| Columns - Situation Report
The truth, they say, is the first casualty of war. In more than two decades of the separatist war in Sri Lanka, this axiom has been proved right many a time. If one were to add up the casualty figures put out by Government officials since inception, it would have wiped out the population of Jaffna twice over. There would be no one left. On the other hand, if all the casualty figures for the Security Forces, given by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are added up, a sizeable segment of the Security Forces would have been wiped out. That is not true either. However, in the dissemination of information on the Government side, there has been a rapid transformation. At first the military fought the war and the Department of Information disseminated the information to the media, both local and foreign.
Overdose deaths on the rise, CDC says
The investigation into actor Heath Ledger's death Monday as a possible drug overdose is bringing attention to a nationwide health crisis: Overdose fatalities have risen dramatically in the United States since 1999, largely because of prescription drugs.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unintentional poisoning deaths -- 95% of which are drug overdoses -- increased from 12,186 in 1999 to 20,950 in 2004.
And during that time, prescription drugs overtook cocaine and heroin combined as the leading cause of lethal overdoses, said Dr. Len Paulozzi, a CDC injury prevention expert.
Overdose deaths have been increasing since the early 1990s. But the recent rise has been so dramatic that it is driving the first sustained increase in 25 years in the nation's overall injury death rate, Paulozzi wrote in a study published last month.
40m IPTV households expected worldwide by 2010
BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch has revealed that the group is developing a "hybrid" media model using its satellite and digital terrestrial platforms to allow subscribers to access content seamlessly from TVs, PCs or mobiles. In an FT.com interview, Murdoch also rejected claims that his aggressive strategy had exposed it to possible regulatory punishment, saying: "When we go out there and we say we're going to challenge some of those big incumbent telecoms companies who've been charging too much money for too little to too many customers for way too long, we think that's good for customers. Ultimately, we think that really matters from a regulatory perspective as well. Our customers [are] free agents in this."
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40m IPTV households expected worldwide by 2010 Forecasts from analyst firm Canalys indicate the IPTV market will see rapid growth over the next three years, driven by telecom operatorsÂ’ desire to boost ARPU (average revenue per user) and counter the growing threat from competing triple-play providers.
Loans Emerging from your Property
Loans against residential property are the cheapest options available to the homeowners. These loan plans can offer more loan amount at lower rate of interest. A loan against your home is granted only when you are willing to pledge it as a security, and therefore, there are chances of losing it if you fail to repay the loan in time. Hence, before deciding, you would like to ensure that you can afford the loan, and comfortably make the repayment. Lenders can sanction the full amount of equity present in your residential property as loan amount, though generally it is only restricted to a certain percentage. If you opt for a secured loan of longer period, the instalments will be smaller, but the quantum of interest will become larger. You have to make the choice according to your need and requirement, and choose the lender that caters to your requirement.
Leopard upgrade helps polish any Apple
Reviewing computer operating systems is the most challenging task a person with a cool job like this handles. The reason: Everyone uses a computer in a different way.
The programs I like to use on my computer, someone else may not care for. Likewise, I never had much affinity for certain tasks -- let's call them spreadsheets -- while other folks become simply giddy when they learn a new way to sort cells on Excel.
So keep that in mind as I write why Apple's new operating system upgrade, called Leopard, continues to make Mac computers the easiest and most enjoyable to use.
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Homeowners deluge mortgage brokers
For people like Shari De Cambra of Chino Hills, the rate cut provided the opportunity she was looking for to trade the uncertainty of her adjustable rate loan for the security of a mortgage with a fixed rate of 5.25% for 30 years. I dont want to ever do it again, said De Cambra, who teaches math at Diamond Bar High School, said of her third refinance. Every time it costs you money. .
Laws for dodgy brokers can't be fast-tracked
In November, NSW Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney unveiled a draft bill to reform the mortgage and finance broking industry in Australia. Under the reforms, brokers would be subject to a licensing process, in a bid to screen out operators with a history of dodgy lending practices. The reforms, drafted on behalf of all states and territories under a Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA) agreement, will be voted on by the various Australian governments at a ministerial meeting set down for April or May. Ms Burney said the legislation would come into force at the end of this year, or early in 2009. Opposition fair trading spokeswoman Catherine Cusack slammed the delay, calling for both the meeting and the legislation's enactment to be brought forward.
Donation youth suffers neurological disorder Pool company helping ...
Ervin Wible can laugh about almost anything. Even a debilitating, life-threatening disease. The 18-year-old Stafford County resident was diagnosed two years ago with paraneoplastic neurological disorder, a disease that attacked his nerves and left him unable to walk. Still, the Germanna Community College student finds humor in an otherwise devastating condition. "Just because I'm crippled doesn't mean I can't put a foot in your side," Wible joked with his girlfriend of six months, Erin Arthur. It's moments like these that help the Wible family, including mom Ginger and dad Ervin Wible III, get through the more trying times. Wible has been sick off and on over the past year, culminating in a seizure in January--his worst emergency to date.
Talk of the Times: Gourmet groceries come in from the cold
Pinky the elephant, a 5,000-pound fiberglass and concrete pachyderm, has found a home in Gloucester.Washington Street drivers may have noticed his pink trunk peeking out from behind the R.B. Strong building at the corner of Bond Street. He's new to Gloucester and a conspicuous presence among the trucks in the lot.Pinky was a fixture at a Chrysler-Jeep dealership on Route 114 in Peabody for nearly 30 years but had to go once the owners sold the place in September. For a while, they feared they'd have to send Pinky out of state, to bidders in New York. Sara Medeiros, whose husband Jim and son Jim Jr. have owned and run the dealership for 31 years, hoped to keep him on the North Shore.The Medeiros family paid $10,000 to bring Pinky from Maine to Peabody in 1978. He's a well-traveled elephant, having also once made his home in Cocoa Beach, Fla.According to Sara Medeiros, Ronald Strong, owner of R.B.
Stayaway Reebok fans: What's the answer?
We complain when things don't go well and have the audacity to pick and choose which matches we attend. Well after the game on Sunday, is it any wonder? I have been a season ticket holder for many years and go to all home games but don't travel away as I think football is too expensive. Over the years we have had some great atmospheres at the Reebok but the place seems like it has died. No doubt the United match will be the same. No atmosphere and a resignation that we are here on one of our 'free games'. The board are looking at new ways of delivering the product to our fans. What a crock of ****. What is wrong with a winning team or a team that gets beaten, but at least has a bloody good go? A set of fans that gets behind the team whatever the situation. It can be done, I bet a large proportion of those that went to Munich didn't expect a draw or a win.
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