The Scientologists ARE a cult, so why this?

UK Teen Cited For Calling Scientology a "Cult": "An anonymous reader writes 'A 15-year-old in the UK is facing prosecution for using the word 'cult' to describe the Church of Scientology at an anti-Scientology demonstration in London earlier this month. According to the City of London police at the scene, the teen was violating the Public Order Act, which 'prohibits signs which have representations or words which are threatening, abusive or insulting.' There's a video of the teen receiving the summons from the City of London police at the demonstration (starting about 1 munite in), and now he's asking for advice on how to handle the court case.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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(Via Slashdot.)

Not good! :) Carbon Nanotubes Mimic Asbestos in Early Study

Carbon Nanotubes Mimic Asbestos in Early Study: "Prized for their value in nanotechnology research, carbon nanotubes are also found to mimic asbestos, raising safety concerns.

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(Via Wired News.)

The old idea of ether in which planets floated? Not so silly now: Hubble Survey Finds Half of the Missing Matter

Hubble Survey Finds Half of the Missing Matter: "esocid sends along the news that scientists believe they have found about half the missing matter in the universe. The matter we can see is only about 1/8 of the total baryonic matter believed to exist (and only 1/200 the mass-energy of the visible universe). This missing matter is not to be confused with 'dark matter,' which is thought to be non-baryonic. The missing stuff has been found in the intergalactic medium that extends essentially throughout all of space, from just outside our galaxy to the most distant regions of space. ''We think we are seeing the strands of a web-like structure that forms the backbone of the universe,; Mike Shull of the University of Colorado explained. 'What we are confirming in detail is that intergalactic space, which intuitively might seem to be empty, is in fact the reservoir for most of the normal, baryonic matter in the universe.''

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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(Via Slashdot.)

1984 IS here finally! Total Phone and Email Database Proposed In UK

Total Phone and Email Database Proposed In UK: "mishmash writes 'The Times of London is reporting a proposal for a massive government database holding details of all phone calls, emails, and time spent on the Internet. This is to be justified as being 'part of the fight against crime and terrorism.' Quoting: 'Internet service providers and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.' If you want to write to representatives to let them know your views, contact details are available at Write to Them.' UK telecoms are already required to keep records of phone calls and text messages for 12 months, accessible by subpoena; the requirement is already slated to expand to records of Internet usage, emails, and VoIP. This new proposal aims to centralize all that information in a single database in the Home Office.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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(Via Slashdot.)

Jackass of the Week: George W. Bush

So, how many weeks is this that he's been awarded said accolade?

Jackass of the Week: George W. Bush: "

Today:

Saudi Arabia Friday rebuffed President Bush’s request to immediately pump more oil to lower record prices, saying it does not see enough demand to increase production.

Eight years ago:

Gov. George W. Bush of Texas said today that if he was president, he would bring down gasoline prices through sheer force of personality, by creating enough political good will with oil-producing nations that they would increase their supply of crude.

‘I would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot, to increase the supply,’ Mr. Bush, the presumptive Republican candidate for president, told reporters here today. ‘Use the capital that my administration will earn, with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot.’

'★'

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(Via Daring Fireball.)

Laughs! DNS gaffe leaves NSA totally under cover!

DNS gaffe leaves spy agency totally under cover: "

Big website knickers round ankles

The unavailability of the US National Security Agency website on Thursday has been linked to misconfigured DNS (Domain Name System) servers.…

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(Via The Register.)

This is not good! Bletchley Park Facing Financial Ruin

Bletchley Park Facing Financial Ruin: "biscuitfever11 writes 'Bletchley Park, the home of Station X, Britain's secret code-breaking base during World War II, barely scraping by financially, as shown in these images compiled by ZDNet this week. The site has undergone major redevelopment as an act of remembrance for the Allied efforts to break the German Enigma code, but now its future is clouded — among others, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation turned them down for financial assistance (since it doesn't have to do with the Internet). Its director estimates that Bletchley Park's funds will be exhausted in three years. Hungry land developers are circling. This is an insightful look at what's happened to Bletchley Park these days and the pain it's going through.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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(Via Slashdot.)