$4 Billion Worth of Power Used In Standby Mode

'Vampire' Sucks Power

A force as insidious as Dracula is quietly sucking a nickel of every dollar's worth of the electricity that seeps from your home's outlets. Insert the little fangs of your cell phone charger in the outlet and leave it there, phone attached: That's "vampire" electronics. Allow your computer to hide in the cloak of darkness known as "standby mode" rather than shutting it off: That's vampire electronics. The latest estimates show 5 percent of electricity used in the United States goes to standby power, a phenomenon energy efficiency experts find all the more terrifying as energy prices rise and the planet warms. That amounts to about $4 billion a year.

Vision Of A Students Day

Limited Resources and Over Populated

UN Issues 'Final Wake-Up Call'

The human population is living far beyond its means and inflicting damage on the environment that could pass points of no return, according to a major report issued Thursday by the United Nations. Climate change, the rate of extinction of species and the challenge of feeding a growing population are among the threats putting humanity at risk, the UN Environment Program said in its fourth Global Environmental Outlook since 1997. "The human population is now so large that the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available at current consumption patterns," Achim Steiner, the executive director of the program, said in a telephone interview. Efficient use of resources and reducing waste now are "among the greatest challenges at the beginning of 21st century," he said.

Diet May Not Be Your Choice

Diet Choices 'Written In Genes'

Our genes and not just our upbringing may play a key role in our food likes and dislikes, UK researchers believe.

Obesity A Global Issue

Obesity 'epidemic' Turns Global

People are getting fatter in all parts of the world, with the possible exception of south and east Asia, a one-day global snapshot shows. Between half and two-thirds of men and women in 63 countries across five continents - not including the US - were overweight or obese in 2006

Israel Must Be Ready

Meridor: We Must Be Ready

Israeli Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor declared Monday that Israel should always be prepared "to preempt, to deter and to defeat if we can" when speaking about the threats facing the country. Chief among those threats was Iran, said Meridor, who called for a unified international as well as domestic American front to counter the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.

Chinese Space Weapon

China To Test Space Weapon

A Chinese submarine will send test signals that could change the course of a satellite when China launches its first moon orbiter, as part of the country's effort to develop space war technology, a human rights watchdog said Tuesday.

Cheney: US Will Not Let Iran Go Nuclear

Cheney: US Will Not Let Iran Go Nuclear

The United States and other nations will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday. "Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions," Cheney said in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Studies. He said Iran's efforts to pursue technology that would allow them to build a nuclear weapon are obvious and that "the regime continues to practice delay and deceit in an obvious effort to buy time."

World War 3 If Iran Allowed To Go Nuclear

George Bush Warns Putin

President George W Bush has raised the spectre of "World War Three" breaking out if Iran was allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Mr Bush was speaking hours after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, proposed an end to the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Teheran. Mr Bush said: "We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. "So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War Three, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

$100 Per Barrel Around The Corner

Oil Hits New High At $90

After a breathtaking week in which crude prices notched records every day, oil pierced the $90 US mark for the first time Friday and opened the door for a run to triple-digit territory. Oil prices have charged ahead almost $12 US -- about 15 per cent -- in the past two weeks on fears of a winter supply crunch and a weakening U.S. dollar, combined with renewed tensions in the Middle East. A hundred dollars is going to happen, the question is when," Phil Flynn, an analyst with Alaron Trading in Chicago, said in an interview. "There's still some variables out there. . . If we do get an event or a disruption of supply we could see $100 next week."

Genetics And Intelligence?

Race, Hate and DNA

Professor James D. Watson, the man who shared the 1962 Nobel prize for physiology and medicine for discovering the structure of DNA, is "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa". But to him, the root cause of the continent's problems doesn't lie with the crippling levels of national debt, the endemic corruption or the AIDS crisis. To him, the real cause of Africa's woes is that black people are inherently less intelligent than other races.

Google Wants To Know Everything About You

Google. Who's Looking At You?

In the blissed-out California sunshine, the glistening glass-and-steel curves of the Googleplex seem to sweep you up off the pavement with the promise of a glimpse into the future..

Robert Gates "We Must Protect Space"

China ASAT Test Exposed US Vulnerabilities

Defense Secretary Robert Gates Wednesday said a Chinese anti-satellite test earlier this year exposed US vulnerabilities in space and he called on the military to protect "unfettered" US access to space. Gates referred to the Chinese anti-satellite test at a change of command ceremony at the US Strategic Command, which is responsible for US nuclear forces, missile defense and military operations in space and cyberspace. "The importance of maintaining unfettered access to space was reinforced earlier this year when China successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon," Gates said.

"How Many People Are You Willing To Sacrifice"

Iran To Fire '11,000 rockets in Minute'

Iran warned on Saturday it would fire off 11,000 rockets at enemy bases within the space of a minute if the United States launched military action against the Islamic republic. "In the first minute of an invasion by the enemy, 11,000 rockets and cannons would be fired at enemy bases," said a brigadier general in the elite Revolutionary Guards, Mahmoud Chaharbaghi. "This volume and speed of firing would continue," added Chaharbaghi, who is commander of artillery and missiles of the Guards' ground forces, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Sleepwalking Into An "Obesogenic" Society

Obesity 'Not Individuals' Fault'

Individuals can no longer be held responsible for obesity and government must act to stop Britain "sleepwalking" into a crisis, a report has concluded. The largest ever UK study into obesity, backed by government and compiled by 250 experts, said excess weight was now the norm in our "obesogenic" society. Dramatic and comprehensive action was required to stop the majority of us becoming obese by 2050, they said.

Blair: Iran Backing And Financing Terror

Iran Backing Terror

UK ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair has accused Iran of backing terrorism and warned the world faces a situation akin to "rising fascism in the 1920s". Mr Blair told a charity event in New York that Iran was prepared to destabilise peaceful countries. In his first major speech since leaving office, Mr Blair again defended the decision to go to war in Iraq. He urged continued vigilance by the United States, Britain and their allies in combating the threat of extremism.

US ISP Trying to Slow File Sharing

U.S. ISP blocking BitTorrent Users

Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally. The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed through nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves company computers masquerading as those of its users.

In Iraq For Oil

Oil motive in Iraq, Putin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the motives for U.S.-led operations in Iraq centered on control over the country's oil reserves.“In my opinion, one of the goals, of course, was to put that country’s oil under control,” Putin said in a call-in interview with Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency.

Bombarded With Distraction

Kids bombarded With Media Distractions

From cellphones to webcams, iPods and blogs, kids are faced with a barrage of media distractions that have the potential to hurt their grades and damage their relationships, according to a new study.The study from the Ottawa-based Vanier Institute of the Family, "Good Servant, Bad Master: Electronic Media and the Family" looked at how technology is affecting Canadian families.

Canadians In Debt Denial

Canadians In Debt Denial: CGAs
Many Canadians seem to be oblivious to the dangers posed by spiralling debt and low savings rates, the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada says in a report.The survey commissioned by CGA-Canada found that a quarter of those who answered didn't think an interest rate hike would hurt them financially. The survey also found that about a quarter of Canadians don't save any money at all, even for retirement. So it came as little surprise that about one in five said they wouldn't be able to handle an unforeseen expenditure of $5,000.

Worst Polluted Places On Earth

Worst Polluted Place On Earth

Institute, an NGO that works to solve pollution problems in the developing world, has released its second annual list of the World’s Most polluted Places. This year’s list includes two sites each in China, India and Russia, and one site in Azerbaijan, Peru, Zambia and Ukraine. This threat is affecting more than 12 million people, according to the research done by Blacksmith with Green Cross in Switzerland. Those 12 million people mentioned are well open to respiratory diseases such as asthma, as well as birth defects and premature death.

Putin Warns US Against Attacking Iran

Putin Warns US Against Attacking Iran

Russian leader Vladimir Putin met his Iranian counterpart Tuesday and implicitly warned the U.S. not to use a former Soviet republic to stage an attack on Iran. He also said countries bordering the Caspian Sea must jointly back any oil pipeline projects in the region.

Oil Skyrocketing

Oil Rises Above $86 To A Record

Crude oil rose above $86 a barrel for the first time in New York on concern Turkish forces may pursue Kurdish militants in Iraq, curbing shipments as refiners prepare for the peak-demand heating season. Prices climbed as much as 3 percent because Turkey's military may attack Kurdish bases in Iraq, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves.

CEO's Overpaid?

We Are Overpaid, Say US Executives
Most US corporate leaders believe chief executives are overpaid and do not provide value for money for their com­panies, according to a study that will embolden critics of excessive compensation. The findings to be published today by the National Association of Corporate Directors are likely to strengthen calls by investors and politicians, including George W. Bush, US president, for restraint on executive pay at a time of growing income inequality in the US.

Iraq Is A Nightmare With No End In Sight

Sanchez, former U.S. commander in Iraq

“There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight,” retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told a convention of military journalists on Friday. Sanchez commanded U.S. troops in Iraq from June 2003 to July 2004. His controversial tenure saw the capture of Saddam Hussein and the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi government, but also the rise of the insurgency and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Peace Prize for Climate Change Work
“I will accept this award on behalf of all the people that have been working so long and so hard to try to get the message out about this planetary emergency,”

Ron Paul.. A New Hope For America

Lake Of Fire

Body Scanner

New Scanner May Replace Metal Detectors

The federal government will begin testing a body-scanning machine that could eventually be used instead of the metal detectors passengers walk through at airports. Tests were scheduled to begin Thursday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with passengers pulled out of the security line for secondary screening. Passengers may request the full-body scan - which blurs faces so the person being screened cannot be recognized - instead of the traditional pat-down used across the country. The new machine uses radio waves to detect foreign objects.

Cash Strapped America

Foreclosure Filings Nearly Double
Foreclosure filings across the U.S. nearly doubled last month compared with September 2006, as financially strapped homeowners already behind on mortgage payments defaulted on their loans or came closer to losing their homes to foreclosure, a real estate information company said Thursday. A total of 223,538 foreclosure filings were reported in September, up from 112,210 in the same month a year ago, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac Inc.

Alberta's Oil Sands An Environmental Disaster

Doomsday: Alberta Stands Accused
Left unfettered, Alberta's energy sector will, by the end of this century, transform the southern part of the province into a desert and its north into a treeless, toxic swamp. Driven both by global warming and oil and gas developments, temperatures in Alberta will soar by as much as eight degrees. The Athabasca River will slow to a trickle, parching the remainder of the province's forests and encouraging them to burst into flame, generating vast quantities of CO2. "They're going to be the architects of their own destruction," says journalist William Marsden, whose new book outlines the environmental threats posed by Alberta's energy industry.

Our Perception of Beauty

Greenspan: Higher Interest, Higher Inflation

Are The Good Times Gone For Good?

One of the most influential figures in the world economy, former US central bank chairman Alan Greenspan, has warned that the good times are over for the world economy. Mr Greenspan, who played a key role in managing the US economy as head of the Federal Reserve from 1986 to 2006, says that higher interest rates and higher inflation are more likely in the future, leading to slower economic growth and lower housing and share prices.

Is Your PC Secure?

Consumers Think Their PCs Are Secure

A study shows that while 94% of consumers say they're running antivirus software, 48% actually have let it expire, and are running fully exposed.

Arctic Ice Lowest Since Measurements Began

May Have Fallen By 50 Percent Since 1950s

Arctic sea ice during the 2007 melt season plummeted to the lowest levels since satellite measurements began in 1979, according to researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center.The average sea ice extent for the month of September was 1.65 million square miles (4.28 million square kilometers), the lowest September on record, shattering the previous record for the month by 23 percent, which was set in 2005. At the end of the melt season, September 2007 sea ice was 39 percent below the long-term average from 1979 to 2000.

Stallone "Unspeakable Atrocities"

Stallone and Crew Saw Myanmar Aftermath
Sylvester Stallone says he and his "Rambo" sequel movie crew recently witnessed the human toll of unspeakable atrocities while filming along the Myanmar border. "I witnessed the aftermath - survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land-mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off," Stallone told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday. "We hear about Vietnam and Cambodia and this was more horrific." The 61-year-old actor-director returned to the U.S. eight days ago from shooting "John Rambo," the fourth movie in the action series, on the Salween River separating Thailand and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Israel Confirms Syrian Strike

Israel Lifts Veil of Secrecy
Israel decided Tuesday to lift the strict veil of secrecy over an air strike in Syria last month. The censor announced that it was allowing the Israeli media to report on the raid without attributing such reports to foreign sources. The censor did not release any other details of the raid for publicationIsrael has kept quiet on the subject until now. However, Syrian President Bashar Assad told the BBC on Monday that IAF jets had hit an "unused military building" in his country.