Abu Dhabi court jails Syrian prostitute ring leader

The ringleader of a Syrian prostitute-smuggling ring in the United Arab Emirates has been jailed for life.An Abu Dhabi court found the man, identified by his initials SS, guilty of luring women to the UAE from Morocco and forcing them to work in brothels.

In January 13 Syrians were also jailed for being part of the same ring.

The ringleader was reported to have fled the country while his accomplices were arrested, but he was picked by the police when he returned to the country.

The man’s wife was one of the main witnesses for the prosecution.

She told the court he had forced her into prostitution three months after they married.BeatenThe Moroccan women – some as young as 19 – had been lured with the promise of well-paid work.

The women were told they had to work as prostitutes to pay back the money it had allegedly cost to bring them from Morocco.

They said they had been locked up, beaten, starved and then chauffeured under guard to clients in hotels and homes.

Abu Dhabi police raided three flats after one of the women escaped from a villa in Al Bateen, where she was being held, in October last year.

The ringleader was initially convicted in absentia after he fled, but was given a retrial after his capture.

via BBC News – Abu Dhabi court jails Syrian prostitute ring leader.

More than one million people, the majority of them women and children, are smuggled across international borders to work in near slavery every year, the US state department says.

Its 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report lists more than 170 countries which it claims are not doing enough to tackle the problem.

via makkah.wordpress.com

A friend of mine is being offered a well paid teaching job in Abu Dhabi. There is a two year contract. She had a job interview today with a woman in San Francisco after a phone interview. I’m freaked out. Any advice?

Distant gas blob threatens to shake nature’s constants

The basic constants of nature aren’t called constants for nothing. Physics is supposed to work the same way across the universe and over all of time. Now measurements of the radio spectra of a distant gas cloud hint that some fundamental quantities might not be fixed after all, raising the possibility that a radical rethink of the standard model of particle physics may one day be needed.

The evidence comes from observations of a dense gas cloud some 2.9 billion light years away which has a radio source, the active supermassive black hole PKS 1413+135, right behind it. Hydroxyl radicals in the gas cloud absorb the galaxy’s radio energy at certain wavelengths and emit it again at different wavelengths. This results in so-called “conjugate” features in the radio spectrum of the gas, with a dip in intensity corresponding to absorption and an accompanying spike corresponding to emission.

The dip and spike have the same shape, which shows that they arise from the same gas. But Nissim Kanekar of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics in Pune, India, and colleagues found that the gap in frequency between the two was smaller than the properties of hydroxyl radicals would lead us to expect.

The gap depends on three fundamental constants: the ratio of the mass of the proton to the mass of the electron, the ratio that measures a proton’s response to a magnetic field, and the fine-structure constant, alpha, which governs the strength of the electromagnetic force. The discrepancy in the size of the gap thus amounts to “tentative evidence” that one or more of these constants may once have been different in this region of space, Kanekar says.

The change in these constants, if genuine, is tiny. For example, if a change in alpha were solely responsible for the discrepancy, the measurements suggest alpha would have been just 0.00031 per cent smaller 3 billion years ago than today (The Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol 716, p L23). But even such a small effect would require “a new, more fundamental theory of particle physics” to explain it, says Michael Murphy of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

Measurements by Murphy and colleagues of visible light from distant quasars absorbed by intervening gas clouds have also hinted alpha was smaller in the past. But it was never certain that the light measured all came from the same region. “That’s a critical assumption,” says Murphy.

“Radio measurements currently appear to be the most promising avenue for a secure detection of fine-structure constant evolution,” says Jeffrey Newman of the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “I wouldn’t call this more than a hint, though. It’s the first application of a new technique.”

The subtle discrepancy found by Kanekar’s team might be caused by “contamination” from light from another patch of gas. Last month, the team began using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico to rule this out. …

via Distant gas blob threatens to shake nature’s constants – physics-math – 04 June 2010 – New Scientist.

Tibetans Are Genetically Adapted to Their Country – So that they can survive its thin air

One of the things that stand out most about Tibet is that the country is located at a very high altitude. The air there is therefore very thin, and visitors find it difficult to breathe. As such, altitude sickness is very common among visitors and tourists. In a paper published in the May 13 issue of the top journal Science, researchers showed that Tibetans are in fact genetically adapted to living in their country. Their bodies are especially equipped to handle the lower oxygen concentrations, and so they experience little to no side effects from the high altitude, LiveScience reports.

In a new investigation, the spot in the human genome that underlies this ability was pinpointed. The work showed that people living in Tibet tend to exhibit a variant of a gene that is in charge of determining the level of hemoglobin in the blood. This is the protein that binds to oxygen, carrying the chemical from the lungs to every cell in the human body. By producing low quantities of the stuff in the blood, the bodies of Tibetans become capable of enduring low atmospheric oxygen concentrations, the team behind the new study says.

“Altitude affects your thinking, your breathing, and your ability to sleep. But high-altitude natives don’t have these problems. They’re able to live a healthy life, and they do it completely comfortably,” explains Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) expert Cynthia Beall. She is also the coauthor of the study detailing the findings, which is published in the latest issue of the esteemed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Tibetans tend to live at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet (about 3,050 meters), and sometimes even more.

People that only go to high altitudes occasionally respond to the lower oxygen concentrations by producing more hemoglobin. However, this is not always a good thing, as so many proteins of this type could represent an indicator of a condition characterized by thick and viscous blood. Called chronic mountain sickness, the disease can have negative consequences on the body, but Tibetans do not develop it. “Tibetans can live as high as 13,000 feet without the elevated hemoglobin concentrations we see in other people,” Beall explains.

Blood samples from about 200 Tibetan villagers revealed that the gene called EPAS1 was most likely responsible for this trait. “This is the first human gene locus for which there is hard evidence for genetic selection in Tibetans,” explains Oxford University expert Peter Robbins, also a coauthor of the PNAS paper. “Many patients, young and old, are affected by low oxygen levels in their blood – perhaps from lung disease, or heart problems. Some cope much better than others. Studies like this are the start in helping us to understand why, and to develop new treatments,” concludes Hugh Montgomery, a professor at the University College London, in the UK, and a study coauthor.

via Tibetans Are Genetically Adapted to Their Country – So that they can survive its thin air – Softpedia.

Ancient Beehives Yield 3,000-Year-Old Bees

Honeybee remains found in a 3,000-year-old apiary have given archaeologists a one-of-a-kind window into the beekeeping practices of the ancient world.

“Beekeeping is known only from a few Egyptian sources, from a few tombs and paintings. No actual hives have been found,” said Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Amihai Mazar.

The hives were uncovered in 2007 at an excavation in Tel Rehov, Israel, home to the flourishing Bronze and Iron Age city of Rehov. Mazar and his team found more than 100 hives, capable of housing an 1.5 million bees and producing half a ton of honey.

In a paper published June 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers analyzed bees preserved in honeycomb that was charred, but not completely burnt by fire that likely destroyed the rest of the apiary.

Unfortunately for would-be makers of ancient honey, heat damaged the bees’ DNA, making it impossible to revive their genes in modern bees. But the researchers were at least able to identify them as Apis mellifera anatoliaca, a subspecies found only in what is now Turkey. It’s possible that A. m. anatoliaca’s range has changed, but more likely that Rehov’s beekeepers traded for them.

Local bees are notoriously difficult to handle. During the 20th century, when beekeepers tried to establish a modern industry in Tel Rehov, they ended up importing A. m. anatoliaca — a literally sweet example of history repeating itself. …

via Ancient Beehives Yield 3,000-Year-Old Bees | Wired Science | Wired.com.

Dr Kelly’s ‘suicide’ questionable. At last, we may get answers

The death of the former Iraq weapons inspector Dr David Kelly seven years ago caused a political firestorm that profoundly destabilised the Blair government.

Dr Kelly was found dead in the woods near his home after he had been named as the source of an explosive BBC report that claimed the Government had ‘sexed up’ the evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

In the high-profile inquiry chaired by Lord Hutton into the circumstances surrounding Dr Kelly’s death, the one thing that was never queried was the premise that he had committed suicide. This was taken as read, and many believed his ‘outing’ had driven him to take his own life.

Secrecy

Yet now the new Attorney-General Dominic Grieve has let it be known that he may order an inquiry to look again at the assumption that Dr Kelly died by his own hand. At the same time, the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke is said to be considering a request to release the medical files relating to the scientist’s death.

This is all very much to be welcomed as potentially shedding light on an intensely controversial event that has grown ever more murky as the years have rolled on.

It was especially puzzling, for example, that, as was revealed earlier this year, Lord Hutton quietly ensured the evidence relating to Dr Kelly’s death was to remain a classified state secret until 2073.

Given that Dr Kelly had been closely involved in the most sensitive of intelligence work, it would not be surprising if certain evidence given to the inquiry in closed session was to be kept secret in order not to compromise security sources.

But Lord Hutton went much further than this and classified all the medical and scientific records connected with Dr Kelly’s death, the post mortem report and photographs of his body.

This inexplicable secrecy can excite only suspicion that the authorities have something very bad indeed to hide. So an inquiry would be welcome if it kills off such speculation.

Nevertheless, such a move by the Attorney-General would raise many eyebrows. For it suggests that the real scandal over Dr Kelly was one that was totally missed in all the sound and fury of the Hutton inquiry.

Until now, those claiming Dr Kelly did not commit suicide have been regarded as off-the-wall conspiracy theorists. …

via I’ve long thought that Dr Kelly’s ‘suicide’ was questionable. Now, at last, we may get some answers | Mail Online.

Mr. Lobo to host Conspiracy Con X 2010

Mr. Lobo is a friend of a friend of mine who sent me a link to this http://conspiracycon.com/.

Part of the conspiracy is that the conference happened two days ago and I completely missed it. ( Santa Clara Marriott June 5 – 6, 2010 ).

Mr. Lobo, your modern day guide to the unknown, is the innovative host of the nationally syndicated television series CINEMA INSOMNIA, which explores strange and unusual films of all genres. He is also among the most well known and active horror hosts of the 2000′s—working with Bob Wilkins of CREATURE FEATURES and Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark. Lobo has long been sought after for his Rod Serlingesque narration, most recently for the documentary VIRGINIA CREEPERS. An active actor, Lobo has also appeared in many Science Fiction and genre Horror films, including AMERICAN SCARY, MARK OF THE DAMNED and in the upcoming remake of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE in which he again reprises his role of the Serlingesque guide to the unknown as the mysterious psychic Criswell. Very active in the community, Lobo also makes numerous appearances at conventions around the country and is a favorite guest on paranormal radio talk shows, like SHADOWS OF THE DARK and COAST TO COAST AM with George Noory, to name a few.

Wikileaks site unfazed by arrest of US army ‘source’

Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has said that the detention of an alleged confidential source by the US military does not compromise its work.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange told BBC News that other potential whistle-blowers should not be put off from sending material to the site.

The US has detained US military analyst Bradley Manning on suspicion of leaking classified material to the site.

Mr Assange would not confirm whether Mr Manning was a source.

“We endeavour to protect our sources,” he told BBC News. “We do not know if Mr Manning is a source, but we understand there are allegations that are being taken seriously so we are naturally inclined to try to defend [him].”

The US army in Iraq has said that Specialist (Spc) Manning was in Kuwait and had been “placed in pre-trial confinement for allegedly releasing classified information”.

One video reportedly posted to the site by Mr Manning shows a US Apache helicopter killing up to 12 people – including two Reuters journalists – during an attack in Baghdad in 2007. Two children were also seriously injured in the assault on the group, which contained some armed men.

‘Sacred oath’

Mr Manning’s identity was reportedly revealed to the US authorities by a former high-profile hacker, Adrian Lamo, whom Mr Manning had contacted via e-mail and instant messenger.

During the course of their conversations, Mr Lamo told BBC News, Mr Manning boasted about handing over military videos and 260,000 classified US embassy messages to Wikileaks.

“At the moment he gave me the information, it was basically a suicide pact,” Mr Lamo said.

He handed his name to US authorities because of concerns over US national security and because he did not want to be found to have been “obstructing justice” in the course of any investigation.

“I didn’t want any more FBI agents knocking at the door,” he said.

Mr Lamo has previously been convicted for hacking into the New York Times, Yahoo and Microsoft. He now works as a journalist and security analyst. …

via BBC News – Wikileaks site unfazed by arrest of US army ‘source’.

A US military analyst, Bradley Manning, has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified combat video and documents to a whistle-blower website.

Specialist Manning, 22, was detained during a tour of duty in Iraq, and is being held in Kuwait pending further investigations.

The WikiLeaks website posted a video which it says shows the US military shooting civilians in Baghdad in 2007.

It has not confirmed Spc Manning as its source for the helicopter footage.

News of his arrest first broke on the Wired.com website.

A former hacker said he had turned the analyst in out of concern for US national security. – bbc

Mystery gray whale sighted again off Spain coast

A mysterious gray whale sighted off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea has been seen again off the north east coast of Spain.

The second sighting, made 23 days and 3000km after the first, has continued to perplex whale experts.

Gray whales were thought to be extinct across the Atlantic Ocean, so the appearance of an individual within the Mediterranean Sea was a major surprise.

Now it is not clear where the whale is heading or why.

Once, three major populations of gray (also spelt grey) whale existed: in the western and eastern North Pacific Ocean, and in the North Atlantic.

However, the North Atlantic population of gray whale became extinct sometime in the 17th or 18th Century, for reasons that are not clear.

No sightings of the species had been made in the Atlantic Ocean since.

That was until a single individual gray whale was sighted off the coast of Herzliya Marina, Israel on 9 May this year.

That sighting excited and bemused experts: it could either mean that the gray whale had recolonised the Atlantic Ocean, or that a single gray whale had shattered the record for the longest known migration by the species, which usually make a round trip of 15-20,000km each year.

via BBC – Earth News – Mystery gray whale sighted again off Spain coast.

Here is my comment on this:

Snakes in mysterious global decline

Snakes may be declining across the world, according to a global study.

Researchers examined records for 17 snake populations covering eight species over the last few decades, and found most had declined markedly.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, some populations shrank in number abruptly around 1998.

Writing in the journal Biology Letters, the researchers describe the findings as “alarming” but say much more work is needed to understand the causes.

“This is the first time that data has been analysed in this way, and what we’ve shown is that in different parts of the world we seem to have this steep decline in a short period,” said project leader Chris Reading.

“It surprised us when we realised what we were looking at,” he told BBC News.

“And we don’t have a clue what it was about that period of time (around 1998).”

Dr Reading’s team at the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology ran the study with institutions in Australia, France, Italy and Nigeria. …

Populations shrank even in protected areas, suggesting that the progressive loss of habitat for wild animals being seen all over the world is not the only cause.

Similar steep declines observed in frogs and newts in an earlier period were eventually found to be caused by the fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

The year when many of the snake declines began – 1998 – raises the question of whether climatic factors might be involved, as very strong El Nino conditions contributed to making it the hottest year recorded in modern times.

Dr Reading’s research group suggests many causes might be involved, and is appealing to other researchers to come forward with any more long-term datasets that might broaden the picture.

“The purpose of this paper was to say ‘this is what we’ve found’, and to say to other herpetologists ‘now go and look at your own data’,” he said. …

via BBC News – Snakes in mysterious global decline.

A Historic Moment for Health Care?

For many, the health care overhaul, which was approved by the House, 219 to 212, and will be signed into law by President Obama, is far from perfect. For some, it’s a disgrace. But for others, it’s a bold effort that expands health care to more Americans than ever in the nation’s history. Whatever the assessments, today’s vote in the House represented change.

Is this legislation as significant as the creation of Medicare? Will it fundamentally alter the social safety net? …

Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate and the author, most recently, of “Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!”

The health insurance legislation is a major political symbol wrapped around a shredded substance. It does not provide coverage that is universal, comprehensive or affordable. It is a remnant even of its own initially compromised self — bereft of any public option, any safeguard for states desiring a single payer approach, any adequate antitrust protections, any shift of power toward consumers to defend themselves, any regulation of insurance prices, any authority for Uncle Sam to bargain with drug companies, and any reimportation of lower-priced drugs.

Most of the health insurance coverage mandated by this legislation does not come into effect until 2014, by which time 180,000 Americans will die because they were unable to afford health insurance to cover treatment and diagnosis, according to Harvard Medical School researchers.

The bill’s 2,000 pages afford many opportunities for insurance companies to further their strategy of maximizing profits by denying claims, restricting the benefits of their present customers, and the benefits of the new customers who are mandated to buy their policies, all backed by hundreds of billions of dollars of federal subsidies.

Its main saving grace is that it is so inadequate and so delayed in implementation that the position supported by the majority of people, physicians and nurses –- full Medicare for all –- will have abundant opportunities to build around the country. The spiraling price hikes by the insurance industry are sure to spur the single payer movement to new popularity. (See singlepayeraction.org) …

via A Historic Moment for Health Care? – Room for Debate Blog – NYTimes.com.