Shining A Green Tinged Light On The News.....

Russia probes smelly orange snow



Russia has flown a team of chemical experts to a Siberian region to find out why smelly, coloured snow has been falling over several towns.
Oily yellow and orange snowflakes fell over an area of more than 1,500sq km (570sq miles) in the Omsk region on Wednesday, Russian officials said.

Chemical tests were under way to determine the cause, they said.

Residents have been advised not to use the snow for household tasks or let animals graze on it.

"So far we cannot explain the snow, which is oily to the touch and has a pronounced rotten smell," said Omsk environmental prosecutor Anton German, quoted by the Russian news agency Itar-Tass on Thursday.


The origin of the orange effect is still a mystery (pic: Russian TV)
"We are waiting for the results of a thorough test on samples."

Gore ex-campaign chief wishes on her star. 'Wait till Oscar night,' Donna Brazile says of a possible 2008 run.

By Daryl Nerl Of The Morning Call
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are the hot early front-runners, while 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry has already bowed out.

But could former Vice President Al Gore be waiting to make a dramatic entrance into the 2008 presidential race, especially if he wins an Oscar next month?

His former campaign manager, Donna Brazile, strongly implied that possibility while speaking at Moravian College in Bethlehem Tuesday night.

''Wait till Oscar night,'' Brazile told an audience of about 100 people at Haupert Student Union. ''I tell people: 'I'm dating. I haven't fallen in love yet.' On Oscar night, if Al Gore has slimmed down 25 or 30 pounds, Lord knows.''
(snip)
Before making her Oscar night comment, she said she was ''so proud'' of Gore's work to bring attention to global warming.

''I believe [Gore] is ready for this moment,'' Brazile said in an interview after her speech. ''He is a good leader. I think he can be one of the few leaders who can bring this country together.''

She acknowledged it will be a tough decision for Gore, noting Kerry's announcement last week to bow out of the race. Gore believes he is now doing his life's work, Brazile said. However, she conceded that Gore might be able to do more about global climate change from inside the Oval Office. He has already made an impact by forcing President Bush to talk about the issue, she said.

NYT: Pentagon altered casualty figures on website

RAW STORY
Published: Friday February 2, 2007

The New York Times reported today that the Pentagon has altered how nonfatal casualties are tallied on its website, thus resulting in lower casualty totals.

According to Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, deputy director of force health protection and readiness at the Defense Department, "the previous method of tallying casualties was misleading and might have made injuries and combat wounds seem worse and more numerous than they really were," the Times reports.