Senate Oil Tax Plan Blocked

(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republicans blocked a proposal Tuesday to tax the windfall profits of the largest oil companies, despite pleas by Democratic leaders to use the measure to address America's anger over

The Democratic energy package would have imposed a tax on any "unreasonable" profits of the five largest U.S. oil companies and given the federal government more power to address oil market speculation that the bill's supporters argue has added to the crude oil price surge.

"Americans are furious about what's going on," declared Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and want Congress to do something about oil company profits and "an orgy of speculation" on oil markets.

But Republicans argued the Democratic proposal focusing on new oil industry taxes is not the answer to the country's energy problems.

"The American people are clamoring for relief at the pump," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., but if taxes are increased on the oil companies "they will get exactly what they don't want. The bill will raise taxes, increase imports."

The Democrats failed, 51-43, to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster and bring the energy package up for consideration.

Separately, Democrats also failed to get Republican support for a proposal to extend tax breaks for wind, solar and other alternative energy development, and for the promotion of energy efficiency and conservation. The tax breaks have either expired or are scheduled to end this year.

The tax provisions were included in a broader $50 billion tax measure blocked by a GOP filibuster threat. A vote to take up the measure was 50-44, short of the 60 votes needed.

The windfall profits bill would have imposed a 25 percent tax on profits over what would be determined "reasonable" when compared to profits several years ago. The oil companies could have avoided the tax if they invested the money in alternative energy projects or refinery expansion. It also would have rescinded oil company tax breaks — worth $17 billion over the next 10 years — with the revenue to be used for tax incentives to producers of wind, solar and other alternative energy sources as well as for energy conservation.

The legislation also would:

• Require traders to put up more collateral in the energy futures markets and open the way for federal regulation of traders who are based in the United States but use foreign trading platforms. The measures are designed to reduce market speculation.

• Make oil and gas price gouging a federal crime, with stiff penalties of up to $5 million during a presidentially declared energy emergency.

• Authorize the Justice Department to bring charges of price fixing against countries that belong to the OPEC oil cartel.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has acknowledged that Americans are hurting from the high energy costs but strongly opposes the Democrats' response and has ridiculed those who "think we can tax our way out of this problem."

"Republicans by and large believe that the solution to this problem, in part, is to increase domestic production," McConnell said.

A GOP energy plan, rejected by the Senate last month, calls for opening a coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil development and to allow states to opt out of the national moratorium that has been in effect for a quarter century against oil and gas drilling in more than 80 percent of the country's coastal waters.

The Cheaper, Faster iPhone

Steve Jobs did something never before seen in the history of Apple: he unveiled a cutting-edge product that's relatively cheap

The iPhone 3G handles data at nearly three times the speed of its predecessor and has built-in global positioning via satellite, and it costs $199 — $400 less than the original iPhone, unveiled almost a year ago. The phone will be available in the U.S. and 21 other countries on July 11; within a few months of that, the phone will be available in a total of 70 countries, including Japan and the burgeoning markets of Brazil and India.

The 3G phone is "one of the most amazing products I've ever had the privilege to be associated with," Jobs told a capacity crowd of 5,000 software developers and reporters. Wearing his trademark black mock turtleneck and jeans, Jobs demonstrated the new phone's speed, which he says rivals the performance of home wi-fi networks. With the old iPhone (which ran on AT&T's Edge network) on one side and the new one (which runs on AT&T's 3G network) on the other, Jobs loaded a photo-heavy Web page at nationalgeographic.com. It took 21 sec. on the 3G phone, versus 59 sec. on its predecessor. (While 21 sec. may be slow compared with the near instantaneous access on a high-speed wired desktop computer, the AT&T Edge network is the state-of-the-art wireless system in the U.S.)

While techies have fretted that the 3G phone would consume too much juice, Jobs claimed that the new phone can get 300 hours of standby time, five hours of talk time on a 3G network, five to six hours of high-speed Web browsing, seven hours of video and 24 hours of audio.

Jobs said the new iPhone has already sold 6 million units, and analysts expect Apple to blow through the company's estimate of 10 million units sold worldwide by the end of 2008. Already bullish about Apple before the announcements were made, analysts were thrilled by what they heard from Jobs about the availability of the new iPhone. They were particularly excited by the prices for the new models. In the U.S., the 8-gigabyte version, which sold for $399 previously, is only $199 in its new incarnation; the 16GB model will sell for $299. (The first-generation iPhone models have been discontinued.)

That said, Apple's stock price dropped over 2% because AT&T will no longer pay a subsidy to Apple to sell iPhones, as it did for the 1.0 versions. Jobs is clearly expecting to make up that shortfall by selling even more handsets, in the U.S. and abroad, much faster than anyone imagined. Purchasers will still need to sign a two-year contract with AT&T to use the phone. And the price for a basic plan increases by $10 for 3G usage (that is, $30 a month for unlimited data, with voice plans starting at $39.99 a month). Unlimited 3G data plans for business users will be available for $45 a month.

Apple also unveiled MobileMe, which allows home users to do the kinds of things that were formerly the domain of business users. E-mail, calendars, contacts and photos can now be automatically wirelessly synched among a user's iPhone and computers. The service, which comes with 20GB of storage, costs $99 a year.

Users of iPhone 1.0 will be able to download new software via the iPhone App Store, which will launch with the new phone. But those pioneers won't get the faster speeds or true global positioning due to hardware reasons. The older phone triangulates a user's position via cell-phone towers. The new one has a GPS receiver that can track a user in real time. Jobs showed off the GPS capabilities with a recording that showed a 3G user driving down San Francisco's winding Lombard Street. As a tiny dot appeared on a Google map and slowly wended its way down the street, the crowd roared its approval.

A number of developers showed off applications that will be ready for the iPhone in the coming weeks and months. Sega, for instance, demoed an arcade game, Super Monkey Ball, whose fluid 3-D quality was on par with what one would find on, say, a Sony PSP. On the iPhone, users navigate by tilting the motion-sensitive device. Another application, which takes advantage of the phone's GPS, is a location-aware social network; fire up the app and you can see whether any friends or people in your contact list are nearby. "We make serendipity happen," said Loopt founder Sam Altman. For the first time, one could be walking down a street in New York City and realize, for instance, that a college roommate is nearby. The Loopt application will be free at the iPhone App Store; Monkey Ball will cost $9.99. Phil Schiller, who heads Apple's marketing department, said in an interview later that he had no idea how many apps would be available when the store launched, but "I think many applications, if not most, will be available for free."

Gas Stations in Spain Running Out

(MADRID, Spain) — Gas stations in Madrid and the northeastern Catalonia region began running out of fuel Monday as an indefinite strike by truckers began to bitehe protest over soaring fuel costs began at midnight Sunday.

Antonio Onieva, president of Madrid's station owners organization, told reporters that by 5:30 p.m., 15 percent of the capital's outlets had run out of fuel. Manuel Amado, president of Catalonia's owners' federation, said 40 percent of Catalonia's 1,714 stations had sold out.

The stoppage led to lengthy lines at many gasoline stations across the country as drivers rushed to fill up.

Truckers also blocked a number of roads around the country, including some leading into the center of Barcelona and the international border with France.

"We are the ones who move the goods that this country needs to keep working. If we stop because we haven't got the money to buy fuel then the country will stop," Julio Villascusa, president of the transport association Fenadismer, told Cadena SER radio.

Fenadismer said more than 90,000 drivers have been called to take part in the strike.

The strike was not expected to have a major effect on city food markets until later in the week.

There was almost no movement of trucks early Monday at Mercamadrid, the main wholesale food market for the Spanish capital.

Development Ministry transport chief Juan Miguel Sanchez said the government will guarantee market supplies.

Fenadismer representatives and Development Ministry officials met Monday morning for four hours and were meeting again in the early evening.

A strike by fishermen across Spain also protesting fuel costs has entered a second week. News reports said smaller boats that fish closer to the coast had now joined the protest, which began May 30.

The stoppages are part of Europe-wide protests against rising prices.

Shroud Of Turin Jesus,Spreading 4 time exhibition every 100 years

The Christ sage body wraps corpse cloth , also call Shroud of Turin, be a piece of fourteen chis preserving in one Turin first Sunday of a fourteen-day work system hall in Italy five inches of strong point , three chis of eight inches broad cloth , the cloth being considered being to be used to bind up the Jesus dead body. In one minor church of seat of the aristocratic family who introduces the Safuwa duke within Italy Turin cathedral range, a piece of fourteen chis five inches long , three chis eight inches broad cloth preserving, has spread the portrait predecessor and the back of a garment having one people dimly. Every 100 years approximately takes out this piece of cloth doing four time of public exhibitions , the exhibition at every time , the religious believer of distance by the thousands and tens of thousands looks with reverence coming rushing. They believe that what be seen that is that Christly real contains.

This piece of cloth it is the well-known Shroud of Turin , is also that Christianity preserves the closest in the whole world , arouses a piece of things left behind by the deceased of maximal argument, let alone that is a priceless treasure. That somebody believes that this piece spreads is that Christ is used to wrap a corpse being buried after the nail dying on the cross. Have spread the image being printing him seemingly, the negative is the same like the photograph. Academic circles neither has demonstration clear and definite so far pointing out its real false

Japan Reeling from Stabbing Spree

Tokyo's Akihabara district, a popular shopping area for consumer electronics, was still in shock on Monday following a killing spree by a 25-year-old man who plowed a rented truck into an intersection full of pedestrians, then began stabbing bystanders at random. The rampage, which left seven dead and 10 injured, was another reminder of a violent side of Japan that is not often discussed

Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the developed world, yet the country still sees spasms of stunningly brutal, often random killings. The June 8 Akihabara massacre occurred exactly seven years after a former school janitor with a history of mental illness stabbed eight children to death and injured many others at their elementary school near Osaka. The nation has seen a spate of stabbings already this year, including a shopping-mall knife attack in March in which one was slain and seven were injured.

Such crimes are often perpetrated by mentally unstable men in their 20s and 30s, but experts say that gruesome acts committed by adolescents and teenagers have been on the rise for the last five years. The infamous 1997 Kobe case of a 14-year-old boy who strangled and decapitated an 11-year-old friend of his brother and displayed the child's head on a school gate was followed last year by a 17-year-old boy who cut off his mother's head as she slept and delivered it, wrapped, to the nearest police box the following morning. In January, a 16-year-old boy attacked five people with kitchen knives in Tokyo.

In an attempt to make sense of the senseless, experts point to many possible reasons for these violent outbursts. Because of the stigma of mental illness that exists in Japan, the mentally ill often go untreated. Economic conditions are also blamed. "The gap between wealth and poverty has widened for the past five years," says Mitsuyuki Maniwa, professor emeritus of criminal sociology at Shizuoka University. Society's have-nots "lose everything, from hope to motivation in life, pride, and self-esteem." Maniwa points out that the alleged Akihabara killer, whom police identified as Tomohiro Kato, was "not making an easy living" as a temporary factory employee. "This kind of society and the way it works causes this kind of crime," Maniwa maintains.

Japanese youth face similar pressures because of the country's demanding and competitive educational system. "Young people have been pushed into a corner," says Maniwa. Teachers and parents hold children personally responsible for their failures, so kids "blame themselves and run into a brick wall."

While mass murderers are sometimes too mentally unstable to explain their acts, the suspect in the Akihabara killings gave police reasons that were chillingly mundane. After his arrest, the left side of his face smeared with blood, Kato allegedly told police that he was tired of life and came to Akihabara to kill people — and it didn't matter who they were. The killer, according to the Mainichi newspaper reportedly posted details of his plans in a series of 28 messages on an online discussion board. The postings were sent through his mobile phone. The last came 20 minutes before the rampage began. It read: "It's time

McDonald's Pulls Sliced Tomatoes

McDonald's said Monday it has stopped serving sliced tomatoes in its U.S. restaurants over concerns about salmonella food poisoning linked to some uncooked varieties

The grocer Winn-Dixie Stores said it was also taking some tomatoes off its shelves. Other restaurant and supermarket chains reportedly halted some tomato sales as federal health officials worked to trace the source of the outbreak.

McDonald's Corp., the world's largest hamburger chain, stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches as a precaution until the source of the salmonella is known, according to a statement Monday from spokeswoman Danya Proud.

McDonald's will continue serving grape tomatoes in its salads because no problems have been linked to that variety, Proud said.

Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. said it was voluntarily taking tomatoes involved in a Food and Drug Administration warning off its shelves. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based retailer operates 521 stores in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi.

The source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses in at least 16 states has not been pinpointed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said at least 23 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

The FDA is investigating the source of the outbreak, FDA spokeswoman Kimberly Rawlings said in an e-mail. The FDA said Saturday the outbreak was linked to certain varieties of raw tomatoes including red plum, red Roma and red round.

In Pittsburgh, KDKA-TV reported that Giant Eagle supermarkets have removed several kinds of tomatoes from their shelves.

Fast-food chains Taco Bell Corp. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. also have halted serving tomatoes, the Los Angeles Times reported. And supermarket chains Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons have stopped the selling red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes cited by the FDA, the newspaper said.

Football:The American Game

Claudio Reyna has a unique perspective on European soccer. One of the first Americans to feature regularly in Europe, he captained Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, led Manchester City in the English Premiership, and won a championship with Glasgow Rangers in Scotland; he's played against 11 of the national teams heading for Euro 2008, including Italy, whom the U.S. fought to a wild 1-1 draw in the last World Cup. "They are born tacticians," says Reyna of the Italians. "They force you into positions. Watching them defend as a national team, it's really an art."

Italy is a favorite to create another masterpiece in Euro 2008, which is being hosted this year — with restrained enthusiasm — by Austria and Switzerland. The Italians, of course, are not a sure thing. They will be challenged by France — whom they defeated in the World Cup final — the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Croatia ... in other words, the usual suspects. (Four years ago, Greece miraculously beat stratospheric odds to win, a performance unlikely to be repeated.) And as is also now usual, the tournament will be followed on televisions not just in Europe, but everywhere from Kunming, China to — well, to Kearney, N.J., actually. And thereby hangs a tale.

"The beauty of [European football]," says Reyna, "is that you have countries that border each other, yet they all have a distinct style." Americans didn't have to go to Europe to be exposed to such variety. It's been on view in the U.S. for 150 years. Whenever the 11th man from any European town emigrated to the States, a football team got organized. Football, the real variety, is an American game, too. Since the 19th century, whether it was Scottish mill hands in New Jersey, Portuguese fishermen in Massachusetts, Ukrainian steel workers in Pennsylvania, Italian masons and Irish sandhogs in New York City, or German brewers and shopkeepers in Missouri, one ethnicity after the next established its community and its football, not necessarily in that order.

With those immigrants came an approach to the game as distinct as their cuisines. Long before I ever watched the European championships — the cable sports network ESPN didn't televise any games in the U.S. until 1996 — I was familiar with Europeans' football. I had been seeing it on the field, first as a kid living in an immigrant-enriched community near Newark, N.J. — where one learned that Portuguese teams have flair and fire, and that a Scotsman has a very broad view as to what constitutes a fair challenge. My European education would continue in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, in New York City. The CSL began life in 1923 as the German-American Soccer League, but has long served as a melting pot of teams: Blau Weiss Gotchee, Brooklyn Italians, Greek-American Atlas, Polonia NY, Hungaria, FC Bulgaria, NY Albanians, CD Iberia.

When I got to Europe as a journalist (and as a player when my club team toured) it was amusing to see teams replicate what I'd experienced in New York: the way an Irish team plays the offside trap; an Italian midfielder's pass to an outside back that is as predictable as pasta for dinner; the steely play of the Poles contrasted with the passion of the Greeks. New York City's Croatian teams impressed me with their technical approach; the Hungarians, once powerhouses, have faded; the Greeks are defending champions. Sound familiar?

I learned, also, that the farther south in Europe your opponent's roots, the more dazzling the footballing and the hotter the tempers. Get the Italians mad at each other, and you've got a good shot at winning. Get ahead of a Greek team, and get ready for a fightback. Or at least a fight: the Greeks are people with a tremendous culture and history — and they play every game like it's a World Cup — but my experience has been that when a Greek walks onto the pitch his passion for the game is such that he's one whistle away from snapping. It's not surprising that it took a German, Otto Rehhagel, to channel that energy into the kind of disciplined defense that allowed Greece to beat France, the Czech Republic and (speaking of passion) Portugal, to win in 2004. In Greek neighborhoods such as Astoria, in the New York borough of Queens, the joy was explosive.