ITR - Now For Something Lighter from Jan England ITR S.Australia for InTouchRadio.net UK-GLOBAL

From Jan England ITR Southern Australia - Something a bit lighter - for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

Anger Management

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you DON't know!

I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make.

I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying, 'Hello.'
I politely said, 'This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?'

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear 'Get the right f*** ing number!' and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude.

When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits. After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.

When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled 'You're an *sshole!' and hung up.

I wrote his number down with the word '*sshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer.

Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, 'You're an *sshole!' It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic *sshole calling would have to stop.

So, I called his number and said, 'Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?'

He yelled 'NO!' and slammed down the phone.

I quickly called him back and said, 'That's because you're an *sshole!' and hung up.

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for.

I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me.

I noticed a 'For Sale' sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number.

A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial), I thought that I'd better call the BMW *sshole, too.

I said, 'Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?'

He said, 'Yes, it is.'

I asked, 'Can you tell me where I can see it?'

He said, 'Yes, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax .It's a yellow ranch house, and the car's parked right out in front.'

I asked, 'What's your name?' He said, 'My name is Don Hansen.'

I asked, 'When's a good time to catch you, Don?'

He said, 'I'm home every evening after five.'

I said, 'Listen, Don, can I tell you something?'

He said, 'Yes?'

I said, 'Don, you're an *sshole!' Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too.

Now,when I had a problem, I had two *ssholes to call.

Then I came up with an idea.

I called *sshole #1.

He said, 'Hello.'

I said, 'You're an *sshole!' (But I didn't hang up.)

He asked, 'Are you still there?'

I said, 'Yeah.'

He screamed, 'Stop calling me!'

I said, 'Make me.'

He asked, 'Who are you?'

I said, 'My name is Don Hansen.'

He said, 'Yeah? Where do you live?'

I said, '*sshole, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax , a yellow ranch house, I have a black Beamer parked in front.'

He said, 'I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers.'

I said, 'Yeah, like I'm really scared, *sshole,' and hung up. Then I called *sshole No. 2.

He said, 'Hello?'

I said, 'Hello, *sshole .'

He yelled, 'If I ever find out who you are...'

I said, 'You'll what?'

He exclaimed, 'I'll kick your *ss.'

I answered, 'Well , *sshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now.'

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Oaktree Blvd, in Fairfax, and that my gay lover was on his way over to kill me.

Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in Oaktree Blvd. in Fairfax.

I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax.

I got there just in time to watch two *ssholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew.

NOW I feel much better.

Anger management does work.

ITR - News Jan England - Fishermen Tragedy - Adelaide, Australia for ITR (UK & GLOBAL)

Adelaide Now - Brought to you by the

Adelaide Advertiser

Jan England: Michael - this may be of news over there. Two of the drowned men came from the area I live in. Jan

Survivor saw mates vanish

From: The Advertiser

September 29, 2008

THE only survivor of a tragic fishing accident that claimed at least one other crew mate has told rescuers he watched his mates vanish after their boat sank in a freak squall.

Professional fisherman Andrew Pisani, 33, swam 6km in cold seas in a bid to find help late on Sunday night, when his 7.5m boat sank about 9pm off Stansbury.

He was being treated yesterday at Yorketown Hospital for hypothermia and cuts to his legs from razor fish.

From Jan England InTouchRadio.net - Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

If you have information from around the world for distribution by InTouchRadio.net please email Michael.

ITR - ITR Blog Response from Australia for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

ITR – Blog Response from Angela Spray – Australia (Queensland Border)

Well, I have to say something here about seeing this and yes, you are right on the ball with this one!! It is not good seeing the world economy fall off the perch like it is and it has reached Australia with devastation!! I remember my pop telling me about when in his day, how the stick market collapsed and he lost a lot of money over it!! Yes i can hear you saying ' oh i remember that horrible period'!! Hopefully it will never drop that low!!

Posted by Angela at ALL THINGS EQUESTRIAN on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 9:58 PM

Hello Angela - thank you for your response - I'm afraid there is a long way to go yet but once we all see through the illusion that has brought all of us to this point, and I have to say it is greed on all parts over the years since the time your dad talks about - the people have forgotten in their hunger for more - what they don't understand is that we are led by the Money-Junkies to the water of ~ give me more ~ it was our choice to drink - as they say you can take a Horse to Water but You (or I) cannot make it Drink- animals only take what they need - the Human Condition sits on the charade of Ego and Self Consumption at the Expense of all the Others - but that's not what We here at InTouchRadio.net are about - We are here to bring those of similar type Together As One Family - Self Supporting - Loving One Another - Caring for what Happens to Each Other.

We can Choose to fall into Fear - We can Become Part of Their Control (Money Junkies - Powers-That-Be or We Can See Through the Illusion - but I'm afraid at cost to those who have done nothing but be good citizens - I suspect from this recent (in years) second time - if we have learned - then we will change Politics for Ever, Having People who are Of the People and Who's Interest is the People and Not Their Own Self-Consuming Race for Power & Greed.

I Will Blog This - as it is Essential that We All Start To Do Something Constructive towards a New Future for Our People and Our World - Now!

Love
Michael x

InTouchRadio.net - Unfunded but Funded with the Love of those Friends Around this World Who Care!

ITR - Newsflash Ecomonic Downfall hits Australia - Reports AAP - InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

From Jan England South Australia ITR - for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

Hi Michael - I am attaching an article re the share market this morning after Congress refused to allow the American market to be boosted.

Michael I am sending you a hug via this note and yes I am thinking of you and hoping all will go well for you.

The housing market has dropped here prices are at a all time low, investors are hopping in fast re the real estate.
The aged pensioners who are relying on their own superannuation have lost an enormous amount of money since the American market fell.

Be strong my friend

Love Jan xx

Market Wrap - Morning

Tuesday, 30 September 2008 8:30am - Australia

Stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange could be in for a shellacking today, led down by the financial and resources sectors, after the US House of Representatives rejected a $US700 billion rescue package this morning.

At 0809 AEST, the December Share Price Index futures contract on the Sydney Futures Exchange was down 339 points to 4,510.

Economic releases today include the Reserve Bank of Australia's financial aggregates data for August.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release retail trade and building approvals data for August.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd and Gleneagle Gold Ltd will hold general meetings, and Incremental Petroleum Ltd will hold its annual general meeting, all in Perth.

Ambri Ltd will hold its annual general meeting in Brisbane.

It is day two of the two-day Commodity Fundamentals conference in Sydney, and it's also day two of the three-day Coal Tech 2008 conference in Brisbane.

It is day one of the two-day Paydirt Asia Pacific Down Under conference in Perth.

Yesterday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index lost 97.4 points, or 1.9 per cent, to 4,807.35, while the broader All Ordinaries gave up 95.45 points, or 1.9 per cent to 4,839.18.

NEW YORK - Wall Street

NEW YORK - Wall Street has ended a stunning session with a huge fall, the Dow Jones Industrials Average plunging more than 770 points after the $US700 billion financial bailout plan was knocked back by Congress.

The Dow dropped 777.68 points, or 6.98 per cent to 10,365.45, but the broader S&P500 collapsed 106.59 points, or 8.79 per cent, to 1,106.42.

The NASDAQ, which carries tech and more recently listed heavyweights, fell even more, by 199.61 points, or 9.14 per cent, to 1,983.73.

LONDON - European stock markets plunged on Monday, as a series of US and European bank failures rattled investor hopes that the financial crisis might be contained.
Dealers said news of a series of US and European bank failures and rescues - Wachovia, Fortis, Bradford & Bingley, Hypo Real Estate - rocked the markets amid growing doubts about passage of the $US700 billion US rescue package.

In England the benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 269.7 points, or 5.3 per cent, to close at 4,818.8.

FRANKFURT - In Germany, the benchmark DAX 30 index slid 256.42 points, or 4.23 per cent, to close at 5,807.08.

PARIS - In France, the benchmark CAC 40 index shed 209.9 points, or 5.04 per cent, to 3,953.48.

TOKYO - Japan shares ended down on Monday as global financial turmoil claimed fresh victims in Europe, and investors waited nervously for the US Congress to pass a huge Wall Street bailout package.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 149.55 points, or 1.26 per cent, to close at 11,743.61.

HONG KONG - The benchmark Hang Seng Index plummeted 801.41 points, or 4.29 per cent, to 17,880.68.
WELLINGTON - In New Zealand, the benchmark NZX 50 index closed barely changed on Monday amid continuing uncertainty over global financial stability.

The benchmark NZX-50 index rose 0.95 points to 3,188.54 on light turnover.
In early trade today, the NZ market plummeted by over four per cent following the turmoil in New York, falling -135.8 points to 3,052.7.

AAP

From Jan England InTouchRadio.net - Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - Breaking News from the BBC World News - InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury UK & GLOBAL)

BBC News Online - InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

House Votes Down Bail-Out Package

The US House of Representatives votes down a $700bn (£380bn) plan to bail out Wall Street, as it sees its biggest daily points fall ever.

Shares Slump As Rescue Bid Fails

US and European shares have plummeted after a $700bn (£380bn) US bail-out was rejected and a slew of bad news emerged from the troubled banking sector.

The Dow Jones index lost 770 points - 6.9% - its biggest one-day point drop yet as Congress surprised observers by not backing the rescue plan.

Meanwhile the Nasdaq index fell 9.1% and London's FTSE 100 index lost 5.3%.

Confidence had already been smashed by the rescue of US bank Wachovia and Bradford and Bingley's nationalisation.

The Dow Jones closed at 10,365.4 points after the bail-out result threw efforts to calm the US financial crisis into disarray. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended down 200 points at 1,983.7.

Unrest

The plan's failure meant nobody truly knew how the financial sector would recover, with credit markets remaining almost frozen as banks remain reluctant to lend to other banks, analysts said.

They added until there was certainty over the future of the bail-out bill, there would be tremendous unrest - with sharp falls expected when markets open in Asia and later in Europe.

Meanwhile the dollar fell against other major currencies.

And concern that a worsening economy would reduce energy demand saw the price of US light, sweet crude slump by $10.52 a barrel to $96.37.

Dramatic events

The fall on the FTSE 100, which closed at 4,818.8 points was its biggest one-day drop since January, with Germany and France's main markets seeing falls of 5% and 4.2% respectively.

The market moves came on another eventful day of global financial turmoil, which BBC Business Editor Robert Peston described as the "worst" since the credit crunch began.

Developments include:

* UK buy-to-let specialist Bradford and Bingley being nationalised with the government taking control of B&B's mortgages and loans, while its savings arms sold to Abbey.
* Wachovia, the fourth-largest US bank, being bought by larger rival Citigroup in a rescue deal backed by US authorities.
* Benelux banking giant Fortis being partially nationalised by the Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg governments to ensure its survival.
* The Icelandic government taking control of the country's third-largest bank, Glitnir after the company had faced short-term funding problems.
* Central banks giving a massive liquidity injection to try to ease the credit squeeze.

London's FTSE 100 index closed at 4,818.77 points - with several banking shares losing more than 10% of their value.

Germany's Dax index ended 4.2% lower while France's Cac 40 slid 5%.

'Contagious effect'

Analysts said that the market downturn was not surprising after the latest fall-out from the banking sector.

"There is a contagious effect," said Darren Winder, head of macro and strategy research at Cazenove.

"The implications of a fallout from (the credit crunch) are far-reaching, there are dozens of quoted banks in Europe, so it would seem unlikely that they would all be unaffected by this."

The lack of support of the lower house of the US Congress for the plan to bail out Wall Street came despite President Bush urged the House of Representatives to pass it.

The bill had been designed to end the credit crunch - and send a strong signal to the markets.
otes down bail-out package
The US House of Representatives votes down a $700bn (£380bn) plan to bail out Wall Street, as it sees its biggest daily points fall ever.




Shares slump as rescue bid fails

US and European shares have plummeted after a $700bn (£380bn) US bail-out was rejected and a slew of bad news emerged from the troubled banking sector.

The Dow Jones index lost 770 points - 6.9% - its biggest one-day point drop yet as Congress surprised observers by not backing the rescue plan.

Meanwhile the Nasdaq index fell 9.1% and London's FTSE 100 index lost 5.3%.

Confidence had already been smashed by the rescue of US bank Wachovia and Bradford and Bingley's nationalisation.

The Dow Jones closed at 10,365.4 points after the bail-out result threw efforts to calm the US financial crisis into disarray. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended down 200 points at 1,983.7.

Unrest

The plan's failure meant nobody truly knew how the financial sector would recover, with credit markets remaining almost frozen as banks remain reluctant to lend to other banks, analysts said.

They added until there was certainty over the future of the bail-out bill, there would be tremendous unrest - with sharp falls expected when markets open in Asia and later in Europe.

Meanwhile the dollar fell against other major currencies.

And concern that a worsening economy would reduce energy demand saw the price of US light, sweet crude slump by $10.52 a barrel to $96.37.

Dramatic events

The fall on the FTSE 100, which closed at 4,818.8 points was its biggest one-day drop since January, with Germany and France's main markets seeing falls of 5% and 4.2% respectively.

The market moves came on another eventful day of global financial turmoil, which BBC Business Editor Robert Peston described as the "worst" since the credit crunch began.

Developments include:

* UK buy-to-let specialist Bradford and Bingley being nationalised with the government taking control of B&B's mortgages and loans, while its savings arms sold to Abbey.
* Wachovia, the fourth-largest US bank, being bought by larger rival Citigroup in a rescue deal backed by US authorities.
* Benelux banking giant Fortis being partially nationalised by the Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg governments to ensure its survival.
* The Icelandic government taking control of the country's third-largest bank, Glitnir after the company had faced short-term funding problems.
* Central banks giving a massive liquidity injection to try to ease the credit squeeze.

London's FTSE 100 index closed at 4,818.77 points - with several banking shares losing more than 10% of their value.

Germany's Dax index ended 4.2% lower while France's Cac 40 slid 5%.

'Contagious effect'

Analysts said that the market downturn was not surprising after the latest fall-out from the banking sector.

"There is a contagious effect," said Darren Winder, head of macro and strategy research at Cazenove.

"The implications of a fallout from (the credit crunch) are far-reaching, there are dozens of quoted banks in Europe, so it would seem unlikely that they would all be unaffected by this."

The lack of support of the lower house of the US Congress for the plan to bail out Wall Street came despite President Bush urged the House of Representatives to pass it.

The bill had been designed to end the credit crunch - and send a strong signal to the markets.

BBC News Online

ITR - News from Jan England ITR Southern Australia for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

From Jan England – South Australia ITR for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

Devils Creep in For the Kill

By Greg Clarke

Untouched ... the wildlife tour stays at the King Fishing Hut on Tasmania's isolated and rugged northwest coast / Tourism Tasmania.

I'VE seen the devil and our tête-à-tête wasn't completely unexpected.

I knew it was him because there were features even those who have yet to meet him would recognize – the pointy ears and a snarl that, just perhaps, might send a shiver through heaven.

The devil, though, was a lot smaller than I'd imagined and there was an element of cute I had not expected.

I'm on an isolated part of Tasmania's rugged northwest coast in a simple fishing hut owned by Geoff King. It is here, on the edge of Mr King's 324ha of natural bush, that our wild encounter takes place.

Darkness comes with a hurry in these parts and we are ushered into the hut. A gas lamp hisses and glows. An old table is set with biscuit and dips and raw vegetables. By the hut's only window a road-killed wallaby is staked to the ground.

We barely have time to dip into the snacks when all of us are brought to silence.

Night Visit

"Shhh, we have devil,'' says Mr. King with a storyteller's tone. The wallaby is a favorite food of the Tasmanian devil, yet the speed of this fellow's appearance has surprised even Mr. King.

We all head for the window. The area immediately outside is illuminated by a battery-powered light. A curiously employed baby monitor is hidden in a clump of native grasses. Another is above the hut's fireplace. Through them we can hear the wind and cries of birds.

This is one of only two places in the world where you can watch wild Tasmanian devils feeding under controlled conditions: of course, there is nowhere else in the world beyond Australia's thinly populated island state where devils are wild.

The nocturnal devil is a carnivorous marsupial and roughly the size of a small dog.

A devil creeps from the grasses. Devils only live about five years in the wild and this 10-12kg specimen has reached old age. Mr. King knows him.

"I've had fears for him over the last six months,'' he says.

Not that age has dimmed his appetite. The devil gorges and his belly slowly swells (a devil will eat up to half its body weight).

Mr. King's family has been running cattle around Marrawah since the 1880s and while Mr. King still farms, he removed the stock from this run in 1999 after an awakening into the damage the cattle were causing to the land.

"People I knew started to point out some of the problems I was adding to by running the cattle. Then it opened up a whole world of interests I'd never seen before,'' Mr. King says.

Wildlife biologist Nick Mooney suggested the "devil restaurant'' to Mr. King. "I had known Geoff for years and long recognised his curiosity and charisma with people, and wonderful property,'' Mr. Mooney says.

"When he talked of wanting to do something less harmful with his coast run I suggested the 'devil restaurant' as a basis to a wildlife tourism venture.''

Not alone

Devils are not the only carnivores abundant in these parts. Mr. King suspects a spotted-tail quoll is living under the shack.

"Quolls won't come out while there are devils, generally,'' he says.

But its food-chain superiority does not ensure the devils' survival.

Facial tumors are decimating some of Tasmania's devil population. The cancer has knocked out 80 per cent of devils in affected areas, which run to about two-thirds of the state.

There is wholly unpleasant talk about the devil going the same way as the Tasmanian tiger.

"We don’t have it here (in the northwest),'' Mr. King says of the tumor. "I don't really want to.''

Mr. King is thoughtful and silent for a moment. We can hear the devil chomping at flesh and bone through the monitor. Good might yet come of the bad.
"I've been really heartened by the way people think about the animal (the devil) now,'' Mr. King says.

Nobody is hurrying to see the devils yet. But there are real fears the devil might be moving towards its last supper.

"Here's another one at 12 o'clock,'' Mr. King says. The cautious devil comes forward. "Look at this, a beautiful white stripe.''

A visitor from Britain says: "Oh, it's beautiful.''

To Mr. King's surprise, the bloated warrior slinks away.
After barely a pick, our new arrival stops eating and stands as still as the carcass she presides over.

She's listening. Devils everywhere maybe, Mr. King says, and all of us share his delight.


From Jan England InTouchRadio.net - Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - News from Mallorca & Iberia from Heather Carter ITR for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

News from Mallorca & Iberia from Heather Carter ITR for InTouchRadio.net UK - GLOBAL

UP IN SMOKE

PALMA
GUARDIA Civil triumphantly set alight 3'175 kilos of seized hashish hauls at Mallorca’s Son Reus incinerator yesterday.
Other narcotics which have been confiscated so far this year on the island were added to the pyre, the final weight of which amounted to no less than twenty tonnes. The success of drugs raids since January has been such that it led central government delegate in the Balearics, Ramon Socias yesterday to congratulate regional Chief of Staff of the Guardia Civil, Basilio Sanchez Rufo on his handling of the drugs crackdown. During his presence at the incineration event, Socias said that the hashish which was currently being torched was largely the result of Operation Alcotan, in which a catamaran had been apprehended by security forces off the southern tip of Ibiza earlier this year. Spanish Guardia Civil had undertaken an exhaustive chase of the vessel which had set out from a North African destination and which was suspected of being a carrier of narcotics.

Scientists Uncover Deadly Virus Threat to Rare Mallorca Toad

LONDON
A BREEDING programme designed to safeguard the future of a rare breed of Mallorca toad has infected the species with a highly-contagious disease, which could threaten its existence.

The potentially deadly chytrid fungus, which affects the toads’ ability to absorb water into its skin, was passed on to the Mallorcan Midwife Toads by a South African species of frog during the captive breeding programme.

A study by scientists from London’s Imperial College and reported in Current Biology journal revealed that measures the screen the toads did not pick up the fungus before they were released back into the wild in 1991.

Four colonies of the amphibians are infected by the fungus.

ITR - Newsflash Australia - 2 Die by Lightening Strike in Thailand for ITR (UK & GLOBAL)

News from Jan England ITR - Penola, Australia for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

Two Aussies Killed in Thai Storm

September 28, 2008


TWO Australians, a teacher and a youth worker, are dead after being struck by lightning at a waterfall in north-east Thailand while touring with students from a Perth school.

Winthrop Baptist College social studies teacher Gregory Crombie, 41, and 19-year-old Thomas McGuinness, died after the group was caught in an electrical storm in Khon Kaen province late yesterday.

Three Thai nationals also died after being struck by lightning, but the college says they were not with the Winthrop college student group sightseeing at the waterfall.
Mr Crombie's sister-in-law Thongsom Paggangwaesang told local media the group had been swimming at the waterfall when the storm hit at Mukdahan, 642km from Bangkok.

She said two bolts of lightning struck and several people collapsed.

"Before the accident, I saw a tourist talking on a mobile phone near the group," Ms Thongsom said, who had acted as a guide for the Australian group.

Some of the students were rushed to the local hospital and then transferred to the main regional township of Ubon Ratchathani, 135km south-west of Mukdahan.

"It's tragic that Greg and Thomas have died, but obviously there are other people hurting as well, not just the college," Winthrop board chairman Rod White said.
"The only heart we take from that is that the college is a close-knit community. They will draw together and take some strength from each other.

"Also, we know that both Greg and Thomas were doing things that they were passionate about, and in a very small way I guess that sort of helps that ... they were out doing what they felt they'd been called to do."

Mr McGuinness, a friend of Mr Crombie from Perth, was not employed by the school but had joined the 14 Winthrop college students and teachers on a cultural exchange visit to Thailand.

Mr Crombie was married with four children, ABC Television said in a report from Thailand.

Winthrop principal Peter Burton and a counsellor had arrived in Thailand and met with DFAT staff in Bangkok, and they were now heading up to the Khon Kaen province to meet up with the distressed students.
Students injured in the storm had rejoined the group after medical observation.
Mr White also said students had been able to speak today with their parents in Australia.

Baptist churchgoers at the college campus at Murdoch, a southern Perth suburb, this morning offered prayers for the dead and injured.

Mr White said the Baptist community was offering prayers for all the deceased, not just the Australians involved.

People attending a Baptist sports camp in the south of the state would gather tonight to pray, he said.

"People have gone away for a long weekend so even trying to bring the community together in one place is not ... logistically possibly just yet," Mr White said.

"So as quickly as we can people are praying, and I guess the one thankful thing is that there is a lot of support.

"We obviously just need to work quickly to get the group home ... and assist the families affected."

Australian Embassy staff in Bangkok have been assisting the group, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said today.

Federal Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull also offered his condolences to the families.

"All of us recognise Australians abroad when they're injured are worthy of our support and our care," Mr Turnbull said.

From Jan England InTouchRadio.net - Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - An Invitation to Visit South Australia's Limestone Coast Vineyards for ITR UK-GLOBAL

From Jan England ITR from Penola near Adelaide, Australia

Visit Vineyards.com South Australia Limestone Coast Events Events and Festivals Robe Village Fair 2008

Robe, Limestone Coast, South Australia Advertisement Mundy Terrace Robe SA 5276 Australia

Email: info@robevillagefair.com.au
Website: Robe Village Fair 2008

Set aside the 28 to 30 November this year, as the Robe Village Fair, set in the Historic fishing village of Robe on the states’ Limestone Coast is celebrating its tenth Birthday. The music line-up promises something for everyone this year, with performances from The Angels - sponsored by BankSA, Vanessa Amorosi - sponsored by Coopers Brewery, James Reyne - sponsored by Cape Jaffa Anchorage, The Badloves - sponsored by Banner Hardware, The Black Sorrows - sponsored by The Karatta Wine Co, The Bondi Cigars - sponsored by The Aussie Cider Co, and The Huckleberry Swedes - sponsored by The Coastal Leader and Paperworks. Together with a fantastic selection of food and wine from the region, a huge hot rod display, and free rides and family entertainment for the kids, this years’ event will set a new standard for the iconic festival, now in its tenth year. The event begins on Frday night the 28 November with a special tenth birthday concert featuring performances by Adelaide band Huckleberry Superjam, Sydney blues legends, The Bondi Cigars, and perennial favourites The Black Sorrows. The music continues on Saturday with a huge music line-up starting at 11am with performances by The Huckleberry Swedes, The Bondi Cigars, The Badloves, James Reyne, Vanessa Amorosi, and concluding at 11pm after a performance by legendary rockers The Angels. The Limestone Coast Food group will hold a farmers market on Sunday together with a myriad of Art and Craft stalls, rides and competitions for the family.
Regions
Limestone Coast (SA)
Robe (SA)
Experiences
Food and Wine, Nightlife, The Arts

General Facilities
Alcohol, Bar, Child Activities/Child Minding, Disabled Access, Entertainment, First aid equipment, Public Telephone, Shaded Area, Sheltered Area, Toilet facilities for the Disabled

Customer Reach Attraction
Local, Region, State

From Jan England InTouchRadio.net - Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - Equestrian News - ITR Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

Equestrian News
Angela Spray
InTouchRadio.net
Australia




Dear Horse Lovers Around the World

Today I am going to tell you more about what is on offer on my page Equestrian website. I have a vast vault of information on horses including rodeo riding, polo, hunting, the three disciplines, Dressage, cross country and Show jumping.

The most fascinating of the three Eventing disciplines being the cross country and the one I find as many, fun and challenging!!

Please check my blogs on my page for any new information, photos and news from my area. The equestrian world is one of fascination and one that many can learn from if interested!!
In my area at present there is a few things happening, one of which my horse riding school is closing down, Pioneer Country.

It is quite sad and the property has been around for many years. I learnt to ride there for years and it has been such an enjoyable experience over the years. The owner Kathryn Sullivan, has decided to close the riding school due to her having a baby coming, and this would mean looking after a child plus the riding school.

Other factors include too many commitments for people having the time to go horse riding. I have a dressage test coming up next Friday at my riding school and it will be my last for a while but I will enjoy it and take some photos too to share with you all.

In Australia, we are lucky to have some many riding schools and horse riding events to go to and learn a sport that is so rewarding and exciting and one you can continuously learn from. In my area, we have a few riders with Olympic dreams who have risen to stardom.

We have also had Jamie Coman from the Sydney Olympics give Clinics which has been exciting as I have heard!

Over time, my page will build as it has just started and I do need everyone’s help in that regard, so please let people know about my page and we can all work together to make it a fun and educating experience!!

Please submit your horse experiences and any news from around the world or your area that we can share.

Angela Spray InTouchRadio.net (NSW) Australia for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - News - Canada

Leila with Article About Canadian Economy

New York Times article from Sept. 27th

Canadians sometimes tire of comparisons with their much larger continental neighbor. But one area of contrast is looking distinctly brighter these days – the economy.

The Canadian dollar began this decade in such a weakened state that it was mocked on “The Simpsons”. But consistent government budget surpluses, high prices for mining products and oil have combined to put the once humble Canadian dollar near, and sometimes above, parity with its American counterpart.

While some Canadians are celebrating their new found monetary strength with shopping trips to the United States and European holidays, there is also a growing sense of economic unease. In some regions, particularly Alberta, the concerns are labor shortages and the prospect that oil industry driven growth will spin out of control. But in Ontario and Quebec, the most populous provinces, job losses loom as their export-dependent manufacturers struggle to adjust to both a high dollar and the economic slowdown in the United States, Canada’s major market.

Read More...

Canada’s name is sometimes as shorthand in the United States for a society where liberal ideas prevail. Like most generalizations, however, it is overly simplistic.

The current prime minister, Stephen Harper, is a Conservative from Alberta who shares many political ideals with Republicans in the United States and who made repairing relations with the Bush administration a priority when he took power after an election in January, 2004.

Mr. Harper became the Conservative leader following the merger of the old Progressive Conservative Party with the Canadian Alliance. Mr. Harper previously led the Alliance, a socially conservative group he led that had its origins as a movement that sought greater political recognition for Western Canada. The ability of Mr. Harper’s Conservatives to promote their political agenda, however, has been limited as they do not control a majority of Parliament and need to attract support from at least some members of the four major opposition parties. Turmoil within the Liberal Party, which has historically dominated federal politics, has also helped sustain Mr. Harper’s government in power.

Canada’s most contentious provincial issue, Quebec separation, appears to be on hold. Last fall, Pauline Marois said her separatist Parti Québécois had temporarily set aside its promotion of a referendum on Quebec’s separation to focus on other issues. In recent years, however, Quebec governments, separate or otherwise, have assumed many symbols of sovereign state. Somewhat confusingly, most of Quebec’s provincial institutions, for example, now have the word “national” in their names.

Another looming question is whether Canada will extend its NATO-led combat mission in Afghanistan after February 2009. The country’s combat role in Southern Afghanistan, however, has led to the death of 78 soldiers and one diplomat.

Mr. Harper’s government is unlikely to cling to power much longer, if Canadian political history is any indication. By tradition any defeat on a tax-related bill will force an election. If the Conservatives are able to achieve a majority in the next vote, it will be another symbol of the growing importance of Western Canada, the Conservative’s power base -- a position that could well be reinforced in 2010 when Vancouver, British Columbia hosts the winter Olympics.— Ian Austen, Feb. 1, 2008

From Leila ITR Canada for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - News from Mallorca - Heather Carter ITR - Minister Sacked & Sighting of Madeleine?

Heather Carter ITR Mallorca Correspondant for Michael InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

Balearic Minister for Tourism to be Sacked to Save Local Government

PALMA

THE Balearic Minister for Tourism, Francesc Buils, is going to be sacked because of his unilateral decision to axe two of his top ministry aids, and fellow members of the Majorcan Unionist party, having neither consulted nor advised his party bosses including the UM party leader Miguel Nadal who was last night being tipped as the person who would be taking over as the new Minister. It was in fact Nadal who announced late last night that Buils is to be sacked after the Balearic President Francesc Antich, worried about the possible repercussions the crisis at the Ministry for Tourism might have on his coalition government in which the UM holds the balance of power, has apparently agreed to Nadal’s demand for the “rebel” Minister to go. The news of Buils’s pending dismissal broke just hours after the Minister called his own press conference to proclaim that he was standing by his decision to sack the manager of the Institute for Tourism Studies, Antoni Oliver and the Director General of Tourism Promotion, Joan Sastr

Was Madeleine Spotted In Mallorca?

A British couple claim they saw the youngster with two women at Cala d'Or, in the south east of the island.
They went to their hotel to check internet pictures of Madeleine and were certain it was her.
But when they returned to the beach there was no sign of the girl. Police on the island have launched a search of nearby hotels and holiday apartments.
Clarence Mitchell, family spokesman for the McCanns, thanked the couple for reporting the sighting.
He said that detectives employed by the Madeleine Fund are investigating.
He added: 'Kate and Gerry are very grateful to the British couple concerned, however we can't go into any further detail until our investigators have checked out the report.'
He stressed that the two doctors would not build up their hopes, because there had been many sightings of their daughter which had come to nothing.



From Heather Carter ITR Mallorca Correspondant

ITR - News from Heather Carter ITR - Iberia for InTouchRadio.net (UK-GLOBAL)

News from Majorca & Spain from Heather Carter for Michael - InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

lMajorca Acts as Hub for Tourism Technology

PALMA

INTERNATIONAL tourism took on a new meaning yesterday with the Balearics becoming a key centre on the globe where innovation technology is to be dedicated to research and development in the tourist industry.

The project, which aims to boost the most important sector of the regional economy through diversification, is the result of an agreement signed yesterday between the Balearic government - through its representation in the management team of the ParcBIT technology and recycling park on Majorca - and the Microsoft company.

The initial accord will run for three years and it is anticipated that the programme could bring in 400'000 euros annually.

The central hub of the organisation, which will have a core staff of five people, is expected to be up and running in less than a year. It will be the eighth scheme of its kind that Microsoft has in Spain.

The installations will be located in one of the modular blocks in ParcBIT which is situated on the outskirts of Palma and will occupy a surface area of 200 square metres.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Spain to Deliver Casablanca Bombings Suspect to Morocco

Spain to deliver Casablanca bombings suspect to Morocco

Spain agreed Tuesday to hand over to Morocco a man convicted over the 2004 Madrid train bombings so he can also be tried in connection with 2003 suicide attacks in Casablanca.

Moroccan authorities will have custody of Hassan Al Haski for up to six months for the trial, Judge Eloy Velasco Nunez of Spain's anti-terrorist court announced.

The decision followed a request by Moroccan authorities in July.

Al Haski is currently serving a 14-year sentence for his involvement in the March 11, 2004 bombings on suburban trains in Madrid that killed 191 people.

Responsibility for the bombings was claimed by militants who said they acted on behalf of Al-Qaeda to avenge the presence of Spanish troops in Iraq.

In his home country, Al Haski is suspected of being a member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, held responsible for the May 2003 Casablanca bombings in which five blasts at foreign and Jewish sites left 45 people dead, including 12 suicide bombers.

HEATHER CARTER - Mallorca carrespondant

ITR - InTouchRadio.net & Angela Spray - New Equestrian Section Online & On MySpace

All Things Equestrian 'MySpace' Site for Horse Lovers

Angela with a horse with the same name, Angela.



Dear Horse Lovers of the World,

I have created a new website (http://www.myspace.com/allthingsequestrian)
for any Horse lovers who are interested in Horses and the many topics connected to the Horse.

It is with great pleasure that my website will be accompanied by INTOUCH RADIO here on Myspace and who have given me the inspiration and help to deliver this website.

Hopefully it will bear fruit and I will have the opportunity to meet some genuine horse lovers and who are interested in sharing their knowledge and experiences with others.

The Horse has been around for many years and there have been many book printed in abundance about the horse.

Horses have been involved with man over the centuries in sports such as Polo, Hunting, Eventing in all three disciplines, Dressage, Cross Country and Jumping.

The Horse has shared Man's history through Peace and War, times of plenty and the leaner times and has been there throughout as a means of transport enabling movement through the wildest frontiers.

The Horse in all its wonderful variations from the work horse and pit pony; from Mongolia plains to the Arabian Desert, from the Outback to the eloquence of Royal Ascot and the racing thoroughbred.

People have become more and more fascinated with horses, mainly due to the incredible ability and versatility the Horse possess.

There are many topics associated with the Horse and in this, it is a lifetime of education.

It takes years to train and work with the extraordinary capabilities between a Horse and Rider to develop and achieve such abilities such as in dressage.

As one of my favourite legends of all time put it and has been the author of many Horse publications, Lucinda Green, ‘a great deal of magic is attached to the horse, if you like him, you love him.

There is an obsessive attraction in his personality, his adroitness and courage and in his ability to reciprocate human communication’.
(From ‘The Complete Book Of The Horse with forward by Lucinda Prior Palmer’).

Any Horse lover would immediately realise that to build such confidence as a rider and a partnership with your horse, the secret lies in confidence and communication.

Every step of the process is worth it, even so it can one step forward, and one step back.

Patience and preservative is the basis to form the roots of success right through to the highest level of performance. Many have come close to perfection as nature has permitted.

I look forward to you all participating in this journey of the Horse and wish you great luck and fortune in your endeavours.


Angela Linda Spray

Photo (left) is of Lucinda Green in 1975 at Badminton, with 'Be Fair'. Lucinda is the only rider to win
Badminton 6 times on six different Horses.

ITR - British Telecom - BT OpenReach - Old & Failing Cables why we’re not Live Streaming...

ITR - British Telecom - BT OpenReach - Old & Failing Cables why we’re not Live Streaming...

We are Not a Live Stream Station - we can't afford that yet, when we get our dedicated server and a higher level of Broadband feed here on the Somerset Levels outside of Glastonbury then that will change.

The reason why we can't get a faster feed - simple - our telephone lines are all held under the auspice of BT Open Reach - here in the UK we are seen as Stone Age by some on the near Continent (hello Henrik - One Nation Under A Groove - Denmark... I know you told me how fast your Broadband is...lol).

We have a full stream coming into the village - Bless - they went all the way to bring a High Speed Large Bore Copper Cable all the way from Glastonbury exchange 3 miles to terminate it in a small green BT box a field away from the village of Godney.

At this juncture the cable splits and is carried over a field of approximately 1/4 mile on 35 + year old Aluminum cable carrying approx 100 pairs of cables. Aluminum cable deteriorates over time - put that in underground 35 + year old trunking and with water migration you can imagine the outcome.

Four years ago when we first tried to get Broadband and failed and cost me over £200 pounds to get back to BT (that was Tiscali... say no more) back to the old telephone dial up internet we were told that there were only 49 pairs working - this had to cover 60 plus houses... that was 4 years ago!

Finally last year we got onto Broadband - were promised 512 kbps (1/2 MB) we can only actually get 118 kbps max 130 kbps and we - sorry I, have to pay £25 per month for this!

Other places get the full 8MB or 8000kbps - hence no way can we use Live Streaming and some are only £9 per month.

By The Way, should BT every put the link cable over that field - a simple direct line - nothing out of the ordinary, or even suspend the cable between poles over head we would be getting around the 2MB or 2000 kbps with the line contention we have and when I talk to other folk who are in similar situation they're all on minimum of 2MB lines in their area.

Well if any of you have any connections with BT Open Reach who are British Telecom under another name-colour I would love you to tell them that here are between 80 and a 100 souls all wishing to get out into the modern world but of course you might as well talk to a Mammoth (oh, sorry aren't they extinct) than get any sensible answer from BT who are too involved in Inner City Communications.

Yes Henrik we are in the Stone Age and one day soon we'll get to the higher super highway in the sky - perhaps we'll get the speeds of the Continent 25 - 50 MB (25000 - 50000kbps) or Japan at 100 MB (100000 kbps) or Korea at 150 MB or 150 000 kbps! - yeah likely but with the power of MySpace and the Internet online www.InTouchRadio.net we can change just about anyting - come on let me know your thoughts - on a postcard... lol but seriously email me and let me know what we can do to get this antiquated system up and running'

Like this wonderful UK Government of ours who promised several years ago that they would supply High Speed Broadband for all UK citizens - oh, that's the Labour Party by the way; you know the party whose supposed to be there for the people...

Yeah, like any political party was ever there for the people - only their own back pockets - that's why we're in the global state we're in but keep an eye and read between the lines on those sectors that are being protected now with all your money no matter where you reside - globally. They're only saving that which contains their's... say no more.

If I sound bitter, angry, resentful somewhat hostile then you could be right in assuming that I am - not so much for myself but for all the other injustices going on globally and we are continually led towards whichever goal they would have us manouver towards - come on Sheep - we can show that underneath is all we can claim back our power and show our teeth and that we really were only ever Wolves in Sheep's clothing.

I feel a bit better now - please read on and let me know how you feel - globally.

I would like to say a special thank you to Pip Reynolds out there in California who heads the InTouchRadio.net West Coast Team for all her hours and hours networking for this tiny radio station that has a heart that beats for the world - bringing us all together as One. Pip hasn't been too well lately and will be undergoing some treatment soon so I'm asking all of the InTouchRadio.net family to send their prayers and love to Pip now and especially at the end of the month. Drop her a mail and say hello and say Michael sent you. Many of you now would not be associated with InTouchRadio.net around the World without our Pip steering you this way.

Lots of Love Pip and you are always in my prayers - Michael x

Can I say a thank you too for all the help from others too:

Leila in Toronto, Canada
Jan England in Penola, Adelaide, Australia
Kashish Berry in Mumbai, India
Carlynn in Johanessburg. South Africa
Angela Spray (new to ITR) NWS, Australia - soon to have our own Equestrian section alongside her own - so all you people who work in the world of the Horse no matter at what level, what type and field (no pun intended) please send in your enquiries and input too.
Heather Carter - Mallorca out in the Med

And all those others who contribute to making this your radio station and keeping the world InTouch.

We are struggling and have put this together on a limited savings and desperately need Donations, Sponsorship and Advertisers - I know this is a difficult time but we are so inexpensive to advertise with and to be there at the beginning means you get the most exposure - don't miss the opportunity to be there at the start and let's help where we can.

I don't mind dishing the dirt where it need dishing, i.e those that are hindering and empowering those that have done something good to help others - we are simply One Family - now let's believe it.

This Radio Station, my dream, my passion - was set up for you - that's why we are a Co-operative Collective and that's why we Are Not - A Corporate Selective - you are all members of the InTouchRadio.net Family as we travel the world globally Networking as a One-World Family of Friends, in Peace, Harmony and Love.

Love to Everyone

Michael x

InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

A Co-operative Collective - Not - A Corporate Selective ~ Networking the World As One Family.

ITR - Canada Listeriosis Outbreak from Leila InTouchRadio.net Canada for ITR UK & GLOBAL

From Leila - ITR Canada for Michael InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

Maple Leaf Foods plant reopens after Listeriosis Outbreak

Tiffany Crawford, Canwest News Service

Published: Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto reopened Wednesday, after a potentially deadly type of bacteria linked to 17 deaths and found at the plant sparked a massive and nationwide recall of deli meats.

"It is with mixed emotion that I speak to you today, certainly with humility for what has happened . . . and also pride with the tenacity of the people to address the problem and move forward," Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods, said at a news conference in Toronto.

The plant closed Aug. 20, and the 150-year-old company estimated its loss could reach $20 million.

"I am pleased to announce that the plant has met the most rigorous food safety requirements," he said, adding he wanted to ensure all Canadians that dozens of experts who "worked around the clock" have thoroughly sanitized the plant and all 84 slicing machines are now subject to "more stringent controls" to eliminate any bacteria they find.

Some of the stepped-up measures include a more rigid, daily disassembling and cleaning of slicers and a curtailing of the use of elevators near any food products.

"This listeria incident is unique and as a company, it reminds us that our best efforts failed," he said. "I believe Canada has one of the best food safety programs in the world and notwithstanding this incident, our food supply is safer than ever."

McCain said Maple Leaf Foods' products will be back on store shelves by next week after they go through tests.

He also acknowledged the company has a long battle ahead to regain consumers' trust.

"We recognize that we have to rebuild confidence. I think there are some who will respect the fact that we handled this in a precautionary way . . . some of them will give us back their confidence, we hope sooner rather than later. Others may take longer. I think the only thing I can point to is time. Food safety is a journey, it is not an event."

The company also has established a listeria management program to monitor the bacteria that exist in the environment.

There are seven deaths under investigation and 17 confirmed deaths nationwide where Listeria monocytogenes was either the underlying or contributing cause of death. Of those deaths, 14 were in Ontario while the other deaths were in New Brunswick, B.C. and Alberta.

Another 47 cases are confirmed with nine other suspected cases.

Earlier this week, the Canadian Medical Association Journal called for a full-scale public inquiry into the listeriosis outbreak. The country's top medical journal said there needs to be a full probe into the "major failings" of Canada's food inspection system on the same scale as those for the tainted blood scandal, E.coli in Walkerton, Ont., and the SARS epidemic that spread through Toronto.

Listeriosis is most commonly contracted from eating food contaminated with listeria. Symptoms include persistent fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, cramps, muscle aches and stiff neck. The most vulnerable are the young, the elderly, pregnant women and people with poor immune systems.

Maple Leaf Foods recalled 191 products sold across the country. The company said bacteria found in two of its slicing machines was most likely the cause of contamination.

Disclaimer:
For InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK/GLOBAL) ~ InTouchRadio.net or InTouchRadio.net Friends do not necessarily agree with any content sent in for the Blogs Page ~ InTouchRadio.net provides a service for you to respond to.

ITR - News Bank Bale Out Urgently Called For (USA)

Pip Reynolds ITR - California

for Michael - InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

Congress Asked To Act Quickly On $700B Bailout

WASHINGTON - President Bush says the White House is ready to work with Congress to quickly enact legislation to allow the government to purchase hundreds of billions of dollars worth of bad debt and bail out a troubled financial system that's on the brink of sinking and taking the U.S. economy down with it.

Congressional aides and administration officials were working through the weekend to fill in the details of the proposal. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was scheduled to appear on the Sunday talk shows to begin selling the $700 billion rescue, the largest since the Great Depression, to lawmakers and the American people.

The Bush proposal that would dole out huge sums of money to Wall Street firms and bankers is a mere three pages in length and fails to specify which institutions would qualify or say what — if anything — taxpayers would get in return.

"It's a rather brief bill with a lot of money," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., the Banking Committee chairman. "We understand the importance of the anticipation in the markets, but we also know that what we're doing is going to have consequences for decades to come. There's not a second act to this — we've got to get this right."

Democrats, who say they will work with the administration to pass a plan, are demanding it include relief for homeowners struggling with mounting debt, not just for Wall Street.

The proposal would raise the statutory limit on the national debt from $10.6 trillion to $11.3 trillion to make room for the massive rescue.

ITR - Ike Update from Pip Reyolds ITR California for ITR UK & GLOBAL

Pip Reynolds ITR California for Michael Dixon InTouchRadio.net UK

s

Evacuees sneak back onto ravaged Galveston By CAIN BURDEAU and ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writers GALVESTON, Texas - Rats, raw sewage and a no-excuses curfew await exiled residents who try to return to storm-wrecked Galveston Island when it reopens next week, officials warned Saturday, a week after Hurricane Ike came thundering ashore. Ugly as the city's last week and immediate future may be, the grim predictions didn't seem to scare some of the 45,000 evacuated islanders from trying to get home, even though most of the island won't open back up until Wednesday. Another miles-long traffic jam clogged the only highway into the city Saturday. Some ignored orders to turn around, while others resorted to deception to sneak past police guarding a roadblock. David Culpepper met his brother Joe in Atlanta, put a phony magnetic sign on a truck to masquerade as contractors and drove down to help a third brother, Michael, who owns an antiques shop on Galveston. Guards at the checkpoint waved Joe and David Culpepper right in. "Not getting on this island was not an option," David Culpepper said. "We have a brother in need." It could be weeks or more before basic services are restored in all areas. Authorities cautioned that residents could find drastically different conditions depending on how their property fared. "We have people whose homes are totally and completely destroyed, all the way to the other end of the spectrum, to where your home is perfectly fine," city manager Steve LeBlanc said. Fuel and other essentials remained scarce. Some businesses were beginning to reopen, cell service was improving and electricity was coming back on. But the strides are small, and island leaders emphasized that Galveston remained dangerous. Police will indefinitely enforce a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew once the island reopens, and parents were warned their children could be exposed to infections from storm debris and other hazards. Planes continued spraying the island to control mosquitoes, and officials urged those returning to wear masks to protect from mold and to properly dispose of spoiled food to stave off vermin. "We don't want that flowing out into the streets," LeBlanc said. "We don't want varmints getting into it." Hundreds of stop signs were being trucked in to replace traffic lights, nearly all of which were blown away, and 150 state troopers were on their way to help police the city. State Rep. Craig Eiland called the preparations essential for controlling the "chaos and congestion" expected as residents come home. "We will have order in the city," LeBlanc said. The increased activity was welcome news to evacuees, but less so to at least some of the roughly 15,000 who rode out the Category 2 storm on the island. "To be honest, I have been comfortable these past nine days without noise, without stupid sirens," 61-year-old Leonid Elokhine said as he walked home from trying to find supplies to fix his flooded car. Grim reminders of the storm's force accompanied the bits of good news. Cadaver dogs were to sniff through rubble and debris Sunday in Bolivar Peninsula, which suffered even heavier damage that Galveston. Residents of Bolivar Peninsula will also start seeing their homes next week, albeit for only a quick peek. Because the main road is impassible in many spots, residents will be loaded into dump trucks and other heavy vehicles for their tour. Authorities had blamed the storm for 26 deaths in Texas and 61 total in the U.S., including a utility contractor from Florida who was electrocuted Friday while trying to restore power in Louisville, Ky. Power had been restored Saturday to more than half the customers in Texas whose electricity was cut by Ike, though state officials said about 1.2 million remained in the dark Saturday. Oncor, one of the state's largest utilities, said Saturday night it had restored power to all 108,000 of its customers in east Texas who lost power from the storm. "If there's one word that describes recovery, it's power," Gov. Rick Perry said. In Beaumont, near the Louisiana line, authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order Saturday that had been in effect since Sept. 11, clearing residents to return to the city of 110,000 for the first time in more than a week. But thousands bused out of the city before Ike won't be coming back right away. Half of Beaumont is still without power, and with city water utilities and sewage running on generators, officials said they may not be ready for everyone to return. More than 1 million people evacuated the Texas coast as Ike steamed across the Gulf of Mexico. State officials said more than half of some 37,000 evacuees in shelters at the height of Ike's aftermath were gone as of Saturday, and about 175 shelters remained open. More than 439,000 families had registered for FEMA assistance in the wake of Ike as of Saturday, and about 9,300 were staying in government-funded hotel rooms. ___ Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Houston contributed to this report.

ITR - Newsflash Former Blink-182 Drummer & DJ AM in Critical Condition After Air Crash in Columbia

Pip Reynolds ITR California to Michael InTouchRadio.net UK & GLOBAL

Musicians had harrowing escape from SC jet crash

By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer 29 minutes ago

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C.

Fans of former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM, a celebrity disc jockey, anxiously waited Sunday for word on the critical burns the two suffered in an incredible escape from the flaming wreckage of a private jet.

The Learjet crashed late Friday night shortly after taking off from an airport in Columbia, where they had just performed a concert for thousands of college students. The plane's two-person crew and a pair of the musicians' staff members — also their close friends — were killed.

Officials said as the plane was departing air traffic controllers reported seeing sparks. The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and came to rest a quarter-mile away on an embankment across a five-lane highway, engulfed in flames.

Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical but stable condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits said. Officials planned a news conference Sunday morning to update their conditions.

Some fans gathered Saturday at the burn center's waiting room to show support for Barker, including Joseph Morales, who has a tattoo on his calf of the cover of the band's fourth album, "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket."

"They've been my favorite band since I was in fifth grade, and I'm 20 now," Morales told The Augusta Chronicle. "I just hope he gets better."

One witness said he was driving when a fireball streaked across the highway about 600 feet ahead of him. William Owens said he approached to see the two survivors frantically trying to remove their burning clothes.

"I noticed two guys who were on fire and it looked like a dance: They didn't know what to do," said Owens, a 60-year-old delivery van driver.

Goldstein had stripped off his own shirt and was helping Barker strip naked, said Owens, who was able to identify the men Saturday night because of news reports that showed Barker's extensive tattoos.

Owens said Goldstein told him four other people were on board the jet, but the flames were too intense to get close.

"'Oh my God' was all they were saying," Owens said of Barker and Goldstein. "They stood there and it's like — didn't know what to do. None of us did."

Two other passengers — Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles — died, as did pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif., according to the county coroner. Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician. A publicist described the men as close friends of their employers.

The plane was headed for Van Nuys, Calif. It is owned by Global Exec Aviation, a California-based charter company, and was certified to operate last year, said National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman. The company said it was working with investigators to determine the cause of the crash.

A longtime friend of the co-pilot said Bland flew anti-smuggling missions 20 years for the U.S. Customs Service and flew missions for the Santa Ana Police Department in California and U.S. Border Patrol.

"He was such an experienced pilot, it had to be something beyond their control," said Tim Ferrill, a Huntington Beach, Calif., pilot. "He was an absolutely meticulous pilot, very thorough and not a risk-taker at all."

At the crash site Saturday, the air was still heavy with the odor of jet fuel. A trail of black soot led off a runway. The nose of the aircraft was gone and the roof was missing from two-thirds of the charred plane.

Hersman said officials recovered the cockpit voice recorder but had yet to analyze it or determine whether the recording was in good condition. She said the weather was clear when the plane took off, but said no factors had been ruled out.

"We're working as fast as we can to document all the evidence," Hersman said. "We have not yet found anything but we are looking at everything."

Barker and Goldstein had performed together under the name TRVSDJ-AM at a free concert in Columbia on Friday night. The show, which included performances by former Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell and singer Gavin DeGraw, drew about 10,000 people to a neighborhood near the University of South Carolina.

On Saturday afternoon, several people gathered at the concert site.

"I hope to God things turn out OK and he gets better. He's a real good guy," said Dustin Haycraft, 23, of Columbia, who sports two tattoos modeled on T-shirts the musician designed.

Barker, 32, was one of the more colorful members of the multiplatinum-selling punk rock band Blink-182, whose biggest album was 1999's CD "Enema of the State" and sold more than 5 million copies in the United States alone.

After Blink-182 disbanded in 2005, Barker went on to form the rock band (+44) — pronounced "plus forty-four." He also starred in the MTV reality series "Meet the Barkers" with his then-wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler. The show documented the former couple's lavish wedding and home life. Their later split, reconciliation and subsequent breakup made them tabloid favorites.

Goldstein, 35, is a popular DJ for hire who at one time was engaged to Nicole Richie and dated singer/actress Mandy Moore. While he became a gossip favorite for his romances, he draws respect from music aficionados for his DJ skills.

Barker and Goldstein performed as part of the house band at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month.

___

Associated Press writers Evan Berland and Page Ivey in Columbia, Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

ITR - 125th AES Convention - San Fransisco - The Remaking of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Remaking of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at AES
Marking the 40th Anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Geoff Emerick, the Beatles engineer on the original recording, will be at AES in San Francisco to discuss how he re-recorded the entire album for the BBC on the original vintage equipment using contemporary musicians for a unique TV program.

Celebrating its own anniversary, the APRS is presenting this anticipated AES session, featuring recorded performances by young UK and US artists including the Kaiser Chiefs, The Fray, Travis, Razorlight, the Stereophonics, the Magic Numbers, and one older Canadian, Bryan Adams.

Hear how the project was done, how it should be done, and how many of the new artists want to do it in the future.

The session is scheduled for Friday, October 3, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm at Moscone Convention Center.

ITR - A Lot of Clams - As US Government Bails Out AIG ... Wonder Why? from Pip Reynolds ITR in California

Government Bails Out AIG With $85 Billion Loan

By JEANNINE AVERSA, IEVA M. AUGSTUMS and STEPHEN BERNARD, AP
Business Writers

WASHINGTON - For the second time this month, the U.S. government put taxpayer money on the hook to rescue a private financial company, saying the failure of the huge insurer American International Group Inc. would further disrupt markets and threaten the already fragile economy.

The Federal Reserve said Tuesday it would provide up to $85 billion in an emergency, two-year loan to rescue AIG, which teetered on the edge of failure because of stresses caused by the collapse of the subprime mortgage market and the credit crunch that ensued. In return, the government will get a 79.9 percent stake in AIG and the right to remove senior management.

The move was similar to government's seizure on Sept. 7 of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, where the Treasury Department said it was prepared to put up as much as $100 billion over time in each of the companies if needed to keep them from going broke.

Both moves were bound to raise questions about the use of taxpayer money to bail out private firms.

The Fed said it determined that a disorderly failure of AIG could hurt the already delicate financial markets and the economy. Although little known off Wall Street, AIG does business with almost every financial institution in the world and insures $88 billion worth of assets including mortgages and corporate loans.

Its failure could also "lead to substantially higher borrowing costs, reduced household wealth and materially weaker economic performance," the Fed said in a statement.

The decision to help AIG marked a reversal from the government's move over the weekend, when it refused to use taxpayer money to bail out Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Lehman, which filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, collapsed under the weight of mounting losses related to its real estate holdings.

The White House said it backed the Fed's decision Tuesday.

"These steps are taken in the interest of promoting stability in financial markets and limiting damage to the broader economy," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.

After meeting with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in a late-night briefing on Capitol Hill, Congressional leaders said they understood the need for the bailout.

"The administration is approaching an unprecedented step, but unfortunately we are living in unprecedented times." said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "Hearing of these plans, you have to stop to catch your breath. But upon reflection, the alternatives are much worse."

New York officials said the deal helps stave off a fiscal crisis for the state.

"Policy holders will be protected, jobs will be saved," New York Gov. David Paterson said Tuesday night.

The Fed's move was part of a concerted push to help calm jittery markets and investors around the world.

On Tuesday, the Fed decided to keep its key interest rate steady at 2 percent, but acknowledged stresses in financial markets have grown and hinted it stood ready to lower rates if needed.

The central bank also pumped $70 billion into the nation's financial system to help ease credit stresses. In emergency sessions over the weekend, the Fed expanded its loan programs to Wall Street firms, part of an ongoing effort to get credit flowing more freely.

The stock market, which Monday had its worst session since the Sept. 11 attacks, recovered Tuesday after the Fed's decision on interest rates. The Dow Jones industrials rose 141 points after losing 500 points on Monday.

AIG's shares swung violently, though, as rumors of potential deals involving the government or private parties emerged and were dashed. By late Tuesday, its shares had closed down 20 percent — and another 45 percent after hours.

The problems at AIG stemmed from its insurance of mortgage-backed securities and other risky debt against default. If AIG couldn't make good on its promise to pay back soured debt, investors feared the consequences would pose a greater threat to the U.S. financial system than this week's collapse of the investment bank Lehman Brothers.

The worries were heightened Monday after Moody's Investor Service and Standard and Poor's lowered AIG's credit ratings, forcing AIG to seek more money for collateral against its insurance contracts. Without that money, AIG would have defaulted on its obligations and the buyers of its insurance — such as banks and other financial companies — would have found themselves without protection against losses on the debt they hold.

"It might not just bring down other financial institutions in the U.S. It could bring down overseas financial institutions," said Timothy Canova, a professor of international economic law at Chapman University School of Law. "If Lehman Brother's failure could help trigger AIG's going down, who knows who AIG's failure could trigger next."

New York-based AIG operates an insurance and financial services businesses ranging from property, casualty, auto and life insurance to annuity and investment services. Those traditional insurance operations are considered healthy and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners said "they are solvent and have the capability to pay claims."

From Pip Reynolds for InTouchRadio.net Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL passing on the news for you.

Please let's have your feedback and how this situation is affecting you and your part of the world - together we have strength - divided we are weaker.

Email: michael@intouchradio.net

ITR - Richard Wright - Pink Floyd - In Memory ~ Quietly Unique ~ Allowing the Others to Fly

The Press Association

Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour paid tribute to Richard Wright who has died

Pink Floyd mourn keyboardist Wright

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour paid tribute to his "musical partner and friend" Richard Wright.

Gilmour said the band's keyboardist, who died of cancer at 65, was "gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound.

"Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him," he said.

Wright played the keyboard with the guitar group and wrote music for classic albums The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright was seen as the group's dominant musical force.

The Great Gig In The Sky, and Us And Them were his best-known compositions.

"Without Us And Them and The Great Gig In The Sky, what would The Dark Side Of The Moon have been?" Gilmour said.

"Without his quiet touch the album Wish You Were Here would not quite have worked. In my view all the greatest PF moments are the ones where he is in full flow."

London-born Wright mastered the trombone, saxophone, guitar and piano in his teenage years, and had hoped to emulate Miles Davis and John Coltrane, before enrolling in architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic.

There he met fellow band mates Roger Waters and Nick Mason, and they went on to form the Pink Floyd Sound in 1965.

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ITR - England's Crowded House

BBC UK News

England 'most crowded in Europe'

By Chris Mason Europe correspondent, BBC News

There is an average of 253 people in every square kilometre of the UK

Immigration levels have pushed population density in England to a higher level than any other major country in Europe.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, indicate there is an average of 395 people in every square kilometre in England.

This is an increase of five per sq km in the past two years.

The increase has pushed England's population density above the previous highest figure set by the Netherlands.

Within the European Union, only the island of Malta has a higher population density than England.

Its population, though, is just 400,000.

The statistics have been released in response to a parliamentary question from the Conservative MP for Hertsmere in Hertfordshire, James Clappison.

Recent immigration

He asked the government how crowded the UK is and how it compared with countries around the continent.

The latest projections suggest there is an average of 253 people in every square kilometre of the UK.

But Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are relatively sparsely populated.

The figure for England alone puts the country top of the European league for the most crowded major countries - and density is expected to rise to 464 people for every square kilometre by 2031.

Much of the recent immigration from Eastern Europe has been concentrated in the South and East, which has seen high demand for labour in farming and construction.

But there are growing concerns the increases are not sustainable.

These figures are a milestone and a wake up call... we simply can't go on as we are Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK

"This worries people - and it worries people with good reason," Mr Clappison, an MP in the South East, said.

"Population density has direct implications for quality of life - it adds pressure on public services, it adds pressure on infrastructure and it adds pressure on the environment."

Last week an all-party group led by former Labour minister Frank Field and Conservative MP Nicholas Soames called for a "balanced" approach to immigration, where the numbers allowed to settle in the country equalled those leaving.

Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of Migration Watch UK, echoed that suggestion.

"These figures are a milestone and a wake up call," he said.

"We simply can't go on as we are. The government's own forecasts show that England alone will add nearly 10 million to its population in the next 25 years and 70% of that is down to immigration.

"That's the equivalent to seven times the city of Birmingham in the next quarter of a century. Clearly that's not acceptable."

But some argue that immigration levels are likely to ease as the UK's economy falters and there are fewer jobs available.

And the government, for its part, is hoping its new so-called "points based" migration system will make a difference.

A spokesman for UK Border Agency told the BBC: "Our tough new points system plus our plans for newcomers to earn their citizenship will reduce overall numbers of economic migrants coming to Britain, and the numbers awarded permanent settlement.

"Crucially the points system means only the migrants with the skills Britain needs can come - and no more."

But critics have argued that without an annual cap on the number of immigrants entering the UK, a points based system is pointless.

ITR - Recession! Depression! Not for NASA - Onward Mars Mission - Where Did That Atmosphere Go?

BBC World News

Nasa selects Mars climate mission

Maven will leave Earth in 2013 and arrive at Mars in 2014

The US space agency (Nasa) has approved its next orbiter mission to Mars.

The Maven spacecraft will arrive at the Red Planet in late 2014, to study the atmosphere and climate history of Earth's near neighbour.

The satellite will be equipped with eight scientific instruments and will fly low enough on occasions to sample the upper layers of Martian "air".

It could also provide a communications link to Earth for surface robots, such as Europe's ExoMars rover.

The cost of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (Maven) mission has been put at $485m.

Atmosphere loss

It is what Nasa terms a "Scout mission" - a moderate-cost venture that is designed to supplement other more expensive and higher-spec missions.

It was chosen from a list of 20 proposals submitted to Nasa management in 2006; and beat a similar mission suggestion known as Great Escape in the final round of selection.

"This [Maven] mission will provide the first direct measurements ever taken to address key scientific questions about Mars' evolution," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars exploration programme at Nasa Headquarters in Washington DC.

The planet seen today is very different from the one scientists know existed billions of years ago.

Mars once had a denser atmosphere that supported the presence of liquid water on the surface. As part of a dramatic change in climate most of this atmosphere has been lost.

Maven will make definitive scientific measurements of present-day atmospheric loss that will offer clues about the planet's history.

"The loss of Mars' atmosphere has been an ongoing mystery," McCuistion said. "Maven will help us solve it."

Heavy rovers

Nasa currently has two spacecraft in orbit around Mars - the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. These craft are taking detailed pictures and studying the geochemistry of the Red Planet.

Ground operations are conducted by the two ageing rovers, Opportunity and Spirit; and by the recently arrived Phoenix static lander. Phoenix also is classed as a Scout mission.

MSL will be considerably heavier than previous rovers

Already approved and in preparation is the next lander - the Mars Science Laboratory. The robotic vehicle will be equipped with a payload of science instruments more than 10 times as massive as those of any previous Mars rover.

MSL will assess whether its landing zone ever had or still has environmental conditions favourable to microbial life.

It will be followed by Europe's ExoMars rover which will arrive at the Red Planet at about the same time as Maven. If the European vehicle needs to relay communications through an orbiting spacecraft then Maven will be equipped to handle the link.

Nasa is funding development work on two organic chemistry instruments that could be part of ExoMars' scientific payload. The European robot will search its landing site for signs of past or present life.

ITR - News - Pink Floyd's Keyboard Player Richard Wright dies aged 65 with Cancer

BBC News

Obituary: Pink Floyd's Richard Wright

Richard Wright co-wrote a number of tracks on the album Dark Side of the Moon

By Ian Youngs Music reporter, BBC News

As a keyboardist and songwriter, Richard Wright helped create the pioneering psychedelic sound that made Pink Floyd one of the world's greatest groups.

His atmospheric, jazzy organs and synthesisers were at times at the forefront of their songs, and at others provided a dreamy undercurrent upon which the rest of the band could drift.

Wright was studying architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London when he met fellow students Nick Mason and Roger Waters.

They formed the Architechtural Abdabs in 1965, before art student Syd Barrett joined and the group became Pink Floyd.

Wright (right) and the band were central figures in swinging London

They made their names on London's artistic underground scene, "playing music which the record companies could not understand", as Wright later put it.

"We never had a desire to be famous, to be rock 'n' roll stars," he said.

The musical style of jazz greats like Miles Davis influenced his keyboard playing the most, he said.

Barrett was the leading creative force in the early days, but drug use soon led to his mental deterioration.

The rest of the band, though, did not partake in heavy drug use.

Wright took two acid trips - one before he was in the band, which was "quite enjoyable", and a more unpleasant experience that put him off for life.

"It's a mistake thinking that drugs supplied Pink Floyd with the inspiration," he said.

"The ones who took drugs were the ones who came to see the shows."

Redefined sound

After Barrett left, and with new guitarist Dave Gilmour on board, the band started to redefine themselves in the late 1960s and early '70s, moving away from eccentric pop to prog rock.

As well as providing backing vocals and keyboards, Wright wrote some of their songs.

They included the instrumental 13-minute Sysyphus on 1969's Ummagumma and Summer '68 from Atom Heart Mother, their first number one album.

The 23-minute Echoes, from their next long player, Meddle, centred around a single Wright piano note.

Record breaker

Their following release, 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, was their masterpiece.

Wright co-wrote much of the album, including Breathe, Time and Us and Them, but his most significant contribution was the piano-led The Great Gig in the Sky.

The album is one of the best-selling albums of all time and stayed in the US top 200 for 15 years.

The group became one of the biggest groups of the 1970s, and continued releasing albums, while Wright also branched out with a solo career.

Gilmour (left), Mason (centre) and Wright carried on into the 1990s

But band relations were deteriorating, and Waters effectively sacked Wright after the 1979 album The Wall.

Waters had threatened to withhold the album if Wright refused to quit, the keyboardist later said.

"There was this big personality clash between me and Roger, and at the end of the day I realised that I couldn't work with this person anyway - so I left."

The other band members also fell out with Waters, with Gilmour and Mason starting work on a new Pink Floyd album without him in 1986.

Wright rejoined the splinter group as they continued to record and tour as Pink Floyd - after a lengthy legal battle with Waters.

They made two more Pink Floyd albums and played more than 100 shows on the Division Bell tour in 1994, the most lucrative tour in rock history at that time.

After that, the group fell dormant. Wright released another solo album and let off steam on his 65-foot yacht in the Virgin Islands.

Sailing was his "therapy and it releases all the pressures that one does get in this business", he said.

He joined his former bandmates, with the exception of Barrett, one last time at Live 8 in Hyde Park in 2005.

There has since been continual speculation that the group could reform to tour again.

But with Wright's passing, a hugely important chapter in the story of British music has closed.

ITR - Update On Ike Hurricane from Pip Reynolds ITR California for InTouchRadio.net (UK-GLOBAL)

Rescuing Ike Stalwarts A Race Against The Clock

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer


GALVESTON, Texas - Rescue crews canvassed neighborhoods inundated by Ike's storm surge early Sunday morning, racing against time to rescue those who faced a second harrowing night trapped amid flattened houses, strewn debris and downed power lines.


One team of paramedics, rescue dogs and structural engineers fanned out under a full moon on a finger of land in Galveston Bay. Authorities hoped to spare thousands of Texans — 140,000 by some estimates — who ignored mandates to flee Hurricane Ike from another night among the destruction. Some had been rescued, but unknown thousands remained stranded. Only four deaths had been blamed on Ike so far — two in Texas and two in Louisiana — and rescuers hoped to keep that tally from rising.

But roads blocked by waist-deep water and downed trees kept many rescuers at bay as they struggled through the largest search-and-rescue effort in state history, just a day after the Category 2 storm crashed into Texas with 110 mph winds.

Five-year-old Jack King escaped serious injury when storm surge sent a rush of water that washed out the first floor of his family's Galveston home just two blocks from the bay.

"I falled in the attic," Jack told paramedic Stanley Hempstead of his 10-foot tumble onto the garage floor. Jack and his family had taken refuge in the room, loaded with blankets and other supplies. As rescuers arrived, Jack gazed at a TV aglow with "The Simpsons." The only evidence of his fall was a Band-Aid plastered to his closely-cropped hair, covering a gash.

"We just didn't think it was going to come up like this," said the boy's father, Lee King. "I'm from New Orleans, I know better. I just didn't think it was going to happen."

Fortunately, Jack only suffered scrapes and bruises in the fall. The Kings had hoped that a family member would pick them up, but a paramedic told him the road inland wouldn't be open for days. Lee King thought they could survive another night, but then their generator died. He ultimately decided the family was ready to leave.

Hempstead and other team members sailed through flooded streets Saturday, evoking thoughts of another disastrous storm that kept him working for 31 days.

"This brings back memories of Katrina — a lot of torn up homes and flooded stuff," he said of the infamous hurricane that struck New Orleans just more than three years ago. On one side of the Galveston peninsula, a couple of barges had broken loose and smashed into homes.

Everything from red vinyl barstools to clay roof tiles littered the landscape. Some homes were "pancaked," the second floor sitting where the first had been before Ike's surge washed it out. Only the stud frames remained below the roofs of many houses, opening a clear view from front yard to back.

Gov. Rick Perry's office said 940 people had been saved by nightfall Saturday, but that thousands had made distress calls the night before. Another 600 were rescued from Louisiana floods.

"What's really frustrating is that we can't get to them," Galveston police officer Tommie Mafrei said. "It's jeopardizing our safety when we try to tell them eight hours before to leave. They are naive about it, thinking it's not going to be that bad."

Some coastal residents waded through chest-deep water with their belongings and children in their arms to get to safety Saturday. Military helicopters loaded others carrying plastic bags and pets in their arms and brought them to dry ground.

Big-wheeled dump trucks, boats and helicopters were at the ready to continue searching hard-hit Galveston and Orange County at daybreak Sunday.

The water had reached 3 feet deep in Jeffrey Jordan's Galveston living room by the time police arrived to save him and his family. Like many who were rescued in the hours after the storm, he was escorted to a shelter.

"They sent a dump truck to get us," Jordan said. "We shouldn't have been there because the water was rising something like a foot every five minutes."

In downtown Houston, winds shattered the windows of gleaming skyscrapers, sleeting glass onto the streets below. Police used bullhorns to order people back into their homes. Furniture littered the streets, and business documents stamped "classified" had been carried by the wind through shattered office windows.

The storm weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday morning, but was still packing 35-mph winds as it dumped rain over Arkansas and headed toward Missouri. Tornadoes were also possible Sunday in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri as Ike headed toward the north-northeast.

More than 3 million were without power in Texas at the height of the storm, and it could be weeks before it was fully restored. Utilities made some progress by late Saturday, and lights returned to parts of Houston. Between Ike and Labor Day's Hurricane Gustav, 180,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana were without power.

Ike was the first major storm to directly hit a major U.S. metropolitan area since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.

Storm surge that crawled some 30 miles inland in Louisiana flooded tens of thousands of homes. A levee broke and some 13,000 buildings flooded in Terrebonne Parish, 200 miles from Texas. More than 160 people had to be saved from floodwaters near St. Charles.

Though emergency crews were frustrated by those who stayed behind, weary residents of East Texas' swamplands and Big Piney Woods were beginning to feel that whatever decision they make about a Gulf hurricane is wrong.

In 2005, they were battered by Hurricane Rita, a powerful September storm that ripped pine trees from their roots, smashed trailer- and wood-frame homes and left them in what has become a perpetual state of disrepair with the trademark FEMA blue tarps still visible over some.

Wary of another such disaster, they listened when authorities told them to get out of Gustav's way last week. They spent days in north Texas shelters or doled out precious dollars on hotels and gas while their homes received nothing more than a mild shower.

This time around, thousands ignored the mandatory evacuation order and were sucker-punched by the stronger side of Ike.

Those who did leave were glad they heeded orders, despite the inconvenience. Retired nurse Ida Mayfield said that because Gustav hit Louisiana and not Beaumont two weeks ago, many decided not to evacuate ahead of Ike. She was warm and dry at a church-turned shelter in Tyler, along with thousands of her neighbors.

"Two o'clock this morning made a believer out of all of them," said the 52-year-old Mayfield, adding that she spoke to a friend Saturday who was on a roof waiting for help after calling 911. "They're scared now."

___

Associated Press Writers Pauline Arrillaga in Houston, Jay Root and Kelley Shannon in Austin, Doug Simpson in Baton Rouge, April Castro, Mark Williams and Andre Coe in College Station, Allen G. Breed in Surfside Beach, Juan Lozano in Orange, Elizabeth White in San Antonio and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

ITR - Ike Follow Through As It Hits USA Coastline from Pip Reynolds ITR California

Devastating Ike Slams Texas as a Category 2 Storm

By JUAN A. LOZANO and CHRIS DUNCAN, Associated Press Writer

GALVESTON, Texas - A massive Hurricane Ike ravaged southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded calls to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.

Though it would be daybreak before the storm's toll was clear, already, the damage was extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings had flooded, roads were washed out and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that tens of thousands of people had defied orders to flee and would need to be rescued from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

"The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to go in ... and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely. We'll probably do the largest search and rescue operation that's ever been conducted in the state of Texas," said Andrew Barlow, spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry.

The eye of the storm powered ashore at 3:10 a.m. EDT at Galveston with 110 mph winds, just shy of a Category 3 storm. Because Ike was so huge — nearly as big as Texas itself — hurricane winds pounded the coast for hours before landfall and would continue through much of the morning, forecasters said.

More than 1.3 million customers — or 2.9 million people — had lost power, and suppliers warned it could be weeks before all the service was restored. There also was fear winds could shatter the windows of Houston's sparkling skyscrapers that define the skyline of America's fourth-largest city. Forecasters said the worst winds and rain would come after the center came ashore.

Though 1 million people fled coastal communities near where the storm made landfall, authorities in four counties alone said roughly 140,000 ignored mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Other counties were unable to provide numbers but officials said they were concerned that many decided to brave deadly conditions rather than flee.

As the front of the storm moved into Galveston, fire crews rescued nearly 300 people who changed their minds and fled at the last minute, wading through floodwaters carrying clothes and other possessions.

"We don't know what we are going to find. We hope we will find the people who are left here alive and well," Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said. "We are keeping our fingers crossed all the people who stayed on Galveston Island managed to survive this."

Some 60 miles inland, storm surge was pushing into a neighborhood near Johnson Space Center where Houston Mayor Bill White had made rounds earlier with a bullhorn trying to compel people to leave. Nearby, the popular Kemah Boardwalk at the mouth of Galveston Bay, ringed by million-dollar homes, was submerged, state officials said.

Thousands of homes could be damaged, a spokesman for the mayor said, but it was too dangerous to go out and canvass the neighborhood at the height of the storm.

A landmark restaurant, Brennan's of Houston, was destroyed by flames when firefighters were thwarted by high winds. The restaurant had been a downtown institution for more then four decades. Across Houston's downtown, car alarms screeched and light poles swayed like small trees.

On the far east side of Houston, 34-year-old Claudia Macias was awake with her newborn and was trying unsuccessfully not to think about the trees swaying outside her doors, or the wind vibrating through her windows. She had been through other storms, but this time was different because she was a new mother.

"I don't know who's going to sleep here tonight, maybe the baby," Macias said.

Before it came ashore, the storm was 600 miles across. Because of the hurricane's size, the state's shallow coastal waters and its largely unprotected coastline, forecasters said the biggest threat would be flooding and storm surge, with Ike expected to hurl a wall of water two stories high — 20 to 25 feet — at the coast. The strongest winds and highest storm surge were expected near or just after the eye made landfall.

Firefighters left three buildings to burn Galveston because water was too high for fire trucks to reach them. Six feet of water had collected in the Galveston County Courthouse on the island's downtown, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was flooded, according to local storm reports on the National Weather Service's Web site.

But there was some good news: a stranded freighter with 22 men aboard made it through the brunt of the storm safely, and a tugboat was on the way to save them. And an evacuee from Calhoun County gave birth to a baby girl in the restroom of a shelter with the aid of an expert in geriatric psychiatry who delivered his first baby in two decades.

"It's kind of like riding a bike," Dr. Mark Burns told the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung after he helped Ku Paw welcome her fourth child.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 5.5 million prepackaged meals were being sent to the region, along with more than 230 generators and 5.6 million liters of water. At least 3,500 FEMA officials were stationed in Texas and Louisiana.

If Ike is as bad as feared, the storm could travel up Galveston Bay and send a surge up the Houston Ship Channel and into the port of Houston. The port is the nation's second-busiest, and is an economically vital complex of docks, pipelines, depots and warehouses that receives automobiles, consumer products, industrial equipment and other cargo from around the world and ships out vast amounts of petrochemicals and agricultural products.

The storm also could force water up the seven bayous that thread through Houston, swamping neighborhoods so flood-prone that they get inundated during ordinary rainstorms.

The oil and gas industry was closely watching Ike because it was headed straight for the nation's biggest complex of refineries and petrochemical plants. Wholesale gasoline prices jumped to around $4.85 a gallon for fear of shortages.

Ike is the first major hurricane to hit a U.S. metropolitan area since Katrina devastated New Orleans three years ago. For Houston, it would be the first major hurricane since Alicia in August 1983 came ashore on Galveston Island, killing 21 people and causing $2 billion in damage. Houston has since then seen a population explosion, so many of the residents now in the storm's path have never experienced the full wrath of a hurricane.

On its way through the Gulf toward Texas, Ike spawned thunderstorms, shut down schools and knocked out power throughout southern Louisiana on Friday. An estimated 1,200 people were in state shelters in Monroe and Shreveport, and another 220 in medical needs shelters.

In southeastern Louisiana near Houma, Ike breached levees, and flooded more than 1,800 homes. More than 160 people had to be rescued from sites of severe flooding, and Gov. Bobby Jindal said he expected those numbers to grow. In some extreme instances, residents of low-lying communities where waters continued to rise continued to refuse National Guard assistance to flee their homes, authorities said.

No deaths had been officially reported, but crews expected to resume searching at daybreak near Corpus Christi for a man believed swept out to sea as Ike closed in.

___

Juan A. Lozano reported from Galveston. Chris Duncan reported from Houston. Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno and Jay Root in Austin, Eileen Sullivan in Washington, Schuyler Dixon and Paul Weber in Dallas, John Porretto, Monica Rhor and Pauline Arrillaga in Houston, Michael Kunzelman in Lake Charles, La., Brian Skoloff in West Palm Beach, Fla., Andre Coe in College Station, and Allen G. Breed and video journalist Rich Matthews in Surfside Beach also contributed.

Information supplied by Pip Reynolds ITR California for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

ITR - RICKY TICK CLUB POSTER - Kindly sent by BrightonBeat for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

Thursday, 11 September 2008

ITR - Continued Urgent Appeal for The Ricky Tick Club Windsor, UK - InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

A Big Thankyou to Trevor and David of BrightonBeat
www.modculture.co.uk/submission.php who sent in one of The
Ricky Tick Flyers for InTouchRadio.net

This is from The Ricky Tick at the Old Etonian Country Club which was adjacent to the Swimming Po

ol - note: not the new Sports Centre which occupies the whole of

that site now.

ITR - Continued Urgent Appeal for The Ricky Tick Club Windsor, UK - InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

The Ricky Tick Club, Windsor, Berkshire U.K.

We are Urgently looking to contact those bands that played the Ricky Tick in those ground-breaking years between 1962 and 1967.

John Mansfield fondly recollects the first time he laid eyes upon the Rolling Stones. The music promoter was looking for bands to put on at his newly-established Ricky Tick club, at the Star & Garter hotel in Windsor. He'd heard about the Stones and booked them to play on 14 December 1962.

"It was a privilege to be there because you could see mega-artists for 50p."

Things were a little cheaper back then...!

"By the time they'd finished their first number you could tell that they'd hit the girls' musical G spot because they were all just screaming wild. It was like hypnotic music because it was a fusion between Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry - it was all pulsating rhythms."

Of course The Rolling Stones are now a multi-million-album-selling band, packing out stadiums across the world. But they got their first big break in Windsor.

In fact, The Rolling Stones played for Ricky Tick at least 39 times during 1962 and 1964.

Jimmy Hendrix Experience

Richard Bell

There was another venue just down the road from the Tick Leo's Jazz Club (St. Leonards R

oad near Police Station), Amazing acts and times Long John Baldry, Screaming Lord Sutch to mention Two. On the way home call in at the Wimpy Bar (Peascod Street one up from the Regal Cinema and next to the Singer Sewing Shop?) those were the days.

Colin Williams

Wow! Just read some of the memories from the ' Tick'. It brings it all back, it was pitch black when you went in,just a bit of ultra violet here and there, you went pass the 'cloaks' area and the faces on the walls, then into the main area

on the left.The girls were all dancing, covered with highlighted dust from the ultra violet lights, around their handbags!! Fantasic disco music on Stax, Atlantic and Motown.I remember the enormous stags head in the coffee lounge or was it the TV room?(as it was). There was hardly ever any trouble there, everybody just went to enjoy themselves. We used to ride our scooters there or even walk, as we were form the Windsor area. (Deworth). Who remembers Dedworth Green School? Can you believe I still have my Ricky Tick membership card and loads of cards advertising future artists, a bit sad really. Not! They were really great times and although I no longer live in Windsor, I still follow Georgie Fame, in fact I am seeing him in Southampton in October (08) with his sons. I know they say you should never go back, but a Ricky Tick Reunion Disco would be some party!!

John Mayall (Blues Breakers)

Patricia Jefferson

4 girls from Aylesbury, me Sadie, Penny and Diane and a girl from Aston Clinton whose name I can't remember always hitched there on Saturday night then onto the (Pink) Flamingo and later the Scene Club - quite a weekend. We met some lads from Hoddesden. we danced on stage with Geno Washington, chatted to the Who and Rod (if only we had had a camera). great days. we were 15/16. one day an official got onto the stage saying that Sadie's parents and the police were here she may have been 14, we thought that was a hilarious joke till we got home the next day and it was true!

Bob Jones

I used to go to the Sunday afternoon Ricky Tick at the Olympia in Reading.Saw many of the acts mentioned elsewhere.Two distict memories are; regularly seeing the ANIMALS who would set up their own equipment on stage before playing and ERIC BURDEN announcing The House of the Rising Sun was due out as their next single in a weeks time. They then launched into it and it was quite something else. My other great recollection was waiting to see JERRY LEE LEWIS, YES JLL at READING .He was supported by The Nashville Teens (one hit wonder but talented band) who also backed JLL .After the teens opening spot we all just stood around listening to these strange way out records that were played each week ,THEN, through the dance hall strolled JERRY LEE LEWIS suited as was the norm for stars and a white trench coat draped over his shoulder.He climbed up on stage swung off the coat, sat down at the piano, right up at the stage edge,and blasted out all his songs.At the end and after an encore he gathered up his coat came off the stage and walked across the hall down the entrance lobby corridor and out to his large American car which shot off to another performance he was giving that evening in London.

Paul Gammons

I could have written exactly the same as Peter Brian below. Must have bumped into all you guys at some time in the past What larks we had. Gotta stop - lump in my throat choking me!

Nick Charalambous

Hi I'm chasing details of Ricky Ticks that was here in Carlton Australia in the late 70's? Just wondering whether you can help me with any details (photo's,wright ups, articles etc.Hopefully you can help.I believe the owners name was Shane Hanlon? Kind Regards Nick Charalambousnjnschara@bigpond.com

Carole Moody nee Lockyer

I and my girlfriends, usually 5 or 6 of us would either hitch a lift from Reading or take the train to the Mansion for a most incredible evening most weekends. The atmosphere was so hot and alive that condensation would drop from the ceiling on to us. There was an upstairs licensed bar if I remember but mostly soft drinks were served. We were between 15 and 17 years old then! I particularly remember Georgie Fame as an old favourite as well as John Mayall.

Rufes Stone.

I Hope some Rolling Stones fans remember the Songs the Playing? in these early Days.

Brian Foreman

Went to the Ricky Tick nearly every weekend, remember Peter and the crew from Kilburn used to turn up at the R(icky)T(ick) every weekend in his blue Transit Van then takes some of us up to the clubs in London. Great Times, Cheers Pete.People I remember from Bracknell: Wayne Randal, Glen Magill,Sue Pratt and Denise, Frank Merry and brother, Helena Sumner, Irene and Linda, Candles,Jeff. Larraine. Used to meet in a club near the train station in Bracknell.People from Windsor/Slough/Maidenhead. J. Jones, Mark & Dave Thompson, John Gardener, Barry Croker, Yan Van derkemp, Peter/Dave, Norman, Ron Suds, Hughie. Those were the most memorable days of my life. The Ricky Tick was the best club in the country people from all over Britain came to see the bands and the atmosphere. Saw Little Stevie Wonder, Geno, Zoot, Herbie, John Mayall, Pretty Things, Yard Birds, Rolling Stones, many many more, shame kids of today don't have anything like the RICKI TICK. Boutique selling the 1st Ben Sherman shirts, the fantastic black walls painted with white images displayed with huge faces. The smell as you entered the club? Still can smell it. The times partying on a Sunday by the river waiting for the Tick to open. I am getting carried away now.

Paula Twist (nee' Gills)

I was so lucky to be part of the Ricky Tick era. We lived above the Police Station in Eton as my dad was the Police Sergent so I didn't have far to go. He used to say why don't you take your bed down there because I rarely missed a night when it was open. I would also go mid week even when it was quite empty. The atmosphere was amazing. We all used to dress in leather coats and my dad used to call me 'The black shadow' because of the dark eye-make I wore. When I tell my children about all the groups we saw they think its really cool. I am a bit ashamed now that my friend Jacky and I used to stand in front of the Who and laugh at Pete Townsend. Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band sang happy birthday to me and I had to run all the way home so that my dad wouldn't go mad as it made me late.

Keith Baker

Which Ricky Tick was featured in the film "Blowup", with The Yardbirds playing?

Carol Evans

I used to go to the Star&Garter hotel five nights a week,and saw the Rolling Stones before they were famous. I am a lifelong fan and went to see 40 Licks tour and A Bigger Bang tour,BRILLIANT.Would love to read the book you are writing,brings back great memories.

Rod the Mod

All bar the Beatles played the Ricky Tick in the 1960's - If anyone has any posters I pay really good money for bands like the Who and Jimi Hendrix. I'll pay a thousand pounds for a 60's Who concert poster if anyone has one?

Peter Brian

I used to go to the Ricky Tick at Windsor in the mid-sixties and there was also one above some shops in Hounslow High Street (not as good) Fond memories of Cream, John Mayall, Zoot Money, Geno Washington, Georgie Fame (he was there on closing night). If you want to meet somebody with much more intimate knowledge than me, there is a regular at the Trooper Pub in Windsor I met last September, I think his name is Kevin or Keith. I have moved away from the area and this was an occasional visit, we chatted about the old times and he said it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. We used to get a pass out to go the pub at the interval and it was the first time I saw an ultra-violet pen used on our hands. It was usually to crowded to dance there much but just to stand a few feet away from our heroes and sway was enough. I consider myself so fortunate to have been around in the 60's and being able to visit local venues and see the bands of that superbly revolutionary era. Rolling Stones in Slough, The Who in Camberley, the list is extensive.

Chris Barnett

The first act I saw at Windsor were the Graham Bond Organization, with the then young, fresh-faced Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker (later Cream). I remember there was a mixing (?) room into which you could peek through a window, and on one (some?) blackboard(s) the people who appeared there had signed their names and left comments. What happened to them? If they survived, they would be collectors items now. I managed to squeeze in to see the Animals once. Of course the place was absolutely packed, it was a "name" band...and then Ronnie Jones and the Blue Jays stole the show. Ironically, I stumbled on the Ricky Tick by chance. John Mansfield's brother was at SGS (Slough Grammer School?) the same time as me, so we would hear about what was going on.

Brian Carr

Hi yes i remember the ricky tick club. I used to go every weekend, with some friends from Fleet, and pick up a few friends from Braknell, ie Glen Migell, and little Eddie. Good times,see all the top groups off the day. Used to follow Geogie Fame from thier tom the Flamigo club. Brill times, and stay all weekend in London. Two girls that came with me were Sue Pratt,and sue Odriscol.What happened to them 33 years later. Anouther group was Zoot Monney?. Still follow Geogie Fame, he is at Wimborne in Dorset next week with his two Sons. Bring back the sixties. Please, please. My friends used to call me Porky. so if you remember me leave a message. Bye. Porky

Mike Bennett

Yardbirds, Pretty Things and the Stones at the Pearce Hall in Maidenhead, But Saturday afternoons at the 'bridge watching Chelsea then over to the 'tick in the evening to see George or Geno then following George up to Tiles (Pantiles Club) or the 'mingo (Pink Flamingo) and ending up at Burnham Bowl (Burham Bowling Alley was on the edge of Slough Trading Estate on the way to Burnham, Buckinghamshire - had a very short life of 3 years or so) - seeing the same faces at each place - yeah a real privilege.

If you have contact with any members of those bands please contact Michael Dixon (michael@intouchradio.net) urgently as we are collaborating with the founder John Mansfield in bringing together the history of the Ricky Tick Club - time is passing and those memories to many are still unfaded - those that made it owe it to themselves to help write those magic moments and let those who feel they are struggling know the life of a gigging musician during that period.

Reminders of travelling those gigs from the various circuits that spread from London, from the Ford Thames to the Ford Transit - from column gear change to floor change. London Airport to get aircraft seats for long-distance comfort. Sitting jammed in the back with the gear after a sweaty performance. Up to the airport bowl for an all-nighter. Watford Gap, the Blue Boar - Guidlford Wooden Bridge, The Half Moon, Blue Moon, Marquee, Scotch of St. James, Bag o' Nails, 100 Club, International Club, Chalk Farm Round House, Angel, The Flamingo/later Pink Flamingo in the Flower-Power Days - upstairs The Whisky a-Go-Go, All the Town Halls, Eel Pie Island and The Ricky Tick in its various guises - most if not all now gone but influential in the music of today and up in the top numbers - The Ricky Tick at Windsor, Berkshire - travelling from London, first on the A4 then the M4 after 1964.

Please Help - if you can contact any of those luminaries who played there from The Who, Cream, Yardbirds, Elton John - give them the nod and let's have an off-the-record chat and then we can put together an Audio-Visual Documentary for all to know.

The Ricky-Tick was an influential 1960s rhythm & blues club in Windsor, host to many important acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream.

The club was resident at several Windsor locations over its lifespan and in later days included clubs in Guildford, Hounslow and High Wycombe, but its most famous venue was the Windsor river-side mansion at Clewer Mead.

They also put on gigs at the Drill Hall at Maidenhead in 1963 and had bands like Yardbirds, Pretty Things and the Stones.

The original venue for the Tick was upstairs in the Star and Garter pub. It then moved to another pub called the Thames Hotel, not in Peascod Street Windsor but down on the Thames river front, before moving to Clewer Manor.

Sunday nights saw the Disco-Tick evenings with Fridays and Saturdays given over to live bands. Geno and the Ram Jam were regulars as were Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, The Alan Price Set and others including Herbie Goynes, John Mayall and Zoot Money.

The "Tick" also helped introduce Motown to the UK with The Supremes, Temptations and Stevie Wonder all appearing. There was also an in-house "Boutick" where you could buy great shirts and other clothes of the day.

So many bands played there in such a short period of time and John Mansfield has been working away with his meticulous memory and putting all those dates together.

I played there with my band at the time as many others did and no matter which venue the Tick was held it - it was The Tick and somewhere few of us would ever forget.

I look forward to hearing from you - all recollections are the building blocks that bring something like this together.

Love and Best Wishes

Michael Dixon

InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

A Co-operative Collective - Not - A Corporate Selective ~ Networking the World As One.

ITR - Serial Madness in the name of Science - InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

From Pip Reynolds - InTouchRadio.net California West Coast Team 11.09.2008

Scientists beaming after test of big atom smasher

By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS, Associated Press Writer

GENEVA - A small blip on a computer screen sent champagne corks popping among physicists in Switzerland. Near Chicago, researchers at a "pajama party" who watched via satellite let out an early morning cheer.

The blip was literally of cosmic proportions, representing a new tool to probe the birth of the universe.

The world's largest atom smasher passed its first test Wednesday as scientists said their powerful tool is almost ready to reveal how the tiniest particles were first created after the "big bang," which many theorize was the massive explosion that formed the stars, planets and everything.

Rivals and friends turned out in the wee hours at Fermilab in Batavia, Ill., in pajamas to watch the event by a special satellite connection. Joining in from around the world were other physicists — many of whom may one day work on the new Large Hadron Collider.

Tension mounted in the five control rooms at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, as scientists huddled around computer screens. After a few trial runs, they fired a beam of protons clockwise around the 17-mile tunnel of the collider deep under the rolling fields along the Swiss-French border. Then they succeeded in sending another beam in the opposite, counterclockwise direction.

The physicists celebrated with champagne when the white dots flashed on the blue screens of the control room, showing a successful crossing of the finish line on the $10 billion machine under planning since 1984.

"The first technical challenge has been met," said a jubilant Robert Aymar, director-general of CERN. "What you have just seen is the result of 20 years of effort. It all went like clockwork. Now it's for the physicists to show us what they can do.

"They are ready to go for discoveries," Aymar said. "Man has always shown he wants to know where he comes from and where he will go, where the universe comes from and where it will go. So here we're looking at essential questions for mankind."

The beams will gradually be filled with more protons and fired at near the speed of light in opposite directions around the tunnel, making 11,000 circuits a second. They will travel down the middle of two tubes about the width of fire hoses, speeding through a vacuum that is colder than outer space. At four points in the tunnel, the scientist will use giant magnets to cross the beams and cause protons to collide. The collider's two largest detectors — essentially huge digital cameras weighing thousands of tons — are capable of taking millions of snapshots a second.

It is likely to be several weeks before the first significant collisions.

The CERN experiments could reveal more about "dark matter," antimatter and possibly hidden dimensions of space and time. It could also find evidence of a hypothetical particle — the Higgs boson — which is sometimes called the "God particle" because it is believed to give mass to all other particles, and thus to matter that makes up the universe.

Smaller colliders have been used for decades to study the makeup of the atom. Scientists once thought protons and neutrons were the smallest components of an atom's nucleus, but experiments have shown that protons and neutrons are made of quarks and gluons and that there are other forces and particles.

The LHC provides much greater power than earlier colliders.

Its start came over the objections of some who feared the collision of protons could eventually imperil the Earth by creating micro black holes — subatomic versions of collapsed stars whose gravity is so strong they can suck in planets and other stars.

"It's nonsense," said James Gillies, chief spokesman for CERN, which also received support for the project by leading scientists such as Britain's Stephen Hawking.

Gillies said the only risk would be if a beam at full power were to go out of control, and that would only damage the accelerator itself and burrow into the rock around the tunnel. No one would be endangered because the tunnel is evacuated when beams are being fired.

No such problem occurred Wednesday, although the accelerator is still probably a year away from full power.

The project organized by the 20 European member nations of CERN has attracted researchers from 80 nations. Some 1,200 are from the United States, an observer country that contributed $531 million. Japan, Canada, Russia and India — also observers — are other major contributors.

Some scientists have been waiting for 20 years to use the LHC.

The complexity of manufacturing it required groundbreaking advances in the use of supercooled, superconducting equipment. The 2001 start and 2005 completion dates were pushed back by two years each, and the cost of the construction was 25 percent higher than originally budgeted in 1996, said Luciano Maiani, who was CERN director-general at the time.

Maiani and the other three former directors-general attended Wednesday's experiment.

___

On the Net:

CERN: http://www.cern.ch

ITR - News from Australia re 2008 Olympics from Angela Spray - New South Wales for InTouchRadio.net (UK & GLOBAL)

We now have another InTouchRadio.net friend Angela Spray from New South Wales, Australia who is all things Equestrian so if you have Equestrian news please send to me michael@intouchradio.net and I will get it posted for you. I hope this is the beginning of a regular feature and of course other Aussie news from Angela.




MEGAN JONES' BEIJING OLYMPIC SILVER IS DREAM COME TRUE


I am taking the time to congratulate all our athletes from the Beijing Games of 2008. The highlights for me were when Stephanie Rice won her three first gold medals and breaking 3 world records. The other highlight is when Megan Jones in the team eventing won a Silver.



Australia's Megan Jones rides Irish Jester after completing the show jumping portion of the equestrian team eventing.



AFTER just missing out on equestrian gold for Australia, securing silver in the Beijing Olympics team eventing competition was a dream come true for Megan Jones.

Jones also narrowly missed a podium finish in the individual eventing when her horse knocked the last rail of the concluding show jumping round, dropping her to fourth place behind German winner Hinrich Romeike.

Had Jones and her horse Kirby Park Irish Jester cleared the last barrier, the South Australian would have collected the individual silver medal too.

But nothing could take away from the silver medal team triumph of Jones, Clayton Fredericks, Lucinda Fredericks, Sonja Johnson and Shane Rose - all making their Olympic debut.

After the dressage and cross country sections, the German riders went into the final stage just one rail penalty ahead of Australia, but held on for victory with 166.10 points to Australia's 171.20 and Britain's 185.70.


STEPHANIE RICE - THREE GOLD MEDALS, THREE WORLD RECORDS

Twenty-year-old Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice won three gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and set new world records in her races.



In the women's 200m individual medley, she finished first in the world record time of 2:08.45. She followed this with a record-breaking women's 400m individual medly in 4:29.45.

On August 14, Stephanie Rice and team mates Bronte Barratt, Linda Mackenzie and Kylie Palmer broke the women's 4x200m freestyle relay record, winnning gold over the more favored teams of China, second, and the United States, third.

Two years ago, 18-year-old Stephanie Rice won gold medals in the 200m and 400m individual medleys at the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne.

ITR - From Avaaz for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

HELP AMERICANS WHO THINK LIKE US

Dear friends,

The US elections are collapsing into a personality contest -- but their outcome will affect us all. Add your name and story to a global message to Americans: "When you vote, remember us." US Avaaz members will pass our messages along to their fellow-citizens:

Join the campaign now!


The United States election is drawing near -- and on nearly every important issue, from climate change to Iraq, human rights, peace and security, its outcome will affect the whole world.

But despite the huge stakes, U.S. politics sometimes seem more like personality contests -- and this year's presidential race is headed dangerously in that direction. In fact, John McCain's campaign manager stated flatly that "this election is not about issues" but rather about the personal qualities of the candidates.[1]

The good news is, many Americans see the problem the way we do. And the 300,000 American members of Avaaz want help from the rest of us -- the 3 million Avaaz members in other countries -- to remind their fellow U.S. voters that their ballots will affect the whole world. So today, we're launching a major effort to send Americans a global message: "When you vote, remember us." Sign the petition now, add a respectful note, and our messages will reach the US in paid ads, letters to the editor, door-to-door canvassing, and hundreds of thousands of US-to-US emails before America goes to the polls in just 56 days. Click to take action now!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/usa_remember_the_world?cl=125830051&v=2138

The power of our global message will come from two things: large numbers -- and personal stories. As one U.S. member wrote in, "the personal touch of individuals contacting individuals is vital to the success to this campaign." So if you have an extra moment, we'd love you to write a short message about how the outcome of the U.S. elections will affect you personally. Once you've submitted your signature and story, you'll see how to upload a photo of yourself to make it even more personal.

The stories, photos, and signatures will be incorporated into advertising campaigns -- and will be sent from American Avaaz members to their friends, families, and colleagues in personal appeals to consider international issues in the election.

Will this work? Of course, it won't decide the election all by itself. But it could have a significant impact. It's critical for all of us to be respectful in our messages; approaching this with the wrong spirit could risk triggering a backlash. We all recognise that this is a democratic election, and the decisions will be made by U.S. voters themselves. But while it's not our place to tell Americans what to do, it's certainly appropriate for us to let them know that their actions affect us all around the world -- and our polling of U.S. Avaaz members shows they're excited to bring our global messages to their friends and neighbours.[2]

There are 56 days left before Americans go to the polls. Add your name, tell your friends, and contribute your story today!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/usa_remember_the_world?cl=125830051&v=2138

Increasingly, decisions made by people anywhere affect the lives that we lead everywhere. But increasingly, we're becoming aware of this interconnectedness -- and of the responsibilities that come with it. Just as our lives are intertwined, our voices, even our whispers, can echo across continents and oceans. So let's use our voices to urge those in the world's most powerful nation to live up to their best traditions and ideals.

With hope,

Brett, Ben, Iain, Alice, Paul, Graziela, Pascal, Ricken and Milena -- the Avaaz team

PS: For a report on Avaaz's campaigning so far, see: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2

Sources:

[1] "McCain Manager: 'This Election is Not About Issues,'" the Washington Post, 2 September 2008.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/mccain_manager_this_election_i.html back

[2] Avaaz member poll, conducted September 8-9, 2008. 83.2% of respondents responded favorably to this campaign, against 4.7% negative and 12.2% neutral. back


Disclaimer:
For InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK/GLOBAL) ~ InTouchRadio.net or InTouchRadio.net Friends do not necessarily agree with any content sent in for the Blogs Page ~ InTouchRadio.net provides a service for you to respond to.

ITR - From Avaaz for InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

HELP AMERICANS WHO THINK LIKE US

Dear friends,

The US elections are collapsing into a personality contest -- but their outcome will affect us all. Add your name and story to a global message to Americans: "When you vote, remember us." US Avaaz members will pass our messages along to their fellow-citizens:

Join the campaign now!


The United States election is drawing near -- and on nearly every important issue, from climate change to Iraq, human rights, peace and security, its outcome will affect the whole world.

But despite the huge stakes, U.S. politics sometimes seem more like personality contests -- and this year's presidential race is headed dangerously in that direction. In fact, John McCain's campaign manager stated flatly that "this election is not about issues" but rather about the personal qualities of the candidates.[1]

The good news is, many Americans see the problem the way we do. And the 300,000 American members of Avaaz want help from the rest of us -- the 3 million Avaaz members in other countries -- to remind their fellow U.S. voters that their ballots will affect the whole world. So today, we're launching a major effort to send Americans a global message: "When you vote, remember us." Sign the petition now, add a respectful note, and our messages will reach the US in paid ads, letters to the editor, door-to-door canvassing, and hundreds of thousands of US-to-US emails before America goes to the polls in just 56 days. Click to take action now!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/usa_remember_the_world?cl=125830051&v=2138

The power of our global message will come from two things: large numbers -- and personal stories. As one U.S. member wrote in, "the personal touch of individuals contacting individuals is vital to the success to this campaign." So if you have an extra moment, we'd love you to write a short message about how the outcome of the U.S. elections will affect you personally. Once you've submitted your signature and story, you'll see how to upload a photo of yourself to make it even more personal.

The stories, photos, and signatures will be incorporated into advertising campaigns -- and will be sent from American Avaaz members to their friends, families, and colleagues in personal appeals to consider international issues in the election.

Will this work? Of course, it won't decide the election all by itself. But it could have a significant impact. It's critical for all of us to be respectful in our messages; approaching this with the wrong spirit could risk triggering a backlash. We all recognise that this is a democratic election, and the decisions will be made by U.S. voters themselves. But while it's not our place to tell Americans what to do, it's certainly appropriate for us to let them know that their actions affect us all around the world -- and our polling of U.S. Avaaz members shows they're excited to bring our global messages to their friends and neighbours.[2]

There are 56 days left before Americans go to the polls. Add your name, tell your friends, and contribute your story today!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/usa_remember_the_world?cl=125830051&v=2138

Increasingly, decisions made by people anywhere affect the lives that we lead everywhere. But increasingly, we're becoming aware of this interconnectedness -- and of the responsibilities that come with it. Just as our lives are intertwined, our voices, even our whispers, can echo across continents and oceans. So let's use our voices to urge those in the world's most powerful nation to live up to their best traditions and ideals.

With hope,

Brett, Ben, Iain, Alice, Paul, Graziela, Pascal, Ricken and Milena -- the Avaaz team

PS: For a report on Avaaz's campaigning so far, see: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2

Sources:

[1] "McCain Manager: 'This Election is Not About Issues,'" the Washington Post, 2 September 2008.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/mccain_manager_this_election_i.html back

[2] Avaaz member poll, conducted September 8-9, 2008. 83.2% of respondents responded favorably to this campaign, against 4.7% negative and 12.2% neutral. back


Disclaimer:
For InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK/GLOBAL) ~ InTouchRadio.net or InTouchRadio.net Friends do not necessarily agree with any content sent in for the Blogs Page ~ InTouchRadio.net provides a service for you to respond to.

ITR - Hurricane Ike from Pip Reynolds - InTouchRadio.net California

From Pip Reynolds - InTouchRadio.net - California

Hurricane Ike takes aim at South Texas

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

McALLEN, Texas - With Hurricane Ike steaming into the Gulf of Mexico, Texas emergency officials Tuesday stood ready to order 1 million people evacuated from the impoverished Rio Grande Valley and tried to convince tens of thousands of illegal immigrants that they have less to fear from the Border Patrol than from the storm.

Emergency planning officials were meeting all day to decide if and when to announce a mandatory evacuation for coastal counties close to the Mexican border.

With forecasts showing Ike blowing ashore this weekend, authorities lined up nearly 1,000 buses in case they are needed to move out the many poor and elderly people who have no cars.

Federal authorities gave assurances they would not check people's immigration status at evacuation loading zones or inland checkpoints. But residents were skeptical, and there were worries that many illegal immigrants would refuse to board buses and go to shelters for fear of getting arrested and deported.

"People are nervous," said the Rev. Michael Seifert, a Roman Catholic priest and immigrant advocate. "The message that was given to me was that it's going to be a real problem."

One reason for the skepticism: Back in May, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the Border Patrol would do nothing to impede an evacuation in the event of a hurricane. But when Hurricane Dolly struck the Rio Grande Valley in late July, no mandatory evacuation was ordered, and as a result the Border Patrol kept its checkpoints open. Agents soon caught a van load of illegal immigrants.

It would be the first mandatory large-scale evacuation in South Texas history. State and county officials let people decide for themselves whether to leave a hurricane area until just before Hurricane Rita struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. Now county officials can order people out of harm's way.

Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas said if an evacuation is ordered this time, county officials will visit immigrant neighborhoods and forcefully urge people to clear out.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, "there were a lot of immigrants who said, `I'm not going to go,'" said Salinas, the county's top elected official. "It's going to be hard."

In Washington, Rear Adm. W. Craig Vanderwagen, assistant U.S. health secretary for preparedness and response, told reporters: "In storm events, if people are trapped it doesn't particularly matter to those of us in the humanitarian assistance world which side of that border they come from. We will do what we need to do to evacuate the people who need to be evacuated."

At 5 p.m. EDT, Ike was about 90 miles southwest of Havana, Cuba, moving northwest at 10 mph with sustained winds near 75 mph. It was expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to a Category 3 with winds of up to 130 mph.

Forecasters said that it could hit on Saturday morning just about anywhere along the Texas coast, with the most likely spot close to the Corpus Christi area.

Areas from Matagorda Bay to Corpus Christi and south to Brownsville — about 250 miles of coastline — were told to prepare for possible mandatory evacuation.

On Tuesday, Ike roared across Cuba, ravaging homes, killing at least four people and forcing 1.2 million to evacuate.

The Rio Grande Valley is still soggy from Dolly, which flooded the region, damaging hundreds of homes but killing no one. Many homes still have blue tarps on their roofs.

The Rio Grande Valley's residents are among those least equipped to handle hurricane flooding. It is one of the poorest parts of the country, with one-third of all families living below the poverty line, compared with 10 percent nationally.

Colonias, or ramshackle communities often lacking sewer systems and paved streets, dot the Valley. Even an ordinary rainstorm can fill yards with disease-ridden sewage from flooded septic tanks. Many of the poor lack health insurance.

Mexican officials said more than a dozen dams in the northern state of Chihuahua were at capacity or spilling over, heightening fears of flooding on the American side of the border.

Gov. Rick Perry declared 88 coastal counties disaster areas Monday to start the flow of state aid, and began preparing for an evacuation, lining up "buses rather than body bags."

The Dallas-Fort Worth area sheltered about 3,000 Hurricane Gustav evacuees last week and is prepared for up to about 20,000 people this time, said Steve Griggs, a county official. The downtown convention center would again serve as the main shelter.

ITR - CERN Switzerland Information 9.9.2008 - Anon

Dear Fellow Light Worker

PLEASE READ THIS - IT IS VERY IMPORTANT - IT IS NOT A HOAX OR JUST A BIT OF FUN

On Wednesday 10th September 2008 scientists at CERN in Switzerland will turn on an experiment to accelerate electrons to extremely high speeds. Their aim is to cause particles to collide, replicating the situation one billionth of a second after the 'big bang', which created the universe. Whilst hundreds on scientists involved in the project consider it to be safe, there are some eminent scientists who are trying to have the project stopped. They are currently seeking injunctions through the European courts. They believe this experiment could ultimately result in mini black holes or even a quasar (baby star) forming within the earth, eventually destroying the earth from the inside out, possibly having knock on implications for the whole universe.

As light workers we have the ability to partition spirit asking for their assistance in keeping the world safe Over the last few years there has been a great emphasis on manifesting, on creating the world we want and living our reality. Now is the time to put these techniques into practice. Humans have free will and so God, the angels and great spiritual beings are only able to intervene if we ask them to do so under the Law of Grace for the highest good of all concerned.

Please, please, please, what ever your culture, religion or spiritual belief , please spend time over the next few days and particular on Wednesday 10th September 2008. Light candles, dedicated to our wondrous planet. Meditate. Invoke the beings of light to fill humanity with love and compassion. Hold a vision of a healthy, harmonious planet. Use the techniques you have learnt and partition spirit in any way that feels appropriate to you. Ask the spirit world to take what ever action is appropriate for the highest good of all.

NOW is the time for Light Workers around the world to unite. The power of many united is far stronger than one person acting alone.

Please pass this message on to your friends and fellow light workers.

Thousands of light workers can make a change by acting together...NOW.

Please do you bit.

With angel blessings

Susan Ann (Suan) Palmer

www.touchedbylight.co.uk

ITR - BURMA AWARENESS EVENT - BRIDPORT, DORSET (UK) - YOU CAN HELP EVEN IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND - FOR INTOUCHRADIO.NET (GLASTONBURY, UK - LONDON)

EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR BURMA

As part of the Burma Appeal, three of us are planning the following events to raise awareness about and funds for the people of Burma following the catastrophic cyclone last May.

We are supporting ‘Save the Children’ (Burma) and

‘Children on the Edge’ (Thai/Burmese border).

Details from Lyn 01308-425684.

Dates:

Saturday September 13^th

A stall in Bucky Doo Square, Bridport to highlight our events and to raise funds.

Monday September 15^th at 8pm

‘Burma’s Secret War’ - a film at the Electric Palace Cinema, South Street, Bridport followed by a question and answer session led by Alice Cowley, a medical aid worker, who has been working with Burmese refugees on the Thai/Burmese border. Tickets £4.

Thursday September 18^th at 7.30pm

‘Coming Together For Burma’ - an evening of Prayer and Meditation for Peace at Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, Bridport with a speaker from Burma. Please bring

a symbol of Peace. Donations welcome

Friday September 19^th at 7.45pm

A Charity Concert at Bridport Arts Centre ‘For The People Of Burma’ featuring David Ferrard, Red Dirt, and the BJ Band.

Tickets £9/£7 (Concessions) – available from ‘Bridport Arts Centre’ and ‘Bridport Music’, both in South Street, Bridport. Box Office – 01308-424204

++++++ NOT TO BE MISSED +++++++

CHARITY GIG FOR BURMA CYCLONE VICTIMS

WITH 14 GREAT MUSICIANS FOR UNDER A TENNER

DAVID FERRARD coming almost straight from Edinburgh Festival, a great chance to catch one of Tony Benn and Roy Baileys favorite musicians.

'The greatest socialist folk singer of his generation' Tony Benn.

"Ever hear this guy David Ferrard? You gotta check him out, man..." '

David Rovics, singer-songwriter

RED DIRT is a local roots duo, who will be in Bridport after a summer at festivals

THE BJ BAND

This year includes

Custer’s regular Steve Jones, Rob Lee from the HerbieTreehead Band,

Emma McEvoy, Ros Kayes, Laurie Higgins, Robin Procter,

Composer Andrew Dickson and Andy, Amanda and Matt from Orpheus plus

the mayor Martin Ray

BRIDPORT ARTS CENTRE

SEPTEMBER 19TH AT 7.45PM (DOORS OPEN 7.15PM)

All profits go to ‘SAVE THE CHILDREN’ (BURMA) and ‘CHILDREN ON THE EDGE’ (THAI/BURMESE BORDER)

Tickets only £9 (£7 concs.) from the Box Office on (01308) 424204

ITR - Carrie Tree Plays St. John's Church, Glastonbury, Somerset UK Tomorrow Monday 8th September at 7.30pm - Don't Miss It.

Carrie Tree & Green Avalon Roots playing in St. John's Church, High Street, Glastonbury.
Lullabillic Acoustic Evening 8th September - Doors open 7.30pm - £5 & £3 - Come along and Spread the Word to your friends.

For those of you who know the Brighton (Sussex) songbird with her unique voice and those of you who know her from her festival appearances and her peace work including her visits to the ancient hill of Tara in Ireland well you won't want to miss this gig.

St. John's Church has a unique sound and has, I believe, one of the major ley lines running close to the alter as it links to the ancient high alter of Glastonbury Cathedral.

Make it a date to see Carrie and just let her know that you heard this on InTouchRadio.net and Michael recommends you go - you won't be disappointed.

Have a good gig Carrie - love from the InTouchRadio.net team.

ITR - News - New Orleans, USA Update

Good News~Latest Breaking News from rueters

From Pip Reynolds - InTouchRadio.net /West Coast Team

New Orleans mayor: Please don't come home yet By ROBERT TANNER and VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writers


NEW ORLEANS - Checkpoints popped up around New Orleans on Tuesday to keep the city empty of residents so work could get under way to restore power and other critical services knocked out by Hurricane Gustav.


National Guardsmen and state police promised to stop people not authorized to return. The city didn't expect to be safe enough to reopen until Thursday at the earliest.

"I can't get upset, because this is an emergency, you know," said 88-year-old Malvin A. Cavalier Sr., who was turned away as he tried to return to his home in the city's Desire neighborhood. "I just have to be calm and try to do the best I can. If I have to sleep in my car again tonight, I have to do it."

A day after the city's improved levee system kept the streets dry as a disorganized and weakened Gustav passed overhead, there was quiet pride in a historic evacuation of nearly 2 million people. Only eight deaths were attributed to the storm in the U.S. The toll from Katrina three years ago exceeded 1,600.

"The reasons you're not seeing dramatic stories of rescue is because we had a successful evacuation," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "The only reason we don't have more tales of people in grave danger is because everyone heeded ... the instructions to get out of town."

The focus turned to getting those 2 million people back home. Gov. Bobby Jindal said officials are focused on taking care of the roughly 1,000 critical needs medical patients evacuated from hospitals and nursing homes, while also working with utilities to restore the more than 1.4 million power outages the storm left behind.

In the shelters, people far away from their homes were growing restless. There were fights at an overcrowded shelter in Shreveport, where doctors worried about medications running out and took several people to the hospital.

At a church in Fort Worth, Texas, Denise Preston was rushed to the hospital with a fever. The new mother endured a 12-hour bus ride with her infant son, just a week after giving birth via Caesarean section, to flee her home about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.

"It's frustrating. I'm ready to go now," Preston said. "They haven't said too much on the news about what's happened in my town. ... Me and the baby sleeping on a cot is hard. He has a crib, but he won't sleep in it."

Gustav is no longer a hurricane, but is still an ugly storm that's expected to dump several inches of rain in northern Louisiana and east Texas. Jindal said Louisiana was only at "halftime" and was worried the damage from rain could exceed Gustav's pounding of the coast.

"This is a serious storm that has caused serious damage in our state," Jindal said before leaving Baton Rouge for a helicopter tour of the mostly rural, low-lying parishes along the state's southeastern and central coast, also home to the state's oil and natural gas industries.

"We're pleased we have not seen major flooding in New Orleans and places that flooded before, but we are facing major challenges in other parts our state."

In Mississippi, where sections of the Gulf Coast were still isolated by flood waters, Gov. Haley Barbour urged residents not to return to their homes until Wednesday.

John Furey, 65, of Pearlington, sat at an island in the flooded kitchen of his 70-year-old brother Pat's home. Both were still working to repair damage from Katrina when Gustav arrived — the only two floods to hit John's red brick home since 1964.

"This is the second time in three years," Furey said. "I just settled with State Farm in March."

Oil companies and rig owners, which shut down virtually all oil and natural gas production in the Gulf as Gustav approached, headed out to look for damage. Some were already putting equipment and people back in place to resume operations, and a $8 drop in the price of a barrel suggests traders are confident the storm didn't cause much damage.

President Bush, who monitored the storm from Texas, said that while it's too early to assess Hurricane Gustav's damage to U.S. oil infrastructure, it should prompt Congress to OK more domestic oil production. He said when Congress comes back from recess, lawmakers "need to understand" that the nation needs more, not less domestic energy production.

For those who did stay behind, cleanup began. Dickey Arnold, 57, rode out the storm with his wife and granddaughter in Franklin, 100 miles to the east of New Orleans. The owner of a residential glass business said he didn't see much work ahead, finding few homes with broken windows or structural damage after driving through town.

"That's mostly what I see when I went riding around town: tree damage, so thank God for that," he said.

Authorities tried to keep those who did flee Franklin and the rest of St. Mary Parish, both near the epicenter of the storm, from coming back too soon. Officials don't think there is power anywhere in the parish, and the focus is first on restoring electric to the hospital and courthouse. Sheriff's deputies were mostly picking up tree limbs from roads and watching homes where trees fell onto roofs.

"I've yet to see one that's uninhabitable," said sheriff's Maj. Mark Hebert. "It could have been worse. We have a lot of work to do."

Jindal said state officials are deferring to local communities on when they will reopen. Electric crews started work on restoring power to the nearly 80,000 homes and businesses in New Orleans — and more than 1 million in the region — that remained without power after the storm damaged transmission lines that snapped like rubber bands in the wind.

Jindal said there were 11,000 crewmen working on bringing back power to Louisiana, where the storm mostly damaged transmission lines — meaning large groups of customers could see he lights and air conditioning come back all at once. Still, Jindal warned those without power not to expect a fix overnight.

The New Orleans sewer system was damaged, and hospitals statewide were working with skeleton crews on backup power. Drinking water continued to flow in the city and the pumps that keep it dry never shut down — two critical service failings that contributed to Katrina's toll. The FAA said the city's airport was expected to reopen at 7 p.m.

Nagin apologized to the Republicans, which put the pageantry of their convention on hold to wait for Gustav to move through the Gulf Coast.

"You know, I think Gustav rained on their parade, on their little party," said Nagin, a Democrat, who cut his own trip short to his party's convention to prepare for the storm. "And hopefully they can rekindle. We'd love to host them in New Orleans next week, and they can come down and we can show them how to really do it right."

Like Jindal and Chertoff, Nagin took pride in a massive evacuation effort that succeeded in urging people to leave or catch buses and trains out: Almost 2 million people left coastal Louisiana, and only about 10,000 people rode out the storm in New Orleans.

"I would not do a thing differently," Nagin said. "I'd probably call Gustav, instead of the mother of all storms, maybe the mother-in-law or the ugly sister of all storms."

With three months left in the Atlantic hurricane season, he may yet get his chance. Three storms were lining up off the U.S. coast, with Tropical Storm Hanna leading the way. Hanna has plenty of time to strengthen into a hurricane before possibly striking Florida and Georgia later in the week.

___

Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer, Cain Burdeau, Allen G. Breed contributed to this report from New Orleans. Janet McConnaughey and Alan Sayre contributed from Hammond. Doug Simpson in Baton Rouge, Michael Kunzelman in Lafayette, La., Vicki Smith in Montegut, La., Jay Reeves in Orange Beach, Ala. and Holbrook Mohr in Gulfport, Miss., also contributed.

Disclaimer:
For InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK/GLOBAL) ~ InTouchRadio.net or InTouchRadio.net Friends do not necessarily agree with any content sent in for the Blogs Page ~ InTouchRadio.net provides a service for you to respond to.

ITR - AP Newsflash - New Orleans USA - for InTouchRadio.net UK

AP

Gustav slams La. coastline west of New Orleans

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer 29 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS - A weakened Hurricane Gustav crashed Monday into the flood-prone but nearly deserted coast of Louisiana, making landfall west of New Orleans as a Category 2 storm. Water was splashing over some floodwalls, but city officials were optimistic the levees protecting the city would hold.

ADVERTISEMENT

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Gustav hit just before 10 a.m. Monday near the community of Cocodrie, the heart of the state's fishing and oil industry. Forecasters once feared the storm would arrive as a devastating Category 4 with much more powerful winds.

The city's levee system has been only partially rebuilt since Hurricane Katrina struck three years ago. Wind-driven water was topping the Industrial Canal floodwall, but it had not breached.

"We are seeing some overtopping waves," said Col. Jeff Bedey, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers' hurricane protection office. "We are cautiously optimistic and confident that we won't see catastrophic wall failure."

As a nervous nation watched to see if Gustav would deliver another Katrina-style hit on the partially rebuilt city, officials steadfastly insisted three years of planning and infrastructure upgrades had prepared them for whatever was to come.

For all their seeming similarities, Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina were different in one critical respect: Katrina smashed the Gulf Coast with an epic storm surge that topped 27 feet, a far higher wall of water than Gustav hauled ashore.

"We don't expect the loss of life, certainly, that we saw in Katrina," Federal Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Harvey E. Johnson told The Associated Press. "But we are expecting a lot of homes to be damaged, a lot of infrastructure to be flooded, and damaged severely."

Gusts snapped large branches from the majestic oak trees that form a canopy over St. Charles Avenue. Tens of thousands were without power in New Orleans and other low-lying parishes, but officials said backup generators were keeping city drainage pumps in service. Nearly 2 million had evacuated the coast, and only a few holdouts and those that refused to abandon Bourbon Street remained.

Katrina was a bigger storm when it made landfall in August 2005, and it made a direct hit on the Mississippi coast. Gustav skirted along Louisiana's shoreline at "a more gentle angle," said National Weather Service storm surge specialist Will Shaffer.

Initial reports indicated storm surge from Gust of about 8 feet above normal tides, but forecasts indicated up to 14 feet in surge was possible.

ITR - RICKY TICK CLUB - WINDSOR (UK) MORE HELP NEEDED FOR JOHN MANSFIELD PROGRAM/S COMING SOON

Hi InTouchRadio.net is Urgently looking for help with connecting to those bands that played at The Ricky Tick Club - Windsor, Berkshire UK at the 3 locations during the period 1962 - 1967.

The 3 locations were: The Star & Garter Pub in Peascod Street, Windsor (The oldest Coaching Inn - also one time Boxing Ring where the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson fought on their UK tours), The Thames Hotel, riverside Windsor later the Trout - now Brown's Restuarant, and the final home at The Old Etonian Country Club which was located where the new Windsor swimming pool is now located.

The Ricky Tick Club hosted bands such as The Rolling Stones (played their 39-41 times in 18 months!), The Who - regulars, Eric Clapton, Yardbirds, Animals, Long John Baldry, Elton John amongst many - and most USA touring bands playing in UK during those years started off at The Tick before going on tour, it was here that many bands were looked at by promotors.

The Ricky Tick was run by John Mansfield (John's brother is the legendry Keith Mansfield - film scores etc) - John is putting together all of his documentary history to make a definitive book and I am helping him by putting together a series of programs of those that played there.

The Ricky Tick was similar to Eel Pie Island at Richmond and often people that I remember in those days thought of Eel Pie Island as part of The Tick scene, certainly those that attended the Windsor gigs would have travelled to Richmond (London) to see the bands there.

I would like to hear from people who were, at the same period through to 1970, involved with or played at venues such as: The Marquee (Wardour St), 100 Club, Ronnie Scott's, Bag O' Nails, Chalk Farm Round House, Rainbow, International Club (Wardour St) Pink Flamingo, Two I's etc.

Finally I am also trying to ascertain when The Gio Condor in Denmark Street, London closed and those that were regulars there and at Selmer's Showroom in Charing Cross Road. These were the places we all congregated before recording at the major studios (and not so major) and or waiting to hear of gigs or tours during those Tin Pan Alley Days...

If you have information - if you would like to contribute - if you are a company in the music industry that would like to sponsor equipment for transfers or other: if you have contacts with those who played there please contact me Urgently - michael@intouchradio.net.

Please pass the word and let's get our early British Music and allied American Music roots here in the UK documented before its too late.

Thank you for looking.

Michael Dixon
InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK & GLOBAL)

We are a Co-operative Collective - Not - A Corporate Selective ~ Networking the World As One./

ITR - Open Letter from Michael Moore - USA - Sent to ITR for Distribution anon.

An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Dear God,

The other night, the Rev. James Dobson's ministry asked all believers
to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance
speech outdoors in Denver would have to be cancelled.

I see that You have answered Rev. Dobson's prayers -- except the storm
You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New
Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly
the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the
Republican National Convention.

Now, heavenly Father, we all know You have a great sense of humor and
impeccable timing. To send a hurricane on the third anniversary of the
Katrina disaster AND right at the beginning of the Republican
Convention was, at first blush, a stroke of divine irony. I don't
blame You, I know You're angry that the Republicans tried to blame YOU
for Katrina by calling it an "Act of God" -- when the truth was that
the hurricane itself caused few casualties in New Orleans. Over a
thousand people died because of the mistakes and neglect caused by
humans, not You.

Some of us tried to help after Katrina hit, while Bush ate cake with
McCain and twiddled his thumbs. I closed my office in New York and
sent my entire staff down to New Orleans to help. I asked people on my
website to contribute to the relief effort I organized -- and I ended
up sending over two million dollars in donations, food, water, and
supplies (collected from thousands of fans) to New Orleans while
Bush's FEMA ice trucks were still driving around Maine three weeks
later.

But this past Thursday night, the Washington Post reported that the
Republicans had begun making plans to possibly postpone the
convention. The AP had reported that there were no shelters set up in
New Orleans for this storm, and that the levee repairs have not been
adequate. In other words, as the great Ronald Reagan would say, "There
you go again!"

So the last thing John McCain and the Republicans needed was to have a
split-screen on TVs across America: one side with Bush and McCain
partying in St. Paul, and on the other side of the screen, live
footage of their Republican administration screwing up once again
while New Orleans drowns.

So, yes, You have scared the Jesus, Mary and Joseph out of them, and
more than a few million of your followers tip their hats to You.

But now it appears that You haven't been having just a little fun with
Bush & Co. It appears that Hurricane Gustav is truly heading to New
Orleans and the Gulf coast. We hear You, O Lord, loud and clear, just
as we did when Rev. Falwell said You made 9/11 happen because of all
those gays and abortions. We beseech You, O Merciful One, not to
punish us again as Pat Robertson said You did by giving us Katrina
because of America's "wholesale slaughter of unborn children." His
sentiments were echoed by other Republicans in 2005.

So this is my plea to you: Don't do this to Louisiana again. The
Republicans got your message. They are scrambling and doing the best
they can to get planes, trains and buses to New Orleans so that
everyone can get out. They haven't sent the entire Louisiana National
Guard to Iraq this time -- they are already patrolling the city
streets. And, in a nod to I don't know what, Bush's head of FEMA has
named a man to help manage the federal government's response. His name
is W. Michael Moore. I kid you not, heavenly Father. They have sent a
man with both my name AND W's to help save the Gulf Coast.

So please God, let the storm die out at sea. It's done enough damage
already. If you do this one favor for me, I promise not to invoke your
name again. I'll leave that to the followers of Rev. Dobson and to
those gathering this week in St. Paul.

Your faithful servant and former seminarian,

Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Disclaimer:
For InTouchRadio.net (Glastonbury, UK/GLOBAL) ~ InTouchRadio.net or InTouchRadio.net Friends do not necessarily agree with any content sent in for the Blogs Page ~ InTouchRadio.net provides a service for you to respond to.