Fossett's secret project was built in Richmond Thursday, October 02, 2008 RICHMOND, CA (KGO) -- Millionaire Steve Fossett left behind a secret vessel that was being built right here in the Bay Area. He funded a deep sea submersible -- which, its builders say, was capable of "flying" to the bottom of the ocean. "We were his big secret project this was to make a record dive to bottom of the planet," says Graham Hawkes, from Hawkes Ocean Technologies. The Deep Space Challenger looks like a plane, but is actually a winged submersible - capable of diving to the lowest spot on Earth, The Mariana Trench. It is 37,000 feet below the surface and until now, the ship has been kept under wraps in a Richmond warehouse. "It would have dramatically, dramatically opened the oceans for exploration. It would have been a game changer," said Hawkes. Hawkes says the craft would have "flown" to the bottom of the ocean in an hour and 40 minutes and then rocketed back up. He wouldn't say what it cost to build, but it was almost ready to launch when Fossett disappeared. "We finished testing all of the systems have been tested under pressure at the Department of Defense facilities. We were four weeks away from splashing it in," said Hawkes. But now that Fossett has died, the project is on hold. "Deep Flight Challenger is, I think, in my eyes, an extraordinary beautiful machine in my eyes, not like any else seen on this planet before," said Hawkes. Hawkes owns the design, but the craft itself is owned by the Fossett estate, which has not yet decided what to do with it.

Chavez offers free cars for gas-guzzlers Oct. 5, 2008 09:07 AM Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela - Give up your gas-guzzler and get a free car. That's President Hugo Chavez's offer to Venezuelans. Chavez says he plans to start a program next year that will give away cars running on less-polluting natural gas to people who turn in old cars that consume "too much gasoline." The socialist leader says he'll even throw in a year of free fuel - though that's a relatively minor bonus in oil-rich Venezuela, where gasoline goes for 12 cents a gallon (3 cents a liter). Saturday's offer didn't say what sort of cars will be offered or how many will be given out. Venezuela has signed accords with companies from more than a half-dozen countries to exploit its mostly untapped natural gas reserves - the largest in South America.

2008-10-03 - World's First Flying Car Type Aircraft Being Auctioned On eBay Davis, CA (AHN) -- Moller International is auctioning its first flying car type aircraft on eBay, saying it is in perfect condition, in the same configuration as it flew during its international press flight and is expected to appreciate in value as production models go on sale. "The M200X was the first flying car type vehicle to successfully demonstrate that it was possible to hover and maneuver a personal VTOL aircraft by someone with virtually no pilot training," the company said in a statement on the auction site. The company is billing the Moller International M200x as a "A Piece Of Aviation History For Sale." As of 8:23 a.m. ET, the current bid was $18,888.00 and there were 32 bids, although the reserve hadn't been met at that time. The auction is slated to end on Oct. 7 at 08:23 a.m. PDT. Company officials say that along with being the first VTOL aircraft of its kind to successfully fly, that the M200X volantor1 also had many successful flights during the 1980's. Those successful flights resulted in the M200X volantor1 being the subject of articles in publications including Forbes, Discover, Popular Mechanics, USA Today and Esquire and also TV appearances on Good Morning America, The History Channel, 60 Minutes, The Discovery Channel and on the evening news with Peter Jennings, company officials said. "The purchaser will be acquiring a piece of aviation history that is absolutely unique," the Company's President, Paul Moller said. "Its development is viewed as the genesis of the Neuera and Firefly models going into production now and planned for sale in mid 2009."

Dubai aims to top its own world's tallest tower Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. Oct 6, 2008 at 7:59 AM PDT By Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - With its world's tallest building nearing completion, Dubai said Sunday it is embarking on an even more ambitious skyscraper: one that will soar the length of more than 10 American football fields. That's about two-thirds of a mile or the height of more than three of New York's Chrysler Buildings stacked end-to-end. Babel had nothing on this place. "This is unbelievably groundbreaking design," Chief Executive Chris O'Donnell said during a briefing at the company's sales center, not far from the proposed site. "This still takes my breath away." The tower, which will take more than a decade to complete, will be the centerpiece of a sprawling development state-owned builder Nakheel plans to create in the rapidly growing "New Dubai" section of the city. Foundation work has already begun, O'Donnell said. The area is located between two of the city's artificial palm-shaped islands, which Nakheel also built. The project will include a manmade inland harbor and 40 additional towers up to 90 floors high. About 150 elevators will carry residents and workers to the Nakheel Tower's more than 200 floors, the company said. The building will be composed of four separate towers joined at various levels and centered on an open atrium. "It does show a lot of confidence in this environment" of worldwide credit problems and a souring global economy, said Marios Maratheftis, Standard Chartered Bank's Dubai-based regional head of research.

British government planned chilling tapes for BBC broadcast in event of nuclear war Associated Press Writer October 3, 2008 LONDON (AP) _ The doomsday script was never used by the British Broadcasting Corp., but decades later the message remains haunting. "This is the wartime broadcasting service," the announcement begins. "This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons." The decades-old statement continues: Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known. The announcer promises to bring further information as soon as possible and tells listeners to stay tuned. A draft of the message was released by the National Archives on Friday, along with letters between government bureaucrats and BBC executives offering a rare glimpse at a Cold War secret plan to deal with a nuclear attack. "This is chilling to read," said Mark Dunton, a contemporary history specialist at the National Archives. Government officials planned to pre-record the message in 1974 so it could be used to communicate with the British public if nuclear war broke out. The draft script offered the public rudimentary instructions about how to try to stay clear of lethal radioactive fallout and advised people not to flee because they would be safer in their homes than anywhere else. "You may die" if you go outside, the announcer was to say. "Remember, there is nothing to be gained by trying to get away," the script reads. "By leaving your houses you could be exposing yourselves to greater danger. If you leave you may find yourself without food, without water, without accommodation and without protection." The public is told to turn off all fuel and gas supplies and to ration food because no fresh food can be expected for two weeks or longer. Water is also to be rationed for essential drinking and cooking needs — people are told not to flush their toilets because water will be too precious for that use. "Water means life," the announcement states. "Don't waste it."

Friday, October 3, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM State rule clarifies 60-day supply of medical marijuana A new rule determining how much pot constitutes a 60-day supply for medical-marijuana users was finalized on Thursday, a decade after Washington voters passed an initiative legalizing marijuana for people suffering from terminal and debilitating illnesses. The new state rule, which goes into effect Nov. 2, sets the supply limit at 24 ounces of usable marijuana plus 15 plants. Those who need more marijuana to manage their pain will have to prove they need it — though how they would do that remains unclear. While the new, 60-day-supply rule is meant to clarify the law and help police officers determine legitimate amounts, medical-marijuana advocates say the amounts are unreasonable — especially the 15-plant limit — and put patients at risk of criminal prosecution. In King County, though, that's not going to happen, said Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, who has met with local law-enforcement officials and created an office policy that looks upon medical-marijuana cases "with a very lenient eye." "Having this rule, having some amount ... is helpful, but it's not the end of the analysis," Satterberg said. "If you're in King County and you're dying of cancer, we're not going to prosecute you if you have 15 plants or 30. If somebody is legitimately ill, we're not going to prosecute that case, period." In 1998, Initiative 692 legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Passed by 59 percent of Washington voters, the initiative said patients with valid certification from their doctors could possess a 60-day supply — but never said how much pot that was. The confusion and uncertainty led to conflict between police and patients.

2008-10-03 - No Go For First Sex Flick In Zero Gravity Glasgow, Scotland (AHN) -- Space tourism firm Virgin Atlantic has tossed a $1 million proposal of an unidentified group to shoot a sex video during the inaugural flight of its sub-orbital craft next year or in early 2010. Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn revealed the offer his company rejected during Tuesday's International Astronautical Congress here. Whitehorn said the group, which he did not identify, wanted to videotape a sex scene while passengers of SpaceShipTwo craft are floating in zero gravity. The New Mexico-based Virgin Galactic, which is part of British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group, will take people 62 miles above ground to experience five minutes of weightlessness for $200,000 each person. The entire tour, which involves an aircraft bringing the SpaceShipTwo into sub-orbit, takes two hours.

Physician to lose licence after oral sex with patient Published: 7 Oct 08 09:44 CET A 44-year-old doctor in Stockholm is to have his licence revoked after performing oral sex on a male patient, medical newspaper Dagens Medicin reports. Although the physician was recently cleared of any criminal wrongdoingby Solna District Court, his career appears to be in serious doubt after the National Board of Health and Welfare announced it was planning to strike him off the register of accredited physicians. "The district court's not guilty verdict is of no importance to us," board spokesman Staffan Blom told Dagens Medicin. "He has clearly behaved in an unsuitable manner by having sex with the patient, even if the latter did go along with it. He has shown himself completely inappropriate to continue working as a doctor," Blom added. The newspaper reports that the patient, a young man, developed an erection while being examined for kidney problems. Interpreting his patient's bodily state as an invitation of sorts, the doctor performed oral sex on the young man, causing him to ejaculate. The patient immediately regretted what had happened and received assistance from staff after he emerged from the doctor's treatment room at a busy Stockholm clinic in October last year. Still wearing his white coat, the doctor was escorted from the premises and ushered into a police car after his patient had called the police to report the incident.

Cops: Mom said she'd post boy's nude pics ChicagoTribune October 8, 2008 An Elgin woman is under investigation in connection with a strange—and possibly criminal—campaign to reconcile her 13-year-old daughter with a former boyfriend. Authorities say she threatened to publish nude pictures of the boy on the Internet unless he contacted the girl. The 42-year-old woman reportedly peppered the Sleepy Hollow boy, also 13, with phone calls, e-mails and thousands of text messages aimed at reuniting the young couple, according to a search warrant and affidavit filed late last month. The Tribune is not naming the woman because she has not been charged. When those tactics failed, the woman threatened to publish photos online of the naked teen that he had sent to her daughter via cell phone, the records say. "It's odd, to say the least," said Kane County State's Atty. John Barsanti, who said the woman is under investigation. "It's not a fact pattern we normally come up against." The woman could face charges of child pornography, intimidation and harassment, the documents say. Police seized cameras, computers, cell phones and other items from her Elgin home and the private school where she works. The boy received 12,302 text messages from the woman between January and July, according to records. The boy's family contacted police in late August. The girl's brother also took part, allegedly threatening to go to the boy's parents with the pictures unless the boy saw the girl twice a week, according to records. On Sept. 23, the woman left a message warning the boy she would "send the pictures and video of him to his teacher and minister to show them he is not a nice person," the search warrant stated. Oh, and this mother's job at the school? She's a teacher.

Cops: Mom said she'd post boy's nude pics

ChicagoTribune

October 8, 2008

An Elgin woman is under investigation in connection with a strange—and possibly criminal—campaign to reconcile her 13-year-old daughter with a former boyfriend. Authorities say she threatened to publish nude pictures of the boy on the Internet unless he contacted the girl. The 42-year-old woman reportedly peppered the Sleepy Hollow boy, also 13, with phone calls, e-mails and thousands of text messages aimed at reuniting the young couple, according to a search warrant and affidavit filed late last month. The Tribune is not naming the woman because she has not been charged. When those tactics failed, the woman threatened to publish photos online of the naked teen that he had sent to her daughter via cell phone, the records say.

"It's odd, to say the least," said Kane County State's Atty. John Barsanti, who said the woman is under investigation. "It's not a fact pattern we normally come up against." The woman could face charges of child pornography, intimidation and harassment, the documents say. Police seized cameras, computers, cell phones and other items from her Elgin home and the private school where she works. The boy received 12,302 text messages from the woman between January and July, according to records. The boy's family contacted police in late August. The girl's brother also took part, allegedly threatening to go to the boy's parents with the pictures unless the boy saw the girl twice a week, according to records. On Sept. 23, the woman left a message warning the boy she would "send the pictures and video of him to his teacher and minister to show them he is not a nice person," the search warrant stated. Oh, and this mother's job at the school? She's a teacher.

Artist Laura Gilberts' print 'The Zero Dollar' protesting the breakdown of the American economy. Gilbert distributed 10,000 of the fake greenbacks in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 to call attention to the economic crisis gripping the nation.

Judge Dredd smartshell shotguns to hit Iraq in '09 'XM-25' wireless airburst slugs hit round corners 8th October 2008 11:04 GMT Those who like a bit of mad science fiction technology in their gun news will be pleased to hear that - according to reports - a long-stalled 1990s plan to kit out US soldiers with a truly wack new firearm has come back to life. Essentially, the idea is to have a gun which shoots special, extra-big 25mm slugs - sort of a cross between a normal bullet and a 40mm launched grenade. The projectile is thus big enough to put clever stuff in it, but small enough that a weapon carried by a normal person can shoot it a long way without the recoil knocking the user flat. (Everyone loves 40mm grenades, but they are so tubby that a shoulder launcher of reasonable weight and recoil can't throw them very fast - hence not very far either). What you put in your big fat .98-calibre** slugs is a small HE-frag warhead - but that's not the clever bit. The clever bit is the electronic precision time fuse, which is set wirelessly by the gun's systems at the moment of firing. This means that the slug will explode at exactly the distance from the muzzle you want.

Does doll deliver Islamic message? TULSA - Parents are outraged about the messages they're hearing from a doll. It's Fisher-Price's "Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo" doll.People claim they can hear it mumble "Satan is king," and clearly speak "Islam is the light.“ Gary Rofkahr of Owasso was at his office, when a man brought the doll in to show his co-workers."There's no markings on the box to indicate there's anything Islamic about this doll."Rofkahr said he found several versions of the doll at Wal-Mart and Target in Owasso. Those stores have since been pulled the dolls from the shelves.As of Wednesday night, 2NEWS had not heard back from Fisher-Price or its parent company, Mattel.A Target spokesperson said their company has no plans to pull the doll from all of its shelves.

Golden girl Kate A lifesize gold statue of Kate Moss as a "modern-day Aphrodite" with her legs tucked behind her head has been unveiled at the British Museum. It is the largest gold statue made by man since ancient Egyptian times, weighing 50kg, around the same as its subject. Artist Marc Quinn, whose previous works include the sculpture of a pregnant woman with no arms or legs on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, said Siren cost £1.5m to make, £1m of which was for the gold. He expects it to fetch up to £10m when it is sold following its time with the British Museum in January. Mr Quinn said he saw Miss Moss, who posed for him for a day though not in the position of the statue, as a "modern day Aphrodite". "For Kate, she thinks it lifts her into a mythical level," he said. "I think she very much loved it because she understands the difference between her image and her self.

I'm with the band: rock widow Courtney Love's dramatic weight loss 'is down to gastric op' Daily Mail 06th October 2008 She said it was down to strict dieting and being inspired by Oprah Winfrey. But Courtney Love's dramatic weight loss over the last two years is actually down to a gastric band operation she had two years ago, it has been claimed. The source added that the widow of Kurt Cobain, who used to weigh 13 stone, now looks scraggy and emaciated. Where is the Love: Nowadays Courtney looks skinny, left, compared to her fuller figure of 2005 . The former Hole singer, 44, once wrote on her blog that she was inspired to lose weight by Oprah Winfrey who got thin by drinking slimming drinks. But a source told the the News of the World: 'Courtney keeps laughing to her friends and saying, ‘Everyone thinks I've had hypnosis but why bother with all that effort? All I did was check myself in and have a fat band fitted'. 'Courtney has always had problems with her appearance and is convinced she is ugly and fat. Two years ago she had a gastric band fitted at a surgery in Beverly Hills. Court out: But friends say Courtney now looks scraggy, especially compared to her old figure of two years ago .

Nicollette Sheridan puts her fabulous fortysomething figure on show in a black bikini Daily Mail 06th October 2008 Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan hit Malibu beach in a tiny black string bikini which revealed a body that would put women half her age in the shade. The actress, who is just weeks away from turning 45, looked lean and toned as she strutted along the sand yesterday with her trademark confidence. Body of work: Nicollette Sheridan showed off her toned body while enjoying a day at Malibu beach yesterday Itsy bitsy: The Desperate Housewives star slipped into a string bikini for the occasion Nicollette is back on the prowl again after splitting from singer Michael Bolton following a two year engagement. The actress and 55-year-old crooner decided to go their separate ways in August, with Bolton saying last month that they 'remain friends'.

WallyPower 118 ……..a high performance super yacht The price of the 118 Wallypower is US$ 24.83 million for the triple gas turbine version, or $16.55 million for twin diesels. It has a range of 1500 miles at 9 knots, or 300 miles at 60 knots. Fuel capacity is 22,000 liters (5800 US gallons). At the maximum speed of 60 knots the gas turbine uses 15 US gallons / 58 liters of fuel per nautical mile, 900 gallons / 3500 liters per hour. The boat displaces 95 tons and can accommodate 6 guests and 6 crew.

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