Outage Plunges Half of Brazil Into Darkness
November 11, 2009
(ChattahBox) — A massive blackout across the southern half of Brazil had plunged perhaps 50 million people without power and prompted a major police mobilization amid fears of an opportunistic crime wave.
The country’s largest cities, including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro among others, were basically shutdown with no power or traffic lights for up to four hours, due to the outage late Tuesday. All of neighboring Paraguay was plunged into the dark, but for less than an hour.
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Whistleblowers Warn ‘We Have Entered the Peak Oil Zone’
November 10, 2009
(ChattahBox)—Previous predictions of the International Energy Agency (IEA) have suggested that global oil supplies could reach peak oil output within 20 years. But the alarming revelations of two IEA whistleblowers say dwindling oil supplies have already reached peak oil levels, which would soon set off a global energy crunch leading to a further global economic meltdown. Read more
Majority in worldwide poll think capitalism not working so well
November 10, 2009
(ChattahBox) — In a timely poll released Monday, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall that heralded the demise of European communism, shows that most people particularly in the west still think the demise of the Soviet Union was a good thing, but dissatisfaction with capitalism is widespread around the globe.
Only 11 percent of people surveyed across 27 countries thought free market capitalism is working well, the the poll conducted for BBC World by GlobeScan said. A slim majority, 51 percent, believed its problems can be solved with more regulation and reform, while nearly a quarter — 23 percent — said the system is “fatally flawed.” Read more
Iran Charges Three American Hikers With Espionage
November 9, 2009
(ChattahBox)—Three American hikers, taken into custody by Iranian authorities in July, as they were hiking near the border in Kurdistan, have now been charged with espionage, according to a report from Reuters. The families of the three Americans, all graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, just recently met with Secretary of State Clinton to discuss their childrens’ plight and to urge State Department officials to do every thing they can to secure their release. Read more
Berlin Wall Fell 20 Years Ago Today
November 9, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Monday November 9, marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall the so called Iron Curtain, which stood for nearly three decades, as the most potent symbol of Cold War divisions. Its collapse helped herald the wider collapse of communism across eastern Europe. On Nov. 9, 1989, East Germany announced the easing of border controls, and thousands stormed the Berlin Wall and demanded its opening. The Wall was toppled down soon afterwards, and Germany was reunified the next year.
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Man Stoned For Sex Out Of Wedlock, Pregnant Girlfriend To Follow
November 8, 2009
Somalia (ChattahBox) - A man has been stoned to death in the third adultery killing in the past year, with his pregnant girlfriend to follow within months.
Will US & Russia renew soon expiring START agreement?
November 8, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Russia and the U.S. are still hopeful of signing a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-1), before it expires December 5, as soon as next week, after months of negotiations. The Washington Post reports that National Security Adviser Jim Jones’ trip to Moscow late last month is what has fueled the diplomatic optimism. Jones reportedly offered a package of proposals and the Russians reacted positively, if not formally. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that the two countries “have every chance” to sign a treaty by the year’s end. Medvedev also told Der Spiegel that Russia could back sanctions against Iran if it fails to take a constructive stance in talks over its nuclear program.
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On 950th Try, Woman Passes Driver’s License Exam
November 7, 2009
(ChattahBox)—A 68-year-old South Korean woman has been trying to pass the written exam to obtain her driver’s license, since April 2005. And after spending thousands of dollars in application fees and never giving up, the determined woman passed the exam on her 950th try, barely scoring a passing grade. Read more
Report: Iran May Have Already Tested Advanced Nuclear Warhead Design
November 6, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Seems that Iran has some more explaining to do. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has asked Iran to explain evidence suggesting the Islamic Republic’s scientists have experimented with an advanced nuclear warhead design, the Guardian reported.
The newspaper, citing what it describes as “previously unpublished documentation,” which come, in part from Western nations’ intelligence services, said Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of a “two-point implosion” device. Parts of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s dossier has been published in the past, but this is the first claim that Iran has sought such advanced weaponry, a claim nuclear experts called “breathtaking” when asked by the Guardian.
James Acton, a British nuclear weapons expert, told the newspaper: “It’s remarkable that, before perfecting step one, they are going straight to step four or five … To start with more sophisticated designs speaks of level of technical ambition that is surprising.”
The IAEA said in September it has no proof Iran has or once had a covert atomic bomb program, but rumor is this was possibly a political conclusion, with the IAEA’s senior staff disagreeing with Mohamed ElBaradei, the agency’s outgoing director who opposes adopting a “confrontational strategy” with Iran.
The Guardian report said that even the existence of two-point implosion nuclear warhead technology is officially secret in both the United States and Britain. Two-point implosion devices, the paper says, are easier to develop than conventional nuclear warheads and are designed to fit onto much smaller and simpler warheads, making it easier to put a warhead on a missile, the newspaper said.
U.S. Schoolboy Sent to India, as Buddhist High Priest
November 5, 2009
(ChattahBox)—A Buddhist high priest referred to, as “His Holiness” Jigme Wangchuk is newly stationed in the Drukpa Sangag Choeling Monastery nestled in the Himalayan town Darjeeling, India. “His Holiness” Jigme, will spend the next ten years in near isolation fulfilling his duties, as a spiritual leader. But this newly installed Buddhist priest is an 11-year-old boy, who until recently, attended school in Boston, Massachusetts, living a normal American life. Read more