mimblr.com

“It’s not a precondition to say he’ll only do it to advance our interests,” said Obama foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough.
McDonough said Obama has never promised to meet with Iran’s leaders. He’s simply said that he is willing to meet with Iran’s leaders. “And the key word there is willing. The idea that some have suggested is that he has promised a meeting. That is not the case and never was the case. He argued then as he argued today that he is willing to meet as it advances our interests.”
But take another look at what Obama said during last July’s Democratic debate sponsored by CNN and Youtube. The question is clear, and so is his response:
QUESTION: “Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea?”
OBAMA: “I would. And the reason is this: The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them — which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration — is ridiculous. Ronald Reagan constantly spoke to the Soviet Union at a time when he called them an evil empire. He understood that we may not trust them, and they may pose an extraordinary danger to this country, but we had the obligation to find areas where we can potentially move forward. And I think that it is a disgrace that we have not spoken to them.”

abcnews.go.com

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) — U.S. President GeorgeW. Bush met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House Wednesdayupon the latter is being forced by domestic political rivals to resign overgraft allegations.
The summit meeting, which occurred at a time whenU.S. officials acknowledged the uncertainty about Olmert’s future, demonstrates,among others, the Israeli premier’s determination to rebuff calls that he mustleave office over allegations that he took envelopes stuffed with cash from aJewish-American businessman.
Apart from the show of Olmert’s determination toremain in office, Bush’s latest meeting with the Israeli prime minister, which,the White House claimed, was not scheduled days before its occurrence, is alsoseen as sending a message that Washington remains expecting Olmert to hold onbefore the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks makes any possible progress beforeBush leaves the White House in January 2008.
It has been noticed that while Olmert, 62, is facinga chorus at home for resignation because of political scandals, Bush called theIsraeli premier an “honest man”, and welcomed him to be back to Washington.
However, Bush’s affirmation about Olmert’spersonality does not cover up an emerging difference between the two. Inresponse to questions about the unprecedented political pressure against Olmert,White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Tuesday that President Bush isfocusing on “the big picture” — the Middle East peace process rather than theembattled Olmert’s future.
“Our focus hasn’t been on that, I know that there hasbeen a lot of attention, especially in the Israeli press and some internationalpress, about Israeli politics,” Perino said of Olmert’s difficult situation.
“But President Bush has to keep his focus on the bigpicture, and so he is not spending a lot of time worried about that, he isfocused on how do we get the Palestinian state defined before the end of theyear,” She noted.
Local mass media quoted an unidentified Israeliofficial as reporting that the White House “was certain” last week that Olmertwould not visit Washington due to political charges against him.

news.xinhuanet.com

RAE Systems Inc. (AMEX: RAE), a leader in delivering innovative sensor solutions to serve industrial, energy, environmental and government safety markets worldwide, will exhibit the company’s leading gas detection and industrial hygiene monitoring solutions and introduce next-generation photoionization (PID) based instruments and wireless gas detection solutions at booth #615 at the American Industrial Hygienists Conference and Exposition (AIHce) being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 2-4, 2008.
The conference is jointly hosted by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®). Thousands of industrial hygienists and other Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) professionals are expected to attend.
“One of the biggest challenges in the industrial safety environment is the effective, accurate sensing of unseen threats in real time,” said Thomas Negre, director of instrumentation products for RAE Systems. “Our next-generation products for the measurement of toxic and flammable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) put a new level of information in the hand of industrial safety officers. Industrial hygienists strive to keep workers, their families, and their communities healthy and safe. They provide a critical role in making sure that federal, state, and local laws and regulations are followed in the work environment.”
In addition to demonstrating the latest in PID (photo-ionization detection) and wireless technology, RAE Systems will feature single- and multi-gas products for a wide range of industrial applications.
Wireless System Products featured for industrial applications include:
– AreaRAE(TM) Steel, the 5-sensor, wireless detection system with three new sensor options: Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) and high-range Carbon Monoxide (CO). — LifeShirt(TM), a durable, lightweight chest strap with sensors that can be integrated with the AreaRAE to monitor the vital signs of high-risk industrial workers and first responders.
Confined space entry gas detection products include:

money.cnn.com

The House of Crouse 5.17.08
This week in the House…we open a spanking new self-created mailbag. Also, season two of American Gladiators is reviewed, and The Soapbox goes to work on Spygate.
Welcome to another edition of The House of Crouse. This week, I bring back the Self-Made Mailbag, a review of the return of American Gladiators, and we head to The Soapbox where I reluctantly address Spygate and its impact on the NFL. For starters, let’s open the mailbag that I write to myself every so often.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this mailbag are those of Mark Crouse, and only Mark Crouse, since he wrote the questions and the answers. All info contained in this mailbag is solely for entertainment purposes.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the questions.
I’ve been hearing varying reports about teams having interest in signing Barry Bonds. Would there be a set of circumstances where Bonds would have fantasy value?
Every team whose offense isn’t clicking at this point of the year will be rumored to have interest in the future Hall of Famer. In my opinion, cooler heads leaguewide will prevail and the home run champ will stay off the field. While Bonds may have the skills to contribute to an American League team strictly as a DH, the amount of money he would demand and the level of distraction he would cause would make signing Bonds prohibitive.
If a team does sign Bonds, I can’t endorse him from a fantasy standpoint unless your team has a severe lack of power. He probably wouldn’t play every day, and may take some time to get in shape, meaning his limited impact would be even more limited.
John Lackey is coming off the DL to start on Wednesday. He’s been stashed on my bench all season, and I need him to be an ace for me. Should I throw him in right away, or wait to make sure he’s in shape before starting him?

411mania.com

The final “American Idol” show of the season is always a shell game: Thirty seconds of information must be stretched to two hours of viewer engagement. The night’s rumored appearances by Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney soon yielded to the reality of Bette Midler. (We love her, but, you know.)
Here’s a look inside the Nokia on finale night.
And so it begins: The judges make their grand entrance to the Paula-Randy tune, “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” Some 7,000 people bark for Randy Jackson and scream for Paula Abdul. Of course, Simon Cowell.
Then the two Davids, dressed in white, bound onto the stage — and here we go!
With Ryan Seacrest’s announcement at the top of the show that one David received 56% of the vote, Dialidol.com watchers wondered whether they now knew who won.
The Nokia is about 100,000 times better for live performance than “Idol’s” former finale home. During breaks at the Kodak, the room would die.
Receptions: It’s hard to tell how Bryan Adams was greeted in the room since we were already standing for the top six men. It seemed like a muted greeting here in the loge. But in the special guest applause-o-meter, the collective gush over Seal is still No. 1.
Jordin Sparks, last year’s queen of “Idol,” took the stage and, awkwardly, did not get a standing ovation. Her effort to excite the crowd worked better toward the song’s end, when she appealed directly to the Jonas Brothers squealers. Carrie Underwood, on the other hand, commanded everyone’s attention instantly.
Bedlam: The top six boys are positioning themselves among the tweens in the pit. Insanity reigned for a moment. But back to normal now.
We will leave it to scholars to debate whether George Michael is in fact the most famous person in the world, or whatever the hype promised. But children did scream, “We love you, George!” as he left the stage.

latimes.com

Never mind the numbers: American Idol has got its groove back.
This year’s singers are better, the show itself is more entertaining and American Idol’s Canadian ratings have recovered in recent weeks after a muted performance at the start.
TV’s most-watched regularly scheduled program has regained some of its cultural cachet, after an off-key year last season in which many of the contestants seemed more tone-deaf than pitch-perfect.
“It wasn’t one of our better seasons,” Idol judge Simon Cowell acknowledged in a conference call at this season’s outset.
While Idol has slipped slightly in the U.S. ratings charts — down seven per cent from last season — most music experts say this is a very good season indeed. The reason is two standout singers, both male performers, who could not be more different.
If, as most Idol prognosticators — Cowell included — predict, the May 21 finale will come down to David vs. David: David Archuleta from Murray, Utah and 25-year-old Blue Springs, Mo. native David Cook.
If that happens, the seven-year-old reality-TV competition that has shaped Grammy winners, country stars and even an Academy Award winner could be poised for its most compelling and unpredictable finish yet.
“We found more interesting people, more interesting artists,” Cowell said. “They have a certain quirkiness, an individual style. In past years, we used to get a ton of school kids who were just talented puppets, for want of a better word. These singers look more current; they sound more current.”
A DEFINING MOMENT
Every season has its defining moment. And for Idol this year, that moment came on April 9, when Australian-born rocker Michael Johns was sent home in a shock result that rocked the charts in online chatrooms, including the one at Canada.com, where fans weighed in with invective that ranged from, “So much for talent; America’s speed-dialers have spoken again,” to, “I’m disgusted and will not watch again.”

canada.com

May 7 (Bloomberg) — News Corp., the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, may report higher third-quarter sales today on increased advertising revenue from Fox Broadcasting's “American Idol'' and February's Super Bowl.
Sales probably rose 14 percent to $8.61 billion, the average of 15 analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Net income may have gained 2.2 percent to $890.5 million, or 33 cents a share, based on the average projection of 10 analysts.
Fox television sales probably climbed 17 percent in the quarter ended March 31, UBS AG analyst Michael Morris said. The Super Bowl broadcast drew a record audience while “Idol,'' TV's most-watched show, capitalized on a 100-day writers strike to obtain record ad prices. The live singing competition doesn't rely on scripts in the same way as sitcoms and dramas.
“Where most broadcast networks had less inventory, News Corp., with strong new programming, was better positioned for growth,'' said Morris, who is based in New York and has recommended buying the stock since becoming UBS's lead analyst on News Corp. last April.
News Corp. plans to release the results at 4 p.m. New York time and hold a 4:30 p.m. conference call. Morris wants Murdoch, News Corp.'s chairman and chief executive officer, to discuss his strategy for Fox Interactive Media, owner of the MySpace social-networking unit, and for satellite broadcaster Sky Italia.
“We're looking for insight on what's going on at those businesses and why we should be optimistic about growth going forward,'' Morris said.
News Corp. spokeswoman Teri Everett declined to comment.
News Corp.'s earnings growth was probably dragged down by a 35 percent drop in profit at the film unit and losses at British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc, in which News Corp. has a 39 percent stake, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst Michael Nathanson in New York.

bloomberg.com

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXA) announced today that it will present at the 161st American Psychiatric Association annual meeting the results of a Phase 2a clinical trial of Staccato(R) loxapine (AZ-004) for the treatment of acute agitation in schizophrenic patients. The poster presentation, “Inhaled Loxapine Rapidly Improves Acute Agitation in Schizophrenic Patients” (Presentation NR5-032), will be available for viewing at the meeting at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Alexza Pharmaceuticals is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, proprietary products for the treatment of acute and intermittent conditions. The Company’s technology, the Staccato system, vaporizes unformulated drug to form a condensation aerosol that allows rapid systemic drug delivery through deep lung inhalation. The drug is quickly absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream, providing speed of therapeutic onset that is comparable to intravenous administration, but with greater ease, patient comfort and convenience.
Alexza has six product candidates in clinical development. Alexza’s lead program, AZ-004 (Staccato loxapine) for the treatment of acute agitation in schizophrenic or bipolar disorder patients, is in Phase 3 testing. AZ-001 (Staccato prochlorperazine) for the acute treatment of migraine headaches has completed Phase 2 testing. AZ-104 (Staccato loxapine) for the acute treatment of migraine headaches and AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) for the acute treatment of panic attacks associated with panic disorder are in Phase 2 testing. Product candidates in Phase 1 testing include AZ-003 (Staccato fentanyl) for the treatment of breakthrough pain, which is partnered with Endo Pharmaceuticals in North America, and AZ-007 (Staccato zaleplon) for the treatment of insomnia. More information, including this and past press releases from Alexza is available online at http://www.alexza.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
The anticipated poster presentation will contain forward-looking statements that involve significant risks and uncertainties. Any statement describing the Company’s expectations or beliefs is a forward-looking statement, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of developing and commercializing drugs. The Company’s forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they prove incorrect, would cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Alexza’s business are described in additional detail in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and the Company’s other Periodic and Current Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in the poster presentation are made as of their date of presentation, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

sunherald.com

BORREGO SPRINGS: A magnitude 4.2 earthquake rattled the desert 14 miles north-northwest of Borrego Springs last night.
The Sheriff's Department received no reports of damage or injuries.
The quake was recorded at 8:55 p.m. and was followed by a magnitude 2.4 tremor at 9:38 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
North County Dispatch and Cal Fire dispatchers said they received no calls about the quake. –J.L.J. & P.R.
Air quality in the San Diego metropolitan area got mixed reviews in an annual assessment of air pollution nationwide that was released today by the American Lung Association.
The region is among several that showed decreasing short-term particle pollution, based on the most recent verified data. However, ozone – or smog – pollution in the San Diego area and some other spots increased, compared with the 2007 analysis.
Health advocates said California continues to lead the nation in air quality problems. “We see improvements in some areas of the state, but . . . improvements do not mean the problem is solved,” said Gwendolyn Young, board chairwoman of the American Lung Association of California.
Local air quality grades can be viewed by visiting californialung.org and entering a ZIP code. The full report is at stateoftheair.org. Both sites were to be activated today. –M.L.
TIJUANA: A municipal police officer has been identified as one of the 13 confirmed dead in Saturday's shootout between suspected gang members.
Sergio Leonardo Jiménez Domínguez, 22, had been working since January 2007 with the city's commercial police division, according to a statement released yesterday by the Baja California Attorney General's Office.
In addition, two state agents under investigation in connection with the shootout are missing: Eduardo Logan Rojas and José Valentin García Topete, members of a squad that investigates sex crimes and domestic violence.
Logan had been with the state agency for the past six years and García for 13. A state-owned Chevrolet Malibu, assigned to Logan, was found where the confrontation began, the statement said.

signonsandiego.com

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wavy.com