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Windows 7 Beta

published by You on 2 February, 2009 - 18:01

Salaams

Anyone else tinkering with this? It's supposedly faster than both Vista and XP.

It's a free download for about a week more from the Microsoft website (so may be a good alternative to pirating Windows. But you could just as easily use Linux instead for most tasks and that is also (mostly) free.)

I am using it and it seems ok. Not that I have done any "work" with it.

IE8 seems useable, but there are small artifacts on this site.

Paint seems to have had an upgrade. So does Wordpad.

Howevery, Firefox is extremely ugly in it. Ugly with a capital F.

Teenager passes 23 A levels

published by You on 1 February, 2009 - 18:41

Student Ali Nawaz-ish has passed 23 A levels in subjects including pure mathematics, travel and tourism, and sociology.

He got 21 A grades - a B and a C.

The 18-year-old, who is now studying Computer Science at Cambridge University, said that he used to be a 'below average' student.

Watch video @ BBC News

"I didn't use to be a very good student."

Kashmir protesters fight police

published by You on 31 January, 2009 - 21:28

Kashmir protesters fight police

Hundreds of protesters have clashed with police in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, police and officials say.

The demonstrators were rallying for the release of separatist leaders who have been detained in recent months.

They chanted slogans in support of independence for Kashmir and threw stones at security forces who fired tear gas shells to control the crowd.

The leaders were detained during elections held in December and January.

The authorities accused them of inciting people to boycott the seven-phased assembly elections in the disputed Himalayan region that took place between 17 November and 24 December.

How texting could help the seasonally depressed

published by You on 31 January, 2009 - 16:05

How texting could help the seasonally depressed

The days may be getting gradually longer, but for those who suffer depression from the winter darkness a new scheme which relies on text messaging, could help relieve their symptoms.

Waking up in the dark and returning from work in the dark is enough to get anyone a bit down but for some it is more serious than a bit of winter blues.

Victoria Osborne, 63, finds the colder months in the UK too much to deal with, and tries instead to escape to sunnier shores in order to avoid her depression during this time of year.

"In the winter I just don't want to be here. Last year I went to New Zealand from November to March. This November I went to Cyprus. I find it's like building up a resistance ahead of the winter."

MS stem-cell treatment 'success'

published by You on 31 January, 2009 - 16:02

MS stem-cell treatment 'success'

Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested.

Not one of 21 adults with relapsing-remitting MS who had stem cells transplanted from their own bone marrow deteriorated over three years.

And 81% improved by at least one point on a scale of neurological disability, The Lancet Neurology reported.

Further tests are now planned, and a UK expert called the work "encouraging".

MS is an autoimmune disease which affects about 85,000 people in the UK.

Gaza and gas

published by You on 30 January, 2009 - 16:50

Salaams

This is a topic I know very little about, but it was suggested during the current gaza conflict that some people said it was all about oil/gas (which sounded ludicrous to me as I had never heard such a thing before.)

War and Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza's Offshore Gas Fields

...

Who Owns the Gas Fields

The issue of sovereignty over Gaza's gas fields is crucial. From a legal standpoint, the gas reserves belong to Palestine.

The death of Yasser Arafat, the election of the Hamas government and the ruin of the Palestinian Authority have enabled Israel to establish de facto control over Gaza's offshore gas reserves.

Drunken sailors left out of rhyme

published by You on 30 January, 2009 - 16:13

Drunken sailors left out of rhyme

"Drunken sailors" have been removed from the lyrics of a nursery rhyme in a government-funded books project.

But the Bookstart charity says the re-writing of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor? has "absolutely nothing to do with political correctness".

The charity says that the shift from drunken sailor to "grumpy pirate" was to make the rhyme fit a pirate theme, rather than censorship.

"Put him in the brig until he's sober," has also been lost in the new version.

This latest ideological spat over nursery rhymes was sparked by the re-writing of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor.

...

Baa-baa

This is the latest in a series of disputes over nursery rhymes.

Peace Now: Settlements expanded faster in 2008

published by You on 29 January, 2009 - 23:52

Peace Now: Settlements expanded faster in 2008

On day US Mideast envoy arrives in Israel, Peace Now movement publishes report on settlement expansion activity last year. Yesha Council pleased with 'documentation of Zionist enterprise'

Jewish settlements and outposts in the West Bank expanded more rapidly in 2008 than the previous year, Peace now reported on Wednesday. The timing of the report is no coincidence, and it was released on the day US Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell was scheduled to arrive in Israel.

Mitchell has spoken out against the illegal construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in the past.

The worlds best complain letter?

published by You on 29 January, 2009 - 19:53

And they say that brits don't know how to complain...

Virgin: the world's best passenger complaint letter?

Dear Mr Branson

REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008

I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.

Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at thehands of your corporation.

Look at this Richard. Just look at it:

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