Open Your Eyes News

Sun begins new solar cycle, flinging radiation at the Earth

biochemist — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:13:07 +0000

Deutsche Welle – As a new solar cycle of activity begins this year, the Earth will once again be bombarded with increased radiation from the sun. This effect may damage satellites and interfere with GPS, television and communications.

Vladmir Putin forging ahead with vision of Eurasian empire

Polemicol — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:12 +0000

Times Online – The Soviet Union is gradually being rebuilt as Vladimir Putin eyes a return to the Kremlin. The man who declared the collapse of the Communist state to be the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” appears determined to forge a new empire. The latest evidence emerged in a suggestion by Igor Shuvalov, First Deputy Prime Minister in Mr Putin’s Government, that Russia may abolish the rouble and create a common currency with Kazakhstan and Belarus. Read article

Half Million Seeds Now in “Doomsday” Vault

notizio — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:33 +0000

(AP) Two years after receiving Its first deposits, a “doomsday” seed vault on an Arctic island has amassed half a million seed samples, making it the world’s most diverse repository of crop seeds, the vault’s operators announced Thursday. Cary Fowler – who heads the trust that oversees the seed collection, which is 620 miles from the North Pole, said the facility now houses at least one-third of the world’s crop seeds – Read Article

US flags earlier Afghan drawdown

Polemicol — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:12:48 +0000

ABC – United States defence secretary Robert Gates has raised the prospect of some American troops withdrawing from Afghanistan earlier than expected. Mr Gates has been in Afghanistan watching Afghan troops being trained by American and British forces. Although US troops are not due to start withdrawing until the middle of next year, Mr Gates says some could be out earlier than that. Read article

Parents Angry Over CCTV In School Toilets

sonyamac — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:40:39 +0000

Sky news – Youngsters at Grace Academy in Chelmsley Wood claim they returned from half-term to find staff had installed the cameras without notifying them or their parents. Some parents are furious at what they say is a “total invasion of privacy” and claim some pupils are so anxious about being watched they are refusing to use the facilities. One mother whose teenage daughter attends the school is concerned the footage could fall into the wrong hands. Read Article

Massive Chilean Quake Moved Whole Cities

notizio — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:33:34 +0000

SkyNews – The Earth really did move during last month’s massive Chile quake, which killed hundreds of people and left two million homeless. Researchers say cities and islands physically shifted west. Thanks to satellites, scientists at Ohio State University and the University of Hawaii found that the city of Concepcion moved at least 10 feet to the west – Read Article

Ailing Banks May Require More Aid to Keep Solvent

sonyamac — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:11:33 +0000

New York Times – Some of the nation’s large banks, according to economists and other finance experts, are like dead men walking. A sober assessment of the growing mountain of losses from bad bets, measured in today’s marketplace, would overwhelm the value of the banks’ assets, they say. The banks, in their view, are insolvent. None of the experts’ research focuses on individual banks, and there are certainly exceptions among the 50 largest banks in the country. Nor do consumers and businesses need to fret about their deposits, which are federally insured. And even banks that might technically be insolvent can continue operating for a long time, and could recover their financial health when the economy improves. Read Article

How just 0.3% of solved crimes are due to DNA database

sonyamac — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:08:25 +0000

Mail Online – TV crime shows may have created the myth that DNA can solve almost every grisly crime – but the reality is very different. As few as one in every 1,300 crimes reported to the police is solved by the national DNA database, according to a report released by MPs yesterday. The research shows that – despite the massive expansion in the Government database – only 3,666 crimes are detected every year with links to an existing DNA profile. Questions have been raised over the effectiveness of the Government’s DNA database. Read Article

Why is the EU failing to comply with its international law obligations over Israel?

Polemicol — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:43:32 +0000

Times Online – If you lived on a street where a neighbour frequently and flagrantly broke the law, you would want something done about it, especially if that neighbour took part of your garden, replaced the fence with a 30ft wall, cut down your trees and redirected your water supply. Suppose the authorities to whom you complained merely denounced the illegalities and took no action? You might think that this situation is inconceivable. But that is precisely what has been happening to the Palestinians for the best part of 60 years. Read article

Collapse of the American Empire: swift, silent, certain

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:35:54 +0000

Market Watch – “One of the disturbing facts of history is that so many civilizations collapse,” warns anthropologist Jared Diamond in “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.” Many “civilizations share a sharp curve of decline. Indeed, a society’s demise may begin only a decade or two after it reaches its peak population, wealth and power.” Now, Harvard’s Niall Ferguson, one of the world’s leading financial historians, echoes Diamond’s warning: “Imperial collapse may come much more suddenly than many historians imagine. A combination of fiscal deficits and military overstretch suggests that the United States may be the next empire on the precipice.” Yes, America is on the edge. Read Article

Patients’ medical records go online without consent

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:06:23 +0000

Telegraph – But doctors have accused the Government of rushing the project through, meaning that patients have had their details uploaded to the database before they have had a chance to object. The scheme, one of the largest of its kind in the world, will eventually hold the private records of more than 50 million patients. But it has been dogged by accusations that the private information held on it will not be safe from hackers. Read Article

Barack Obama says situation in quake-hit Haiti ‘dire’

Polemicol — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:41:07 +0000

BBC – US President Barack Obama has warned of a second disaster in Haiti, saying people should be under no illusion that the crisis there is over. Mr Obama said the situation in Haiti remained “dire” almost two months after the earthquake struck. He was speaking after talks with Haitian President Rene Preval in Washington. Read article

Taser used ‘inappropriately’: Mark Lewis Conway inquest

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:05:58 +0000

The Australian – WEST Australian police may have inappropriately fired a Taser three times at a 49-year-old drug user who later died in police custody, an inquest has heard. Today at the inquest into the death of Mark Lewis Conway it was suggested that a police officer used his Taser as a compliance tool, contrary to police training protocols. Mr Conway’s death in August 2007 was caused by a drug overdose and the inquest has heard there is no suggestion the Taser shots contributed to his death. Read Article

Biden scolds Israel over settlement plan

Polemicol — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:39:11 +0000

Reuters – Vice President Joe Biden publicly scolded Israel on Wednesday over a Jewish settlement plan, saying it was undermining peace efforts after Palestinians agreed to U.S.-mediated talks. “It is incumbent on both parties to build an atmosphere of support for negotiations and not to complicate them,” Biden said in a media statement alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. “Yesterday the decision by the Israeli government to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem undermines that very trust, the trust that we need right now in order to begin … profitable negotiations,” Biden said. Read article

7.2 aftershock rocks Chile as country ready to swear in President-elect Sebastian Pinera

notizio — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:58:03 +0000

Daily News – A series of powerful aftershocks struck Chile Thursday morning – the strongest a 7.2 magnitude quake in the central part of the country. The aftershock hit the country as President-elect Sebastian Pinera and hundreds of high powered guests gathered for his swearing in ceremony in Valparaiso, a coastal city outside the capital, Santiago. Read Article

Holland proposes giving over-70s the right to die if they ‘consider their lives complete’

biochemist — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:03:27 +0000

Daily Mail – Assisted suicide for anyone over 70 who has simply had enough of life is being considered in Holland. Non-doctors would be trained to administer a lethal potion to elderly people who ‘consider their lives complete’. Read Article

Contractors divert Somalia aid, UN report says

Polemicol — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:35:36 +0000

BBC – Up to half the food aid in Somalia is diverted to corrupt contractors, local UN workers and Islamist militants, a leaked UN report says. The report, by the UN monitoring group in Somalia, is particularly critical of the UN’s own World Food Programme and recommends an independent inquiry. It says WFP contracts are awarded to a few powerful individuals who operate cartels that sell the food illegally. The report has not been made public yet, but its contents have been leaked. Read article

Police forces face threat of ‘racist’ label over stop and searches

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:32 +0000

Guardian – The official equalities watchdog will threaten to brand as racist police forces which are deemed to have used stop and search powers excessively against people from ethnic minorities, the Guardian has learned. Police forces will be told they face enforcement action unless they give meaningful promises to change, says a report for the Equality and Human Rights Commission expected to be released later this month. It presents a prima facie case that the police are still failing in their duties under racial equality laws and finds that an officer’s power to stop and search, based on having a reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminality, is disproportionately used against Afro-Caribbean and Asian Britons. Read Article

Economists trim 2011 U.S. growth forecast

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:24:35 +0000

Reuters – U.S. economists raised their forecast for economic growth in 2010 in March, the third straight monthly rise, while trimming their growth forecast for 2011, according to a survey released on Wednesday. Economists surveyed earlier this month in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter said the economy is expected to grow by 3.0 percent in 2011, which is 0.1 percentage point lower than estimates made a month ago. But economists raised their 2010 growth forecast for the third consecutive month to 3.1 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from February. Read Article

Obesity: Food kills, flab protects

biochemist — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:42:00 +0000

New Scientist – OBESITY kills, everyone knows that. But is it possible that we’ve been looking at the problem in the wrong way? It seems getting fatter may be part of your body’s defence against the worst effects of unhealthy eating, rather than their direct cause. This curious insight comes at the same time as several studies distancing obesity itself from a host of diseases it has long been blamed for, including heart disease and diabetes. Read Article

Japan confirms secret pact on US nuclear transit

Polemicol — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:19:20 +0000

BBC – Japan has confirmed the existence of a secret Cold War deal allowing the transit of nuclear-armed US vessels through its ports. The move by a government-appointed panel ends decades of official denial – although the existence of the pact was an open secret. The government said that the move was aimed at increasing transparency. But it comes at an unsettled time for the US-Japan relationship, amid a row over US military bases in Okinawa. Read article

Brown says UK to maintain AAA credit rating

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:55:35 +0000

Reuters – Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday he believed Britain would maintain its coveted top credit rating and announced a pay freeze for senior civil servants and military officers to help tame a record deficit. Setting out his economic plans weeks before an election, Brown said recovery remained fragile and that to change course now would risk plunging Britain back into recession. He drew on his experience last year when he chaired the group of 20 leading and developing nations during the global financial crisis. Read Article

‘Minority Report’ digital billboard ‘watches consumers shop’

sonyamac — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:50:21 +0000

Telegraph – A “Minority Report” styled digital billboard that targets consumers using customised advertising based on their demographics is being developed by Japanese researchers. Engineers have developed the billboard, similar to one used in the Tom Cruise blockbuster, that uses in built cameras to instantly identifies a shopper’s age and gender as they walk past. The facial-recognition system, called the Next Generation Digital Signage Solution, then offers consumers a product it thinks is suited to their demographic. Read Article

German Catholic Church pledges to investigate all 170 allegations of abuse

biochemist — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:50:57 +0000

The Times – The Roman Catholic Church in Germany ordered two separate investigations yesterday into allegations of widespread sexual abuse in its institutions, specifically at the Bavarian boarding school where the Pope’s brother served as choirmaster.With nearly two thirds of dioceses caught up in the widening scandal, the German Bishops’ Conference said that it would examine all 170 allegations made so far. A spokesman said that the investigation would take a close look at the Regensburger Domspatzen boys’ choir, led by Georg Ratzinger for 30 years until 1994. Read Article

Milestone: Our 10,000th article is posted!

Polemicol — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:40:37 +0000

Open Your Eyes is pleased to celebrate our 10,000th article posted onto our comprehensive news site and we wish to thank all our readers, subscribers, followers, fans and supporters who make this project worthwhile.

OYEN has existed since 2007 without funding and only through the time and effort of our volunteers. Our special thanks go to:

Mike and Kim; our IT gurus who dutifully manage the website from behind the scens
James; our founder, chief editor and vocal public face
Collin, editor and social media protagonist
Janet, Sonya and Chris; our very busy content editors who keep the articles flowing around the clock

Also announcing …

It is also an appropriate time to reveal an exciting news item of our own. A new and greatly improved website is being built and will be launched within a few short months. In part this change will make our jobs a little easier in sourcing and posting the news that really matters, but ultimately we will be providing a better interface for you, our loyal readers, to more easily view the latest headlines in the categories that interest you. We will also be making changes that will allow you to research an issue in detail as well as gain access to more in depth features.

We also have a few new surprises that we will leave until the launch date. Stay tuned for more in coming weeks.

We need your help

Finally, if you or someone you know is willing to assist us we would love to hear from you. We are especially interested in folk who can spare 15 minutes a day to become a category editor. You don’t need any specialist skills or knowledge and we provide all the content. All you need is an email account and Internet access via a home or work computer. To volunteer please see our You Can Help – Join Our Team page for details on the many ways in which you can assist to spread the word or volunteer.

Once again, thank you for your continued support. We hope you continue to stay informed and alert on the news stories that make the big picture.

The Open Your Eyes News Team.