The plunge in U.S. newspaper circulation is accelerating, according to the latest figures released on Monday, as more people cancel their subscriptions and publishers cut distribution and sales of discounted copies.
Average weekday circulation at 379 daily newspapers fell 10.6 percent to about 30.4 million copies for the six months that ended on Sept. 30, 2009 from the same period last year, according to the U.S. Audit Bureau of Circulations.
The pace of decline more than doubled compared with last year. From September 2007 to September 2008, circulation fell 4.6 percent.
Sunday circulation, which was measured at 562 papers, fell 7.5 percent to 40 million copies. Last year's Sunday decline was 4.9 percent. None of the top 25 papers by circulation made any Sunday gains in the latest figures.
The results measure paid circulation and are a key measure for businesses deciding where to spend their advertising dollars. Newspaper publishers want advertisers to measure readership -- the number of people estimated to read a copy of the paper -- a number that is growing at most papers...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Russian military denies existence of new 'super-tank'
September 13 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian military has denied the existence of a new-generation main battle tank (MBT) based on T-80 design and featuring explosive reactive armor and a box-shaped turret.
The Russian media has recently resumed discussion of the secret tank, dubbed Black Eagle, which was developed by the Omsk Transmash design bureau and whose pictures were shown in several publications and on the Internet.
"There was no such project...and those 20-year-old pictures show a mock-up of a futuristic tank which remained just a product of someone's imagination," Col. Vladimir Voitov, head of research at the Main Directorate of the Armored Troops, said in an interview with the Echo Moskvy radio on Saturday.
He added that he was aware of a prototype of an experimental tank, but insisted that 'the turret of the vehicle did not have anything inside."
According to the Russian media, an early prototype of the Black Eagle was shown at an arms exposition in Siberia, in June 1999. It appeared to be based on a lengthened T-80U hull, and to have very thick front armor and new-generation Kaktus explosive reactive armor.
However, recent reports in open sources suggest that the Black Eagle program has been halted due to the acceptance of the T-90, built by the Uralvagonzavod plant, into the Russian military in the mid-1990s.
In addition, Russia has reportedly opted for Uralvagonzavod as the developer and manufacturer of a new-generation MBT, which will most likely have a designation as T-95...
The Russian media has recently resumed discussion of the secret tank, dubbed Black Eagle, which was developed by the Omsk Transmash design bureau and whose pictures were shown in several publications and on the Internet.
"There was no such project...and those 20-year-old pictures show a mock-up of a futuristic tank which remained just a product of someone's imagination," Col. Vladimir Voitov, head of research at the Main Directorate of the Armored Troops, said in an interview with the Echo Moskvy radio on Saturday.
He added that he was aware of a prototype of an experimental tank, but insisted that 'the turret of the vehicle did not have anything inside."
According to the Russian media, an early prototype of the Black Eagle was shown at an arms exposition in Siberia, in June 1999. It appeared to be based on a lengthened T-80U hull, and to have very thick front armor and new-generation Kaktus explosive reactive armor.
However, recent reports in open sources suggest that the Black Eagle program has been halted due to the acceptance of the T-90, built by the Uralvagonzavod plant, into the Russian military in the mid-1990s.
In addition, Russia has reportedly opted for Uralvagonzavod as the developer and manufacturer of a new-generation MBT, which will most likely have a designation as T-95...
George W. Bush to become motivational speaker
On Monday, the former US president - whose policies inspired millions of Americans to vote Democrat in the 2008 election- will headline at a popular Get Motivated programme, appearing at a seminar about, among other things, "How to master the art of effective leadership".
Mr Bush's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq provoked widespread criticism, and his steering of the US economy drew censure. But he is likely to be paid around $100,000 (£61,000) for a 40-minute speech on his experiences as leader of the free world - so he may yet have the last laugh.
Touted as a "motivational mega-show [that] packs more inspirational firepower than a stick of dynamite," the seminars, aimed at businessmen and women, have become hugely successful in the US and frequently feature high-profile speakers, including other former presidents.
Mr Bush's wife, Laura, has also been booked to speak at three events, meaning between them the couple could earn $500,000 (£305,000) from their speeches.
Mr Bush will speak at an event in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday and another one in San Antonio in December.
The disclosure of Mr Bush's post-presidential role has already inspired jokes at his expense.
Professor Larry Sabato, professor of political science at the University of Virginia, said: "Maybe it will be 'I'm the model of what you shouldn't be'."...
Mr Bush's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq provoked widespread criticism, and his steering of the US economy drew censure. But he is likely to be paid around $100,000 (£61,000) for a 40-minute speech on his experiences as leader of the free world - so he may yet have the last laugh.
Touted as a "motivational mega-show [that] packs more inspirational firepower than a stick of dynamite," the seminars, aimed at businessmen and women, have become hugely successful in the US and frequently feature high-profile speakers, including other former presidents.
Mr Bush's wife, Laura, has also been booked to speak at three events, meaning between them the couple could earn $500,000 (£305,000) from their speeches.
Mr Bush will speak at an event in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday and another one in San Antonio in December.
The disclosure of Mr Bush's post-presidential role has already inspired jokes at his expense.
Professor Larry Sabato, professor of political science at the University of Virginia, said: "Maybe it will be 'I'm the model of what you shouldn't be'."...
Police officer sees aliens at crop circle
The sergeant, who has not been named, was off-duty when he saw the figures standing in a field near Silbury Hill, and stopped his car to investigate.
However, as he approached the 'men' – all over 6ft tall with blond hair – he heard "the sound of static electricity" and the trio ran away ''faster than any man he had ever seen''.
The officer returned to his home in Marlborough, Wiltshire, and contacted paranormal experts and told them he had spotted a UFO.
Wiltshire Police has refused to comment on the incident, saying it is a ''personal matter'' for the officer involved.
Crop circle researcher Andrew Russell, who is investigating the bizarre sighting on behalf of the officer, described the moment his sighting was made.
He said: ''At first he thought they were forensic officers as they were dressed in white coveralls. He stopped his car and approached the field.
''The figures were all over 6ft and had blond hair. They seemed to be inspecting the crop. When he got to the edge of the field he heard what he believed to be a sound not dissimilar to static electricity.
''This crackling noise seemed to be running through the field and the crop was moving gently, close to where the noise was...
However, as he approached the 'men' – all over 6ft tall with blond hair – he heard "the sound of static electricity" and the trio ran away ''faster than any man he had ever seen''.
The officer returned to his home in Marlborough, Wiltshire, and contacted paranormal experts and told them he had spotted a UFO.
Wiltshire Police has refused to comment on the incident, saying it is a ''personal matter'' for the officer involved.
Crop circle researcher Andrew Russell, who is investigating the bizarre sighting on behalf of the officer, described the moment his sighting was made.
He said: ''At first he thought they were forensic officers as they were dressed in white coveralls. He stopped his car and approached the field.
''The figures were all over 6ft and had blond hair. They seemed to be inspecting the crop. When he got to the edge of the field he heard what he believed to be a sound not dissimilar to static electricity.
''This crackling noise seemed to be running through the field and the crop was moving gently, close to where the noise was...
Devastating drop in job approval numbers for Obama in new Gallup survey
President Obama's push for health care reform during the third quarter of 2009 has seriously damaged his public standing, according to new data from the Gallup Daily tracking poll. His job approval rating dropped nine points from the second to the third quarter, from 62 percent to 53 percent.
The nine-point second-to-third quarter drop is the highest Gallup has ever measured for an incumbent president during his first year in office, and among the highest quarter-to-quarter drops measured for any president at any point:
"Obama's 9-point slide between quarters ranks as one of the steepest for a president at any point in his first year in office. The highest is Truman's 19-point drop between his third and fourth quarters, followed by a 15-point drop for Gerald Ford between his first and second quarters. The largest for an elected president in his first year is Bill Clinton's 11-point slide between his first and second quarters," Gallup said.
Gallup also noted that Obama's average job approval rating has plummeted to among the worst since the polling organization began measuring presidential popularity and job approval...
The nine-point second-to-third quarter drop is the highest Gallup has ever measured for an incumbent president during his first year in office, and among the highest quarter-to-quarter drops measured for any president at any point:
"Obama's 9-point slide between quarters ranks as one of the steepest for a president at any point in his first year in office. The highest is Truman's 19-point drop between his third and fourth quarters, followed by a 15-point drop for Gerald Ford between his first and second quarters. The largest for an elected president in his first year is Bill Clinton's 11-point slide between his first and second quarters," Gallup said.
Gallup also noted that Obama's average job approval rating has plummeted to among the worst since the polling organization began measuring presidential popularity and job approval...
Madoff's workplace was rife with cocaine, sex
A new lawsuit alleges that convicted swindler Bernie Madoff financed a cocaine-fueled work environment and a "culture of sexual deviance," and he diverted money to his London, England, office when he believed federal authorities were closing in at home.
A new lawsuit alleges Bernie Madoff financed a sex-and-drugs workplace with investors' money.
A new lawsuit alleges Bernie Madoff financed a sex-and-drugs workplace with investors' money.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York's State Supreme Court, was brought on behalf of former investors and seeks unspecified punitive damages and compensation.
Beyond that, it offers a look at what the plaintiffs' attorneys say was once Madoff's multimillion-dollar empire and what is now his world in a federal prison in North Carolina.
Among the allegations in the 264-page lawsuit are that during the mid-1970s, Madoff began sending employees to buy drugs for company use.
The complaint alleges that some employees and investors were aware of the drug purchases, and that BMIS [Bernard Madoff Investment Services] was known by insiders as the "North Pole" in reference to the excessive amount of cocaine use in the work place.
Attorneys Joseph Cochett and Nancy Fineman filed the complaint based on an investigation, including a four-hour interview with Madoff in prison in July, that they conducted for former investors. They also allege that major financial institutions, including KPMG, the Bank of New York and JP Morgan Chase, were aware that Madoff was transferring stolen funds to his London office for personal purchases.
According to the complaint, Madoff transferred funds to London to buy extravagant personal items...
A new lawsuit alleges Bernie Madoff financed a sex-and-drugs workplace with investors' money.
A new lawsuit alleges Bernie Madoff financed a sex-and-drugs workplace with investors' money.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York's State Supreme Court, was brought on behalf of former investors and seeks unspecified punitive damages and compensation.
Beyond that, it offers a look at what the plaintiffs' attorneys say was once Madoff's multimillion-dollar empire and what is now his world in a federal prison in North Carolina.
Among the allegations in the 264-page lawsuit are that during the mid-1970s, Madoff began sending employees to buy drugs for company use.
The complaint alleges that some employees and investors were aware of the drug purchases, and that BMIS [Bernard Madoff Investment Services] was known by insiders as the "North Pole" in reference to the excessive amount of cocaine use in the work place.
Attorneys Joseph Cochett and Nancy Fineman filed the complaint based on an investigation, including a four-hour interview with Madoff in prison in July, that they conducted for former investors. They also allege that major financial institutions, including KPMG, the Bank of New York and JP Morgan Chase, were aware that Madoff was transferring stolen funds to his London office for personal purchases.
According to the complaint, Madoff transferred funds to London to buy extravagant personal items...
Extinct animals could be brought back to life thanks to advances in DNA technology
The idea of resurrecting extinct animals moved a step closer to reality last year when scientists announced that they had decoded almost all of the genome of the woolly mammoth, from 60,000-year-old remains found frozen in Siberia.
Now New Scientist magazine has named the 10 other beasts most likely to rise again, including the Irish elk deer whose antlers measured 12 feet across, the dodo and Neanderthal man.
Animals that died out thousands of years ago could be recreated using genetic information retrieved from well-preserved specimens recovered from permafrost, dark caves or dry desserts.
There is no chance of bringing back the dinosaurs because genetic information is unlikely to survive more than a million years in any environment.
But scientists have just announced they had "resurrected" a gene from the Tasmanian tiger by implanting it in a mouse and examined its function - the first time such a feat had been achieved.
The genomes of several extinct species besides the mammoth are already being sequenced.
To revive a long-dead species scientists would have to recover enough DNA from a well-preserved specimen and find a suitable surrogate species similar to that of the extinct animal in which to grow the new baby from an embryo.
"It's hard to say that something will never ever be possible,"said Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who is sequencing the Neanderthal genome...
Now New Scientist magazine has named the 10 other beasts most likely to rise again, including the Irish elk deer whose antlers measured 12 feet across, the dodo and Neanderthal man.
Animals that died out thousands of years ago could be recreated using genetic information retrieved from well-preserved specimens recovered from permafrost, dark caves or dry desserts.
There is no chance of bringing back the dinosaurs because genetic information is unlikely to survive more than a million years in any environment.
But scientists have just announced they had "resurrected" a gene from the Tasmanian tiger by implanting it in a mouse and examined its function - the first time such a feat had been achieved.
The genomes of several extinct species besides the mammoth are already being sequenced.
To revive a long-dead species scientists would have to recover enough DNA from a well-preserved specimen and find a suitable surrogate species similar to that of the extinct animal in which to grow the new baby from an embryo.
"It's hard to say that something will never ever be possible,"said Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who is sequencing the Neanderthal genome...
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