Free Republic

<p>Eliminate the Internet bubble, and where is Silicon Valley's economy?</p> <p>By numbers alone, the valley's economy appears to be right where it was in 1999. After the hysteria of the Internet boom, the number of jobs in the valley is back to 1999 levels; sales by Silicon Valley's biggest companies are back where they were three years ago.</p>

Newscaster sits down - and is paralysed Ras Adiba Radzi, who injured her spine in a car accident in 1995, hears a crack in her spine as she tries to sit downKUALA LUMPUR - Popular Malaysian television newscaster Ras Adiba Radzi became paralysed from the waist down after she hurt her spine while trying to sit down at home last week. Her spine was damaged seven years ago in a road accident and has been propped up with titanium implants. Doctors told her that she should go for surgery to repair her spine urgently to enable her to walk again....

Defense confident Daniel Pearl's accused kidnapper will go free By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press HYDERABAD, Pakistan (July 1, 2002 5:44 p.m. EDT) - Lawyers for the chief defendant in the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl predicted Monday that their client will be acquitted. The defense optimism came after testimony that appeared to support their contention that Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was illegally detained and, on that basis, the charges against him should be dismissed. "You will see he will be acquitted in this case," said Abdul Waheed Katpar, a lawyer for Saeed. The evidence could also boost...

Pakistan investigates gang rape ordered by tribal council   By KHALID TANVEER, Associated Press MULTAN, Pakistan (July 2, 2002 7:36 a.m. EDT) - A Pakistani tribal council ordered an 18-year-old girl to be gang-raped in order to punish her family after her brother was seen walking with a girl from a higher class tribe, police said Tuesday. The private Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded that all those involved in the rape, which took place June 22 in the village of Meerwala in southern Punjab province, be punished. Police said the victim's father had filed criminal charges against the...