

2006-07-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Lemon Laws are United States state laws that provide remedies to consumers for automobiles that repeatedly fail to meet certain standards of quality and performance, these vehicles are called lemons. Lemon Laws vary by state and may not necessarily cover used or leased vehicles. The rights afforded to consumers by Lemon Laws may exceed the warranties expressed in purchase contracts. Lemon Law is the common nickname for these laws, but each state has different names for the laws and acts.

Basics

If your car has been repaired for the same defect four or more times and the problem is still occurring, you have a lemon. Of course, the defect must be something significant which substantially hinders the vehicle’s use, value or safety. The lemon law covers a wide range of defects including but not limited to:

Engine problems
Transmission problems
Water leaks
Paint defects
Electrical problems
Brake problems
Steering problems
Vibrations
Bad smells
Rattles
And many other defects

Technical Service Bulletins

Technical Service Bulletins are instructions from the manufacturer that alert dealerships of specific defects or necessary repairs in certain models. If you don’t ask your dealer might not present you with this information, so speak up and ask your technician to write your request on the repair order.

Other Lemon Laws

Lemon laws are not limited to cars. There are RV lemon laws, boat lemon laws, and computer lemon laws. To find out what your state lemon laws cover, contact your state attorney's office.

In Popular Culture

In "The Duel", a first season episode of CBS's How I Met Your Mother, the character of Barney devises a "lemon law" in which the lemons are blind dates rather than automobiles. It worked in that if you didn't like the person in 5 minutes, you could end the date so no one's feelings would be hurt.

Health insurance

2006-07-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Health insurance is a type of insurance whereby the insurer pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents. The insurer may be a private organization or a government agency. Market-based health care systems such as that in the United States rely primarily on private health insurance.

History and evolution

The concept of health insurance was proposed in 1694 by Hugh the Elder Chamberlen from the Peter Chamberlen family. In the late 19th century, early health insurance was actually disability insurance, in the sense that it covered only the cost of emergency care for injuries that could lead to a disability. This payment model continued until the start of the 21st century in some jurisdictions (like California), where all laws regulating health insurance actually referred to disability insurance. Patients were expected to pay all other health care costs out of their own pockets, under what is known as the fee-for-service business model. During the middle to late 20th century, traditional disability insurance evolved into modern health insurance programs. Today, most comprehensive private health insurance programs cover the cost of routine, preventive, and emergency health care procedures, and also most prescription drugs, but this was not always the case.

Private health insurance

The largest difference between private sector health insurance and life insurance is that for life insurance, a person may purchase guaranteed renewable insurance for the whole of the insured's life at a constant premium rate, while health insurance is generally purchased year by year with generally no assurance of renewability and if renewable no guarantee that premium rates will not increase.

Before buying health insurance, a person typically fills out a comprehensive medical history form that asks whether the person smokes, how much the person weighs, and has the person ever been treated for any of a long list of diseases. Applicants can get discounts if they do not smoke and live a healthy lifestyle, which might encourage some people to quit smoking or make other improvements in their lifestyle. The medical history is also used to screen out persons with pre-existing medical conditions.

A health insurance policy is a legal, binding contract between the insurance company and the customer.

Critics of private health insurance claim that this conflict of interest between the needs of insurance companies to remain solvent versus the needs of their customers to remain healthy is why state and federal regulation of health insurance companies is necessary. Some say that this conflict exists in a liberal healthcare system because of the unpredictability of how patients respond to medical treatment, but proponents of regulation argue that too many health insurance companies put their desire for profits above the welfare of the consumer or patient.

The following is a hypothetical example of a situation that might confront an insurance company: Suppose that a large number of customers of a particular insurance company contracted a rare disease and the hospital charged 10 million dollars a patient to treat them. The insurance company would then be faced with a choice of paying all claims without complaint (thus losing money and possibly going out of business) or denying the claims (thus outraging patients and their families, discouraging potential customers, and becoming a target for lawsuits and legislation).

Health insurance companies and consumer advocates agree that private health insurance faces unique problems. Health insurance companies use the term "adverse selection" to describe the tendency for sick people to be more likely to sign up for health insurance. Insurance companies say that asymmetry of information about a person's health and behavior is likely to lead to adverse selection and (ex-ante) moral hazard. Health insurance companies say, that in essence, those seeking health insurance are likely to be those with existing medical problems or those who are likely to have future medical problems, and that those who take out insurance may engage in risky behavior, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, which an otherwise sane person would not do. Insurance companies say that the cost of providing health insurance to these bad risks raises the cost of insurance to the 'good' insurance risks, possibly pricing them out of the market, and could create a situation in a market where insurance was uneconomical for private insurance companies to provide. Ex-post moral hazard is in essence the consequence of reduced prices for medical care. Since most insurance plans, whether public or private, reduce the out-of pocket cost of medical care, the behavior of individuals will be affected by those reduced prices. In the same way that people treat water with little care when it is very inexpensive, people will also tend to over-use medical care when the out-of pocket costs are small. Of course, medical care still needs to be financed, and so taxes or premiums will be higher than the optimal amount. This inflation of taxes or premiums to cover the choices made under subsidized prices is what is termed ex-post moral hazard, and is a different phenomena than the ex-ante moral hazard mentioned above.

Critics of private health insurance state that those who are sick should be able to get health insurance because they need it the most and that if everyone had health insurance, adverse selection would not be a problem.

With publicly funded health insurance the good and the bad risks all receive coverage without regard to their health status, which eliminates the problem of adverse selection, although it introduces a problem of moral hazard.

Insurance companies explain the economics of insurance by saying that, in general, if many sick people buy health insurance from a private health insurance company, but few healthy people buy it, the price of the insurance rises. (Critics of private health insurance point out that few sick people are allowed to buy health insurance). Insurance companies also say that if more healthy people buy health insurance, but few sick people buy it, the price drops. In other words, the price drops if more money goes in and less is paid out.

Because of advances in medicine and medical technology, medical treatment is more expensive, and people in developed countries are living longer. The population of those countries is aging, and a larger group of senior citizens requires more medical care than a young healthier population. (A similar rise in costs is evident in Social Security in the United States.) These factors cause an increase in the price of health insurance.

Some other factors that cause an increase in health insurance prices are health related: insufficient exercise; unhealthy food choices; a shortage of doctors in impoverished or rural areas; excessive alcohol use, smoking, street drugs, obesity, among some parts of the population; and the modern sedentary lifestyle of the middle classes.

In theory, people could lower health insurance prices by doing the opposite of the above; that is, by exercising, eating healthy food, avoiding addictive substances, etc. Healthier lifestyles protect the body from some, although not all, diseases, and with fewer diseases, the expenses borne by insurance companies would likely drop.

Under these circumstances, the consumer would hope to benefit from the savings; however, critics of private health insurance claim that too much of the insurance premiums are paid out in executive salaries or retained as profits by the company.

Benchmarking

2006-07-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Benchmarking (also "best practice benchmarking" or "process benchmarking") is a process used in management and particularly strategic management, in which organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to best practice, usually within their own sector. This then allows organizations to develop plans on how to adopt such best practice, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking may be a one-off event, but is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to challenge their practices.

A process similar to benchmarking is also used in technical product testing and in land surveying. See the article benchmark for these applications.

Advantages of Benchmarking

Benchmarking is a powerful management tool because it overcomes "paradigm blindness." Paradigm Blindness can be summed up as the mode of thinking, "The way we do it is the best because this is the way we've always done it." Benchmarking opens organizations to new methods, ideas and tools to improve their effectiveness. It helps crack through resistance to change by demonstrating other methods of solving problems than the one currently employed, and demonstrating that they work, because they are being used by others.

Competitive benchmarking

Some authors call benchmarking "best practices benchmarking" or "process benchmarking". This is to distinguish it from what they call "competitive benchmarking". Competitive benchmarking is used in competitor analysis. When researching your direct competitors you also research the best company in the industry (even if it serves a different location or market segment and is therefore not a direct competitor). This benchmark company is then used as a standard of comparison when assessing your direct competition and yourself.

Cost of Banchmarking

Benchmarking is a moderately expensive process, but most organisations find that it more than pays for itself. The three main types of costs are:

Visit costs - This includes hotel rooms, travel costs, meals, a token gift, and lost labour time.
Time costs - Members of the benchmarking team will be investing time in researching problems, finding exceptional companies to study, visits, and implementation. This will take them away from their regular tasks for part of each day so additional staff might be required.
Benchmarking database costs - Organizations that institutionalize benchmarking into their daily procedures find it is useful to create and maintain a database of best practices and the companies associated with each best practice now.

Laser Hair Removal

2006-07-08T02:03:00.000-07:00

laser was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990s. Laser and light-based methods are sometimes called phototricholysis or photoepilation.

In addition to lasers, some light-based epilators use a xenon flash lamp which emits full-spectrum intense pulsed light (IPL) . Treatment with this device is sometimes popularly referred to as laser hair removal, though the device is not a laser per se.

Mechanism of action

The primary principle behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis. Lasers can cause localized damage by selectively heating dark target matter in the area that causes hair growth while not heating the rest of the skin. Light is absorbed by dark objects, so laser energy can be absorbed by dark material in the skin (but with much more speed and intensity). This dark target matter, or chromophore, can be naturally-occurring or artificially introduced.

Hair removal lasers selectively target one of three chromophores:

Carbon, which is introduced into the hair follicle by rubbing a carbon-based lotion into the skin following waxing (this lotion is an "exogenous chromophore"). When irradiated by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, the carbon causes a shock wave capable of mechanically damaging nearby cells. This method has been abandoned since it does not cause permanent loss. (It has been replaced with the long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser which targets endogenous melanin in the follicle.)
Hemoglobin, which occurs naturally in blood (it gives blood its red color). It preferentially absorbs wavelengths from argons, and to a lesser extent from rubies, alexandrites, and diodes. It minimally absorbs the Nd:YAG laser wavelength. Hemoglobin is not a primary target for laser hair removal.
Melanin is considered the primary chromophore for all hair removal lasers currently on the market. Melanin occurs naturally in the skin (it gives skin and hair its color). There are two types of melanin in hair: eumelanin (which gives hair brown or black color) and pheomelanin (which gives hair blonde or red color). Because of the selective absorption of photons of laser light, only black or brown hair can be removed.

Any laser light beam intended for topical use can only penetrate skin tissue two millimeters deep. As such, there has been great controversy surrounding the laser industry claims to what most people think of when they hear the word "permanent".

The dermal papilla is the only appropriate target of destruction, as it is the only substructure of the hair shaft which can reproduce a new root system, and therefore a new hair shaft. The dermal papilla is located at a depth of 7-8 millimeters for coarse hair, and so is beyond the reach of laser.

For a short list of approved lasers, the Food and Drug Administration permits the use of the phrase "permanent reduction." The use of the phrase "permanent removal" is not permitted for any laser whatsoever. Clinics performing laser hair removal usually recommend at least six treatments. For this reason treatments are often sold in packages.

Laser hair removal costs

The costs of laser hair removal vary by region. The US average price for laser treatments is $429.00 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Cell phones taking over as timepieces

2006-07-01T01:05:00.000-07:00

Ask graphic designer Parker Weintz the time and he doesn't look to his wrist, he pulls a cell phone out of his pocket -- and he's not alone.

The proliferation of cell phones, with their list of extra features, has had the knock-on effect of eliminating the need to wear a wristwatch unless it is to make a fashion statement.

Weintz, 37, said he recently abandoned his trusty Swiss Army watch and now relies on his phone to tell time. "The time is right there," said Connecticut-based Weintz as he drew a palm-sized cell phone from his shorts pocket. "And it's all around us in this digital age. Plus, if I see a chick I like on the street, I can ask her the time (with no watch on his wrist)."

U.S. watch sales, which have been on the decline since 2001, fell 4.9 percent in 2005, according to a new market research study.

Men especially have taken to abandoning watches as cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) become increasingly commonplace, said Tim Dowd, an analyst at market research firm Packaged Facts and author of a report titled "Watches and Clocks in the U.S."

Women have emerged as the more loyal wearers as watches have become more decorative. Of the 69.9 million U.S. adults who bought watches last year, 40.3 million were women, according to Dowd.

"Women are expected to accessorize more," he said.

Dowd said watchmakers were starting to exploit the accessory angle by seeking the endorsements of popular figures such as rock stars or snowboarders.

Swatch Group, the world's biggest watchmaker that has Omega and Tissot among its brands, has shifted its product mix toward luxury watches.

Weintz's business partner, Chris Kelly, with whom he runs graphic design company ignition13, said he continues to wear a watch, a chunky $3,500 Omega, but only as a fashion statement.

Kelly, 36, said he also owns a $7,000 watch and is eyeing another that would set him back about $2,000.

Dowd's report found that men purchase more luxury watches than women, who buy only 30 percent of the top-priced watches.

"The personal statement a watch makes is just as relevant as ever," said Josh Rubin, editor-in-chief of coolhunting.com, a blog that tracks trends in design and technology.

"Whether it's a GPS-enabled watch that helps you find your way and tells people you're techy, or a vintage '70s LED that says you're digital old school, a watch can make a specific statement."

Science

2006-06-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

Science in the broadest sense refers to any knowledge or trained skill, especially (but not exclusively) when this is attained by verifiable means.^[1] The word science also describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from such study. In a more restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on empiricism, experimentation, and methodological naturalism, as well as to the organized body of knowledge humans have gained by such research. This article focuses on the meaning of science in the latter sense.

Scientists maintain that scientific investigation must adhere to the scientific method, a process for evaluating empirical knowledge that explains observable events in nature as results of natural causes, rejecting supernatural notions.

Fields of science are commonly classified along two major lines:

Natural sciences, the study of the natural phenomena;
Social sciences, the systematic study of human behavior and societies.

Mathematics has both similarities and differences compared to other fields of science, and is sometimes included within a third, separate classification, called formal science. Mathematics is similar to other sciences, because it is a rigorous, structured study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It is different, however, due to its method of arriving at results. Mathematics as a whole is vital to the sciences — indeed, major advances in mathematics have often led to major advances in other sciences. Certain aspects of mathematics are indispensable for the formation of hypotheses, theories, and laws, both in discovering and describing how things work (natural sciences) and how people think and act (social sciences).

Science as defined above is sometimes termed pure science in order to differentiate it from applied science, the latter being the application of scientific research to human needs.

Etymology

The word science comes from the Latin word scientia for knowledge. The Indo-European root means to discern or to separate, akin to Sanskrit chyati, he cuts off, Greek schizein, to split, Latin scindere, to split. From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, science or scientia meant any systematic or exact recorded knowledge. Science therefore had the same sort of very broad meaning that philosophy had at that time. In some languages, including French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, the word corresponding to science still carries this meaning.

From classical times until the advent of the modern era, philosophy was divided into natural philosophy and moral philosophy. In the 1800s, the term natural philosophy gradually gave way to the term natural science. Natural science was gradually specialized to its current domain, which typically includes the physical sciences and biological sciences. The social sciences, inheriting portions of the realm of moral philosophy, are currently also included under the auspices of science to the extent that these disciplines use empirical methods. As currently understood, moral philosophy still retains the study of ethics, regarded as a branch of philosophy and one of the three classical normative sciences.

Smoking Ban Is Defeated in New Hampshire

2006-06-25T01:46:00.000-07:00

The New Hampshire Senate narrowly defeated a bill yesterday that would have banned smoking in the state's bars and restaurants.

The measure, which easily passed the House this week, failed by a vote of 12 to 11. Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, said he would have signed the bill had it passed.

Fourteen states and a number of municipalities have banned smoking in all workplaces in recent years, although a coalition in New Jersey is suing to keep that state's proposed ban from going into effect next week. Last month, Calabasas, Calif., banned smoking in all public places, both indoor and outdoor.

New Hampshire legislators said individual businesses should have the right to decide if their establishments should be smoke-free.

"I believe it should be a decision that the business owner and restaurant owners make on their own," said Senator Carl Johnson, Republican of Meredith.

Mr. Johnson said the debate over the smoking ban had been the most contentious and surprising in his 14 years as a legislator.

"I'm surprised that a lot of the 'Live Free or Diers' who usually confront us with statements like 'stay out of our life' or 'we don't need more legislation' were the ones asking us to ban smoking," he said.

A number of restaurant associations and chambers of commerce joined that chorus. The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the state's largest business association, said 80 percent of its members supported banning smoking in bars in restaurants.

The bill's supporters said they planned to reintroduce it next year.

"Today was just a step in a multiyear change of culture," said a co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Bob Odell, Republican of Lempster.

First Release Candidate For IE 7 Hits

2006-06-21T01:31:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has posted the first release candidate for Internet Explorer 7, adding a number of improvements under the hood along with the usual bug squashing from the last beta.

The main goal of the release candidate is to assist developers in ensuring that their Web sites are compatible with this impending final release.

Microsoft (Quote, Chart) has not updated Internet Explorer in a significant way since IE 6 came out in 2001.

As such, IE has been completely rebuilt. It's no longer integrated with the Windows Explorer shell to improve security.

"Protected Mode," available in Windows Vista, will run the browser in a sandbox, so only cache files can be written to the disc.

Version 7 will add tabbed browsing, one of the most popular options in competitors such as Firefox, along with anti-spoofing and anti-phishing protection, a search box with a number of search engines to choose from, and support for RSS feeds.

Another big change will be the addition of new Web technologies that have emerged since IE 6 came out five years ago, notably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) 2.1.

Microsoft said in a statement announcing the release that more than 200 behavioral changes have been made to CSS between beta 3 and RC 1.

Other rendering improvements include transparent PNG support and native support for XMLHTTP, which means AJAX-based Web applications will no longer require an ActiveX control to function.

Other enhancements include a simpler user interface, customizable search box and a revision to how favorites are organized.

Joe Wilcox of JupiterKagan, said it's almost ready for prime time.

"The security features are fairly robust and impressive, although I think there is too much 'security noise' from the browser," he told internetnews.com.

"Microsoft has done a terrific job communicating what it's doing with the browser, and the company put IE 7 into protracted beta, which facilitated broad testing by many Web developers," said Wilcox.

"That said, cascading stylesheet support needs lots more work. I would regard many competing browsers, particularly Firefox, as being much more standards compliant."

Along with RC1, Microsoft is offering tools to help developers and designers evaluate their sites for standards compliance.

The company is offering the Internet Explorer Readiness Toolkit, which provides a developer checklist, testing guidance, and links to resources such as technical articles and helpful blog posts.

The other offering is the Internet Explorer Compatibility Evaluator, which analyzes the underlying code of various Web sites and highlights necessary changes to make the site fully compatible with the different versions of Internet Explorer. The Evaluator comes with the Readiness Toolkit.

Browser

2006-06-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

Browser can refer to:

Browser - a type of herbivore whose nutrition generally comes from high growing plants, like trees, rather than a grazer that eats from the ground. Deer and goats are domesticated browsers, and elephants and giraffes are wild browsers.
A shopping browser, someone who is only looking with no definite intent to buy. Such a person could be window shopping, meaning outside of the shop, or inside, just "looking around".
in Computer science, any user interface that allows easy navigation among an unspecified number of items
- Code browser - an application used to access code units (e.g., classes and methods) in a computer program
- File browser - an application used to access information on a file system
- Help browser - an application used to access help information, typically within an operating system
- Web browser - an application used to access information on the World Wide Web

Japan to Support Indonesia with Three Patrol Boats

2006-06-10T03:26:00.000-07:00

Widodo A.S, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, has said that after meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, Japan will support Indonesia with patrol ships.
The ships will be utilized for securing the Malacca Strait.
“Countries that make use of the strait’s waters are emphasizing the importance of safeguarding capacity and ability as regards the Malacca Strait. Japan will provide three patrol boats in the very near future,” said Widodo this afternoon (9/8).
According to Fukushiro, securing the Malacca Strait is extremely significant.
“The Malacca Strait is an important area because most of East Asia's energy is supplied through the strait,” said Fukushiro.
Therefore, Fukushiro said, Japan has paid a lot of attention to the maritime security of the Malacca Strait.

Compensation Aid for Eradicating Bird Flu-Hit Fowls Not to Rise

2006-06-03T04:49:00.000-07:00

The government will not increase the compensation for eradicating fowls that hit by bird flu although people have all demanded an increase.
The compensation will still be Rp10,000 per head of fowl.
“It's now still Rp10,000 per head,” Delima Hasri Azahari, Head of the Emergency Response Team for Handling Bird Flu of the Department of Agriculture, told Tempo on Wednesday (9/8).
According to Delima. people should be aware of the danger of bird flu virus, adding, “If their fowls are infected, the fowls will eventually die.”
Ideally, he went on to say, bird flu handling in Indonesia requires a minimum fund of Rp800 billion.
The House of Representatives has however only agreed that Rp250 billion be granted through the Directorate General of Breeding at the Department of Agriculture.
As a result, the Department of Agriculture will have insufficient bird flu vaccine.
Of the required 400 million vaccine doses, the government is only capable of buying 60 million doses.

Mobile phone

2006-06-02T00:08:00.000-07:00

A mobile phone or cellular (cell) phone is an electronic telecommunications device. Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations (cell sites), which is in turn interconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (the exception are satellite phones). Cellular networks were first introduced in the early to mid 1980s (the 1G generation). Prior mobile phones operating without a cellular network (the so-called 0G generation), such as Mobile Telephone Service, date back to 1946. Until the mid to late 1980s, most mobile phones were sufficiently large that they were permanently installed in vehicles as car phones. With the advance of miniaturization, currently the vast majority of mobile phones are handheld. In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, a mobile phone can support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video.

The world's largest mobile phone manufacturers include Alcatel, Audiovox, BenQ-Siemens, Dopod, Fujitsu, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Pantech Curitel, Philips, Sagem, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, SK Teletech, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba.
The world's largest mobile phone operators include Orange SA and Vodafone.

There are also specialist communication systems related to, but distinct from mobile phones, such as Professional Mobile Radio. Mobile phones are also distinct from cordless telephones, which generally operate only within a limited range of a specific base station. Technically, the term mobile phone includes such devices as satellite phones and pre-cellular mobile phones such as those operating via MTS which do not have a cellular network, whereas the related term cell(ular) phone does not. In practice, the two terms are used nearly interchangeably, with the preferred term varying by location.

Technology

Mobile phones and the network they operate under vary significantly from provider to provider, and even from nation to nation. However, all of them communicate through electromagnetic radio waves with a cell site base station, the antennas of which are usually mounted on a tower, pole, or building.

The phones have a low-power transceiver that transmits voice and data to the nearest cell sites, usually .5 to 8 miles (0.8 to 13 kilometres) away. When the cellular phone or data device is turned on, it registers with the mobile telephone exchange, or switch, with its unique identifiers, and will then be alerted by the mobile switch when there is an incoming telephone call. The handset constantly listens for the strongest signal being received from the surrounding base stations. As the user moves around the network, the mobile device will "handoff" to new cell sites.

Cell sites have relatively low-power (often only one or two watts) radio transmitters which broadcast their presence and relay communications between the mobile handsets and the switch. The switch in turn connects the call to another subscriber of the same wireless service provider or to the public telephone network, which includes the networks of other wireless carriers.

The dialogue between the handset and the cell site is a stream of digital data that includes digitized audio (except for the first generation analog networks). The technology that achieves this depends on the system which the mobile phone operator has adopted. Some technologies include AMPS for analog, and TDMA, CDMA, GSM, GPRS, EV-DO, and UMTS for digital communications. Each network operator has a unique radio frequency band.

Multimedia Messaging Service

2006-05-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a standard for a telephony messaging systems that allow sending messages that includes multimedia objects (images, audio, video, rich text) and not just text messages as in Short message service (SMS). It is mainly deployed in cellular networks along with other messaging systems like SMS, Mobile Instant Messaging and Mobile E-Mail. Its main standardization effort is done by 3GPP, 3GPP2 and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). Basics
MMS is the evolution of Short Message Service (SMS) (SMS is a text-only messaging technology for mobile networks). With MMS, a mobile device is no longer confined to text-only messages. It can send and receive multimedia messages such as graphics, video and audio clips, and so on. It has been designed to work with mobile packet data services such as GPRS and 1x.

Operation

The MMS data flow starts with a subscriber using an MMS client on the mobile phone to compose, address, and send an MMS message to one or more recipients. MMS addresses can be either E.164 phone numbers (e.g., "+18005551212") or RFC 2822 e-mail addresses.

The initial submission by an MMS client to the home MMS Center (MMSC) is accomplished using HTTP with specialized commands and encodings (which are defined in a technical standard specified by the Open Mobile Alliance). Upon reception of the MMS message, the recipient MMSC (MMS Center) sends a notification to the recipient's mobile phone using either an SMS notification, HTTP Push or WAP Push.

Methods of delivery

There are two modes of delivery in MMS: immediate or deferred:

Immediate delivery: When the MMS client on the mobile phone receives the MMS notification, it then immediately (without user intervention or knowledge) retrieves the MMS message from the MMSC that sent the notification. After retrieval, the subscriber is alerted to the presence of a newly arrived MMS message.

Deferred delivery: The MMS client alerts the subscriber that an MMS message is available, and allows the subscriber to choose if and when to retrieve the MMS message. As with the MMS submission, the MMS retrieval request, whether immediate or deferred, occurs with anHTTP request. The MMSC responds by transmitting the MMS message in an HTTP response to the MMS client, after which the subscriber is finally alerted that the MMS message is available.

The essential difference between immediate and deferred delivery is that the former hides the network latencies from the subscriber, while the latter does not. Immediate or differred delivery are handset dependant modes, which means that the handset manufacturer can provide the handset in one mode or the other or let the user decide his preference.

Application

MMS-enabled mobile phones enable subscribers to compose and send messages with one or more multimedia parts. Multimedia parts may include text,image,audio and video. These content types should conform to the MMS Standards. For example your phone can send an MPEG-4 video in AVI format, but the other party who is receiving the MMS may not be able to interpret it. To avoid this, all mobiles should follow the standards defined by OMA. Mobile phones with built-in or attached cameras, or with built-in MP3 players are very likely to also have an MMS messaging client -- a software program that interacts with the mobile subscriber to compose, address, send, receive, and view MMS messages.

Challenges faced by MMS

There are some interesting challenges with MMS that do not exist with SMS:
Content adaptation: Multimedia content created by one brand of MMS phone may not be entirely compatible with the capabilities of the recipients' MMS phone. In the MMS architecture, the recipient MMSC is responsible for providing for content adaptation (e.g., image resizing, audio codec transcoding, etc.), if this feature is enabled by the mobile network operator. When content adaptation is supported by a network operator, its MMS subscribers enjoy compatibility with a larger network of MMS users than would otherwise be available.

Distribution lists: Current MMS specifications do not include distribution lists nor methods by which large numbers of recipients can be conveniently addressed, particularly by content providers, called Value Added Service Providers (VASPs) in 3GPP. Since most SMSC vendors have adopted FTP as an ad-hoc method by which large distribution lists are transferred to the SMSC prior to being used in a bulk-messaging SMS submission, it is expected that MMSC vendors will also likely adopt FTP similarly.
Bulk messaging: The flow of peer-to-peer MMS messaging involves several over-the-air transactions that become inefficient when MMS is used to send messages to large numbers of subscribers, as is typically the case for VASPs. For example, when one MMS message is submitted to a very large number of recipients, it is possible to receive a delivery report and read-reply report for each and every recipient. Future MMS specification work is likely to optimize and reduce the transactional overhead for the bulk-messaging case.
Handset Configuration: Unlike SMS, MMS requires a number of handset parameters to be set. Poor handset configuration is often blamed as the first point of failure for many users. Service settings are sometimes preconfigured on the handset, but mobile operators are now looking at new device management technologies as a means of delivering the necessary settings for data services (MMS, WAP, etc.) via over-the-air programming (OTA).
WAP Push: Few mobile network operators offer direct connectivity to their MMSCs for content providers. This has resulted in many content providers using WAP push as the only method available to deliver 'rich content' to mobile handsets. WAP push enables 'rich content' to be delivered to a handset by specifying the URL (via binary SMS) of a pre-compiled MMS hosted on a content provider's web server. A downside of WAP push is that from a billing perspective this content is typically billed at data rates rather than as an MMS. These charges can be significant and result in 'bill shock' for consumers.

MMS should not be confused with Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS), which is simply Short Message Service (SMS) with additional payload capabilities, allowing a mobile phone to send and receive messages that have special text formatting (such as bold or color), animations, pictures, icons, sound effects, and special ring tones.

Global System for Mobile Communications

2006-05-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. GSM service is used by over 2 billion people across more than 210 countries and territories. The ubiquity of the GSM standard makes internationalroaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in many parts of the world. GSM differs significantly from its predecessors in that both signaling and speech channels are Digital call quality, which means that it is considered a second generation (2G) mobile phone system. This fact has also meant that data communication was built into the system from very early on. GSM is an open standard which is currently developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

From the point of view of the consumer, the key advantage of GSM systems has been higher digital voice quality and low cost alternatives to making calls such as text messaging. The advantage for network operators has been the ability to deploy equipment from different vendors because the open standard allows easy inter-operability. Like other cellular standards GSM allows network operators to offer roaming services which mean subscribers can use their phones all over the world.

As the GSM standard continued to develop, it retained backward compatibility with the original GSM phones; for example, packet data capabilities were added in the Release '97 version of the standard, by means of GPRS. Higher speed data transmission has also been introduced with EDGE in the Release '99 version of the standard.

Short Message Service

2006-05-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones (and other mobile devices, e.g. a Pocket PC, or occasionally even desktop computers) that permits the sending of short messages (also known as text messages, or more colloquially SMSes, texts or even txts) between mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones. Other uses of text messaging can be for ordering ringtones, wallpapers and entering competitions. There are also many services available on the Internet that allow users to send text messages for free.

History

As with most other services and modules of functionality of the GSM system, no individual can claim the fatherhood of SMS. The idea of adding text messaging to the services of mobile users was latent in many communities of mobile communication services at the beginning of the 1980s. Experts from several of those communities contributed in the discussions on which should be the GSM services. Most thought of SMS as a means to alert the individual mobile user, e.g. on incoming voice mail, whereas others had more sophisticated applications in their minds, e.g. telemetry. However, few believed that SMS would be used as a means for sending text messages from one mobile user to another.

As early as February 1985, after having already been discussed in GSM subgroup WP3, chaired by J. Audestad, SMS was considered in the main GSM group as a possible service for the new digital cellular system. In GSM document 'Services and Facilities to be provided in the GSM System' (GSM Doc 28/85 rev2, June 1985), both mobile originated and mobile terminated, including point-to-point and point-to-multipoint, short messages appear on the table of GSM teleservices.

The discussions on the GSM services were then concluded in the recommendation GSM 02.03 'TeleServices supported by a GSM PLMN'. Here a rudimentary description of the three services was given: Short message Mobile Terminated / Point-to-Point, Short message Mobile Originated / Point-to-Point and Short message Cell Broadcast. This was handed over to a new GSM body called IDEG (the Implementation of Data and Telematic Services Experts Group), which had its kickoff in May 1987 under the chairmanship of Friedhelm Hillebrand. The technical standard known today was largely created by IDEG (later WP4) as the two recommendations GSM 03.40 (the two point-to-point services merged together) and GSM 03.41 (cell broadcast).

The first commercial short message was sent on 3 December 1992 by Neil Papworth of Sema Group from a personal computer to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone on the Vodafone GSM network in the United Kingdom. However, initial growth was slow, with customers in 1995 sending on average only 0.4 messages per GSM customer per month. One factor in the slow takeup of SMS was that operators were slow to set up charging systems, especially for prepaid subscribers, and eliminate billing fraud which was possible by changing SMSC settings on individual handsets to use the SMSCs of other operators. Over time, this issue was eliminated by switch-billing instead of billing at the SMSC and by new features within SMSCs to allow blocking of foreign mobile users sending messages through it. An example of a company that innovate in this subject is OsinetS.A.. By the end of 2000, the average number of messages per user reached 35.

SMS was originally designed as part of GSM, but is now available on a wide range of networks, including 3G networks. However, not all text messaging systems use SMS, and some notable alternate implementations of the concept include J-Phone's SkyMail and NTT Docomo's Short Mail, both in Japan. E-mail messaging from phones, as popularized by NTT Docomo's i-mode and the RIM BlackBerry, also typically use standard mail protocols such as SMTP over TCP/IP.

Satellite phone

2006-04-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a mobile phone that communicates directly with orbiting communications satellites. Depending on the architecture of a particular system, coverage may include the entire Earth, or only specific regions.

The mobile equipment, also known as a terminal or earth station, varies widely. A satellite phone handset has a size and weight comparable to that of a late 1980s or early 1990s mobile phone, but with a large retractable antenna. These are popular on expeditions into remote areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable.

A fixed installation, such as used shipboard, may include large, rugged, rack-mounted electronics, and a steerable microwave antenna on the mast that automatically tracks the overhead satellites.

Geostationary services
Some satellite phones use satellites in geostationary orbit. These systems can maintain near-continuous global coverage with only three or four satellites, reducing the launch costs. The major satellite system in civilian use is Inmarsat. The disadvantage of geostationary satellite systems is that because the satellite is so far away (approx. 22,000 miles), a comparatively large antenna system is required for signal transmission and reception. The phone system must therefore be quite physically large that is similar to the size of terrestrial mobile phones in the past, compared to the current tiny terrestrial mobile phones.

Low Earth orbit

LEO telephones utilizes LEO (low Earth orbit) satellite technology. The advantages include providing worldwide wireless coverage with no gaps. Newer satellite phones tend to be LEOs. LEO satellites orbit the earth at high speed, low altitude orbits with an orbital time of 70–90 minutes, an altitude of 640 to 1120 kilometres (400 to 700 miles), and provide coverage cells. Since the satellites are not geosynchronous, they must fly complete orbits and thus further guarantee complete coverage over every area by at least one satellite at all times. Blimps are being considered as an alternative to satellites.

The two deployed LEO satellite systems are Iridium and Globalstar. Customer numbers for both systems never matched the levels required to fund the large number of satellite launch costs, and both went into bankruptcy. They are now operated by new owners who bought the assets for a fraction of their original cost.There are several models of satellite phones available.

Satellite phones in popular culture

In the movie Jurassic Park III, Alan Grant lends his satellite phone (Globalstar handset) to Nash. Then, the dinosaur eats him and the phone is found in the dinosaur's feces. The satellite phone was also used many times on the show Relic Hunter. The main character, Sydney Fox, would use it to communicate back home when she found interesting relics. Also such phones are said to be difficult to trace which makes them a popular favorite for criminals.

Phones both identified as Satellite Phones and those that appear to be Satellite Phones are often used on the television drama.

MP3 - a worldwide mania

2006-04-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Who is the one who had never downloaded a song from the Internet? Although companies try to prohibit or simply prevent people from downloading, MP3 download is a reality: MP3 is there, at anyone's disposal. All that people need is a computer and a connection.All this concern about this type of download has to do - of course - of how much money the music industries are not earning. Besides, there is risk of piracy. Studies suggest that piracy - the practice of building CDs or DVDs with no permission of the owner's - has increased a lot in the past few years. Music companies and artists blame the possibility to download their songs or videos from Internet.

The possibility of downloading the most different types of music from the farthest parts of the world is not like a one-way street. Although some companies have fought to forbid the MP3 free download - alleging that this type of procedure reduces their profits - there is the other hand of the process. If those free downloads reduce music industries' profits, it also makes heir songs famous. It puts songs that are not played by the regular radio stations in the media. And they cannot complain at that.

There are already some laws that protect the copyrights of the composer's or music band's. These laws usually keep their eyes on websites and software that guarantee free MP3 download. For the specialists, these websites and software are the most probable to be breaking the law.
However, it is not that websites that charge people a fee in order to download their songs are not breaking the law. They also may be breaking the law. Nevertheless, they are less probable to be doing so.

The laws and the companies of the music business requires that a website or software must have a previous authorization from the company in order to put MP3 music formats available for download. Magazines and websites - the reliable ones - in general places the top 10, 25, 50 or 100 download of the week or of the month, depending on how up-to-dated is the website. And you can take a look ate the top 10 list of two reliable websites sites.

Reach (S Club 7 song)

2006-04-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Reach was a single released by UK pop group, S Club 7 on May 22, 2000. Reach is an uptempo track co-written by Cathy Dennis and A.Todd. The song was a massive hit and is to this day, a classic party track. Reach was the theme tune to the second series of the hugely popular CBBC series, LA 7.
Song information
Track Listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Reach".
CD single one
"Reach"
"Reach" (Eiffel 65 Edit)
"I'll Be There"
"Reach" (CD ROM Video)
CD single two
"Reach"
"S Club Party" (Paul and Bradley's Remix)
"Someday Someway"

Bread

2006-03-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Bread is a staple food which is prepared by baking, steaming, or frying dough. Bread consists minimally of flour and water; salt is present in most cases; and usually a leavening agent such as yeast is used. Breads may also contain some amounts of sugar, spices, fruit (such as raisins, pumpkin or bananas), vegetables (like onion or zucchini) nuts and seeds (such as caraway, sesame or poppy seeds), which are often used for decorative and flavoring purposes. There are a wide variety of breads and preferred varieties often vary from region to region.Fresh bread is prized for its taste and texture, and retaining its freshness is important to keep it appetizing. Bread that has stiffened or dried past its prime is said to be stale. Today's modern bread is often wrapped in paper or plastic film, or stored in airtight containers such as a breadbox to keep it fresh longer. Bread that is kept in warm moist environments is prone to the growth of mold. It actually becomes stale more quickly in the low temperature of a refrigerator, although by keeping it cool, mold is less likely to grow.

Usage

Bread can be served ranging anywhere from room temperature to piping hot. Once baked, bread can subsequently be toasted. Bread is most commonly picked up and eaten with the hands, although some applications of bread are more easily eaten with the aid of a utensil such as a fork. It can be eaten by itself or as a carrier for another, usually less compact food. Bread may be dunked or dipped into a liquid (such as beef gravy or olive oil), topped with various spreads, both sweet and savory, or serve as the enclosure for the ubiquitous sandwich with any number of meats, cheeses, vegetables or condiments inside. Across the world, bread is the preferred vehicle for many toppings that vary from culture to culture, such as:

butter
nut butters such as peanut butter
fruit-based spreads such as jam, jelly, apple butter or marmalade
molasses, maple syrup or honey
liverwurst or other forms of pâté
cream cheese or other soft processed cheese spreads, such as The Laughing Cow
yeast-based spreads such as Marmite or Vegemite
hummus, refried beans and other bean-based spreads
prepared salads, such as tuna, chicken, egg or ham salad, and myriad other foods

HistoryBread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of these early breads are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, with the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapati, Chinese poa ping, Scots oatcake, North American johnnycake, and Ethiopian injera all being examples. The basic flat breads of this type also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets.

The development of leavened bread can probably also be traced to prehistoric times. Yeast spores occur everywhere, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened. Although leavening is likely of prehistoric origin, the earliest archaeological evidence is from ancient Egypt. Scanning electron microscopy has detected yeast cells in some ancient Egyptian loaves. However, ancient Egyptian bread was made from emmer wheat and has a dense crumb. In cases where yeast cells are not visible, it is difficult to determine whether the bread was leavened by visual examination. As a result, the extent to which bread was leavened in ancient Egypt remains uncertain.

There were multiple sources of leavening available for early bread. Air borne yeasts could be harnessed by leaving uncooked dough exposed to air for some time before cooking. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples". Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast. The most common source of leavening however was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter.

Even within antiquity there was a wide variety of breads available. In the Deipnosophistae, the Greek author Athenaeus describes some of the breads, cakes, cookies, and pastries available in the Classical world. Among the breads mentioned are griddle cakes, honey-and-oil bread, mushroom shaped loaves covered in poppy seeds, and the military specialty of rolls baked on a spit. The type and quality of flour used to produce bread could also vary as noted by Diphilus when he declared "bread made of wheat, as compared with that made of barley, is more nourishing, more digestible, and in every way superior. In order of merit, the bread made from refined [thoroughly sieved] flour comes first, after that bread from ordinary wheat, and then the unbolted, made of flour that has not been sifted."

Within medieval Europe bread served not only as a staple food but also as part of the table service. In the standard table setting of the day the trencher, a piece of stale bread roughly 6 inches by 4 inches (15 cm by 10 cm), served as an absorbent plate. At the completion of a meal the trencher could then be eaten, given to the poor, or fed to the dogs. It was not until the 15th Century that trenchers made of wood started to replace the bread variety.

Otto Frederick Rohwedder is considered to be the father of sliced bread. In 1912 Rohwedder started work on inventing a machine that sliced bread, but bakeries were reluctant to use it since they were concerned the sliced bread would go stale. It wasn't until 1928, when Rohwedder invented a machine that both sliced and wrapped the bread, that sliced bread caught on. A bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri was the first to use this machine to produce sliced bread.

For generations, white bread was considered the preferred bread of the rich while the poor ate dark bread. However, the connotations reversed in the 20th century with dark bread becoming preferred as having superior nutritional value while white bread became associated with lower class ignorance of nutrition. Another major advance happened in 1961 with the development of the Chorleywood Bread Process which used the intense mechanical working of dough to dramatically reduce the fermentation period and the time taken to produce a loaf. This process is now widely used around the world. Recently, domestic breadmakers that automate the process of making bread are becoming popular in the home.

Roaming

2006-03-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Roaming is a general term in wireless telecommunications that refers to the extending of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. Roaming occurs when a subscriber of one wireless service provider uses the facilities of another wireless service provider. This second provider has no direct pre-existing financial or service agreement with this subscriber to send or receive information. A device will usually indicate when it is roaming.

The quintessential example of "roaming" is the case of cellular phones when a phone is in a location where its wireless service provider does not provide coverage (for example, another country). In some cases, roaming occurs in a phone's designated home area when it transmits via a different provider's tower (sometimes at a higher price). This is likely to occur when the service provider's signal is too weak or if the volume of callers is too high. In order for a mobile device to use a different carrier's service, the phone's service provider must have a roaming agreement with that carrier.

In 802.11 roaming can also mean subscriber mobility or handover within the same network.
The roaming process The details of the roaming process differ among types of cellular networks, but in general, the process resembles the following:

When the mobile device is turned on or is transferred via a handover to the network, this new "visited" network sees the device, notices that it is not registered with its own system, and attempts to identify its home network. If there is no roaming agreement between the two networks, maintenance of service is impossible, and service is denied by the visited network.
The visited network contacts the home network and requests service information (including whether or not the mobile should be allowed to roam) about the roaming device using the its IMSI number.

If successful, the visited network begins to maintain a temporary subscriber record for the device. Likewise, the home network updates its information to indicate that the mobile is on the host network so that any information sent to that device can be correctly routed. If a call is made to a roaming mobile, the public telephone network routes the call to the phone's registered service provider, who then must route it to the visited network. That network must then provide an internal temporary phone number to the mobile. Once this number is defined, the home network forwards the incoming call to the temporary phone number, which terminates at the host network and is forwarded to the mobile.

In order that a subscriber is able to "latch" on to a visited network, a roaming agreement needs to be in place between the visited network and the home network. This agreement is established after a series of testing processes called IREG and TADIG. While the IREG testing is to test the proper functioning of the established communication links, the TADIG testing is to check the billability of the calls. The usage by a subscriber in a visited network is captured in a file called the TAP (Transferred Account Procedure) for GSM / CIBER (Cellular Intercarrier Billing Exchange Roamer) for CDMA, AMPS etc. file and is transferred to the home network. A TAP/CIBER file contains details of the calls made by the subscriber viz. location, calling party, called party, time of call and duration, etc. The TAP/CIBER files are rated as per the tariffs charged by the visited operator. The home operator then bills these calls to his subscribers and may charge a mark-up/tax applicable locally.

Additional notions and types of roaming

# Regional roaming :
This type of roaming refers to the ability of moving from one region to another region inside national coverage of the mobile operator. Initially, operators often made commercial offers restricted to a region (sometimes to a town). Due to the success of GSM and the decrease in cost, regional roaming is rarely offered to clients except in nations with wide geographic areas like the USA, Russia, India, etc., in which there are a number of regional operators.

# National roaming :
This type of roaming refers to the ability to move from one mobile operator to another in the same country. For example, a subscriber of T-Mobile USA who is allowed to roam on Cingular Wireless's service would have national roaming rights. For commercial and license reasons, this type of roaming is not allowed unless under very specific circumstances and under regulatory scrutiny. This has often taken place when a new company is assigned a mobile telephony license, to create a more competitive market by allowing the new entrant to offer coverage comparable to that of established operators (by requiring the existing operators to allow roaming while the new entrant has time to build up its own network).

# International roaming :
This type of roaming refers to the ability to move to a foreign service provider's network. It is, consequently, of particular interest to international tourists and business travellers.
Broadly speaking, international roaming is easiest using the GSM standard, as it is used by over 80% of the world's mobile operators. However, even then, there may be problems, since countries have allocated different frequency bands for GSM communications (there are two groups of countries: most GSM countries use 900/1800 MHz, but the United States and some other countries in the Americas have allocated 850/1900 MHz): for a phone to work in a country with a different frequency allocation, it must support one or both of that country's frequencies, and thus be tri- or quad-band.

E-marketing

2006-03-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

E-marketing is a type of marketing that can be defined as achieving objectives through the use of electronic communications technology such as Internet, e-mail, Ebooks, database, and mobile phone. It is a more general term than online marketing which is limited to the use of internet technology to attain marketing objectives.

Dave Chaffey, working from a relationship marketing perspective, has defined e-marketing as:
Applying Digital technologies which form online channels (Web, e-mail, databases, plus mobile/wireless & digital TV) to contribute to marketing activities aimed at achieving profitable acquisition and retention of customers (within a multi-channel buying process and customer lifecycle) through improving our customer knowledge (of their profiles, behaviour, value and loyalty drivers), then delivering integrated targeted communications and online services that match their individual needs. (Source: with permission of the author)
Chaffey's definition emphasises that:

It should not be the technology that drives e-marketing, but the business returns from gaining new customers and maintaining relationships with existing customers. It also emphasises how e-marketing does not occur in isolation, but is most effective when it is integrated with other communications channels such as telemarketing, direct-mail, personal selling, advertising, publicity, sales promotion, and other promotional techniques. Online channels should also be used to support the whole buying process from pre-sale to sale to post-sale and further development of customer relationships where this is appropriate.

It should be based on knowledge of customer needs developed by researching their characteristics, behaviour, what they value, and what keeps them loyal.The web and e-mail communications should be personally tailored to individual buyers based on the information obtained in the research.

Pizza

2006-03-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

A pizza (IPA pronunciation: [ˈpiːtsə]) is an oven-baked, flat, usually circular bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese with optional toppings, or a savory pie with similar ingredients. The cheese is usually mozzarella (the traditional Italian pizza uses buffalo mozzarella or, according to Naples' tradition, fior di latte cheese) or sometimes a mixture of several cheeses such as parmesan, romano and ricotta. Various other toppings may be added, most typically:

herbs and seasonings such as basil, oregano, and garlic vegetables such as bell peppers, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, spinach, olives, onions, and artichoke hearts meat or fish products such as sausage, (especially pepperoni or salami), ham, bacon, ground beef, anchovies, chicken, and shrimp Other common toppings include mushrooms and pineapple.

The crust is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with butter, garlic, or herbs, or stuffed with cheese. In some pizza recipes the tomato sauce is omitted (termed "white pizza"), or replaced with another sauce (usually garlic butter but can be sauces made with spinach or onions). Pizza is normally eaten hot (typically at lunch or dinner), but leftovers are often eaten cold for breakfast or as a snack. The etymology of the word pizza is disputed. The form pizza first appears in Naples, Italy in the 16th century. Piza or pissa is late Vulgar Latin (9th century) flat bread, and apparently came to mean a flat bread with a cheese topping by the 14th century in some Italian dialects.

Pizzo, which means point in Italian, may have been an influence. Many languages around the Mediterranean have similar words meaning flat bread or unleavened bread, see pita. The Italian word for a person with talent for making pizza is pizzaiolo. A restaurant that serves pizza is called a pizzeria (from Italian); the phrase "pizza parlor" is also used in the United States. Pizza can also be purchased in grocery stores or supermarkets (usually, but not always, frozen); in many countries, pizza can also be ordered by telephone (or, increasingly, via the Web) to be delivered, hot and ready to eat, to almost any address within range of the restaurant. The first pizzeria established in the United States was Lombardi's in New York.

Crusts and baking methodsPizza may be baked with a thin bread bottom (Italian or "hand-tossed" style) or with thicker bread (pan pizza). The crust can be very thick as in Chicago-style pizza or almost non-existent as in the Roman pizza. Some pizzas are now made with a cheese-filled crust. In restaurants, pizza can be baked in a gas canister (stone bricks above the heat source) oven, an electric deck oven, a conveyor belt oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired brick oven. On deck ovens, the pizza can be slid into the oven on a long paddle called a peel and baked directly on the hot bricks or baked on a screen (a round metal pan that has holes in it like a screen). When making pizza at home, it can be baked on a "pizza stone" in a regular oven to imitate the effect of a brick oven. Another option is grilled pizza, in which the crust is baked directly on a barbecue grill. Greek pizza, like Chicago-style pizza, is baked in a pan rather than directly on the bricks of the pizza oven.

In home-made pizza, there are many variations on the bread used for crust. In some countries, creations such as pita pizza, bagel pizza, and tortilla pizza are popular, especially with children. In Japan, where full-size ovens are a rarity in the home, pizza toast is a popular version. In Australia, Domino's Pizza has introduced the "Puffection" pizza, featuring puff pastry as base.
Tomato sauce Pizza is often broadly divided into "red" and "white" pizzas, which respectively do and do not contain tomatoes. Of the red pizzas, the most common form of tomato topping is a thick, smooth tomato sauce known generically as "tomato paste", which differs from tomato sauces used for pasta in containing less water, reducing the likelihood of a soggy crust. In the most typical style of pizza, the sauce is swirled on in a thin layer using a ladle or similar type of large spoon, with toppings placed on the top. With some forms of pizza, particularly deep-dish, this is inverted, with the cheese and toppings placed directly on the dough and the sauce ladled over the top. Original neapolitan pizzas use only raw, sliced tomatoes.

It is not uncommon to use a raw tomato sauce or tomato puree (usually made from canned tomatoes) and fresh herbs such as basil. Similarly, diced or ground tomatoes are often used more or less straight on deep-dish pizza. In both cases, the tomatoes are cooked by the high temperatures of the oven. Some otherwise "white" pizzas also use thinly sliced fresh tomatoes as a topping.

Solitaire

2006-02-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

Solitaire or Patience is any of a family of single-player card games of a generally similar character, but varying greatly in detail. The games can also be known as "Patience" in British English while "solitaire" is the American English term.

These games typically involve dealing cards from a shuffled deck into a prescribed arrangement on a tabletop, from which the player attempts to reorder the deck by suit and rank through a series of moves transferring cards from one place to another under prescribed restrictions. Some games allow for the reshuffling of the deck(s), and/or the placement of cards into new or 'empty' locations.

Solitaire has its own terminology; see solitaire terminology.

There are many different solitaire games, but the term "solitaire" is often used to refer specifically to the most well-known form, called "Klondike". Klondike and some other solitaire games have been adapted into two-player competitive games.

There are a vast array of variations on the solitaire/patience theme, using either one or more decks of cards, with rules of varying complexity and skill levels. Many of these have been converted to electronic form and are available as computer games. Basic forms of Klondike solitaire and FreeCell come with every current installation of Microsoft Windows, for example, and both Windows Me and Windows XP also includes a version of Spider. 123 Free Solitaire and PySol are two examples of solitaire collections that can be downloaded from the internet at no charge.

The term 'solitaire' is also used for single-player games of concentration and skill using a set layout of tiles, pegs or stones rather than cards. These games include:

Peg solitaire
Shanghai solitaire (computerised mahjong)
History

Like the origin of playing cards, the origins of solitaire is largely unknown as there are no historical records to support it. Some scholars think these kinds of games are largely French in origin as early English language books about patience games refer to French literature. This can be evidenced by the names of some games written in those English books such as La Belle Lucie, Le Cadran, Le Loi Salique, La Nivernaise and others.

Napoleon was also said to have "played patience" during his exile. Some solitaire games were named after him, such as Napoleon at St. Helena, Napoleon's Square, etc. But whether he played those games or actually invented them is not known.

The first collection of solitaire card games in the English language is attributed to Lady Adelaide Cadogan through her Illustrated Games of Patience, published in about in 1870 and reprinted several times. Before this, literature about solitaire (or "patience" as it was known at the time) was non-existent, not even in such books as Charles Cotton's The Compleat Gamester (1674), Abbé Bellecour's Academie des Jeux (1674), and Bohn's Handbook of Games (1850), all of which are used as reference on card games.

Lady Cadogan's book spawned other collections such as Patience by E. D. Cheney, Amusements for Invalids by Annie B. Henshaw (1870), and later Dick's Games of Patience, published by Dick and Fitzgerald. Other books about solitaire written towards the end of the 19th century were by H. E. Jones (a.k.a. Cavendish), Angelo Lewis (a.k.a. Professor Hoffman), Basil Dalton, and Ernest Bergholt.

There are also literary references to solitaire games. Some of these are:
Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace mentions a scene that took place in 1808 where the characters were playing patience.
Somerset Maugham's The Gentleman in the Parlour mentions Spider and quotes playing solitaire as "a flippant disposition."
In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov, the character Grushenka played a solitaire game known as Fools to get through times in crises.
It is also noted that according to Redbook Magazine, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a fan of the solitaire game Spider.

Hard disk

2006-02-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

non-volatile A hard disk drive (HDD, or also hard drive or the now-obsolete usage hard file) is a data storage device that stores data on a magnetic surface layered onto hard disk platters.
Mechanics and magnetics

A hard disk uses rotating platters (disks) to store data. Each platter has a smooth magnetic surface on which digital data is stored. Information is written to the disk by applying a magnetic field from a read-write head that flies very close over the magnetic surface. The magnetic medium (film) on the disk surface changes its magnetization in microscopic spots (bits) due to the head's write field. The information can be read back by a magnetoresistive (MR) read sensor which is part of the same head structure on the trailing end of the flying slider. The read sensor detects the magnetic flux emanating from the bit transitions passing underneath it through a small change of the MR sensor's electric resistance.

A typical hard disk drive design consists of a spindle on which the platters spin at a constant RPM. Moving along and between the platters on a common arm are read-write heads, with one head for each platter surface. The actuator arm moves the heads on an arc (roughly radially) across the platters as they spin, allowing each head to access almost the entire surface of the platter.

The associated electronics control the movement of the actuator and the rotation of the disk, and perform reads and writes on demand from the disk controller. Modern drive firmware is capable of scheduling reads and writes efficiently on the disk surfaces and remapping sectors of the disk which have failed.

Also, most major hard drive and motherboard vendors now support self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology (S.M.A.R.T.), by which impending failures can be predicted, allowing the user to be alerted to prevent data loss.

The mostly sealed enclosure protects the drive internals from dust, condensation, and other sources of contamination. The hard disk's read-write heads fly on an air bearing which is a cushion of air only nanometers above the disk surface. The disk surface and the drive's internal environment must therefore be kept immaculate to prevent damage from fingerprints, hair, dust, smoke particles, etc., given the submicroscopic gap between the heads and disk.

The system relies on air pressure inside the drive to support the heads at their proper flying height while the disk is in motion. A hard disk drive requires a certain range of air pressures in order to operate properly. The connection to the external environment and pressure occur through a small orifice in the enclosure, usually featuring also a carbon filter on the inside (the breather filter, see below). If the air pressure is too low, there will not be enough lift for the flying head, the head will not be at the proper height, and there is a risk of head crashes and data loss. Specially manufactured sealed and pressurized drives are needed for reliable high-altitude operation, above about 10,000 feet. This does not apply to pressurized enclosures, like an airplane pressurized cabin. Modern drives include temperature sensors and adjust their operation to the operating environment.

Very high humidity for extended periods can cause accelerated wear of the drive's heads and disks by corrosion. If the drive uses "Contact Start/Stop" (CSS) technology to park its heads on the disk when not operating, increased humidity can also lead to increased stiction (the tendency for the heads to stick to the disk surface). This can cause physical damage to the disk and spindle motor and can also lead to head crash. Breather holes can be seen on all drives — they usually have a warning sticker next to them, informing the user not to cover the holes. The air inside the operating drive is constantly moving too, being swept in motion by friction with the spinning disk platters. This air passes through an internal filter to remove any leftover contaminants from manufacture, any particles or chemicals that may have somehow entered the drive, and any particles or outgassing generated internally in normal operation.

Due to the extremely close spacing between the heads and the disk surface, any contamination of the read-write heads or disk platters can lead to a head crash — a failure of the disk in which the head scrapes across the platter surface, often grinding away the thin magnetic film. For Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) heads in particular, a minor head crash from contamination (that does not remove the magnetic surface of the disk) will still result in the head temporarily overheating, due to friction with the disk surface, and can render the data unreadable for a short period until the head temperature stabilizes (so called "thermal asperity," a problem which can partially be dealt with proper electronic filtering of the read signal). Head crashes can be caused by electronic failure, a sudden power failure, physical shock, wear and tear, corrosion, or poorly manufactured disks and heads. In most desktop and server drives, when powering down, the heads are moved to a landing zone, an area of the disk usually near its inner diameter (ID), where no data is stored. This area is called the CSS (Contact Start/Stop) zone. However, especially in old models, sudden power interruptions or a power supply failure can sometimes result in the drive shutting down with the heads in the data zone, which increases the risk of data loss. In fact, it used to be procedure to "park" the hard drive before shutting down your computer. Newer drives are designed such that either a spring (at first) and then rotational inertia in the platters is used to safely park the heads in the case of unexpected power loss.

Around 1995 IBM pioneered a technology where the landing zone is made by a precision laser process (Laser Zone Texture = LZT) producing an array of smooth nanometer-scale "bumps" in the ID landing zone, thus vastly improving stiction and wear performance. This technology is still widely in use today (2006). A few years after LZT, initially for mobile applications (i.e. laptop etc.), and later also for the other HDD types, IBM introduced "head unloading" technology, where the heads are lifted off the platters onto plastic "ramps" near the outer disk edge, thus eliminating the risk of stiction altogether and greatly improving non-operating shock performance. All HDD manufacturers use these two technologies to this day. Both have a list of advantages and drawbacks in terms of loss of storage space, relative difficulty of mechanical tolerance control, cost of implementation, etc.

Nasyid

2006-02-18T08:04:00.000-08:00

Nasyid is a form of religious singing based on Islamic teachings, stories and so on. It used to be more in the Arabic tune but nowadays Nasyid is sung to newer musical tempo to suite taste of current listeners.
Professor Margaret Sarkissian has published a paper entitled "Religion never had it so good": Contemporary nasyid and the growth of Islamic popular music in Malaysia, in the Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 37, pp. 124-152, 2005.

Cancer

2006-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis. Metastasis is defined as the stage in which cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Cancer may affect people at all ages, but risk tends to increase with age, due to the fact that DNA damage becomes more apparent in aging DNA. It is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries.
There are many types of cancer. Severity of symptoms depends on the site and character of the malignancy and whether there is metastasis. A definitive diagnosis usually requires the histologic examination of tissue by a pathologist. This tissue is obtained by biopsy or surgery. Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for the type of cancer pathology. Drugs that target specific cancers already exist for several cancers. If untreated, cancers may eventually cause illness and death, though this is not always the case.
The unregulated growth that characterizes cancer is caused by damage to DNA, resulting in mutations to genes that encode for proteins controlling cell division. Many mutation events may be required to transform a normal cell into a malignant cell. These mutations can be caused by chemicals or physical agents called carcinogens, by close exposure to radioactive materials, or by certain viruses that can insert their DNA into the human genome. Mutations occur spontaneously, or are passed down generations as a result of germ line mutations.
Many forms of cancer are associated with exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco smoke, radiation, alcohol and certain viruses. While some of these can be avoided, there is no known way to entirely avoid the disease, and public health and vaccination programs are also important on a global scale.
History
Today, carcinoma is the medical term for a malignant tumor derived from epithelial cells. It is Celsus who translated carcinos into the Latin cancer, also meaning crab. Galen used "oncos" to describe all tumours, the root for the modern word oncology.
Hippocrates described several kinds of cancers. He called benign tumours oncos, Greek for swelling, and malignant tumours carcinos, Greek for crab or crayfish. This strange choice of name probably comes from the appearance of the cut surface of a solid malignant tumour, with a roundish hard center surrounded by pointy projections, vaguely resembling the silhouette of a crab. He later added the suffix -oma, Greek for swelling, giving the name carcinoma. Since it was against Greek tradition to open the body, Hippocrates only described and made drawings of outwardly visible tumors on the skin, nose, and breasts. Treatment was based on the humor theory of four bodily fluids (black and yellow bile, blood, and phlegm). According to the patient's humor, treatment consisted of diet, blood-letting, and/or laxatives. Through the centuries it was discovered that cancer could occur anywhere in the body, but humor-theory based treatment remained popular until the 19th century with the discovery of cells.
Though treatment remained the same, in the 16th and 17th centuries it became more acceptable for doctors to dissect bodies to discover the cause of death. The German professor Wilhelm Fabry believed that breast cancer was caused by a milk clot in a mammary duct. The Dutch professor Francois de la Boe Sylvius, a follower of Descartes, believed that all disease was the outcome of chemical processes, and that acidic lymph fluid was the cause of cancer. His contemporary Nicolaes Tulp believed that cancer was a poison that slowly spreads, and concluded that it was contagious.[citation needed]
With the widespread use of the microscope in the 18th century, it was discovered that the 'cancer poison' spread from the primary tumor through the lymph nodes to other sites ("metastasis"). The use of surgery to treat cancer had poor results due to problems with hygiene. The renowned Scottish surgeon Alexander Monro (1697-1767) saw only 2 breast tumor patients out of 60 surviving surgery for two years. In the 19th century, asepsis improved surgical hygiene and as the survival statistics went up, surgical removal of the tumor became the primary treatment for cancer. With the exception of William Coley who in the late 1800's felt that the rate of cure after surgery had been higher before asepsis (and who injected bacteria into tumors with mixed results), cancer treatment became dependent on the individual art of the surgeon at removing a tumor. During the same period, the idea that the body was made up of various tissues, that in turn were made up of millions of cells, laid rest the humor-theories about chemical imbalances in the body. The age of cellular pathology was born.
When Marie Curie and Pierre Curie discovered radiation at the end of the 19th century, they stumbled upon the first effective non-surgical cancer treatment. With radiation came also the first signs of multi-disciplinary approaches to cancer treatment. The surgeon was no longer operating as an island, but worked together with hospital radiologists to help patients. The complications in communication this brought, along with the necessity of the patient's treatment in a hospital facility rather than at home, also created a parallel process of compiling patient data into hospital files, which in turn led to the first statistical patient studies.
Cancer patient treatment and studies were restricted to individual physician's practises until WWII, when medical research centers discovered that there were large international differences in disease incidence. This insight drove national public health bodies to make it possible to compile health data across practises and hospitals, a process that many countries do today. The Japanese medical community observed that the bone marrow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims was completely destroyed. They concluded that diseased bone marrow could also be destroyed with radiation, and this led to the discovery of bone marrow transplants for leukemia. Since WWII, trends in cancer treatment are to improve on a micro-level the existing treatment methods, standardize them, and globalize them as a way to find cures through epidemiology and international partnerships.

Nomenclature and classification
The following closely related terms may be used to designate abnormal growths:
Neoplasia and neoplasm are the accurate, scientific names for this group of diseases as defined in the first paragraph above. This group contains a large number of different diseases; the usual classification is listed below. Neoplasms can be benign or malignant.
Cancer is a widely used word that is usually understood as synonymous with malignant neoplasm. Occasionally, it is used instead of carcinoma, a sub-group of malignant neoplasms. Because of its overwhelming popularity relative to 'neoplasia', it is used frequently instead of 'neoplasia', even by scientists and physicians, especially when discussing neoplastic diseases as a group.
Tumor in medical language simply means swelling or lump, either neoplastic, inflammatory or other. In common language, however, it is synonymous with 'neoplasm', either benign or malignant. This is inaccurate since some neoplasms usually do not form tumors, for example leukemia or carcinoma in situ.
Cancers are classified by the type of cell that resembles the tumor and, therefore, the tissue presumed to be the origin of the tumor. The following general categories are usually accepted:
Carcinoma: malignant tumors derived from epithelial cells. This group represent the most common cancers, including the common forms of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer.
Lymphoma and Leukemia: malignant tumors derived from blood and bone marrow cells
Sarcoma: malignant tumors derived from connective tissue, or mesenchymal cells
Mesothelioma: tumors derived from the mesothelial cells lining the peritoneum and the pleura.
Glioma: tumors derived from glia, the most common type of brain cell
germ cell tumours: tumors derived from germ cells, normally found in the testicle and ovary
Choriocarcinoma: malignant tumors derived from the placenta
Malignant tumors are usually named using the Latin or Greek root of the organ as a prefix and the above category name as the suffix. For instance, a malignant tumor of liver cells is called hepatocarcinoma; a malignant tumor of the fat cells is called liposarcoma. For common cancers, the English organ name is used. For instance, the most common type of breast cancer is called ductal carcinoma of the breast or mammary ductal carcinoma. Here, the adjective ductal refers to the appearance of the cancer under the microscope, resembling normal breast ducts.
Benign tumors are named using -oma as a suffix. For instance, a benign tumor of the smooth muscle of the uterus is called leiomyoma (the common name of this frequent tumor is fibroid). This nomenclature is however somewhat inconsistent, since several "malignant" tumor growths also have this suffix in their names, e.g. neuroblastoma, lymphoma and melanoma.
Prevention
Cancer prevention is defined as active measures to decrease the incidence of cancer. This can be accomplished by avoiding carcinogens or altering their metabolism, pursuing a lifestyle or diet that modifies cancer-causing factors and/or medical intervention (chemoprevention, treatment of pre-malignant lesions).
Much of the promise for cancer prevention comes from observational epidemiologic studies that show associations between modifiable life style factors or environmental exposures and specific cancers. Evidence is now emerging from randomized controlled trials designed to test whether interventions suggested by the epidemiologic studies, as well as leads based on laboratory research, actually result in reduced cancer incidence and mortality.
Examples of modifiable cancer risk include alcohol consumption (associated with increased risk of oral, esophageal, breast, and other cancers), smoking (although 20% of women with lung cancer have never smoked, versus 10% of men), physical inactivity (associated with increased risk of colon, breast, and possibly other cancers), and being overweight (associated with colon, breast, endometrial, and possibly other cancers). Based on epidemiologic evidence, it is now thought that avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, being physically active, and maintaining recommended body weight may all contribute to reductions in risk of certain cancers; however, compared with tobacco exposure, the magnitude of effect is modest or small and the strength of evidence is often weaker. Other lifestyle and environmental factors known to affect cancer risk (either beneficially or detrimentally) include certain sexual and reproductive practices, the use of exogenous hormones, exposure to ionizing radiation and ultraviolet radiation, certain occupational and chemical exposures, and infectious agents.

Diet and cancer
The consensus on diet and cancer is that obesity increases the risk of developing cancer. Particular dietary practices often explain differences in cancer incidence in different countries (e.g. gastric cancer is more common in Japan, while colon cancer is more common in the United States). Studies have shown that immigrants develop the risk of their new country, suggesting a link between diet and cancer rather than a genetic basis.
Despite frequent reports of particular substances (including foods) having a beneficial or detrimental effect on cancer risk, few of these have an established link to cancer. These reports are often based on studies in cultured cell media or animals. Public health recommendations cannot be made on the basis of these studies until they have been validated in an observational (or occasionally a prospective interventional) trial in humans.
The case of beta-carotene provides an example of the necessity of randomized clinical trials. Epidemiologists studying both diet and serum levels observed that high levels of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, were associated with a protective effect, reducing the risk of cancer. This effect was particularly strong in lung cancer. This hypothesis led to a series of large randomized trials conducted in both Finland and the United States (CARET study) during the 1980s and 1990s. This study provided about 80,000 smokers or former smokers with daily supplements of beta-carotene or placebos. Contrary to expectation, these tests found no benefit of beta-carotene supplementation in reducing lung cancer incidence and mortality. In fact, the risk of lung cancer was slightly, but not significantly, increased by beta-carotene, leading to an early termination of the study.

Other chemoprevention agents
Daily use of tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, typically for 5 years, has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in high-risk women by about 50%. Cis-retinoic acid also has been shown to reduce risk of second primary tumors among patients with primary head and neck cancer. Finasteride, a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, has been shown to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Other examples of drugs that show promise for chemoprevention include COX-2 inhibitors (which inhibit a cyclooxygenase enzyme involved in the synthesis of proinflammatory prostaglandins).

Genetic testing
Genetic testing for high-risk individuals, with enhanced surveillance, chemoprevention, or risk-reducing surgery for those who test positive, is already available for certain cancer-related genetic mutations.

Diagnosing cancer
Most cancers are initially recognized either because signs or symptoms appear or through screening. Neither of these lead to a definitive diagnosis, which usually requires the opinion of a pathologist.

Signs and symptoms
Roughly, cancer symptoms can be divided into three groups:
Local symptoms: unusual lumps or swelling (tumor), hemorrhage (bleeding), pain and/or ulceration. Compression of surrounding tissues may cause symptoms such as jaundice.
Symptoms of metastasis (spreading): enlarged lymph nodes, cough and hemoptysis, hepatomegaly (enlarged liver), bone pain, fracture of affected bones and neurological symptoms. Although advanced cancer may cause pain, it is often not the first symptom.
Systemic symptoms: weight loss, poor appetite and cachexia (wasting), excessive sweating (night sweats), anemia and specific paraneoplastic phenomena, i.e. specific conditions that are due to an active cancer, such as thrombosis or hormonal changes.
Every single item in the above list can be caused by a variety of conditions (a list of which is referred to as the differential diagnosis). Cancer may be a common or uncommon cause of each item.

Biopsy
A cancer may be suspected for a variety of reasons, but the definitive diagnosis of most malignancies must be confirmed by histological examination of the cancerous cells by a pathologist. Tissue can be obtained from a biopsy or surgery. Many biopsies (such as those of the skin, breast or liver) can be done in a doctor's office. Biopsies of other organs are performed under anesthesia and require surgery in an operating room.
The tissue diagnosis indicates the type of cell that is proliferating, its histological grade and other features of the tumor. Together, this information is useful to evaluate the prognosis of this patient and choose the best treatment. Cytogenetics and immunohistochemistry may provide information about future behavior of the cancer (prognosis) and best treatment.

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution

2006-01-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution, or EDGE, is a digital mobile phone technology which acts as a bolt-on enhancement to 2G and 2.5G General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks. This technology works in GSM networks. EDGE (also known as EGPRS) is a superset to GPRS and can function on any network with GPRS deployed on it, provided the carrier implements the necessary upgrades.
EDGE provides Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), which can be used for any packet switched applications such as an Internet connection. High-speed data applications such as video services and other multimedia benefit from EGPRS’ increased data capacity. EDGE Circuit Switched is a possible future development.
In addition to Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK), EDGE uses 8 phase shift keying (8PSK) for the upper five of its nine modulation and coding schemes. EDGE produces a 3-bit word for every change in carrier phase. This effectively triples the gross data rate offered by GSM. EDGE, like GPRS, uses a rate adaptation algorithm that adapts the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) according to the quality of the radio channel, and thus the bit rate and robustness of data transmission. It introduces a new technology not found in GPRS, Incremental Redundancy, which, instead of retransmitting disturbed packets, sends more redundancy information to be combined in the receiver. This increases the probability of correct decoding.
EDGE can carry data speeds up to 236.8 kbit/s for 4 timeslots (theoretical maximum is 473.6 kbit/s for 8 timeslots) in packet mode and will therefore meet the International Telecommunications Union’s requirement for a 3G network, and has been accepted by the ITU as part of the IMT-2000 family of 3G standards. It also enhances the circuit data mode called HSCSD, increasing the data rate of this service. EDGE has been introduced into GSM networks around the world since 2003, initially in North America.
EDGE is actively supported by GSM operators in North America. Some GSM operators elsewhere view UMTS as the ultimate upgrade path and either plan to skip EDGE altogether or use it outside the UMTS coverage area. However, the high cost and slow uptake of UMTS (as demonstrated by the upstart network 3) have resulted in fairly common support for EDGE in the global GSM/GPRS market.
Although EDGE requires no hardware changes to be made in GSM core networks, base stations, however, must be modified. EDGE compatible transceiver units must be installed and the base station subsystem (BSS) needs to be upgraded to support EDGE. New mobile terminal hardware and software is also required to decode/encode the new modulation and coding schemes and carry the higher user data rates to implement new services.
Whether EDGE is 2G or 3G depends on implementation. While Class 3 and below EDGE devices clearly are not 3G, class 4 and above devices perform at a higher bandwidth than other technologies conventionally considered as 3G (such as 1xRTT).