Blue Eye

Paris Hilton (pic)

2011-07-05T18:57:00.001-07:00

Japanese citizens turning in cash found in tsunami zone

2011-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

A tsunami that followed a massive earthquake last month may have destroyed some of Japan's structures, but police say the honest practice of turning in lost items, especially cash, remains intact.

Residents have turned in lost cash across the tsunami zone at a much higher rate than usual, the Miyagi Prefectural Police Department tells CNN.

A police spokesman, who asked not to be identified, citing department policy, said he could not specify how much cash has been turned in to lost-and-found offices at police stations. But, he said, of the 24 police stations across Miyagi Prefecture, nine of them are on the Pacific coastline.

Japan's cultural mores remain strong

Between March 12, the day following the earthquake and tsunami, and March 31, those nine police stations collected 10 times the amount of lost cash collected at the other 15 stations combined.
Between March 12, the day following the earthquake and tsunami, and March 31, those nine police stations collected 10 times the amount of lost cash collected at the other 15 stations combined.
Japanese children, from a young age, are taught to turn in any lost items, including cash, to police stations. The cultural practice of returning lost items and never keeping what belongs to a stranger has meant police departments like Tokyo's Metropolitan have an entire warehouse filled with lost shoes, umbrellas and wallets.
In the tsunami zone, where personal items lie amid miles of rubble, it's meant that lost valuables have often gone directly to police, rather than the pocket of the finder.

The lost cash hasn't been easy to handle, the Miyagi Prefectural Police Department says. Money found along with some identification is being returned, but officers have been able to return only 10% of the cash.

Cash that wasn't in a wallet is left unclaimed at the police station. After three months, the person who turned in the cash is able to collect that lost money. But police say people are already waiving their rights to claim the cash when they turn it in.
Unclaimed cash will eventually be sent to the Miyagi Prefectural Government, though police say they do not know how it will be used.

Also found: Hundreds of safes that can't be opened. If the prefectural government allocates funding for opening the safes, police will start doing so.

Prefectural police believe that these safes could contain not only currency, but bank books, stocks and land deeds, which could give a huge boost to the amount of lost money.

Libya: Obama defends war, insists US role is limited

2011-03-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

US President Barack Obama has defended the first war launched under his presidency, insisting US military involvement in Libya will be limited.

Addressing Americans, he said US intervention had saved "countless lives" threatened by the forces of the "tyrant" Muammar Gaddafi.

But having led the initial campaign, the US would hand over to Nato allies on Wednesday, he said.

Meanwhile, the rebel advance inside Libya has been slowed down near Sirte.

While Nato insists it is impartial in the conflict, Russia has renewed its expressions of concern, saying intervention in an internal civil war is not sanctioned by UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

Some 40 delegations - from the coalition, the UN, Nato, the African Union and Arab League - are preparing to meet in London on Tuesday to discuss the way forward for Libya.

'Regime change' ruled out

"Tonight, I can report that we have stopped Gaddafi's deadly advance," Mr Obama said, speaking from the National Defense University in Washington DC.

But the lead in enforcing the no-fly zone "and protecting civilians on the ground" would now move to US "allies and partners".

"Because of this transition to a broader, Nato-based coalition, the risk and cost of this operation - to our military, and to American taxpayers - will be reduced significantly," Mr Obama said.

"We must always measure our interests against the need for action," the president continued.

"But that cannot be an argument for never acting on behalf of what's right...

"We were faced with the prospect of violence on a horrific scale. We had a unique ability to stop that violence: an international mandate for action, a broad coalition prepared to join us, the support of Arab countries and a plea for help from the Libyan people themselves."

The US leader said there was "no question" that Libya would be "better off with Gaddafi out of power" but broadening the military mission "to include regime change would be a mistake".

Earlier on Monday, Mr Obama spoke by video conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister David Cameron as part of his regular consultations with European allies.

The leaders agreed that Col Gaddafi "had lost any legitimacy to rule and should leave power, and that the Libyan people should have the political space to determine their own future", a White House statement said.

Mr Obama delivered his first formal, set-piece speech on the Libyan mission in the long shadow of the Iraq war and amid concerns about military engagement in the Middle East without an end game, notes the BBC's North America editor, Mark Mardell.

The most recent opinion poll suggests that only 47% of Americans think taking action over Libya was the right thing to do, with 36% believing it was wrong and 17% saying they do not know.

The president seems to share their doubts and fears, our North America editor says.

The US military has started using heavily armed low-flying aircraft to attack Libyan forces on the ground.

The US military has used both aircraft widely in Iraq and Afghanistan

Advance slows

Anti-Gaddafi rebels have seized a number of coastal communities and important oil installations in recent days, including Ras Lanuf, Brega, Uqayla and Bin Jawad.

However, repeated attacks by government troops have prevented them reaching Sirte, a symbolic target for the rebels as the birthplace of Col Gaddafi.

Bombardments of the road between Bin Jawad and Nawfaliyah reportedly sent the rebels fleeing back towards Bin Jawad.

Nato has denied its air strikes are meant to provide cover for a rebel advance.

Sir Emyr Jones Parry, a former British ambassador to Nato and the UN, dismissed concerns voiced by Russia as "puritanical".

"Fundamentally, you're protecting civilians and to do that, you've got to get at the sources of the attack and make sure that they are negated," .

Britney Spears Rocks Leather Bodysuit at Surprise Show

2011-03-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

Brit's Back!
Bing even more:

In a sexy leather bodysuit, Britney Spears thrilled more than a thousand fans with a surprise mini-concert at the Rain Nightclub in the Palms Las Vegas Friday night.

With back-up dancers clad in army fatigues, Spears, 29, debuted songs from her upcoming "Femme Fatale" album including

Libya Under Attack

2011-03-21T20:45:00.001-07:00

Tripoli/Cairo - Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi said his country was under attack from 'colonial aggression' as Western forces Saturday launched rocket strikes and began enforcing a no-fly zone over parts of Libya.
Gaddafi in a brief speech on Libyan radio also said he had armed civilians to defend the country's independence, declaring that he would open arms depots to 'all Libyans.'

US, French and British forces struck air defence targets in western Libya as fighter jets entered Libyan airspace in the east to begin enforcing a no-fly zone that was backed Thursday by the UN Security Council.

Adults now 'huffing' more than kids

2011-03-17T18:41:00.001-07:00

It’s called huffing – inhaling chemical vapors to get high. It's usually associated with teenage drug abuse, but a new report suggests that's not really the case. The majority of Americans abusing inhalants are not children but adults, according to a study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

More than 1 million adults were “huffing” last year, according to SAMHSA’s newly released “Data Spotlight Study,” based on data from treatment facilities across the country.

That’s more than those who used crack or LSD, Heroin or PCP. In fact, the study found 54% of all people who sought treatment in 2008 were adults over age 18.

“Inhalant abuse is an equal opportunity killer that does not discriminate on the basis of age, background or gender,” said Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. “Although we have been understandably focused for many years on the dangers of huffing poses to our kids, these new data highlight the need for everyone to be aware of and effectively address the serious risks it poses to adults and all segments of our society.”

Long-term inhaling and sniffing can lead to irreversible damage to the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys and eyes. According to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition , a wide range of common household products are abused: glue, spray paint, markers, hairspray, air freshener, nail polish remover, deodorant, computer keyboard cleaner, paint thinner, spot removers, even cooking sprays and whipped cream sprays. Sudden sniffing death, the coalition says, can occur even the first time.

In the past, the NIPC has focused on prevention in children. This new report suggests that's no longer enough.

“The frequency of emails and calls on our toll-free hotline from people needing help for spouses, older siblings and friends, parents and even grandparents,” said Harvey Weiss, executive director of NIPC, “has led us to understand that people of all ages are at risk and may need help with this problem.”

Nearly three-quarters of the admissions were males. Seventy-two percent were white, and thirty-eight percent did not graduate high school.

But Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, warns that parents still need to be diligent about children and inhalants. “Our homes are increasingly becoming the source of dangerous drugs of abuse for young people,” Kerlikowske said. “Whether these products are inhalants found under our sinks and in our utility room, or dangerous prescription drugs stored in our medicine cabinets, parents need to act today to protect our young people by securing these products and discussing the harms that they cause.

Hurricane Alex delays BP oil clean-up efforts in Gulf

2010-06-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

The effects of Hurricane Alex have halted part of BP's oil clean-up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
Activities such as skimming, dispersant flights and controlled burning have all been suspended because of strong winds and high waves.
But the main methods of oil capture at the spill site is continuing despite the weather.
Alex is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.
Tens of thousands of barrels of oil have leaked every day since the Deepwater Horizon rig sank in April.
The US state department has accepted offers of assistance from 12 countries and international organisations to help clean-up and contain the spill.
A containment cap placed over the leaking pipe is collecting up to 25,000 barrels a day and sending it to two surface ships.

And a relief well being drilled to staunch the flow is on target to be finished by early August, a senior BP executive has said.
Delays
Before it became a hurricane, ripple effects from what was Tropical Storm Alex created six-foot (1.8m) waves and winds of up to 20mph (32 km), according to the National Weather Service in New Orleans.
Skimming ships returned to shore in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama, as gusts and high waves made the procedure unsafe.
Officials were also forced to move barges that had been preventing oil from reaching sensitive wetlands.
Containment boom is seen placed on the beach in Louisiana Millions of gallons of oil have gushed into the sea since the leak began

"We're ready to go as soon as conditions allow us to get those people back out and fighting this oil spill," said US Coastguard Lt Dave French.
But BP spokesman Robert Wine said the three rigs and a drillship involved in capture and drilling efforts were continuing.
"That's all big equipment, and it isn't as affected by the sea state," he said.
BP had hoped to collect up to 53,000 barrels a day by linking up another vessel, but Kent Wells, the firm's senior vice-president of exploration and production, said that conditions caused by the storm would cause problems.
The expected heavy seas could cause a delay of up to a week in hooking up the new oil capture system, Mr Wells said in a briefing.
Forecasters expect the hurricane to make landfall near the Texas-Mexico border early on Thursday.

Greece crisis

2010-05-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

Germany's cabinet has approved its contribution to the eurozone and IMF bail-out of Greece.
The German parliament is set to pass the legislation later this week to allow its loan - worth 22.4bn euros (£19.4bn; $29.6bn) over three years - to be paid.
There has been significant public opposition in Germany to assisting the debt-ridden Greek economy.
Markets gave the bail-out deal, agreed over the weekend, a muted response.Cut ability questioned
Germany was ultimately pushed into action by its own economic interest, with Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the bail-out was "the only way to ensure the stability of the euro".
"The reason for this law is a last resort - an emergency situation - in that Greece in effect no longer had access to the financial markets, and there was an impact on the stability of the euro," Mrs Merkel told a press conference.
She later told ZDF television: "We said time and again, if the stability of our currency was in danger, we would act quickly and decisively. And this is the point that we've reached."
Germany is paying the largest share of the unprecedented 110bn euros rescue package.
But investors have questioned whether the rescue package will be enough to solve Greece's deep-seated problems and whether it will be able to carry out the severe budget cuts agreed as part of the deal.
The first part of the loan will be released before 19 May - the date of Greece's next debt repayment, the EU said.
The IMF is expected to approve its portion of the loan this week, its managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said.
Meanwhile, also on Monday French politicians prepared to vote on 16.8bn euros of financial aid for Greece, France's share of the eurozone bailout.
The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, began debating the measure and were set to vote on it late on Monday evening or on Tuesday.
It must then pass to the Senate later in the week.
'Catastrophe averted'
Despite the bail-out being approved on Sunday, the euro fell on Monday and European stocks were muted.
The "catastrophe" of Greece defaulting on its debts had been averted by the bail-out said Philippe Gijsels, head of research at BNP Paribas Fortis Global Markets in Brussels.
"But the market realises that it will be a very long, difficult road to travel before it can get better."
Some have also raised doubts about whether Greece will be able to implement the swingeing budget cuts it has promised.
Greece's government will present its bailout package to parliament on Tuesday - with the aim of using emergency rules to get it approved within a week
'Damage grown'
The cost of the bail-out could have been considerably less had the eurozone nations acted more quickly said Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini.
"It was necessary to intervene right away to help Greece. To avoid damage we initially talked about 50 billion euros, but decided on 110 billion only 10 days later," he said.
"We respected the prudence of a large country like Germany, we gave it time to think, but during this period the damage has grown."
Meanwhile Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker admitted he "almost lost patience" at the slow pace of the bail-out being agreed.
Other senior politicians said the scale of the rescue highlighted the need for stricter public finance controls.
"When it ends up costing you 110 billion euros, you do change your approach," said Christine Lagarde, the finance minister of France which is set to make a 16.8bn euros contribution.
She told Le Monde newspaper early warning systems needed to be put in place to prevent a repeat of the Greek crisis, and that new criteria were needed to monitor the eurozone's 16 members.
Bank pressures
Greek shares opened sharply higher before falling back. Meanwhile key German and French indexes were little changed.
Paris's Cac 40 index and Frankfurt's Dax 30 ended the day ahead by 0.30% and 0.51% respectively having traded lower for much of the day. London's stock market was closed for the May Day public holiday.
German government 10-year bonds made slight gains as investors looked for safe investments.
Greek government debt, which was downgraded to junk status last week, fell further - a sign of falling confidence in the Greek economy.
However the European Central Bank extended its lifeline to Greece - saying that Greek government-backed assets such as bonds could still be used to secure funding from the ECB - even if they were not deemed credit-worthy by the ratings agencies.
On Monday, Greece said about 10bn euros of the rescue plan will go towards supporting its banks.
The country is expected to be in recession for three years which will reduce demand for lending and other services on which banks make money.
In return for the financial support, the Greek government has unveiled a fresh round of sweeping efficiencies, including further tax rises and deeper cuts in pensions and public service pay.

Religious persecution is rife

2010-04-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

The numbers are shocking: 12,000 people killed in a cycle of violence between Christians and Muslims stretching back more than a decade.
The location: Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, lying on the continent's fault line between the largely Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.The number of people convicted and sentenced for the killings: Zero.
That's just one of many stark assessments about the level of religious persecution around the world today in a huge new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The report names more than two dozen countries as offenders. Some engage in what's classically thought of as religious persecution.
Egypt, for example, not only imprisons members of the Baha'i faith and members of minority Muslim sects, but also has some fired from their jobs, kicked out of universities and barred from having bank accounts, driver's licenses, even birth certificates, according to the report.
Worldwide religious repression
Other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, export "extremist ideology," the commission charges. But the kind of religious persecution seen in Nigeria and some other countries is "equally egregious," the report says. "Many governments fail to punish religiously motivated violence perpetrated by private actors," it says, warning that "impunity... often leads to endless cycles of sectarian violence."
It calls Nigeria "a tragic case in point," saying that in the most recent outbreak of killing in Nigeria's Jos State several months ago, 500 "men, women and children were hacked to death with machetes and then dumped into wells.
"Not a single criminal, Muslim or Christian, has been convicted and sentenced in Nigeria's ten years of religious violence," the report claims.
The commission did have limited praise for Nigeria's government, saying that when an USCRIF team went to the African nation in March, it found officials "attentive and even grateful for its concerns."
The Ministry of Justice filed 41 prosecutions while the American team was in Nigeria, the report said. Even so, the commission recommended that the United States include Nigeria on a list of 13 nations called "countries of particular concern" which engage in "severe violations of religious freedom."
CNN has reached out to the governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria for comment, but has so far not received a response to the report.
The other countries were North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Myanmar (also known as Burma) and Iraq. (Commissioners were not unanimous in including Iraq on the list.)
That's five more countries than are on the State Department's "countries of particular concern" list from its 2009 report on religious freedom. That list doesn't include Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan or Vietnam.
Not a single criminal, Muslim or Christian, has been convicted and sentenced in Nigeria's ten years of religious violence.
--U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
RELATED TOPICS
* U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
* Religion
The list is similar to one compiled recently by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, but not identical. The Washington-based think tank put out a global survey of restrictions on religion in December. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Uzbekistan, China, Egypt, Myanmar/Burma, the Maldives, Eritrea, Malaysia and Brunei topped that list of countries with the most government restrictions on religion.
More than two out of three people around the world live in countries with high or very high restrictions on religion, the Pew Forum concluded.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom studied only 28 countries, but since it is a congressionally mandated body, its recommendations can have significantlymore impact than those of the Pew Forum.
Designation as a "country of particular concern" can prompt concrete action from the United States, such as restrictions on arms exports or other trade.
But in reality, the government often waives or circumvents sanctions on countries of strategic importance, such as Saudi Arabia and China, a chart in the USCRIF report shows.
The commission report also has a watch list of countries which "require very close attention." That list includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Venezuela.
It recommends that three other countries -- Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka -- be "closely monitored."
Many of the incidents which worry the commission made international headlines in the past year, including China's crackdown on Uyghur Muslims in the west of the country, and Iran's labeling its domestic political opponents "enemies of God" -- a capital offense.
But others are ongoing problems that often attract little attention, such as Eritrea's harrassment of Orthodox Church members and Jehovah's Witnesses, or the imprisonment of Buddhists and Protestants in Vietnam.
The report also criticizes the United States government itself for not doing enough to fight the problem.
"Neither prior Democratic nor Republican administrations, nor the current administration, have been sufficiently engaged in promoting the freedom of religion or belief abroad," the commissioners charge.
The commission based its report on visits to some of the countries at issue, meetings with bodies such as the European Union and the Vatican, news reports and the findings of government agencies and international organizations ranging from the American Islamic Conference to the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society.
The paper published Thursday is the 11th annual report since the commission was established by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act.

Canadian VPS Hosting for Linux or Windows

2010-04-07T23:45:00.001-07:00

Do you have some information that you want to let everyone know about? You can put that information onto a website, but you will need some type of web hosting to make that website visible to anyone who is searching for information on the topic that you want to write about.

If you are in Canada and you want to find some great Canadian web hosting you are in luck. There are some very excellent companies who offer you exactly the options that you may be looking for at a very reasonable price. Depending on if you are using Linux or Windows you will find a couple of different VPS options available for you to use.If you are looking for VPS hosting for your Linux operating system you will find a package that has several attractive options and fits perfectly into your budget. You can get the standard package that starts off at $35.95 per month for a twenty four month package. The pro package starts at $45.95; the VPS 2000 package starts at $73.95 per month, and the best of them all the VPS 3000 can be yours for $113.95 per month.

Of course you will receive different benefits with each of these package rate increases. Each time the price goes up so will the storage space, bandwidth, number of IP addresses, Guaranteed CPU rate, and Guaranteed RAM. You will also have the option to add on extras as needed for a small additional price.

Each of the plans that comes with the Canadian VPS hosting for Linux includes: Full root access, choice of operating system (CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Redhat or SUSE), FREE 24/7 installation support via phone, email, or PHPLive chat, FREE VPS hardening and security, FREE moving assistance and data transfer for VPS moves , and many other attractive benefits. These features make this Canadian VPS hosting for your Linux operating system the best to go with.

If you are looking for some great hosting for your Windows operating system in Canada you can get your hosting from the same VPS hosting company. You will have three separate packages to choose from that will match your needs and give you the best hosting available. The VPS Win-1000 starts off at just $85.40 per month, the VPS Win-2000 starts at just $109.95 per month, and the best of them all the VPS Win-3000 will only cost you $149.95 per month. Each of these prices matches the increase in features that you get such as increased storage, bandwidth, and IP addresses. You will also have the option to add on additional features as you need them.

With the Windows VPS hosting you will get several great things included with your plan such as: Full RDP (Remote Desktop), Quad Core Xeon servers with minimum 8GB ram, FREE 24/7 installation support via phone, email, or PHPLive chat, and other great features that you will love.

You will not find a Virtual Private Server hosting for Linux or Windows that offers this much for the great prices of these packages. Whether you are someone who wants to get one single site or you want to be able to store an unlimited amount of domains you will love all of the features and benefits you will receive with this great Canadian VPS hosting company.

XP expires

2010-04-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

To reduce instances of "casual copying" (a nice name for software piracy), Microsoft has implemented a two-stage antipiracy scheme in its upcoming OS. The first stage is the installation and registration counter: this lets you install Windows XP only five times on the same system. (Note that you'll be able to install the final version of XP on only one machine, as opposed to the current beta, which can be installed on five machines for testing purposes.) The second stage creates a profile of the system to prevent you from reinstalling or registering the OS on different PCs. To make this scheme work, you must activate your copy of Windows--over the Internet or by calling for an activation code--within 30 days of installation. Activation differs from a classic registration process in that no personal information is requested by or sent to Microsoft, just a record that a specific copy of Windows XP is installed on your specific PC. If you fail to activate your copy of the OS within 30 days, your login will fail. (Since XP is based on Windows NT-like privilege levels, you can't use your computer until you log on.) Microsoft says the scheme should not prevent you from reinstalling your copy of XP on your PC as many times as you need to, as long as it's the same PC or close to it, allowing for some hardware changes. It's the "some" that has most folks worried. In theory, you might have to reactivate your OS if you upgrade significantly or swap out a lot of components because XP might think it's running on a new PC. So far, Microsoft isn't saying what system information the OS uses to determine the "same PC or close to it" status. That means we don't know to what degree you can upgrade your hardware before you cross the invisible line. We also don't know how much, if any, personally identifiable data Microsoft is gathering from your PC. Microsoft says you can, of course, change at least one and possibly several hardware components--RAM, video or sound cards, CPUs, motherboards, and so on--without having to reactivate your OS. But if you try to reinstall your copy of Windows XP on what Microsoft calls a "different or significantly upgraded or changed PC" (again, the company declined to specify how different), the activation will most likely be rejected, requiring you to call Microsoft to explain and get a new (free) activation code. Microsoft plans to set up a new call center for U.S.-based customers to expedite activation issues. Many non-U.S. customers will likely have to go through the existing, shared Microsoft technical support lines they currently use. Microsoft says it expects only 2 percent of the total installed base of Windows XP to have to reactivate the OS. Whether the anti-piracy initiative will present problems for consumers or result in fewer upgrades to XP remains to be seen. Remember, the final release is at least a few months off.

L.A. mayor looks at shutting most city services twice a week

2010-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

The mayor of Los Angeles, California, called Tuesday for a plan to shut down all city services -- except for public safety and revenue-generating positions -- twice a week beginning Monday in an effort to solve the city's budget crisis.
"There are no easy decisions or simple ways to solve this budget crisis," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "But as the CEO of this great city, it is my responsibility to make these difficult, but necessary, decisions to steer the city out of this crisis and onto solid financial ground."

He said he was asking the city administrative officer to develop a plan to shut down the city for two days a week and calculate the money the city would save from the move.

"We can no longer wait. We can no longer keep saying no. We must act now," he said.

The mayor's announcement comes a day after the Department of Water and Power said it will not be paying $73 million to the city's general fund.

The department's interim general manager, S. David Freeman, said the department's anticipated $73.5 million transfer to the city's general fund was contingent on the city's approval of an electricity rate increase, CNN affiliate KTLA reported. The department said the electricity rate increase was necessary because of the rising cost of energy.

The City Council rejected the increase last week. It had earlier approved a more modest increase, but the department's board voted for a higher one, which the council then rejected, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Without the $73.5 million, City Controller Wendy Greuel said, the city's general fund will be negative $10 million on May 5.

She called the situation "the most urgent fiscal crisis" in the city's recent history. She urged the mayor to transfer $90 million from the city's reserve funds so that she could pay city employees and the city's bills.

No Java in Windows XP

2009-04-15T19:25:00.001-07:00

Microsoft has announced it will not include support for the Java programming language in the upcoming Windows XP. After settling a lawsuit with Java creator Sun Microsystems in January, the software giant decided the easiest way to prevent further litigation was to simply remove the code entirely. The settlement stipulated that Microsoft would no longer license Java from Sun, and refrain from stating that Windows is "Java Compatible." Outdated Java support will remain available as an added download from Windows Update if required. Java's removal from the software giant's new operating system comes on the heels of announcements surrounding .NET, Microsoft Web services based on XML. These services are accessed over the Internet from a variety of devices. Coincidentally, Sun has been developing its own Java-based version of .NET, dubbed Jini. However, Microsoft vehemently denies claims that it intends to phase out support for Java as an attack on Sun.

Classic Look Make XP look just like older versions of Windows

2009-04-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you probably have grown way too close to the familiar Windows interface. That's OK. I don't adjust well to change either. After installing XP you may notice the revamped interface looks nothing like the old one. I was completely thrown back when I tried using it for the first time, but I suspect that over time the new interface will begin to grow on you as it has with me. Therefore, to ease your transition to the new OS, make a simple adjustment to XP to give it that classic look. Here's how to do it: Right-click your Desktop and select Properties. On the Desktop Display properties, click the Appearance tab. Under the Windows and buttons pull-down menu, select Windows Classic. Click Apply to see your new look. Click OK to close the Desktop Display properties.

How to Remove Windows XP's Messenger

2009-04-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

How to Remove Windows XP's Messenger Fire up the Windows Explorer and navigate your way to the %SYSTEMROOT% \ INF folder. What the heck is that thingy with the percentage signs? It's a variable. For most people, %SYSTEMROOT% is C:\Windows. For others, it may be E:\WinXP. Get it? Okay, on with the hack! In the INF folder, open sysoc.inf (but not before making a BACKUP copy first). Before your eyes glaze over, look for the line containing "msmsgs" in it. Near the end of that particular line, you'll notice that the word "hide" is not so hidden. Go ahead and delete "hide" (so that the flanking commas are left sitting next to one another). Save the file and close it. Now, open the Add and Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. Click the Add / Remove Windows Components icon. You should see "Windows Messenger" in that list. Remove the checkmark from its box, and you should be set. NOTE: there are other hidden system components in that sysoc.inf file, too. Remove "hide" and the subsequent programs at your own risk.

Membatasi Akses Registry Berdasarkan Account Pengguna

2009-04-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Mungkin anda ingin mempunyai setingan sendiri computer anda nah ini cara membuat account sendiri. Windows XP: Buka registry editor dengan”start>Run,ketikkan ‘regedit’lalu tekan (enter).Klik key “HKEY_USER” buka direktori C:\Documents and settings”.Disini,anda akan melihat daftar direktori user profile.klik file”ntuser.dat”yang terdapat dalam folder user yang diinginkan lalu klik “open”. Pada dialog selanjutnya,masukkan nama pengguna dalam “key Name”.Nama ini berfungsi sebagai indentifikasi dalam tree structure.Jadi,Anda dapat memberikan nama lain.Namun,agar tidak membingungkan,sebaiknya menggunakan nama pengguna. Sekarang,Anda dapat mengakses seting spesifik dari account tersebut.Carilah nama spesifik dari account tersebut.Carilah nama pengguna dalam key”Software >Microsoft>Windowa>Current Version>Policies”dan buka key “system”.Bila masih belum ada,buat yang baru melalui menu “Edit>New>Key”.Klik key ini dan buat entri”DisableRegistryTool”dari tipe data”REG_DWORD”.Pada kolom”Value”.berikan nilai”1”.Di kiri,tandai direktori utama dari user profile dalam tree structure tersebut dan klik menu “File>Remove hive”.Konfirmasikan dengan OK.Nantinya,Windows akan memblokir pengguna tersebut agar tidak dapat mengakses Registry.

Memindahkan Hard Disk XP ke PC Baru tanpa Instalasi Ulang Windows

2009-04-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

Setelah membeli PC baru,biasanya kita harus menginstall ulang system operasi Windows XP pada hardisk yang baru dipindahkan dari PC lama.Instalasi ulang biasanya perlu dilakukan walaupun Windows XP telah ter-install sebelumnya di hardisk lama tersebut.Hal ini disebabkan XP yang selalu mogok (dapat juga terjadi blue screen pada layar)saat proses booting karena adanya perbedaan chipset antara PC baru dan lama. Sebenarnya ada satu metode yang dapat dipakai mengatasi masalah tersebut sehingga instalasi ulang windows XP tidak perlu dilakukan.Nah begini nih caranya simak baik-baik yah,Pertama ganti dulu driver IDE yang digunakan XP dengan driver IDE standar melalui Device Manager Windows.Setelah driver IDE standar selesai di install,cabut hardisk tersebut dari PC lama dan pasangkan pada PC baru sebagai har disk Primary Master. Untuk menganti driver controller IDE tersebut dengan driver controller IDE standar,pilih menu “Properties”>Hardware>Device Manager>IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers”melalui konteks menu My Computer. Dari sini,klik kanan pada setiap controller dan pilih menu”Update Driver>Install From alist or specific location ( >Don’t searc.Iwill choose the river to install.”Pada jendela yang tampil,pilih”Standar IDE/ESDI Hard Disk Controller”.Akhiri dengan klik ‘Next dan matikan PC untuk memindahkan hard disk tadi ke PC baru. Apabila anda beruntung,setelah PC baru dengan hard disk lama tersebut dijalankan,Windows akan melakukan booting dengan lancer dan mulai mendeteksi hard ware yang ada.Perlu diingat, metode yang juga dapat diterapkan pada windows 2000 ini tidak berlaku untuk har disk yang terpasang pada controller RAID.Selamat mencoba………