Miss Ellie wins title of World's Ugliest Pedigree Dog ...

In the World's Ugliest Dog Competition at Sonoma-Marin Fair in California, a truly 'unique' looking creature beat off other hideous hounds to claim the crown.

Meet Miss Ellie :)

Is there life on Enceladus? ...

Do underground oceans vent through the stripes on Saturn's moon, Enceladus? These stripes are known to be spewing ice from the moon's interior into space, creating a cloud of fine ice particles over the moon's South Pole and creating Saturn's mysterious E-ring. Evidence for this has come from the robot Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn.

Pictured above is a high resolution image of Enceladus taken during a close flyby. The unusual surface features are visible in false-color blue. Why Enceladus is active remains a mystery. The neighboring moon, Mimas, approximately the same size as Enceladus, appears to be quite dead. Most recently, an analysis of dust captured by Cassini found evidence for sodium, as expected in a deep salty ocean. If such an ocean does exist below the surface, it may well contain life.

Michael Jackson dies at 50 ...

One blogger wrote that Michael "had it in him to make a comeback". Sadly, this was not to be.

Iran's top electoral body rules out vote annulment ...

ALI AKBAR DAREINI and NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press

Iran's top electoral body, the Guardian Council, found "no major fraud" in the disputed June 12 election and ruled out annulling the the results, Iran's state TV Tuesday quoted a spokesman for the council as saying.

Opposition supporters, who allege systematic fraud, have demanded a new election and have staged near-daily protests challenging the claim that hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election by a landslide.

With Tuesday's announcement, Iran's regime appeared to be closing another door to compromise. Iran's supreme leader had already praised Ahmadinejad as the winner and ordered post-election protesters off the streets. On Monday, the feared Revolutionary Guard threatened a crackdown if protests persist.

Such threats and the deaths of at least 17 people since the start of the protests have prompted growing concern by the international community about the fate of opposition supporters. In New York, U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon urged an "immediate stop to the arrests, threats and use of force," U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said at U.N. headquarters Monday.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, keeps a close eye on itself with a vast web of security cameras ...

Bob Drogin - Los Angeles Times

A vast and growing web of security cameras monitors this city of 55,000 inhabitants, operated by a private group of self-appointed gatekeepers. There's been surprisingly little outcry.

This historic town, where America's founding fathers plotted during the Revolution and Milton Hershey later crafted his first chocolates, now boasts another distinction: It may become the nation's most closely watched small city.

Some 165 closed-circuit TV cameras will soon provide live, round-the-clock scrutiny of nearly every street, park and other public space used by the residents and the town's many tourists. That's more outdoor cameras than are used by many major cities, including San Francisco and Boston.

Unlike anywhere else, cash-strapped Lancaster outsourced its surveillance to a private non-profit group that hires civilians to tilt, pan and zoom the cameras - and to call police if they spot suspicious activity. No government agency is directly involved.

Perhaps most surprising, the near-saturation surveillance of a community that saw four murders last year has sparked little public debate about whether the benefits for law enforcement outweigh the loss of privacy.

"Years ago, there's no way we could do this," said Keith Sadler, Lancaster's police chief. "It brings to mind Big Brother, George Orwell and '1984.' It's just funny how Americans have softened on these issues."

"No one talks about it," agreed Scott Martin, a Lancaster County commissioner who wants to expand the program. "Because people feel safer. Law-abiding citizens have nothing to worry about."

But Mary Pat Donnellon, head of Mission Research, a local software company, vowed to move if she finds one on her block. "I don't want to live like that," she said. "I'm not afraid. And I don't need to be under surveillance."

"No one has the right to know who goes in and out my front door," agreed David Mowrer, a laborer for a local company. "That's my business. That's not what America is about."

Hundreds of municipalities - including Los Angeles and at least 36 other California cities - have built or expanded camera networks since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In most cases, grants from the Department of Homeland Security have helped to cover the cost.

How they affect crime is open to debate.

In the largest U.S. study, researchers at UC Berkeley evaluated 71 cameras that San Francisco installed in high-crime areas starting in 2005. Their final report, released in December, found "no evidence" of a drop in violent crime but "substantial declines" in property crime near the cameras.

In February, the city council in Cambridge, Massachusetts, voted not to use eight cameras already purchased with federal funds for fear police would improperly spy on residents. And officials in nearby Brookline are considering switching off a dozen cameras for the same reason.

Lancaster is different, and not just because it sits amid the rolling hills and rich farms of Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Laid out in 1730, the whole town comprises 4 square miles around a central square. Amish families still sell quilts in the nation's oldest public market, and the Wal-Mart provides a hitching post to park a horse and buggy. Tourists flock to art galleries and Colonial-era churches near a glitzy new convention center.

But poverty here is double the state's average, and public school records list more than 900 children as homeless. Police blame most of last year's 3,638 felony crimes - chiefly thefts - on gangs that use Lancaster as a way station to move cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs along the Eastern Seaboard.

"It's not like we're making headlines as the worst crime-ridden city in the country," said Craig Stedman, the county's district attorney. "We have an average amount of crime for our size."

[The problem is that since the city started to install cameras eight years ago, the crime rate has risen LOL].

Sarkozy speaks out against the burka ...

BBC

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out strongly against the wearing of the burka by Muslim women in France.

In a major policy speech, he said that the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.

Mr Sarkozy also gave his backing to the establishment of a parliamentary commission to look at whether to ban the wearing of burkas in public.

In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarves in its state schools.

"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told a special session of parliament in Versailles.

"That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity.

"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic," the French president said.

But he stressed that France "must not fight the wrong battle", saying that "the Muslim religion must be respected as much as other religions" in the country.

A group of a cross-party lawmakers also wants to examine whether women who wear the veil are doing so voluntarily or are being forced to cover themselves.

In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, triggering heated debate in the country and abroad.

Members of the French government have been divided over the issue.

The immigration minister, Eric Besson, has said a full ban will only "create tensions" while the junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, said she would accept a ban if it was aimed at protecting women forced to wear the burka.

France's official Muslim council has criticised the debate.

"To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," said Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion.

France is home to about five million Muslims.

Happy Summer Solstice: The longest day of the year ...

Sunrise at Stonehenge - 4.58 this morning
Courtesy of APOD, nasa

Today, the sun will stay in the sky longer than any other day of the year, as seen from the northern hemisphere of Earth.

Know as the Summer Solstice, today's maximum daylight is indicative of the high amount of sunlight at this time of year that is primarily responsible for the heat of the summer season.

At the north pole, and for all places above the arctic circle, there will be no night - the entire day today will be lit by sunlight.

The situation is reversed in Earth's southern hemisphere, where today has the least sunlight of any day.

Feel like eating something healthy this evening? Then why not pop round to the Heart Attack Grill and treat yourself to a Quadruple Bypass ...

The Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Arizona is a restaurant with a difference! Take a look at the menu:


And should you happen to almost die in the process of trying to get even more fat and disgusting than you already are, the waitresses at the Heart Attack Grill double as nurses and the hospital is just a few blocks away LOL


Bon Appetit!

Switzerland agrees to US tax deal ...

BBC report [edited my Paul]

Switzerland has agreed a new bilateral framework on sharing tax information with the US as it continues to ease its once strict banking secrecy.

In March, the Swiss government announced that it would start to abide by the current global standards on sharing bank data.

Switzerland is hoping that these moves will help secure its removal from a list of countries considered likely tax havens.

In February, Swiss bank UBS had to give the US details of 300 account holders.

The US government had accused the 300 - all American citizens - of using their Swiss accounts to avoid paying tax.

UBS gave their details to US authorities after legal action in America.

US officials have since demanded details of a further 50,000 UBS customers, but the bank has so far refused.

The Swiss finance ministry said that the new tax deal with the US would be officially signed in the next few months.

However, it added that individual tax details would only be exchanged with the US "in individual cases where a specific and justified request has been made".

This echoed a similar comment made in March when the government said it would only respond to "concrete and justified" requests for personal banking data.

Global rules on the sharing of bank account details are set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which has its headquarters in Paris.

Switzerland is currently on the OECD's "grey list" of countries that need to improve their exchange of tax information or face possible financial sanctions.

If you live in Rome (in the USA), don't answer your door for the next 6 weeks: The Jehovah's Witness convention is in town! ...

Edited from the Rome News Tribune

More than 18,000 members of the Watchtower Society, also known as the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, are expected to visit Rome in Georgia during the next six weeks for their annual district convention.

Donald Moore, the head of news services for the convention, said that the first of the six conventions starts today at 9:20 a.m.

Moore expects around 3,100 people per weekend to attend. The overall topic will be “How can you survive the end of the world?”

“We’re hoping to teach people to stay awake as Christians and be prepared because we know from predictions in scripture that the end is near,” he said. [CRACKPOT!!!]

Moore said that some members will be going door-to-door through some neighborhoods handing out invitations and to give testimony to those who are interested.

Henry Allingham is now the oldest man in the world ...

As a follow up to my post a few weeks ago, World War I veteran Henry Allingham, seen above celebrating his 113th birthday, is now the world's oldest man following the sad death of the Japanese record holder, Tomoji Tanabe.

Congratulations Henry!

Ayatollah backs election result ...

BBC

Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a stern warning that protests against the country's disputed presidential election results must end.

In his first public remarks after days of demonstrations, Ayatollah Khamenei said the outcome must be decided at the ballot box, not on the street.

He said political leaders would be blamed for any violence.

Demonstrators calling for a new election earlier vowed to stage fresh protests on Saturday.

Addressing huge crowds at Tehran University, the ayatollah voiced support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the president's views on foreign affairs and social issues were close to his.

Mr Ahmadinejad was among the thousands of people who packed the campus and surrounding streets, punctuating the ayatollah's speech with chants.

Responding to allegations of electoral fraud, the ayatollah insisted the Islamic Republic would not cheat.

"There is an 11-million votes difference," the ayatollah said. "How can one can rig 11 million votes?"

He appealed to candidates who had doubts about the election result to pursue any challenges through legal avenues.

BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne says that Ayatollah Khamenei appears to have staked everything on this election result and Mr Ahmadinejad.

It all points to heavy crackdowns if the protests continue, our correspondent says.

'Political earthquake'

In his highly anticipated address after Friday prayers, the ayatollah said despite differences of opinion among the presidential candidates, they were all trustworthy and loyal to the Islamic Republic.

He said the election was a "political earthquake" for Iran's enemies - singling out Great Britain as "the most evil of them" - whom he accused of trying to foment unrest in the country.

"Some of our enemies in different parts of the world intended to depict this absolute victory, this definitive victory, as a doubtful victory," the Supreme Leader said.

The official results gave Mr Ahmadinejad 63% of the vote against 34% for his main election rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The Guardian Council - Iran's main electoral authority - has invited Mr Mousavi and two other defeated candidates to discuss their objections tomorrow.

Illegal immigrant loses arm in a bakery kneading machine. It's time for Spain to get tough with health, safety and immigration regulations ...

Far too many companies in Spain ignore Health and Safety regulations as a matter of course. In fact, it's common throughout the country to see people (often illegal immigrants) working on building sites with absolutely no safety gear whatsoever. Of the six workers in the photo above, only one is wearing a hard hat and work boots.


Now the owners of a bakery in the town of Real de Gandía near Valencia face 6 to 10 years in prison for employing an illegal Bolivian immigrant - Frans Rilles Melgar - and allowing him to use a dough kneading machine without adequate safety measures.

The machine ripped his left arm off.

The owners of the bakery - the Rovira brothers - were met outside the court by a crowd of journalists as they arrived on Thursday morning to face charges of illegal employment, health and safety, and injury.

It’s a case which has received extensive coverage in the Spanish press.

There are claims that the injured man was dropped 200 metres from the hospital and told to say nothing about his employment situation.

It was also revealed that the arm he lost was found to be too badly damaged to be reattached after his bosses threw it out with the rubbish.

In addition to the injured man having worked at the bakery for almost two years earning 700 Euros a month for 12-hour shifts, an inspector’s report also found serious safety and hygiene deficiencies on the premises.

Another six staff were also working in the same bakery without being registered with Social Security.

The injured immigrant was granted residence papers by the government last Friday.

Unforgivable: Female inmate serving time for prostitution dies after being left in an unshaded cage in 42 degrees Celsius for 4 hours ...

Medieval torture in US prisons.

Marcia Powell, 48, was serving a 27-month sentence for prostitution at the Arizona State Prison Complex, Perryville when detention officers, who were transferring her to a detention unit, placed her in an uncovered outdoor holding cage at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The temperature was around 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit).

She collapsed at about 2:40 p.m. and was taken to West Valley Hospital a half-hour later, but she died shortly after midnight.

Three corrections officers have been put on paid leave during an investigation.

Prisons director Charles Ryan told reporters at an afternoon news briefing that he's concerned that Powell was left in the cage despite the fact that there were corrections officers 20 yards away in a control room.

"It's our responsibility to ensure the care and custody of the inmate population," Ryan said. "The death of Marcia Powell is a tragedy and a failure. The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether there was negligence and to remedy our failures."

Ryan said he hopes to release a report into Powell's death by late next week. The Maricopa County Attorney's office will then decide whether to charge the corrections officers involved.

Powell arrived at the Perryville prison in August 2008. She was placed alone in the cage while being moved to an onsite detention unit after seeing a prison psychologist. Ryan said that a disturbance at the detention unit prompted Powell's placement in the holding cage. He would not elaborate on the nature of the disturbance.

Ryan said that officers gave Powell bottled water, as required under prison policy. Investigators will try to determine how much water she was given and whether she drank it. Under department policy, she should have been removed from the cage after two hours, but this did not happen.

"It is intended to be temporary," Ryan said. "It is not intended to be a place where they are held for an inordinate amount of time."

Powell had been in and out of state prisons and had a long history of mental illness, Ryan said. He would not say whether she was on medication.

Ryan would not release the names of the officers placed on paid leave.

He said that he told all state prison wardens to monitor the temperatures at outdoor holding "cells" while they are housing inmates.

Corrections officials were unable to locate family members. Ryan said prison records show that Powell may have had two children whom she placed in foster care years ago.

Powell is the 79th person to die in state prisons since July 2008, according to Ryan. He said most of the deaths were from natural causes, but there were three suicides and one murder.

There are two deaths still being investigated, including Powell's and that of an inmate who was found dead in his bed at a Buckeye prison last month, Ryan said.

Donna Leone Hamm, executive director of Tempe-based Middle Ground Prison Reform Inc., called the outdoor cell "a cage for human beings" and said Powell's case represents a failure of the mental health system.

"There are hundreds of mentally ill people who have been shuffled out of the mental health system and into prisons," Hamm said. "But this particular situation is unconscionable."

The picture says it all ...

Teenager from Iowa, USA wins $50,000 in texting competition ...

SAMANTHA GROSS, Associated Press

NEW YORK – The nation's newest texting champion has a message for parents across the land — although they might not want to hear it.

"Let your kid text during dinner! Let your kid text during school! It pays off," 15-year-old Kate Moore said Tuesday after winning the LG U.S. National Texting Championship.

After all, she said: "Your kid could win money and publicity and a phone." [Yeah, right!]

For the Des Moines, Iowa, teenager, her 14,000 texts-per-month habit reaped its own rewards, landing her the competition prize of $50,000 just eight months after she got her first cell phone.

Moore, with a speedy and accurate performance, beat 20 other finalists from around the country over two days of challenges such as texting blindfolded and texting while maneuvering through a moving obstacle course [clearly essential skills for life!].

The teen dismisses the idea that she focuses too much on virtual communications, saying that while she has sometimes had her phone taken away from her in school, she keeps good grades, performs in school plays and socializes with friends — in person — on the weekends.

In between, she finds time to send about 400 to 470 texts a day [crazy!].

The finalists were among 250,000 people who tried to get spots in the competition. Some won their spots at the Manhattan finals by being the fastest people to text responses to televised ads.

It's the third year for the texting competition, sponsored by LG Electronics Inc.'s mobile-phones division. But it's the first time that it was held at a flashy sound stage with an illuminated platform and surrounded by TV cameras. LG, based in Seoul, South Korea, is considering using the footage in a televised special of some kind.

Twenty-year-old Jackie Boyd, who came in fifth in the competition, said she usually prefers text messages to phone calls because they get through faster and they're more private — leaving her unworried about other people listening in.

"You can get more of what you really truly want to say" across with texting, said the Syracuse University psychology major. "Especially if it's an argument, you don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing.

"And if you don't want to respond, you can always say, 'Oh, I didn't get your text.'"

Freedom of speech repressed: Iran's Revolutionary Guards issue warning to media ...

ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's most powerful military force is warning online media of a crackdown over their coverage of the country's election crisis.

The Revolutionary Guards, an elite body answering to the supreme leader, says Iranian Web sites and bloggers must remove any materials that "create tension" or they will face legal action.

It is the Guards' first public statement since the crisis erupted following the presidential election last Friday.

Iranian reformist Web sites as well as blogs and Western Web sites like Facebook and Twitter have been vital conduits for Iranians to inform the world about protests over the declaration of election victory for hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On Tuesday, the government barred foreign media from leaving their offices to report on the street protests.

British Airways asks employees to work without pay ...

British Airways asks its employees to volunteer for periods of unpaid work.

LONDON (AP)

British Airways on Tuesday urged its staff to work for nothing in an effort to save the company money.

British Airways PLC is struggling to come up with ways to save cash after reporting its biggest full-year loss since the former national airline was privatized in 1987.

BA chief Willie Walsh has said he would not draw a salary for the month of July [Whoopie! That's very generous of him LOL], and urged other employees to work for blocks of time without being paid.

"I am looking for every single part of the company to take part in some way in this cash-effective way of helping the company's survival plan. It really counts," Walsh said in a company publication. [He should learn to speak English!]

BA said the option meant employees would effectively volunteer to take a cut in base pay, with the lost income spread out over several months. The company had said last month [that] it would ask employees to consider working without pay.

The UNITE union, which represents thousands of BA ground and cabin crew, gave the proposal a chilly reception. The union said that while Walsh might be able to afford working a month for free, its members could not.

BA said last month that it had lost 375 million pounds ($595 million) in the year ending March 31, compared with a profit of 712 million pounds in the previous year. That is its worst result in more than two decades of business, the previous low point being a 200 million pounds loss in 2001-2002. [Isn't that an indication that Willie Walsh should be sacked?]

A picture is worth a thousand words ...

Iran Update: Iran supreme leader orders probe of election fraud ...

By ANNA JOHNSON and ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's supreme leader has ordered an investigation into allegations of election fraud, marking a stunning turnaround by the country's most powerful figure and offering hope to opposition forces who have waged street clashes to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

State television quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directing a high-level clerical panel - the Guardian Council - to look into charges by pro-reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has said he is the rightful winner of Friday's presidential election.

The decision comes after Mousavi wrote a letter appealing to the Guardian Council and met Sunday with Khamenei, who holds almost limitless power over Iranian affairs. Such an election probe by the 12-member council is uncharted territory and it is not immediately clear how it will proceed or how long it might take.

Election results must be authorized by the council, composed of clerics closely allied with the unelected supreme leader. All three of Ahmadinejad's challengers in the election — Mousavi and two others — have made public allegations of fraud after results showed the president winning by a 2-to-1 margin.

"Issues must be pursued through a legal channel," state TV quoted Khamenei as saying. The supreme leader said he has "insisted that the Guardian Council carefully probe this letter."

The day after the election, Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad and called the result a "divine assessment."

The results touched off three days of clashes — the worst unrest in Tehran in a decade. Protesters set fires and battled anti-riot police, including a clash overnight at Tehran University after 3,000 students gathered to oppose the election results.

One of Mousavi's Web sites said a student protester was killed early Monday during clashes with plainclothes hard-liners in Shiraz, southern Iran. But there was no independent confirmation of the report. There have also been unconfirmed reports of unrest breaking out in other cities across Iran.

Argentine glacier advances despite global warming ...

By JEANNETTE NEUMANN, Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.

Nourished by Andean snowmelt, the glacier constantly grows even as it spawns icebergs the size of apartment buildings into a frigid lake, maintaining a nearly perfect equilibrium since measurements began more than a century ago.

"We're not sure why this happens," said Andres Rivera, a glacialist with the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile. "But not all glaciers respond equally to climate change."

Viewed at a safe distance on cruise boats or the wooden observation deck just beyond the glacier's leading edge, Perito Moreno's jagged surface radiates a brilliant white in the strong Patagonian sun. Submerged sections glow deep blue.

And when the wind blows in a cloud cover, the 3-mile-wide (5 kilometer) glacier seems to glow from within as the surrounding mountains and water turn a meditative gray.

Every few years, Perito Moreno expands enough to touch a point of land across Lake Argentina, cutting the nation's largest freshwater lake in half and forming an ice dam as it presses against the shore.

The water on one side of the dam surges against the glacier, up to 200 feet (60 meters) above lake level, until it breaks the ice wall with a thunderous crash, drowning the applause of hundreds of tourists.

"It's like a massive building falling all of a sudden," said park ranger Javier D'Angelo, who experienced the rupture in 1998 and 2008.

The rupture is a reminder that while Perito Moreno appears to be a vast, 19-mile-long (30 kilometer) frozen river, it's a dynamic icescape that moves and cracks unexpectedly.

"The glacier has a lot of life," said Luli Gavina, who leads mini-treks across the glacier's snow fields.

The power of the Internet: A private beach party on the north German holiday island of Sylt turns into a horror show ...

What should have been a relatively small private beach party on the German island of Sylt on Saturday, turned into a nightmare for local and national police.

The organizers originally invited about 100 people via the Internet, but word of the party spread rapidly, and throughout the course of the day, over 5,000 people surged onto the island from the mainland.

"The whole thing spread like wildfire on the Internet", said a police spokesperson. "Over 13,000 people responded. It was a genuine 'flash mob'."

The organizers only had two ghetto-blasters, and a small supply of alcohol which quickly ran out, causing the mood of the uninvited guests to deteriorate rapidly. By 10pm, many disappointed partygoers had already started to return to the mainland.

"Especially shocking," according to the police spokesperson, "were the very high number of totally drunk people and the resulting violence that took place."

"Besides a number of injuries, property was also damaged and we had to break up many fights," he added.

Six people drank themselves into such a stupor that they had to be taken into police custody.

A creationist museum in the US has had 700,000 visitors in 2 years. This confirms that there are at least 700,000 very stupid people on the planet?

Here are a four creationists and what they believe:

Robert Mailloux, a 68-year-old retired businessman, dismisses Darwin's theory as "not even a low grade hypothesis" and said it had "no substantial science" in it. "The Bible says God created the Earth in six days and we [creationists] believe that. There are over 100 ways science is able to look at the Earth and 90 say it is thousands of years old - only 10 say it's real old." [work that one out if you can! I'm still trying! LOL] He adds: "The way liberals and evolutionists win an argument is to outlaw freedom of speech... they won't let us in [I wonder why!]. Why is Darwin buried with kings at Westminster Abbey? He's not a king. He's the king of the atheists' movement; he's the king of people who don't want to deal with the guilt that's put on them by sin... it's a weight and a bondage, they become their own God." [WOW! That's deep! LOL]

Dan Schoonmaker, a 26-year-old Army helicopter pilot (who, as a member of the military, gets in free [think about that]) describes himself as a "creationist in training", admitting it needed "a lot of faith". "I personally don't know, but natural selection seems to be the only thing people go on. It should be more open," he says. "There are sometimes better explanations for things, I mean people thought the earth was flat." Theories other than evolutionary science should be given more prominence and there should be an option to study creationism in schools, with parents given the choice, he believes. "I'm a creationist in training, I don't really go to church, but I'm curious about Genesis." [and this guy flies helicopters???!!!]


Laurie Geesey, a 57-year-old former high school teacher, says she believes God created "everything visible and invisible" and feels that people look down on her views "especially under the current [White House] administration" [what a twit!]. "It interferes with their lifestyle, you know 'If it feels good go ahead and do it' - the Bible doesn't teach that," she says. In fact, she's not sure Darwin believed his own theory [LOL]. Her husband, Richard Geesey, a 67-year-old retired university professor, says he was "very impressed" by the museum and liked the fact that scriptures backed up the exhibits. "I believe in a lot of this and wanted to see how accurate it was," he says. "I believe the Earth is around 5,500 years old. If you don't believe in Genesis, you don't believe in anything else." [... and this guy was a university professor???!!! I don't know whether to laugh or cry!]

Scott Rubin, a 42-year-old father-of-three from Chicago, says that he turned to God late in life. He was a business consultant until he "had an encounter with Jesus" and became a youth pastor [another nut who is allowed to have contact with 'your' kids!]. He says "evolution is a good theory, but I don't believe in it. Some parts are sensible, and some parts of creationism are sensible. When it comes down to it, how can you know for sure? What I do know is that God has changed my life. I believe God created the world in six days; I do believe that." Mr Rubin says that he "never intended to be a church guy. It makes sense why people believe in evolution, especially if they haven't had the encounter with Jesus that I've had."

[Honestly, is it really any wonder that the world is in such a mess with people like this educating your kids?]

Comment on the current situation in Iran as of 20.00 GMT ...

The BBC reports:

Thousands of angry protesters have clashed with police after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of Iran's presidential poll.

Secret police have been attacked, while riot police used batons and tear gas against backers of Mir Hossein Mousavi, who called the results a "charade".

Correspondents say the violence is the worst seen in Tehran in a decade.

In a televised address to the nation, Mr Ahmadinejad thanked voters for giving him a "great victory".

Mr Mousavi, a former prime minister, dismissed the election result as deeply flawed.

"I personally strongly protest the many obvious violations and I'm warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade," the Reuters news agency reported him as saying.

Mr Mousavi had said there was a shortage of ballot papers and alleged that millions of people had been denied the right to vote.

His election monitors were not allowed enough access to polling stations, he added.

The head of the Committee to Protect the People's Votes, a group set up by all three opposition candidates, said the group would not accept the result, alleging fraud.

They have asked Iran's Guardian Council - a powerful body controlled by conservative clerics - to cancel the results and re-run the elections. A second opposition candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, declared the results "illegitimate and unacceptable".

The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says the result has been greeted with surprise and with deep scepticism by many Iranians.

The figures, if they are to be believed, show Mr Ahmadinejad winning strongly ... even in the heartland of Mr Mousavi.

The scale of Mr Ahmadinejad's win means that many people who voted for a reformist candidate in the previous presidential election four years ago have apparently switched their votes to Mr Ahmadinejad, he adds.

However, the president does enjoy the support of many of the urban poor and rural dwellers.

"I am happy that my candidate has won - he helps the poor and he catches the thieves," sandwich seller Kamra Mohammadi, 22, told the AFP news agency.

Mr Mousavi gains much of his support from the middle classes and the educated urban population.

BBC Iranian affairs analyst Sadeq Saba says the result means that hope for peaceful reform in Iran may die for a long time.

There had been a surge of interest in Iran's presidential election, with unprecedented live television debates between the candidates and rallies attended by thousands.

My opinion:

I do not condone violence of any sort, but if Hitler had not been stopped, Europe would now be under Nazi rule. Imagine that!

The Iranians are now fighting for much needed reform. This will not happen while Ahmadinejad rules.

If the American people had stood up to the decision of the Supreme Court in 2000, Al Gore would have taken his rightful place as President of the United States and hundreds of thousands of lives would not have been lost in Iraq.

Instead, there were no real protests when George W. Bush was placed in the seat of power ... and the rest, as they say, is history.

UPDATE: Tehran tense after disputed election results ...

A glum Iranian supporter of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi rests his head on his arms, wearing a green T-shirt symbolizing his party's color
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI and ANNA JOHNSON, Associated Press Writers

Anti-riot police guarded the offices overseeing Iran's disputed elections Saturday with the count pointing to a landslide victory by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while his opponent denounced the results as "treason" and threatened a challenge.

The standoff left Tehran in tense anticipation. Many people opened shops and carried out errands, but the backdrop was far from normal: black-clad police gathering around key government buildings and mobile phone text messaging blocked in an apparent attempt to stifle one of the main communication tools of the pro-reform movement of Mir Hossein Mousavi.

A statement from Mousavi posted on his Web site urged his supporters to resist a "governance of lie and dictatorship."

Outside the Interior Ministry, which directed Friday's voting, security forces set up a cordon. The results had flowed quickly after polls closed showing the hard-line president with a comfortable lead — defying expectations of a nail-biter showdown following a month of fierce campaigning and bringing immediate charges of vote rigging by Mousavi.

But an expected announcement on the full outcome was temporarily put on hold. A reason for the delay was not made public, but it suggested intervention by Iran's Islamic authorities seeking to put the brakes on a potentially volatile showdown.

Ahmadinejad had the apparent backing of the ruling theocracy, which holds near-total power and would have the ability to put the election results into a temporary limbo.

Read full article here

UPDATE: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been re-elected as president of Iran with a "resounding victory", the country's electoral commission says ...

Mir Hossein Mousavi - clearly the true winner
With more than 80% of results already in, the commission [big joke!] has declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

His main rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi, has also claimed victory, calling the result a "dangerous charade".

Police have sealed off Mr Mousavi's campaign HQ, preventing his supporters from holding a news conference [it was only to be expected, wasn't it?].

Mr Mousavi was hoping to prevent Mr Ahmadinejad from winning more than 50% of the vote, thereby securing a run-off election.

However, the Iranian election commission said Mr Mousavi's share of the votes was only around 32%.

[What a farce!]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is heading for a "resounding win" in Iran's presidential election, the electoral commission says. What a surpise!!! ...

By the BBC ... with a few subtle additions by me

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is [as expected!] on course to be re-elected as president of Iran with a resounding poll win [yeah, right!], according to electoral commission figures. [The commission is run by Ahmadinejad's government, so did we really expect anything different?]

With 80% of the votes counted, the commission said Mr Ahmadinejad had already won 65%. [Of course they would! A candidate has to secure 50% of the votes in the first round to avoid a run-off!].

His main rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi, also claimed victory and has complained of voting irregularities [but it won't do him any good!].

However, the Iranian election commission said Mr Mousavi's share of the vote was around 32% [well they would, wouldn't they?!].

The state news agency Irna [also controled by Ahmadinejad] has declared Mr Ahmadinejad the "definite winner", and his campaign manager was quoted as saying "any doubts cast on this victory will be treated as a joke by the public" [Ha Ha!!! We're all laughing!!!].

The president's supporters celebrated by taking to motorbikes on the streets of Tehran, chanting "God is Great", while there were reports that a rally for Mr Mousavi was broken up.

Mr Ahmadinejad needs 50% of the votes to avoid a second round.

Mr Mousavi has alleged widespread electoral fraud.

It was Al Gore who really won the US Presidential election in 2000. Not George W. Bush.

The whole world is a mess.

I hate receiving chain mail (LOL) ...

Courtesy of Dennis

US Congress backs tobacco clampdown (great news) ...

Courtesy of the BBC

The US House of Representatives has backed a bill introducing tough new curbs on the tobacco industry.

The House passed the bill by 307-97, a day after it was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate. It now goes to President Obama to be signed into law.

The bill gives the US Food and Drug Administration strong powers to regulate the content and marketing of tobacco products.

It has been hailed as a milestone in the history of tobacco regulation.

About one in five Americans smoke, and the habit kills some 440,000 every year.

But tougher regulation has been stiffly opposed by the industry and tobacco's political backers.

Until now, tobacco has been more lightly regulated than cosmetics or pet food, and previous attempts at FDA regulation were struck down by the Supreme Court as requiring congressional approval.

The bill will "make history", President Obama said on Thursday after it was passed by the Senate by 79-17.

He may sign it into law as early as today.

Who will the Iranians choose to be their next president? Could it ever be a fair election? Very doubtful ...

Mir Hossein Mousavi
From a report by NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press

Iranians vote today (Friday) on whether to keep hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power for four more years or replace him with Mir Hossein Mousavi, a reformist more open to loosening the country's Islamic restrictions and improving ties with the United States.

The rowdy election campaign, which lasted less than a month, electrified many voters and reshaped how the world sees Iran's political process. The mass street demonstrations, polished campaign slogans and televised debates more closely resembled Western elections than the scripted campaigns in most other Middle Eastern countries.

Iran's cell phone text messaging system was down on Friday. Many Iranians, especially young voters — many of whom favor Mir Hossein Mousavi — frequently used text messages to spread election information quickly to friends and family.


Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is in a neck-to-neck battle with Ahmadinejad, accused Iran's telecommunications provider, which is owned by the government, of shutting the system and alleged that some of his representatives were barred from entering polling stations to monitor the vote.

"Unfortunately, some of my representatives were blocked from entering polling stations and SMS (text messaging) is also down, which is against the law," Mousavi said after voting, according to his campaign Website. "We should not be fearful about the free flow of information, and I urge officials to observe the law."

The spokesman for Iran's telecommunication ministry, Davood Zareian, confirmed to The Associated Press that the text message system has been down since late Wednesday. "We are investigating the case," he said without elaborating.

Read full article here

Massive black hole in M87 is much heavier than originally thought ...

Above: M87 is a type of galaxy that looks very different from our own Milky Way. Even for an elliptical (egg-shaped) galaxy, M87 is peculiar. It is much larger than an average galaxy and shows an unusually high number of globular clusters. Globular clusters are gravitationally bound concentrations of approximately ten thousand to one million stars, spread over a volume of several tens to about 200 light years in diameter. These globular clusters are visible as faint spots surrounding the bright center.

In general, elliptical galaxies contain similar numbers of stars as spiral galaxies, but are ellipsoidal in shape (spiral galaxies are mostly flat), have no spiral structure, and little gas and dust.

M87 is 120,000 light-years in diameter (larger than our own Milky Way which is approx. 100,000 light-years in diameter) and is the dominant galaxy at the center of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, some 50 million light-years away. It is the likely home to a supermassive black hole responsible for the high-energy jet of particles emerging from the galaxy's central region.

Click on the image for larger view.

Report by Ker Than for National Geographic News [edited by Paul]

A new computer model suggests that the supermassive black hole at the heart of the M87 weighs the same as 6.4 billion suns — two to three times heavier than previous estimates.

The model is the first to make detailed calculations of the "halo" of dark matter surrounding M87.

Based on their gravitational behavior, all galaxies are thought to have very massive black holes at their cores and are enveloped in clouds of mysterious dark matter.

But previous models of galaxy mass did not include dark halos because calculating their masses would have used too much computing power.

Now, using a supercomputer at the University of Texas at Austin, astronomer Karl Gebhardt and colleagues have re-run the numbers for M87.

The new estimate suggests that a large bulk of the mass initially thought to belong to stars at M87's core is actually locked up in the halo at the galaxy's outer edge.

But the actual mass of the core is still thought to be the same. So if the extra mass isn't tied up in stars, it must belong to the supermassive black hole, Gebhardt explained.

"By including the dark halo, you reduce the amount of the mass [of stars in the center] of M87 by a factor of two," he said.

"In order to make up for that, you have to increase the mass of the black hole."

Gebhardt suspects the mass estimates for supermassive black holes in other nearby galaxies are also off by factors of two or more.

Black Hole Puzzle

If confirmed, the finding could help solve a cosmic mystery concerning the masses of central black holes in quasars.

Quasars are extremely distant galaxies that have huge amounts of radiation spewing from their core black holes.

Other studies have suggested that the "active" black holes in quasars weigh as much as ten billion times the mass of the sun. So astronomers have been puzzled as to why the central black holes in local galaxies are puny by comparison.

But if the masses of nearby black holes are actually two to three times larger, Gebhardt said, the problem "almost goes away."

Move over Fiat 500 - the Trabant is the next car in line for a modern makeover ...

Hot on the heels of the Fiat 500 comes another cult car from the archives - the Trabant - which is set to be re-launched in 2009.

The Trabant was the car of the common man in East Germany from the 50s through to unification. It was a light and durable car with a two-stroke engine and plenty of room for a family of four. Amazingly, it was also eco-friendly before its time, using 'duroplast' for much of the car's structure - a recycled material, made from cotton waste from Russia and phenol resins from the East German dye industry.

The new Trabi is being made by a company called IndiKar, based in the east German state of Saxony. According to Ronald Gerschewski, the director of IndiKar: "We want to build a grown-up version of the famous Trabi. It will be simple, inexpensive and, of course, comply with contemporary security and environmental standards."

It is said to have the looks of the original Trabant (pictured above), but with a modern, fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly engine and a price tag of just over €7,000 if all goes to plan. The new Trabat will hopefully be on view at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt in 2009 where a prototype will be officially launched.

Link

Eastern Germany has been less hard hit than the West ...

A modern steel mill in the former East German city of Eisenhuttenstadt
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL

10 June 2009

A new government report shows that the former East Germany has been less bruised by the economic crisis than the richer West. The region has more smaller companies that are more flexible and less dependent on exports, it argues.

The former East Germany has long been eclipsed economically by the richer and more industrialized West. Yet, ironically, the eastern part of the country is now actually better equipped to deal with the ongoing economic crisis.

That, at least, is the conclusion of the government's annual report on German unity to be released on Wednesday. According to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, which has seen the report, it states that the East's "stronger resistance to the crisis" is due to the higher number of small- and medium-sized companies there. These are thought to be able to react more flexibly to the challenges posed by the economic downturn.

Furthermore, in comparison to western Germany, companies in the former East are far less dependent on exports. Germany, a highly industrialized country, is the world's biggest exporter and has been severely hit by the slump in global trade. On Tuesday the latest figures showed that German exports had fallen by an alarming 22.9 percent in April compared with the same month in 2008.

However it is big industrial outfits, like carmakers and mechanical engineering firms, which tend to suffer disproportionately when export markets dry up, and these are much more likely to be found in the West of the country.

This year's report on German unity makes clear that, even as the country prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are still two Germanys with very different economic structures.

However, things are changing and the government expects the former East to have caught up with the weaker western regions, such as Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, within the next 10 years.

Wolfgang Tiefensee, the government minister with responsibility for the "new federal states," as the former East Germany is officially known, told the Berliner Zeitung that this would be a "considerable success."

The report, which Tiefensee is to present to the cabinet on Wednesday, will show that the gap between the two parts of the country is gradually narrowing, with the per capita output in the East having risen to 71 percent of that in the West, compared to just 67 percent in 2000. Companies' productivity, export quotas and capitalization are also showing signs of catching up with their western counterparts.

Nevertheless, when it comes to achieving true unity, the so-called "Wall in the mind" still persists.

The report is critical of the level of internal harmony achieved so far. According to the Thüringer Allgemeine newspaper, which has also seen the document, it states that: "The mutual recognition of the citizens in eastern and western Germany is not sufficient, despite all the progress."

People from the East and West still regard each other as different, and in the East there is a feeling of discrimination, the report argues. "Overcoming differences and creating similarities is still an important aim in the continuing process of uniting Germany," it says. "Prejudices must be confronted and clichés overcome."

A short history of beer ...

Adapted from LegendsOfBeer.com

It’s well known that beer as a beverage dates back thousands of years, although its original appearance and taste were probably very different to the lagers and ales we’re used to today.

However, most people really don’t know how much influence beer wielded in ancient times. So I'm going to list a few interesting beer facts that come from a time long before cushioned bar stools.

No one really knows when beer was first brewed. It wasn't invented but most likely discovered by accident. All cereal-based products can undergo spontaneous fermentation due to airborne natural yeasts, but records show that people were drinking beer in China and Mesopotamia as far back as 7000 BCE. In fact, the oldest recipe ever discovered was for brewing a batch of beer, although this version of beer did not include hops and was sweetened with honey and dates, so it was much sweeter than today's varieties.

The type of beer that we consume today probably has its roots in the German Beer Purity Laws of 1516, which dictated that beer can only contain water, barley, and hops. However, this was not the first law that regulated beer production.

The first mention of a beer law was in the Code of Hammurabi, the infamous Babylonian leader. By the time the Code was impressed in clay in the 2nd Century BCE, beer had become an extremely popular beverage in Mesopotamia and in the rest of the Middle East.


Above: BEER MAKING INSTRUCTIONS, URUK, 3100 BCE

Many brewers and bar owners at the time would water down their product or use inferior grains to maximize profit. This angered Hammurabi, so he devised a law forbidding brewers or merchants from doing this. The punishment? The offending party was to be forcibly drowned in the swill that he created.

Over time, beer became extremely commonplace in Egypt and then it spread to Greece and Rome, although in those civilizations it was a distant second to wine in terms of popularity. However, in the Middle Ages beer consumption spiked upward again, especially in Germany, Britain, and Belgium where it was too cold to grow grapes.

At that time, water was generally unsafe to drink due to a lack of sanitation, but the fermentation process effectively killed most harmful microbes and bacteria, so it became the dominant beverage to drink with daily meals. It is estimated that the average person in Northern Europe consumed at least 65 gallons of beer over the course of a year! It was drunk with breakfast, lunch and the evening meal.

The Purity Laws and advances in brewing technology (especially during the Industrial Revolution, when the steam engine and the thermometer were invented) helped to improve the quality of beer and establish many of the brands that we know and love today.

However, there have been some attempts to recreate recipes and methods from ancient times. In 1989, Anchor Steam Brewing in San Francisco recreated the original Sumerian beer recipe when they released its Ninkasi beer (Ninkasi being the Sumerian goddess of brewing) for a limited time.

Newcastle Brewery, in conjunction with the University of Cambridge archeology department, was actually able to recreate a beer recipe originally found on the walls of the tomb of King Akhenaton - a Egyptian Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty who died around 1336 BCE.


The beer - named Tutankhamen after Ahkenaton’s more famous son - is an accurate representation of the original brew which used an ancient strand of wheat only found in the Nile Delta along with coriander seeds.

But it’s not just something you can pick up at a local corner store; only 1,000 bottles were brewed, and the final price tag of a Tutankhamen comes to $520 per bottle, making it one of the most expensive beers of all time!

A nice piece of history, although personally I’d rather pay much less for a good pint of Kilkenny's or Theakston's draught bitter :)

Next time you throw a stick and tell your dog to fetch it, think twice! ...

Above: live US hand grenades from world war II

BERLIN (AFP)

A dedicated dog out on a walk found a live US hand grenade from World War II and delivered it to his master, police said on Monday. Fortunately, authorities were able to defuse the explosive before it went off.

The owner of the dog had let it off its leash near a stream on Sunday on the outskirts of the town of Erkrath in western Germany's Neander Valley.

The animal found the grenade on the ground, picked it up in its jaws and trotted back to its owner.

"She recognised immediately that it was probably an old, rusted hand grenade," police said. "On the orders of the woman, the dog obediently put his find back next to the stream."

She then alerted the authorities who blocked off the area and dispatched a munitions expert who identified the object as a still live American hand grenade from World War II and defused it.

Germany is still littered with unexploded Allied munitions more than six decades after the war, leading frequently to major evacuations when they are discovered in densely populated areas.

Power company says that the tritium leak at the Dresden Nuclear Power plant, 100 miles from Chicago, is not a problem ... [if you live in Europe!]

Above: Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant, Illinois, USA

Courtesy of FARK

Officials at US power company, Exelon, are saying not to worry about the latest tritium leak at the Dresden Nuclear Power plant because it stayed in the middle of their property.

Routine monitoring late last week at the plant revealed 3.2 million picocuries per liter of water in one monitoring well and in nearby storm drains, as well as a concrete vault located near an outside water storage tank.

Tritium is a radioactive hydrogen isotope that is a by product of nuclear reactors producing electricity. Elevated levels of tritium are believed to cause cancer. The Illinois EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] has deemed 20,000 picocuries per liter of water as safe. A picocurie is one-trillionth of a curie - a measurement of radiological doses.

"While this is not a public or employee safety issue, we are committed to being forthright, clear and concise with our neighbors about the status of our plant operations," said Tim Hanley, Dresden site vice president.

Station experts are working to determine the source and are performing additional sampling to verify that the tritium is contained to the areas where it was found and to take steps no minimize the impact.

The plant has a monitoring system in place which includes 71 on-site wells that never contained a high amount of tritium until last week.

"Our monitoring program functioned as designed alerting us to the presence of tritium early so that we can address this issue quickly and effectively," Hanley said.

[Why do these guys always talk so much bullshit? Because the general public is so gullible.]

Exelon officials said that state and federal authorities were notified of the leak over the weekend. Notification is now mandatory in the wake of learning that millions of gallons of tritiated water had leaked out of the Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant in northeastern Illinois for more than 10 years.

Exelon is currently being sued by residents of Will County and by the state's attorney. The lawsuit could potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

A sad day: Voters steer Europe to the right ...

Article by Mark Mardell (Mark Mardell's Euroblog) for the BBC - 8 June 2009

The British National Party (BNP) will not feel too lonely in the European Parliament. Similar parties with a strong nationalist message and opposition to immigration have been elected in the Netherlands, Hungary and Romania.

The leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), Geert Wilders, denies he is a racist, saying his problem is with Islam as an ideology, not the colour of people's skin. The leader of the BNP and new MEP, Nick Griffin, says his all-white party is no more racist that the National Black Police Association.

Hungary's Jobbik says the real racists are the liberal establishment who do not put Hungarians first. They have attacked the Sunday Telegraph for its report on their party. It is time someone put this hotbed of liberal do-gooders in their place.

The rise of the right is patchy, and looking at where those patches are absent is important.

As far as I can see from the results in front of me, anti-immigration parties in Italy and France did not do well. In the run-up to the election, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi repeatedly compared Italian cities to "Africa", whether because of graffiti or "non-Italian" faces.

In the final days, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's stepped up his plan to crack down on knife crime and flood Paris's suburban ghettos with police. He didn't mention immigration. He didn't have to.

Long before I came to Brussels, certain Labour MPs were telling me how worried they were about the BNP. These were the same people who, as ministers, came up with the toughest rhetoric on the perils of too much immigration and too little integration.

The hard right may try to form a new group in the European Parliament, but until all the results are in, it is not easy to say if they will do so. I somehow doubt it. But even if they did, they would have little influence on legislation or even debate. Their real importance is that their election gives politicians from bigger parties a huge scare, and pushes the mainstream towards a tougher line.

Europe's oldest man celebrates his 113th birthday ...

Henry William Allingham was born in London on 6 June 1896. At the age of 113, he is not only Europe's oldest man, but also one of the 15 oldest people in the world, and one of the 15 oldest men ever.

He is the oldest ever surviving member of any of the British Armed Forces, and the oldest surviving veteran of the First World War. He is also the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the last surviving 'founding' member of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Since 2001, he has become the face of the World War I Veterans Association and makes frequent public appearances to ensure that awareness of the death and destruction of World War I is not lost to modern generations.

Henry's life has spanned three centuries and six monarchs.

In 10 days time, another British veteran will also celebrate his birthday - his 111th.


Henry John "Harry" Patch - 'the lasy Tommy' - was born near Bath on 17 June, 1898. He is the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches during the First World War.

Harry is, at his current age of 110, the second-oldest living man in the UK and the sixth-oldest verified man in the world.

Congratulations to both of them!

Not dead, just resting (LOL) ...