April 2003 Web Digest (in progress)
==== 2003-04-17 ====
== Forbes.com ==
Find out which tech, economic, celebrity, media and
Iraq war Weblogs we find worth reading.
Details..
== BBC ==
'Safe' lead levels affect IQ
Even 'safe' levels of lead can damage children's IQ, researchers suggest.
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Cancer legacy of Vietnam war
Millionsmay have been exposed to poisonous chemicals like Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
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EDUCATION
'Too much, too young' for children
Young children's behaviour is being adversely affected by too many
tests and targets in school, say teachers.
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Name-calling 'worst form of bullying'
Verbal abuse has a greater impact on pupils' self-esteem than
physical bullying, a study suggests.
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Tests 'will vandalise' Shakespeare
Teachers attack the English tests to be taken by 14 year olds
as 'educationally damaging'.
Details..
==== 2003-04-16 ====
== CNET ==
Software rams great firewall of China
... software enables PC users running Microsoft's Windows XP or
2000 operating systems to set up a simple version of what's known
as a circumvention Web server, or a computer that essentially
digs a tunnel under a firewall set up by a government,
corporation, school or other organization.
Details..
Intel speeds up Pentium 4-M, Celerons
PC makers have begun beefing up their notebooks with a trio of
new mobile processors from Intel. The chipmaker on Wednesday
launched a new 2.5GHz Pentium 4-M processor and two new Celerons
running at 2.2GHz and 1.26GHz, respectively. The chips address
several categories of notebook PCs and are the latest mobile
processors from Intel since its new Pentium M debuted in March.
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Andy Grove on the confident leader
Intel's famous chairman discusses decision making, intuition and
corporate governance with professor Clayton M. Christensen and
Harvard Business School Publishing Editorial Director Walter Kiechel.
HBS Working Knowledge
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== UK Jobserve Weekly ==
Do men really love work more than their kids?
According to new research 40 percent of men would not
trade career progression for time with their family.
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Laughter is the best medicine
A good laugh can work wonders for the body, study shows
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Money and security count more than nice people at work
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Passive smoking 'killing workers'
Passive smoking at work kills three people every day, according to
research.
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Contractors guide to freelancing
Once you have secured a contract you will need to decide the best way
to work.
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IT salaries continue to rise despite declining IT budgets
75 per cent of companies paying IT staff higher salaries than
non-technical counterparts
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== Tradek.com (South Africa) ==
Read the book by Lou Gerstner, "Who says elephants cant dance"
It deals with his incredible and Herculean effort in saving IBM.
He took the helm around 11 years back and single handedly set
about restoring "Big Blue" to glory. He achieved it mind you,
and yesterday's solid numbers from the computer giant confirm
that he can sustain his successes.
Microsoft and Intel came out after the market closed and
announced quarterly earnings that have beaten forecasts ..
Pretoria-based black empowerment IT company, DATACENTRIX
continued its unblemished track record with a 31% increase
in headline earnings per share.
Locally (SA), once Thabo Mbeki, speaking in parliament on the truth
and reconciliation commissions final report, had completed his
speech to parliament and confirmed that the Government would NOT
implement any judgments made in US courts against South African
firms, (notably ANGLOS and SASOL) over their role in apartheid,
the Rand bolted and strengthened to its best level since 2001, Jan.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alec Erwin also weighed in
accusing US lawyers of trying to exploit South Africa's history for
their own financial gain.
At the same time, Mbeki rejected a once off wealth tax for
business, but said that about 660 million would be paid out to
about 20 000 victims of apartheid.
The weaker dollar ($1.0850/euro), strong gold price ($324)
and speculation of a sovereign ratings upgrade from Standard and
Poor helped take the Rand to our forecasted target range ... of
7.60 to 7.70 against the USD.
== Bluebean.com ==
March SA CPIx (the government's targeted inlation measurement,
being the Consumer Price index excluding the effects of mortgage bond
interest) came in at 11.2% annualised - rather worse than the market
expectation of 10.7% - though a slight improvement from a month ago.
==== 2003-04-15 ====
== BBC ==
US rejects Iraq DU clean-up
The Pentagon says it will not clean up the remnants of
depleted uranium weapons it is using in Iraq.
Details..
Human genome finally complete
The biological code crackers uncovering the DNA blueprint
for human life say the job has been finished two years early.
Details..
== Computerworld ==
Sun, Apple Ignite New Desktop Skirmish ...
On the Mark: Just when you thought the desktop wars were long gone, Sun
and Apple begin one anew. And Web services management companies have
radically different ideas about content management.
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Intel To Unveil next Big Thing' In Wireless
Intel is expected to unveil plans today for a big push into what it
views as the ?next big thing? in wireless: metropolitan-area networks
with a 30-mile range.
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Yahoo Aims At Google With New Search Engine
The company's new streamlined search page has fewer graphics, more
shortcuts to information and extended search capabilities.
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FBI: Internet Fraud Complaints Up In 2002
The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center said it referred three times
as many complaints to law enforcement agencies as it did in 2001.
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== Time ==
IRAQ: After The Fall
Baghdad's liberation was swift, but the joy that greeted Saddam
Hussein's fall was fleeting, as anarchy spread. The next crucial
task: establish a new civilian order in Iraq
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IRAQ: Basra's Tale
How British troops freed the city from the grip of Saddam's militia
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SARS: Unmasking a Crisis
As SARS ravages China, some cadres are more intent on saving face
than saving lives. TIME investigates a cover-up that may have
killed
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ON ASSIGNMENT: The SARS Outbreak
TIME's Photographers in Beijing, Guangdong and Hong Kong document
life in the SARS hot zone
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MONGOLIA: A New Mongol Invasion
Adventurous travelers are discovering Mongolia's fearsome beauty--by
camel, horse and helicopter
Details..
== iafrica.com ==
SA woos Chinese tourists, despite SARS
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== M&G ==
US wants a regime change in Zimbabwe
The United States is urging Zimbabwe's neighbours to step up pressure on President
Robert Mugabe to hand power to a transitional government to pave the way for new
elections, a senior State Department official said on Monday.
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[IRAQ / SYRIA UPDATE ]
- Bush vetoes Syria war plan
The White House has privately ruled out suggestions that the US should go to
war against Syria following its military success in Iraq, and has blocked
preliminary planning for such a campaign in the Pentagon.
The final fortress crumbles
- A perilous phase begins
- Tough times and dramatic rescue
- The reconstruction billions
Details..
==== 2003-04-13 ====
== BBC ==
Commit to non-GM food, councils told
Environmental groups ask councils to pledge not to use GM foods in
schools and to prevent GM crops being grown.
Details..
Asthma myth 'widely held'
Two thirds of people wrongly assume asthma is only a condition
associated with childhood, whereas it can develop at any age.
Details..
'I lost my daughter'
Janet Best worried when her baby daughter's skills regressed, but it
was another seven years before she was diagnosed with Retts syndrome.
Details..
Teachers 'bullied at school'
One out of every two teachers have been bullied at school - often by
their headteachers, a survey says.
Details..
==== 2003-04-12 ====
== CNET Week in Review ==
Microsoft is betting on two horses in the 64-bit processor
race. The software giant plans to deliver two specialized
versions of Windows for Advanced Micro Devices' forthcoming 64-
bit processors--much as it did for Intel.
Details..
In March, Microsoft released both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of
Windows Server 2003 to PC manufacturers for Intel chips,
including the Xeon and Itanium 2. It also released a 64-bit
version of Windows XP for Itanium 2 workstations. Now Microsoft
will offer a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 for AMD's
Opteron server chip.
Sun will likely adopt Opteron as it extends into new branches
of the server market. Sun has been testing the forthcoming
Opteron chip for servers in its labs, and has found interest
for the chip among customers.
Details..
Worldwide sales of music CDs, records and cassettes fell for
the third year in a row, hit largely by rising Internet piracy
in the United States, according to an international recording
industry group.
Details..
Two U.S. senators intend to introduce legislation that would
fund research on how exposure to different forms of media
affects children.
Details..
Children using Google's SafeSearch feature, designed to filter
out links to Web sites with adult content, may be shielded from
far more than their parents ever intended, including sites
created by the White House, IBM, the American Library
Association and clothing company Liz Claiborne.
Details..
Lewd e-mail promoting pornography may soon pose more than just
a technical challenge in the ongoing fight against spam--
experts say it's set to become an acute legal problem, too.
Details..
==== 2003-04-10 ====
== M&G ==
Irag: After war, the battle to keep the peace
Winning the peace is never as easy as winning the war,
the old cliche goes. Fears rose last night that the
fabric of Iraqi society could fall apart in the wake
of the fall of Baghdad.
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US: Saddam era is over
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Another view of the fall of Baghdad
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Kurds close on Mosul and Kirkuk
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'In Iraq, we are afraid even of the wind'
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Syria sheltering Ba'athists: Rumsfeld
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Report adds to Mugabe's isolation
Mugabe's government has committed severe human rights abuses
against the opposition party, has repressed the press and
the judiciary and is largely responsible for the famine in
Zimbabwe, according to a Commonwealth report.
Details..
Tales of witchcraft, murder at Malaysian palace
A bizarre tale of a bewitched palace, sexual jealousy and the
murder of a beautiful royal bride is holding Malaysians spellbound
as it unfolds in a sombre courtroom.
Details..
Pregnancy 'the order of the day' in Free State schools
Girls as young as 13 and 14 years regularly fall pregnant at Free State
schools, according to provincial legislature report tabled this week.
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== CNN Computing ==
INTERNET FRAUD COMPLAINTS TRIPLED IN 2002
Fraud on the Internet rose sharply in 2002, with the FBI
reporting more than 48,000 complaints referred to prosecutors
-- triple the number of the year before.
By far the most common complaint was auction fraud, followed by
non-delivery of promised merchandise, credit card fraud and
fake investments, according to the FBI report.
Details..
GM PULLING PLUG ON ELECTRIC CARS
The celebrated ride of the car that spawned the nation's
toughest emissions regulation ends at a parking lot in Southern
California.
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YAHOO TRIES TO CATCH GOOGLE
Yahoo! Inc. has rolled out a souped-up search engine in a bid
to supplant its business partner, Google, as the most popular
place to find things on the Internet.
Details..
CITIES COMPETE FOR PIECES OF BIOTECH PIE
Hoping to capture a place on the cutting edge, dozens of cities
across the country are pushing to become the next hotbed of
biotechnology.
Details..
== TechRepublic ==
TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR THE IDEAL IT ORGANIZATION
Is your IT infrastructure built for success? After studying more than
200 Fortune 500 companies, this consultant shares 10 guidelines for doing
it right.
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== ITWeb ==
Power lines deliver Internet access
Details..
In today's technology roundup: Surf the Web through power lines; ..
get your Saddam collectibles on eBay; and man jailed for illegal Xbox
chip sales. [Thursday, 10 April 2003]
Details..
== iafrica.com ==
WAR ON IRAQ
Baghdad wakes to life without Saddam
Baghdad woke on Thursday to its first day in more than two
decades free from the iron grip of Saddam Hussein, as US
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters at a
Pentagon briefing that "Saddam Hussein is now taking his
rightful place alongside Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Ceausescu
in the pantheon of failed brutal dictators". However a series
of loud blasts from the edge of the city during the morning
provided a reminder that the war is not over yet.
Details..
HONG KONG - Fear of SARS tightens its grip
Concern over the global spread of the killer SARS virus
grew on Wednesday as more deaths were reported in Hong Kong,
additional cases were detected in North America and the
worldwide number of infections approached 3000.
Details..
==== 2003-04-09 ====
== ITWeb ==
WiFi flies in to Heathrow
WiFi, one of the year's most hyped new technologies, landed at Heathrow Airport yesterday
with the opening of a high-speed wireless computing zone for travellers.
Details..
Intel, others join broadband wireless group
Intel, Fujitsu and other companies have joined the World Interoperability for Microwave
Access group, which is working to promote the adoption of broadband wireless access over
long distances. [Wednesday, 9 April 2003]
Details..
==== 2003-04-07 ====
== ITWeb ==
Mybeat rolls out to 5FM
The Mybeat music discovery service has been rolled out to 5FM. The service,
which allows listeners to use cellphones to interact with radio stations,
was launched last year with an investment by Mark Shuttleworth's venture
capital company, HBD. [3 April 2003]
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Jill Hamlyn: When good people meet bad management
In a world of good and bad, a poor manager can prove to be an extremely
destructive force. [Thursday, 3 April 2003]
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== TechRepublic ==
A TIME MANAGEMENT PROBLEM ALMOST COST THIS CONSULTANT HIS CLIENT
Time management is about more than resource allocation and scheduling.
Learn how grouping your tasks can yield more productivity from a workday.
Then, join this article's discussion, and share your own tips for
managing your time.
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FUTURE OF THE IBM MAINFRAME LOOKS SURPRISINGLY GOOD
Despite its detractors, IBM's mainframe technology will continue to be
relevant, according to Gartner. Here's a look at some predictions for
IBM's mainframe platform.
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== iafrica.com ==
WAR ON IRAQ: Fighting rages in heart of Baghdad
Fighting raged into the heart of the Iraqi capital on Monday as US forces attacked
the presidential palace compound that was rocked by five huge blasts, AFP
correspondents reported. The sound of heavy firing rang out across Baghdad and
sustained shooting from small and big guns continued incessantly. By Sunday night,
US-led forces had surrounded Baghdad, Pentagon officials said.
Details..
DRC violence claims at least 1000 lives
At least 1000 people have been killed in ethnic violence in the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC), the United Nations said on Sunday, one day after the signing of an
accord to end over four years of war in the vast Central African country.
Details..
HONG KONG - SARS gloom deepens with new deaths
More deaths from SARS on Sunday in Canada and Hong Kong and the death of an
International Labour Organisation (ILO) official in Beijing provided a gloomy
backdrop to efforts to find a cure for the killer disease.
Details..
==== 2003-04-04 ====
== CNN ==
EX-CIA CHIEF: U.S. FACES WORLD WAR IV
Former CIA director James Woolsey said Wednesday that the United States is
engaged in World War IV, and that it could continue for years.
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U.S. LOOKS BEYOND AIRPORT
Central Command: 2,500 Republican Guard soldiers surrender to Marines between
Baghdad and Kut U.S. tanks at airport 12 miles from Baghdad decimate Iraqis
attacking in pickups, dump trucks, 'suicide bus' Plan to run post-Saddam Iraq
could start next week
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MYERS RAISES POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATING BAGHDAD
Pentagon officials raised the possibility Thursday that coalition forces might
try to isolate Baghdad and render the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
"irrelevant," avoiding urban warfare within the city to topple the government.
Details..
CALIF. OFFICIALS: SARS IS UNDER CONTROL
California has the highest number of suspected U.S. cases of the mysterious
new respiratory illness called SARS. But health officials say the disease is
well under control, and all of those sick are expected to recover.
Details..
U.S. HEART GROUP URGES EPHEDRA BAN
The American Heart Association urged a ban of over-the-counter ephedra
supplements Thursday, saying they do more harm than good.
Details..
== BBC ==
French PM speaks mind on Iraq
Jean-Pierre Raffarin launches a three-pronged attack against US military
action in Iraq, as France, Germany and Russia prepare to meet.
Details..
Arctic ozone loss 'fluctuates widely' *
The loss of ozone over the Arctic varies markedly from year to year,
Nasa scientists have found.
Details..
== iafrica.com ==
SARS perplexes health experts
Top medical experts said on Thursday that they were perplexed by the
killer respiratory disease called SARS and some pointed the finger at
China, the suspected source of the epidemic, for failing to notify the
world sooner of the problem.
Details..
ZIMBABWE: Task force to investigate Zim violence
A regional grouping of southern African countries is to send a task
force to Zimbabwe next week to look into claims of state-sponsored
violence by the opposition, an official said on Thursday.
Details..
==== 2003-04-02 ====
== CNN ==
SWEDEN TOPS U.S. AS WEB-SAVVIEST NATION
Sweden has overtaken the United States as the Web-savviest
nation on the planet, a survey showed. Sweden scored 8.67, up
from 8.32 a year ago. The United States was little changed at
number three with 8.43 points, on par with the Netherlands and
Britain.
Details..
NASA EXCITED BY 'INVISIBLE' COAT
Kazutoshi Obana's gray, hooded coat doesn't just keep him dry
in a downpour. It can also make him seem invisible. The coat is
designed using microscopic reflectors that act like a movie
screen. They can even reflect images when the material is
wrinkled.
Details..