European Union Wind Power Capacity Reaches 100 GW!

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The European Union?s installed wind power capacity has reached a milestone ? the 100 gigawatt (GW) mark. That?s the equivalent of the electricity generated by 39 nuclear power plants, or ?a train of coal stretching from Buenos Aires to Brussels.? There are financial risks that are threatening this growth though, according to industry body EWEA.

?We have just in the past couple of weeks passed 100 gigawatts of total installed capacity in Europe,? Christian Kjaer, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association is quoted as saying.

?We have been adding about 10 gigawatts per year for a couple of years and it will be around the same this year,? he added. ?Whether that will continue in 2013, I can?t say. There?s too much political uncertainty.?
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The wind power industry is very capital-intensive, so after banks recently ?shortened the maturity of loans and increased costs for lenders,? it?s now facing challenges, Kjaer said, according to a Reuters news report.

In order to counter this, wind power companies are now looking for additional funding through ?long-term investors, including pension funds and insurers to make up the shortfall.?

And happening at the same time, the recent economic crisis in the European Union has been leading to significant changes in government policies to do with the funding of renewable energy.

Recent growth in wind power in the EU this year includes 400 megawatts (MW) developed by DONG Energy off the coast of Denmark, and 48 MW developed by EDF Energies Nouvelles Polska in Poland, EWEA said.

So far, the majority for installed wind power has been onshore wind, but the rapidly emerging large-scale offshore wind sector can potentially double the current 100 gigawatts very fast,? once it solves its financing and grid issues.

Currently, the industry cost estimates for installing offshore are at least 2 times higher than onshore, ?3-4 million euros per megawatt, compared with around 1.2-1.4 million euros for onshore.?

In order to stimulate future investment, EWEA is pushing the European Commission and its member states to ?agree on a policy beyond the existing target of a 20 percent share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. It also wants to ensure major investment in the European grid, as part of a single energy market, in which supplies can easily cross national borders.?

Source: Reuters
Image Credits: Wind Turbines and Turbines?via Wikimedia Commons

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Source: http://feeds.importantmedia.org/~r/IM-cleantechnica/~3/x48NSKksmQg/

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Self-driving cars are approaching fast — and safely

Having a hard time parallel parking? Press a button on a touch screen and let the car park itself.

Want to stay a safe distance from the car ahead while traveling 65 mph? Switch on adaptive cruise control and let a radar-linked computer handle the accelerator, slowing and speeding your vehicle to keep pace.

The assisted-driving technologies that just a few years ago seemed so futuristic are already here, bringing the auto industry one step closer to a George Jetson-like world where drivers may no longer have to drive.

"We are looking at science fiction becoming reality in a self-driving car," Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday when he signed a bill that would allow self-driving cars on California's roads.

Although that might be some years off, automakers already are pouring millions of dollars into systems that hand more control of a vehicle to a complex network of sensors and computers. Features such as collision avoidance systems that sense a potential crash and trigger the brakes or an alert that tells drivers they are wandering into adjacent lanes are making their way into more cars every year.

Industry, traffic and insurance experts believe that the advances are beginning to transform driving in a way that will reduce accidents and injuries.

"This is the future," said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Vehicles are designed to protect people when crashes happen, but it would be even better to prevent crashes from happening altogether."

Drivers are just beginning to experience these new features, and it's not always without a hitch.

That's what happened when Los Angeles attorney Randy Garrou test-drove the "intelligent parking assist" feature in a Toyota Prius v hybrid. The system backed the station wagon into a lamppost.

"If that had been a human, the person would have been wiped out," said Garrou, who along with the salesman escaped injury. The experience left him thinking that such autonomous driving features "aren't ready for prime time."

An occasional glitch isn't stopping the auto industry and technology companies from speeding into the self-driving car segment.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin said autonomous cars could be functional and safe for operation on public streets within a few years. Think autopilot.

But the concept of handing over the steering wheel to a computer is making some people ill at ease.

"It freaks me out," said Michael Sigman, a writer and music publisher who lives in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles. "It is totally fascinating, and I would like to see how they work, but the idea of thousands and millions of people 'not' driving around in these things is very scary."

Despite the uneasiness, there is some evidence that the early autonomous driving functions are already improving safety.

Volvo's City Safety, a low-speed forward collision avoidance system, is one feature that has been shown to be effective. The system is designed to help a driver avoid rear-ending another vehicle in slow-moving traffic.

The Highway Loss Data Institute compared insurance claims for the 2010 Volvo XC60 SUVs equipped with a forward collision avoidance system with claims for other 2009-10 mid-size luxury SUVs that don't have the technology. The Volvos had 27% fewer property damage liability claims. They also had fewer claims for bodily injury.

Acura and Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with other types of collision avoidance systems that work at higher speeds had 14% fewer damage claims than those that didn't have the technology, according to an institute study.

The auto insurance industry estimates that if all passenger vehicles were equipped with just four sensor-based alert systems ? forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot detection and adaptive headlights that pivot in the direction of travel based on steering wheel movement ? about 1 in 3 fatal crashes and 1 out of 5 injury crashes could be prevented or have their severity lessened.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/AjYVDjAEf0M/la-fi-autos-self-driving-cars-20120930,0,2896312.story

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Fire damages Vallejo mayor's law office

Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis watched as firefighters battled a?two-alarm fire at his downtown law office early this morning in Vallejo,?according to a Vallejo police lieutenant.

Vallejo fire Battalion Chief Paige Meyer said the fire started at?about 1:30 a.m. at the law office located at 410 Tuolumne St., just across?the street from the Solano County Superior Court, and that fire officials are?investigating it as arson.

The fire was 50 percent involved when firefighters arrived at the?scene. The fire damaged a waiting room and an office area before it was fully?extinguished at about 1:45 a.m., Meyer said.

Fire inspectors are on scene this morning and a full investigation?is underway, Meyer said.

Copyright ? 2012 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/baycitynews/article/Arson-suspected-in-Vallejo-mayor-s-law-office-fire-3904850.php

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Belfast Covenant parade begins peacefully

A contentious Unionist parade passed a Catholic church in Belfast went
off without incident, but residents have accused the marchers of
breaking rules.

More than 2,000 Orangemen from north Belfast lodges were surrounded by a heavy police presence as they marched towards City Hall to take part in a massive loyal order parade to mark the centenary of the signing of the pro-Union Ulster Covenant.

An estimated 30,000 marchers are taking part in the Orange Order march - from the City Hall to the grounds of the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont in east Belfast.

Unionists agreed with the Parades Commission to play only hymns along Donegall Street - from the Carrick Hill junction to Royal Avenue - as they passed St Patrick's Church near the city centre.

Locals had requested that no music be played outside the church.

The place of worship has been the scene of disorder at points during the summer after a band was accused of playing sectarian music outside it on July 12.

Protesters and residents claimed the bands breached the rules set by the Parades Commission by playing the most famous Unionist anthem - The Sash - before reaching the end of the stretch.

Carrick Hill Residents Association chairman Frank Dempsey said they had flouted the rules.

"That determination has been smashed," said Mr Dempsey.

"Some of the bands, yes, they did stick by it, there's no problem there. But a number of them bands broke that."

The local man insisted he was not nitpicking over the rules set by the commission.

"You saw the way they danced there with the drum and that's supposed to be a hymn," he said.

But, Father Michael Sheehan, administrator of St Patrick's, said while some of the bands beat their drums exuberantly, he believed they showed respect during the 20-minute march outside the church.

He insisted the talks with the Parades Commission had been fruitful, saying continued dialogue was needed to avoid future trouble.

"They marched with dignity down the road," added Fr Sheehan.

"I think a degree of respect was shown that hasn't been shown before."

Lodges including the Pride of Ardoyne and Pride of the Shore played Abide With Me and Onward Christian Soldiers, as spectators looked on.

Police were on high alert, with up to 50 Land Rovers stationed along the flashpoint at St Patrick's.

The massive parade will finish at Stormont with a cultural festival held to commemorate the 1912 proclamation against plans for Home Rule in Ireland.

Other contentious sections of the participants' journeys to and from the main meeting point at Stormont will also be monitored by police.

The commission has also placed the sacred music restriction on those bands that will pass St Matthew's Catholic Church in Newtownards Road close to Stormont.

Politicians from across the political divide have appealed for calm at the event which is set to be one of the biggest loyal order parades seen in Belfast.

PA

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3496/s/23f282d8/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cuk0Chome0Enews0Cbelfast0Ecovenant0Eparade0Ebegins0Epeacefully0E8190A6630Bhtml/story01.htm

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Bristol Palin Weight Loss: Dancing With the Stars Contender Then & Now!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/09/bristol-palin-weight-loss-dancing-with-the-stars-contender-then-/

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Yemen: thousands demand retrieval of stolen assets

SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? Thousands have taken to the streets of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, demanding the recovery of assets they say were stolen under the country's former authoritarian ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The protesters marched to demand return of millions of dollars they allege Saleh and his family stole during his years in power. Saleh, known as a wealthy ruler who led one of the Arab world's poorest countries, stepped down after a yearlong popular uprising which forced him to relinquish power in return for immunity from prosecution.

The Friday protests come a week after several nations backing Yemen's political transition pushed for sanctions against Saleh loyalists and other groups for undermining the country's shift to democracy. The non-military sanctions include freezing financial assets or travel ban.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-thousands-demand-retrieval-stolen-assets-174721267.html

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Nigerian LNG Heads for Portugal>> LNG World News

Port of Sines in Portugal is scheduled to receive a shipment of LNG from Nigeria on September 29, according to the Port of Sines website.

The?160,276 cbm Malanje LNG tanker is sailing from Nigerian Bonny terminal.

The terminal is held by REN Atl?ntico and has a nominal send out capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per hour (5.26 bcm per year), with a peak capacity of 900,000 cubic meters per hour.

LNG World News Staff, September 28, 2012; Image: Teekay

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Source: http://www.lngworldnews.com/nigerian-lng-heads-for-portugal-6/

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New strategy to drive European business and government ...

The European Commission?s new strategy for ?Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe? outlines actions to deliver a net gain of 2.5 million new European jobs, and an annual boost of EUR 160 billion to EU GDP (around 1%), by 2020. The strategy is designed to speed up and increase the use of cloud computing across the economy. ?Cloud computing? refers to the storage of data (such as text files, pictures and video) and software on remote computers, which users access over the internet on the device of their choice. This is faster, cheaper, more flexible and potentially more secure than on-site IT solutions. Many popular services such as Facebook, Spotify and web-based email use cloud computing technologies but the real economic benefits come through widespread use of cloud solutions by businesses and the public sector.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2012 at 10:15 am and is filed under EU Commission. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://blog.albionalliance.org.uk/2012/09/new-strategy-to-drive-european-business-and-government-productivity-via-cloud-computing/

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"Cheers": The Day Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson Ditched and Did Shrooms

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Starring on the classic sitcom "Cheers" brought lots of joy to Ted Danson - but ditching work once led to what he calls "the worst day of my life."

In a fantastic oral history of the NBC series in the new GQ, Danson says he once played hooky with Woody Harrelson, George Wendt, and John Ratzenberger.

"Shelley and Rhea were carrying that week's episode, and the guys were just, ?Let's play hooky.' We'd never done anything wrong before. John had a boat, so we met at Marina del Rey at 8 A.M. We all called in sick, and Jimmy caught on and was so pissed."

"Woody and I were already stoned, and Woody said, ?You want to try some mushrooms?' I'd never had them, so I'm handed this bag and I took a fistful," Danson continued. "On our way to Catalina, we hit the tail end of a hurricane, and even people who were sober were getting sick. Woody and I thought we were going to die for three hours. I sat next to George, and every sixty seconds or so he'd poke me and go, ?Breathe.' And I'd come back to life."

Danson and Harrelson weren't the only ones who overindulged, according to producer Dan Shannon, now an executive producer on "Modern Family." He said Kelsey Grammer would "ooze into the studio, his life all out of sorts."

"Jimmy would say ?Action,' and he would snap into Frasier and expound in this very erudite dialogue and be pitch-perfect," Shannon said. "And Jimmy would yell ?Cut!' and he would ooze back into Kelsey - glazed-over eyes, half asleep, going through whatever he was going through. It was the most amazing transformation I've ever seen."

Long also talked to the magazine about how the show kept the will-they-or-won't-they dynamic alive between her character, Diane, and Danson's Sam.

"Our audience was so tuned in to every move, because the flirting between Sam and Diane during the first season was totally outrageous," she said. "There was talk about 'Would it be right to advance the relationship, or could that condemn the relationship?' I put my two cents in - big surprise - and said, 'In a real relationship, you take two steps forward, one step back. So just because we take two steps forward and get all the benefit from that doesn't mean we can't go back or to the side.' Ultimately, that's what worked."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cheers-day-ted-danson-woody-harrelson-ditched-did-231859605.html

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?To Whom Are You Referring?? vs. ?Who are you talking about ...

Sep 27, 2012

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I make the bulk of my living as a corporate copywriter and freelancer. That means I spend a lot of time writing spam and junk mail.

Oh, I could tell you I write ?marketing collateral? or I ?develop B 2B and B2C messaging campaigns? but unless you?re actually in marketing and advertising, that?s probably not going to mean much to you. But when I say, ?spam? and ?junk mail? general folks I bump into on the street instantly know what I?m talking about. We have a baseline. I can refine from there.

I was thinking about the ways people talk recently when I received some feedback about one of my projects. Someone pointed out that the grammar of the subject line in an email I wrote was incorrect.

The original was something along the lines of: ?Found who you?re looking for??

As most copyeditor folks and even some high falutin? writers will tell you, that sentence commits a number of sins. If that sentence were written in a grammatically correct way, it would read: ?Have you found the person for whom you are looking??

Catchy, isn?t it? Obviously, I should have used that one.

Right?

?Have you found the person for whom you are looking?? may be grammatically correct, but it fails to do what I need it to do. As an email subject line, it?s too long. It also?sounds awkward and off-putting, distancing. It uses a ?high? narrative language that implies I?m speaking down to somebody, and that?s not my intent -?I want to speak in a simple,?relatable way.

Yes, I thought about this.

Writing the way people talk, in a way they?ll find accessible, is as much a writing skill as ?knowing the rules.? I make the same sorts of tough choices in my fiction writing, too. My characters use references pertinent to their world and worldview, education and training. Having a good ear for the way people talk ? without being a literal transcriptionist (cause whoa boy nobody would understand a thing) is a great skill for a writer.

Most people don?t speak in a grammatically correct way. In fact, when we hear grammatically correct stuff like, ?Discover the?teacher for whom you are looking,? it sounds a little funny. That?s because it often doesn?t gel with our internal grammar. Our internal grammarian is always going to be a jump ahead of the printed ?rules.?

How many words do you use every day that aren?t even in the dictionary? How many times have you used the word ?whom? this week? I spend a lot of time thinking about?the audience?I?m writing for, and how those folks are used to communicating with people. Again, this pertains to fiction, too. There?s a reason that there are more people reading simply-written books with?solid but simple stories?than purple-prose doorstoppers.

That?s not to say I?m against lovely language ? I prefer weird, gorgeous language, myself- but my fiction audiences and my freelancing/corporate audiences are very different, and I write differently for each.

When writers tell you to ?learn all the rules? and then break them,? grammar is one of those rules. You should know what you?re supposed to say, sure ? because then you can make a conscious choice to actually say what you mean in a way your audience will understand.

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Source: http://www.kameronhurley.com/to-whom-are-you-referring-vs-who-are-you-talking-about-writing-the-way-that-people-talk/

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Escarole Soup

With apologies to my dear, departed Josephine, this is the best escarole soup ever made. And she has no one to blame but herself. I would have happily used her recipe, doing my best to master her method and technique. One Christmas when I was in my late twenties I gave my grandmother a scrapbook/journal and asked her to archive our family history. I felt sure this was a very clever project and a thoughtful gift. My grandmother lived alone, was nostalgic, bored and lonely for the past. I thought it would give her something to fill her days and the result would be this amazing compilation of pictures, recipes and memories recorded for posterity. But she never did. Maybe it was too heavy, too daunting, too hard. Or maybe she was too busy watching the Yankees/Lady Huskies with the volume turned down. I?m afraid I?ll never know.

This was the soup we had for our large extended family holiday dinners, made by my grandmother and her mother before her, my eighty-year-old, wig-wearing Noni. On Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Sunday my mother?s cousins, their parents and kids would gather inside a house crammed with long tables covered in a patchwork of mismatched cloths. Many generations consuming many courses over many hours and jugs of cheap Chianti. First, the antipasto. Orange slices, celery and olives, marinating in sardine-infused olive oil. Stinky table cheese and salami. Myriad loaves of sliced Italian bread. Escarole soup was second ? greens with mini meatballs and orzo. Then the pasta course, something baked with lots of red sauce, shells or ziti, occasionally lasagna. Finally, when you were too full to move much less ingest any more food, came the traditional American fare: turkey, peas, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, and salad. By the time dessert was suggested the smaller children were were playing olive hockey over the big bellies of snoozing uncles. At some point a box of cookies and canolli from Del Prete Bakery would be put out and grazed on, but mostly the afternoon passed with people playing Pokeno and watching old slides and silent home movies on the screen brought up from the basement.

Maybe my grandma knew that a recipe had to evolve. That it could be written down but never replicated. Times would change, with slight variations in ingredients, kitchen tools, and environmental factors. These external elements cannot be controlled and mean that even working from the recipe written in her beautiful script, I would still never make her soup. I have to make my own soup in my own time. Informed by memory but inevitably a new creation. It?s also true that this is peasant food. Made by hand and from heart. Maybe there never was a recipe and she figured it out as she went every time, cooking with what she had and how she felt. It?s certain that this sort of thing is way open to interpretation and improvisation. Add a Parmesan rind, fresh herbs, or slightly beaten egg at will.

I suggest playing the Pandora station ?Mambo Italiano? for finger-snapping inspiration from Dino, Louis Prima, and Rosemary Clooney, This soup tastes best on a rainy day. It doesn?t have to be a holiday. Make a big batch to last all week, to warm up after work, to eat while you read a magazine and drink a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. You can labor over the traditional tiny meatballs if you are so inclined, but I found that thinly sliced chicken sausage ? the spinach and garlic kind ? works well and makes it quick to make on a rainy weekday morning. So this is my own version of classic comfort food, flavors that get imbedded in your unconscious and stay there forever. This one is for my great-grandmother, Anna Falco, the meanest, most matronly matriarch I ever met.

Escarole Soup

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup carrot, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 heads escarole, thoroughly washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 chicken sausage links, thinly sliced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water

Method:

In a large soup pot over medium heat saute onions, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. When the vegetables are glossy, add the escarole, rice, sausage, broth and water. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low; cook for an hour, until the greens are wilted and the rice is creamy. Serve with crusty bread and table wine.

Tagged as: italian, rice, soup, vegetables

About the Author: Jillian Bedell

Jillian grew up in Connecticut, went to university in Boston, college in New Haven, did some post-grad soul searching in New York, exiled herself to Mexico, married her longtime sweetheart, and lived in a house on the ocean. She suspected Maine might be the perfect place to raise a family, so she came back home to New England two years ago. Now a mom to Violet Maeve and living in Rockland, where she hopes to settle for a good, long while, Jillian reads, writes, walks, and practices Nia, when not watching Malcolm photograph sandwiches.

Source: http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/escarole-soup

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Google makes turning on two-step authentication even easier

You're really starting to run out of reasons to not use Google's two-step authentication. An update today to the Google Authenticator application adds the ability to turn on two-step authentication without having to scan a QR code or re-enter your password on the device. Quickier, easier, and more important than ever, folks.

If you've yet to turn on two-step authentication, you need to do so today. (And you'll also want this app.)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/JpYfFprD01E/story01.htm

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Recreation Note - The Sports Desk

The Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association and Chesterfield United Soccer Club will host the Washington Invitational youth tournament beginning next August at FASA?s new fields complex in Spotsylvania.
Organizers hope the event, which replaces FASA?s Fredericksburg Cup tournament, will draw hundreds of teams from across the East Coast.
FASA?s 10 natural-grass fields at the New Post facility (at the intersection of Routes 2 and 17) are nearly completed and may be put into use this fall.

?Staff report

Source: http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/sports/2012/09/27/recreation-note/

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Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Fitness ... - MH West & Co., Inc.

To recognize Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones is encouraging Richmond residents to join more than 1.1 million people across the nation taking a fitness break at 10 a.m. today.

The inaugural National Just-A-Minute World Record Initiative is designed to raise awareness of the importance of incorporating physical activity into a child?s daily routine. The campaign also wants to ensure children learn healthy habits at a young age and that the nation?s schools offer quality physical education programs.

Across the nation, community members will come together to do a one-minute fitness routine, which is featured on the Jam World Record?s website, JamWorldRecord.org. In Richmond, the routine will be led by a Zumba instructor for Richmond Public Schools.

The mayor?s Healthy Richmond campaign, Let?s Move! Richmond, Richmond Public Schools, Richmond City Health District and Greater Richmond Fit4Kids will participate in the event. It will be held at 9:45 a.m. at the Marshall Plaza Courtyard, 900 E. Marshall St. The mayor will not be attending.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2012 at 9:01 am and is filed under Events, National News, Richmond News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.mhwest.com/2012/09/27/childhood-obesity-awareness-month-fitness-break-at-10am-today

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You asked, they answered: Ron Mooney, School Board candidate ...

1. Turnover of principals at Wood, Lincoln, Encinal and other schools have been high, how important do you think stable leadership is for schools?

I believe effective leadership is very important at each school site, and stability is a crucial part of that. As a parent of students that have attended two listed sites and as a Board member, I realize the difficulty in finding leadership that fits each sites with all the expected skills. While turnover can be frustrating in the short term, I believe it is more important to find the best leaders, whom we can support and develop for long-term leadership.

2. Describe your understanding of how Measure A funds have been allocated and what steps will you take to restore confidence in the voters who are angry about the way the funds generated by Measure A have been used?

Measure A funds have been allocated, and spent, exactly the way the ballot measure was stated. (Maintaining Small Class Sizes for grades K-3; Maintaining High Quality Neighborhood Elementary Schools; Secondary School Choice Initiative and AP Courses; Programs to Close the Achievement Gap; High School Athletics Programs; Enrichment Programs; Attract and Retain Excellent Teachers; Counseling and Student Support Services; Alameda Charter Schools; Technology; Adult Education)

It is frustrating to see intentional miss-statements about our spending and we try to correct them as best we can. By issuing regular reports, advising the stakeholders and news outlets of our financial picture including Measure A budgeting and actual spending, I hope we can communicate to all the facts to the community.

3. What criteria would you use to determine if a teacher was effective or ineffective, and based on that criteria, what should be done to ensure that the district only employs effective teachers.

This already is a subject of debate in the State and part of negotiations. We must agree on/find multiple fair measures to use on a consistent basis in order to determine effectiveness. These criteria must take into account the different styles and types of professional education strategies, not just have a single focus. Using agreed upon criteria, all staff will need to be trained, coached and evaluated in order to have the most effective teachers for our children. Using Master Teachers and administration, we should support the few ineffective teachers that we may have so that they may become more effective. I would encourage anyone to request a visit to our schools to see the wonderful teachers we have every day in Alameda!

4. What criteria would you use to determine if AUSD administration staff was effective or ineffective, and based on that criteria, what should be done to ensure that the district only employs effective administrators.

Very similar to teachers, administration evaluations need to involve fair and multiple measures that can be used on a consistent basis to determine effectiveness. These criteria must take into account the different styles and types of professional education strategies, as well as management skills need for the specific jobs. Using agreed upon criteria all staff will need to be trained, coached and evaluated to have the most effective administrators for our staff, children and community. Again, using managers and coaches we should support our staff to make sure we have only effective administrators.

5. If elected, what will you do to be proactive about securing adequate funding for our children? What outside-of-the-box ideas do you have to force the politicians to adequately fund our schools now?

I urge all to vote and actively support Propositions 30 and 38.

Unfortunately it seems that we must rely on the Courts to force Sacramento to change the way our schools are funded. That is what happened decades ago, and what AUSD and other districts are trying to do now with the Robles-Wong lawsuit. The reality is that it will be a long process, much too long, but hopefully in the coming years there will be some action by the Court or legislature to actual have some logic to the system and then adequate funding may follow.
Until the State economic picture dramatically improves, we need to continue to protect our schools with local funding. I have been advocating, working and volunteering for local funding for all of my time in Alameda, From the Alameda Education Foundation to PTA. Since 2000 I have given my best efforts to lead our parcel tax efforts to inform voters and the public about our needs, the funding from the State and the balance we must have to achieve the minimum education our students deserve. I meet with our State representatives, fellow local board members and advocates for education. I will continue those efforts, inside and outside of the system.

6. What single educational program and/or improvement will you push or recommend to better AUSD and describe the program and/or improvement.

Our public education system is complex especially across a K-12 district. Implementation of the Master Plan is what I am pushing for and is discussed in the next question.

7. In 2010, AUSD adopted a Master Plan, explain your understanding of the Master Plan and AUSD?s implementation of the stated goals.

I am proud that we established the Master Plan. It was a main goal of mine during the 2008 election, and I am proud that we held the many workshops around Alameda to discuss our public school system and what we wanted for our community. We have begun the implementation of the Master Plan in many ways, but still need to keep our focus on doing it well. The means reviewing and reporting progress as well as adjusting implementation, if needed.

The Master Plan called for neighborhood schools with innovative programs, holding high expectations of students and staff, ensuring we operate efficiently as possible and increasing local funding. These items were split into 8 areas where we have created Goals and Strategies for the coming years. This link http://www.alameda.k12.ca.us/images/stories/pdfs/master_plan/master_plan_2011-2015_table_document.pdf has them laid out for easy review.

We have already worked on increasing the efficiency of the Central Office. In addition, this year started the innovative programs at elementary schools (including the opening of the Maya Lin School), we have created the 10 Steps to Success goals, a reporting structure and of course passed Measure A thanks to so many community members stepping up to discuss the need and vote for our program.

8. As an elected official what is your specific role in promoting civic engagement as opposed to staff?s role?

My role is to make sure that we communicate as widely as possible the information regarding the school district to all stakeholders. To do this we must make sure policies are in place to give clear direction to staff, tools are available for efficient transmission and availability of information and to make sure staff is explaining the complexities of the numerous issues in as plain (non-technical) language as possible. We must have high expectations that our Superintendent, administrators and principals will help and lead the community engagement at their sites and throughout the District.

9. Who is funding your campaign and which groups and individuals have endorsed your candidacy?

I am funding my own campaign at this point, have not asked for groups to support me financially. My endorsements will be up on my website: www.ronmooney.net

Bonus Question: There are multiple seats available in the races for City Council, the School Board and the Hospital Board. Besides yourself, who will you be voting for in your race and why?

I will be voting for Niel Tam for School Board as over the past four years I have come to admire his quiet thoughtful and deep questioning of what our vision and goals are, need to be and where we are heading. His knowledge of the District, coming from over 40 years as a teacher and administrator provides such valuable information and at times contrast. I highly value his point of view and collaboration.

I will be voting for Mike Robles-Wong for School Board. I have seen Mike?s leadership to look at issues, ask deep questions, look for other views and then build consensus. His many years of experience, both work and civic, makes me confident he would be a fine member of the board.

Source: http://laurendo.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/you-asked-they-answered-ron-mooney-school-board-candidate/

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Video: Species facing facial cancer threat gets boost

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/49180845#49180845

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Samsung has already patched 'dirty USSD' vulnerability for Galaxy S III

If you were worried about stumbling onto a malicious website and accidentally wiping your Samsung Galaxy S III or other TouchWiz smartphone or slate, you can probably breathe easy. It's likely you already have firmware on your device which isn't vulnerable to the so-called dirty USSD code, and if not, you can download it now, according to Samsung. The company issued the following statement on the matter: "We would like to assure our customers that the recent security issue concerning the Galaxy S III has already been resolved through a software update. We recommend all Galaxy S III customers download the latest software update, which can be done quickly and easily via the Over-The-Air (OTA) service." It turns out we couldn't reproduce the bug earlier as we already had the latest update, and you should probably check to see that you do, as well. Meanwhile, we're also checking to see if other Touchwiz devices have been patched, so don't forget to watch what you click.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile

Samsung has already patched 'dirty USSD' vulnerability for Galaxy S III originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/26/samsung-patched-dirty-USSD-vulnerability/

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This Hat Will Never Lose Its Shape Because It Cannot Be Crushed [Fashion]

The Crushable Baseball Cap is designed to hold its shape no matter where you put it, cram it, fold it, crush it and so forth. Any amount of abuse and it's still going to look like a baseball cap. If you've tried to pack your hats before, you'd know how deformed, dented and even demented those hats can get after a long trip. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-NB0xl3WXN4/this-hat-will-never-lose-its-shape-because-it-cannot-be-crushed

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Christina Applegate ?Just Transitioned Out of Maternity Jeans?

"I?m working on two years and I haven?t even lost all my weight," the Up All Night star says.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/o45F1RcRK7Q/

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WFDD: Looking back, forward | News Center | Wake Forest University

Published: ? September 26, 2012

By Stephanie Skordas Office of Communications and External Relations

WFDD held its annual Radio Camp for area students this summer.

Chances are, you?ve heard WFDD?s programming, but don?t know much about the local NPR affiliate?s history at Wake Forest.

Find out more about that history in an Old Gold and Black profile of the radio station, plus learn about how they are teaching middle school students how to listen, and find out more about an upcoming event that looks at communication technology in the classroom:

Technology in the classroom

This week WFDD, the Wake Forest Department of Political Science and the Forsyth Education Partnership will host ?Cyber Communication in the Classroom: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.? Featuring Ananda Mitra, whose study of ?narbs? (narrative bits of social media), and NPR blogger Omar Gallega, the goal is an in-depth conversation about the benefits and pitfalls of technology use in the classroom.

The event will be held Sept. 27?in Brendle Recital Hall from 7-8:30 p.m. It is free to the public, but registration is encouraged here: http://forsythedpartnership.org/programs/community/cyber-communications-forum/

A look back at WFDD?s storied history

By Yasmin Bendaas, Old Gold & Black
In 1946, at the university?s old campus, three students named Henry Randall, Alva E. Parris and James H. Hampton illegally started a radio station called W-A-K-E broadcasting from a student room.?Two years later, while the station received a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, the students learned that there already was a W-A-K-E and they changed the station name to ?WFDD,? standing for Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Read more in the Old Gold & Black ?

Sounds like learning

By Kory Riemensperger, Intern, Office of Communications and External Relations
The ring of a wind chime ? the chirping of birds ? the start of a car?s engine. Noises like these might blend into the background and go unnoticed for many people. But, to the ten children enrolled in 88.5 WFDD?s summer radio camp, these ?natural sounds? function as the first building blocks in producing a proper radio segment.

Read more in the Wake Forest News Center ?

Source: http://news.wfu.edu/2012/09/26/wfdd-looking-back-forward/

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Cincinnati Insurance Consolidates Executive Oversight of Insurance ...

Jacob F. Scherer, executive vice president of The Cincinnati Insurance Company since 2008, was named chief insurance officer.

His executive oversight responsibility for the insurance subsidiaries is expanded to include personal lines and reinsurance in addition to business insurance.

The company is consolidating under Scherer the responsibility for strategic oversight of multiple departments handling property casualty insurance sales, marketing, underwriting and related field services.

Scherer?s 28 years with Cincinnati and 38 years of service in the insurance industry include experience in sales and agency relationship management, field marketing and underwriting, life insurance marketing, agency perpetuation planning and management of a family-owned independent insurance agency.

The company also announced that Thomas A. Joseph, CPCU, is leaving the company today after 35 years of service. Joseph was senior vice president in charge of personal lines operations for The Cincinnati Insurance Company and president of The Cincinnati Casualty Company since 2008.

?

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Source: Cincinnati Financial Corporation

Source: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2012/09/25/214134.htm

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UK stocks drop back on growth, euro zone concerns

LONDON Sept 26 (Reuters) - Britain's leading share index dropped back

sharply on Wednesday, tracking a reversal on Wall Street and losses overnight in

Asia, pressured by global growth worries and signs that Spain's economic crisis

is worsening.

At 0711 GMT, the FTSE 100 index was down 50.93 points, or 0.9

percent, at 5,808.78, having gained 0.4 percent on Tuesday in tandem with an

early advance on Wall Street following upbeat U.S. data.

However, U.S. blue chips turned around late on, shedding 0.8 percent,

while the broader S&P 500 suffered its worst day since June as investors

focused back on growth concerns ahead of the end of the third-quarter and start

of the next corporate earnings season.

Concerns over the euro zone debt crisis were also to the fore once again.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday said he was ready to seek

a new rescue package for his troubled country but only if its debt financing

costs remain too high for too long.

(Reporting by Jon Hopkins; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-stocks-drop-back-growth-euro-zone-concerns-071350301--sector.html

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Fish Oil Supplement Research Remains Murky

Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids are important parts of a healthy diet, but supplement studies have numerous sampling problems

By Melinda Wenner Moyer

Fishy Findings: Omega-3 Supplement Research Remains Inconclusive Image: flickr/hitthatswitch

If you've been following the media trail on fish oil lately, you've probably been tempted to forgo the smelly capsules. A systematic review of 20 studies published last week in JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that neither eating extra helpings of fish nor taking fish oil supplements reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack or death. In June a review of studies published on behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration, an independent, not-for-profit organization that promotes evidence-based decision-making, concluded that fish oil pills fail to prevent or treat cognitive decline. And a 2011 meta-analysis by Yale University researchers debunked the idea that omega-3s alleviate depression. These proclamations run counter to what we have been told about fish and fish oil for decades. So why is the consensus changing? Is it time for us to toss out our pills for good?

Not necessarily. Although it's true that early research on fish oil seemed far more promising?one 1999 trial, for instance, reported that people who took omega-3 pills were 10 percent less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die from cardiac disease than people who did not?some researchers think that recent negative findings reveal more about us than they do about fish oil. Omega-3 pills may be beneficial for certain people but not for others, they say, and existing studies may not account for individual differences.

There's no question that polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids?the technical name for the good fats found in fish and fish oil?are important parts of a healthy diet. Our bodies can't make them, yet we need them to survive, as they form part of our cell membranes. Although the mechanism by which they might prevent heart disease, cognitive decline and depression isn't well understood, research suggests that they reduce blood pressure and inflammation and that they increase brain blood flow and give neurons structural strength.

And no one questions the World Health Organization's recommendation (pdf) that pregnant and nursing women should consume at least 300 milligrams of omega-3s daily to boost fetal brain development. "That [benefit] has been clearly demonstrated in trials," says Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at Harvard University, who studies fish oil.

But for other adults, the health benefits of supplementing have become much harder to gauge. That's in part because many of us get lots of these good fats from our diet anyway: According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, per capita fish consumption has doubled (pdf) since 1961, and "more consumption doesn't really add much bang for your buck," Mozaffarian says. In other words, adding more omega-3s to an already omega-3?rich diet does not do much good, a fact that could help explain why recent studies have been more equivocal than studies from several decades ago, when fish was less popular. "We have no evidence from populations whose dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids may be low and who may therefore benefit from supplementation," says Alan Dangour, head of the nutrition group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and co-author of the recent Cochrane review. In addition, preliminary research suggests that certain ethnic groups?such as Japanese and Italians?may benefit more from omega-3 supplements than others, perhaps in part because of how well their bodies absorb the fats.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=fc88a2ebca663ed105a5d30af5dc1b46

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Tesla unveils faster electric car charging station

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tesla-unveils-faster-electric-car-charging-station-034050921--finance.html

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Pandas Become Diplomatic Casualties

It was supposed to be a goodwill gesture.

After the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of her Japanese city last year, Sendai Mayor Emiko Okuyama asked Beijing if it would loan a pair of giant pandas to the local Yagiyama Zoo to cheer up young kids in the Tohoku region.

In a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, China's Premier Wen Jiabao said he would strongly consider it.

Yet, a year later, that panda diplomacy has been stalled by an escalating dispute between China and Japan over the uninhabited Senkaku or Diaoyu islands. Michiya Ujiie, who is spearheading Sendai's efforts, says he has not spoken with his Chinese counterparts in months.

"Neither side has suggested suspending the exchange altogether," Ujiie said. "But under these circumstances, I don't expect to get a call at all."

Sendai residents aren't so eager now to accept accepting China's national treasures. Ujiie said the city has received dozens of emails from residents urging officials to halt the panda luring efforts, saying Sendai should not negotiate with a country that holds so much animosity towards Japan.

City officials hoped to firm up plans to bring the pandas to Sendai at an event marking the 40 th anniversary of normalization between Japan and China this month, but Beijing cancelled the celebration.

This isn't the first time the cuddly creatures have been dragged into diplomatic disputes.

In June, nationalist Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara quipped the newly born panda cub at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo should be named "Sen-sen" or "Kaku-kaku," referring to the Japanese name for the disputed islands, Senkaku. China calls the rocks Diaoyu.

The cub died six days later, but its body remains in a freezer on zoo grounds, nearly three months later. China maintains full ownership of the pandas it loans out, but Tokyo officials say they have not received any word from Beijing about what to do with the frozen creature.

China and Japan both claim the tiny, uninhabited archipelago in the East China Sea. Tensions between the two countries have escalated since Tokyo nationalized the islands earlier this month, setting off a wave of anti-Japanese protests throughout China.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/pandas-become-diplomatic-casualties-134031151--abc-news-topstories.html

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PA, Israel discuss developing gas off Gaza coast

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- The Palestinian Authority is negotiating with Israel for permission to develop natural gas off the coast of the Gaza Strip, Israeli and foreign diplomats said on Sunday.

Mediterranean gas could be a windfall for the PA, which operates under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and has alarmed the World Bank by sinking into fiscal crises amid shortfalls in international aid.

As envisaged in the exploratory gas talks initiated by peace envoy Tony Blair, the PA would alone levy tariffs on any eventual revenues from private pumping in Gazan waters, though breakaway Hamas Islamists govern the coastal enclave.

Israel, which keeps Gaza under a close maritime blockade, said it had held "initial negotiations" with the PA, and at its behest, about the Palestinian gas.

"Development of the Gaza Marine gas field will generate revenues that could contribute dramatically to Palestinian fiscal sustainability," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a report, published on Sunday, to world powers coordinating economic aid for the Palestinians.

PA officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Blair's spokeswoman Ruti Winterstein said he secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval in February for the negotiations and they had taken place over recent weeks.

"The (gas) field itself will take around three or four years to develop," she said, adding talks were at a preliminary stage.

Two private partners, Consolidated Contractors Company and BG Group, would develop the gas field "and hand over the royalties and the taxes to the PA under the supervision of Prime Minister Fayyad," Winterstein said.

Crying foul

Hamas, which won a Palestinian election in 2006 and sat in an uncomfortable alliance with President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction until they fought a civil war a year later, cried foul at the gas plans.

"We do not recognize any agreement reached by the Palestinian Authority regarding the gas fields off Gaza's shores, and the government in Gaza should be consulted over any agreement of this kind," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.

Blair, a former British prime minister, represents the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace brokers - the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations.

Israel has been vigorously developing its own Mediterranean gas fields in a hope for energy independence partly spurred by political instability and pipeline sabotage in neighboring Egypt, which once supplied 40 percent of its gas.

Source: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=522659

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?ran kendi internet sistemini haz?rl?yor, Google servislerini engelliyor

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?ran ?lke genelinde siber g?venli?i artt?rabilmek ad?na kendi internet sistemini haz?rlad???n? duyurdu. ?n?m?zdeki Mart ay?nda devreye girecek olan sistem ile birlikte ?ranl? internet kullan?c?lar?, s?n?rlar? h?k?met taraf?ndan belirlenen yeni bir a? altyap?s?na dahil olacak. Devlet kanal?nda a??klama yapan bakan yard?mc?s? Khoramabadi, Google'a ait arama motoru ve email hizmetlerinin de ?lke genelinde yasaklanaca??n? duyurdu. ISNA olarak bilinen ?ranl? ??renciler Haber Ajans?'na g?re, Google hizmetlerinin yasaklanmas?ndaki gerek?e, Youtube'a y?klenen ?slam kar??t? video. Bu video M?sl?man d?nyas?nda ?fke yaratm??, farkl? ?lkelerde irili ufakl? olaylara neden olmu?tu. H?k?met cephesi hen?z bu gerek?eyi do?rulam?? olmasa da ?ran'?n konudan b?y?k rahats?zl?k duydu?u ortada.

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?nternete sans?r uygulayan ?lkeler s?ralamas?nda sicili en kabar?klardan biri olarak g?sterilen ?ran'da ?ok say?da vatanda?, Facebook ve Youtube gibi sitelere gelen yasa??n arkas?nda, ?ran Cumhurba?kan? Mahmud Ahmedinejad'?n 2009 y?l?ndaki yeniden se?im s?recinde h?k?met kar??t? protestolar amac?yla kullan?m?n yatt???n? d???n?yor. Gelen filtrelemeye kar?? VPN kullanarak bu sitelere eri?im sa?layan ?ranl?lar, ?ubat ay?ndaki parlemento se?imleri ?ncesinde email ve sosyal medya sitelerine eri?imde ciddi s?k?nt?lar ya?am??t?. ?ran ?leti?im ve Teknoloji Bakan Yard?mc?s? Ali Hakim-Javadi, bug?nlerde h?k?metin t?m ajans ve ofislerinin ulusal bilgi a??na ba?land???n? s?yledi. ?kinci a?amada t?m ?ranl?lar?n bu a?a ba?lanmas? bekleniyor. ?n?m?zdeki Mart ay? ile birlikte kullan?m?na ba?lanacak yerel internet sistemi ile birlikte k?resel internet a??na eri?imin komple kesilip kesilmeyece?i ise netlik kazanmad?.

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?ran'?n siber sald?r?lara kar?? agresif ?nlemler almak istedi?i uzun s?redir biliniyor. ?zellikle 2010 y?l?nda ger?ekle?tirilen Stuxnet sald?r?s?yla Uranyum zenginle?tirme tesisinde ya?anan s?k?nt?lara ek olarak ?ran'?n ham petrol sevkiyat?nda ?nemli bir yere sahip olan Hark Adas?'n?n kontrol sisteminde vir?s tespit edildi?i de yetkililerce dile getirilmi?ti. ?ran ?leti?im ve Teknoloji Bakan? Reza Taqipou a??klamas?nda, ?ran'?n bilgi g?venli?ini sa?layabilmesi ad?na yerel a? geli?tirilmesinin gerekli oldu?unu s?ylemi?, internetin bir iki ?lkenin kontrol? alt?nda olmamas? gerekti?ini, ?nemli sorunlar da ya da krizlerde a??n g?venilir oldu?una kimsenin inanamayaca??n? dile getirmi?ti. Son olarak ge?ti?imiz May?s ay?nda ?ran, Haritalar servisinde "Basra K?rfezi" ifadesini ??kartarak ?ran ve Arap Yar?madas? aras?nda kalan denizyolunu isimsiz b?rakan Google'? dava a?makla tehdit etmi?ti. Kimi Arap ?lkeleri, Basra K?rfezi yerine Arap K?rfezi ifadesini tercih ederken, bu ?ran'?n kabul etmedi?i bir terim.?

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Source: http://www.donanimhaber.com/iran_kendi_internet_sistemini_hazirliyor_Google_servislerini_engelliyor-36452.htm

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Source: http://www.sportsaddik.com/2012/09/aerobic-exercise-low-impact.html

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Bulls coach a relieved man

Currie Cup

2012-09-23 12:54

Pine Pienaar (Gallo Images)

Pretoria - Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar was a relieved man after his side broke a losing spell against the Free State Cheetahs in Pretoria on Saturday.

Pressure was building as Pienaar?s team lost three consecutive matches before the Bulls beat the Bloemfontein side 34-30.

?I didn?t sleep much the whole week and I?m just glad I could get past tonight and I am happy for the players,? Pienaar said after the match.

?The last few weeks was hectic, especially off the field and obviously it is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.?

The Bulls had to overcome a fight-back by the Cheetahs towards the end of the match to bring some relief to the Pretoria-based side.

?The first half we really played well and our defence was really outstanding in the first half,? he said.

?In the second half, you can?t take anything away from the Cheetahs they came out and got a few opportunities and they used that and put us under immense pressure up until 81 minutes.?

The side?s defence has been a source of concern for the Bulls as their opposition easily found gaps in their defensive lines.

The Bulls have in the process dug themselves out of the last place on the Currie Cup log to give themselves a chance at reaching the playoffs.

Pienaar was, however, under no illusions that the team was still far from dishing up a spotless performance.

?I am relieved by the win, I am happy by the way we pitched up defence wise and I know next week will be even tougher,? Pienaar said.

?There are a lot of things we could have done better and that?s what we will have to look for.?

While Pienaar could breathe a sigh of relief, the pressure was building for Cheetahs coach Naka Drotsk? after the side suffered their fourth consecutive loss.

The team - known for their expansive style of play - looked flatfooted in the first half with flyhalf Tewis de Bruyn struggling to get his backline firing.

The introduction of Sias Ebersohn in De Bruyn?s place saw the visitors attacking the line with greater fervour.

?On the positive side we had intensity on attack in the second half which we struggled with over the last two or three games,? Drotsk? said.

?On the negative side the three penalties in the first half was unacceptable which was bad discipline.?

Drotsk? admitted that the inconsistency in his selection at flyhalf played a leading role in the Cheetahs? struggles this season.

?We have a problem on flyhalf there is no doubt about that,? he said.

?Sias lost form earlier in the season, credit to Tewis, it is always easier to come on when you are down 27-9 to try everything out and to try to get the game back.

?So there is no pressure when you come on at that stage.?

The Cheetahs coach acknowledged his team was in an unfavourable position but he felt his side could still make the playoffs.

"There is a huge race for that fourth place in the playoffs between Griquas, the Bulls and ourselves," Drotsk? said.

"Griquas are on 15 points, the Bulls are on 13 and we are on 12 - we are playing the Griquas next week in Bloemfontein and the Bulls are playing the Sharks in Durban.

"So it is a must win for us and there are three games to go and luckily we've got two in Bloemfontein."

Source: http://24.com.feedsportal.com/c/33816/f/607927/s/23b826d5/l/0L0Ssport240Bco0Bza0CRugby0CCurrieCup0CBulls0Ecoach0EPine0EPienaar0Ea0Erelieved0Eman0E20A120A923/story01.htm

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