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To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (10525)	8/11/2006 1:22:54 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 14758

Where there's muck, there's Monet (Scientists study paintings to determine 19th century smog levels) AFP ^ \| Wed Aug 9, 2006 news.yahoo.com The French painter Claude Monet is being used as an environmental monitor, for scientists believe his legendary paintings of the Houses of Parliament can serve as a useful indicator of smog levels in late 19th-century London. Monet's so-called London series was painted during visits between 1899 and 1905, capturing scenes that are often astonishing for their grey and purplish haze. Many experts have assumed, though, that this extraordinary effect was an Impressionistic embellishment. Environmental researchers at the University of Birmingham in central England analyzed nine out of 19 Monet paintings of the Houses of Parliament, painted between 1899 and 1901. Using the position of the Sun, they calculated the date when the paintings were made, as well as the precise location where Monet set up his easel -- the far end of St. Thomas' Hospital, on the South Bank of the Thames, opposite the British legislature. The dates and the angle of the Sun concur with Monet's accounts in letters back home to his wife, in which he described his progress on the London series, the weather and other matters, as well as with the daily meteorological records during this period. The scientists believe there is strong evidence Monet faithfully rendered the London sun as he saw it at the time. In other words, the painter is unlikely to have added artistic touches when back in his studio in France in order to enhance the city's eerie "pea soup" atmosphere. The next step is to see whether the extraordinary colours captured in Monet's haze give a clue to the chemistry and particles of the pollution. The study appears in the latest issued Proceedings of the Royal Society A, a journal published by the Royal Society, Britain's de-facto academy of sciences. In previous research, geometrists have determined the exact date when the US photographer Ansel Adams captured his landscape entitled "Autumn Moon, the High Sierra from Glacier Point" and when Van Gogh made some of his most important night paintings, including "Starry Night." Smog became a major problem in London by the end of the 19th century, triggered by the burning of coal and particulates from factory chimneys. The phenomenon, celebrated in innumerable books and films, became a worsening health problem until it was curbed by clean-air legislation in the 1950s.

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (10525)	8/11/2006 1:55:46 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14758

Clinton Denounces Cheney for Terrorism Comments WNYC radio ^ \| August 11, 2006 \| WNYC Newsroom Senator Hillary Clinton has denounced Vice President Dick Cheney for saying terrorists would be emboldened by the results of Connecticut's Democratic Primary. REPORTER: That's where an anti-war candidate defeated Senator Joe Lieberman. CLINTON: I don't take anything he says seriously anymore. I think that he has been a very counterproductive even destructive force in our country and I am very disheartened by the failure of leadership from the president and vice president. REPORTER: During a campaign stop in the Bronx yesterday, Clinton accused the administration of shortchanging New York of its homeland security money. A spokeswoman for the vice president said his comments on the importance of a strong national security strategy "speak for themselves."

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (10525)	8/11/2006 2:08:43 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14758

Breaking News: ANSA news agency says Italian police have arrested 40 people in a security operation after British aircraft terror plot thwarted, The Associated Press reports.

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (10525)	8/11/2006 2:48:29 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 14758

Terror-accused cleric hoped to 'kill 1000' (Jihad in Australia) The Australian ^ \| July 25, 2006 \| Natasha Robinson news.com.au SUBURBAN Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika wanted to kill 1000 Australians to "please Allah" and had the support of a blond-haired recruit who had pledged violent jihad during a meeting with Osama bin Laden. A Melbourne court heard yesterday that a witness would reveal that Shane Kent, 29, received weapons and explosives training at the Taliban-run al-Faruq training camp for foreign jihadis in Afghanistan. And at a meeting with bin Laden in the country, Mr Kent, from Meadow Heights in Melbourne's north, allegedly committed to violent jihad. The alleged Melbourne terror cell's spiritual leader, Mr Benbrika embraced Mr Kent as part of his clique, the court heard, saying: "He's good, and he doesn't talk too much." Mr Benbrika encouraged his devotees to plan a large-scale terrorist attack, which police foiled during its "developmental stages", the court heard during the opening day of the committal hearing of 13 suspects yesterday.