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Thanks to a dizzying array of gadgets, mankind has finally “won the war on boredom”—and that might not be such a good thing, Scott Adams argues in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal . Boredom, after all, gives our brains time to process things and be creative. “My period…

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Need to disinfect a wound? Use honey, not hydrogen peroxide. While hydrogen peroxide can prevent healing, honey is a good alternative because it’s quite antibacterial. That’s just one of the weird health tips rounded up by Listverse : To stop bleeding : Clean your cut, then sprinkle black pepper on it and…

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Outkast rapper Antwan “Big Boi” Patton was arrested while getting off a cruise ship today in Miami, after border patrol dogs caught him allegedly carrying drugs, law enforcement sources tell TMZ . He was charged with three counts of drug possession and one count of drug paraphernalia possession, all felonies. The…

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Lots of qualities might make a city kinky: strip clubs per capita, average sexual satisfaction, or even a lack of anything better to do. Take a look at five of America’s dirtiest cities, as rounded up by AlterNet.org : Roselawn, Ind : Home to family-friendly nudist resort Ponderosa Sun Club, where…

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Looks like we haven’t seen the last of Ali Abdullah Saleh after all. Yemen’s wounded (and for a while there presumed deposed ) president has been released from the Saudi hospital where he was being treated, Saudi and Yemeni officials said today. He isn’t returning to Yemen yet—he’ll recuperate…

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One piece of economic upheaval that won’t hit the fan this weekend: A vacancy at the Treasury Department. After much gnashing of teeth, Tim Geithner has informed President Obama that he will stay on as secretary at least through next fall, reports the Wall Street Journal. Geithner had wanted to…

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Saudi king recalls ambassador and demands end to Syria bloodshed

Statement is sharpest criticism yet directed by Saudi Arabia against Arab state since Middle East unrest began Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his country’s ambassador from Damascus, in a rare case of one of the Arab world’s most powerful leaders intervening against another. It was the sharpest criticism the oil giant – a monarchy who bans political opposition – has directed against any Arab state since a wave of protests roiled the Middle East and toppled autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt. “What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia,” he said in a written statement read out on Al Arabiya satellite television. Events in Syria had “nothing to do with religion, or values, or ethics”, the king said. A crackdown by Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad against protests has become one of the most violent episodes in the wave of unrest sweeping through the Arab world this year. Activists said troops with tanks had launched an assault on the city of Deir al-Zor in the east of the country, killing dozens. The past week has seen scores of people killed in a siege of Hama, a city where Assad’s father launched a crackdown nearly 30 years ago, killing thousands. Assad’s government says it is fighting against criminals and armed extremists who have provoked violence by attacking its troops. Activists and western countries say Assad’s forces have attacked peaceful protesters. “Syria should think wisely before it’s too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms,” the Saudi king said. “Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss.” The Arab League, in a rare response to the escalating bloodshed in Syria, called on authorities there to stop acts of violence against civilians. Although several Arab states have joined the west in opposing Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, most of the region’s rulers have been cautious about criticising other Arab leaders during the protests. King Abdullah sent Saudi troops in March to help neighbouring monarchy Bahrain put down anti-government protests, and Saudi officials have criticised the decision to put Egypt’s ousted leader Hosni Mubarak on trial. Saudi Arabia has acted as a mediator in neighbouring Yemen, and is hosting its president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who went there for medical treatment after being wounded in a bomb attack when protests against his rule turned into open conflict. Syria Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East guardian.co.uk

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Homage to Harold Pinter

Despite their wildly differing politics, John Malkovich and Harold Pinter were friends. Now the film star is directing Julian Sands in a tribute to the playwright. As the Edinburgh festival launches, Stephen Moss meets them I spot John Malkovich ‘s head as soon as I enter the courtyard of the hotel, even though he is in the lounge, with his back to me and partially obscured by a blind. That cranium has an aura. He has just arrived in Edinburgh, where he is directing his long-time friend Julian Sands , the British actor, in A Celebration of Harold Pinter . It is being touted as the starriest fringe event for a decade. Sands gives me a cheery wave when I enter the lounge, and starts rearranging the furniture so the three of us can talk; Malkovich sprawls languidly in a large leather armchair. Sands, in an elegant grey suit and with a physical tautness that belies the fact he is now past 50, is fluent and to the point; Malkovich speaks slowly, and when he tells a story is strong on detail. There’s a quirky mind in that majestic bonce. A fashion designer as well as an actor and director, Malkovich is wearing a big blue jacket and jeans with huge turn-ups. Both sport grey silk scarves he designed. The origins of this Pinter celebration lie in 2005. Pinter had been due to give a reading of his poems, but throat cancer had impaired his voice and he asked Sands to step in, instructing him on how to deliver them. “After he died,” says Sands, “I repeated the recital as a memorial tribute in Los Angeles, recorded it and made some CDs for those who couldn’t be there, one of whom was John.” Sands was later approached by producer Nick Brooke to do a Pinter show at Edinburgh, followed by a national tour. Enter Malkovich. “I thought if we’re to do this, it needs to be completely re-examined,” says Sands. “I wanted more of a celebration of Harold, a convincing audio portrait. John had said to me after I’d given him the CD that I should think about working this up into a theatre piece. I’d just seen John perform in The Infernal Comedy , and his power and presence was so compelling that I thought if I was going to work with anyone on this, it has to be him. His contribution as director is more like a conductor. Yes, I

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Second night of violence in London – and this time it was organised

Police deployed to deal with trouble in Enfield and Brixton, plus reports of disturbances in Dalston and Walthamstow There was mounting evidence on Sunday night that some of the second night of rioting in London was part of an orchestrated plan, as violent disturbances broke out sporadically across parts of the capital. Police in riot gear were deployed across the city to deal with trouble in Enfield, six miles north of the site of riots in Tottenham, while looters later pillaged shops in Brixton. The scenes in Enfield, while reminiscent of Saturday night’s clashes, were smaller in scale, and they took place from about 7pm. Teenagers gathered on St Andrews Road – said to have been a preplanned destination – broke down walls on terraced streets so they could collect bricks to throw at police. About a dozen shops were ransacked and a police car smashed on Church Street. Riot police moved in to secure the area and train station. Shortly after 8.30pm, a crowd of about 100 mainly teenage boys broke into a jewellery store. When police arrived less than a minute later, there were chaotic scenes, with a number of people struck with batons and attacked by dogs. Resident Mizu Rahman, 34, said a plainclothes police officer had told him at around 2pm that there was intelligence that disorder was imminent. “The officer came down the street warning us there would be trouble,” he said. “He showed me his ID. He said, ‘Do you live here?’ I said yes. He said, ‘St Andrews Road is going to be the frontline tonight’.” There was no obvious reason why the rioting should have spread to Enfield, which is in the outskirts of north London. Rahman, an engineer, said he had seen a message on Facebook that Enfield would be “next on the hitlist”. At 9.30pm, Met police and reinforcements from Kent began turning the whole of Enfield into a sterile area. Hundreds of riot police arrived with vans and police dogs, charging at groups of teenagers, who melted into sidestreets. They smashed cars and shop windows as they ran. Some teenagers knew exactly where they were heading, saying the plan was to go to Ponders End. A large crowd of youths then sprinted west, attacking a retail park and shops. Among them was a closed Tesco Extra store. Workers inside described hearing windows smashing as dozens of youths poured into the store. “They left carrying TVs, alcohol – they were stuffing trolleys,” said one supermarket worker. Unlike the previous night’s disturbances, riot police were on the scene in large numbers. Their stance was also more aggressive, with baton charges and dogs used to disperse crowds. At 11pm, on a nearby road called Elizabeth Ride, a young man was stabbed under the arm. He could walk to an ambulance but his friends refused to talk to police and disappeared, shouting: “Why would we talk to feds? You’re the reason this is happening.” Amid evidence that locals were turning against the rioters, one young woman, aged about 20, was in tears, shouting: “What are you doing? Is this how you pay your respects to Mark? Is this what he would have wanted?” The leader of Enfield council, Doug Taylor said he believed disturbances there were linked to events in Tottenham. He said: “There’s got to be a link to that extent that it’s the day after and the police are hugely well organised in Tottenham so maybe this was seen as the place to have a second night.” In Brixton, crowds attending a daytime festival were good-natured but gangs of youths ransacked shops in the area as darkness fell. Branches of Vodafone, Footlocker and H&M were all targeted by looters, who made off in scooters and cars. Police in riot gear were pushing people up Brixton High Street at around 1am. Elsewhere, there were reports of disturbances in areas including Dalston and Walthamstow. The latter area’s local Labour MP, Stella Creasy, said that branches of Argos, BHS and Barclays were all attacked, while angry locals said that looters asked them for directions to shops and banks. The Metropolitan police said on Twitter on Sunday night: “Police are responding to a significant amount of criminal activity across London and are deploying officers to tackle it.” London Crime Police Paul Lewis Matthew Taylor Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk

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Eurozone leaders are meeting later today, scrambling to counter deepening crises in Italy and Spain before they boil over . The video conference will focus on whether to buy huge quantities of bonds in both countries in order to prop them up, notes the Wall Street Journal , and European Central Bank…

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