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AL ASAD, Iraq (June 6, 2006) -- Amidst the debris of a war-torn country lies a landmark from biblical history. With a lush green sanctuary of trees and vegetation surrounding a small pool of calm water rests the Al Asad Oasis, which has almost been untouched by the war. According to Arabic legend, the Quran and other Islamic writings, the oasis was the campsite of Abraham, a patriarch of the Hebrew bible, during his journey from Ur, located near the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, now named Tellel-Mukayyar, to Harran, located in southeastern Turkey, now Carrhae. The village,...

The Open Document Fellowship has been created to give the OASIS Open Document Format added momentum, as the war of words between Sun and Microsoft gets bitter The Open Document Fellowship was launched on Monday to add momentum to what appears to be a growing movement to support the open standard for the production, storage and dissemination of documents. The Open Document Format for Office Applications, or OpenDocument, was developed by standards body OASIS. Last month, it received its first major seal of approval when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts became the first public body to insist on the use of...

Researchers have found the world's northernmost underwater hot springs, spouting out of the seabed in the otherwise chilly waters of the Norwegian Sea. It's a veritable oasis featuring tropical-like coral and unusual plant life. The underwater hot springs were found at a depth of 600 meters on the so-called "Mohnsryggen" north of the Arctic island of Jan Mayen, where Norway maintains a weather station and military presence. Researchers made the discovery during an international expedition this summer. The researchers were assisted by techological equipment on board the research vessel GO Sars and the remote-controlled mini-submarine Bathysaurus. Their eyes widened when...

LONDON - Britpop group Oasis' 1995 hit "Wonderwall" topped a radio station's poll of the best British songs of all time on Monday. Listeners to Britain's Virgin Radio voted the anthem by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher's band their all time favorite British hit. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" came in second place and Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven" placed third. Queen and the Beatles had the most entries of eight each in the poll of the best 100 songs, as voted by 8,300 listeners to the radio station.

Furious ... Liam Gallagher Also in today's Bizarre • Madonna has dark thoughts • Talking 'bout three generations • Splitting mad OTV Cold warLIAM GALLAGHER has declared war on COLDPLAY’s CHRIS MARTIN, labelling him a “nobhead student”. The outspoken OASIS frontman blasted Chris for his anti-war views and labelled his girlfriend GWYNETH PALTROW a “gawky bird”.Liam stunned guests in the backstage bar after he performed at a gig to raise cash for the Teenage Cancer Trust on Wednesday night.The outburst will surprise Chris. Oasis and Coldplay are often at each others’ gigs and each talks the other band up...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 November 12 Terkezi Oasis in the Sahara Desert Credit: Landsat 7, NASA Explanation: Dominating the top third of Africa is the largest band of dry land on Earth: the Sahara Desert. Stretching across the Sahara are vast planes of sand and gravel, seas of sand dunes, and barren rocky mountains. Only 10,000 years ago, however, grasses covered the region, then rich in mammals such as lions and...