Travelers start applying for pocket-sized passport The Arizona Republic People who chafe at the cost of a passport or worry about carrying one to the beach soon will have a cheaper, easier option. The government is on the cusp of releasing passport cards that fit in a wallet and cost half the price of a new passport. About 350,000 Americans have applied for the new card, the latest step toward ratcheting up border security. People who apply now can expect a four-week wait for cards after the government mails them out to earlier applicants. The U.S. State Department expects the number of applicants to swell to 4 million by June 1, 2009. That's when U.S. travelers cannot re-enter the country from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean without a passport, a new passport card or an equivalent document. Starting in January, travelers could no longer re-enter the country from Mexico or Canada by verbally declaring their U.S. citizenship. They must carry valid travel and identification documents, but a grace period remains in effect until next summer. The changes stem from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, one of a string of post-Sept. 11 security requirements. Gradually, the government has tightened travel ID procedures in an effort to better track who enters and leaves the country. Ultimately, many millions of passport cards should be in circulation, helping day-trippers and frequent visitors who travel by land or sea. A regular passport is required for air travel. The government issued 18 million regular passports last year, and the number is steadily climbing. The State Department is encouraging people to apply early for the cards, in part to avoid the kind of rush on documents that happened a year ago when the government required a passport for people flying into the United States from elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. Project manager Derwood Staeben said 200,000 people submitted comments and many complained about the cost and inconvenience of getting passports. The new cards fit inside a wallet and, for first-time adult applicants, will cost $45, compared with $100 for a first-time traditional passport. For people who hold a passport or apply for one simultaneously, the card will cost an extra $20. One concern for privacy advocates is that each passport card will contain an embedded radio transmitter chip. Known as RFID, the technology is controversial because critics fear that data from the chips could unknowingly be lifted by remote readers, in what's called "skimming." Staeben said a skimmer would only get a meaningless ID number from the passport cards. The number allows customs agents to automatically pull up a passport file on a computer from government databases, but skimmers would not have access to the raw data. As an added precaution, travelers could cover their cards in a sleeve that blocks transmissions. RFID chips have been embedded in every passport issued since August 2006. Staeben said security measures, including an embedded metal cage to block out skimmers, were featured in the newer passports to protect privacy and combat skimming.

Jefferson Bible reveals Founding Father's view of God, faith He compiled the four Gospels into one text without miracles, ending with Jesus' burial rather than the resurrection. Los Angeles Times July 5, 2008 Making good on a promise to a friend to summarize his views on Christianity, Thomas Jefferson set to work with scissors, snipping out every miracle and inconsistency he could find in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Then, relying on a cut-and-paste technique, he reassembled the excerpts into what he believed was a more coherent narrative and pasted them onto blank paper -- alongside translations in French, Greek and Latin. In a letter sent from Monticello to John Adams in 1813, Jefferson said his "wee little book" of 46 pages was based on a lifetime of inquiry and reflection and contained "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." He called the book "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth." Friends dubbed it the Jefferson Bible. It remains perhaps the most comprehensive expression of what the nation's third president and principal author of the Declaration of Independence found ethically interesting about the Gospels and their depiction of Jesus. "I have performed the operation for my own use," he continued, "by cutting verse by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the matter, which is evidently his and which is as easily distinguished as diamonds in a dunghill." The little leather-bound tome, several facsimiles of which are kept at the Huntington Library in San Marino, continues to fascinate scholars exploring the powerful and varied relationships between the Founding Fathers and the most sacred book of the Western World. The big question now, said Lori Anne Ferrell, a professor of early modern history and literature at Claremont Graduate University, is this: "Can you imagine the reaction if word got out that a president of the United States cut out Bible passages with scissors, glued them onto paper and said, 'I only believe these parts?' " "He was a product of his age," said Ferrell, whose upcoming book, "The Bible and the People," includes a chapter on the Jefferson Bible. "Yet, he is the least likely person I'd want to pray with. He was more skeptical about religion than the other Founding Fathers." In Jefferson's version of the Gospels, for example, Jesus is still wrapped in swaddling clothes after his birth in Bethlehem. But there's no angel telling shepherds watching their flocks by night that a savior has been born. Jefferson retains Jesus' crucifixion but ends the text with his burial, not with the resurrection.

Stripping miracles from the story of Jesus was among the ambitious projects of a man with a famously restless mind. At 71, he read Plato's "Republic" in the original Greek and found it lackluster. Ever the scientist, he inoculated his wife, children and many of his slaves against smallpox with fresh pus drawn from infected domestic farm animals, according to Robert C. Ritchie, W.M. Keck Foundation director of research at the Huntington Library. "For a lot of people, taking scissors to the Bible would be such an act of desecration they wouldn't do it," Ritchie said. "Yet, it gives a reading into Jefferson's take on the Bible, which was not as divine word put into print, but as a book that can be cut up." Jefferson, a tall vigorous man who preferred Thucydides and Cicero to the newspapers of his day, was not the only 18th century leader who questioned traditional Christian teachings. Like many other upper-class, educated citizens of the new republic, including George Washington, Jefferson was a deist. Deists differed from traditional Christians by rejecting miraculous occurrences and prophecies and embracing the notion of a well-ordered universe created by a God who withdrew into detached transcendence. Critics of the time regarded deism as an ill-conceived attempt to reconcile religion with scientific discoveries. For rationalists in the Age of Enlightenment, deism was one of many efforts to liberate humankind from what the deists viewed as superstitious beliefs. Jefferson was a particular fan of Joseph Priestley, a scientist, ordained minister and one of Jefferson's friends. Priestley -- who discovered oxygen and invented carbonated water and the rubber eraser -- published books that infamously cast a critical eye upon biblical miracles. Jefferson was particularly fond of Preistley's comparison of the lives and teachings of Socrates and Jesus. Discussions and letters between Jefferson and another friend, Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush, led Jefferson to compile his "wee little book." In a letter to Rush on April 21, 1803, Jefferson said his editing experiment aimed to see whether the ethical teachings of Jesus could be separated from elements he believed were attached to Christianity over the centuries. "To the corruption of Christianity I am indeed opposed," he wrote to Rush, "but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself." Therefore, Ritchie said, "for Jefferson, the Bible was a book that could be made and unmade." The Jefferson Bible remained largely unknown beyond a close circle of relatives and friends until 1904, when its publication was ordered by Congress. About 9,000 copies were issued and distributed in the Senate and the House. Today several editions of the Jefferson Bible are available through booksellers. A few online versions exist, including one on the website of the Jefferson Monticello, www.monticello.org/library/links/jefferson.html . It is hard to say whether Jefferson would have objected to publication of the book. "Say nothing of my religion," Jefferson once said. "It is known to myself and my God alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life; if that has been honest and dutiful to society, the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one."

Yusuf Islam wins damages for "veiled women" slur July 18, 2008 British folk singer Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, accepted libel damages and an apology on Friday from a news agency that reported he had refused to talk to women at an awards ceremony who were not wearing a veil. The artist, who changed his name after becoming a Muslim in the late 1970s, will donate the "substantial" payout to Small Kindness, a U.N.-linked charity he chairs. Adam Tudor, the singer's attorney, told London's High Court that the story behind the legal action was published by World Entertainment News Network and was used on Contactmusic.com, a website said to have 2.2 million page views a month. The article appeared in March last year and suggested that the singer was "so sexist and bigoted that he refused at an awards ceremony to speak to or even acknowledge any women who were not wearing a veil," Tudor said. "It went on to suggest that Mr. Islam's manager had stated 'Mr. Islam doesn't speak with women except his wife, least of all if they don't wear a headscarf. Things like that only happen via an intermediary.'" Tudor said the article had embarrassed the singer, creating a false impression of his attitude to women and also casting serious aspersions on his religious faith. World Entertainment News Network issued an apology, saying: "We now accept that these allegations ... are entirely without foundation, and that Mr. Islam has never had any difficulties working with women, whether for religious or for any other reason." Islam, 59, is still best known for his hits as Cat Stevens, including "Wild World," "Morning Has Broken" and "Moonshadow." He sold an estimated 60 million albums as Stevens, but retired from showbusiness in 1978 after converting to Islam. He released his first mainstream pop album since then in 2006. Reuters/Nielsen

Tiger Woods to become world’s first-ever billionaire athlete by 2011 17.07.2008 The first athlete billionaire, who made his fortune in sports only, will appear in the world by 2011, Forbes magazine wrote. According to this respectable magazine, it will be world-famous US golfer Tiger Woods, who is currently reputed to be the richest athlete in the world. Woods, the repeated winner of most prestigious competitions in golf, made $117 million in 2007 alone. For you to compare: British football star David Beckham, whom Forbes listed as world’s second richest athlete, made a lot less in 2007 - $65 million. Tiger Woods will thus become the first billionaire on the planet, who managed to amass great fortune with the help of his sports talent only. However, the golfer does participate in advertising campaigns. He appeared in commercial ads for Nike, Buick and Gillette. According to Golf Digest, Woods made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007, and the magazine predicts that by 2010, Woods will become the world's first athlete to pass one billion dollars in earnings. Woods has won fourteen professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player, and 65 PGA Tour events, third all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour.

Venezuela may spend $5 bln on Russian arms in next decade 15:43| 23 / 07 / 2008 MOSCOW , July 23 (RIA Novosti) - Venezuela may purchase weaponry from Russia worth $5 billion over the next 10 years, a Russian political analyst said on Wednesday. During his official visit to Russia on Tuesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the Russian leadership reaffirmed their mutual drive to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation. "Regardless of the situation on global arms markets, Venezuela under Hugo Chavez will continue to buy Russian weaponry, and may spend $5 billion or more over the next 10 years on imports of Russian military equipment," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. In 2005-2006, Venezuela bought over 50 combat helicopters, 24 Su-30MK2 fighters, 12 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems and 100,000 AK-103 rifles from Russia. Current contracts are worth about $4 billion, according to various sources. Pukhov said Russia is the only country supplying a wide range of weaponry to Venezuela. "The European market is inaccessible to Caracas because of its high prices, and restrictions imposed by the U.S. on arms exports to Venezuela," he said. He also said future contracts to buy arms from Russia may be concluded on the basis of loans rather than direct payments. "It is clear that cash payments for Russian weaponry sales to Venezuela are a thing of the past. Future purchases will be made through loans...technology transfers, and production licenses," Pukhov said. Future deliveries may include Amur-class diesel submarines, Il-76MD military transport planes, Il-78 aerial tankers and air defense missile systems. Chavez dismissed on Tuesday rumors that Venezuela may spend up to $30 billion on purchases of Russian weaponry in the next four years. "I do not know where these figures are coming from: $30 billion in four years? The amounts [in contracts] differ, it is a dynamic process," he told a news conference in Moscow. RNIA

Man sues hospital, nurse TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE July 15, 2008 11:25 It started with an innocent game of chess between a patient and his nurse. But it quickly evolved. Soon, the pair were having sex all over the hospital — in his room, the staff lounge, examination room. But their clandestine encounters went beyond the walls of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on Queen St. W. When permitted to leave the hospital for a few hours on a community pass, the good-looking 6-foot-3 patient met the woman at a nearby hotel. Although she was married, their relationship lasted about two years and remained intact even after she was fired from CAMH — an incident he blamed himself for and, in an act of penance, jumped into oncoming traffic. When she became pregnant last fall, he slipped into a depression, which again landed him in hospital. It’s an unusual tale that has been pieced together from his clinical notes, a CAMH report and an $850,000 lawsuit recently filed in an Ontario Superior Court. The patient, identified only as John, is suing CAMH and the nurse, identified as Jane. The court has banned publication of their names to protect the identity of the child. “I just know that she messed my head up pretty good and that I’ve done things to myself that I never did before,” John told Torstar News Service. According to the statement of claim, John alleges Jane was negligent in her treatment when she failed to discourage a social relationship, refused to respect professional boundaries and neglected to consider the harm that would result from violating them. The hospital, it alleges, failed to arrange for appropriate supervision, inspection and monitoring of John at his home. Had they checked on him, John says, they would have discovered her lingerie, strewn about his apartment. METRO

Men sentenced for setting friend's crotch ablaze Jul 21 08:30 PM US/Eastern SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) - Two practical jokers are behind bars for setting their passed-out drinking buddy's crotch ablaze while boozing in Grover Beach. Matthew Craig Pillers and Jack Brent Nicholas Keiffer pleaded no contest to a felony great bodily injury charge. Prosecutors say the 22-year-old Pillers, a parolee, was sentenced to two years in prison and the 19-year-old Keiffer got 45 days in San Luis Obispo County jail. Elliot Tuleja was passed out when the men poured cologne on the man's groin and set him on fire on Jan. 18. Tuleja had second-degree burns on his testicles.

Feral donkey 'boost' for sex drive July 21, 2008 09:30am NORTHERN Territory donkeys could soon be helping to increase the sex drive of Chinese women. The Northern Territory News reports a Hong Kong company is trying to locate up to a million donkey skins every year to be used in the making of traditional medicines. To date, the company has been sourcing these skins from South America, but has recently turned its attention to Australia. Sydney-based exporter John Fleming wants to hunt feral donkeys in the Northern Territory to sell overseas. "They want the skins, but not for leather. Apparently there is a certain extract in the skin they can use for traditional medicine,'' he said. Chinese traditional healers are known to use donkey skins to extract Ejiao. This extract can be used to make Nu Bao, a traditional Chinese medicine which is meant to improve vitality, increase a woman's libido and help with period pain. "They're after a lot of donkey skins. As much as they can get their hands on,'' Mr Fleming said. "It seems there are a lot of feral donkeys out there and people are basically shooting them for sport,'' he said. There are an estimated 300,000 feral donkeys in the Northern Territory.

Are you Roman tonight? Statue of 'Elvis' chiselled 1800 years before his birth goes under the hammer 22nd July 2008 With his dashing chiselled features, swept back hair and perky bouffant the resemblance is unmistakable. But incredibly this carving of Elvis Presley was created around 1800 years before the King of Rock and Roll first warbled his first note. The amazing likeness has come to light as part of a sale of ancient antiques by the auction house Bonhams. Classic Elvis: The statue bears an unmistakeable resemblance to the real King The Roman Elvis is in fact a genuine marble acroterion - a kind of architectural ornament often found for decoration on the corners of a sarcophagus, a stone tomb or burial chamber. It forms part of a collection owned by Melbourne-based Graham Geddes - one of the world's most foremost collectors - which is estimated to sell for more than £1m when it goes on sale in October. MailOnline

Boy exits child care, goes to Hooters 5-year-old safe after trek across busy road 07:04 AM CDT on Thursday, July 24, 2008 Denton, Texas - A 5-year-old boy slipped out of the Imagination Station child care center unnoticed Tuesday afternoon, crossed two busy streets and wandered to a restaurant on the Interstate 35E service road in 100-degree heat. Employees of Hooters found the child safe about 5:20 p.m. He left the child care center in the 2300 block of San Jacinto Boulevard, crossed the Interstate 35E northbound service road and Dallas Drive, bought a soft drink at a service station and walked to Hooters, where an employee found him in the parking lot and called police. Deborah Pugh, who owns the child care business, said Wednesday that the boy asked to go to the bathroom and then slipped out a fire exit door, which must, by law, remain unlocked. “It was just really fast,” Pugh said. “When the parent came for him we said he was in the bathroom. But we looked and realized he wasn’t, and we called police.” Denton police spokesman Jim Bryan said someone from the child care center called 911 at 5:04 p.m., saying the child was missing. Officers searched the immediate vicinity and could not find the boy. “At 5:20 p.m., while the officer was on the scene at the child care center, the assistant manager of Hooters called police,” Bryan said. “He said they had found a boy wandering in the parking lot.” The officer responded to Hooters and brought the boy back to the Imagination Station, where he was released to his father, Bryan said. Denton Record-Chronical

Just to give you an idea of how “Out There” this city can be in it’s constant quest to be bigger and better, the photo below is of the Wampoa Shopping Center. This huge ship is smack in the middle of a new housing, business and hotel precinct that replaced a major slum area of old Hong Kong. Inside are restaurants, shops, and a cinema complex.

When you look at this picture in a closer look you see its Albert Einstein. But if you stand 15 feet away, It will become Marilyn Monroe.

Ancient Egyptian woman or Michael Jackson?

Alligator vs. Leopard

Yesterday

Petersburg, 1864

The Post Office at Nethers, Virginia….Shanendoah Natl. Park 1935

Washington, Pennsylvania 1936

New Orleans, Louisiana 1936

West Virginia 1938

Jeanerette, Louisiana 1938

Gordonton, N. Carolina 1939

Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania - July 1941