Heath Ledger found dead in Manhatten apartment

January 22, 2008 -- Actor Heath Ledger was found dead today in a Broome Street apartment, apparently from a drug overdose.

Ledger, 28, was well known for his role in "Brokeback Mountain," and he stars in the upcoming "The Dark Knight" Batman movie as the Joker.

He split last year from wife, Michelle Williams, with whom he has a daughter.

His apartment was strewn with pills, sources said. It was unclear if it was an intentional or accidental death.

Ledger's early career as an actor was marked by small roles in several independent features in his home country of Australia.

He broke onto the international movie scene in 1999 with his turn as the brooding high-school heart-throb who captures Julia Stiles' attention in "10 Things I Hate About You." After starring roles in "The Patriot," "A Knight's Tale," and "The Brothers Grimm," Ledger earned critical acclaim with his poignant performance as a gay cattle rancher in director Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain," for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

In 2007, he appeared in the independent film "I'm Not There," as one of many incarnations of Bob Dylan. He recently wrapped filming on 'The Dark Knight,' the sequel to 'Batman Begins,' in which he plays the villainous Joker. His most recent role was in director Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,' which is listed as still "in production" on imdb.com.

Ledger's love life earned him as many headlines as his acting career. He has been romantically linked to such A-list starlets as Naomi Watts and Heather Graham. He has a daughter, Matilda Rose, with actress Michelle Williams. The couple, praised for their down-to-earth lifestyle in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens, announced their split earlier this year.

Mysterious $100 ‘supernote’ counterfeit bills appear across world

The currency changer, brazenly plying his illegal trade in the Bank of China lobby, pulled out a thick wad of cash from around the world and carefully removed a bill.

The 2003 series U.S. $100 bill was a fake, but not just any fake. It was a “supernote,” a counterfeit so perfect it’s an international whodunit.

It had come from a North Korean businessman, the changer said, getting angry looks from his confederates. He stank of alcohol, but his story was plausible. The impoverished hermit nation sat just across the Yalu River from Dandong.

The Bush administration and members of Congress two years ago loudly accused North Korean leaders of being behind the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, but a 10-month McClatchy Newspapers investigation raises questions about those charges.

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Sri Lankan man spends 50 years in prison without trial

A Sri Lankan man has been released from prison after spending 50 years on remand, his lawyer said Monday.

D.P. James, now 80, was arrested in August 1958 for attacking and wounding his father with a knife.

He was sent to jail, then moved to a psychiatric hospital, and then discharged back to jail -- where he was forgotten about.

Lawyer Dharmavijaya Seneviratne said James, who was never put on trial, was a victim of prison bureaucracy.

"James went to jail when he was 30. He has been robbed of his youth and is now a grey-haired man of 80 with failing eyesight," lawyer Dharmavijaya Seneviratne said.

The prisoner was only noticed last month after he fell ill and was hospitalised in Colombo, forcing prison authorities to go through his paperwork.

The lawyer said James, originally from the small village of Ibbagamuwa, about 100 kilometres (63 miles) from Colombo, did not complain about his long-running detention because he was ignorant of the law.

A local court released him last week on bail, and apologised for the "rare, pathetic incident," a court official said.

The lawyer said compensation was now being sought.

"We are preparing the papers to file a case seeking compensation for 1.5 million rupees (14,000 dollars) and use the money to pay for his medical and other welfare bills," Seneviratne said.

The sum amounts to 280 dollars for each year spent behind bars.

Cofee Kiss

Cool Pool

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Once per year at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse they shut down the weak insipid modern (presumably electric) light and switch over the the 5 kerosene lamps and fresnel lens of the original, as it was 135 years ago.

Last night was the night, and it's really quite a sight. When they fire it up there's really a collective sense of "whoa!" from the audience (which was WAY bigger than I expected - I probably had to park a mile away and I was there an hour early).

Capturing a shot like this is tricky because the lens itself actually rotates, which looks great but is tough for long exposures. But for the first 5 minutes they leave it static to indulge all of the photographers who turn out and want this shot (this highly unique and one-of-a-kind shot of course). When they switched to this light my camera still had about a minute of noise reduction to do on my final test shot to get the exposure right, so I missed the first minute. Then I started this shot which was about 2 minutes long, followed by 2 minutes of noise reduction again. So by the time I had my shot it was too late for a do-over. So this is it, I only got to take one photo and this is what I got, so I hope it worked out.

It's also noteworthy that the fog last night was insane, even for a San Francisco local. On the drive home there were times when I couldn't see the road in front of me, only the orange reflectors in the middle of the road (for about 60ft). It worked out beautifully for viewing the lighthouse, though I also found that if I backed away much further than this I'd lose sight of the lighthouse itself. The unfortunately consequence of all the fog was that it was almost impossible to keep the lens and camera dry, so the lesson learned was to always keep towels with you when shooting the California coast.

And in case you're wondering, that is the moon in the upper left.

AquaMaker – Generating Water from Air!

The Houston based Company AquaMaker aims to address two pressing global problems – the growing shortage in fresh water sources and the increasing pollution of these water sources.

The AquaMaker AM10 has an air filter that removes and oxidizes compounds from contaminated air. The bio- air filter contains Ziolite (a mineral that has a micro-porous structure, and is therefore often used in water filters), coated with a solution of Oxychloride. The minerals utilize the principles of chelating, effectively destroying organic life forms and micro organisms present in the air. When air passes through the filter, target pollutants diffuse into the ziolite, as absorption and instantaneous oxidation occur.

The AM10 features a digital display microcomputer that is easy to read and ensures the system is working properly. Electronic sensors are attached to different parts of the machine in order to alert the owner of scheduled maintenance check-ups and of performance irregularities.

In order to save energy, the AM10 automatically stops producing water when it has reached its storage capacity. The built-in air filter not only cleans its air intake in order to generate pure water, but also returns clean air to the environment. The AM10 is designed to prevent the growth of bacteria and provides a continuous effective protective agent in the water. The machine operates quietly thanks to a fan system that reduces noise during water production.

According to AquaMaker, because the AM10 converts the humidity in the air into water, it can work practically anywhere in the world, even the desert (although with reduced efficiency, of course). Currently, the company offers relatively large (water cooler sized) models starting at $1,200. These machines can produce about 36 liters of water within 48 hours. AquaMaker is planning on releasing a much smaller countertop model for home use in the near future (no price given at this stage).