China's may have the better view, and Finland's the better architecture, but America's is the biggest. DW-WORLD.DE sent Jefferson Chase to check out the much-maligned new US embassy in Berlin. For some reason, I found myself humming Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" as I cycled up to the back entrance. Perhaps I was nervous. After all I was bringing a camera and Dictaphone into what was sure to be a high-security area. Two days ahead of the opening ceremony, workers were indeed already shifting security fences around the site near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. But the fencing, a local policewoman informed me, was largely being carted off from the fan mile of the Euro 2008 soccer championship. Nor did the two American guards at the entrance seem particularly uptight, although they asked only be identified as "John" and "Tom," and said it was against regulations to photograph them.
For some reason, I found myself humming Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" as I cycled up to the back entrance. Perhaps I was nervous. After all I was bringing a camera and Dictaphone into what was sure to be a high-security area.
Two days ahead of the opening ceremony, workers were indeed already shifting security fences around the site near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. But the fencing, a local policewoman informed me, was largely being carted off from the fan mile of the Euro 2008 soccer championship.
Nor did the two American guards at the entrance seem particularly uptight, although they asked only be identified as "John" and "Tom," and said it was against regulations to photograph them.
Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC could not have occurred on the dates stated in most history books, a team of astronomers has claimed. The traditional view is that Caesar landed in Britain on 26-27 August, but researchers from Texas State University say this cannot be right. Dr Donald Olson, an expert on tides, says that the English Channel was flowing the wrong way on these dates. An invasion of the south coast at Deal on August 22-23 is favoured instead. The claims appear in the latest issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC could not have occurred on the dates stated in most history books, a team of astronomers has claimed.
The traditional view is that Caesar landed in Britain on 26-27 August, but researchers from Texas State University say this cannot be right.
Dr Donald Olson, an expert on tides, says that the English Channel was flowing the wrong way on these dates.
An invasion of the south coast at Deal on August 22-23 is favoured instead.
The claims appear in the latest issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
Lithuania has paid 40,000 euros ($63,000) for a citizen to undergo a full sex change operation because the government missed a July 1 deadline to adopt a domestic gender reassignment law. The transsexual, born female in 1978, won a case last year against Lithuania in the European Court of Human Rights. The court ruled that the country had to enact a gender reassignment law, or pay 40,000 euros for the surgery to take place abroad. A spokesperson from the country's justice ministry said that the whole sum had transferred, as no law was adopted. Lithuania's government drafted a law to allow gender reassignment surgery and presented it to parliament in 2003, but the bill has not been passed.
The transsexual, born female in 1978, won a case last year against Lithuania in the European Court of Human Rights. The court ruled that the country had to enact a gender reassignment law, or pay 40,000 euros for the surgery to take place abroad.
A spokesperson from the country's justice ministry said that the whole sum had transferred, as no law was adopted.
Lithuania's government drafted a law to allow gender reassignment surgery and presented it to parliament in 2003, but the bill has not been passed.
They've been to Rwanda, Kosovo and other disaster areas. Now, a group of crisis psychologists is on its way to Naples. It's all part of Silvio Berlusconi's army of volunteers known as the "Angels of Garbage." Few would deny that living side-by-side with stinking, oozing piles of garbage for months on end makes life more difficult. Even in the normally chaotic southern Italian city of Naples, garbage-induced temper tantrums have periodically resulted in trash piles being set on fire -- and the firemen who respond to the call are then pelted with detritus. Help is on the way. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi not only pledged on Tuesday that the problem would be solved within two weeks, he also is sending a thousand volunteers to Naples to teach the city about the importance of separating recyclables out of their garbage. Among those volunteers will be dozens of psychologists from an organization specially trained for missions in disaster areas. "We're not talking about psychology in the way that many people understand it," Luigi Ranzato, president of the group Psicologi per i Popoli, which is sending the psychologists, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "Instead, we will be there to try to help introduce a sensibility about garbage disposal to, for example, the old and the young. They need to learn how to separate the garbage so that it doesn't become an inconvenience for their daily life."
They've been to Rwanda, Kosovo and other disaster areas. Now, a group of crisis psychologists is on its way to Naples. It's all part of Silvio Berlusconi's army of volunteers known as the "Angels of Garbage."
Few would deny that living side-by-side with stinking, oozing piles of garbage for months on end makes life more difficult. Even in the normally chaotic southern Italian city of Naples, garbage-induced temper tantrums have periodically resulted in trash piles being set on fire -- and the firemen who respond to the call are then pelted with detritus.
Help is on the way. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi not only pledged on Tuesday that the problem would be solved within two weeks, he also is sending a thousand volunteers to Naples to teach the city about the importance of separating recyclables out of their garbage. Among those volunteers will be dozens of psychologists from an organization specially trained for missions in disaster areas.
"We're not talking about psychology in the way that many people understand it," Luigi Ranzato, president of the group Psicologi per i Popoli, which is sending the psychologists, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "Instead, we will be there to try to help introduce a sensibility about garbage disposal to, for example, the old and the young. They need to learn how to separate the garbage so that it doesn't become an inconvenience for their daily life."
I wonder how much money Ranzato's association will get for its perfectly useless services.
Der Spiegel is doing a cute job by selling trash.
Check back in a couple of weeks to see how much garbage is gone.
The pregnant man who conceived a child after a sex-change operation has given birth to a healthy baby girl. Thomas Beatie, 34, had the baby in a natural birth at a hospital in Bend, Oregon on Sunday, ABC News reported. "She's really cute, really pretty," a source told the network. The bearded Mr Beatie was born a female named Tracy Lagondino, but had sex-change surgery and is now legally male and married to a woman.
The pregnant man who conceived a child after a sex-change operation has given birth to a healthy baby girl.
Thomas Beatie, 34, had the baby in a natural birth at a hospital in Bend, Oregon on Sunday, ABC News reported.
"She's really cute, really pretty," a source told the network.
The bearded Mr Beatie was born a female named Tracy Lagondino, but had sex-change surgery and is now legally male and married to a woman.
Two French students tied up and tortured in a horrific attack in London suffered up to 250 injuries, it was revealed today. Laurent Bonomo, 23, was stabbed almost 200 times with up to 100 injuries inflicted after he was already dead, sources said. His close friend, Gabriel Ferez, 23, suffered around 50 injuries during a long ordeal at his friend's bedsit in south-east London. Sources said both men were unable to move after being bound and gagged some time before 10pm on Sunday. Investigators believe a flammable liquid was poured on or near their bodies, possibly in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Two French students tied up and tortured in a horrific attack in London suffered up to 250 injuries, it was revealed today.
Laurent Bonomo, 23, was stabbed almost 200 times with up to 100 injuries inflicted after he was already dead, sources said.
His close friend, Gabriel Ferez, 23, suffered around 50 injuries during a long ordeal at his friend's bedsit in south-east London.
Sources said both men were unable to move after being bound and gagged some time before 10pm on Sunday.
Investigators believe a flammable liquid was poured on or near their bodies, possibly in an attempt to destroy evidence.
A Jewish school has been cleared of an accusation that its entry criteria racially discriminated against an 11-year-old boy it refused to admit. The JFS in north-west London rejected him because his mother was not regarded as Jewish, the High Court heard. The boy - named in court only as M - has a Jewish father. His mother converted to the Jewish faith before he was born but had been a Roman Catholic.
The JFS in north-west London rejected him because his mother was not regarded as Jewish, the High Court heard.
The boy - named in court only as M - has a Jewish father. His mother converted to the Jewish faith before he was born but had been a Roman Catholic.
The judge said a decision against the school could have rendered unlawful "the admission arrangements in a very large number of faith schools of many different faiths and denominations".
Oh, well. That's obviously an excellent reason to deprive the boy of his human rights...gah...
