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What about yahoo europe users? Hi my name is Marin and I´m from croatia. In Europe we don´t have : yahoo jobs, yahoo last minute travel , yahoo shop yahoo..... So if whole europe is new market for you why dont you put some links for us (Europe links) , I dont know why we have to be in this position like we are now, and after all you have position to become great, because You will help a little bit in evolution of europe ! Thanks!

i have received - yahoo lotto from department of E.A.A.S.. , KINDLY SUGGEST ME , IS THIS TRUE OR FRAUD at News Travel Finance EntertainmentYahoo!My Yahoo!MailTutorialsMore Welcome, snehasheetalSign OutAll-New MailHelp Make Y! your home pageYahoo! SearchSearch: Mail| Contacts| Calendar| Notepad Yahoo! on Mobile - Mail Upgrades - Options Check MailCompose Search Mail: Search MailSearch the Web Yahoo! Tech Tech made easy Folders[Add - Edit] Inbox (3) Draft Sent Bulk[Empty] Trash[Empty] Search Shortcuts My Photos My Attachments You can receive a SMS text alert when this person sends you Mail. Please register for mail alerts to activate this service. Previous | Next | Back to Messages Call or Instant Message eaas.office8 DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Printable View This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ] Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 09:23:34 +0000 (GMT) From: "E.A.A.S YAHOO INTERNET LOTTERY" <eaas.office8@yahoo.co.uk> Add Mobile Alert Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by yahoo.co.uk. Learn more Subject: CONGRATULATION YOU HAVE WON ($250,000.00) LOTTERY PRIZE PROMOTION CLAIM YOUR PRIZE IMMEDIATELY! To: eaas.office8@yahoo.co.uk YAHOO LOTTO PROMOTION E.A.A.S HEADQUARTERS AMSTERDAM HOLLAND Dear Sir/Madam We are happy to inform you that you have won a prize money of Two Hundred and Fifty thousand Us Dollar ($250,000.00) for the month of JANUARY lottery promotion which is organized by YAHOO!. Annually YAHOO! collects all the E-mail id's of the people that are online on yahoo amongs the Millions that subscribe to YAHOO!, Eight People Are Been selected All Over The World. Our Winners Are Selected Through Electronic Balloting System Without The Winner Applying.We Are Congratulating You For Being One Of The People Selected For This Second Random For The Year 2008. These Are Your Winning Identification Numbers..... Dream number..................................Lwh 8892428 Ticket/Lotto number.......................Lwh 27 522 465 896 6453, Lotto number.............................Lwh 03 19 31 32 36 40 43 Serial number....................................Lwh 3/772/554 Category.............................................2nd To Begin Your Claims, Kindly Contact The Fiduciary Agent For Your Prize Barrister: Wahab Ali. EMail: justice2chambers@yahoo.co.uk Mobile: (+62-85692471466) Without Any Further Delay. Otherwise Your Prize Will Be Returned Unclaimed To Our National Headquarters In Holland And Will Be Donated To Charity Homes. You Are Required To Forward To Your Agent With The Following Details: 1.FULL NAME:.................... 2.DATE OF BIRTH:.................. 3.PLACE OF BIRTH:.................... 4.STATUS.................. 5.NEXT OF KIN:................... 6.MOBILE NUMBER:................... 7.FAX NUMBER:.................... 8.POSTAL ADDRESS:.................... 9.EMAIL ADDRESS:....................... 10.CONTACT ADDRESS:................. 11.JOB/OCCUPATION:....................... 12.ZIP CODE:.......................... 13.COUNTRY:......................... 14. SCAN COPY OF YOUR INTERNATION PASSPORT OR PHOTOGRAPH:....... As soon as you contact Him He Will Advise you on the Procedure to claim your Won Prize Money Immediately. NOTE: YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO KEEP ALL YOUR WINNING CONFIDENTIAL TILL CLAIM IS MADE TO AVOID WRONG OR DOUBLE CLAIMING.ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIAL DISQUALIFIES YOU FROM GETTING YOUR PRIZE. YOUR ADDRESS HAS WON Congratulations Once More!! Yours Faithfully, Dr.Austin Owchor Finance Director, Barrister. Wahab Ali Fiduciary Agent, Dr.Ronny Smith Head of Administration. [YOU MUST CLAIM YOUR PRICE ON OR BEFORE 21 DAYS] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox. DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text | Full Headers Check MailCompose Search Mail: Search MailSearch the Web Move Options [New Folder] Forward Options As Inline Text As Attachment Reply Options Reply To Sender Reply To Everyone Address Book Shortcuts Add Contact Add Category View Contacts View Lists QuickBuilder Import Contacts Synchronize Addresses Options Addresses Help Calendar Shortcuts Add Event Add Task Add Birthday Day Week Month Year Event List Reminders Tasks Sharing Synchronize Calendar Options Calendar Help Notepad Shortcuts Add Note Add Folder View Notes Notepad Options Notepad Help Advanced Search Advanced Search Copyright © 1994-2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Guidelines NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. News Travel Finance EntertainmentYahoo!My Yahoo!MailTutorialsMore Welcome, snehasheetalSign OutAll-New MailHelp Make Y! your home pageYahoo! SearchSearch: Mail| Contacts| Calendar| Notepad Yahoo! on Mobile - Mail Upgrades - Options Check MailCompose Search Mail: Search MailSearch the Web Hot Web Finds Daily on THE 9 Folders[Add - Edit] Inbox (3) Draft Sent Bulk[Empty] Trash[Empty] Search Shortcuts My Photos My Attachments You can receive a SMS text alert when this person sends you Mail. Please register for mail alerts to activate this service. Previous | Next | Back to Messages Call or Instant Message justice2chambers DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Printable View This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ] Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:36:56 +0000 (GMT) From: "Wahab Ali" <justice2chambers@yahoo.co.uk> Add Mobile Alert Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by yahoo.co.uk. Learn more Subject: CLAIM OPTIONS! To: "sneha sheetal" <snehasheetal@yahoo.com> Attention Winner, Congratulation again for your good fortune.Below are the options for collecting your cheque of $250,000. which has been signed and ready for collection. BARRISTER WAHAB ALI. ASIAN FIDUCIARY AGENT. ANSANA BUILDING,6TH FLOOR,No 12 JL PLUIT INDAH RAYA,PLUIT JAKARTA UTARA 11248,JAKARTA INDONESIA. TEL:+62-85 692471466. ATTENTION LUCKY WINNER THIS IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECEIPT OF YOUR E- MAIL TOGETHER WITH YOUR CONTACT DETAILS. WE HEREBY INFORM YOU THAT YOUR WON PRICE (CHEQUE) HAS BEEN PROCESSED FOR PAYMENT AND READY FOR DISBUSMENT. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CHOOSE FROM THESE THREE OPTIONS BELOW ON HOW YOU WISH YOUR WON CHEQUE TO BE DELIVERED TO YOU AS YOUR FUND IS NOT IN A LIQUID FORM BUT IN BANK CHEQUE. THIS ADVISE COMPLIERS WITH THE ANTI-FRAUD SECTION 2,SUBSECTION (IV) OF THE PROCEDURAL MANUAL OF THE FUNDS DISBURSEMENTS AGREEMENTS EXISTING BETWEEN COURIER COMPANIES AND B.S.D.A. LOTTERY COMPANY AMSTERDAM HOLLAND: OPTION 1 : COMMING TO JAKARTA INDONESIA You will required to come to Jakarta Indonesia to pick your prize personally from prize Disbursement center Jakarta Indonesia. Hence you are therefore CLEARED and can now claim your wins .You are therefore requested to come in person to the Disbursements Center of the B.S.D.A Online lottery Program International with the following requirements: (a) A printed copy of your WINNING NOTIFICATION (b) An International Passport or Drivers license (c) Two (2) passport photograph (3*4 size) Option 2: COURIER DELIVERY FIVE WAYS EXPRES COURIER 24hrs DELIVERY Mailing $170.00 00.00 Insurance $350.00 00.00 Vat (5%) $130.00 00.00 TOTAL $650.00 00.00 $650.00=USD FEDEX (3 working days) Mailing $100.00 00.00 Insurance $350.00 00.00 Vat $-80.00 00.00 TOTAL $530.00 00.00 $530=USD POST OFFICE MAIL (5 working days) Mailing $100.00 00.00 Insurance $350.00 00.00 Vat $-30.00 00.00 TOTAL $-480 00.00 $480=USD The insurance company declined reverse payment for the courier, stating that it is against their professional policy towards ensuring the safe delivery of the draft to you. That if a reverse payment is made, and something goes wrong, that we/you cannot sue the courier company or insurance company to recover the full value of the fund as stipulated in the draft since payment for insurance cover was not made at point of mailing.With the above reason, reverse payment is ruled out.Forward the cost of mailing your draft with any of the courier channel cost you choose above to us. Option 3: BANK TO BANK TELEGRAFIC TRANSFER The said amount claim $250,000 USD (Two Hundred and fifty,thousand USD.) will be wired to your bank account via swift bank transfer.Condition: The cost of COT (commission of transfer) being charged by our transferring bank is(i.e $965) of the cash being transferred will be paid by you. Note: That your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy by , which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you first before your prize is transferred to you.Please respond to this email by making a selection from the three options above. NOTE: Services Render by any of the COURIER SERVICES is to be paid by you and not the lottery board. CONGRATULATION ONCE MORE, PROPER ADHERENCE TO THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS WILL YIELD MAXIMUM AND EFFECTIVE SERVICE. BEST REGARDS, BARR. WAHAB ALI. sneha sheetal <snehasheetal@yahoo.com> wrote: Wahab Ali <justice2chambers@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: DEAR WINNER, CONGRATULATIONS! IT IS TRUE. THIS IS A YAHOO PROMOTIONS SPONSORED PROGRAMME IN CUNJUCTION WITH OTHER SPONSORS LIKE BILL GATES OF THE MICROSOFT, THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI AND OTHER EMINENT EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF YAHOO / INTERNET WORLDWIDE. THROUGH THE CORDINATION OF THE EURO- AFRO ASIAN SWEEPTAKE (E.A.A.S) LOTTERY ORGANISATON, AMSTERDAM HOLLAND, VIA COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM, YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WAS AMONG THE LUCKY WINNERS. SO, GO AHEAD AND SEND TO US YOUR DETAILED INFORMATION SO WE CAN BEGIN THE PROCESS OF RELEASING TO YOU YOUR WON PRIZE. Kindly fill your correct information, so that we can send to you the claim options for claiming your cheque. SURNAME:............................................................................... NAME:..viplaw.................................................................................... DATE OF BIRTH:.01_03_1989...................................................................... PLACE OF BIRTH:.chapra.................................................................... STATUS....single................................................................................ NEXT OF KIN:............................................................................ MOBILE NUMBER:..+919784135681.................................................................. FAX NUMBER:........................................................................... POSTAL ADDRESS:..prabhunth nagar housing colony flat no 35 po-tari distt-chapra(saran)state-bihar ................................................................. E-MAIL ADDRESS:heaven_on_earth2020@yahoo.co.in..................................................................... CONTACT ADDRESS:prabhunath nagar housing colony flat no-35 po-tari distt-chapra(saran)state-bihar................................................................ JOB/OCCUPATION:.student.................................................................. LUCK NUMBER:.8892428............................................................ SERIAL NUMBER:3\772\554....................................................................... DRAWS NUMBER:...................................................................... ZIP CODE:.841301................................................................................. COUNTRY:..india................................................................................ Further information,contact my personal mobile phone: +62-85692471466 Thanks for your co-operation. Yours faithfully, BARRISTER WAHAB ALI. ASIA CO-ORDINATOR E.A.A.S.Inc LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL sneha sheetal <snehasheetal@yahoo.com> wrote: TO, BARRISTER:WAHAB ALI DEAR SIR, I AM CLAIMAING FOR MY PRIZE THEN PLEASE SUGGEST ME , HOW CAN I BEGIN MY CLAIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Inbox. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Try it now. DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text | Full Headers Check MailCompose Search Mail: Search MailSearch the Web Move Options [New Folder] Forward Options As Inline Text As Attachment Reply Options Reply To Sender Reply To Everyone Address Book Shortcuts Add Contact Add Category View Contacts View Lists QuickBuilder Import Contacts Synchronize Addresses Options Addresses Help Calendar Shortcuts Add Event Add Task Add Birthday Day Week Month Year Event List Reminders Tasks Sharing Synchronize Calendar Options Calendar Help Notepad Shortcuts Add Note Add Folder View Notes Notepad Options Notepad Help Advanced Search Advanced Search Copyright © 1994-2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Guidelines NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy News Travel Finance EntertainmentYahoo!My Yahoo!MailTutorialsMore Welcome, snehasheetalSign OutAll-New MailHelp Make Y! your home pageYahoo! SearchSearch: Mail| Contacts| Calendar| Notepad Yahoo! on Mobile - Mail Upgrades - Options Check MailCompose Search Mail: Search MailSearch the Web Hot Web Finds Daily on THE 9 Folders[Add - Edit] Inbox (3) Draft Sent Bulk[Empty] Trash[Empty] Search Shortcuts My Photos My Attachments You can receive a SMS text alert when this person sends you Mail. Please register for mail alerts to activate this service. Previous | Next | Back to Messages Call or Instant Message justice2chambers DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Printable View This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ] Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:36:56 +0000 (GMT) From: "Wahab Ali" <justice2chambers@yahoo.co.uk> Add Mobile Alert Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by yahoo.co.uk. Learn more Subject: CLAIM OPTIONS! To: "sneha sheetal" <snehasheetal@yahoo.com> Attention Winner, Congratulation again for your good fortune.Below are the options for collecting your cheque of $250,000. which has been signed and ready for collection. BARRISTER WAHAB ALI. ASIAN FIDUCIARY AGENT. ANSANA BUILDING,6TH FLOOR,No 12 JL PLUIT INDAH RAYA,PLUIT JAKARTA UTARA 11248,JAKARTA INDONESIA. TEL:+62-85 692471466. ATTENTION LUCKY WINNER THIS IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECEIPT OF YOUR E- MAIL TOGETHER WITH YOUR CONTACT DETAILS. WE HEREBY INFORM YOU THAT YOUR WON PRICE (CHEQUE) HAS BEEN PROCESSED FOR PAYMENT AND READY FOR DISBUSMENT. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CHOOSE FROM THESE THREE OPTIONS BELOW ON HOW YOU WISH YOUR WON CHEQUE TO BE DELIVERED TO YOU AS YOUR FUND IS NOT IN A LIQUID FORM BUT IN BANK CHEQUE. THIS ADVISE COMPLIERS WITH THE ANTI-FRAUD SECTION 2,SUBSECTION (IV) OF THE PROCEDURAL MANUAL OF THE FUNDS DISBURSEMENTS AGREEMENTS EXISTING BETWEEN COURIER COMPANIES AND B.S.D.A. LOTTERY COMPANY AMSTERDAM HOLLAND: OPTION 1 : COMMING TO JAKARTA INDONESIA You will required to come to Jakarta Indonesia to pick your prize personally from prize Disbursement center Jakarta Indonesia. Hence you are therefore CLEARED and can now claim your wins .You are therefore requested to come in person to the Disbursements Center of the B.S.D.A Online lottery Program International with the following requirements: (a) A printed copy of your WINNING NOTIFICATION (b) An International Passport or Drivers license (c) Two (2) passport photograph (3*4 size) Option 2: COURIER DELIVERY FIVE WAYS EXPRES COURIER 24hrs DELIVERY Mailing $170.00 00.00 Insurance $350.00 00.00 Vat (5%) $130.00 00.00 TOTAL $650.00 00.00 $650.00=USD FEDEX (3 working days) Mailing $100.00 00.00 Insurance $350.00 00.00 Vat $-80.00 00.00 TOTAL $530.00 00.00 $530=USD POST OFFICE MAIL (5 working days) Mailing $100.00 00.00 Insurance $350.00 00.00 Vat $-30.00 00.00 TOTAL $-480 00.00 $480=USD The insurance company declined reverse payment for the courier, stating that it is against their professional policy towards ensuring the safe delivery of the draft to you. That if a reverse payment is made, and something goes wrong, that we/you cannot sue the courier company or insurance company to recover the full value of the fund as stipulated in the draft since payment for insurance cover was not made at point of mailing.With the above reason, reverse payment is ruled out.Forward the cost of mailing your draft with any of the courier channel cost you choose above to us. Option 3: BANK TO BANK TELEGRAFIC TRANSFER The said amount claim $250,000 USD (Two Hundred and fifty,thousand USD.) will be wired to your bank account via swift bank transfer.Condition: The cost of COT (commission of transfer) being charged by our transferring bank is(i.e $965) of the cash being transferred will be paid by you. Note: That your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy by , which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you first before your prize is transferred to you.Please respond to this email by making a selection from the three options above. NOTE: Services Render by any of the COURIER SERVICES is to be paid by you and not the lottery board. CONGRATULATION ONCE MORE, PROPER ADHERENCE TO THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS WILL YIELD MAXIMUM AND EFFECTIVE SERVICE. BEST REGARDS, BARR. WAHAB ALI. sneha sheetal <snehasheetal@yahoo.com> wrote: Wahab Ali <justice2chambers@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: DEAR WINNER, CONGRATULATIONS! IT IS TRUE. THIS IS A YAHOO PROMOTIONS SPONSORED PROGRAMME IN CUNJUCTION WITH OTHER SPONSORS LIKE BILL GATES OF THE MICROSOFT, THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI AND OTHER EMINENT EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF YAHOO / INTERNET WORLDWIDE. THROUGH THE CORDINATION OF THE EURO- AFRO ASIAN SWEEPTAKE (E.A.A.S) LOTTERY ORGANISATON, AMSTERDAM HOLLAND, VIA COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM, YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WAS AMONG THE LUCKY WINNERS. SO, GO AHEAD AND SEND TO US YOUR DETAILED INFORMATION SO WE CAN BEGIN THE PROCESS OF RELEASING TO YOU YOUR WON PRIZE. Kindly fill your correct information, so that we can send to you the claim options for claiming your cheque. SURNAME:............................................................................... NAME:..viplaw.................................................................................... DATE OF BIRTH:.01_03_1989...................................................................... PLACE OF BIRTH:.chapra.................................................................... STATUS....single................................................................................ NEXT OF KIN:............................................................................ MOBILE NUMBER:..+919784135681.................................................................. FAX NUMBER:........................................................................... POSTAL ADDRESS:..prabhunth nagar housing colony flat no 35 po-tari distt-chapra(saran)state-bihar ................................................................. E-MAIL ADDRESS:heaven_on_earth2020@yahoo.co.in..................................................................... CONTACT ADDRESS:prabhunath nagar housing colony flat no-35 po-tari distt-chapra(saran)state-bihar................................................................ JOB/OCCUPATION:.student.................................................................. LUCK NUMBER:.8892428............................................................ SERIAL NUMBER:3\772\554....................................................................... DRAWS NUMBER:...................................................................... ZIP CODE:.841301................................................................................. COUNTRY:..india................................................................................ Further information,contact my personal mobile phone: +62-85692471466 Thanks for your co-operation. Yours faithfully, BARRISTER WAHAB ALI. ASIA CO-ORDINATOR E.A.A.S.Inc LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL sneha sheetal <snehasheetal@yahoo.com> wrote: TO, BARRISTER:WAHAB ALI DEAR SIR, I AM CLAIMAING FOR MY PRIZE THEN PLEASE SUGGEST ME , HOW CAN I BEGIN MY CLAIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Inbox. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Try it now. DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text | Full Headers Check MailCompose Search Mail: Search MailSearch the Web Move Options [New Folder] Forward Options As Inline Text As Attachment Reply Options Reply To Sender Reply To Everyone Address Book Shortcuts Add Contact Add Category View Contacts View Lists QuickBuilder Import Contacts Synchronize Addresses Options Addresses Help Calendar Shortcuts Add Event Add Task Add Birthday Day Week Month Year Event List Reminders Tasks Sharing Synchronize Calendar Options Calendar Help Notepad Shortcuts Add Note Add Folder View Notes Notepad Options Notepad Help Advanced Search Advanced Search Copyright © 1994-2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Guidelines NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy

Procrastination or laziness ? Many US citizens want to travel overseas, and wait the last minute to apply for a passport. And they come to Yahoo Answer to find out where to apply, how much doe it cost and how long does it take. Aren't any post-office in their home-town? Are these people retarded or what?

Procrastination??? Why people asked questions about time and cost of passport? Many US citizens want to travel overseas, and wait the last minute to apply for a passport. And they come to Yahoo Answer to find out where to apply, how much doe it cost and how long does it take. Aren't any post-office in their home-town? Are these people retarded or what?

President Bush and the rest of the world are finally onboard and backing the "BIG BANG THEORY", truth wins!? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The discovery by John Mather and George Smoot of "cosmic ripples," which won them the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday, was lauded in 1992 by cosmologist Stephen Hawking as "the greatest discovery of the century, if not of all time." ADVERTISEMENT Yes No Yes No Yes No While most physicists do not go that far, they are universal in their praise of the experiment, in which the pair and their team designed a satellite and used it to find proof of the Big Bang theory of the universe's origins. They found faint variations in microwave radiation that dated back to just 300,000 years after the fiery birth of the universe. These ripples in the microwave radiation, they said, were the primordial framework on which the galaxies, stars and other stuff of the universe took shape. It explained why the universe is lumpy and not a smooth sheet of matter and energy. "The discovery changed everything," said Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Case Western University in Ohio. "It produced a revolution in what we know about the universe -- we know it is expanding, we know it is flat ... and we can measure that to an incredible accuracy," Krauss said in a telephone interview. "Cosmology now is a precision science." Until then, theoretical physicists had cobbled together small pieces of evidence that the universe and everything in it had appeared suddenly about 15 billion years ago from an infinitesimally small point in a vacuum of nothingness. When the 40-member research team announced some of their findings to a meeting of physicists in 1992, an "audible gasp was heard from the audience," according to the American Institute of Physics. Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge University physicist who explained theories about how the universe was formed in his popular book "A Brief History of Time," was one of most excited. "It is the discovery of the century, if not of all time," Hawking said in a statement at the time. FILLING IN THE BLANKS "I don't think he was completely out of control," Krauss said. People had known what to look for. "The picture, however, had been blank up to then," he said. "Then it was clear -- it wasn't a vague idea. It was clear the lumps were there." These fluctuations were faint variations in temperature, and scientists have since followed up on those measurements to try to understand, for instance, dark matter -- mass that no one has been able to see or measure but which must exist because of the amount of gravity measured in the universe. Some teams have come up with new theories of dark energy -- a mysterious force that may be accelerating the expansion of the universe. While the implications may far outlast humanity -- the end of the universe may be coming in a few more billion years -- Smoot has been clear on the need for the work. "It is extremely important for human beings to know their origins and their place in the world," Smoot said in a statement. Krauss said the prize supports his own arguments -- made to NASA and the U.S. Congress -- that funding should go to similar experiments. President Bush has urged NASA to concentrate on getting people to the moon and Mars. "New experiments on the cosmic microwave background, new experiments to probe dark energy, to look for habitable planets -- all these have been delayed and/or canceled because we are sending people back to the moon," Krauss said. Email Story IM Story Discuss Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY Recommend It: Average (98 votes) » Recommended Stories Full Coverage: Nobel Prizes Off the Wires Two Americans win Nobel Prize in physics AP, 2 hours, 10 minutes ago Echo of the Big Bang wins US pair Nobel Prize AFP, Tue Oct 3, 5:14 PM ET Feature Articles Nobel winner Mather hooked on astronomy since childhood AFP via Yahoo! News, Oct 03 Space ripples discovery "changed everything" Reuters via Yahoo! News, Oct 03 News Stories Nobel in Physics Is Awarded to 2 Americans at The New York Times (reg. req'd), Oct 03 Nobel given for laser measurement at BBC, Oct 03 Opinion & Editorials What's So Funny About the Nobel Prize for Literature? at The Los Angeles Times (reg. req'd), Oct 01 Some last-minute suggestions at The Los Angeles Times (reg. req'd), Oct 01 Science News Brown Widow makes its home on Gulf Coast AP Bush seeks ban on destructive fishing AP Two Americans win Nobel Prize in physics AP Mountain pine beetles killing S.D. trees AP Nations discuss global warming in Mexico AP Most Viewed - Science Brown Widow makes its home on Gulf Coast AP Object off Alaska coast may be WWII sub AP Maine Quake Causes Dramatic Drop in Well Water Level SPACE.com / LiveScience.com Two Americans win Nobel Prize in physics AP Mysterious Radio Hiss Blamed on Space Weather SPACE.com / LiveScience.com Weather & Science Video Storms above weather.com - Tue Oct 3, 5:20 PM ET Midwest Forecast weather.com - Tue Oct 3, 5:20 PM ET South Forecast weather.com - Tue Oct 3, 5:20 PM ET National Forecast weather.com - Tue Oct 3, 5:20 PM ET Reuters Photo: This handout image, among others produced by the COBE satellite program, forms part of the... NEWS ALERTS Get an alert when there are new stories about: NASA President Bush » More Alerts Elsewhere on the Web CNN.com Americans win big prize for work on big-bang CNN.com Storm cracks iceberg in Antarctica USATODAY.com Americans John C. Mather and George F. Smoot win the Nobel Prize in physics ASSIGNMENT EARTH Planet Profiled Explore the world's wonders and the battle to save them. MOST POPULAR Popular Science The most popular science news stories and photos. » All Most Popular -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! - My Yahoo! - Mail Search: All News Yahoo! News Only News Photos Video/Audio Advanced Primary Navigation Home U.S Business World Entertainment Sports Tech Politics Science Health Travel Most Popular Odd News Opinion Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. 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Cheap airline tickets? I've searched, Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotwire, Yahoo, MSN. Am I missing anything? I'm constantly traveling to and from Atlanta and if I catch it in time then I can get cheap flight on Delta or Airtran. But sometimes it's just last minute.

do you know about flu shots?? LITTLE ANGEL2CF? Skip navigation MSN Home | Mail MoreHotmailMessengerMy MSNMSN DirectoryAir Tickets/TravelAutosCareers & JobsCity GuidesDating & PersonalsElection 2008GamesGreenHealth & FitnessHoroscopesLifestyleMaps & DirectionsMoneyMoviesMusicNewsReal Estate/RentalsShoppingSpacesSportsTech & GadgetsTVWeatherWhite PagesYellow PagesSign Inmsn.comfeaturing Today Show Nightly News Dateline Meet the Press MSNBC TV BREAKING NEWS: East Timor President and Nobel-winner Jose Ramos-Horta wounded in attack HealthCold and flusponsored by Categories U.S. news World news Politics Business Sports Entertainment Health Diet and nutrition Women's health Men's health Kids and parenting Sexual health Mental health Pet health Fitness Aging Cancer Heart health Skin and beauty Health library Tech & science Travel Weather Local news Browse Video Photos Community Disable Fly-outMarketplace Shopping via MSN Shopping Start a business Entrepreneur.com Dating via PerfectMatch.com Homes for Sale via JustListed.com Investments $7 online stock trades Online degrees from Kaplan University Career Center via Monster Autos via MSN Autos Flu vaccine may not provide enough protection Officials question influenza shot as number of U.S. flu cases increase Video Late-peaking flu season predicted Feb. 8: Despite a mild flu season January, the recent spate of flu cases has forced schools to shut down and put nursing homes in lockdown. NBC's Robert Bazelll reports. Nightly News INTERACTIVE Weekly influenza estimates Who’s got the flu state-by-state Related stories What’s this? Still time for your flu shot Flu Cases On The Increase Flu season in full swing Nationwide flu outbreak affecting Massachusetts State health department reporting lower number of flu cases so far Most popular • Most viewed • Top rated • Most e-mailed Bride dies during first dance with husband Clinton's campaign manager steps down Obama takes lead in Maine caucuses FAQ: How does the election system work? Obama wins big in Wash., Nebraska, La. Most viewed on msnbc.com Australia, Japan clash over dead whale photos In a hurry to get your refund? Beware Administration's mercury policy ruled illegal Harry Landis, one of last U.S. WWI vets, dies Key to fusion power may be found in space Most viewed on msnbc.com Bride dies during first dance with husband Clinton's campaign manager steps down 10 years for Army sniper for killing Iraqi civilian Cheers! Stupid beer laws falling off 5 smart sites to put $50 in your pocket — fast Most viewed on msnbc.com updated 6:34 p.m. CT, Fri., Feb. 8, 2008 WASHINGTON - The influenza vaccine given to Americans may not protect as well as expected, U.S. health officials said on Friday as the number of flu cases increased nationwide. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said slightly more than half of the influenza virus strains reported to its surveillance system are not good matches against the strains included in this flu season’s vaccine. The number of states reporting widespread flu activity jumped to 31 this week compared with 11 a week ago, the CDC said. But Dr. Joe Bresee of the CDC’s influenza division said there are no indications this flu season is worse than usual. Story continues below ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Seasonal flu activity was slow to start this year but has increased sharply in recent weeks,” Bresee told reporters. One measure officials use to gauge the severity of the season is the number of flu-related child deaths. Bresee said the CDC has heard of six U.S. children who have died from the flu, a relatively low number compared with recent years. Flu viruses mutate and change all the time, so every year a different vaccine is created as officials predict which particular strains will circulate. The vaccine is designed to protect against three influenza strains — two from Type A, an H1N1 and an H3N2 version, and one for Type B. Bresee said about 30 percent of the overall strains of influenza in the United States may be a Type A strain that emerged in Australia called H3N2 A/Brisbane. It emerged too late to be included in the flu vaccine offered in the United States beginning in September and October. The Type B strain chosen for this year’s vaccine also was not a good match for most of the B virus strains seen in the United States this flu season, Bresee said. “While a less-than-ideal virus match between the viruses in the vaccine and those circulating viruses can reduce vaccine effectiveness, we know from past influenza studies that the vaccine can still protect enough to make illness milder or prevent flu-related complications,” Bresee said. Click for related content Flu season in full swing Flu in U.S., Canada shows drug resistance Under-the-tongue vaccine could help lick the flu Bresee noted that decisions on the composition of the annual vaccine are made about nine months before it is made available to the public in the fall, and it is sometimes hard to know that far in advance which strains will circulate. Flu vaccines take months to make. Bresee also said some resistance is being reported to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, made by Switzerland’s Roche Holding AG and Gilead Sciences Inc of the United States. Of the viruses tested in CDC flu labs, 4.5 percent are resistant to the drug, Bresee said. Influenza kills an estimated 36,000 Americans in an average year, and puts 200,000 into the hospital, the CDC said. Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions. Rate this story Low High Current rating: 4 by 159 users • View Top Rated stories Print this Email this Blog this IM this MORE FROM COLD AND FLU Flu season in full swing Flu vaccine may not provide enough protectionFlu season in full swingFlu in U.S., Canada shows drug resistanceDrug-resistant flu viruses detected in EuropeCold drugs send 7,000 U.S. children to ERsUnder-the-tongue vaccine could help lick the fluSome ordinary flu strains resist TamifluScientists discover new key to bird flu's spread6 easy ways to sick-proof your winterRegular flu vaccine may help against bird fluCold and flu Section Front Add Cold and flu headlines to your news reader: • More RSS feeds from MSNBC.com Top msnbc.com stories Obama wins big in Wash., Nebraska, La. Gates: NATO's survival at stake Yahoo board to reject Microsoft bid Bush: McCain a 'true conservative' Diary of an insurgent in retreat NBC News highlights Blog: 'American al-Qaida' missing? 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What happened to Margie Schoedinger? The Strange Death of the Woman Who Filed a Rape Lawsuit Against Bush By Jackson Thoreau opednews.com Early one Saturday afternoon in July 2003, I made a simple phone call to Margie Schoedinger, a Texas woman who filed a rape lawsuit against George W. Bush in December 2002. I expected to leave a message on a machine, so I was caught a little offguard when Schoedinger answered. She, too, sounded somewhat surprised I had called, saying she hadn't heard from many other reporters. But she talked to me for a few minutes about the legal action. "I am still trying to prosecute [the lawsuit]," said Schoedinger, a 38-year-old African-American woman who lived in the Houston suburb of Missouri City. "I want to get this matter settled and go on with my life." Well, Schoedinger hasn't gone on with her life. In fact, three months after I spoke to her, she died in an apparent suicide. And this matter remains unsettled. When I asked her in July 2003 about the lack of media coverage, Schoedinger said she wasn't seeking publicity. She said she did not even know about a December 2002 article in the Fort Bend Star, the only U.S. mainstream media outlet that covered this story, to my knowledge. The Fort Bend reporter, LeaAnne Klentzman, said she even went to Schoedinger's home and talked to a man there, who said she could not come to door. While I reached and spoke to Schoedinger on my first attempt, maybe she wasn't ready to talk back in December. Anyways, Schoedinger said she was surprised the case wasn't covered more because "it is true......People have to be accountable for what they do, and that's why I'm pursuing it." To be sure, Schoedinger's accusations - which include being drugged and sexually assaulted numerous times by Bush and other men purporting to be FBI agents - are bizarre and hard for most people to believe. But her story fits in with those told by a growing number of people who say they were used as guinea pigs or whatever by members of the CIA or another U.S. agency who wanted to test out the latest mind-controlling drug or just have a strange form of release. And her death - let's just say government agents have made murders look like suicides before. In her court petition, Schoedinger said police in Sugar Land, another Houston suburb where she said some assailants linked to Bush attempted to unsuccessfully abduct her from her car shortly before the 2000 election, refused to take a report or do anything about that incident. She filed a lawsuit against the Sugar Land department and said that in preparing its defense, Sugar Land police found out that she dated Bush as a minor. I didn't get a chance to ask Schoedinger about that tie and didn't meet her in person, but her driver's license listed her as being 5-foot-8 and weighing 125 pounds, for what that's worth. The Fort Bend Star story quoted a Sugar Land police captain saying his department had no record of any complaints by Schoedinger. All he had to do was what I did - go to the Fort Bend County Internet site and do a simple search on Schoedinger's name in the area of civil court records. I found the lawsuit Schoedinger filed in December 2000 against Sugar Land police, and it even had numerous responses by the department's attorneys in that case. Just wait. This story gets stranger. When I started asking Schoedinger about certain details of the case, such as alleged surveillance at her home and if she was still legally representing herself, she politely ended our conversation. "I need to see what has been written," Schoedinger said. "I feel like it's best for me to end our conversation." Obviously, she had learned to be careful about what she said and to whom she said it. I could understand her being leery about talking about her situation with a stranger over the phone. But I remember being puzzled by Schoedinger's attitude after hanging up the phone. I wondered that if she had made up such a wild story, why she didn't come up with something a little less outlandish, in which people couldn't necessarily dismiss her as a kook. I wondered why she didn't seek publicity to at least provide some form of protection. I've long learned that being as public as possible is one of your best defenses against rogue intelligence agents. But she didn't even seem to want any media to cover her story. I told several writers I knew, some of whom tried to contact Schoedinger. None succeeded, as far as I know. I remember thinking, "I hope she doesn't wind up on the wrong side of a gun." And sure enough, in late September, Schoedinger did. The Houston Chronicle wrote a bare-bones obituary that stated only that Schoedinger "expired" on Sept. 22, 2003, and her burial was at Houston Memorial Gardens. I called the Harris County Medical Examiner's office, and a clerk told me the cause of death: a "suicide" by a "gunshot wound to the head." I hung up amid bombs going off in my mind. For one, using a gun to commit suicide is predominantly executed by males, according to psychiatrists and other sources like pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. Women are more likely to overdose on drugs, although the number of gunshot suicides among women has increased in recent years. Besides Pravda and Internet ezines - one of whom referred to Schoedinger as "deranged" - I haven't seen stories on this strange death of a woman who filed a rape lawsuit against the U.S. president and wound up dead nine months later. I can't say I'm surprised. Or even angry. I don't know what the hell to think. All I know is I was one of the last - if not the last - reporters to speak to Schoedinger, and she didn't sound "deranged" to me in July 2003. She sounded like someone who had gone through something weird and was trying to sort it out. She sounded like someone who wanted the truth to come out. And now she's dead. If this had happened to Clinton when he was in the White House, do you think the story would have been covered non-stop on FOX, CNN and the right-wing talk shows? Do you think we'd have reporters asking Clinton and his people about this death in press conferences? Is FOX unfair and imbalanced to the point of being "deranged?" There are some more odd twists to this case. I also found a 2002 criminal case related to Schoedinger in which Christopher Schoedinger, her husband, allegedly struck her. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a year in jail. Christopher Schoedinger had also filed for divorce. Then since 1997, Margie Schoedinger had filed for at least five assumed business names for various ventures - including a communications firm, health and beauty business, travel agency and publishing company. Could a "deranged" person start all those businesses or even know how to file a lawsuit? Schoedinger's lawsuit can still be viewed on the Fort Bend County site at http://ccweb.co.fort-bend.tx.us/localization/menu.asp - then go down to the bottom and click on civil court. Then type "schoedinger" in the plaintiff box and click search. You should find another lawsuit she filed against Sugar Land police, as well. I can really understand media members being intimidated, even frightened, of the Bush administration. As I've detailed before, these are not Boy Scouts running the show. The Schoedinger death is just the latest in a string of strange ones surrounding the Bush family - Bush biographer J.H. Hatfield, Sen. Paul Wellstone, Sen. Mel Carnahan, and others that are detailed on various sites, including at http://members.boardhost.com/gwbush/msg/362.html . For the record, I contacted Bush's media office about Schoedinger and have yet to hear back. Now that I live in the Washington, D.C., area, I can go down to the White House in person and try to get someone to speak to me about this case. As expected, I haven't had much luck with the Fort Bend County and other Texas authorities. So maybe I'll stand outside the White House, holding a sign saying, "Who killed Margie Schoedinger?" and passing out copies of my column on the case. It would make about as much sense as anything else in this matter. For all I know, maybe Schoedinger did kill herself. Maybe she dreamed up a lot of this stuff. But I don't know, am I "deranged" to think it's weird that in this mass-media, detailed-information age, so few people are even asking any questions about how a woman who filed a rape lawsuit against the president could be dead less than a year later? Jackson Thoreau is an American writer and co-author of We Will Not Get Over It: Restoring a Legitimate White House. The updated, 120,000-word electronic book can be downloaded on his Internet site at http://www.geocities.com/jacksonthor/ebook.html. Citizens for Legitimate Government has the earlier version at http://www.legitgov.org/we_will_not_get_over_it.html. He can be contacted at jacksonthor@yahoo.com or jacksonthor@justice.com .

Why do people constantly say Republicans are against clean air? Pelosi opposes EPA clean air decision WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday that Congress would closely scrutinize its decision to reject California's request to tighten rules on greenhouse gas emissions. ADVERTISEMENT Pelosi, D-Calif., said she strongly disagreed with the agency's rationale for the decision and would support an investigation by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. He is seeking all documents related to the state's request for a waiver to implement fuel efficiency rules for vehicles that it says will work faster than the federal government's. "The actions of the EPA in denying the California request cannot help but raise serious questions about the support of the Bush administration for state efforts to safeguard the environment and the health of their residents," Pelosi wrote in a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. EPA's announcement Wednesday that it would bar California and at least 16 other states from regulating tailpipe emissions from new cars and trucks was swiftly criticized by state leaders and environmental groups. Several states have said they will appeal the decision. Johnson said California's emissions limits were not needed because Congress approved energy legislation raising fuel efficiency standards nationwide to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. California officials say their state's law was tougher and acted faster. White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto defended Johnson's decision Friday: "He made that based on what he thought was best for the nation in addressing this issue, and he pointed to the really significant policy changes that are going to come through from the energy bill that we signed last week." "There's always a balance, and he (the president) does have a healthy respect for states' rights," Fratto added, "but these decisions need to be made in terms of what is best for the country." It was the first time the agency had completely denied a Clean Air Act waiver request from California after granting more than 50. The state adopted tailpipe standards in 2004 that would have required car makers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016. Under the Clean Air Act, California needed a waiver to put in place the rules, and other states could then adopt them, too. Twelve other states — Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — have adopted the standards. The governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah have said they also plan to adopt them. The rules are under consideration in Iowa. * Email Story * IM Story * Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY Recommend It: Average (83 votes) 4 stars » Recommended Stories Full Coverage: Climate Change Off the Wires * Mexico planted 250 million trees in 2007: Calderon AFP, 1 hour, 59 minutes ago * Loss of sea ice could harm walrus AP, Mon Dec 24, 9:23 AM ET Feature Articles * Interview: Germany's top climate adviser The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News, Dec 17 * Bali climate deal marks a geopolitical shift The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News, Dec 17 News Stories * Rising seas 'to beat predictions' at BBC, Dec 17 * As China Goes, So Goes Global Warming at The New York Times, Dec 17 Opinion & Editorials * Climate Change Malpractice at The Washington Post, Dec 24 * Disappointments on Climate at The New York Times, Dec 17 Politics News * Giuliani says he's `cancer free' AP * Will first-time caucus goers show up? AP * Dying Iowa voter confronts candidates AP * Today on the presidential campaign trail AP * Romney lashes out at McCain in N.H. AP Most Viewed - Politics * Dying Iowa voter confronts candidates AP * Bush Seeks to Restore Tattered U.S. Image With Heavy '08 Travel Bloomberg * Bush makes holiday calls to troops AP * Paper gives 'anti-endorsement' to Romney AP * Romney lashes out at McCain in N.H. AP Politics Video * 'Twas the Christmas Eve Campaign ABC News - Mon Dec 24, 9:34 AM ET * Politics and holidays collide CNN - Mon Dec 24, 8:06 AM ET * False Facts in Democrats' Ads ABC News - Sun Dec 23, 1:46 PM ET * Political profile: Rudy Giuliani AP - Sun Dec 23, 3:26 PM ET Sponsored Links ( What's this? ) * Buy Stocks - $4 Fee at ShareBuilder No account or investment minimums. No inactivity fees. Start today. www.sharebuilder.com * Refinance and Save $1,000S $150,000 Mortgage for $483/month. Compare up to 4 free quotes. www.pickamortgage.com * Refinance $300,000 for Only $965/Month $300,000 Mortgage for only $965/month. Save $1,000's - No obligation. www.HomeLoanHelpLine.com Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007 in Washington. Congressional Democrats are planning to take on a broader policy focus next year on the Iraq debate after failing repeatedly to pass anti-war spending legislation this year, Pelosi said (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

help with a summary? Last Rites for Indian Dead by Suzan Shown Harjo What if museums, universities, and government agencies could put your dead relatives on display or keep them in boxes to be cut up and otherwise studied? What if you believed that the spirits of the dead could not rest until their human remains were placed in a sacred area? The ordinary American would say there ought to be a law—and there is, for ordinary Americans. The problem for American Indians is that there are too many laws of the kind that make us the archeological property of the United States and too few of the kind that protect us from such insults. Some of my own Cheyenne relatives’ skulls are in the Smithsonian Institution today, along with those of at least 4,500 other Indian people who were violated in the 1800s by the U.S. Army for an “Indian Crania Study.” It wasn’t enough that these unarmed Cheyenne people were mowed down by the cavalry at the infamous Sand Creek massacre; many were decapitated and their heads shipped to Washington as freight. (The Army Medical Museum’s collection is now in the Smithsonian.) Some had been exhumed° only hours after being buried. Imagine their grieving families’ reaction on finding their loved ones disinterred° and headless. Some targets of the Army’s study were killed in noncombat situations and beheaded immediately. The officer’s account of the decapitation of the Apache chief Mangas Coloradas in 1863 shows the pseudoscientific nature of the exercise. “I weighed the brain and measured the skull,” the good doctor wrote, “and found that while the skull was smaller, the brain was larger than that of Daniel Webster.” These journal accounts exist in excruciating detail, yet missing are any records of overall comparisons, conclusions, or final reports of the Army study. Since it is unlike the Army not to leave a paper trail, one must wonder about the motive for its collection. The total Indian body count in the Smithsonian collection is more than 19,000, and it is not the largest in the country. It is not inconceivable that the 1.5 million of us living today are outnumbered by our dead stored in museums, educational institutions, federal agencies, state historical societies, and private collections. The Indian people are further dehumanized by being exhibited alongside the mastodons and dinosaurs and other extinct creatures. Where we have buried our dead in peace, more often than not the sites have been desecrated. For more than two hundred years, relic-hunting has been a popular pursuit. Lately, the market in Indian artifacts has brought this abhorrent activity to a fever pitch in some areas. And when scavengers come upon Indian burial sites, everything found becomes fair game, including sacred burial offerings, teeth, and skeletal remains.One unusually well-publicized example of Indian grave desecration occurred two years ago in a western Kentucky field known as Slack Farm, the site of an Indian village five centuries ago. Ten men—one with a business card stating “Have Shovel, Will Travel”—paid the landowner $10,000 to lease digging rights between planting seasons. They dug extensively on the forty-acre farm, rummaging through an estimated 650 graves, collecting burial goods, tools, and ceremonial items. Skeletons were strewn about like litter. What motivates people to do something like this? Financial gain is the first answer. Indian relic-collecting has become a multimillion-dollar industry. The price tag on a bead necklace can easily top $1,000; rare pieces fetch tens of thousands. And it is not just collectors of the macabre° who pay for skeletal remains. Scientists say that these deceased Indians are needed for research that someday could benefit the health and welfare of living Indians. But just how many dead Indians must they examine? Nineteen thousand? There is doubt as to whether permanent curation of our dead really benefits Indians. Dr. Emery A. Johnson, former assistant Surgeon General, recently observed, “I am not aware of any current medical diagnostic or treatment procedure that has been derived from research on such skeletal remains. Nor am I aware of any during the thirty-four years that I have been involved in American Indian . . . health care.” Indian remains are still being collected for racial biological studies. While the intentions may be honorable, the ethics of using human remains this way without the full consent of relatives must be questioned. Some relief for Indian people has come on the state level. Almost half of the states, including California, have passed laws protecting Indian burial sites and restricting the sale of Indian bones, burial offerings, and other sacred items. Rep. Charles E. Bennett (D-Fla.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have introduced bills that are a good start in invoking the federal government’s protection. However, no legislation has attacked the problem headon by imposing stiff penalties at the marketplace, or by changing laws that make dead Indians the nation’s property. Some universities—notably Stanford, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Seattle—have returned, or agreed to return, Indian human remains; it is fitting that institutions of higher education should lead the way.Congress is now deciding what to do with the government’s extensive collection of Indian human remains and associated funerary objects. The secretary of the Smithsonian, Robert McC. Adams, has been valiantly° attempting to apply modern ethics to yesterday’s excesses. This week, he announced that the Smithsonian would conduct an inventory and return all Indian skeletal remains that could be identified with specific tribes or living kin. But there remains a reluctance generally among collectors of Indian remains to take action of a scope that would have a quantitative impact and a healing quality. If they will not act on their own—and it is highly unlikely that they will—then Congress must act. The country must recognize that the bodies of dead American Indian people are not artifacts to be bought and sold as collector’s items. It is not appropriate to store tens of thousands of our ancestors for possible future research. They are our family. They deserve to be returned to their sacred burial grounds and given a chance to rest. The plunder of our people’s graves has gone on too long. Let us rebury our dead and remove this shameful past from America’s future. 0 comments: Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) __________________________________________ Recently Dugg Stories The Covers Project The Covers Project began as a simple idea to help listeners discover new music by showcasing covers of famous songs. Users can search for their favorite artists and listen to different renditions of their songs online. 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It's taken me almost a year to complete this.What do you think of it? Thanks to my American friend who helped me proofread my writing. I believe that if you spend 5-10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime's worth of Major Media news. Please don't assume that I'm a very old person. I'm just 18, and a university student studying English who just cannot sit back and let the lies fly unchallenged. This article has two parts: 1. Cultural and general info 2. Political info. If you wanna know the rest of of the story, read it from top to bottom. Note:.I've explained all the things that you ALWAYS talk about, so read it all plz! Specially the political part! Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong. **** Hi. I'm an Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas. The first thing America, and the West in general, accuses our government of is that we don't allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don't like as much as anyone. Many strict rules in other countries don't even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa. That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws.In Iran every single house has a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style. A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Almost half of women wear their hair out, and make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere. Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmetics. You would be surprised to see the difference between what you imagine and what Iran really is! In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, inflation and air pollution. But I guess these are common problems around the world today, aren't they? Also, you can't compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past!Nearly 65-70% of Iran's population is a new generation without the biases of the past (The youth), and we've transformed everything. Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. But that's not a bad thing. They're very respectful, and they've been the winners in so many cases: They get into the best universities because they're very smart. And they get the best jobs because they can do so many of them better than men. They've got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so they (men) will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here. I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you. Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? Are they balck and white or colourful? lol And for your information, those are from Afghanistan which was ruled by freaks (Taliban). When you think of such things, try to think of the racism in your country too. lol I find it difficult to make you understand that Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are --------- SEPERATE COUNTRIES! --------- Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! I find it even more difficult to make you understand that Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The point is, there's nothing mysterious about us! The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: "IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!" "IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!" Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe. There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. You don't hear about their discoveries and inventions on TV. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions and there are many KIDS like that. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the Media talk about them? Please don't summarize our nation and culture with the single word "nuclear". Although we're proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine and it was signing treaties with other countries to export it. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it. What did I find instead? "President Bush CLAIMS that bomb parts are imported from Iran into Iraq!" (The same old story!) The Media are unjust. They put CLAIMS on the headlines, but they never talk about facts! Some interesting facts: Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian. The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad.jpg ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they're among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians. Lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in the field of medicine. Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets and scientists that are very famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (for foriegners of course, not for us! Our rate is different: one Dollar =about 950 Tomans!) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran is an independant country unlike its neighbours. It has nearly all the industries and technologies found in 'developed' countries. The list is endless. News: "Iranian scientists managed to make human teeth grow after you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna introduce Iran's international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It's fully in English. You'll find what they're hiding from you! In the "Sic / Tech" section you'll always see Iran's discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx... Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year! Some charactristics of Iranians would be: intelligent, ambitious, a bit idealistic, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly, hospitable, and not so religious, (the majority of the young generation, that is, which leaves us unfortunately vulnerable to pseudoIslamic lies). We are also proud, greedy, hard-working (for ourselves), not punctual, impatient, and lazy at doing our duty well. Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California, New Mexico, Utah, Arkansas, and Alabama a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn't it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Tehran-2-1600.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills_south_west_of_Sanandaj_near_the_village_of_Kilaneh.jpg http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=all http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=2 http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=3 http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=4 http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=3 http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. Did you know that Iranian music was chosen as the best pop in France in 2005? I guess not. All Iranian songs are current pop /Club-Dance/Trance/ DJ music. I send them to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard. Here's a sample of the latest hits. (So catchy, Right?) I believe in "Express yourself through music and that music is a universal language". You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them. The translation of the songs is here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArJe6s_u1UbLFRAAiKDGBZLsy6IX?qid=20070514105433AAysEsQ 1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Neorin%20-%20To%20Ino%20Miduni.mp3 2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/09_%20Dastamo%20Begir.mp3 3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Ehsan%20Gheibi%20-%20Khisie%20Cheshmat.mp3 4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Mansour/Crazy/Delam%20Faghat%20Toro%20Mikhaad(www.Bia2Music.com).MP3 5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2005%20Baroon%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma 6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/03_%20Panjereh.mp3 7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/07_%20Yaade%20Man%20Baash.mp3 8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2001%20Farangis%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma 9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/03_%20Faseleh.mp3 10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/04_%20Tolou.mp3 11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Reza%20Sadeghi%20-%20Vaysa%20Donya/01_%20Vaysa%20Donya.mp3 12.(You can't: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/06_%20Nemitooni.mp3 13.(The wind's kiss: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/01_%20Boosaye%20Baad.mp3 14.(Reveal your visage: 2004) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mohammad%20Esfahani/04_%20Talab.mp3 15.(What would have happened if : 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Navid%20&%20Omid%20-%20Faryad/01_%20Chi%20Mishod.mp3 And so on and on! It's now 2007 and people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts, riding camels and carrying around guns! See how the media are fooling people? Let's clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans I chatted with said in the U.S it's said that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. It's easy to show a video or an image of our president or leader on the TV screen or on the internet and say he says this, he says that.....I really don't get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. For example does verbal defence of Palestinians cause them to have a better life? The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would misuse it against Iran. For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that. No sane person would take such nonsense at face value. First of all, Iranians don't hate anyone. If our government complains about some injustice going on in the world, it's not bad, is it? (Although what we want from them is to shut up and not get us into trouble by talking about things that are none of our concern) We hate neither Jews nor Americans. I love Americans, otherwise why would I talk to them?! How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! I've got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov't. Jews are faithful people! A few of them live here in our neighbourhood and they live just like the rest of Iranians. No difference. And two of Iran's parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Muslim knocking at your door asking you to do so? It's so funny the way you imagine things and make yourselves believe in your own immaginations! Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us. I wonder why the media like putting words in our mouth and raising hatred. In Iran, religion is one of the least important factors. Where you come from and what your religion is are not important to us at all. On the contrary, meeting different people would be very interesting for us! I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone's guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he's going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same "nuclear weapons" tosh over and over and brainwash people! News headlines: "We won't allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons"!!! Correction! It's "nuclear energy". Besides, how many "nuclear weapons" do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That's what nuclear agency says. Only Iran's opponents are pulling Iran's leg and what they say is of no credit. It's just based on political conflicts. What we're doing is legal. What they ask us to do (ignoring our international rights) is illegal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It's the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them. It can set an example to some countries that just follow their interests (oil!). Interesting! the countries accusing Iran of different things have been, and are still accused of the same things!!! How logical! Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! But have they told you the rest of his speech and that why he's said this at all? You know that it's a passive sentence. He's never said that IRAN wants to wipe Israel off the map! He wasn't talking about destroying Israel. He was talking about relocating Israel, so that they could live seperate from Palestinians and they could both live in peace. They've only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it's mistranslated intentionally. Iran has always defended itself, but it's not an offensive country. Some say he's said: "The Holocaust is a myth!" Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that's terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren't important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that's not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran's population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it's OK and no one says they're threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima & Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you'd get the point why he's IRONICALLY said it's a myth. Moreover, don't you believe in freedom of speech/mind? [I do, but there ARE P.C. morons who don't.] I'd judge people by their ACTIONS rather than by what they say / their religion / race / culture and the colour of their skin! Obviously, some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on. And what country is better than Iran to be a scapegoat? The whole world believes that Iran isn't a peaceful country. I know Americans don't like this either, but what can they do? They're not responsible for controlling what the Media says. This part is just for Americans who would still argue over unimportant things: Those of you who say why Iran says "Death to America": 1. 'America' to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean "American people" when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up "no war" placards?! 2. The new generation don't say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that's because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn't it? 3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt's terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn't deny that attacking countries is a mistake. right?) 5. The U.S gov't helped Saddam attack Iran and I hope you know which country gave Iraq biological weapons which killed lots of Iranians. 6. America hit an Iranian airplane over the Persian Gulf and killed 200 passengers for no reason. 7. America places sanctions on Iran, promotes a false image of Iran and Iranians, scares tourists away, and harms our economy, development and credit. To what purpose? 8. America has always despised Iranians who travel to the U.S. at their arrival. (even ordinary ones, university students, sportsmen, scientists etc). When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he's said, what do you call Bush for his actions? I mean it's a good idea to consider what Bush is doing to the world with his wrong decisoins and lies. Bush is powerful and influencial, but Ahmadinejad is nothing.I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days: 1. Firstly, It's related to so many years ago and it's almost a part of history, and don't forget that when there's a revolution, there'd be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they're all alive and healthy. Aren't they? 2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Poor British sailors were detained by the English gov't just for saying that they were treated well in Iran and that Iranians were logical people (They said these when they were on England's soil!) They were PREVENTED from releasing their memoirs by England! Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!! Considering all this, you'd probably be able to GUESS what percentage of what they tell you about the Mid-East, Islam, Moslems and other things is true!!! lol Isn't it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov'ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. They don't care about hurting people's feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. You know something? All govt's are hateful. I just said the above things because it sounds unfair when some Americans talk about the taking of the 444 hostages while I keep silence. I hope you agree on this one! Now, what do you think? I can't wait to see both nations in peace. It'd be marvelous! Thanks for your time

How do you feel about this? (This is the fact)? I think reading this in 5-10 minutes would be better than listening to the news for a lifteime.Plz don't think I'm a very old person.Just 18.A university student studying English who just cannot sit back and hope.This article has two parts: 1.Cultural and general info 2.political info.If you wanna know a part of the truth, read it from top to bottom. Hi.I'm Iranian and I live in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I understand that they have totally wrong ideas about Iran.I just wrote this article to correct you. The first thing they accuse our government of, is that they don't let you be free.Actually, Iranians don't obey the laws they don't like as much as possible.Many strict rules in other countries, don't even exist in Iran.Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa.That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws.In Iran every single house has a sattelite. Sattelite channels had a serious influence on people, they wear very fashionable clothes.Maybe it's a kind of immitation, but still it's got an unique Iranian style.You'll begin to wonder if it's a country or the fantacy land of beauty queens! Almost half their hair is out and they wear a lot of make up and fationable clothes.Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmics.You'll be surprised seeing the difference between what you imagined before and how the real Iran is! Everything's great if you don't take unemployment, inflation and air pollution into account which I guess are common problems in many other countries.You can't compare Itran today with the one in 30 years ago! Nearly 65-70% of Iran's population is considered the new generation (The youth) and they've transformed everything. Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran! Women are overtaking Iran. They're so respectful and they're the winners in most cases: They get into the best universities cos they're so clever.They get the best jobs cos they can do jobs better than men.They've got rights that have made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands should buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women will have the right to ask them a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law which most husbands cannot afford, so they'll be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's because such places are full of cheeky guys.They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing DJ / pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here.I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you. Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery.Have you ever asked yourselves they relate to how many years ago?For your information, those are from Afghanistan which was ruled by freaks (Taliban).When you think of such things, try to think of the racism in your country too.I find it difficult to make you understand that Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are SEPERATE COUNTRIES! 60% of Iranians are Persian and 30% are Turkish! I find it even more difficult to make you understand that Iran is a normal country like any other countries in the world.There's nothing mysterious about it!(The media are very good at making scary titles: BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!! IRAN UNDERCOVER!!! This would be enough to scare people away! Iranians are much more open-minded than what you think!!! I'm sure you don't know that there are lots of Iranian geniouses and scientists that are all under 25.You don't hear about their discoveries and inventions on TV. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions and there are many KIDS like that.Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different compotitions in the world all the time such as robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the media talk about them? They just can't summerise everything in one word "nuclear", although we're proud of it cos having nuclear energy means a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine and it was signing treaties with other countries to export it.I digged the news on the internet, but there was no single sign of that.What did I find instead? "President Bush CLAIMS that bomb parts are imported from Iran into Iraq!"(The same old story!) The media are injustice.They put CLAIMS on the headlines, but they never talk about facts! Some interesting facts: Iran is the pionier in medicine and genetics and Iranian surgens have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects and many other diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgens are Iranian surgens.The head of Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian.One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian.Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian.Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering.Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in these fields: bio-technology and nono-technology.The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran ( visit it in the second link).51 top universities out of the 100 top universities in the Mid-East are in Iran and they're among some of the top universities of the world as well.The champion weight-lifter, the woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians.Lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in the field of medicine .Iranian girls are famous for being terrific.Persian rug and Persian literature, many Persian poets and scientists that are so famous.Iranian culture is now westernised and only a little has survived! According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world for foriegners of course not for us! (Cos our rate is different: one Dollar =about 950 Tomans!) There are many other things.How many pages would you need to describe a country?Iran is an independant country unlike its neighbouring countries.It has nearly all the developed industries and technologies.The list is endless. News: "Iranian scentists managed to make human teeth grow after you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna intoduce Iran's international news website to you (Press TV) which was establlished recently.It's fully in English.You'll find what they're hiding from you! In the "Sic / Tech" section you'll always see Iran's discoveries.The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year! Some charactristics of Iranians would be: Proud, greedy, hard-working for themselve, lazy at doing their duty well!, intelligent, ambitious, not realistic, not so religious (sadly the majority of the young generation is not), not punctual, impatient, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly and hospitable. Some people think Iran's a desert! lol Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit.Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome.Isn't it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Tehran-2-1600.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills_south_west_of_Sanandaj_near_the_village_of_Kilaneh.jpg http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=all http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=2 http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=3 http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=4 http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=3 http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran Some people think music is forbidden in Iran.Did you know that Iranian pop music was chose as the best pop music in France in 2005? I guess not.All Iranian songs are current pop /Club-Dance/Trance/ DJ music.I send them to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard. Here's a sample of the latest hits.(So catchy.Right?) I believe in "Express yourself through music and that music is a universal language". You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them.The translation of the songs is here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArJe6s_u1UbLFRAAiKDGBZLsy6IX?qid=20070514105433AAysEsQ 1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Neorin%20-%20To%20Ino%20Miduni.mp3 2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/09_%20Dastamo%20Begir.mp3 3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Ehsan%20Gheibi%20-%20Khisie%20Cheshmat.mp3 4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Mansour/Crazy/Delam%20Faghat%20Toro%20Mikhaad(www.Bia2Music.com).MP3 5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2005%20Baroon%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma 6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/03_%20Panjereh.mp3 7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/07_%20Yaade%20Man%20Baash.mp3 8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2001%20Farangis%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma 9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/03_%20Faseleh.mp3 10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/04_%20Tolou.mp3 11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Reza%20Sadeghi%20-%20Vaysa%20Donya/01_%20Vaysa%20Donya.mp3 12.(You can't: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/06_%20Nemitooni.mp3 13.(The wind's kiss: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/01_%20Boosaye%20Baad.mp3 14.(Reveal your visage: 2004) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mohammad%20Esfahani/04_%20Talab.mp3 15.(What would have happened if : 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Navid%20&%20Omid%20-%20Faryad/01_%20Chi%20Mishod.mp3 And so on and on! It's now 2007 and people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts, riding camels and carrying around guns!!!! See how the media are fooling people? Let's clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans I chatted with, said in the U.S it's said that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The media are good at putting comments.It's easy to show a video or an image of our president or leader on the T.V screen or on the internet and say he says this, he says that.....I really don't get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us.For example does verbal defence of Palestinians cause them to have a better life?The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would misuse it agaisnt Iran.For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without reffering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that.No sane person would take it for granted. First of all, Iranians don't hate anyone.If our government complains about some injustice going on in the world, it's not bad.Is it? (Although what we want them is to shut up and not to get us into trouble by talking about things that are none of our concern) We hate neither Jews nor Americans.I love Americans otherwise why would I talk to them?! How would our guys dream of America, be like them as much as possible and hate it at the same time?! I've got to say that for Iran Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov't.Jews are faithful people! A few of them live here in our neighbourhood and they live just like the rest of Iranians.No difference.And two of Iran's parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam?Have you ever found a Muslem knocking at your door asking you to do so?It's so funny the way you imagine things and make yourselves believe in your own immaginations! Christians and Jews are both God believers and respectful to us.I wonder why the media like putting words in our mouth and raising hatred.In Iran, religion would be the least important thing. It means that where you come from and what your religion is, are not important to us at all.On the contrary, meeting different people would be so interesting for us! I wonder Iran is a threat to whom. Is that logical to say someone's guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he's going to do something wrong?!!!! And they repeat the same "nuclear weapons" tosh over and over and brainwash people! News headlines: "We won't allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons"!!! Correction! It's "nuclear energy".Besides, how many "nuclear weapons" do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No.Has it developed any nukes?No! That's what nuclear agency says.Only Iran's oppositions are pulling Iran's leg and what they say is of no credit.It's just based on political conflicts.What we're doing is legal.What they ask us to do (ignoring our international rights) is illegal. Iran is a peaceful country.Why? It's the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Seddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.It can set an example to some countries that just follow their interests (oil!).Interesting! the countries accusing Iran of different things have been, and are still accused of the same things!!! How logical! Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! But have they told you the rest of his speech and that why he's said this at all?You know that it's a passive sentence.He's never said that IRAN wants to wipe Israel off the map! He wasn't talking about destroying Israel.He was talking about relocating Israel, so that they could live seperate from Palestinians and they could both live in peace.They've only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it's mistranslated intentionally.Iran's always defended itself, but it's not an offensive country. Some say he's said: Holocaust is a myth! again this is a single phrase from among a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so.If 6'000'000 Jews were killed, that's so terrible, but those 300'000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren't important at all! Over 650'000 Iraqi people are killed and it's not important! When Fox News simply says: America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing all Iran's 69'000'000 population within two weeks, it's OK and no one says they're threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima & Nakazaki and Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you'd get the point why he's IRONICALLY said it's a mith.Moreover, don't you believe in freedom of speech/mind? I'd judge people by their ACTIONS rather than by what they say / their religion / race / culture and the colour of their skin! There are two types of modernism.One of them can be seen: "living among skyscrapers and using the latest technology".The other one cannot be seen: "The way of thinking!" Obviousely, some countries are using Iran as a victim to put the blame (their own faults) on Iran.And which country is better than Iran to be a victim?They've made the whole world believe that Iran isn't a peaceful country.I know Americans don't like these either, but what can they do?They're not responsible for controlling what the media say This part is just for Americans who would still argue over unimportant things: Those of you who say why Iran says "Death to America": 1.America means the U.S govt not the people.How do you expect Iranians to mean "American people" when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up "no war" placards?! 2.The new generation don't say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that's because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfreids/boyfriends! Strange.Isn't it? 3.Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt's terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn't deny that attacking countries is a mistake.right?) 5.The U.S gov't helped Seddam to attack Iran and I hope you know which country gave Iraq biological weapons which killed lots of Iranians 6.America hit an Iranian airplane over the Persian Gulf and killed 200 passengers for no reason 7.It's always botherng Iran by sanctions, displaying false image of Iran and Iranians, scares tourists away from Iran and is always harmful to our economy, development and credit 8.It's always despised the Iranians who travel to the U.S at their arrival (even ordinary ones, university students, sportsmen, scientists etc) To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days: 1.Firstly, It's related to so many years ago and it's almost a part of history and don't forget that when there's a revolution, there'd be cheos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they're all alive and healthy.Aren't they? 2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and has tortured the one who was freed.Poor British sailors were detained by the English gov't just for saying that they were treated well in Iran and that Iranians were logical people (They said these when they were on England's soil!) They were PREVENTED from releasing their memoirs by England! Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom.How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!! Considering all this, you'd PROBABLY be able to GUESS what percentage of what they tell you about the Mid-East, Islam, Moslems and other things is true!!! lol Isn't it better for both countries to forget about the past conflicts and to have peaceful relations?The two gov'ts are like 10 year old children playing a game by harsh rhetoric.They don't care about hurting people's feelings.They just try to show that the people are enemies of each other to achieve their own goals. We as the people of these countries MUST NOT have any conflics.You know something?All govts are hateful.I just said the above things because it sounds unfair when some Americans talk about 444 hostage taking and I keep being silent.I hope you agree on this one! Now, what do you think? I can't wait to see both nations in peace.It'd be marvelous! Plz whenever you have time, find and read an article about "ethnocentrism".Knowing the meaning of this term is not enough.After reading about it, you'll feel a noticable positive change in your attitude towards different people! Guaranteed! Thanks for your time.

What do those of you who believe that the media are injustice, think of this? I think reading this in 5-10 minutes would be better than listening to the news for a lifteime.Plz don't think I'm a very old person.Just 18.A university student studying English who just cannot sit back and hope.This article has two parts: 1.Cultural and general info and music 2.political info.If you wanna get enlightened and shocked read it from top to bottom. Hi.I'm Iranian and I live in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I understand that they have totally wrong ideas about Iran.I just wrote this article to correct you. The first thing they accuse our government of, is that they don't let you be free.Actually, Iranians would be some of the most liberal people in the world (liberal meaning not obeying laws that they don't like).Thousands of millions of strict rules in other countries, don't even exist in Iran.Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa.That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws.In Iran every single house has a sattelite. Sattelite channels had a serious influence on people, they wear very fashionable clothes.Maybe it's a kind of immitation, but still it's got an unique Iranian style.You'll see lots of beauty qeens on the streets that are just like models advertising fashionable clothes! Most part of their hair is out and they wear a lot of make up, also wearing scarves is a part of our culture.Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmics (which is bad for our economy)! People do whatever they wish to and some of the things they do, don't fit our culture at all, however it's normal in Iran.You'll be surprised seeing the difference between what you imagined before and how the real Iran is! It's wonderful.Everything's so great if you don't take unemployment, inflation and air pollution into account which I guess are common problems in many other countries. Many things have changed so far.I can't even compare Iran with 5 years ago, let alone comparing it with 30 years ago!!!! After all, nearly 65-70% of Iran's population is considered the new generation (The youth) and they've transformed everything. Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran! Women are overtaking Iran. They're treated very well.They're the winners in most cases: They get into the best universities cos they're so clever.They get the best jobs cos they can do jobs much better than men.They've got rights that have made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women will have the right to ask them a great amount of money according to the law which most husbands cannot afford, so they'll be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's just because in Iran such places are usually full of cheeky guys who would cheek girls.They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing DJ / pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here.I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you. Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery.Have you ever asked yourselves they relate to how many years ago?Just for your information, those are from Afghanistan which was ruled by those freaks (Taliban).When you think of such things, try to think of the racism in your country too.I find it difficult to make you understand that Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are SEPERATE COUNTRIES! and that 60% of Iranians are Persian and 30% are Turkish! I find it even more difficult to make you understand that Iran is a normal country like any other countries in the world.There's nothing mysterious about it!(The media are very good at making scary titles: BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!! IRAN UNDERCOVER!!! This would be enough to scare people away! Iranians are much more educated, intelligent and open-minded than what you think!!! I'm sure you don't know that there are lots and lots of Iranian geniouses and scientists that are all under 25.You don't hear about their discoveries and inventions on TV. For instance this 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions and there are many many KIDS like that.You don't know that Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different compotitions in the world all the time such as robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the media talk about them? They just can't summerise everything in one word "nuclear", although we're proud of it cos having nuclear energy means a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine and it was signing treaties with other countries to export it.I digged the news on the internet, but there was no single sign of that.What did I find instead? "President Bush CLAIMS that bomb parts are imported from Iran into Iraq!"(The same old story!) The media are injustice.They put CLAIMS on the headlines, but they never talk about facts! Some interesting facts: Iran is the pionier in medicine and genetics and Iranian surgens have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects and many other diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgens are Iranian surgens.The head of Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian.One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian.Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian.Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering.Holds the second place in building dams and holds records in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in these fields: bio-technology and nono-technology.The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (which you can visit in the second link).51 top universities out of the 100 top universities in the Mid-East are in Iran and they're among some of the top universities of the world as well.The champion weight-lifter is Iranian.The woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians and lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in medicine field. And as you all know, Iranian girls are famous for being terrific.Persian rug and Persian literature, many Persian poets and scientists that are so famous.Persian culture is now westernised and only a little has survived! According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world for foriegners of course not for us! (Cos our rate is different: one Dollar =about 950 Tomans!) There are many other things.How many pages would you need to describe a country?And also, Iran is an independant country unlike its neighbouring countries.It has nearly all the developed industries and technologies and doesn't need other countries to survive! The list is endless. The news this morning: "Iranian scintists managed to make human teeth to grow again after losing you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna intoduce you the international news website of Iran (called press TV) which is establlished recently.It's much better than BBC news and is fully in English, Plz vist it and you'll find out what they're hiding from you! and in the section of "Sic / Tech" you'll always see that Iran discovers news things nearly everyday.The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx From now on, the truth will right by your side! Just a link from that website which reads: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 just in one year 4800 inventions! (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). Read more in: http://www.presstv.ir/sections.aspx?sectionid=3510208 Some charactristics of Iranians would be: Proud, greedy, hard-working for themselve, lazy in doing their duty well!, intelligent, ambitious, not realistic, not so religious (sadly majority of the young generation is not), not punctual, impatient, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly and hospitable. Some people think, Iran's a desert! lol Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit.Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! (You didn't expect it to be like that.Right?) This is a photo of Tehran: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Tehran-2-1600.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities and nature: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills_south_west_of_Sanandaj_near_the_village_of_Kilaneh.jpg http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=all http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=2 http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_iran&page=3 http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=4 http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=3 http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199709&page=13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran Some people think music is forbidden in Iran.Did you know that Iranian pop music was chose as the best pop music in France in 2005? I guess not.All Iranian songs are current pop /Club-Dance/Trance/ DJ music.I send them to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard. Here's a sample of the latest hits.(You didn't expect them to be so catchy.Right?) I believe in "Express yourself through music and that music is a universal language". You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them.They're some of the best songs you've ever heard.It's nothing like what you expect! You can read the full translation of the songs here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArJe6s_u1UbLFRAAiKDGBZLsy6IX?qid=20070514105433AAysEsQ 1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Neorin%20-%20To%20Ino%20Miduni.mp3 2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Mansour%20-%20Beautiful/09_%20Dastamo%20Begir.mp3 3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Top33/128/Ehsan%20Gheibi%20-%20Khisie%20Cheshmat.mp3 4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Mansour/Crazy/Delam%20Faghat%20Toro%20Mikhaad(www.Bia2Music.com).MP3 5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2005%20Baroon%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma 6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/03_%20Panjereh.mp3 7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/07_%20Yaade%20Man%20Baash.mp3 8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Irani/Siavash%20Ghomayshi/Sunset%20to%20Sunrise/64/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%20to%20Sunrise%20-%2001%20Farangis%20(www.Bia2Music.com).wma 9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusic/Persian/128KB/Siavash%20Ghomayshi%20-%20Sunset%2