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India and Israel are the only two countries whose aid workers will not be granted special visas by Pakistan to join relief efforts for the millions of people affected by country's worst floods. Following a suggestion from foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for easing visa regulations for foreign aid workers, the interior ministry decided to issue three-month "relief work" visas for those coming to Pakistan to join relief operations.

The City Council is slamming the door on stores that blast their air-conditioning in the summer to lure foot traffic from the city's hot sidewalks. A bill is expected to pass Thursday that would prohibit large stores from keeping their doors open while running their air conditioners. First violation gets a warning, second gets a $200 fine, and third gets a $400 fine. The council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg believe it will help conserve a bit of energy in summer months when power demands are at their highest.

Two teams of researchers, working separately thousands of miles from each other but both defeating incredible odds, have made stunning finds in frozen Antarctica -- so stunning that the National Science Foundation calls their discoveries evidence of a lost world. The researchers found what they believe to be the fossilized remains of two species of dinosaurs previously unknown to science. One is a 70-million-year old quick-moving meat-eater found on the bottom of an Antarctic sea, while and the other is a 200-million-year-old giant plant-eater that was found on the top of a mountain, reports Reuters. The lost world in which...

Hey Freepers, http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?id=86992I am doing this survey with one of my friends for fun and would appreciate it if you could take 2 minutes and fill it out. I will post the results of the test in a few days or so. Thanks so much Simon

What Call Is Worth a Life? It's time to admit that hands-free is not a solution. It's time to ban phone driving. By Dan Carney Wednesday, February 9, 2005; Page A23 Phone driving is the drunken driving of the new millennium. Seemingly everyone does it, and all of them seem to believe that they are skilled in a way that prevents their powers of perception from being clouded by the fog of isolation that envelops drivers who talk on the phone. Everyone who isn't on the phone while driving sees evidence of it every day, as drivers weave and stutter...

• Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius: Conservatives are launching a cinematic counterstrike against Michael Moore's incendiary hit "Fahrenheit 9/11" with a quickie documentary titled "Celsius 41.11." The 80-minute film, funded by Citizens United, a D.C. conservative advocacy group, will premiere Sept. 28 in Washington. "What we have done is debunk some of the main lies and distortions of Michael Moore's movie," the group's president, David Bossie, tells us. As for the title, that's part of the well-calculated message: 41.11 degrees Celsius converts to 105.998 degrees Fahrenheit. Okay, let's call it 106, the temperature at which a fever can cause brain damage...

Drinkers tired of massive hangovers and equally sized beer guts have reason to rejoice — the as-yet-unseen in America "Alcohol Without Liquid Machine" arrives in New York City today. But while New Yorkers who like to imbibe may tonight flock to Trust Lounge in the Meatpacking District to get an early peek at the device — which turns alcohol from liquid into mist — some are already opposed to the device and want to see it banned. Billed as the "ultimate party toy," the alcohol vaporizer debuted at Il Bordello in Bristol, England, where crowds went gaga over the revolutionary...

The Color of Mayhem, in a Wave of 'Urban' Games By MICHEL MARRIOTT Published: August 12, 2004 HE screen crackles with criminality as a gang of urban predators itch for a kill. The scene erupts into automatic-weapons fire in a drive-by nightmare of screaming car engines, senseless death and destruction set to a thumping rap soundtrack. The action is not part of a new film, but of a video game in development - the latest permutation of Grand Theft Auto, one of the most popular game series ever. Partly set in a city resembling gang-ridden stretches of Los Angeles of...