Whatever happened to the politics of happiness? The consensus seems to be that talking feelings is no vote-winner. But wellbeing should be at the centre of the debate Libby Brooks guardian.co.uk Some years before it was deemed electorally sound for him to share his inner life with Piers Morgan on primetime TV, our prime minister was, contrary to popular perception, quite capable of talking about emotion. Gordon Brown’s appointment of economics professor and Labour peer Richard Layard in 2007 as the government’s “happiness tsar” was greeted with inevitable scepticism about the infiltration of proper policy by touchy-feely. But back then, it … Continue reading Why are British politicians miserable rats?

I’m not the messiah, says food activist – but his many worshippers do not believe him Members of religious group believe London-born author has come to save the world Bobbie Johnson, San Francisco guardian.co.uk Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing. Photograph: Eliot Khuner The trouble started when Raj Patel appeared on American TV to plug his latest book, an analysis of the financial crisis called The Value of Nothing. The London-born author, 37, thought his slot on comedy talkshow The Colbert Report went well enough: the host made a few jokes, Patel talked a little about his work … Continue reading I am not the Maitreya – he is!

From NWFP to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa By Ismail Khan dawn.com People are seen in a busy market in Peshawar, March 31, 2010. — AP Asfandyar praises Zardari, Nawaz over Pakhtunkhwa PESHAWAR: It took 109 years to correct a historical wrong and what a journey it has been. It was in 1901, when the North-West Frontier Province was carved out of Punjab. The province was merged into what was called One Unit in 1955, with Lahore becoming the capital of the new administrative unit. Gen Yahya Khan dissolved the One Unit in July 1970 and restored the provinces of the NWFP, Punjab, … Continue reading NWFP to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?

Kashmir shrine bars tourists over Jesus burial row dawn.com A woman prays at a small opening to The Rozabal Shrine in Srinagar on March 30, 2010. Foreign tourists have been banned from entering a Muslim shrine in Indian-ruled Kashmir due to increasing curiosity about a theory that it contains the body of Jesus Christ. – AFP Fighting in Kashmir kills six suspected rebels SRINAGAR: Foreign tourists have been banned from entering a Muslim shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir due to increasing curiosity about a theory that it contains the body of Jesus Christ. The shrine in Srinagar city is the focus … Continue reading Kashmir shrine bars tourists over Jesus

Faith in democracy Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha Islam holds an important place in the workings of society and thus politics of Pakistan, a fact even some of the most secular political parties of the country cannot ignore. Just what is the religious make-up of Pakistan’s political parties in this context, especially regarding their response to the rise of extremist violence? Let’s explore. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Formed in 1967 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the PPP soon became the country’s premier progressive party. Right from the onset, three distinct groups of influence emerged in the party. The most dominant among … Continue reading Faith in democracy or mullahs?

By Steve Connor Cern believes it can build a successor to the Large Hadron Collider (left) within the Circle line (right) by 2020 // London Underground is in talks with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) about the possibility of using the 23km tunnel of the Circle Line to house a new type of particle accelerator similar to the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. Particle physicists believe the existing tunnel can be adapted to take a small-scale “atom smasher” alongside the passenger line at a fraction of the cost of building a new tunnel elsewhere in Europe. They are … Continue reading Hadron Collider II planned for Circle Line

Labour’s election strategy: bring on no-nonsense hard man Gordon Brown • Campaign posters focus on alpha male personality • Advisers consider tactic of staged confrontation • Send us your hard-man Brown ads • See the election posters here • Comment: Is Bruiser Brown the right strategy? Olaf Priol The Guardian, Labour strategists are considering a billboard campaign portraying Brown as ‘a sort of Dirty Harry figure’, in the words of one senior aide. In an audacious new election strategy, Labour is set to embrace Gordon Brown‘s reputation for anger and physical aggression, presenting the prime minister as a hard man, … Continue reading Bring on no-nonsense hard man Gordon Brown

Ferrets key to bridging the digital divide between cities and rural areas Specially trained ferrets are being used to deliver broadband to rural areas following groundbreaking techniques used by an internet provider. Telegraph.co.uk Ferrets have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service Photo: VIRGIN The animals have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service, the company has disclosed. The ferrets wear jackets fitted with a microchip which is able to analyse any breaks or damage in the underground network. The … Continue reading Ferrets are being used to deliver broadband to rural areas

Project Orion : The Secret Story of the Atomic Spaceship (VIDEO) World renowned physicist Freeman Dyson’s son, George Dyson, tells the spellbinding story of Project Orion, a massive, nuclear-powered spacecraft the size of the Empire State building fueled by atomic bombs with the power to destroy half of Planet Earth. The mission was to take us to Saturn in five years. With an insider’s perspective and a cache of documents -many still classified-photos and film, Dyson brings this dusty Atomic Age dream of the early 1960’s to life. The project lives today in limbo at NASA possibly to be activated … Continue reading Story of the Atomic Spaceship (VIDEO)

The Cygnus Bubble – Natural Object or Astroengineering Project? (A Galaxy Classic) Is the solar-system sized bubble in the Consellation Cygnus a planetary nebulae or could it be an “AC” or astroengineering construction, also known as a Dyson sphere, named after Freeman Dyson of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study who proposed the theory? Dyson’s thought experiment suggested that in our search for advanced extraterrrestrial civilizations that Instead of radio signals we should look for spheres, which are artificial mega structures that enclose the orbit of a star, fabricated from the material of that solar system. The key is to distinguish a … Continue reading Natural Object or Astroengineering Project?