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tv CBS 5 Eyewitness News at 6AM CBS October 4, 2011 6:00am-7:00am PDT
let's go straight to meterologist lawrence karnow find out what's cooking. >> we have another storm brewing out there this one winding down right now but we have yet another one a stronger storm heading toward the bay area. still a lot of clouds and now we're officially seeing delays at sfo of over an hour. so yeah, the clouds continuing around the bay area and pretty thick. we have drizzle and sprinkles in spots. but we're now really awaiting that next storm system that's going to begin to make its way into the bay area, that one sitting right in the pacific and putting itself together now. this is going to be a stronger storm system it's going to slowly slide into the bay area throughout the day today. we'll see the clouds first, and it won't be until this evening that we actually see some of the showers developing in the north bay. looks like a stormy night all around the bay area. let's check the slick roads with elizabeth. >> thank you. let's go outside towards the san mateo bridge do a bridge check to begin w everything so far, so good across the san mateo bridge.
eastbound traffic cruising. looks good past the nimitz freeway past the coliseum. no issues towards downtown oakland. there is an accident i reported earlier in the macarthur maze westbound 580 right there in the connector ramp to eastbound 80 heading towards emeryville in berkeley. that's been cleared to the shoulder. but a car did hit the wall so obviously it is still slick in spots so be extra careful this morning. a big honor right here in the bay area. a uc-berkeley scientist has just won the nobel prize for physics along with two others. >> saul perlmutter heads a supernova cosmology project. kristy seifkin has reaction. >> reporter: good morning to you, frank and grace. we were just at saul's house and as you can imagine, he is pretty elated this morning, just got the phone call several hours ago that he is in fact the winner of the nobel prize
for physics. he was working with the team of several scientists and there were actually three americans working on a project together. they were expecting to find that the energy of the -- that the universe was shrinking and they found the opposite that the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate and our kcbs team spoke with saul earlier this morning. here's what he had to say. >> we have known since oh, maybe the 1930s that the universe is getting larger and larger, which is already a mind- boggling idea and we had always thought that the universe would be slowing down. what we discovered when we went out to do the measurements of how much it was slowing down is that it's not slowing down at all; it's speeding up. >> reporter: when we spoke to saul a few minutes ago, he said this is a really great international collaboration. he will be sharing the $1.5 million in prize money with two other americans who won this year and saul is a relatively young winner, only 52. professor here in berkeley, he said he is going to be take the
day off from teaching obviously. there is a press conference and 10 a.m. where he will get to speak about the awards and they are trying to give his 8-year-old daughter a chance to sleep but i don't think she will get a chance this morning. lots of reporters and media stopping by quite happy to have a local win the nobel prize, very exciting. >> the mimosas are probably already being poured. he did get the call at 3 a.m.? >> reporter: he got the call really early this morning. he thought it was a hoax. a reporter said congratulations, for what? the wife went on the internet and poked around to find out that in fact they won and then received the call from stockholm and found out it was true. we are very happy for him. >> when you get a call at 2. a you just won the nobel prize -- oh, yeah, right. >> reporter: hard to believe. >> good for him. all right, kristy seifkin live in berkeley, great stuff, thanks, kristy. hayward police are on the scene of a murder this morning.
a man shot to death outside an apartment. this is a live picture of that apartment complex. it happened sometime before 9 a.m. near tyrell avenue. police don't believe robbery was involved but they are trying to determine motive. live pictures there. we'll have more information as soon as we get it. also new this morning, san francisco police have a suspect for a shooting in the bernal heights neighborhood. one was hit by gunfire on franconia street about 9:40 last night. the suspect was seen running into a nearby house. that person was taken into custody. police aren't releasing details on the condition though of that victim. and tonight san francisco police will hold a community meeting in the richmond district about a deadly officer- involved shooting. two people ended up dead. police discovered a husband and a wife yesterday who had been stabbed multiple times in their funston avenue home allegedly by their 44-year-old son. now, while officers tried to help the wounded couple, the suspect approached them
wielding two knives one in each hand. police opened fire. the suspect and his mother later died at the hospital. >> they appear to be related to each other. it is clear this guy has serious intent to hurt the people in the house as well as the officers when they tried to save these victims. >> the only survivor was the father, deny in us wu, the former president of the immigrant assistance group in chinatown. san leandro police need your help finding a person of interest in a triple homicide. they released this sketch a man described as black, with shoulder length dredlocks, 18 to 21 years old, 150 pounds and 5'7" tall. two teenaged girls and a man were killed at the tattoo party sunday morning. today the east palo alto city council is giving a report on the tragic death of a 6-year- old girl. sioreli torres was struck and killed in a crosswalk last week
on bay road as she walked to school. police want to hear from witnesses to the accident as they continue their investigation. the 6-year-old victim will be buried this morning. and tonight the oakland city council will consider tough new measures to crack down on gang violence. among them new injunctions in response to the murder of a 3- year-old boy in a drive-by shooting in east oakland in august. there was a lot of opposition against this but there is a new resolution that would void the original decision. a citywide curfew for youth is also up for discussion. it is 6:06. people in san carlos may smell natural gas this morning but there is no need for concern. pg&e says it's another pipeline test in the wake of last year's deadly explosion. today's pressure test will all start around 7:00 this morning
near interstate 280 and edgewood road. all right. the wait is over. apple's newest iphone will be unveiled in a few hours. >> i think you're going to go out and buy one. stephanie chuang is in cupertino with a sneak peek at the iphone 5. she joins us with more. people lining up? anyone there yet? >> reporter: not yet, just media. this is a media event at 10:00 called let's talk iphone. it is smaller because it's at the cupertino headquarters as opposed to convention centers. this is considered a delay because the unveiling usually happens sometime in the summer so lots of anticipation. there is also a lot of buzz about who is going to be leading today. that is the new ceo tim cook, who is expected to take center stage. he will lead the product unveiling. it's first time in years we won't be seeing the black turtleneck and jeans, steve jobs presenting. of course, he was a great showman. we'll have to see how cook does and what tone he sets as the company reveals its latest
iphone upgrade. >> the question is what's it called? you have heard that it might be called iphone 4s which takes the current 4 and speeds it up or an iphone 5 which to me suggests it's going to look different with a different shape and feel to it. that is not known right now. >> reporter: but here are some of the expected upgrades. the new mobile operating system, the ios5 that will include web browsing apps and content thinking. a much more powerful chip which is used in the current ipad should help with multitasking and gamers. the ipod service also so you can get music, photos, documents, wirelessly from different devices. a better rear camera up from 5 megapixels to 8. up to 64 gigs. and another feature with a lot of buzz is the assistant voice control which is you can speak
into the phone, say, i want to watch a football game on saturday a. it will find out where you are, i'm sure you know the football schedule anyway, but it can help figure out where it is. >> of course. >> what time it is. >> wow. >> reporter: it will get to know you better and improve its performance apparently so it's impressive. >> a phone with a personality. >> reporter: exactly. >> thank you. it's 6:09. amanda knox is a free woman. job offers she already getting as she comes home to seattle. >> plus an alarming discovery about breast cancer. why survival rates are expected to be lower. >> some new email shedding new light on solyndra. why president obama was warned not to visit that solar company. when we come back. these do-it-yourself
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(announcer) gold bond ultimate softening lotion. with shea butter for soft healthy skin. gold bond ultimate softening. this stuff really works. italian court overturned her murder conviction. amanda knox is now flying back to the united states leses than a day after an italian court overturned her murder conviction. several members of her family seen here earlier today at the rome airport trying to get out of italy. they were catching the first leg of their flight to london england. knox was in a private area of
the airport under heavy security. >> that was yesterday. the seattle woman released yesterday when -- from prison when she spent the last four years. knox and her former boyfriend were convicted two years ago of killing her british roommate. both were cleared yesterday in an appeal helped by a court ordered dna review that discredited much of the key evidence. a radio station in seattle has already offered her $10,000 to co-host the show for one week. but i would imagine she is going to make a lot more than that. jury selection is set to begin today in detroit for a man accused of trying to bring down a passenger plane with an underwear bomb. umar farouk abdulmutallab has pleaded not guilty in the case. prosecutors say he boarded the northwest airlines plane on christmas 2009 and tried to detonated a bomb before landing in detroit. two more girlfriends of
conrad murray will testify at his involuntary manslaughter trial. the testimony is important because their phone calls establish a timeline. yesterday two doctors who treated michael jackson the day he died say his personal physician never mentioned that powerful anesthetic that ended up killing him. 6:14. coming up, it's now up to you the long-time ban on pot shops that may end in one bay area city. and imagine zipping through airport security. it would be nice. just ahead, the new device that the tsa is rolling out. howdy fo k box here, with my new outlaw burger. other places have bbq burgers, but not with the kick this one has- outlaw means it's loaded with hickory-smoked bacon, onion rings and topped with my bourbon barbecue sauce. and i'll tell you somethin' else they don't have- -my outlaw spicy chicken sandwich. yehaw! whoa! whoa whoa whoa whoa.. ride that spicy chicken!
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hayward police are on the scene of a murder this morning... a hayward police on the scene of a murder this morningings a man shot to death outside an apartment near tyrell avenue. police are trying to determine motive. the east palo alto girl killed national crosswalk walking to school will be buried today. the school district is accepting donation to help pay for the funeral of 6-year-old sioreli torres. apple will unveil the iphone 5 at 10:00. it's been 14 months since the last one was introduced. new ceo tim cook will do the honors this morning in cupertino. good morning, bay area.
storm clouds beginning to pass eastward. there's another storm bearing down on the bay area. it will bring with it some more rain and this looks to be a bigger storm heading our way. clouds continuing and we have reports of drizzle and light sprinkles now but really the storm system winding down but boy, this next one looks to be a good soaker into the bay area and will bring with it heavier rainfall overnight tonight and into tomorrow morning. out the door, we have delays at sfo over an hour because of the cloud cover. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. by the afternoon we may sneak in a glimmer of sunshine here but already going to begin to see some of the clouds from the next storm system in the bay area mild temperatures into the 60s and 70s. storm clouds off the coastline again and this one really just developing out there. the cold front still got a ways to go but could see some showers as we head into the north bay by this evening. and then overnight, the whole system slides through, rain going to be passing on by and some heavy snow in the sierra nevada where they have winter storm warnings up there, as well. clouds continuing to thicken up
toward the afternoon hours. the computer models picking up on the chance of showers developing at least in the north bay by about 7:00 in the evening hours. and then as we head overnight the main brunt of the storm passes through so tomorrow morning's commute will be very wet around the bay area. and then looks like it turns more into showers and the possibility of isolated thunderstorms. rainfall amounts could get interesting. maybe as much as an inch of rain in some wetter parts of the bay area. .87" in fact santa cruz mountains and the north bay of this is a better soaker than the one that just went through. mild numbers, so more stormy weather is on the way for tomorrow. chance of leftover showers into thursday but by next friday and the weekend, high pressure building in. and it looks like more sunshine returning to the bay area. all right. let's check the slick roads with elizabeth. >> thank you, lawrence. they turned on the metering lights a little earlier than typical over at the bay bridge. so now we have stacking up in all lanes cash and fastrak
lanes just backed up to the very end. lot or almost to the end. lot. so only about a five- or ten- minute wait to get on the bridge. on the opposite side of the bridge, slower. more green on the san francisco side of the span. it's right there near the fremont street exit the first exit into san francisco. and speaking of san francisco, we still have these road closures. oracle openworld if you have been following it, this week, we have had these road closures on howard between 3rd and 4th streets. you will find detour signs in place to get around the mess by the moscone center. westbound 580 getting busy. you can see the brake lights towards the altamont pass. so pretty much stop and go this morning from mountain house parkway all the way towards 680 and the dublin interchange. our other slow spots, not the antioch bridge. bridge traffic looks okay. but it is closer until you
reach hillcrest towards railroad where again it tends to get busy in the area. speeds under 25 miles per hour in some spots. getting a check of the south bay now, roadwork won't slow you down much across the south bay. coming up the guadalupe parkway, we are still doing great. we are seeing a lot of green on our sensors across the south bay and including this live look, this snapshot of traffic here coming out of downtown san jose, on 280, but again mass transit would be a great option because it is still slick in spots. so everything is clocking in on time for bart, ace, muni and caltrain and your ferries. a pot measure is heading for the 2012 ballot in palo alto. early this morning, the city council agreed that voters should decide whether to allow up to three medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. they would be taxed athe 4% of gross -- taxed at 4% of gross receipts. nearly 40,000 women will die from cancer. death rates are increasing for
poor women. the main reason is that they don't get screened as often. it is 6:22. debt collectors could be a big hassle. guess what, they might be calling your cell phone very soon. we'll tell you why. and starbucks has a plan to help the economy. its request for coffee drinkers to shell out money so more americans can get back on their feet. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
ther l welcome back. 6:25. uncle sam may soon be calling cell phones. there is a move to make it legal for private debt collectors to call cell phone numbers for people delinquent on student loans or owe money to the government. the white house lobbying for that now, now that many americans have hung up their land lines and rely solely on their cell phones. so beware. a former california politician warned the white house against senting president obama to the bay area solar plant last year at solyndra. former california state controller and venture capitalist steve wesley wrote to the white house to warn that solyndra might have some problems surviving in this economy. wesley's letter said president obama could face negative press after the company failed after getting a federal loan guarantee for over a half billion dollars, which is what happened. are you hoping to zip through airport security? well, this could help. early next year the tsa will start testing machines that match a traveler's boarding pass with his government issued
id. the machines are also designed to verify that both those documents are authentic. the tsa hopes that the machines will improve security and shorten passengers' waiting time. >> i'm all for that. 6:26 now. a coffee giant trying to get its customers to help entrepreneurs get their business going up a little bit. >> that's right. starting next month, starbucks will be asking every customer for a $5 donation. millions could be raised and that would be used to provide loans to small businesses and they are hoping that that could create jobs all across the country but a little bit of a tough sell because you're already paying so much at starbucks. >> no kidding. if they just gave a free company of coffee for $5, you may be willing to hand over the money. stocks off to a rough start ahead of the opening bell. could we be headed for a bear market? >> plus amanda knox is coming home to seattle. the job offer waiting when she gets off the plane. and the bay area's home to
the newest nobel prize winner. details about the exciting discoveries about the universe that he made that landed him this prize. coming up. live in cupertino, apple is set to unveil its newest iphone in a few hours. what to expect coming up.
ride muni every day. i enjoy it the most when i'm with sidney. she doesn't notice that it's too crowded or that it can run a half hour late. i'm bevan dufty, and i'm running for mayor because it's not enough to just "get it done"-- we have to get it done better. sidney thinks muni is magic. we go underground and come out someplace new-- just us. i want all of us to see it that way.
your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. waking up to a wet tuesday. good morning. it's october 4. i'm grace lee.
>> it is. i'm frank mallicoat. it is 6:30. i wish we could guarantee a sunny forecast but it's wet. lawrence karnow has the forecast. >> we are going to get a soaker but i think the better part of the day going to be okay. a lot of clouds out there now, delays at sfo at over an hour but it's the break between now and the next storm system, that expected to move in a little later on this evening. we'll have more on that coming up in a moment. right now let's check the slick roads with elizabeth. >> it is slick in spots including across the golden gate bridge. you can see the shimmer effect that the wet roads are causing in our camera traffic heading into san francisco right now. it actually looks great across the span. but just getting word of a new problem in livermore. we'll tell you more about that coming right up. it's an international honor for the bay area, a cal scientist just won the nobel prize for physics along with two others. >> saul perlmutter heads up uc- berkeley's supernova cosmology project and kristy seifkin -- i
don't think she woke him up but she just talked to him and joins us now berkeley with some great news. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, frank and grace. yes, surprisingly, we didn't wake him up. he has been up for hours. dr. perlmutter got a call from stockholm this morning saying he was one of three winners. nobel prize, three americans winning the prize for physics this year and he has been working on this project as part of two teams who have been doing research on supernovas. what they discovered ee sently is that the university -- essentially is that the universe has been expanding at an accelerated rate and they thought they would find the opposite, a decrease. here's what he had to say. >> what could be powering the universe to make it go faster and faster? the possibility of a new form of energy called dark energy that could be 75% of the universe could be this stuff and we know nothing about it! it's also a sort of tribute to human interest in exploring what kind of world to we live in some of the ideas we are using have led to where we are
now come from all the different cultures of the world. >> reporter: when we talked to dr. perlmutter he really stressed the collaboration aspect, the fact that this was an international project and we are excited certainly though to have one of the winners right here in the bay area. the two other winners also americans brian schmidt and adam rice, he hasn't been able to talk to them their morning. their phones have been ringing off the hook. a reporter called him and he thought it was a prank. his wife went to the computer and checked the in evidence and it was confirmed that he was the winner after she checked and found it on the internet. there will be a press conference today. he will take the day off from work and just enjoy the award which he will receive on december 10, which was the anniversary of when nobel passed away. >> does he have any idea how he
will spend the third of the money? >> reporter: i don't think so. he is overwhelmed. it's split between three people maybe get together and take a fabulous trip together somewhere or maybe they will already have plans. an exciting day. >> a lot of times they just dump it back into research. he deserves little vacation. >> thank you. hayward police are on the scene of a murder this morning. a man has been shot to death outside an apartment. it happened sometime before 9:00 near tyrell avenue. police do not belief robbery was involved but they are still trying to determine a motive in the case. also new this morning, san francisco police have a suspect for a shooting in the bernal heights neighborhood. one person was hit by gunfire on franconia street around 9:40 last night. the suspect was seen running into a house nearby. that person was taken into
custody. no details on the condition of the victim. a community meeting tonight in san francisco's richmond district to discuss a deadly officer-involved shooting. two people have ended up dead and police discovered the husband and wife yesterday. they had been stabbed multiple times in their funston avenue home allegedly by their son. while officers tried to help the wounded couple, that suspect came at officers with two knives. police opened fire. the suspect and his mother later died at the hospital. >> they do appear to all be related to each other. it is clear that this person had serious intent to hurt the people in the house as well as the officers when they tried to save these victims. >> the only survivor of the attack is the father, dennis wu, the former president of an immigrant assistance group in chinatown. 6:35 now. san leandro police need some help finding a person of interest in a triple homicide. they released a sketch of a man described as a black with
shoulder length dredlocks, 18 to 21 years old, 150 pounds, 5'7" tall. two teenaged girls and a man were killed at a tattoo party on sunday morning. tonight the oakland city council will weigh some tough new measures to clamp down on gang violence in the city. among them, new injunctions in response to the murder of a 3- year-old boy in a drive-by shooting in east oakland in august. a citywide curfew for youth is also up for discussion. right now, an american foreign exchange student is flying home now that an italian appeals court overturned her murder conviction. several members of amanda knox's family were seen earlier today at the rome airport catching the first leg of their flight to london, england. knox was in a private area of the airport under heavy security. the seattle woman was released yesterday from prison where she has spent the past four years. knox and her former boyfriend were convicted two years ago of
killing her british roommate. both were cleared yesterday helped by a court ordered dna review that discredited key evidence. in the meantime a radio station in seattle already offering knox $10,000 to co-host a show for a week. it is 6:36. the wait is over for apple's newest iphone. we are finally going to find out what it's all about in just a couple hours. steph steph is in cupertino with a sneak peek at the iphone five -- stephanie chuang is in cupertino with a sneak peek at the iphone 5. >> reporter: good morning. it was former vice president al gore an a.m. board member who dropped a hint last month that the new iphones would be coming out in october. at 10 a.m. we'll get the details at the cupertino headquarters. this is also where of course the new ceo tim cook will be leading the product unveiling. so that means we will not be seeing the man with the black
turtleneck and jeans on stage a, of course, steve jobs, not presenting for the first time in years. cook is known to be noticeably less of a show man than his predecessor so we'll see how he does. there are questions about which phone carrier will get the deal for for this new phone. sprint may get in on it. let's look at the possible upgrades. the new mobile operating system ios5 that includes web browsing and other features. a more powerful chip used in the current ipad will help with multitasking with apps and good news for gamers. the icloud service so access things wirelessly on different devices. a beefed up rear camera from five to eight megapixels and not just the 16 and 32-gigabyte option but possibly up to 64 gigs offered. so at 10:00 this morning we will learn officially what is included with this new iphone.
our cnet editor brian cooley will join us at 6:45 to let us know what he expects and we'll have a crew here at this event so folks can check in on cbssf.com for the latest. >> thank you. the san francisco man who accused apple employees of impersonating police officers while searching his house might sue the company. 22-year-old sergio calderon hired a lawyer who tells cnet he is considering filing a lawsuit against apple. one of the six people who visited calderon's home in the bernal heights area said they would obtain a search warrant if they didn't let them in. they reportedly were look for that unreleased iphone 5 which got left at a bar at apple's request, looking for it. but apple didn't want them to lose the phone, obviously. >> obviously. 6:39 now. bit of a soaker yesterday but not done yet. >> yeah. let's kick it over to lawrence and find out what's going on. >> the storm door is open here in the bay area. it looks like we have another
system headed our way this one likely to be more potent than the one that just went through so yes indeed, we have some clouds continuing across our skies now. they will continue to move on through. couple of patches drizzle out there, as well. and we have delays now at sfo of over an hour. so with that in mind, we are going to keep things partly to mostly cloudy around the bay area this morning. maybe a couple of glimmers of sunshine before we get ready for the next storm system and that one looking to move in looks like as early as this evening in parts of the north bay but really the brunt of the whole storm system drops in overnight tonight. that rain is going to be a good soaker here. lots of snow in the sierra nevada maybe a foot of snow above 7,000 field. hard to believe it's coming this early in october. but here it comes. let's talk about the roads now with elizabeth. >> thank you, lawrence. and we are just getting word of a new problem along the peninsula southbound 101 as you make your way towards palo alto. this is an accident involving sounds like a couple of cars blocking at least one lane so you can see our sensors they quickly turned to yellow as
soon as this accident was reported. so new problems on the peninsula again southbound 101 approaching university avenue. yeah, it is slick out there so be extra careful this morning. windshield wipers may be necessary because there is some drizzle in spots. and now we are going to go flying right over the altamont pass. as you pass the wind turbines, westbound 580 we have brake lights towards livermore and a new accident reported as well already cleared to the right shoulder. westbound 580 by north livermore accident noninjury hit-and-run accident but it is slow past the accident towards 680 and the dublin interchange. more traffic in a bit. back to you. 6:40. we have much more on the big iphone announcement coming up. >> brian cooley joins from us new york and will tell us about the features and what we can expect from the new ceo. >> mr. cook. and the market just opened about 10 minutes ago. a quick look at the early -- oh. early numbers aren't good. much like yesterday. out of the gate, a tough way,
we'll crunch those numbers, with kcbs moneywatch reporter jason brooks next. ,,,,,, ,,,,
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good morning, bay area. we have clouds around the skies right now getting ready for the next storm system heading in our direction.
right now cloudy skies out there and it continues to see some drizzle in spots outside. so be prepared as you head out the door. delays at sfo for an hour. next storm system moving in off the pacific arrives in the evening hours. out the door, we have some drizzle and the roads are a bit wet. cloudy start all the way to the interior valleys. this afternoon we may see a glimmer of sunshine briefly and clouds then begin to pour back into our skies. it won't be long before we're talking about rain again. 70s and 60s outside. rainfall is going to put itself together very nicely as this storm system really just coming together right now in the pacific. lots of snow in the sierra nevada, about 6,000 feet. about 7,000 feet is a foot of snow a lot for this early in the season. still we have those clouds moving in for the better part
of the day. our computer models at 7:00 beginning to show some of the light showers showing up in parts of the north bay but really going to have to wait until overnight when the brunt of the storm moves through. you see the yellows and oranges passing by heavier rainfall tomorrow morning. so a very wet commute tomorrow morning early on, could be treacherous outside and yeah, the rainfall totals going to be more impressive. some places about an inch of rain in some of the wettest spots in parts of the north bay. santa cruz mountains upwards near an inch of rain, as well. a good soaker tonight. be prepared for that. by day, though, not a bad day. know not a rainout. unsettled, maybe even thunderstorms for tomorrow. a chance of some leftover showers on thursday but that storm will quickly wind down. then as we look toward this next weekend, elizabeth, a return to some sunshine and some sanity on the roads. >> yeah. i been looking forward to that actually even though i don't mind the rain, kind of hang out in a coffee shop, chill out, get all cozy with your magazine and hot cup of coffee -- [ laughter ]
>> or you can turn on those seat warmers as you're in your car. here's a live look heading towards the bay bridge. yeah, it is busy this morning heading into san francisco. it is already jammed towards the 880 overcrossing. they turned on the metering lights a little earlier a few minutes earlier than typical but elsewhere, we have been seeing a few more spinouts on the roads so be extra careful this morning. we also have street closures around san francisco oracle openworld, so howard street once again completely blocked off between 3rd and 4th. here's a spinout we have been talking about a new one down the eastshore freeway. this is westbound 80 before willow. they have two lanes blocked off and our sensors are beginning to show slowing as far backing aalmost coming off of the carquinez bridge carquinez bridge. heavy to berkeley. your drive time grows down the eastshore freeway. problems on the peninsula southbound 101 by university
avenue, solo car crash cleared to the center divide. checking out the marin county commute looks okay across the golden gate bridge. you can see how slick it is out there, though. windshield wipers may be necessary across some portions of the bay area. and we have more cameras southbound 101 near the 580 interchange through san rafael so far, so good. so maybe a good morning to use mass transit or once again just skip the work altogether and go hang out in a coffee shop with me. yeah. all right. back to you guys. >> with the slippers. >> thank you. 6:47. well, it is day 2 of the 4th quarter and not looking so good on wall street. >> no, not at all. the market could be going to the bears and we don't mean cal bears here. jason brooks with kcbs and cbsmoneywatch.com, it's looking ugly again today. >> reporter: blue faces on wall street. lots of rallying this morning, stock market approaching bear territory. the s&p 500 down another 1%, in
bear territory 20% since its high in april, the dow down about 18%. anytime an index is down 20% from a high, that is considered bear territory. mainly two reasons for this. the ongoing debt crisis in europe and the slowing economy in the united states which has resulted in the stock market sell-off over the past few months. all sorts of rumors going on with apple and its expected iphone announcement today. the fifth version of the iphone. one of them is sprint being added to the list of carriers along with at&t and verizon. "wall street journal" says sprint is going to make a heavy bet on the iphone purchasing 30 million of them over the next few years. and reportedly, sprint's ceo told the board that the company will probably lose money on the iphone through 2014. sprint hopes to close the gap
with verizon and at&t. american airlines stock coming back today. they lost a third of its value yesterday on bankruptcy fears. american airlines did not go through bankruptcy in the past decade, unlike other major u.s. carriers. it says that it's paying about $800 million more per year for labor costs compared with competitors. it says it won't file for bankruptcy. dow now 177 right now, nasdaq down by 20, s&p is off by 17. american airlines shares are up 15%. the market once again selling off on the greek debt fears. what else is new? >> not much. song remains the same. >> reporter: yeah. >> we'll cross our fingers and strap in. >> reporter: no signs of it slowing down any time soon, just all about europe and greece right now. >> thank you, jason brooks with kcbs and cbsmoneywatch.com. as we have talked about all morning long, it's the day that apple is expected to unveil the latest version of its iphone
today. >> and cnet editor-at-large brian cooley is in new york city! he is going big time on us with a little insight. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. so yes, we had the iphone event coming up at 10:00 this morning our time. and that's going to be a new iphone of some kind. what we don't know yet is will it be a 4s which tells us it will be an upgraded version of the same-looking iphone we have today or will it be something new, the iphone 5 which to me would suggest a completely different shape as has been rumored but we don't know at this point. so that's one of the first things to look for is will it look different? other features that might change might be a bigger screen, better battery life, better, faster, longer, that kind of thing. no disruptive technologies in this new phone, though. >> how about price? do you have any idea? they are getting a little competition and any idea when we can get our hands on one? >> reporter: price is
interesting on a smart phone of any kind. iphone, android, whatever. $200 is your standard price for any of the full featured top line phones of the where apple may go is into a lower cost phone. there may be prepaid phones a big percentage of phones right now. >> you can see more of cnet editor-at-large brian cooley at 7 a.m. >> thank you. it's a big honor for a bay area scientist. >> indeed. the shocking prediction about our universe that earned him a nobel prize. good morning, coming up on "the early show," headed home, amanda knox is finally leaving italy experiencing her first day of freedom after an italian jury acquitted her. what's next after the nightmare is over. a growing protest against a failing economy. there is fear and loathing as the country is on the edge of a double-dip recession and bear
market. rebecca jarvis will look at the numbers and the outlook all coming up right here on "the early show." ,, ,, [ male announcer ] sizzler's steak fest! a tri-tip sirloin, and endless salad bar, all for just $10.99. sizzler. thinking fresh every day.
hayward police are on the scene of a murder this morning a man shot to death outside an apartment that happened sometime before 9:00 near
tyrell avenue. police don't believe a robbery was involved but they are still trying to determine the motive. amanda knox headed home to the united states got out of prison in italy after an appeals court overturned her murder conviction. several members of the knox family were seen earlier today at the airport in rome. knox was in a private area at the airport under heavy security. the 24-year-old had been serving a 26 year prison sentence for killing her british roommate. she is coming home tonight to seattle. what an honor for the bay area. a cal scientist has just won the nobel prize for physics along with two others. kristy seifkin spoke with him early this morning and joins from you berkeley where i'm sure they are very excited. good morning. >> reporter: we weren't the first people to knock on his door. he was wide awake, had been doing interviews all morning, got a call this morning. saul perlmutter a professor at cal and an astrophysicist who works at berkeley livermore
labs was informed he was a winner of the nobel prize in physics along with two other americans. they have been doing research about supernovas and in their research determined that the universe is accelerating when they thought it was the opposite. here's what he had to say. >> it's a wonderful news. you can't hope for something like this as a scientist. >> reporter: he will be sharing the prize with brian schmidt and adam rees, the three of them splitting $1.5 million and a busy morning for dr. perlmutter. he will continue to talk to the media doing a press conference -- a teleconference at 7 a.m. and then a press conference at 10:00. they were trying to kept their little daughter asleep this morning but i don't think that she is get to going too much rest. certainly they are not going to get too much rest. taking the day off from teaching and from going into the lab and very excite to have
a local winner -- very excited to have a local winner. >> come on, get back to work, research to do. >> how how did you do in the crash course in physics? >> reporter: he made it very easy to understand. >> he is a cal guy so it goes with the territory. >> if only they could get one at ucla. >> cal, berkeley, rivalry here. >> give us the best forecast ever. >> a good one especially if you love the rain. [ laughter ] >> shaking your head. >> you guys from northern california, i got news from you. >> i'm going on their team. >> we have the rain bearing down on the bay area. we'll catch a break today but this evening, the rain begins to show up again in parts of the north bay. that rain really coming overnight tonight. it will be heavy at times into tomorrow morning before we start to dry out. but that's not going to happen until later thursday but toward the next weekend, yeah, that's
some california sunshine coming your way. warmer temperatures into saturday and sunday. >> northern california. >> beautiful california. yes. >> beautiful california. up and down the coast. all right. even though the rain really isn't coming until later on this afternoon and into the evening we are still dealing with problems on the roads this morning because it is still slick in spots including westbound 80 a really slow spot through hercules and it's an accident approaching willow and traffic continues to back up. in fact, the delays are growing backed up towards the carquinez bridge. so you will notice the drive time at the bottom of the screen, 35 minutes on westbound 80 from the carquinez bridge to the maze. at the bay bridge itself, the metering lights have been on now for 45 minutes. so that is stacked up for at least 20 minutes to get on the span. also, more problems along the peninsula, southbound 101 by university avenue that accident is still there. and it's jammed solid from willow and a new problem also reported now in mountain view on northbound 101 so again, a lot of spinouts already this morning and unfortunately, we continue to get even busier as
this morning commute gets under way. >> a little bit of rain not happy. >> i know. it makes a mess. we want to leave you with a happy story. two years, 3,000 miles, but a missing chihauhau from northern california finally home. he is probably a cal fan, too. >> it was an emotional union for cooper's family at a sacramento airport last night. cooper went missing two years ago ended up 3,000 miles away in florida. how he got there, we do not know. but cooper is finally home after he escaped during a florida storm. his microchip actually led his family to him back home here in california. >> there is the weather. le tread lightly, folks. have a great day. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. amanda knox is on her way home to seattle this mor
<div class="tv-ttl"><a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/category/news/">CBS 5 Eyewitness News at 6AM</a><div>CBS October 4, 2011 6:00am-7:00am PDT</div></div>
News News/Business. Mallicoat. New. (CC)
San Francisco 11, Berkeley 9, Seattle 8, California 8, Amanda Knox 7, Cal 5, Knox 5, Cupertino 5, Carquinez 4, Kristy Seifkin 4, Elizabeth 4, Tyrell 4, Tsa 3, Starbucks 3, Saul Perlmutter 3, Bernal 3, Dr. Perlmutter 3, Jason Brooks 3, Lawrence 3, Cooper 3
Channel 93 (639 MHz)
Uploaded by TV Archive on October 4, 2011


You are visiting the placeholder page for Wendell Brown. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Wendell Brown. We created this page automatically in hopes Wendell Brown would find it. If you are not Wendell Brown, but are an alumni of Palestine High School Palestine, TX, register on this site for free now.


We LOVE this shot! Chocolate and cats (and Katie), it doesn't get any better!
Hahahameow!!! **snort, snort** Good one!
My human wants to know if these come in dark chocolate!
You're better than chocolate, Miss Katie!
My Mommy would totally eat all of those.
Mommy is drooling, she loves chocolate.
Mommy could never chomp off the head of those cute chocolate kitties.
Mommie's hips were "hamed" a long, long time ago!
Sweet bunny chocolates AND a sweet kitty.
Don't tell anyone mama's drooling.
You've made our mum drool. It's not a pretty sight.
Lol Katie, that is so cute!
Blogger posted our comment twice. We had to delete one.
Chocolate ears were made for nibbling. Besides, everyone knows chocolate isn't food, it's therapy and therapy is good so it can't possibly have calories.
Uh-oh!Where's the chocolate kittie's head? Burp!
The Human is longing for that chocolate...but I'd rather have YOU!
thanks for playing ~ Happy PhotoHunting.
Allie: Max, it's better if you don't think. Trust me on this.
Oh! I'm sure that's my human who ate the chocolate!
omc those are so cute. Of course our Mom would never eat them...they would end up in the freezer with the bunnies she doesn't have the heart to eat.
Well done, made me laugh. Great take on the theme.


text:
SPU - YTO
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SPU — YTO
When to book flights from Split to Toronto
High season is considered to be January, February and March. The cheapest month to fly is March.
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When flying out of Split you will be using Split. You will be landing at Toronto, also known as Toronto Pearson Intl.
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What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Split to Toronto?
Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Toronto with an airline and back to Split with another airline.
What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Split to Toronto?
Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Toronto from Split up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.
Top airlines flying Split to Toronto
Scores according to KAYAK customer reviews
DeltaOverall score based on 30290 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
The flight attendants were happy!
Read more about Delta
Another good flight newer plane therefore better seats. The landing was excellent!
Pros: "Good"
Cons: "Good for now"
Pros: "new plane good flight"
Cons: "seat space"
Pros: "All of it"
Cons: "Nothing Best flight"
Cons: "Made us check our carry ons and there was plenty of space in the cabin overhead comoartments"
Pros: "Crew was excellent, seats are never excellent"
Pros: "Although we had to get a replacement plane due to fuel leak on the original, Delta accomplished the switch quickly and efficiently. The Captain came out to greet us, and the flight crew was pleasant, courteous, and professional."
Cons: "The little individual TV screens are tough to see for older eyes."
Pros: "The flight landed early. Check-in staff were great."
Cons: "Boarding was a debacle. Flight was oversold. Passenger had trouble boarding when their group was called."
Pros: "Crew"
Pros: "There was an available seat next to me"
Cons: "I had to walk from one end of Minneapolis airport to the other end all within 35 mins to catch a connecting flight, tram was not in service. Not fun!!!"
Pros: "The crew was amazing. Kat and the other stewards were very friendly."
Cons: "Maybe the option for free upgrade to first class if flight is not full??"
Cons: "Delays were unfortunate, but the gate area at LaGuardia was way too crammed, hardly any seats, and poorly organized"
Cons: "Faster lines at check-in. More courteous security personnel"
Cons: "Can't tell how the flight was because missed connecting flight from LAX to SJC because Westjet from YYZ to LAX had a mechanical issue. They end up replacing a tire which caused a 1.5 hr flight delay"
Pros: "Crew was amazing."
Cons: "Good"
Pros: "Good snacks"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Early warning about little overhead compartment baggage space. Short flight made shorter in air."
Cons: "No enough carry on baggage space"
Pros: "I always appreciate in-flight television even on short flights."
Cons: "Very tight seating."
Pros: "Seatback tv."
Cons: "Stewardess berated a man for leaving his backpack on the floor in front of him rather than politely addressing the issue. She told him you know better than that and don't ever do that again. It was totally uncalled for."
Pros: "Extra leg room was great"
Cons: "Entertainment system was flickering"
Pros: "Enjoyed the ease of check in the spacious gate and the cleanliness of the planes cabin"
Cons: "No complaints"
Pros: "Crew were helpful and pleasant"
Cons: "Seating was uncomfortable, cabin was cold and no blankets available, food was just ok, plane had lots of empty seats yet everyone was squeezed into 3 in a row making it uncomfortable, no updates from captain or crew as to where we were in the flight....."
Cons: "The baggage drop attendant was very unhelpful when I asked if she could help me sort out an issue (when I checked in online for the second leg of my trip, i paid for my bag then but they wanted me to pay again for my first flight) and just dismissed me and said she couldn't help, making me pay again for my bag. First time I've ever had an unpleasant experience with Delta."
Pros: "The leg room in comfort+ was nice."
Cons: "I didn't like how the cabin temperature was freezing cold. My wife and I were wearing long pants and sweaters and were still freezing. We asked the flight attendants twice for blankets and each time they said no. I know they had extra blankets but for some reason they did not give us one. I thought that sitting in comfort+ they'd at least give us the comfort of a blanket but I guess not... Oh well."
Pros: "Flight attendants were nice based on the situations beyond their control."
Cons: "Flight was delayed for about three hours, due to mechanical issues with the second engine not starting. We sat on the the plane for over an hour and half. Some people that missed their connection flights were offered hotel stay. Others that had no connection flight was not offered anything for the several hours of delay that occurred."
Pros: "On time, great service, a lot of legroom."
Cons: "Nothing."
Pros: "Flight went off pretty well. On time no complaints."
Cons: "Somewhere somehow you need to know that, although partners, Delta and West Jet do not share computer systems and that they are two completely different airlines. This affects ,sometimes, how luggage is handled especially when you land in another country and you have to manually transfer your own - and nobody tells you. You actually change airlines. Itinerary implies West Jet controls the entire thing. Not the case. Better job economic explaining what to With luggage and that, while itinerant implies 1 airline, they are only partners and should be treated separately."
Pros: "Left on time all went well in Atlanta"
Cons: "Impossible to figure out what to do in Toronto at Canadian Customs. You move from secure to unsecure then back to secure. It's a mess and nobody tells you what to do or where to go. Picture process took 4 times. Nobody tells you that you have to transfer your own bags from Delta to West Jet. I even asked in a Toronto and they said no and nobody in Atlanta told me to collect my bags. So bags never made it until the next AM. The West Jet rep was very good and located the bags and they were delivered as promised. You should provide 3 page detailed instructions on how to handle Toronto. I am a seasoned traveler by the way. I've never seen anything worse. I could go on and on."
Cons: "Z"
Cons: "was a difficult transition from delta to west jet in Toronto and we almost missed the flight"
Cons: "Could not get the boarding pass to print at the self serve kiosk. Had to wait in line for assistance."
Pros: "Delta and Westjet staff are of great help to me."
Cons: "Not applicable"
Pros: "The staff is very friendly. Most pleasant airline I've flown with."
Pros: "On time as scheduled."
Cons: "N/A"
Pros: "Left early and arrived early."
Cons: "Smallest bathroom on a plane I've ever seen. Could barely sit down without my knees banging into door or wall."
Pros: "The flight attendant named Steven went so far beyond the call. He was attentive, he fixed our video system when no one else could and when he learned we were celebrating an anniversary he brought us a present. He was awesome!"
Pros: "Refurbished plane. Lighting was good"
Cons: "No TV screen"
Pros: "Overall the actual flight was good..landing was kind of hard but I'm alive so not stressing that"
Cons: "..but the multiple delays are ridiculous, I would not fly Delta if I had a feasible choice."
Pros: "Delta is the best--I sat in a comfy seat (middle seat at that) and watched 3 movies during my flight. Couldn't be better!"
Cons: "No space in the seats"
Cons: "3 hours there before the departure."
Pros: "Cookies"
Cons: "Space"
Pros: "Both check in and gate agents were friendly and helpful."
Cons: "The boarding process seems to have some hiccups...like everyone crowding the gate and the wrong people boarding at the different boarding times. This all began when airlines charged for baggage and carry on became the only way to travel without excess fees. There is not enough overhead storage for everyone to carry-on so let's go back to no fees for baggage. The boarding process will become smooth again."
Cons: "Not a fan of having "final boarding call" announced to run to the gate, only to sit on the plane at the gate for 30 min because of a scheduled delay at my destination. I know the flight wasn't very full, but that cost me an opportunity to eat dinner. I had to cancel a fast food order because I thought I'd miss my flight!"
Pros: "Staff are very friendly. The agent inadvertently gave me my boarding pass twice instead of mine and my wife's, TSA pre-check in Atlanta caught the error and made the security check process so fast and efficient by asking me to skip the line whenI got my error fixed."
Pros: "Good movies"
Cons: "Unsmiling, miserable staff. Seats like concrete. Cheap and nasty snacks"
Pros: "That a delta plane actually had seat back video screens- First delta flight ever that I've been on that did. But every ones screen froze up just over an hour into the flight."
Cons: "Even though the Atlanta to Toronto arrived 'early' I had barely 20 minutes to get to the other plane- I would not have made it with out the amazing staff of weather and the Toronto airport. I use a wheelchair and even zipping through as fast as I could I was 15 minutes late arriving at the gate. I booked this flight thinking I had at least and hour and a bit between flights. Thankfully others on my flight were also late so the Ottawa bound plane did not leave on time"
Pros: "When you are delayed, there is not much to commend."
Cons: "Delayed. That pretty well says it all."
Pros: "Worst customer service or actually non-existent, rude and ignorant agents. Will never fly with them again."
Cons: "TAP should simply shutdown or do a major reform as the airline operates in the last century."
Cons: "It was delayed on our way to destination. Also wish it was a direct flight to ponta delgado instead of going through lisbon. It was too much back and forth."
Pros: "Horrible service"
Cons: "Nasty people"
Pros: "Tap was great for the long flight"
Pros: "NOTHING.....................TAP AIR PORTUGAL CANCELLED THE FLIGHT WITHOUT PREVIOUS NOTIFCATION. I HAD CHECKED IN ONLINE, HAD THE APP ON MY PHONE WITH MY MOBILE NUMBER AND EMAIL...................NO ONE ADVISED. i SHOW UP AT AIRPORT AND NO ONE TAKES RESPONSIBILITY..............DREADFUJL AIRLINES"
Cons: "EVERYTHING...................THEY HAVE NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. THIS WAS FOR A BUSINESS CLASS TRAVEL.................JUST IMAGINE WHAT A NIGHTMAORE THIS WAS FOR ECONOMY TRAVELING PASSANGERS"
Cons: "Boarding process was in fact dangerous, with people corralled into small spaces without letting them out on the other end. We felt claustrophobic, crushed, and at one point people were even having to jump over the escalator to the bus loading area because there was too much crowding. Dangerous"
Cons: "Punctuality"
Cons: "Boarding was a disaster that took an extra 30 min"
Cons: "Not missing our connection due to delays."
Pros: "everything from the boarding and check-in process to in flight comfort."
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "Been on schedule."
Cons: "Ok"
Pros: "We really enjoyed TAP Air Portugal and expect to fly with them again. Comfortable seats, pillow, blanket, and MEALS! Good ones with actual silver! USB charging port at every seat, with a good selection of movies. Great airline for a great price!"
Cons: "Left late, arrived late, missed my connection"
Cons: "Poor service"
Pros: "The crew was generously serving me and the price was more reasonable than any other."
Cons: "I had a huge passenger next to me who took most of my space the whole time during the flight and ended up hurting my neck and back. I understand it had nothing to do with the crew, but not comfortable at all. Besides, there was no entertainment and even outlet available."
Pros: "Punctuality, service and confort"
Cons: "bumping and no coffee"
Cons: "I am an Asian woman. After seeing the person who is a Caucasian man set next to me used the toile right in front of our seat twice during the flight, I went to use it. Just as I was entering the toilet a flight attendant yelled at me saying: "you can't use this toilet. It's for privileged people. You have to go to the end of the aircraft and use that one!" Then 10 minuets later another caucasian man seated behind me went to use the toilet right in front me without any problem."
Cons: "late flight lost my connection"
Pros: "I liked that the airline provided blankets pillows and headsets at no extra cost for our 8 hour flight. The crew were very nice and accommodating. The food was good."
Cons: "I did not like having to pay 75 Euro for one checked bag. That should Have been more clearly set out when booking a flight. The entertainment could have been better. Poor reception for some shows."
Pros: "We got our luggage at destination"
Cons: "Luggage fees were excessively higher. Paid €40 per checked in bag one way! This was because our tickets were "on sale" and didn't include any checked in baggage."
Pros: "Refuel was quick and we were back on air in less than 30 min... Wich was great.."
Pros: "Liked connections and price. Nice crew."
Cons: "There was a hefty charge to reserve seats which wasn't clearly mentioned on the Justfly website. Knee room was the tightest I've had on a commercial flight. The seats barely reclined which is important on an overnight flight."
Pros: "Nice crew, tasty snack, new plane with comfortable seats"
Cons: "Huge bag charge for anything over 8 kg! Sign said last call 40 min before flight when agent told us to check board 30 min before flight for gate assignment!"
Cons: "Entertainment"
Pros: "Good service, nice meal."
Cons: "No USB ports or movie choices. Entertainment screen very small."
Pros: "Pretty unremarkable flight in an Embraur jet. On time"
Cons: "Basic food but wasn't expecting anything so it was a nice surprise"
Pros: "Staff were pleasant"
Cons: "The 2 hour turned 3 hour delay. Lack of organizational during check in. Had to show our documents 4 times within 10 meters."
Cons: "Though the weather was fine - no excuse - the 7 hours delay! the fact that instead of landing in Newark (my original reservation), we landed in JFK! VERY INCONVENIENT AND AN EXTRA EXPENSE! The fact that in Lisbon airport I had to wait more than one hour to reach the help desk and then plead to receive a voucher for refreshment (left Madeira on an early flight, no breakfast on that flight, the flight to NY delayed till 5 PM!). I chose TAP because it was the most direct way to reach Madeira - but the delays on both flights were more than unfortunate - it was simply poor service."
Cons: "seats tiny and didn't recline"
Pros: "Professional and courteous crew from check in the disembarking. Excellent on board food."
Cons: "Entertainment system was wonky throughout most of the seven hour flight."
Cons: "No air conditioning. Lots of apps didn't work on the entertainment device."
Pros: "Very smooth"
Pros: "I love flying TAP because I love having extended layovers in Lisbon. Lisbon itself, including the airport, is easy to navigate. The food is great and the culture and architecture is gorgeous. For shorter trips TAP doesn't have as many amenities as other airlines, but on this trip the typical video screens with movies, music, etc. was available."
Cons: "In this particular flight there was a male airline attendant who was fabulous and who could speak many languages, including German. I noticed the other airline attendants seemed to be giving him a really hard time and weren't friendly at all. In fact, I rang a bell to ask for attendant help at one point and no one came to help. I was just a seat back from the area where the helpful airline attendant was available. I think that overall TAP flight staff could be a bit more open to being friendly. However, on the ground in Lisbon I've found the staff to be amazingly helpful."
Pros: "The head stewardess was so helpful and nice! I was traveling alone with a 3-month-old baby and was very stressed out. The head stewardess helped me so much, gave me a more comfortable seat, a private place to breastfeed and a bassinet for the baby! She was amazing and I owe her so much for making my experience better. I also received a baby gift package that had a much needed pacifier clip! The flight was also the smoothest flight I've ever had across the Atlantic!"
Cons: "No movie was shown on the shared TV in the first row. Had to only listen to music. Long stressful wait to board."
Pros: "We were traveling with a 7 month old so boarding was made easy by the crew. Most of the crew were quite pleasant during the flight."
Cons: "The entertainment system hand piece failed so you were unable to select channels, turn the over head light off or ever call for assistance. We had to get another passenger to do that for us. Ultimately the light bulb had to be removed from the fixture. During the flight, we asked for more refreshments and were told we could only have water by a flight attendant. Upon arrival at our destination with a child in hand, our stroller was not unloaded at the gate so we had to carry our child and all that travels with him to the baggage area. For anyone travelling internationally, you will know this is generally quite a distant from the gate in major airports. The strollers and car seats arrived in baggage 30 minutes after the main luggage. When staff were approached they were short and appeared very disinterested in helping. TAP failed on this flight home."
Pros: "the crew"
Cons: "the flight hours."
Pros: "Great comfy seats, checking was a breeze and the staff were friendly"
Cons: "No entertainment and I thought there should have been a little more food. What they did provide was good just a little shy on the quantity. INternational flight with no free bags."
Pros: "Hot food and real utensils Good entertaining selection Very nice staff"
Cons: "Everything went well."
Pros: "I did like the crew and food were great!"
Cons: "I am very unhappy as I paid extra for my seat selection and did not get a window seat. I will be following up about my complaint"
Pros: "Nothing."
Cons: "They gave my 70-year old mother only a few hours notice that they were changing her one-stop four-hour 6AM flight into an 8AM multi stop 14-hour marathon. In fact, she was already asleep when they changed her flight, so she was already at the airport when she found out about the change. To do this to a 70-year old woman is reprehensible. Worse, after 2-hours with customer service, nobody there made any real attempt to remedy the situation or offer any compensation. Worst airline experience EVER."
Pros: "It was all ok"
Cons: "I took 3 TAP flights while in Europe, and they were always late!"
Pros: "Great flight, cordial, good food (yes, it's possible), good entertainment !"
Cons: "Boarding process at the gate can be improved."
Pros: "Great service on board, very attentive crew. Great food (Yes, it was good), modern aircraft."
Cons: "The boarding process at Terminal could be easier and simpler. They told us to set up lines way before the actual call."
Pros: "The seats were comfortable and already stocked with a pillow and blanket for all. we each had a personal screen stocked with movies, music, games and flight info. at no additional cost and that was great for passing the time during a long flight from Lisbon to NY. The crew was the best part, so pleasant and helpful and professional. We were instructed to close the shades and were allowed to sleep and woken up for the custom form and the great meal which had the option of soda or wine, etc. at no additional cost. The quality of the food was impressive and the salad even came with a packet of real Portuguese olive oil and vinegar. When appropriate we all had to open the shades and drinks were served again and later a small snack of a sandwich and a juice were given all in perfect timing."
Cons: "TAP is the worst. I"d rather walk than book a flight with them."
Pros: "New plane. Great service."
Cons: "Seats are very small. No entertainment system."
Cons: "Bag fees twice on connection flight"
Cons: "Not much leg room."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Celebrate this Saint Patty's Day with some St. Patrick's Day treats from our bakery. We will have lucky clover sugar cookies, cupcakes, and cakes, as well as many other delicious pastries and desserts.
To order your St. Patrick's Day treats, pastries, and desserts simply give us a call at 412-896-6246 or visit our 1502 Lincoln Way, White Oak PA 15131 location. We will have festive desserts in our bakery, for those who forget to order ahead of time.


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What is Unearthed Arcana in D&D 5e?
by Matthew Rossi on January 22, 2020 at 10:00am @MatthewWRossi
There's a tradition behind Wizards of the Coast's Unearthed Arcana which goes all the way back to the original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons line of games, before even 2nd Edition AD&D or the consolidation of both lines into what we called 3rd Edition.
Off Topic: How to get your party back on track as a DM
Every Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master has been there.
The time is right for Blizzard to get back into pen and paper gaming
This post was inspired by two things: seeing that Riot Games are getting back into making tabletop games, and the recent announcement of the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, a sanctioned Wizards of the Coast product featuring the campaign setting seen every week on Critical Role.
Off Topic: How to get started with D&D without breaking your wallet
by Matthew Rossi on January 9, 2020 at 4:00pm @MatthewWRossi
So you want to play Dungeons and Dragons -- or any tabletop RPG, really -- but you, like me, are broke and can't afford all those books, and a ton of dice, and minis, and maps, and even more dice.
Undead monsters and a lot of discussion as the Blizzard Watch D&D stream continues
If you missed our most recent D&D session when we streamed it to our official Twitch channel last Saturday, fear not, there's a recording of the show on our podcast channel, or our Soundcloud if you'd prefer.
Off-Topic: Creating your own campaign setting in tabletop roleplaying
by Matthew Rossi on December 23, 2019 at 10:00am @MatthewWRossi
Okay, so you've decided you want to create your own world in your weekly tabletop game.
Off-Topic: How to decide which tabletop role playing game is right for your group
I love Dungeons and Dragons.
Talking cows, visions, and a Tiefling Paladin married to a Bugbear Paladin as the party gets onto the Outer Planes in December's D&D extravaganza
If you missed this weekend's D&D game, well, things got out of hand.
The Blizzard Watch crew will be engaging in more D&D adventures this December 14th
I have felt kind of like I'm failing the group in that we haven't seen either a dragon or a dungeon in the past few sessions of the Blizzard Watch Dungeons and Dragons game.
Off-Topic: How to add a mega-adventure into your existing D&D campaign when a shiny new module catches your eye
This all started when I was given a copy of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus by Wizards of the Coast, and while I do think it's brilliant, I wanted you to know they gave me one up front.


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NEWS WATCH: DC Gives Us a First Look at New Digital First Series HARLEY QUINN: BLACK + WHITE + RED
DC Comics Launch new 14 chapter DIGITAL FIRST series HARLEY QUINN: BLACK + WHITE + RED featuring a host of industry talent1
Comics, Culture, & More…A Personal Journey
In this edition of Comics, Culture, & More I decided to finally try and find the definition of what "more" is. I think I found it. I found it my safe space of being a white heterosexual male.
FIRST LOOK: Your First Look at WILLOW #1 From BOOM! Studios
Uncover the hidden secrets of the Sunnydale witch in this brand new buffyverse series in July 2020
NEWS WATCH: Legendary Marvel Inker "Joltin'" Joe Sinnott Passes at Age 93
Legendary Marvel Comics inker Joe Sinnott passes away at age of 93.
NEWS WATCH: FunimationCon adds My Hero Academia and Human Lost Panels
Funimation announced it has added panels for My Hero Academia, Human Lost plus more to its upcoming virtual festival FunimationCon 2020 July 3-4.
Comic Watch Pride: Thriving From Abuse Through Art: An Interview With Bethania Arts
By Duna Haller June 25, 2020 1 Comment
For #CWPride, we invite Bethania Arts, a writer, comic creator, reviewer and LGBT+ index organizer from Barbados. We had the pleasure to talk about her story T.E.R.F. Wars, her strip A Day With Beth and all things nerdy, and celebrate the thriving art and life of abuse survivors.
The Sounds of Silence: CBLDF and Systemic Toxicity in Comics
By Comic Watch Editor June 25, 2020 Leave a comment
Two of our writers share their experiences as Comic Watch enters the conversation of sexual abuse and systemic toxicity in the comics industry after the resignation of Charles Brownstein from The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
NEWS WATCH: DC COMICS to Publish FLASH FACTS, a S.T.E.M. Graphic Novel for Kids
DC Comics announces FLASH FACTS, a new middle-grade graphic novel anthology featuring short stories starring the heroes of the DCU to demonstrate S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Principles.
NEWS WATCH: After Superman there was The Spider – Siegel's Classic Super-Crook to get New Collection
Featuring work by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the definitive reprint collection of The Spider will be published in Spring 2021.
NEWS WATCH: Boom Studios Announces New Graphic Novel Series SEEN: TRUE STORIES OF MARGINALIZED TRAILBLAZERS
BOOM! Studios announces new series SEEN: TRUE STORIES OF MARGINALIZED TRAILBLAZERS published through the company's award-winning BOOM! Box imprint.
NEWS WATCH: SCOUT Announces Dark Monster Fighting Series TALYN: SEED OF DARKNESS
In a world of demons and monsters nothing is more important then family
NEWS WATCH: MARVEL and GAMES WORKSHOP Announce WARHAMMER 40,000: MARNEUS CALGAR!
The Space Marines are the defenders of humanity, the greatest of the Emperor of Mankind's warriors, now Kieron Gillen takes on the mysterious Chapter Master and his Ultramarines in Marneus Calgar.
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"On the Pore Structures of Lightweight Self-Compacting Concrete Contain" by Vahab Naderi Zarnaghi, Ali Fouroghi_Asl et al.
This paper presents the results of an experimental study about the pore structure of lightweight self-compacting concrete with different amounts of silica fume and water-to-cement ratios. Mercury intrusion porosimetry was used to test the porosity and pore sizes. The fractal characteristics of the pore structures were studied, and the pore mass and solid mass fractal dimensions were calculated based on well-established methods. The optimum amount of silica fume was determined based on fractal dimension. The results have showed that compressive strength and water penetration depth increase with the increase of fractal dimension and have good correlation with fractal dimensions.
V. N. Zarnaghi et al., "On the Pore Structures of Lightweight Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Silica Fume," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 193, pp. 557-564, Elsevier, Dec 2018.


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Bitcoin is a digital currency which uses blockchain technology to track, process and secure payments between users.
If that all sounds a bit technical to you, don't worry. We can understand what Bitcoin really is by learning why it was created in the first place.
Why is there Bitcoin?
In the mid-2000s, the United States experienced a housing bubble. Too many people were walking away from mortgages they couldn't afford, which caused a major problem for the banks that had invested in them. By 2008, a number of the world's most premier financial institutions were at risk of failure. Merrill Lynch and Bear Sterns--kings of Wall Street--were sold off to other banks. Lehman Brothers, a 700 billion dollar institution, went completely bankrupt.
The housing crisis precipitated a Wall Street collapse, which trickled into every corner of the global market. By Fall 2008, the entire globe was in the throes of what we now call the Great Recession. Poverty and homelessness skyrocketed, entire nations teetered on bankruptcy, and, for the first time since the Great Depression, people didn't know whether their money was safe in their bank accounts.
In short, the financial system had failed.
In the midst of it, an anonymous computer scientist published a paper to an online cryptography mailing list. The title: "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." Writing under the name "Satoshi Nakamoto," the author made their intentions clear from the very first sentence:
"A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution."
This electronic cash was a rebuke to the financial system which was falling apart before our very eyes. As politicians debated taxpayer-funded bailouts for "too big to fail" banks, Satoshi argued an opposite approach: to forget Wall Street entirely, and put finance directly into the hands of ordinary people.
But what is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is just a list.
Isn't that wild? You could spend years trying to learn the intricacies of Bitcoin's underlying technology, but when it comes down to it, it's all just a list (or, as it's referred to in the industry, a "ledger").
To understand what this means in practice, let's do an exercise. Imagine you were to create your own currency. How would it work?
You'd start by giving it a name. Let's call it: "Pitcoin."
What do you need to ensure that Pitcoin is actually useful to the people who own it? Two things, mainly. First: its owners have to believe that Pitcoin has value (we'll get to this issue in another article). Second: you need a way to prevent your friends from gaming the system.
To prevent cheating, you start a list. Everybody who makes a Pitcoin payment has to add it to the list. If Alice gives Bob 12 Pitcion, it goes on the list. If Bob uses 5 of those Pitcoin to pay Charlie, it goes on the list. Because everybody's payments are recorded in the list, you can keep track of who owns how much Pitcoin at any given time. Even more crucially: because everybody can see the list, nobody can fudge the numbers without everyone else noticing.
That's Bitcoin, in a nutshell! Every bit of complicated technology that goes into making Bitcoin work is about keeping track of who owns how much, and making sure no one can cheat.
Bitcoin is peer-to-peer. There is no one place where Bitcon "is"--no data center where it's stored, no company that controls it.
Instead, it's thousands of actual Bitcoin users and companies around the world which operate the network on their own computers. With the right software, anybody can be their own data center, and participate in the actual operation of the network.
Let's say Alice pays Bob 0.01 Bitcoin. The coin doesn't immediately enter Bob's possession. Instead, the transaction is signaled out to the wider network, for anyone to see.
From there, network participants from around the world compete to verify and process the transaction. These participants are called "miners." We'll cover mining further in a future article, but for now what's important is this: miners make sure that Bitcoin payments aren't fraudulent, and they earn rewards for doing this work. When Alice sends Bob 0.01 Bitcoin, a small fraction of that 0.01 is actually sent to the miner who verifies that Alice has the proper funds, then processes the transaction.
There's a lot more nuance to this process, of course. By the end, though, what we end up with is a decentralized network of users who, collectively, maintain that giant list of all Bitcoin transactions that have ever occurred. Because every payment is verified and recorded on the list, you can track how much Bitcoin everyone owns. Because the list is completely transparent to everyone, no one can cheat the system.
In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto proposed a digital currency capable of facilitating transactions between any two people in the world, without the need for a bank in the middle.
It was a crazy idea. Banks are necessary, after all, for keeping track of everyone's money. If nobody's guarding your bank account, can't anyone just steal your life's savings?
Despite how crazy the idea was, a dozen years later, Bitcoin has not failed. It has not been hacked, and cheating is nearly non-existent. It works because thousands of people around the world, collectively, operate and police the network. And because anybody in the world--even you--can join in the process.
The proof is in the pudding. As of this writing, the Bitcoin network is worth 200 billion dollars.
#blockchain #cryptocurrency #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #investing #cryptos #bitcointrading #crypto #cryptotrading #cryptocurrency #bitcoins #guide #beginners #what
© 2020 DoBuyBitcoin


There's nothing I love more than cute food that is easy to make! This adorable little panda bear snack is sure to be a hit with your kids, and it only takes 2 ingredients!
1. Place your slice of red apple onto a plate. Slice one red grape in half and place each half above the apple slice for the bear's ears.
2. Slice another red grape in half, the opposite way as above, and place this half on the apple slice for the panda bear's nose.
3. Grab another red grape and slice this grape in half, just like you did for the ears. Place each half on the apple for the panda bear's eyes.
4. Finally, grab one more red grape and cut 3 thin slices off of it. Place these slices underneath the nose for the panda bear's mouth.


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HOME | NEWS | COMMENTARY | AT HOME ABROAD
ELECTIONS '98
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YEH HAI INDIA!
Rajeev Srinivasan
J'accuse...
Nikhil Chakraborty, the doyen of Indian columnists, passed away a few weeks ago. His occasional op-ed column was an example of the finest in Indian journalism. He was an old-fashioned liberal and leftist; one whose passion and affection for his country and about his fellow-countrymen shone through his articles. He appealed to my neo-liberal sensibilities: for he was genuinely concerned about India's progress, ideology be damned.
Nikhil Chakraborty's life and times remind me of one of the greatest journalistic efforts in history: Emile Zola's attack on the French government. When I was in France a few months ago, I learned that the centenary of this act was being celebrated with due fanfare. Dissent doesn't sit well with the powers-that-be, but it is an act of courage that needs to be saluted.
I contrast the Zola situation with the journalistic response to Pokhran II. Yes, there was considerable dissent expressed by sections of the chattering classes, but alas, much of it seemed based on personal peeves, political grandstanding, and just plain ignorance. Responsible journalists should offer constructive criticism; in the case of Pokhran II, there is also the issue of closing the ranks against a common enemy, the jaundiced global media.
Informed and impassioned dissent is one thing; this was Zola's act. However, many Indian commentators responded to Pokhran II with a mixture of sins: they let their distaste for the BJP blind them to various strategic issues; they let their knee-jerk Sinophilia blind them to the historical imperatives that drive that country; and they seldom bothered to check any facts but accepted factoids spewed by the usual suspects, the media empires of the West.
These are acts worthy only of yellow journalists; Indian columnists ought to be ashamed of themselves. For, they have become unwitting accessories to India-bashing abroad: it is clear that the US media, for example, unerringly picks out any signs of a break in support for the Indian government (not to mention the sorry circus put up by J Jayalalitha et al.) We can expect these to be factored into the pressure tactics applied by Strobe Talbott and others.
The US is continuing to hawk its self-serving non-proliferation agenda, putting pressure on India to sign the NPT and CTBT unconditionally. There appears to have been a longstanding national consensus in India to not sign these. How on earth can we justify caving in now? How can journalists, in good conscience, in effect collude with foreigners to hurt India's interests? I am baffled. Maybe Zola lived in a simpler, easier age, when things were clearer.
Zola, the French novelist, published a stinging letter addressed to the president of France, on January 13th, 1898. It was on l'affaire Dreyfus -- the shocking story of an army officer named Alfred Dreyfus who was falsely accused, dishonourably discharged, and sentenced to life at the infamous Devil's Island prison. All, it appears, mostly because he was Jewish. You can find the details on the Web if you can read French.
Dreyfus was accused of spying for the Germans. In the dramatic film on the case, actor Paul Muni playing Dreyfus is court-martialled. He suffers the indignity of being stripped of his epaulettes, having his shako punched through, his sword broken in two, and the buttons on his uniform snipped off in full view of his regiment -- an utter and public humiliation.
L'affaire Dreyfus was certainly a cause celebre -- it was a symbol of the casual and endemic anti-Jewish feeling in Europe; and we all know what it led to later. Zola's letter was a cry of anguish at two things -- the injustice done to one man; and the moral decay that it implied in his beloved France. As he himself said, it was a cry from his soul, "le cri de mon ame."
Zola was fully aware he was exposing himself to defamation charges; he had to go into exile. But years later, he achieved his goal: the corrupt government fell; Dreyfus was fully exonerated, and the real culprit, a Major Esterhazy, was brought to book. But the thing that is truly astonishing about all this is the fact that one man, just by the power of his words, was able to right an historic wrong; this letter is a testament to honour and justice.
So why are there so few Zolas among the Indian chattering classes? When I read Indian columnists, I am forced to divide them into two camps, with very few exceptions. An,d of course, that also brings me to the foreign columnists reporting from India -- the less said about them the better!
I accuse Indian columnists of falling into two categories: the ignorant/lazy and the intellectually colonised. There are a few exceptions I can think of: among them, the late Nikhil Chakraborty, N Vittal, Madhu Kishwar, Praful Bidwai, K Subrahmanyam. These writers, plus a few others, I respect, even if I don't share their perspectives, because they do their homework, think things through, and have something worthwhile to say. For instance, I disagree with many of Bidwai's positions, but surely he demands thoughtful consideration.
I accuse the majority of Indian journalists of abdicating their responsibility, of failing to think. I am amazed at the amount of absolute tripe that masquerades as 'thoughtful commentary' -- frankly, I, no professional journalist myself, can often poke holes in their so-called arguments with little difficulty, simply based on their faulty premises or logic.
I accuse these journalists of being completely innocent of elementary economics, history and rhetoric. Surely a tribute to the pathetic state of the liberal arts curricula in Indian universities. I find that these people latch on to some simple, easily refutable claim, and then rant and rave about it. If they were to spend more than half an hour on writing, and more than ten minutes on research, they would realise the absurdity of it all -- but, of course, they don't have to, as the consuming public lets them get away with it. A frightening thought -- do a people get the journalists they deserve?
This is not a liberal-conservative dichotomy; there are plenty of sinners on both sides of the fence. However, since India's 'liberal-"progressive"-"secular"-Nehruvian-Stalinist' wing seems to be more numerous, and perhaps more holier-than-thou than elsewhere, they probably outnumber the 'conservative-divisive-fundie-communalist-fascist' sinners.
By the way, just a thought, is it possible to ban the word 'secular' for a few years? It is the most meaningless, laughably Orwellian word in the subcontinental lexicon, with the possible exception of "Azad" Kashmir. Must say someone in Pakistan has a sense of humour: "Ghori" and "Ghaznavi", indeed -- even their barbarians are not their own, but Afghan! If they want to name things after foreign monsters, I submit "Attila", "Genghiz", "Vlad the Impaler", "Mussolini", "Idi Amin", "Pol Pot", for consideration. Remember, you heard it here first.
But I digress; to go back to the second type of wretched Indian journalist, this is the terminally brainwashed variety. The type that consumes the pre-digested disinformation pabulum handed out freely by the media barons of the West; the latter of course have their own axes to grind. The type that has absolutely no concept of what self-respect means, or respect for the nation. The type for whom the ultimate in wisdom is Time, Newsweek and The New York Times.
I accuse these journalists of being entirely blind. Because the media empires of the West work hand in hand with their governments -- major American papers, for example, are practically foreign policy propaganda mouthpieces of the US government, as Noam Chomsky has demonstrated convincingly (Manufacturing Consent). While the US media do offer dissent in terms of internal affairs, when it comes to foreign affairs, they, the mercantilist government, and the military-industrial complex are of one mind.
I accuse Indian journalists, furthermore, of destructive criticism. A simple case in point is the recent furore over children shooting others in schools in America. There was much hand-wringing and heart-searching in the US media about the causes of alienation among children, about pervasive gun availability.
But no American writer said, "It is because American culture stinks. Remember, this country was built on a culture of violence. We glorify the bloody, genocidal conquest of the West. We massacred the Native American. We imposed slavery on the black man. We luxuriate in blood sports. We deserve this cycle of violence -- what goes around comes around." They would never say that: there is a certain ingrained respect for their culture.
Imagine, under similar circumstances, what our clueless, brainwashed, purveyor of second-hand-wisdom would have said in India: "Indian culture stinks. It is 5,000 years of Hinduism that causes these problems. If we could only get rid of Hinduism and any vestiges of Indian culture, we would be so much better off! It is unfortunate that a millennium of foreign rule hasn't wiped out all of this. Maybe we could have the Chinese come in and teach us a few new things?"
Okay, I exaggerate a little, but consider the following true-to-life story: an article about Bosnia by some Indian journalist, where he went on and on about "the second Holocaust". I was appalled. I was thinking, "I have news for you. The second Holocaust was in India -- Partition; the single greatest forced migration of people in history: several million killed. Or maybe Cambodia -- 25% of the population butchered -- at least 2 million."
But of course not, this person was dutifully regurgitating the stories recited by Christiane Amanpour et al. He is unaware of context: after all, the former Yugoslavia is where three major ideologies collide. Two of them have been fighting each other ever since the Crusades or so, roughly the 12th century CE. Add Marxism to this mess, and things get worse. It is a blood vendetta, and it will never end. It is unwise to get involved.
I wonder if that journalist is aware of the fact that the First World War was triggered by a Serb assassinating one of the Hapsburg Empire's scions. To put it bluntly, it's the Europeans' headache -- let them deal with it. And all things considered, how many died in Bosnia-Serbia-Croatia? At most 100,000. But in our semi-educated journalist's mind, dead white people looms much larger than dead Asians: Macaulay's incubus lives on.
All this not to imply that one should simply ignore the Western media -- far from it. Use them for the facts and figures and analysis, but, for heaven's sake, don't just accept them as the gospel truth -- think! Use your judgement to understand the undercurrents and the vested interests. "All the news that is fit to print" isn't printed--there is self-censorship, bias, and slanting.
Finally, I accuse the foreign journalists covering India of prejudice and condescension. For instance, The New York Times used to have correspondents in India of the calibre of A M Rosenthal -- even-handed commentators. But in the last few years, their correspondents have been exemplified by Barbara Crossette, who, for reasons best known to her, simply hates India, and misses no opportunity to trash the country.
Just to give one recent and glaring example of cravenness on the part of the self-proclaimed paragons of freedom of the press, I was astonished to see blatant self-censorship on the STAR TV network to protect the tender feelings of the Chinese. While Tibetans immolate themselves in the quest for freedom, the STAR movie critic could not bring himself to say a word about the film Kundun, a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The movie guy was giving a run-down on the top 10 films in the UK, and for each of them, he gave a short introduction and showed a few seconds' worth of clips -- even that terminally overexposed Titanic (enough, already!). But when it came to Kundun, the 7th most popular film in the UK that week, he just mentioned the name and soldiered right on. No clips, no stills, no short spiel, nothing! And these are the people lecturing us Third World types about Freedom of the Press -- the chutzpah is nothing short of stunning.
Where, among the foreign correspondents, are the Mark Tullys and the Francois Gautiers, who have taken the trouble to understand India and even develop a certain sympathy for it? Recently, the foreign media coverage in the 1998 election was strikingly biased. The white folks evidently really hoped Sonia Gandhi would win.
Perhaps foreigners believe that out of inclination -- she being a white and a devout Catholic -- and out of necessity -- the spectre of Quattrochi, Bofors and Swiss bank accounts -- Madame Gandhi would be amenable to the blandishments of the West. Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright have also made veiled, nostalgic references to a "predictable" Indian government of the past. Strobe Talbott visits La Gandhi. Are we seeing an American-inspired "bloodless coup" in the making?
I accuse the foreign media of ignoring the patently obvious fact that the BJP are much the same as the Republican Party in the US: a right-of-centre group with certain extremist, jingoistic, protectionist sentiments. Instead, they carp on this 'Hindu nationalist' theme, as though being either Hindu or nationalist or both were some great crime -- worse than being an American jingoist?
I have noticed this tendency on the part of the American media before. In the 1996 US presidential election, there was a candidate named Pat Buchanan, a scary, xenophobic, ultra-right-wing, fire-and-brimstone type. In the 1996 Russian presidential election, there was a candidate named Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a scary, xenophobic, ultra-right-wing, fire-and-brimstone type.
To the impartial observer, Buchanan and Zhirinovsky were Tweedledum and Tweedledee, both lunatic-fringers. But guess what, to the US media, Buchanan was a "conservative", while Zhirinovsky was a "dangerous ultra-nationalist"! Double-speak lives! Hypocrisy reigns! Nationalism is only good for Americans, clearly.
There is the ongoing debate in India about opening up the media fully. I wonder. On the one hand, that would invite a flood of slanted foreign views, and I am frankly concerned about national security -- the media does have power. For example, did anyone notice how, almost overnight, Saddam Hussein went from "our friend in the Middle East" during the Iran-Iraq war to "the most evil human being who ever lived" in the eyes of the US public?
On the other hand, with home-grown journalists of the calibre I described above, maybe this is as good as it gets. I think the Indian consumer needs to revolt against shoddy swadeshi journalism just as much as against shoddy swadeshi consumer goods. The consumer deserves better.
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Congratulations to our wonderful students who with their dedication and care have produced fantastic vegetables and fruit. No doubt about it having our bees near by have helped tremendously towards this. We would like to thank everyone who came into our College over the Summer and took care of the gardens, and for those who turned up in the early hours to make sure our plants were well cared for.