Iron Maiden singer rescues British Tourists

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has rescued British tourists stranded abroad after the collapse of British tour operator XL Leisure. Dickinson is also a 757 pilot with charter operator Austraeus.

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Pope Denounces the Internet

Sydney is hosting World Youth Day at the moment. It's a wonderful celebration of faith, hope and peace. The most amazing thing we Sydneysiders are finding out, is just how many countries are visiting us at present. It's like a world wide web of people sharing their desires for peace and understanding.

It came as a bit of a shock today that the learned, very intelligent and revered Pope Benedict XVI, listed the internet as one of the greatest threats to the church as it erodes the moral fabric of the worlds youth.

His Holiness has dissapointed me in saying this. Surely he knows of the good that the Internet has provided humanity. In Medicine, Education, Business, and most of all development of human understanding, the Internet continues to transform our lives for the good, and opens new means of communication, and the sharing of ideas.

Of course, His Holiness refers to the dark side of the Internet and the content rather than the network itself. That being the case why not say "CONTENT" not the "INTERNET". His Holiness was speaking to the youth of the world and more than anyone this audience would understand.

This is my suggestion to help reach out to the youth of the world, and I mean no disrespect. Connect with but do not alienate by referring to the problem as the internet. The content is the problem not the network.

Facebok Feeding

I've added the blog's feed to Facebook so now you can read whats happening on the site from my profile as well.

Say Cheese: Snaps With the iPhone

via Gizmodo by Kevin Hall on Jun 30, 2007

Here's a little demo of the iPhone camera feature. Say, who are those two lovely guys on the first photo? Working hard, from the looks of it! The iPhone zooms and slides easy, and the pinch, after you figure out which way you're going, is nice and smooth. The gyroscope is great for landscapes and cool to boot, and the iris effect is just a nice touch. The only real complaint is that sliding often leaves smudges, which is distracting when you're trying to look at photos.
- Video by Nick McGlynn

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Technorati Tags: iphone, iphone camera, iphone pictures

McDonald's hires Mom bloggers

via Slashfood by Joanne Lutynec on Jun 27, 2007

Filed under: Restaurants, Business, Trends, On the Blogs, Fast Food

Over the past few years McDonald's has faced some pretty tough criticism about the quality of their food. In fact, the movie 'Super Size Me' single-handedly changed how many of us view the fast food giant - or more accurately, the fast food industry as a whole. Now, in what has to be an attempt at clearing their name from some of the negative publicity, McDonald's has hired six "Quality Correspondent" mothers to visit the supplier facilities, restaurants, kitchens, and attend development meetings - then blog about their experiences.

Really though, it seems pretty transparent. Can you honestly imagine any other outcome from this than the mothers going to visit the various facilities, seeing everyone on their best behavior with everything running smoothly, then undoubtedly rave about how wonderful McDonald's really is? I'd say ask any 15-year old who has ever worked there if you really want to know what goes on.

Personally, I'd love to just see them finally admit what they really are and roll with it. Stop trying to convince us you are healthy. Admit we probably shouldn't eat there five times a week, but it is a good place to indulge every once in a while. I love stopping in at McDonald's once every month or so to enjoy something a little sinful, something that isn't good for me, something that cures my craving for grease and fat and calories. I don't want their salads or their wraps - I want a Big Mac. I want fries with extra salt and McChicken Sauce on the side for dipping. I want a Sausage and Egg McMuffin with TWO sides of hash brown patties. I just don't want it everyday.

If they would just admit that they were a little bit naughty, I'd love them just a little bit more.

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Google Earth Outreach Conference

Google announces a new initiative called Google Earth Outreach at an event held at Google NYC. Features speeches from Elliot Schrage, Google Vice President for Global Communications & Public Affairs; John Hanke, Director of Google Earth & Maps; Jane Goodall, Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute; Kathy Bushkin Calvin, Executive Vice President, United Nations Foundation; and Edward Wilson, President and CEO, Earthwatch.

Author: google
Keywords: Google Earth Outreach Nonprofit Jane Goodall Institute United Nations Foundation Earthwatch
Added: June 27, 2007

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Eric Schmidt speaks to the European Media

Eric Schmidt CEO of Google speaks about the company's plans, the future and the core values of the Google business. The classic understatement in this video was, when speaking about the eBay and Google stoush over Paypal vs Checkout, Schmidt said, "Checkout and Paypal are somewhat competitive". I laughed hard at that one.

Technorati Tags: news, google, tech, technology

Maitland residents urged to leave as waters rise

Maitland residents urged to leave as waters rise

The State Emergency Service (SES) is doorknocking the lower parts of central Maitland, in the Hunter region of New South Wales, urging residents to evacuate their homes.

Technorati Tags: storms, news, natural disasters, peter konnecke

Storm Video March 4th

sydney YouTube.com: craeam - Thunder and Lightning

Arrival of the Queen Mary 2

Arrival
Originally uploaded by dmmaus.

Sydney is playing host today to two big Queens. No not because of Mardi Gras - the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 will be in Sydney for the first time together.

Oops, Is That Where They Store The Rocket Fuel?

A tiny accidental spark from a welder started this massive fire at the place that manufactured and stored the Space Shuttle Rocket Fuel. What follows is the incredible explosions caught on film causing shockwaves that destroyed everything in its path. Needless to say the factory, and the building next it were destroyed leaving only a crater.



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Hi, I'm Senator Coburn, and I don't want your vote.

Must Read for Political Junkies...Coburn is a Republican, but don't hold that against him! Most in his own party can't stand him (He's the one who went after the "bridge to nowhere," etc). Regardless of your political view-point, this is a very interesting read, giving insight into the inner-working of the US Legislative system. It's an eye-opener!



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Rep. Ackerman: 'A Platoon Of Lesbians’ Could ‘Chase Us Out Of Baghdad'

Yesterday, during hearings on the State Department’s 2008 budget, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) slammed the U.S. military’s ban on gay servicemembers, saying the Pentagon “seems more afraid of gay people than they are [of] terrorists,” and that if the terrorists were smart, “they’d get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad.”



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Video Compilation: Anna Nicole Smith And Our National Media Embarassment

A great video "highlight" reel of the obsessive coverage of Anna Nicole on the news networks yesterday.



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Enormous North Korean prison camp discovered with Google Earth

It measures 18 miles by 16 miles. That’s nearly half the size of the state of Rhode Island.



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Hyundai Chief Convicted of Embezzlement

"Hyundai Motor Co. Chairman Chung Mong-koo was convicted Monday of embezzlement and other charges and sentenced to three years in prison over a slush fund scandal that has weighed on the world's sixth-largest automaker."



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Magazines vs. The Web: End of an Era

There was once a heyday in which computer print magazines flew off the shelves when a new piece of hardware was released. These days, readers flock to their favourite website, and instead gauging public interest in terms of the number of issues sold, we measure it in page views. A former editor for Maximum PC gives us an insider's view.



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The Economics of Bandwidth

Jim illustrates how the unusual economics of bandwidth can make a sneakernet worthwhile-- if you're sending a terabyte of data.



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Debnam considers desalination plant

Debnam considers desalination plant "The NSW opposition says it has never tried to hide the fact it might consider building a desalination plant in southern Sydney if it wins the state election."

I have a problem with this. It's not that people may or may not be drinking de-salinated water, or may or may not be drinking recycled sewage, it's more about why not.

I think we should have not one single de-salination, or recycled water plant in this state. We should have dozens, all pumping water to the inland where we can once again reap huge benefits from our farms, and our land. There are billions of people wanting food in the vast sprawls of China, Africa and India, all we need is the foresight to water Australia and get cracking on a grand master plan for our nations agricultural wealth.

James Brown is Dead