Hanshin Tigers manager Akinobu Okada is tossed in the air by players to celebrate their victory in the Central League championship in Nishinomiya city near Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 29. Tigers defeated Tokyo Giants 5-1 to clinch the Central League title.

 this cosmic dust cloud that soars some 300 light-years above the plane of our Galaxy. Dubbed the Angel Nebula by astronomer Steve Mandel's 13 year old son, the dusty apparition is part of an expansive complex of dim and relatively unexplored diffuse nebulae,

Bulgarian archaeologists have unearthed 15,000 miniature golden rings that date back to the end of the third millennium BC. Many of the rings are so finely crafted that their design etchings are invisibleto the naked eye. The golden ornaments have been gradually unearthed over the past year from an ancient tomb near the central village of Dabene, 120 km east of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The site consists of an ancient settlement and three burial mounds. Archaeologists on site have not identified the ancient inhabitants.They say the treasure is a find that equals the famous treasure of Troy.

Lance Armstrong won a record seventh Tour de France victory in July, but this weekend he rides with a fellow Texan he has described as "one competitive dude" -- U.S. President George W. Bush. Mr. Armstrong, 33, will ride with Mr. Bush, 59, at the President's ranch near Crawford, Tex., on Saturday. Mr. Armstrong first mentioned the visit on ABC television on Sunday, noting that a knee injury has forced Mr. Bush to give up jogging. "I know people that have ridden with him. And I can tell you, he's one competitive dude." White House spokeswoman Dana Perino couldn't say whether the President will enforce the rule he applied last week to reporters out mountain biking with him: no passing the Cyclist-in-Chief.

Wilma...most intense Atlantic storm ever!

Hurricane Wilma strengthened dramatically into a Category 5 storm early Wednesday, with forecasters saying the "potentially catastrophic" weather system was the most powerful ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.

An Oct. 19 satellite image of Wilma.

Captain John  Hogan was a Bramptonian who made a difference. Instead of writing reports or conferencing, conferring, referring and deferring he actually did something. He created what became known as The Knights Table. A place where people could go for a meal for a$1.00 or not,

which mostly were given for free. Occasionally clients were able to get up on their feet again and started pitching in , volunteering and financially. It was wonderful, simple and an easily renewable resource, as told to this reporter. I have no first hand evidence however of back in the 1980’s when this plan unfolded.

Cecil Peters a Knight of Columbus was a major player as well. He and his wife, I believe ran the Knights Table.

I have been totally busy ...went up to Collingwood Thurs. with one of my efforts "Court Watch" trying to protect a 13 yr old from the visious clutches of CAS, then Tues 4/7 in Barrie met my brother Peter on the street there had not seen him 6 yrs! what a coincidence! Was working with a famous man, Rev. Dorian Baxter the Elvis persona now officially named "Pastor of Beale St.. Tennesse police gave him a badge & is an honourary officer!! He ran in fed. election (& will again) against Linda Stronach, tell anyone be u know out in Newmarket to vote for him, he is a real dedicated fighter for justice. her is his letter

Welcome from the

Archbishop Dorian A. Baxter

National Chairman

National Association for Public and Private Accountability (N.A.P.P.A.)

Dear Fellow Canadians.

As Chairman of the National Association for Public and Private Accountability (N.A.P.P.A.), the Canada Court Watch Program and the Family Justice Review Committee, I would like to request your indispensable support to assist us in our endeavor to bring an end to the needless injustices being perpetrated against many innocent children and families by institutions such as our family court system and branches of the Children's Aid Society. Readers may contact Archbishop Baxter at dorianbaxter@canadacourtwatch.com

BRAMPTON- Due to the recent heat wave and record electricity consumption in Ontario, the City of Brampton is complying with the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) appeal for reduced power use by setting all thermostats in City facilities at 26 C. The City is asking all residents to practice energy conservation, particularly between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., the peak consumption period.Residents and businesses can reduce the demands on the electricity system by:

• Turning off all but essential internal and external lights
• Setting air conditioners to 26 C or higher, or using fans as an alternative
• Closing curtains and blinds to keep out the sun and retain cooler air inside
• Delaying the use of major power-consuming equipment such as dishwashers, washers and dryers and swimming pool pumps until after 8 p.m.

MANILA (13/7/05) Philippine Cardinal Jaime Sin, a driving force behind popular revolts that ousted two presidents, died on Tuesday after a long illness, leaving a mixed legacy in a country that remains hobbled by divisive politics.Sin, once called "the divine commander in chief" by former President Fidel Ramos, had been in intensive care for two days with an infection related to a long-standing kidney problem. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said: "History will mark this day of sadness when a great liberator of the Filipino people and a champion of God passed away. Cardinal Sin leaves a legacy of freedom and justice forged in deep personal courage."The main Roman Catholic radio station played hymns to mourn Sin, 76, who retired as archbishop of Manila in 2003. At the Vatican, Pope Benedict said he was deeply saddened by Sin's death and praised "Cardinal Sin's unfailing commitment to the spread of the Gospel and to the promotion of the dignity, common good and national unity of the Philippine people.""I join you in praying that God our merciful Father will grant him the reward of his labors," he said in a telegram.

Torontonians look at corruption and shrug. Welcome to the land of the "Belinda Bounce" and the GTA. This may not yet be the belly of the beast, but it has surely become the navel of the nation. The days are long gone since a visiting Albertan could rail against the political absurdity of all Ontarians. Or even all residents of southern Ontario. The source of our frustrations can now be distilled, refined, to a much tighter geographical area - the GTA. The initials bring to mind a supercharged gas-guzzler from one's youth. Ah, if only. They actually refer to something called the Greater Toronto Area, the tail that wags the Canadian dog. It has been Belinda Stronach Week here in the GTA, with the defecting Tory MP for Newmarket-Aurora being all the news all of the time. The car-parts heiress has managed to fire the previously undisturbed political interest of GTA residents. Adscam revelations and the Gomery inquiry have quietly drifted to the back of the Toronto papers. No one cares. Fuelled by half a dozen giant lattes a day, the average resident of the Canadian navel has the attention span of a gnat, and that really doesn't lend itself to thoughtful political analysis. Belinda's defection and a crushed Peter MacKay planting potatoes with his dad? Now that's the sort of dramatic non-confidence vote folks here can understand. You would, however, be mistaken if you assumed this translated into political capital for MacKay's Tory party. Far from it. An opinion poll conducted by EKOS Research for the Toronto Star discovered something called the "Belinda Bounce." The number of Canadians who now believe the Grits will win the next election jumped an incredible 11 percentage points (to 58%), and in the GTA the response was off the dial. 

John Hayter, President of the Vickers & Benson advertising firm, gestures during his testimony.

An ad executive said Thursday he didn't know until last year that $6.3 million in ad contracts handled by his firm in the 1990s were paid for with sponsorship funds. BCP chairman Yves Gougoux said he and his colleagues were "floored" when they found out last year that their commissions for 14 events originated from the disgraced program. The events include an Irish commemorative campaign in 1997 and an interactive science project at Montreal's Old Port in 1998. BCP, a staunch supporter of the federal Liberals, earned at least $473,000 for organizing the ad campaigns. "When we saw the report on these files, we were floored," Gougoux told. "We didn't know where this money came from. When the bureaucrat gave us a budget, we didn't know that this budget came from a department called national unity or that it was called sponsorships."

MONTREAL - A former director general of the Liberal party's Quebec wing says he requested police protection last month before testifying before the sponsorship inquiry. Daniel Dezainde told the inquiry on Thursday that he still fears a former party fundraiser, Joseph Morselli, after a nasty encounter with him four years ago.

Daniel Dezainde, former head of the federal Liberals' Quebec wing,

  Dezainde choked up as he described a meeting he said he had with Morselli shortly after taking over as director general in 2001. He said Morselli flew into a rage when he found out that a friend, Beryl Wajsman, had been fired by Dezainde on allegations of illegal fundraising activities. Dezainde said Morselli pointed a finger in his face and said he was declaring "war" against him. Shaken, Dezainde checked insurance policy He was so rattled that he checked his insurance policy and told friends about the incident in case something happened to him, Dezainde said.

ADSCUM
Week of May 30
The final week of testimony began with the return of two previous witnesses – Jacques Corriveau and Jean Pelletier – that got the week going. First up was Corriveau who denied telling former party director general Daniel Dezainde that he masterminded a kickback scheme to funnel sponsorship money to Liberal party headquarters in Montreal.Corriveau admitted that he paid almost $100,000 to Liberal workers by putting them on his payroll, but denied it was a way of diverting sponsorship profits to the Liberal Party of Canada's Quebec wing.Later, Pelletier – Jean Chrétien's former chief of staff – testified he warned the former prime minister, to "be wary" of his good friend Jacques Corriveau. Pelletier said it was his "political intuition" that told him Chrétien should keep his distance from Corriveau. Pelletier also denied former bureaucrat Chuck Guité's allegation that he intervened to give a Tourism Canada contract to BCP – a Quebec ad agency that worked on Liberal campaigns – back in 1994. Pelletier told the inquiry he first met Guité in 1996.

On Feb. 10, 2004, Fraser released her audit of the program. She found that $100 million was paid to a variety of communications agencies in the form of fees and commissions and said the program was basically designed to generate commissions for these companies rather than to produce any benefit for Canadians. Officials in Canada's Public Works Department "broke just about every rule in the book" when it came to awarding contracts to Groupaction Inc., Fraser said. On Feb. 8, 2005, former prime minister Jean Chrétien appeared before the Gomery Inquiry. He vigorously defended the federal sponsorship as an important part of the battle against Quebec sovereigntists in the wake of the 1995 referendum. Gomery seemed skeptical. He hinted that BCP had most Canada Post contracts over the years after 1994 because of the close ties between the firm's founder, Jacques Bouchard, and the head of Canada Post, André Ouellet. A former top Liberal in Quebec continued his dramatic testimony at the sponsorship inquiry on Friday, saying he never touched a cent of money funnelled into Liberal Party coffers, asked if he used for personal use any of the $300,000 he claims were given as political kickbacks, Michel Beliveau emphatically said: "No." This comes just one day after Beliveau's bombshell testimony in which he detailed how money was funnelled to the party. He spoke of how that money came from Jacques Corriveau, a friend of then-prime minister Jean Chretien. Corriveau's design firm earned $7 million from sponsorship subcontracts.Beliveau said in April 1997, just before the election, the Quebec wing of the Liberal party received up to $300,000 in cash, secretly diverted into Liberal coffers. His allegation goes to the heart of what Justice John Gomery is trying to figure out: whether or not the advertising executives who got rich from the sponsorship program kicked back money to the Liberal party. Beliveau told Gomery that he asked Corriveau to give up to $300,000 to the party's Quebec wing, and that Corriveau came through with the first installment at party headquarters in Montreal. "It was between $75,000 and $100,000," said Beliveau of the money he received."I took the responsibility and I assume the responsibility before this commission."It was an error in judgment." Beliveau said he was told the rest of the money -- about $200,000 -- was sent to the party through another individual. None of it was registered in the party's financial records.
Justice John Gomery watches as Prime Minister Paul Martin testifies

4/5/05 Another publication ban, another partial lifting of that ban. Paul Coffin, head of Coffin Communications told the inquiry how he sent in phoney invoices to Public Works Canada, billing the government for sponsorship contracts, even when little or no work was done.It wasn't his idea, he told the inquiry. After being prodded by Justice John Gomery, Coffin said Chuck Guité, the man who ran the program, told him to send in the phoney invoices. In 1999-2000, Coffin earned $75,600 in commissions and $571,000 in production fees from sponsorship contracts. The federal government was Coffin’s biggest customer by far. Coffin is charged with 18 counts of fraud on 32 sponsorship-related contracts worth almost $2 million. His trial starts in early June in Montreal. Earlier in the week, the inquiry heard how Groupe Everest made an easy commission of $68,000 on a $390,000 sponsorship deal. The testimony came from a former executive director for Everest Estrie, Vincent Cloutier, who said he received a call in the spring of 1999 from his boss, Claude Boulay, head of Groupe Everest, telling him a federal sponsorship contract was on its way and all the details were already settled. He told me all I had to do was send in the order and sign…It’s not everyday that you make $68,000 on a phone call,” he told the inquiry. Groupe Everest charged $68,000 in commission fees for sending an order form and passing along two cheques to Artellier to produce items bearing the Canada wordmark. Cloutier admitted no other work was done. In this case, the contract was granted to Artellier, Benoit Renaud’s firm. Benoit Renaud is Alain Renaud’s brother. Alain Renaud was a well-connected lobbyist hired by Groupaction to secure sponsorship contracts. The inquiry will hear more from Paul Coffin, ad executive from Coffin Communications, and Chuck Guité, the former Public Works bureaucrat in charge of the sponsorship program.In 1999-2000, Coffin earned $75,600 in commissions and $571,000 in production fees from sponsorship contracts. The federal government was Coffin’s biggest customer by far.
Coffin is charged with 18 counts of fraud on 32 sponsorship-related contracts worth almost $2 million. His trial starts in early June in Montreal.

 A cancer can start when altered genes allow the cell and its descendants to multiply too freely. So far the story sounds simple: Radiation damages DNA. Repairs are bungled. Cancer ensues. Radiation can affect human tissue in unpredictable ways, and the chain of cells often react in unexpected ways to radiation, notes Dicello. For example, there's a puzzling phenomenon known as adaptive response. Sometimes, when tissue is exposed to damaging radiation, it not only repairs itself, but also learns how to repair itself better next time. How that works is still being investigated. Indeed, researchers have pinpointed some of the genes involved^, and they're working on treatments targeted directly at those genes.

The World watched stunned at indianapolis

Angry United States fans are threatening Formula One chiefs with multi-million dollar lawsuits over Sunday's Grand Prix in Indianapolis when only six cars raced.

ITV television has also disclosed it is in talks with Bernie Ecclestone, Formula Ones promoter, over the repercussions of a race which seven teams boycotted over the safety of their tyres.

Some American fans are known to have gone to the courts to take out class actions against Formula OneI will not buy any Ferrari, Shell or Jordan product due to the lack of solidarity when safety and stupid (tire) rules collide
F1 gets it all wrong at Indy...Well, I can tell you this. We feel as victimized as the fans do in what they witnessed at Indianapolis. We had no control. The people who had the ability to control things today were the FIA, Formula One has a checkered history in the United States; it has had many difficulties. BOYCOTT...we suggest a boycott of Ferrari, Shell and other non-participating advertisers who would not unite for driver safety. Aarton Senna did it successfully in the 1990's, but he had all team participation. Schummacher and the other s who raced arebrown-nosing weasels. Has Formula One finally put a gun to its head and pulled the trigger today? “I’m not sure that anything that occurred today would help this event prosper.”Are you aware of anyone in Michelin or any manufacturer blaming the track surface for the tire problem? “I believe Mr. Eccelstone is aware of our position and our unhappiness with what occurred today.”

BOSTON MLB CHAMPS BUT COPS LIARS

  in the investigation into Victoria Snelgrove's death  after last fall's Red Sox American League playoff victory over the New York Yankees who was hit in the eye socket with a pepper-spray pellet that a cop fired into a rowdy crowd outside Fenway Park Oct. 21 with plenty of witnesses around. Two others in the crowd were also struck in the face but survived. Now, an investigation into the fatal police shooting has turned up some disturbing information. Unnamed sources told  that "two sergeants were under investigation for making statements to officers under their command which could have been interpreted as threats against cooperating with a department probe.

The EU What happens now?
If the proposed EU constitution doesn't win unanimous ratification, it dies. France could, of course, decide to hold a second vote. There's certainly precedent for that in the history of voting on European treaties. Voters in the Netherlands approved the Nice Treaty on the second try and Danish voters rejected the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 before approving a modified version of it the following year.But most observers say France will not try a second vote. Some countries may even try to formally declare this constitutional attempt dead.
The European Union evolved in the latter half of the 20th century to integrate European nations into a common market. The organization eventually became known as the European Union, and evolved as a tool to integrate European nations into a common market, to create a common defence system, and to achieve a unified voice on the world stage. The European Union itself was established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. Several nations have joined since then, including an unprecedented expansion on May 1, 2004, when 10 more countries joined, bringing the total to 25.

Nations that joined on May 1, 2004, are shaded

gravitational wave source found  The stars of the system known as J0806 might have the smallest orbit of any known binary system, about 80,500 kilometres or a fifth of the distance between the earth and moon. "If confirmed, J0806 could be one of the brightest sources of gravitational waves in our galaxy," said Tod Strohmayer of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Md. Strohmayer's data will be published in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal. The data indicate gravitational waves are carrying energy away from the star system at a prodigious rate, making it a prime candidate for future missions designed to directly detect these ripples in space-time. "It could be among the first to be directly detected with an upcoming space mission called LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna," Strohmayer said. The two white dwarf stars have used up their nuclear fuel and collapsed into super dense bodies. They pack half of the sun's mass into the size of the Earth. As these two swirl around each other at about one million miles an hour, they produce an increasing number of gravitational waves and are destined to merge.

Stave Nash drives to the basket against San Antonio's Manu Ginobili (left) during the second quarter on Wednesday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

NASH & SUNS OUT>>The San Antonio Spurs received a 31-point effort from Tim Duncan in a 101-95 road victory over Nash and the Phoenix Suns to wrap up the best-of-seven Western Conference final in five games. With the win, the Spurs advance to their third NBA championship in seven seasons. San Antonio beat the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 final and the New York Knicks in 1999

Liberals saved by stroke of Chuck

20/05/05   At 6:05 p.m. yesterday, Prime Minister Paul Martin swiftly shifted his gaze across the aisle of the Commons to the man who suddenly held all the power in Canadian politics: Chuck Cadman. Chewing gum and wearing jeans, the B.C. Independent MP — a ponytailed, former anti-establishment minor rock star — stood up, nodded his head and saved Martin's government. stood up, nodded his head and saved Martin's government. The House of Commons split 152-152 on the measure that served as a confidence motion and it took a vote by the parliament speaker to give the minority government its one-vote victory."The margin of tonight's vote is very narrow — indeed that is an understatement," said Martin. "We must now move forward in a spirit of cooperation. We ask the opposition to join with us in a renewed effort to make this Parliament work for the people of Canada." Independent legislator Chuck Cadman became a deciding factor when he sided with the Liberals after keeping mum for weeks about which side he would take. Moments before the confidence decision, the chamber easily passed the Liberal Party's budget by a vote of 250-54.

 Vote over, Tories not likely to try again The Conservatives say it's unlikely they'll try again to topple the government this spring or summer, after falling one crucial vote short in the House of Commons on Thursday.Deputy Conservative Leader Peter MacKay told Canada AM another confidence motion is not in the works."It's not likely," he said. Still, MacKay said "the vote last night proves this parliament is still very, very precarious." He said his party would continue to keep the heat on the Liberals, who, he says, "raised the temperature around the House of Commons" in the past few weeks.

  Belinda Stronach finished second in the 2004 race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. But she came first in the plan to keep Paul Martin's minority government in office for a while longer.

Stronach, formerly the Conservative MP for the riding of Newmarket-Aurora - just north of Toronto - used to be the international trade critic for the official Opposition and member of the House of Commons standing committee on foreign affairs and international trade. Now that she has crossed the floor, she'll represent the riding for the Liberals. "I cannot exaggerate how hard this was for me," Stronach told a news conference announcing her move to the Liberal caucus - and cabinet. "The country must come first." Martin named Stronach human resources minister and put her in charge of seeing that the recommendations of the report of the Gomery inquiry into the federal sponsorship program are implemented.

BRIGHTER FUTURE

Apparently earth is getting brighter, new studies show! A brighter Earth means more sunlight will be reaching the ground. The scientists wrote that there appeared to be fewer particles in the air to reflect light back into space before it hits the ground. The planet has become about four per cent brighter, the researchers said, although they could not pinpoint exactly why.(Courtesy: NASA)...thank God for little wonders!

Study: Traffic Jams Just Keep Spreading  WASHINGTON - If getting stuck in traffic makes you want to roll down your car window and scream, look no further than another of those studies to find the bad news: Gridlock is getting worse. Congestion delayed travelers 79 million more hours and wasted 69 million more gallons of fuel in 2003 than in 2002, the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report found.

.  IF WE HAVE AN NHL  Wayne Gretzky is reportedly set to become head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. (CP File Photo)

Nice Cream

It's getting near dark, when lights close their tired eyes....
despite the gloom, audiences could clearly see one of the most anticipated reunions in the bright light of the stage. Thousands of fans gathered at London’s Albert Hall 2/5/05,for the reunion of the legendary rock group Cream. Guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker were all on stage together for the first time since 1993, when they briefly played a quick gig during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
This was their first real concert appearance since the group disbanded 36 years ago. The iconic band performed all of their classics, including White Room, Strange Brew and Born Under a Bad Sign, saving the anthemic “Sunshine of Your Love” for their encore. Cream was one of the world’s first so-called “supergroups”, combining star musicians from other successful bands into one entity. They only recorded three albums before splitting up in 1967

photo/05/04/28   

Two people were taken into custody Wednesday after their plane violated restricted airspace over Washington, causing evacuations of the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court, officials said.

A handcuffed man, wearing shorts and a short-sleeve shirt was seen being led into a police car after fighter jets forced the plane to land on the runway of an airport in Frederick, Maryland.President Bush was not at the White House during the incident and Vice President Dick Cheney was moved to a secure location for a brief time, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. The plane flew within three miles of the White House, prompting officials to raise the color-coded terror alert for a few minutes, McClellan.F-16 jets and a Black Hawk helicopter intercepted the Cessna. The Cessna 150 is registered to the Vintage Aero Club in Smoketown, Pennsylvania, according to Federal Aviation Administration records."The plane was taken from an airport in Smoketown, Pennsylvania," said Capitol Police Chief Terry Gainer.Two people were taken into custody but were later released as they were merely disoriented in their flight path. Officials refuse to comment on how close they were to firing on the errant plane. Several flare rockets were fired as warning shots!

VOIP A multibillion-dollar industry is up for grabs.

In 2002, about 95 per cent of the local residential and business phone markets were controlled by former monopolies such as Bell and Telus Corp., according to the telecom regulator, the CRTC.
The two markets stacked up to nearly $10 billion that year, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission says.
It could be even more lucrative with VoIP, because the technology doesn't need the expensive wires and elaborate switching equipment required by traditional analog lines.
The savings could translate into lower prices to lure consumers, who can typically expect to save 25 to 40 per cent on monthly phone bills when calling through the internet.
The battle to converge
The battle forms part of a larger war for convergence, whereby one company would be able to deliver a bundle of telephone, broadcasting and internet services.

12/5/05 LOS ANGELES - A high-speed chase being televised live ended with police fatally shooting a suspected car thief brandishing a gun.The nearly 40-minute chase Wednesday reached speeds of up to 100 mph. At one point, the driver crashed into a highway guardrail, and he also came within several feet of hitting a man and his 4-year-old daughter on a residential street.

An Environmental Expression

Community leaders, families and advocates for the environment gathered Saturday to pay tribute to the late eco warrior Bob Hunter by planting some trees in Rouge Park.Members of the Korean Canadian community and the Friends of the Rouge Watershed organized the event, which was designed to expand habitat for rare birds and wildlife in the area, which is one of the world’s largest natural environment parks in an urban setting.A thousand woody plants were placed in the soil Saturday and two memorial trees were also planted. Jim Robb of the Friends of the Rouge Watershed said the two trees are meant to symbolize the beginning of the environmental movement and the 1,000 others are there to show how far it progressed over Hunter’s lifetime.“When he started there were only a few environmentalists, but through his work, and his creativity, and his courage, and his wit, and his education, there are now thousands of us,” he explained.No one will be able to fill Hunter’s shoes, Robb added, but thanks to his tireless efforts there are now more people than ever fighting to protect Mother Nature.

Wonderment: Tilda Swinton in character

In case you don't remember the books' of the Lion the witch and the wardrobe by Cs Lewis making you levitate with joy when you were a kid, "Lion" concerns British siblings who pass through an armoire into Narnia, where they battle the White Witch in the name of the noble lion Aslan. "We built the set for Narnia and we took Georgie up there blindfolded," says director Andrew Adamson ("Shrek"). "Then we just let her go.

What we got was not 'acting.' She was literally trembling with excitement." That's Georgie to your lower left, part of an exclusive first look at the cast.

Next stop, Narnia: Moseley

"Lion" opens Dec. 9. Expect a PG smash that neither enhances nor ignores the book's Christian overtones—and is light on gore. Disney, teaming with Walden Media, will air a TV teaser simultaneously in more than 30 countries on May 7.

Narnia, here we come.

Switch Hitter

breezed off for cat

Last summer financial troubles sank the high-speed ferry The Breeze that carried passengers across Lake Ontario to Rochester, New York. The vessel is now set to prowl the waves again, but this time with a new name, The Cat. After an unbelievable series of unfortunate incidents, lets hope it also has nine lives!

A prophecy widely dismissed by scholars as a hoax, is attributed to St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop recognized by members of the Church for his ability to read the future. Pope Benedict, believers say, fits the description of the second-to-last pope listed under the prophecy before the Last Judgement, when the bible says God separates the wicked from the righteous at the end of time. We are close to the return of the Judge of the nations. Christ is coming," wrote one Internet post by the Rev. Pat Reynolds. St. Malachy was said to have had a vision during a trip to Rome around 1139 of the remaining 112 Popes. The new pope would be number 111 on that list, and is described in a text attributed to St. Malachy as the "Glory of the Olive."More pressing for doomsayers are the prophecy's references to the last Pope on the list, Peter the Roman, who will lead the Church before "the formidable judge will judge his people." Since Benedict is already 78 years old, they say Peter the Roman must be coming soon, and with him, the end of the world.

"His reign will only last a few years at most. This signals that we are living in what may be the end of days as we know it," said one Web Site entry by someone calling himself SmartBob.

April 28, 2005:  Right now the wheels are in motion to send people to the Moon. They are confident they will find water there. The goals this time around are more ambitious than they were in the days of the Apollo program. NASA's new Vision for Space Exploration spells out a long-term strategy of returning to the Moon as a step toward Mars and beyond. The Moon, so nearby and accessible, is a great place to try out new technologies critical to living on alien worlds before venturing across the solar system.

Whether a moonbase will turn out to be feasible hinges largely on the question of water. Colonists need water to drink. They need water to grow plants. They can also break water apart to make air (oxygen) and rocket fuel (oxygen+hydrogen). Furthermore, water is surprisingly effective at blocking space radiation. Surrounding the 'base with a few feet of water would help protect explorers from solar flares and cosmic rays.

Martin booed at U2 concert; fans sign Bono's end-poverty petition to PM  VANCOUVER...

  Prime Minister Paul Martin was booed at a sold-out rock show by thousands who have sided with U2's Bono, a rock star who won't let Canada beg off the fight to end poverty.

Indian expert group says tigers close to extinction NEW DELHI