Figures & Facts

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BAGHDAD — Days after top Iraqi and American officials suggested that a draft of the security pact between the countries was close, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki toughened his language, reiterating earlier Iraqi demands for a fixed date for the withdrawal of American troops. “It is not possible for any agreement to conclude unless it is on the basis of full sovereignty and the national interest, and that no foreign soldiers remain in Iraqi soil after a defined time ceiling,” Mr. Maliki said in a speech to Shiite tribal leaders in Baghdad’s Green Zone.

Though Mr. Maliki seemed to be referring to all foreign troops in his statements, Iraqi negotiators have said recently that an agreed-upon 2011 date is for combat forces only, and that “training and support” forces could remain after that if invited by the Iraqi government. On Monday, a senior Iraqi official said he understood that even a departure date for combat troops would be “conditions driven.” But the prime minister is under intense political pressure to take a hard line against the Americans, even as his government engages in the back-and-forth of negotiations. Graffiti can be seen on the walls in Shiite districts of Baghdad saying, “Iraq for sale: See Maliki.”

Mr. Maliki also said that there were other parts of the security pact on which the sides had yet to agree. Those points of dispute, he said, include Iraqi approval of American military operations and the conditions under which American soldiers will be granted immunity. “There are some articles on which we are stopped,” he said. “Unless these articles are changed, it will be hard for this agreement to pass.”

Iraq is prepared to grant immunity to American soldiers who are on bases or are conducting military operations, the Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said in a telephone interview, but insists that they be subject to Iraqi law in any other circumstances. Hadi al-Ameri, an Iraqi lawmaker, said immunity was “the most complicated issue remaining.” Mr. Dabbagh said there was also disagreement over whether Iraqi detainees could remain in American custody. Iraq has been demanding that anyone detained by American forces be turned over to the Iraqi authorities within 24 hours.

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Photos courtesy of Qassem Zein/AFP/Getty Images, Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud/Reuters, and EFE

Original Source: NY Times

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NEW YORK (AP) — A former writer and producer for "The Simpsons," a former writer for "Saturday Night Live" and a former president of the Harvard Lampoon are finalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, a $5,000 award.

Larry Doyle, a contributor to The New Yorker and Esquire magazines whose previous credits include "The Simpsons," was nominated for "I Love You, Beth Cooper," his debut novel, inspired by his experiences at Buffalo Grove High School.

Doyle is now in post-production for the movie version of "I Love You, Beth Cooper."

Patricia Marx, an author of humor books and children's books who has written for "Saturday Night Live" and "Rugrats" and is a contributing editor to Time magazine, was cited for the novel "Him Her Him Again The End of Him."

The first woman elected to the Harvard Lampoon, the school's famed humor magazine, her work has also appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vogue, and The Atlantic Monthly. among other publications.

The third finalist announced Tuesday was Simon Rich for "Ant Farm," an essay collection. Rich, son of New York Times columnist Frank Rich, is a Harvard University graduate who served as president of the Harvard Lampoon.

Harvard Lampoon's previous editorial staff members include William Gaddis, John Updike, Andy Borowitz, B.J. Novak, and many comedic writers and producers who have counted The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld and The Office amongst their work.

The Thurber Prize, named for author-illustrator James Thurber, was founded in 1996. The award will be presented in October at New York's famed Algonquin Hotel, once home to Thurber.

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Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, crossingborder.nl, Simon & Schuster, and John J. Kim/Sun-Times

Original Source: AP, Crossing Border, Simon & Schuster, and Chicago Sun-Times (with videos)

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SEVASTOPOL, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - One more Russian ship returned Saturday from Georgian waters to the Black Sea Fleet's base in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol. The mine-sweeper Turbinist had taken part in Russia's operations in Georgia. Mirage, a guided missile corvette, returned on Friday morning to the home port of the Russian Black Sea fleet after seeing action against Georgia’s port of Poti, where it shelled Georgian defenses and landed troops who occupied the city. Mirage was involved in the only reported maritime action of the campaign. It sank a Georgian fast patrol boat that had probed within range of its guns.

Rival groups of Russian and Ukrainian demonstrators hurled insults at each other to a background of cannon fire as the Russian navy’s Mirage sailed into Sebastopol on Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. The celebratory gunfire could become all too real if fears are realized that Russia may repeat its incursion into Georgia and turn Ukraine into the next Caucasian flashpoint. Crimea has a Russian majority population and, because of its strategic importance, Moscow deeply resented its loss at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union.

While quickly snuffed out, the protests demonstrated Sebastopol's emergence as a flashpoint for tensions between Moscow and its former Soviet satellites in the wake of the Georgian conflict. Tension in Crimea has risen because of the public support for Georgia of Viktor Yushchenko, the Ukrainian president. Russia accused Ukraine of supplying weapons to Georgia and Yushchenko enraged the Kremlin by ordering restrictions on the future movements of the Russian fleet in Ukrainian waters. The Black Sea fleet facilities are leased from Ukraine until 2017 but Ukraine, which wants to join NATO and the European Union, says it will not renew the lease. Moscow has made clear it is determined to stay.

Ukraine's president, Victor Yushchenko, condemned the use of vessels based in the Russian concession to provide back-up for its assault on Georgia over the disputed enclave of South Ossetia. He signed a decree this month requiring prior notification from Russia of all movements by naval vessels and aircraft from the country's Black Sea Fleet base in the Crimea. Ukraine even threatened to refuse Russian vessels entry to the Sevastopol naval base.

The decree is not yet being enforced, and Russia views it as a provocation and is likely to resist any Ukrainian limits on the deployment of its navy. "I think all issues, including similar provocations, have been discussed under bilateral agreements between Russia and Ukraine on the status of the Black Sea Fleet. We will give a prompt response if anything happens," said Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of Russia's General Staff. While Ukraine is powerless to stop Russian movements in Sebastopol, there was a brief stand-off as one of its ships moved to accompany the Mirage through the harbor.

Russia retained a strategic advantage on land as well as sea. Sebastopol and the wider Crimean peninsula are virtual Russian enclaves in Ukraine. The protest erupted at a point were tanned holidaymakers normally descend though an arch to the harbor boardwalk. But the strength of the pro-Russian forces, mobilized to show support for the Mirage, was hardly put to the test by the demonstrators.

Reports that thousands of Russian passports have already been distributed on the peninsula have sparked fears that a takeover may be in the offing. Moscow issued passports in South Ossetia to foster its breakaway from Georgia. A western military source advised caution, saying Crimea was effectively already occupied by Russia.

Oleh Yatshenko, the organiser of the anti-Russian protest, displayed two small cuts on his arm, inflicted by pro-Moscow forces, who pushed their opponents away from the shore and ripped away banners. "What Russia did in Georgia was illegal," he said. "We are standing up for our country because they are doing the same thing here." Most of Yatshenko's supporters had arrived from the Western Ukraine. The group carried banners reading, "Shame" and "Out of here!" The Ukrainian government has reiterated its determination not to renew Moscow's lease on the port when it is due for renewal in 2017.

Kiev has shown no signs of backing down despite a furious Russian reaction with Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko telling the Izvestia newspaper that its preparations for a withdrawal should have already started. He said: "Russia should already now be preparing for the withdrawal of the fleet, which will take place in 2017. Such things do not happen in a day."

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo, AFP, and Ria Novosti

Original Source: Times Online, Telegraph UK, and Ria Novosti

Two Number Ones – China in Gold, U.S. in Total

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The Beijing Olympics have come to a close after 16 days of thrilling competition - with the home nation sat on top of the gold medal table.

China has spent seven years planning for this event. It must be relieved that these Olympics are being hailed as both a sporting and an operational success. Worries about air pollution, protesters and media freedom were eventually overshadowed by what went on in the sporting arenas.

At the closing ceremony the International Olympic Committee President, Jacques Rogge, said they had been "truly exceptional games".

Best of the best

Worldwide, 200 countries provided a staggering 5,000 hours of coverage through rights-holding broadcast partners. In China, 842 million people - more than twice the population of the United States - tuned in to watch some part of opening ceremony.

On the field of play, nearly 11,000 athletes from 204 nations created indelible memories with their performances, many of them smashing records.

The ceremony to mark the end of the games, held in the Bird's Nest stadium, borrowed some of the grand style of the opening ceremony. Hundreds of performers were deployed in dazzling sequences that took months of planning to execute to perfection. And this being China, there were more fireworks.

The Olympics is being seen as a success from the government all the way down to ordinary people on the streets. "The best of the best - ever," said one compere, referring to this particular Games a few minutes before the closing ceremony started.

Positive legacy

There was certainly an attempt at this last event to shape the way the world should think about the contro- versial decision to award China this year's summer Games.

Liu Qi, president of the Beijing organizing committee, said the Chinese people had honored the commit- ments it made when bidding for the games. Speaking at the closing ceremony, he said: "The Beijing Olympic Games is a testimony of the fact that the world has rested its trust upon China."

The Chinese spared no expense ($40 billion for infra- structure) and overlooked no detail, however minute, in the planning, preparation and execution of what Liu Qi called "this grand gala of humankind."

Beijing, the historic seat of power in China, set a standard for host cities in almost every way, from its efficient routing of traffic - no small feat in a city of 17.4 million - to its stunning and innovative competition venues such as the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Some 100,000 well-trained volunteers kept the Olympic machine humming.

"We cannot be more pleased with the Chinese people's presentation of these Games," said Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee. "Whether it's the (Athletes') Village or the venues, they've done an incredible job."

The IOC President, Jacques Rogge, suggested this Olympics would have a positive legacy. "Through these games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world," he said.

All-star cast

The closing ceremony is partly about handing over to the next host of the summer Games, which in 2012 will be London. That gave the British capital the chance to stage its own mini-show within the closing ceremony.

It began when the Olympic flag was handed to recently- elected London Mayor Boris Johnson, who seemed to fumble to unfurl the banner before holding it aloft. A red London bus than entered the stadium, out of which popped singer Leona Lewis and guitarist Jimmy Page, who together performed the rock classic "Whole Lotta Love". Britain's most recognizable footballer, David Beckham, then appeared from inside the double-decker - surely no other London bus can have carried such an all-star cast.

To huge cheers, Beckham kicked a football into the crowd of athletes who had also paraded into the stadium. As the bus left, pretend passengers clung to the sides holding up umbrellas. It was an attempt to poke fun at Britain's rainy weather and its people's preoccupation with it.

Gold medals

But the Chinese still stole the show, with some sequences that were vast in scale and ambition. China won 100 medals and led with 51 gold in an eye-opening performance. A successful Olympics, with 51 gold medals for the home country, is probably exactly what China's leaders had hoped would happen.

After the event, one closing ceremony performer, Ying Ying, said her team of cheerleaders had been practicing since last autumn. "I feel very lucky just to be here. I've been moved to see so many athletes - and China has done really well," said the 20-year-old Beijing university student.

The U.S. finished with 110 medals total, leading the overall medal standings for the fourth consecutive Olympics and setting a U.S. record for medal production in a full-participation Games.

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Photos courtesy of Jeff Gross/Getty Images, Shaun Botterill/Getty Images, Stu Forster/Getty Images, Phil Walter/Getty Images, Clive Rose/Getty Images

Original Source: BBC News and Kansas City Star

Image Gallery: Pictures of 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony

Related Articles: Beijing Wrap-Up: The 25 Most Marketable Olympians and Top 50 moments of Beijing 2008

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The long- awaited text message announcing Obama- Biden '08 arrived in cell phones and inboxes just after 3 a.m. ET on Saturday. The 3 a.m. timing may evoke memories of an attack ad run by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., questioning whether Obama would be ready to lead in the event of a 3 a.m. phone call. In the end however, Obama supporters got a 3 a.m. cell phone text message and e-mail about Biden, rather than Clinton.

Media reports in the hours before the official announcement strongly hinted at the Obama pick: A private plane was tracked flying from Chicago's Midway airport to New Castle, Del., and the Secret Service had been dispatched to protect Biden, the six-term senator. In the early morning hours, those hints were confirmed prior to the Obama camp's text message.

So why did Obama, who is running on a theme of change, chose the Biden, the experienced Washington hand? "Over the course of the process, they became convinced, Sen. Obama became convinced, that they needed a candidate who would reassure voters on that support, someone who that could count on, who was a solid, known quantity," ABC News' chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos told "GMA" on Saturday.

In Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama selected a six-term senator from Delaware best known for his expertise on foreign affairs — Mr. Biden spent last weekend in Georgia as that nation engaged in a tense confrontation with Russia — but also for his skills at political combat. Mr. Obama passed over other candidates who might have brought him a state or reinforced the message of change that has been central to his candidacy.

At the rally outside the Old State Capitol where Mr. Obama announced his candidacy 19 months ago, he described Mr. Biden as a man ready to be president. And he offered a passionate and politically instructive introduction of Mr. Biden: the portrait of a running mate who filled in what many Democrats have described as the political shortcomings of Mr. Obama.

He presented Mr. Biden as the product of a Catholic, blue-collar home in Pennsylvania who had endured personal tragedy in the death of his wife and daughter and his own brush with death, a man who could relate to the culture of the Senate or of working-class voters.

“I can tell you that Joe Biden gets it,” said Mr. Obama, of Illinois. “He’s that unique public servant who is at home in a bar in Cedar Rapids and the corridors of the Capitol; in the V.F.W. hall in Concord, and at the center of an international crisis. That’s because he is still that scrappy kid from Scranton who beat the odds — the dedicated family man and committed Catholic who knows every conductor on that Amtrak train to Wilmington.”

Reaction from political pundits is mixed and the McCain campaign pounced on its new rivals, immediately releasing an ad using Biden's own words against his new running mate. "What does Barack Obama's running mate say about Barack Obama?" the ad opens, with images of Biden and Obama, before a clip of ABC News' Democratic debate on Aug. 19, 2007, hosted by Stephanopoulos on a special edition of "This Week."

"You said, 'I think he can be ready, but right now, I don't think he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training,'" Stephanopoulos says in the ad's debate clip. "I think I stand by that statement," Biden replies.

Asked Saturday on "GMA" about the impact of the Republican attack ad, Stephanopoulos said, "I think that's the best they can do -- Sen. Biden and a lot of other Democrats questioning Sen. Obama's experience. Clearly, Sen. Clinton did that, of course, in the primary."

Stephan- opoulos added, "I actually asked about that exchange when he was on my show, "This Week," in May and [Biden] was very blunt in his response. He said that Barack Obama has learned a hell of a lot, and he went on to detail how Obama has grown over the course of the campaign, praised his judgment.

I think you'll see ... Sen. McCain is trying to drive a wedge between Obama and Biden," Stephanopoulos said. "But one of the reasons I think Obama decided to go with Biden in the end is not only because he has experience but is because he really can be a political gut-biter and is a strong debater. Over the course of the debates during the primary, he was often the winner of the debates.

"He has served with John McCain for an awful long time, and I think the Obama team believes that Joe Biden will have the ability to get under John McCain's skin over the course of this campaign and to really be very forceful," Stephanopoulos said.

Activity continued at a steady pace outside the Biden home in Delaware prior to the candidate's departure for the 3 p.m. ET event in Springfield, Ill.

Sen. Hillary Clinton issued a statement on Saturday praising the choice and calling Mr. Biden “an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant.”

The potential V.P. contenders who were not chosen by Obama released statements of congratulations to Biden on Saturday. "Joe Biden is an outstanding public servant with deep experience and a fighting spirit. These qualities will make him a great asset in the White House and on the campaign trail this fall," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. "It was an honor to be considered."

First-time Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, also short-listed for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, said he is "excited" for Biden and praised him as "a tremendous leader and a great complement to Sen. Obama and his candidacy." Another candidate shaved from the shortlist, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, said Biden's "extensive experience dealing with foreign policy issues are an asset in these complicated times." Even McCain contacted Biden, placing "a brief call to offer congratulations to the senator and his wife," a McCain aide told ABC News.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, Haraz N. Ghanbari, Sen. Biden's office, Greg Gibson, and Richard Perry/The New York Times

Original Source: ABC News and NY Times

Image Gallery: Sen. Joe Biden’s Life and Times

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Facts -

Our planet is choking on plastic and plastic bags are a huge part of the problem. Shoppers worldwide are using 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags per year. This translates to about a million bags every minute across the globe, or 150 bags a year for every person on earth. You can make a difference by pledging to be plastic bag free. Sign this pledge at Leonardo Dicaprio : Eco-Site and learn about how plastic is affecting our planet and how you can make a difference.

Plastic Bags

Shoppers worldwide are using 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags per year. This translates to about a million bags every minute across the globe, or 150 bags a year for every person on earth. And the number is rising.

Plastic bags are made of polyethylene - more commonly known as polythene - they are hazardous to manufacture and are said to take up to 1,000 years to decompose.

Every year, Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags.

The energy needed to manufacture and transport disposable bags eats up more resources and creates global warming emissions.

The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers. Additionally, prospecting and drilling for these resources contributes to the destruction of fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world.

Plastic Beverage Bottles

In 2006, Americans drank about 167 bottles of water each, but only recycled an average of 38 bottles per person, which equals about 50 billion plastic bottles consumed, with only 23% being recycled. That leaves 38 billion water bottles in landfills, each year.

Manufacturing bottled water uses over 1.5 million barrels of oil per year. In one year, thats enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars.

When plastic bottles end up in landfills they take 700 years before they start to decompose.

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Photos courtesy of whyfiles.org, leonardodicaprio.org, and thecinemasource.com

Original Source: Leonardo Dicaprio : Eco-Site

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Ice sculptures constructed from the spare core samples by the scientists working on the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project.

The ice samples, which the researchers analyze for clues to the temperature and concentration of greenhouse gases of the ancient atmosphere, are collected using this drill.

The visiting group of scientists, journalists and Danish environmental officials land at NEEM, the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project. NEEM had arranged for the visitors to examine their research, which focuses on the climatic conditions which shaped the warm geologic period before the earth's last Ice Age, an important clue in understanding global warming. The camp is located approximately 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The scientists are drilling deep into the ice, which is 1.5 miles thick, the accumulation of 130,000 years of snow. These researchers are taking ice near the surface, which can help them analyze the last few hundred years of climatic history.

The main drill, which will excavate the deepest ice cores, is being built in this underground site.

The tour also included a visit to the coastal town of Ilulissat, home to one of the most productive glaciers in the world. A tour of Disko Bay, outside the town, revealed massive icebergs floating in the water, the product of accelerated melting.

The main graveyard in Ilulissat, just outside the town, overlooks the icebergs of Disko Bay.

Pools of melted water slice through the Ilulissat icefjord, which is fed by the melting Sermeq Kujalleq glacier.

Greenland has lost an average of 150 billion tons of ice a year over the past four summers.

In 2004, UNESCO declared the Ilulissat icefjord a World Heritage site.

Every year, the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier surrenders around 20 billion tons of icebergs into the ocean. Most of them end up in the northern Atlantic.

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Original Source and Photos courtesy of: Time

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Swiss voters rejected a plan that would make it even harder for foreigners to obtain citizenship in a referendum, called by the far-right Swiss People's Party. Some 64 percent of voters rejected the measure, meant to approve candidates for citizenship by secret ballot.

Lead candidate of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), Christoph Blocher, head of Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police and Minister of Justice, has come under heavy international criticism for leading a campaign that emphasizes sharp measures against immigrants.

Switzerland's population of 7.5 million includes about 1.6 million foreigners, including many workers from southern Europe and refugees from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

The People's Party claims foreigners are responsible for much of the crime in the country. Party posters featuring white sheep kicking out a black sheep sparked outrage blamed in part for a riot two weeks before the election -- a rare show of violence against a political party. The party became the largest in Switzerland four years ago under the leadership of charismatic billionaire Christoph Blocher.

2003 election - Christoph Blocher unseated the center-right Christian Democrat, Ruth Metzler, to win a seat in the seven-strong government.

On December 10, parliament handed a cabinet seat to Christoph Blocher - the figurehead of the rightwing Swiss People's Party. The big losers are the Christian Democrats, who now have just one minister in government compared with two for each of the other main parties.

Blocher's election alters the balance of power -
- threatens to split the government. He unseated the Christian Democrat, Ruth Metzler, in the cabinet election, altering the balance of power among the four main political parties for the first time in more than 40 years.

- complicates EU relations. Blocher believes EU membership will force Switzerland's economy downwards. As a member of the seven-strong cabinet - whose official policy is still to join the EU - it could be difficult for Blocher to toe the line.

- The press speaks of a conservative revolution. The Swiss press has spoken of a historic change with the arrival of the rightwing Swiss People's Party figurehead, Christoph Blocher, in government.

2007 election -
December 12, 2007, Christoph Blocher has been ousted, losing his seat in cabinet in a major political upset.

The two chambers of parliament, meeting to elect the seven-member government, chose Blocher's party colleague Eveline Widmer- Schlumpf instead following last-minute horse-trading among the parties.

The joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate had been expected to confirm the seven members of the cabinet unchanged for the next four-year term. The first four ministers were elected without incident but when it came to Blocher, the house was split. Blocher secured 111 votes, while 116 parliamentarians voted for wildcard candidate Widmer-Schlumpf. The majority was 120.

In a second round Widmer- Schlumpf garnered 125 votes out a possible 242, defeating the justice minister. In the run-up to the cabinet election the focus was on attempts to unseat billionaire businessman Blocher, who represents the rightwing People's Party. The People's Party had threatened to go into opposition if Blocher was not re-elected.

Center-right and center-left parties regarded Blocher's combative manner as a threat to the tradition of consensus in the government. On the eve of the election, the Christian Democrats declared that most of their members would vote against Blocher.

The Green Party, which is not represented in the cabinet, initially put forward a candidate to stand against Blocher. It withdrew its candidate shortly before the vote when Widmer-Schlumpf emerged as an alternative to Blocher.

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Photos courtesy of Keystone/Bundeskanzlei, swissworld.org, picture-alliance/dpa, and AP

Original Source: swissinfo, swissinfo, and CNN, and Deutsche Welle

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ROME — Russia's adventure in Georgia has been described as a "warlet," a contained firing spree that wound up and down within a week. But to Europe's energy markets, it was the equivalent of wide-scale carpet bombing. With the North Sea oil and natural gas fields running out of puff, Europe, in particular the European Union, is more dependent than ever on imported energy. The biggest single supplier is Russia, whose pipelines snake across Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova before poking into central and western Europe.

Russia's energy supplies are cherished. Germany, France and Italy have almost no oil and gas of their own. Russia's Gazprom, the world's biggest gas company, supplies 40 per cent or more of Europe's gas imports. The company, controlled by the Russian state and led by Dmitry Medvedev before he became Russia's President, is the equivalent of a one-country gas OPEC. By 2020, Gazprom's exports to the EU are expected to rise by more than 50 per cent. The company is unafraid to wield its mighty power. For four days in 2006, it stopped supplying gas to the Ukrainian market because of a contract dispute.

Since keeping the lights on is the minimum requirement to stay elected, Europe's governments were doing two things. They were buying every molecule of Russian energy available and were working hard to ensure that Russia alone did not control the entire show. Enter Georgia. The pro-Western country became a convenient bit of non-Russian real estate on which to plunk pipelines to funnel non-Russian (and non-OPEC) oil and gas to the outside world. No fewer than three pipelines originating in Azerbaijan cross Georgian territory.

Thanks to Russia's invasion of Georgia on Aug. 8, Georgia's role as a secure energy transit point to Europe has been shattered. Suddenly the risk premiums on oil and gas pipelines that pass through Georgian soil went through the roof. So much for Europe's energy diversification plans. New, independent pipelines from Central Asia seem like a lost cause. With Georgia reined in, Moscow's grip on energy supplies to Europe must be close to complete.

What is Europe to do? Time for Diversification Plan B. A big part of the plan would have to see Europe turning the Mediterranean into mare nostrum - our sea - as the Romans called it in the empire years. The North African countries of Libya and Algeria, and Syria in the Eastern Med to a lesser extent, have vast, undeveloped oil and gas fields. Energy companies with an appetite for political risk have been pouring billions into these countries. One of them is Petro-Canada, which is already hauling 50,000 barrels of oil a day out of Libya and has targeted the country for significant growth. Algeria's gas reserves are mammoth. Last year, Italy and Algeria agreed to construct a 900-kilometre pipeline to take Algerian gas to Sardinia, then on to the Italian mainland. Other pipelines will have to be built. Speed is of the essence, because Gazprom's ambitions are boundless. Last month it offered to buy all of Libya's gas exports.

Medi- terranean gas cannot be the entire solution. Europe will have to rethink its nuclear strategy. Germany and Spain have committed to phase out nuclear power. Surely, that strategy will have to be reversed. Italy has no nuclear power plants. That will have to change, too. A few nuclear plants are under construction in Europe after a moratorium that began with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. The number will have to soar if Europe is to take energy diversification seriously. Coal might make a big comeback, too, in spite of the horrendous amounts of soot and carbon dioxide produced by coal-fired electricity plants. Fortunes will have to be plowed into "clean coal" technology, which so far is more myth than reality.

Before the Georgian crisis, Europe seemed to be doing all the right things, with little Georgia at the centre of a sensible energy diversification plan. A column of Russian tanks wrecked that strategy in an instant. Europe is learning quickly that the only way to curtail Russia's energy control is to compete with it. A new energy war is about to begin.

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Photos courtesy of Jeremy Nicholl/Polaris, Dmitry Kostyukov-AFP/Getty Images, Mikhail Metzel-AP, and Chris Hondros-Getty Images

Original Source: globeandmail.com

Slideshow: Days After Cease-fire, Russian Troops Remain in Gori

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Desperate attempts are underway to save a baby humpback whale which is trying to bond with yachts in Sydney harbour, after mistaking the boats for its mother. The two week old calf, which has been separated from its real mother, was spotted nuzzling up to a whale-sized boat in the picturesque Pittwater waterway just north of Sydney on Monday.

Rescuers from the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service towed the yacht out to sea hoping to entice the calf to find other whales who would adopt it. Eventually the calf detached itself from the boat, although it remained swimming close to it. However today the baby whale had returned to the Pittwater basin, where spotted swimming “rather energetically” around other yachts in the area.

The race is now on to save it, but wildlife experts are pessimistic about their chances. The calf, which needs urgently to find a mother to suckle to, is in “grim danger” if it does not find a substitute, said John Dengate, a spokesman for the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. The only option is for the calf to find another pod of whales with a mother who can adopt it. “We’ve wracked our brains to think of some kind of captive approach we can do, by taking it in and rearing it ourselves, but it seems to be impossible in Australia, and possibly around the world,” Mr Dengate said.

Baby whales suckle for 11 months on vast amounts of high fat milk and put on approximately 2 pounds a day. To raise this calf by hand, someone would have to take it in and feed it a special formula of whale milk substitute. They would also have to have the capacity to house it until it is grown to its full adult size of 40–50 ft (12-16m), with a weight of approximately 79,000 pounds (36,000 kg). “It is pretty much an impossible ask,” Mr Dengate said. “It’s just heartbreaking, the only thing we can do is monitor the little fella and hope he finds a new mum.”

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Channel Nine and AFP

Original Source: Times Online

Video: Baby Whale Lost in Australia