WASHINGTON - Greek-based shipping company Kassian Maritime Navigation Agency Ltd. and a crew member of the M/V North Princess, an ocean-going bulk cargo ship traveling to ports in the United States, were charged in a three-count indictment related to the operations of the ship, the Justice Department announced today. Kassian Maritime is charged with illegal dumping of bilge and waste water in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), making false statements ... [full story]

Dozens of inmates and staff of the Deschutes County Adult Jail have taken ill, suffering from symptoms of an outbreak defined as a �€œgastrointestinal illness,�€� authorities reported.  Sheriff�€™s Office Administration was notified Wednesday and immediately contacted the Deschutes County Health Department.  The outbreak so far has been limited to 40 inmates and staff. �€œWorking under the guidelines of the Deschutes County Health Department, the Deschutes County Adult jail is taking additional sanitary steps to control ... [full story]

McGraw-Hill Construction releases first research of green homeowners at the National Association of Home Builders' Green Building Conference McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, recently presented the findings of its latest market research investigating "green" homes, focusing on homeowners and home buyers. The survey, co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), finds that homeowners are happier with their new green homes than with their previous homes, and that they are eager to ... [full story]

It’s well known that some spe­cies of birds lay their eggs in oth­er spe­cies’ nests, to force oth­ers to raise their off­spring. Now, re­search­ers have iden­ti­fied a new low in the be­hav­ior of some of these “par­a­site” birds: they re­tal­i­ate mafia-style against those that re­ject their im­po­si­tion, by ran­sack­ing their nests. Many spe­cies, no­ta­bly cuck­oos, are brood par­a­sites that lay their eggs among un­wit­ting hosts.  A warbler next parasitized with cowbird eggs. (Courtesy PNAS) Some of ... [full story]

At last year's World Cup soccer matches in Germany, spectators entered by waving an electronic card near a reader. Once inside, they could get directions to their seats by holding the card near another reader. While the high-tech tickets were part of a demonstration of a technology called Near Field Communications, or NFC, the little wireless chips that made it all work were familiar to many of the fans. WIRELESS WALLET - NFC, also known ... [full story]

I have long proposed the idea of soft diplomacy, i.e., trade, aid, investment and empowerment strategies, as opposed to hard diplomacy, i.e., pre-emptive war, as a way of winning friends and allies in the Islamic and Arab world in search of a successful settlement of the Iraq war. As a student and strong supporter of the Truman model for war-ravaged Western Europe and Japan, post World War II, as encompassed in the Marshall Plan, I ... [full story]

Gandolfini: '[I would have Tony] whacked and fed to the ducks.' Bracco: 'Dr. Melfi deserves a hot boyfriend.' In an exclusive interview with DISH Entertainment Magazine, 10 main cast members of HBO's The Sopranos tell how they would end the series, which is coming to a close after a six-year run. The final nine episodes begin airing in April.  James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti), Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Jennifer ... [full story]

Italian Filmmaker Pasquale Scimeca's Story of a Jewish Scholar Banished From His Homeland Amidst the Spanish Inquisition to Be Released on DVD on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Xenon Pictures announces today the March 20, 2007 DVD release of the feature film, The Passion of Joshua the Jew, from Italian filmmaker Pasquale Scimeca, whose debut feature, Il Giorno di San Sebastiani, won a Golden Globe Award(R). His latest film is a spiritually inspiring drama that also ... [full story]

The title alone - "WACK!: Art and the Feminist Revolution" - tells you the epic-scale exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles is something of an assault on the senses. How could it not be with 450 works by 119 artists from 21 countries that fill 22,500 square feet of exhibition space? The cover of the exhibition catalog has already caused something of a stir, with its collage by Martha Rosler, "Body ... [full story]

Automakers kicked off National Alternative Fuel Autos Week by announcing that there are 10.5 million Alternative Fuel Autos on the nation's roads today, according to 2006 sales data from R.L. Polk and Co. The Polk sales figures also reveal that an unprecedented 1.5 million Alternative Fuel Autos were sold in 2006, surpassing automakers' sales expectations by 50 percent. Currently manufacturers are offering 60 models of Alternative Fuel Automobiles for sale including hybrid electric, ethanol- capable ... [full story]