U.S. High Speed Internet..Sucks!

Americans Surfing on a Slower Web
By Leslie Cauley
USA Today

(June 26) - The U.S. trails other industrialized nations in high-speed Internet access and may never catch up unless quick action is taken by public-policymakers, a report commissioned by the Communications Workers of America warns.

The median U.S. download speed now is 1.97 megabits per second — a fraction of the 61 megabits per second enjoyed by consumers in Japan, says the report released Monday. Other speedy countries include South Korea (median 45 megabits), France (17 megabits) and Canada (7 megabits).

"We have pathetic speeds compared to the rest of the world," CWA President Larry Cohen says. "People don't pay attention to the fact that the country that started the commercial Internet is falling woefully behind."

Speed matters on the Internet. A 10-megabyte file takes about 15 seconds to download with a 5-megabit connection — fast for the USA. Download time with a 545-kilobit connection, about the entry-level speed in many areas: almost 2½ hours.

Broadband speed is a function of network capacity: The more capacity you have, the more speed you can deliver. Speed, in turn, allows more and better Internet applications, such as photo sharing and video streaming. Superfast speeds are imperative for critical applications such as telemedicine.

In recent years, communities also have found that good broadband is essential to draw businesses and jobs.

For all those reasons, Cohen says, it is important for policymakers to act now: "In order to maintain our place in today's global economy -- and to create the jobs we need -- our government must act."

The CWA report is based on input from 80,000 broadband users (less than 5% of respondents used dial-up). In addition to drawing comparisons with other countries, the report ranks U.S. states on median download speeds. (Upload speeds are also rated.)

The Federal Communications Commission, which has broad sway over the emerging broadband market, defines "high speed" as 200 kilobits per second. The benchmark was adopted more than a dozen years ago when still-slower dial-up was the rule. Cohen says 200 kilobits is not even recognized as broadband in most countries today. "There is nothing speedy about it."

The FCC in April opened a proceeding that could result in the redefinition of what can be advertised as "broadband Internet service" in this country. "We're asking the question if the definition should be changed," spokeswoman Tamara Lipper says.

The comment period ended May 31, and a report from the FCC is likely in the fall.

Now YOU know why people in other countries don't want to play or communicate with us online. WE'RE TOO FREAKING SLOW!

Clark Howard, the consumer warrior, has said for along time that we were lagging behind the rest of the world in internet speed. My brother-in-law in Germany rags on me about our slow speeds compared to theirs.

Once again, we, the public and citizens of the good ole USA, get "jerked off" by the powers that be that cannot figure how much they will make. No wonder we are one of the biggest laughing stocks in the world these days.

"The more YOU know, the more YOU grow,

The more YOU grow, the further YOU go"

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Animalz": Shark Pregnant! Wonder How?

Electronic Dope! Video Game Addiction

Video Game Addiction: a New Diagnosis?
By LINDSEY TANNER

CHICAGO (AP) - The telltale signs are ominous: teens holing up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and a shower, while grades plummet and belligerence soars. The culprit isn't alcohol or drugs. It's video games, which for certain kids can be as powerfully addictive as heroin, some doctors contend.

A leading council of the nation's largest doctors' group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

In a report prepared for the American Medical Association's annual policy meeting starting Saturday in Chicago, the council asks the group to lobby for the disorder to be included in a widely used mental illness manual created and published by the American Psychiatric Association.

AMA delegates could vote on the proposal as early as Monday.

It likely won't happen without heated debate. Video game makers scoff at the notion that their products can cause a psychiatric disorder. Even some mental health experts say labeling the habit a formal addiction is going too far.

Dr. James Scully, the psychiatric association's medical director, said the group will seriously consider the AMA report in the long process of revising the diagnostic manual. The current manual was published in 1994; the next edition is to be completed in 2012.

Up to 90 percent of American youngsters play video games and as many as 15 percent of them - more than 5 million kids - may be addicted, according to data cited in the AMA council's report.

Joyce Protopapas of Frisco, Texas, said her 17-year-old son, Michael, was a video addict. Over nearly two years, video and Internet games transformed him from an outgoing, academically gifted teen into a reclusive manipulator who flunked two 10th grade classes and spent several hours day and night playing a popular online video game called World of Warcraft.

"My father was an alcoholic ... and I saw exactly the same thing" in Michael, Protopapas said. "We battled him until October of last year," she said. "We went to therapists, we tried taking the game away.
"He would threaten us physically. He would curse and call us every name imaginable," she said. "It was as if he was possessed."

When she suggested to therapists that Michael had a video game addiction, "nobody was familiar with it," she said. "They all pooh-poohed it."

Last fall, the family found a therapist who "told us he was addicted, period." They sent Michael to a therapeutic boarding school, where he has spent the past six months - at a cost of $5,000 monthly that insurance won't cover, his mother said.

A support group called On-Line Gamers Anonymous has numerous postings on its Web site from gamers seeking help. Liz Woolley, of Harrisburg, Pa., created the site after her 21-year-old son fatally shot himself in 2001 while playing an online game she says destroyed his life.

In a February posting, a 13-year-old identified only as Ian told of playing video games for nearly 12 hours straight, said he felt suicidal and wondered if he was addicted.
"I think i need help," the boy said.

Postings also come from adults, mostly men, who say video game addiction cost them jobs, family lives and self-esteem.

According to the report prepared by the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health, based on a review of scientific literature, "dependence-like behaviors are more likely in children who start playing video games at younger ages."

Overuse most often occurs with online role-playing games involving multiple players, the report says. Blizzard Entertainment's teen-rated, monster-killing World of Warcraft is among the most popular. A company spokesman declined to comment on whether the games can cause addiction.

Dr. Martin Wasserman, a pediatrician who heads the Maryland State Medical Society, said the AMA proposal will help raise awareness and called it "the right thing to do."

But Michael Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association, said the trade group sides with psychiatrists "who agree that this so-called 'video-game addiction' is not a mental disorder."

"The American Medical Association is making premature conclusions without the benefit of complete and thorough data," Gallagher said.

Dr. Karen Pierce, a psychiatrist at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, said she sees at least two children a week who play video games excessively.
"I saw somebody this week who hasn't been to bed, hasn't showered ... because of video games," she said. "He is really a mess."

She said she treats it like any addiction and creating a separate diagnosis is unnecessary.

Dr. Michael Brody, head of a TV and media committee at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, agreed. He praised the AMA council for bringing attention to the problem, but said excessive video-game playing could be a symptom for other things, such as depression or social anxieties that already have their own diagnoses.

"You could make lots of behavioral things into addictions. Why stop at video gaming?" Brody asked. Why not Blackberries, cell phones, or other irritating habits, he said.

Well, there YOU have it. What do YOU think? Are YOU, or, your kid, or , someone YOU know addicted? If YOU think they might be, YOU may want to check into a little further and help them get some help.

"The more YOU know, the more YOU grow,

The more YOU grow, the further YOU go"

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Summer Weekend: The First Of '07

When you are under the mistaken impression that you are not strong enough to endure, let the Dragon Spirit enfold you and remind you of your courage, your power, your birthright of the essence of the Creator that is the core of your Being.

Have a great weekend. Learn something new. Opyn Your Mindz!

"The more YU know, the more YU grow,

The more YU grow, the further YU go"

Bobby Sharpe www.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Drug Lingo/Code YOU NEED To Know

I read this article about how teens use the internet to share stories and get advice about "drug use". It also stated, by one young lady used-to-be user, "how clueless parents are". I actually took offense at the "clueless" remark. "Hey, kids, we are NOT clueless"! "Been there, done that."

Though not clueless, granted, "most parents DO NOT have the time to be staying on top of their kids every move to make sure they are NOT screwing up!" Kids do need to take some responsibility for their actions. Even though they may be "kids", "unless they are brain dead, they should have a clue as to what is acceptible and what is straight up WRONG". When parents, these days, are worrying about the price of gasoline, their variable rate mortgage, health care and aging parents, "they just DO NOT have the ability to shadow your every move and decision to make sure it is correct". That DOES NOT translate to clueless!

Anyway, for YOU parents that want to be a little more on "top of it", following is a list of drug "terms/lingo/code" that may help YOU understand what some of your kids are writing or talking about.

Candy flipping: getting high combining LSD and Ecstasy.

Crank: Low quality crystal meth(speed)

Crunked(ed): Getting high and drunk simultaneously(weed and beer

etc)

Dank: Especially strong type of marijuana that is sticky and hairy

DXM: Dextromethorphan hydrobromide. Drug found in over the counter cough medicine which in large amounts, causes hallucinations.

Hotboxed: Smoking herb in a confined space; i.e. a car

Krippy: Highest grade of marijuana

Skag: Heroin

Yay: Cocaine

Hopefully, these terms will help YOU decipher some of your kids communications. Hopefully, YOU, wont need them!

Don't be afraid to pry. Hey, they are YOUR KIDS and RESPONSIBILITY until adulthood. They got nothing to hide, shouldn't be a problem. They got something to hide, should be glad YOU caught them.

Feel free to leave a comment!

"The more YU know, the more YU grow,

The more YU grow, the further YU go"

Bobby Sharpe www.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Blu-Ray Disc and Blockbuster

Blockbuster to Favor Blu-Ray HD Disc

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) (BBI) will rent high-definition DVDs only in the Blu-ray format in 1,450 stores when it expands its high-def offerings next month, dealing a major blow to the rival HD DVD format.

The move, being announced Monday, could be the first step in resolving a format war that has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time.

The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbuster, told The Associated Press.

Blockbuster will continue to rent HD DVD titles in the original 250 locations and online, the Dallas-based company said.

The decision was helped in large part by the lopsided availability of titles in Blu-ray, Smith said. All major studios except one are releasing films in Blu-ray, with several, including The Walt Disney Co., releasing exclusively in Blu-ray. Only Universal Studios, which is owned by General Electric Co. (GE) (GE), exclusively supports HD DVD.

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. (TWX) (TWX), and Paramount Pictures, which is owned by Viacom Inc. (VIAB), release films in both formats.
"When you walk into a store and see all this product available in Blu-ray and there is less available on HD DVD, I think the consumer gets that," Smith said.

The rollout of Sony Corp. (SNE)'s PlayStation 3 game console, which comes standard with a Blu-ray drive, also helped give the format momentum, Smith said.

Blockbuster's decision, while significant on it's own, could boost Blu-ray even more if other retailers follow suit.
"It will help shift the balance toward Blu-ray, clearly," said Richard Doherty, president of The Envisioneering Group, a research company.

The North American HD DVD Promotional Group said Blockbuster's decision was shortsighted and skewed by the success of films released by Blu-ray studios in the first three months of the year. The group said HD DVD has since gained momentum, selling more players and popular titles such as "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "The Matrix" trilogy.

"I think trying to make a format decision using such a short time period is really not measuring what the consumer is saying," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the group.

The two formats have been battling it out since they both hit the market last year. Studios hope the high-definition discs, with their sharper picture and more room for interactive special features and games, will replace standard definition DVDs.

The formats are incompatible and neither will play on standard DVD players, although standard DVDs can be viewed with either a Blu-ray or HD DVD player.

The Blu-ray camp has been helped by the release of such huge hits as "Casino Royale,""Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Spider-Man" coming out exclusively in its format.

As the battle has unfolded, the price of the high-definition players needed to show the movies has plummeted. Toshiba Corp., the major supporter of HD DVD, is selling its player for $299 with a rebate, down from $499 when it first went on sale.

Sony, which is pushing Blu-ray, recently slashed the price of its player by more than half to $499. The player retailed for $1,000 when it first was introduced.

Blockbuster Inc.: http://www.blockbuster.com

Blu-ray Disc Association: http://www.blu-raydisc.com

Well, this sure helps in the battle for HD disc supremacy. I always had the feeling that the Blu-Ray technology would win out. However, I am still waiting for the price of the players to come down a bit. They will! Make sure YOU "do YOUR homework before YOU invest in any of the new technology"!

"The more You know, the more YOU grow,

The more YOU grow, the further YOU go",

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Giant Manta Ray Born In Captivity

Rare Giant Manta Ray Born at Aquarium
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

TOKYO (June 17) - What is believed to be the first giant manta ray born in captivity has arrived at a southern Japanese aquarium, the facility said Sunday.

The baby manta, a female, was born late Saturday in a huge fish tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, more than a year after its parents mated, the aquarium said in a statement posted Sunday on its Web site.

In a video capturing the birth, the baby manta, rolled up like a tube, came sliding out of the mother manta, then quickly spread its fins and began swimming around.

The scene, recorded by the aquarium, was broadcast by national broadcaster NHK on Sunday.

The event marks the first birth of a manta in captivity, according to the aquarium, which started raising manta rays in 1988.

Noriyasu Suzuki, an official at the Izu-Mito Sea Paradise commercial aqua zoo in western Japan, said he thought the birth in captivity could be a world first.

"I've never heard of any other case before," he said. "Aquariums that raise manta rays are rare to begin with ... because they get so big."

According to the aquarium, the newborn manta was more than six feet wide.

The mother manta, which was brought to the aquarium in 1998 after hitting a fishnet off the southern island of Okinawa, about 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo, mated with its partner on June 8, 2006, and was pregnant with the baby for 374 days, according to the statement.

Aquarium official Minoru Toda said little has been known about the life of manta rays, and the record of pregnancy and the birth would provide valuable scientific data to the studies of the species.

"We unfolded some of the mysteries about the life of manta rays, including the length of their pregnancy," Toda said. "Now we have to make sure the baby grows in good health."

This is a really cool story because it is a first apparently. Something that will probably not be happenning on a regular basis for reasons stated above.

This was the third of a 3 part series of animal postings. Hope you enjoyed and learned something. If YOU missed part 1, click the link for it Dalai Lama And Australia Zoo Part 1

Animals Rule,

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Nursing Home For Pets

Company to Open Nursing Home for Pets

TOKYO (June 13) - Japan will get its first nursing home for dogs with round-the-clock monitoring by doctors and a team of puppies to help aging pooches feel younger, a pet products company said Wednesday.

Owners pay $800 a month to keep their dogs at the Soladi Care Home for pets, which opens Friday, according to a joint release by Soladi Co. and the Endo Veterinary clinic in Tochigi, eastern Japan.

Veterinarians at the home will offer round-the-clock monitoring and residents will be fed specially fortified food, the release said.

The home, which can accept 20 dogs at one time, will also employ puppies to play with the aging dogs to help them keep fit and feel younger, the release said.

Analysts say that a boom in pet ownership in Japan, coupled with better health care and a more balanced diet, has led to a surge in elderly pets in Japan.

That has spurred doting owners to turn to vitamins, aromatherapy and even acupuncture to help their companions through their old age.

This is a really cool idea. I would do this in a minute for my Siberian. Our pets, who become family members, deserve the same kind of care we afford ourselves. And then some!

This is part 2 of the 3 part animal posting series. Click the link for part 3 Giant Manta Ray Born In Captivity

Animals Rule,

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Dalai Lama And Australia Zoo

This is the first of a 3 part series related to animals. At the end of each post, click the link to go to the next story. "The more YOU know, the more YOU grow"!

Dalai Lama Tours Zoo of Late Steve Irwin

Beerwah, Australia (AP) - The Dalai Lama toured the zoo of late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin on Wednesday, where he thanked Irwin's family for its dedication to wildlife.

Delicately handling a Burmese python and petting a frisky koala, the spiritual head of the world's Buddhists visited Australia Zoo and addressed a sold-out crowd at its open-air, arena-style "Crocoseum."

The Dalai Lama's visit ended when American-born Terri Irwin, Steve's widow, and their children, Bindi and Bob, came on stage, with Bindi carrying a koala.

The last time the place was this full was nearly nine months ago during a memorial service for Steve Irwin, who died last September when the barb from a stingray pierced his chest while he was diving at the Great Barrier Reef.

The Dalai Lama, with his long traditional red robe flapping in the wind, received a standing ovation as he took the stage at the Crocoseum. Some of the crowd - who had paid up to $42 a ticket - waved Buddhist prayer flags.

During his 30-minute address, the Dalai Lama criticized companies and organizations that "remain indifferent" to the rights of animals by experimenting on them.

He also spoke of the benefits of vegetarianism, and said he often used to buy animals to save them from slaughterhouses when he was a young man in Tibet.

This is one of the reasons I love the Dalai Lama. As I try to be, He is ONE with the animals. Which is something all of US should be.

Click the link to go to part 2 of this 3 part animal posting Nursing Home For Pets: Part 2

Animals rule,

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

'The Sopranos'-The End?

No Easy Ending for HBO's `The Sopranos'

NEW YORK (AP) - Tony Soprano carries on.

The much-awaited conclusion of HBO's "The Sopranos" arrived Sunday night in a frenzy of audience speculation. Would New Jersey mob boss Soprano live or be killed? Would his family die before his eyes? Would he go to jail? Be forced to enter witness protection? Would Brooklyn boss Phil Leotardo, who had ordered a hit on Tony, prevail?

In the end, the only ending that mattered was the one masterminded by "Sopranos" creator David Chase. And playing against viewer expectations, as always, Chase refused to stage a mass extermination, put the characters through any changes, or provide his viewers with comfortable closure. Or catharsis. After all, he declined to pass moral judgment on Tony - he reminded viewers all season what a thug Tony is, then gave him a pass.

But Chase was true to himself, and that's what made "The Sopranos" brilliant on Sunday night, and the 85 episodes that went before. The product of an artist with a bleak but illuminating vision, "The Sopranos" has always existed on its own terms. And it was seldom tidy.

The only neat development in the finale was that Leotardo was crushed. Otherwise it was perversely non-earthshaking - just one last visit with the characters we have followed so devoutly since 1999.

Here was the funeral for Bobby Bacala, Tony's soldier and brother-in-law, who was shot dead on Leotardo's orders last week. Here was Tony (series star James Gandolfini) paying a hospital visit to his gravely injured consigliere, Silvio Dante, also targeted by Leotardo.

Tony's ne'er-do-well son A.J. (Robert Iler) continued to wail about the misery in the world, and voiced a fleeting urge to join the Army and go fight in Afghanistan (Tony persuaded him to get involved in filmmaking, instead). Daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) harped on her plans to be a lawyer.

Tony visits his senile Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) at the nursing home. "You and my dad, you two ran North Jersey," Tony prompts him.
"We did?" said Uncle Junior with no sign of recognition. "That's nice."

Despite suspicions to the contrary, neither Paulie Walnuts nor Patsy Parisi sold out Tony. And neither was whacked. Dr. Melfi, who kicked Tony out of therapy last week, made no last-minute appearance.

Sure, headaches lie ahead for Tony. The Feds are still after him. And Meadow's fiance, Patsy Jr., is a lawyer who may well be pursuing cases that intrude on Tony's business interests.

So what else is new?

The finale displayed the characters continuing, for better and worse, unaffected by the fact that the series is done. The implication was, they will go on as usual. We just won't be able to watch.

Of course, Leotardo (Frank Vincent) hit a dead end after Tony located him with the help of his favorite federal agent. The execution was a quick but classic "Sopranos" scene: Pulling up at a gas station with his wife, Leotardo made a grand show of telling his two young grandchildren in the back seat to "wave bye-bye" as he emerged from his SUV. The next moment he was on the pavement, shot in the head.

Then you heard the car roll over his head. Carunnnchh! Quick, clinical, even comical, this was the only violence during the hour.

Not that Chase (who wrote and directed this episode) didn't tease viewers with the threat of death in almost every scene.

This was never more true than in the final sequence. On the surface, it was nothing more momentous than Tony, his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), Meadow and A.J. meeting for dinner at a cozy family restaurant.

When he arrived, Tony dropped a coin in the jukebox and played the classic Journey power ballad "Don't Stop Believing." Meanwhile, every moment seemed to foreshadow disaster: Suspicious-looking people coming in the door or seated at a table nearby. Meadow on the street having trouble parallel parking her car, the tires squealing against the curb. With every passing second, the audience was primed for tragedy. It was a scene both warm and fuzzy yet full of dread, setting every viewer's heart racing for no clear reason.

But nothing would happen. It was just a family gathering for dinner at a restaurant.

Then, with a jingle of the bell on the front door, Tony looked up, apparently seeing Meadow make her delayed entrance. Or could he have seen something awful - something he certainly deserved - about to come down?

Probably not. Almost certainly a false alarm. But we'll never know. With that, "The Sopranos" cut to black, leaving us enriched after eight years. And flustered. And fated to always wonder what happened next.

The Sopranos has finally ended. Or, has it? In the world of movies and television, YOU can hardly ever say "never". I mean, really, just about all of the main characters of the Sopranos remain pretty much intact. Maybe not a series continuation, but, "how about a movie or "special"? Don't think that is out of the realm of possibilities.

I did enjoy the finale alot. Especially Phil getting whacked. He always seemed on the verge of self destruction and being a major pr--k. On the other hand, I thought the cat in the finale was really cool and a nice touch by David Chase.

Peace & Soulz,

Bobby Sharpe www.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Soprano's Song

As much as I hate to see it, the end of the Sopranos series has arrived. Sunday, June 10th 2007!

I have NO idea how the finale will end. I hope I am not disappointed, but, I have NO idea how I want it to end. Nothing makes sense.

Anyway, at the end of the next to last episode, while the show was winding down and credits were starting to roll, there was a song playing in the back ground that was a perfect fit, AND, an awesome song. The name of the song is "Running Wild" by a British group called Tindersticks. The version used on the Sopranos is a 14 minute instrumental version off their EP called "My Oblivion". The link I have here is for the original vocal version of the song.Tindersticks - Running Wild Free Mp3 Song Download @ Get-Music.net If you click this link, when you get to the page, just click download and a player will open and the song will play. Enjoy!

Peace & Soulz,

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Ancient City Found By Satellite

Ancient Egyptian City Spotted From Space
By Heather Whipps

(June 6) - Satellites hovering above Egypt have zoomed in on a 1,600-year-old metropolis, archaeologists say.

Images captured from space pinpoint telltale signs of previous habitation in the swatch of land 200 miles south of Cairo, which digging recently confirmed as an ancient settlement dating from about 400 A.D.

The find is part of a larger project aiming to map as much of ancient Egypt's archaeological sites, or "tells," as possible before they are destroyed or covered by modern development.

"It is the biggest site discovered so far," said project leader Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Based on the coins and pottery we found, it appears to be a massive regional center that traded with Greece, Turkey and Libya."

Another large city dating to 600 B.C. and a monastery from 400 A.D. are some of the four hundred or so sites that Parcak has located during her work with the satellites. The oldest dates back over 5,000 years.

Egypt contains a wealth of already identified archaeological tells like these, but even they represent only about 0.01 percent of what is out there still uncovered, Parcak said.

Most of the ancient settlements still buried are at risk of being lost to looting and urban sprawl. Residential sites, where the Egyptian empire's millions of citizens lived during its heyday, are especially vulnerable, archaeologists say.

"There are thousands of settlements that Egyptians don't even know are there," Parcak told LiveScience. "Nothing will ever destroy the Pyramids or the Temple of Luxor, but these huge settlement sites where we get a lot of information are being threatened. And that's how we find out how people lived."

The satellite technology lets archaeologists such as Parcak—the first to use space imagery in Egypt—identify points of interest on a large scale.

"Basically, I'm trying to distinguish the ancient remains from the modern landscape," she said. "A site is going to appear very differently from space." Archaeological sites absorb moisture in a different way, she explained, and tend to be covered with specific types of soil and vegetation.

The subtle differences would take much longer to identify on the ground, said Parcak, so Egypt's government uses her catalog to identify sites and excavate there before development takes over and destroys the site for good.

Now, I know, some of YOU are sitting out there saying, "why did Bobby post this story"? Well, believe it or not, "I know some of YOU are intrigued by stuff like this". Especially the ones with the "opyn mindz"! Which would be, the Indigos and higher.

However, as interesting as this is to me, I have a hidden motive and am thinking ahead. Imagine what satellites could eventually uncover beneath the surface of Earth? Extraterrestrial space craft, other even older cities/civilizations, and maybe, species we don't know about. So yeah, I'm curious. As well, YOU should be.

Peace & Curiosity,

Bobby Sharpe www.myspace.com/akuasharpe reggae8@aol.com

Oolong Tea Takes Off Pounds

Scientists 'Prove' Tea Can Help Fight Obesity
Reuters



BEIJING (June 6) - Chinese scientists have proved it -- tea can help make you thin.

Researchers spent five years studying obesity, with the focus on children, the China Daily said.

"They found that the polyphenol compound in tea -- especially Oolong tea -- can help obese people battle the bulge," the newspaper said. "Scientists have proved that drinking tea can help people lose weight."

Guo Xirong, director of the Nanjing Institute for Paediatrics, particularly recommends Oolong tea, the newspaper said.

Chinese have long believed in the link between tea and weight loss, something an Oolong tea Internet home page espouses.

"It has been confirmed that the continuous intake of Oolong tea contributes to enhancing the function of fat metabolism and to controlling obesity," it says of a tea produced and consumed primarily in the southeast of the country.

I have said for many years now, going back to when I had my store in New Jersey and when Arizona and Sobe started putting out their teas, "that tea has some unbelievable health benefits".

I have been drinking primarily, green tea, black tea, red tea and recently, white tea. For a while, Sobe put out an Oolong Tea. Now however, you need to get the Oolong tea bags and make your own. It, along with all the rest, are better fresh brewed and not diluted with other stuff such as sugar, lemon, cream or milk. A little honey is cool.

Hey, it is a healthy inexpensive way to lose or keep the extra punds off. And the stuff is good! Can't beat that! Plus, I am sure some of YOU could use a little help in the weight department. LOL Don't we all?

"The more YOU know, the more YOU grow,
The more YOU grow, the further YOU go"

Bobby Sharpe email: reggae8@aol.com

'Jericho' Returns To CBS:The People WIN!

CBS Reverses Decision to Ax 'Jericho'

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Jericho" fans who slammed CBS with protests over the drama's cancellation have won the battle: It will return next season, the network said Wednesday.
It was an unusual display of viewer might since networks usually put ratings ahead of even the most passionate, well-organized fan base. But CBS said the show deserved another chance, while cautioning that it must prove it has wider appeal.

"Wow! Over the past few weeks you have put forth an impressive and probably unprecedented display of passion in support of a prime time television series," CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said in a letter to "Jericho" boosters.

The letter was released to The Associated Press.

"You got our attention; your emails and collective voice have been heard," Tassler wrote, and seven episodes have been ordered for midseason 2007-08. "In success, there is the potential for more. But, for there to be more 'Jericho,' we will need more viewers."
Fans must do their part to rally interest while the network does its job, she said.

CBS is planning a campaign to reintroduce "Jericho," including rerunning the show on CBS this summer, streaming episodes and clips online and releasing the first season on DVD on Sept. 25. The show's return date and scheduling has yet to be determined.

CBS had to complete deals with cast members, including star Skeet Ulrich, before announcing its decision.

Networks rarely reverse a show's axing but CBS has proven its flexibility at least once before. In 1983, after "Cagney & Lacey" was canceled and the network was bombarded with protests, the police drama was brought back in 1984 - and ran successfully to 1988.

Since "Jericho" was canceled last month the network has been deluged with calls, messages and shipments of nuts signifying viewer displeasure.

"We are tired of the networks (not just CBS) tossing aside quality programming," was the message carried by jericholives.com, one of several web sites protesting the cancellation. "Enough! We're going to fight for this one."

Clarke Ingram, a "Jericho" fan from Pittsburgh, Pa., and a spokesman for jericholives, said Tuesday that the drama about a Kansas town isolated by a nuclear terrorist attack deserved renewal for its daring premise, writing and acting.

"People would paint this as teenagers in tinfoil hats" rallying behind the show, said Ingram, 50, an operations manager for two radio stations. "That's not what this is. These are educated professionals."

Several factors worked in the show's favor: It appealed to the young adult viewers sought by advertisers and was one of CBS' most popular shows streamed online, indicating an audience beyond that measured by traditional ratings.

CBS also likely took into consideration the dent a long hiatus put in the show's viewership, the same scheduling misstep that hurt ABC's "Lost" and NBC's "Heroes."

Last fall, "Jericho" was averaging 10.5 million viewers; when it returned in the spring, it drew about 8.1 million, about a 23 percent decline from the first half of the season.

The display of fan enthusiasm included the delivery of 50,000 pounds of peanuts to its New York offices. In the season finale, a character replies "Nuts!" to a demand that the beleaguered town of Jericho surrender.

That's the same response that a U.S. general in World War II made to a German demand for surrender at the Battle of the Bulge.

Another positive outcome of the fan campaign: CBS is donating the protest peanuts to charities, including one that sends care packages to troops overseas.

I don't know about YOU, but, "I am thrilled"! I tried to tell everyone last year that this was a great show. CBS screwed up with that mid-season hiatus. Just like ABC did to "Lost". Just because these are tv networks does not mean these "people"have a clue what they are doing. Thankfully, at least it looks like CBS has enough sense to listen to the masses.

Bring on the nukes and whatever other surprises "Jericho" has in store. Can't wait!

Peace & Soulz,

Bobby Sharpewww.myspace.com/akuasharpe BobbySharpe.blogspot.com reggae8@aol.com

Dragon Kills Child

Komodo Dragon Kills Indonesian Boy



JAKARTA, Indonesia (June 4) - A Komodo dragon attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in eastern Indonesia, the first recorded deadly attack on a human by one of the giant lizards in 33 years, a national park spokesman said Monday.

The lizards are found in the wild only in eastern Indonesia.

The boy was mauled when he went to defecate behind a bush Saturday on Komodo island, Heru Rudiharto said. "The Komodo bit him on his waist and tossed him viciously from side to side," Rudiharto said.

"A fishermen, who just happened to be the boy's uncle, threw rocks at the lizard until it let the boy go and fled," he said.

"The boy died from massive bleeding half an hour later." Wardens on Komodo have launched a hunt for the dragon, he said.

Komodos, the world's largest lizards, are only found in the wild in a small archipelago in eastern Indonesia. Fewer than 4,000 survive.

Rudiharto said the lizards had been living side-by-side with the 1,200 people on Komodo with no fatal incident for 33 years.

"Perhaps the lizards' natural prey has decreased because we are entering the dry season and there has been too much deer hunting," he said.

Komodos can grow to a length of 10 feet and weigh up to 365 pounds.

Thousands of tourists visit Komodo each year to see the lizards in their natural habitat. They are normally shown around the arid and rocky island by guides who carry large, forked sticks to ward of the lizards.

So, if YOU have NOT figured out what YOU are doing for vacation this year, how about a trip to "land of the lost". Excuse me, YOU have this 10 foot almost 400 lb prehistoric creature roaming around free and, a guide to keep it away with a "forked stick"? I PASS!

While we are speaking of "dragons/lizzards", I read a story a couple days ago about a "tribe" of people in the Amazon that just made their FIRST CONTACT WITH MODERN WESTERN CIVILIZATION! NOBODY KNEW THEY EXISTED! SO, being the logical optimist that I am, does this NOT mean that there could actually BE dinosaurs, dragons, or whatever else living here on Earth that we know nothing about? Makes sense to me. Anyway, we will pursue this topic another time.

"plus que VOUS savez, plus VOUS vous développez, plus VOUS vous développez, plus VOUS allez" plus loin: French



"The more YOU know, the more YOU grow,
The more YOU grow, the further YOU go"

Bobby Sharpe