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Ayatollah Khamenei Loves
Caviar and Vulgar Jokes

from the London Telegraph --
A defector from the private guard of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, has given the first comprehensive account of the private life of the secretive figure who has led the country for 20 years

A catalogue of the private opulence and eccentric tastes of 70-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei and his family has been compiled by Iran's opposition Green Movement from the accounts of the defector, who is said to be in hiding in France.

Among his claims are that Ayatollah Khamenei has a voracious appetite for trout and caviar; is an avid hoarder of collectables from bejewelled pipes to fine horses; and that he suffers regular bouts of depression which are treated in part by audiences with a mid-ranking mullah who tells vulgar jokes.

 Claims from three intelligence officials, who have also fled Iran, have additionally documented the Khamenei family's wide-reaching business connections, including interests in European manufacturers, African mobile phone companies and international commodities markets.

But the glimpse at the imperial lifestyle of an otherwise austere theologian is groundbreaking. Ayatollah Khamenei is said to be a keen collector with a prized assembly of antique walking sticks said to number 170. The Supreme Leader was once a fanatical equestrian enthusiast and his extensive stables reportedly include more than 100 of the country's leading horses. His cloaks are said to be woven from hair of specially bred camels.

House Bill Would Lower Volume of
Loud TV Commercials

from CNN --
It's after dinner. You're tired. You ease yourself into a comfortable place to watch your favorite TV show. Suddenly you're jolted from your couch potato demeanor by a commercial break. It's an ad for insurance or rum or a credit card -- and it's blaring, invading your calm and boosting your blood pressure.

Marketers want the loud commercials to grab viewers' attention. A Democratic representative from California, however -- and her fellow politicians in the House -- find them more annoying than effective. In her crusade to eliminate the nuisance, Rep. Anna Eshoo wrote the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM, which mandates that TV commercials be no louder than the programs in which they appear.

Representatives unanimously passed the bill last month and sent it to the Senate for consideration.

The brief measure directs the Federal Communications Commission to develop regulations preventing ads from being "excessively noisy or strident" or "having modulation levels substantially higher than the accompanying program." The bill also addresses "average maximum loudness."

The volume of television commercials is a common complaint among viewers. One man told CNN, "Every time you put on the TV and try and watch a show, the next thing you get are these really loud commercials."

New Research Finds No Rise of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide in Past 160 Years

from ScienceDaily --
Most of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity does not remain in the atmosphere, but is instead absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, only about 45 percent of emitted carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere.

However, some studies have suggested that the ability of oceans and plants to absorb carbon dioxide recently may have begun to decline and that the airborne fraction of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is therefore beginning to increase.

Many climate models also assume that the airborne fraction will increase. Because understanding of the airborne fraction of carbon dioxide is important for predicting future climate change, it is essential to have accurate knowledge of whether that fraction is changing or will change as emissions increase.

To assess whether the airborne fraction is indeed increasing, Wolfgang Knorr of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol reanalyzed available atmospheric carbon dioxide and emissions data since 1850 and considers the uncertainties in the data.

The Year In Pot: The TOP Ten Events that Will Change the Way We Think about Marijuana

from Alternet.org --
#1 Obama Administration: Don’t Focus On Medical Marijuana Prosecutions
#2 Public Support For Legalizing Pot Hits All-Time High
#3 Lifetime Marijuana Use Associated With Reduced Cancer Risk
#4 AMA Calls For Review Of Marijuana’s Prohibitive Status

#5 California: Lawmakers Hold Historic Hearing On Marijuana Legalization
#6 Maine Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure; Dispensaries Coming To Rhode Island, Washington, DC In 2010
#7 Oakland: Voters Approve First-In-The-Nation Medical Marijuana Business Tax
#8 Rasmussen Poll: Majority Of Americans Say Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol
#9 Many Teens See Medical Cannabis As Alternative Treatment Option
#10 Oregon NORML Opens ‘Cannabis Café,’ Media Frenzy Follows
 

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