 The only thing that is average about the average Ghurka soldier is that he is short and stocky. Men from the hills of Nepal pretty well always are. Ghurkas smile a lot. But fear nothing. They prefer a linen turban to a bullet-proof helmet. Since 1815 Britain has been recruiting tribesmen from the Nepalese Hills in South Asia to serve in our armed forces. Ghurkas have never failed. Their bravery is second to none. Each hopeful recruit has to run up a steep mountain for almost an hour carrying 70 pounds of rocks in a basket on his back. Ghurkas prefer their razor-sharp double-edged Nepalese kukri swords to any automatic rifle. But, believe it or not, they have also developed an extraordinary reputation for peace-keeping. They are very good at it. Maybe because everyone else is so scared of them. Now they are being used for two of Britain’s most difficult military missions. ...
http://www.cbsnews.com
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Editor - 12:20:00 05-17-06
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 Volunteers Find Piano Atop Britain's Highest Mountain |
Volunteers tidying up Britain's highest mountain have found a piano near the summit, a conservation group said Wednesday. The instrument was discovered at the weekend under a pile of stones near the top of the 4,418-foot Ben Nevis, according to the John Muir Trust, which owns part of the Scottish mountain."Our guys couldn't believe their eyes," trust director Nigel Hawkins said. "At first they thought it was just the wooden casing, but then they saw the whole cast iron frame complete with strings."The only thing that was missing was the keyboard, and that's another mystery," Hawkins said.A cookie wrapper with an expiry date of Dec. 12, 1986, was found underneath the piano, suggesting it may have been there for 20 years....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195883,00.html
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Editor - 12:18:00 05-17-06
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| Mo. Town Denies Unmarried Couple Permit |
The city council has rejected a measure allowing unmarried couples with multiple children to live together, and the mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face eviction. Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit after moving into a home in this St. Louis suburb because they have three children and are not married. The town's planning and zoning commission proposed a change in the law, but the measure was rejected Tuesday by the city council in a 5-3 vote. ``I'm just shocked,'' Shelltrack said. ``I really thought this would all be over, and we could go on with our lives.'' The current ordinance prohibits more than three people from living together unless they are related by ``blood, marriage or adoption.'' The defeated measure would have changed the definition of a family to include unmarried couples with two or more children. ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5827964,00.html
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Editor - 12:14:00 05-17-06
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| Judge seals documents in NSA spying suit |
Secret documents that allegedly detail the surveillance of AT&T Inc. phone & e-mail lines under the Bush administration's domestic spying program can be used in a lawsuit against the telephone giant, a federal judge ruled Wed but the records will remain sealed. US District Judge Vaughn Walker rejected a bid by AT&T to return the records given to the privacy advocate Electronic Frontier Foundation by a former AT&T technician. But Walker said the records would remain under seal until it can be determined whether they reveal trade secrets. "The best course of action is to preserve the status quo," Walker said. The hearing is the first in a lawsuit challenging the administration's secretive domestic surveillance program. The suit, filed by EFF in US District Court here, accuses AT&T of illegally cooperating with the NSA to make communications on the company's networks available to the spy agency without warrants. "They are asking this court to suppress evidence of AT&T's criminal activity"...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-05-17-att-lawsuit_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 12:10:00 05-17-06
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| New England Waits For Water To Recede |
Jeffrey Saba knew there was a garage full of leaf blowers and lawn mowers somewhere in the murky floodwater below his canoe, and the landscaper knew he wouldn't be using any of them any time soon. "We are up against a battle now," the 42-year-old said he checked on his home along the Merrimack River. "The next couple of days will be just a waiting game." Homeowners across New Hampshire, Massachusetts and southern Maine have stood by helpless as five days of record rainfall — 17 inches in some places — pushed rivers over their banks and flooded streets, homes and businesses, and washing debris and sewage downstream. The rivers have started to recede, and the weather is improving, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. However, a number of dams were being watched closely. ...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/17/national/main1623178.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1623178
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Editor - 12:03:00 05-17-06
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| House Republican Leaders Ready Budget Vote |
House Republican leaders planned a last-ditch effort to pass a $2.8 trillion budget blueprint Wednesday after failing twice previously to win over GOP moderates displeased with its prescription for education and health spending. House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, confessed early in the day that GOP leaders did not yet have sufficient votes from party moderates to pass the measure, a nonbinding blueprint that establishes lawmakers' tax and spending priorities. The annual congressional budget resolution sets the outlines for subsequent bills that cut or raise taxes and spending. Also, a handful of conservatives are unhappy about voting for the budget plan because a vote for the measure also endorses a $653 billion increase in the national debt - to 9.6 trillion. ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5828046,00.html
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Editor - 11:56:00 05-17-06
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