After all, man cannot live on beauty alone. Still, it must have been awful to say goodbye to all this forever. And that they did, swapping one island for another, to try their luck in Australia.Like so many of their countrymen and millions of others from around the world, they helped shape our land into the nation it is today: a rich brew of migrant cultures and influences.But what was life like for them back in their mother country? And what did they leave behind? These were our thoughts as we started a family road trip with two other members of the Dragun clan, my aunt Pamela and uncle Tony, to uncover the path of our ancestors.Before this adventure began we were ashamed to admit we knew little about my grandfather’s past. Dad’s father had always been a man of few words, and took most of the stories of his family and youth with him to the grave.

Jessica Alba wows geeks at Oscars' tech fest

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - At the first Academy Award presentations of the year, 20 computer geeks graciously accepted honors for their work on particle flow simulation technology - stuff that makes water scenes in the movies look more realistic.With an end to the writers strike in sight, and the prospect of a reassuringly stylish Oscars ceremony on the minds of most everyone in the industry, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts kept its Scientific and Technical Awards dinner Saturday night as charmingly unglamorous as ever. A magician provided the pre-meal entertainment, Jessica Alba showed up to present the awards - and be gawked at - and nerddom was held up as something to celebrate."Fluid effects rock and all of us who work in fluids know this," one honoree, Nafees Bin Zafar, said earnestly.With all the writing for the show done by an Academy administrator who isn't part of the Writers Guild, picket lines were nowhere to be seen.

Political background to the CPE protests

We are reposting the following series of articles on the revolt of the French working class in November-December 1995 in the hope that it will help to clarify the political background to the present upheaval in that country. The ongoing revolt by millions of youth and workers is a further response to the effort by the French ruling class to slash or eliminate entirely the social gains made in decades of struggle.

In November-December 1995, the working class revolted against efforts by the right-wing regime of Prime Minister Alain Juppé to “reform” the social security system, just as today the government of Dominique de Villepin is “reforming” France’s labor laws. In 1995 millions of workers, led by the transport workers in particular, rejected the claims made by the government and the media and recognized the maneuver for what it was—an attempt to shift the burden of the social costs on to the back of the working population.

What’s Your Consumption Factor?

A real problem for the world is that each of us 300 million Americans consumes as much as 32 Kenyans. With 10 times the population, the United States consumes 320 times more resources than Kenya does.

People in the third world are aware of this difference in per capita consumption, although most of them couldn't specify that it's by a factor of 32. When they believe their chances of catching up to be hopeless, they sometimes get frustrated and angry, and some become terrorists, or tolerate or support terrorists. Since Sept. 11, 2001, it has become clear that the oceans that once protected the United States no longer do so. There will be more terrorist attacks against us and Europe, and perhaps against Japan and Australia, as long as that factorial difference of 32 in consumption rates persists.

Irving brothers look to break up empire

Sadly enough, I'd say most non-Atlantic Canadians wouldn't either.

That said, if there's a way of splitting the empire while keeping most of the jobs local I'd say that's a good thing. Posted 21/11/07 at 4:01 AM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment .

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A national ID card isn't too different than a driver's license. One is issued by a State Government and is already used for more than just stating your ability to drive. The other would be issued by the Federal Government and would eventually be used for everything except stating your ability to drive. .

Singapore apologizes for terror escape

The Singapore government apologized Thursday for the security lapse that allowed a suspected Islamic terrorist leader to escape from jail, triggering a manhunt across this usually well-policed island nation.</p><p>Authorities said Mas Selamat Kastari, who once allegedly plotted to hijack a plane and crash it into Singapore's international airport, slipped away Wednesday. He is said to be commander of the Singapore arm of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian extremist group allied with al-Qaida.</p><p>Minister of Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said Mas Selamat escaped after being taken from his cell to go to a room for a scheduled visit by his family at the Whitley Road Detention Center, which is in a wooded residential area in central Singapore.</p><p>Mas Selamat, 47, was allowed to first go to the restroom and escaped from the heavily guarded facility, Wong said in Parliament, without offering any specifics.</p><p>"This should never have happened," said Wong, who is also deputy prime minister.