Category: News

Via Headlines – David Icke Website

Read more: Two-year-old Toddlers Being Dosed Up With Antipsychotic Drugs

The next instalment of the Audi A1 ‘Next Big Thing’ episode sees Justin Timberlake and Damia Ramirez in a kind of wrestling match and then this guy with a bunny on the back of his jacket turns up and then they try to take the keys to the A1 and Timberlake gets all tough and…. In what is not a particularly exciting action movie whose point is lost on us, it’s just as well the Audi A1 is still looking good. According to Audi, the first sales are well above initial expectations signalling another possible success for the company, or just the effect of having something new. The best line so far in these (bordering on tedious) episodes is “That’s my ride”.

I have been an avid Google Apps user for a while now, and have even blogged about it in the past. I use Google Apps for hosting my personal Bauer-Power email even. Though they have made it harder to find on their page, Google is still making a free version of Google Apps called Google Apps Standard Edition so you can take advantage of that too. Overall, I have been very happy with the service… Until now!

You see, on May 13th I received an email stating that they are doing away with the Google Start page service do to requests to make it more like iGoogle. Their response? Do away with it altogether, and replace it with iGoogle. What does that mean for people like me who use it? All my customizations go away! Nice! For you Bauer-Puntu users you will notice that the default home page in Firefox was my Google Apps Start page, not anymore. My custom start page is now history!

Here is the email from the Google Apps team:

Dear Google Apps admin,

We’re sharing some news about changes coming in response to many customers who would like the Start Page to work more like the full iGoogle.com experience.

On July 1, 2010, the Start Page will automatically be converted to iGoogle.  The Start Page gadgets your users have configured will be migrated to iGoogle pages, after which users can modify their iGoogle gadgets, tabs and themes.  Your Start Page web address will automatically redirect your users to iGoogle.

No further action is required on your part, but you can convert your Google Apps Start Page to the full iGoogle experience before the automatic migration takes place by opting in from the control panel.  Alternatively, if you would like to retain more control over the user experience, you can consider creating a new User Start Page in Google Sites (http://goo.gl/R4uH), which allows for locked content and control over available gadgets.

We hope this upgrade to iGoogle will give your users a better way to personalize, customize and centralize the information that’s most important to them.  If you think they would benefit from advance notice about this change, please communicate to them as desired.

Thanks,
The Google Apps Team

As the email above states, the change will go into effect on July 1st, however you can make the change right away if you wish. I decided not to prolong the inevitable, so I made the change, then also changed DNS for start.bauer-power.net to point to my FTP server where I configured a new Apache site for it. It is a lot simpler than the old Bauer-Power Start page, but it’s better than a non-custom iGoogle page!

What ticks me off the most is that their reasoning is utter bull crap. Google Apps Start was exactly like iGoogle already, and all the iGoogle widgets worked on it. The only thing was you could customize it. No, this is a marketing/branding move on Google’s part. Plain and simple! Well I say, damn the man!

What is your take on it? Are you happy about the move? Let me know in the comments.

Eco Factor: $740 million development aims to be clean energy hub of China.

China is aiming to provide a clean-technology answer to California’s Silicon Valley by developing a $740 million facility will be developed outside Dezhou, China and will be the clean energy hub of the country. The development will be anchored by Himin Solar Energy Group and will provide space for 100 companies in total.

(more…)

Engadget reports a reliable tipster has leaked the code names of 3 new HTC devices.  The so called HTC LED, HTC Vision and HTC Glacier has shown up on an internal parts website are likely months away from release, and the Vision apparently targeted at T-Mobile.

Given HTC’s recent device balance it is likely most of the smartphones are Android, but possible one will run Windows Phone 7 – maybe the slow moving HTC Glacier?

Read more at Engadget here.

Via Headlines – David Icke Website

Read more: Grotesque Global Financial System: Greece. Economic Theft on an Unprecedented Scale

Article Tags: Doug L. Hoffman

If a letter appearing in the May 7, 2010, issue of Science is any indication, it looks like climate science traditionalists are trying to stage a comeback. The article by P. H. Gleick and a cast of hundreds, entitled “Climate Change and the Integrity of Science,” states that “we are deeply disturbed by the recent escalation of political assaults on scientists in general and on climate scientists in particular.” Decrying the attacks on climate scientists by “deniers,” the letter reiterates the signatories’ support for dogmatic climate change theory. While admitting that the IPCC “quite unexpectedly and normally, made some mistakes,” they call for an end to “McCarthy-like threats” against themselves and their colleagues. Painting themselves as victims, they have gone on the offensive—like the evil Empire of Star Wars fame, climate science is striking back.

Likening climate change to the theories of the origin of Earth, Evolution and the Big Bang, the letter’s signatories state: “There is compelling, comprehensive, and consistent objective evidence that humans are changing the climate in ways that threaten our societies and the ecosystems on which we depend.” They quickly play the uncertainty card, repeating the tired better-safe-than-sorry argument, saying “for a problem as potentially catastrophic as climate change, taking no action poses a dangerous risk for our planet.” Their song remains the same: we don’t have real proof but we should act anyway, just in case we are right.

A foreshadowing of the letter’s credibility was the use of a now famous photoshopped picture of a single polar bear, stranded on a small ice-flow (clicking on the small picture at the begining of the article will bring up the bogus “collage”). The Science article on-line contains this correction:

Due to an editorial error, the original image associated with this Letter was not a photograph but a collage. The image was selected by the editors, and it was a mistake to have used it. The original image has been replaced in the online HTML and PDF versions of the article with an unaltered photograph from National Geographic.

Source: theresilientearth.com

Read in full with comments »   

Via Headlines – David Icke Website

Read more: Non-Crew in Cockpit of Polish Plane

The Audi R8 is a sports car with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine, and uses Audi’s trademark quattro permanent four-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German automaker AUDI AG in 2006.

The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by AUDI AG’s high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is similar to the Lamborghini Gallardo.

The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame, and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built around space frame principles.

The car is built by quattro GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi’s ‘aluminium site’ at Neckarsulm in Germany.

Audi first unveiled the R8 V10 Spyder at the 2009 Frankfurt International Motor Show in September 2009. It runs the same 5.2-litre V10 engine found in the coupe.

Maximum power is 386kW (518 PS) and peak torque is 530Nm (391 lb-ft). The 0 – 62mph sprint time is 4.1 seconds while the manual can deliver a top speed of 194mph.

Spyder R8 5.2L FSI engine carries capable of producing 525 hp maximum power and top speed of 313 kilometers per hour.

This has to be one of the sleeker looking portable iPhone/iPod Clock radios. Orignally debuting at CES, the iP49 incorporates a sleek and portable design with Bongiovi Acousitcs’ Digital Power Station technology. Basically that means this will hopefully not sound like your typical tinny alarm clock. The clock radio also has EQ controls enabling deep bass, and a remote control is thrown in too. The iHome iP49 makes a nice impression whether open or closed. However, some might think the $159.99 price tag is a bit sticky, especially when it isn’t all that necessarily to carry around a clock radio since you’re smartphone can do all of that for you.

El Google Nexus One ya está en España y lo comercializa Vodafone, siguiendo el modelo clásico de distribución por operadora de telefonía que subvenciona los terminales a cambio de contratos de permanencia. Aunque en un principio se apuntó a que Google pretendía “revolucionar” como se venden teléfonos saltándose a las telecos, lo cierto es que no hizo nada que no se hubiese hecho antes: venderlo libre desde una tienda online propia a un precio sin subvencionar. Tras encontrarse que lo del servicio postventa y soporte directo a clientes no es lo suyo, han renunciado finalmente a venderlo directamente y están llegando a acuerdos como el que tienen con Vodafone.

La clave, en mi opinión, es que Google no ha encontrado ingresos suficientes en las actividades del usuario para poder subvencionar ellos el Nexus One. Eso sería lo que podría permitir un cambio en el modelo de distribución, que con el dinero que hacen por publicidad y venta de aplicaciones, les saliese a cuenta descontar una cifra importante del precio. Como esto parece que no lo hace ni quien mejor exprime un terminal en ingresos por usuario tras la venta – Apple – y además es una contraindicación (quien gasta más luego en aplicaciones y servicios en el móvil también es quien está dispuesto a pagar una cifra mayor de entrada), todo indica que seguiremos comprando terminales a las operadoras de telefonía… aunque muchas veces hacer cuentas nos podría llevar a concluir que comprarlo libre y escoger una operadora low-cost sale más rentable.

Relacionado: Más artículos sobre Nexus One

Más información en XTK Móvil: Nexus One desde hoy en España con Vodafone: disponibilidad y precios.

The American actor, Kevin Costner gave $24 million for the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This only proves that he is a true nature lover. He has also invested 15 years for this condition and it is considered as a novel act. He started this act while working on his film “Waterworld” that was released in 1995.

Costner is working on a technology that will help save the gulf. Officials with Ocean Therapy Solutions stated that the machine works on the principle of centrifugal force. In this case, diesel fuel and water enter the machine together and are jettisoned separately, with water on one side and diesel on the other. The machine will clean the water up to 97 percent. Costner was very happy about the machine that they had created as he stated “I just am really happy that this has come to the light of day,” However it was heart breaking for him to see what is happening in the gulf, and he stated that he and his group will face this problem as a team.

Louisiana attorney John Houghtaling said the technology was originally developed with the help of Department of Energy. He further stated, “The machines are essentially like big vacuum cleaners, which sit on barges and suck up oily water and spin it around at high speed. On one side, it spits out pure oil, which can be recovered. The other side spits out 99% pure water.”
Actor Stephen Baldwin, who is producing a documentary about the oil spill and Costner’s device, stated “It certainly is an odd thing to see a ‘Kevin Costner’ and a ‘centrifugal oil separator’ together in a place like the Gulf of Mexico, but, hey, some of the best ideas sometimes come from the strangest places.”

As an active environmentalist, Costner is actually doing a great job. He has helped the environment for many times not only in movies but in reality.

Related posts:

1. Kevin Costner joins the fight against the oil spill
2. Oil Spill Gulf of Mexico 2010: Coast Guard to start oil burn today!
3. Mexico Oil Spill : Lives and Money

NBC’s “The Marriage Ref” season finale will feature Demi Moore, Kelly Ripa and comedian Jim Breuer lending their words of wisdom.

“The Marriage Ref” is a TV series hosted by the comedian Tom Papa. It is first aired on NBC on February 28, 2010. The premise of the show involves real-life couples who have been having an ongoing fight. A video clip is shown to the three member celebrity panel, showing both sides of the argument. The panel shall decide and vote who they think is right.

The all-star panel, composed of Jim Breuer, Kelly Ripa and Demi Moore will assess and observe classic marital tiffs and offer their unique opinions and engaging thoughts in an effort to help host and ‘marriage ref’ Tom Papa make the ultimate decision on who is right.

Breuer first rose to be famous as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1998. On SNL, Breuer’s characters included “Goat Boy” who hosted the very fictional MTV show “Hey, remember the 80’s?” and “Got talk” skits.

Related posts:

1. Tom Hanks’ Slip-up on the Regis and Kelly Show
2. Greg Giraldo As Celebrity Guest For NBC’s The Marriage Ref
3. Good Morning America, Jonas Brothers And Demi Lovato

Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES [5.17 p.m.]: After we celebrate Christmas Day we have a recovery day on Boxing Day, which was called originally the Feast of St Stephen. Stephen was the first Christian deacon and martyr. You can read about him and his death in Acts 6 and 7 of the Bible. Stephen was honoured wherever Christians served the poor, the widows and the orphaned, and where Christians died for their faith. The lovely old church across the road from Parliament House is also called St Stephens and has a fascinating history. It was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century by a group of dissenters from the Scots Presbyterian Church, which had been founded in 1823 by the brilliant Reverend John Dunmore Lang, who later became an outstanding parliamentarian in this very Legislative Council. In fact, it is said that Reverend John Dunmore Lang while in this Chamber is owed much of the credit for the development of New South Wales as a free country, rather than as a convict settlement, due to his foresight and vision.

But his approach to ministry apparently did not please everyone and the resulting dissenters first met in a small hall in Macquarie Place, later ending up in a building across from the Mint in the Wesleyan Chapel and then relocated to Pitt Street, where subsequently I became its minister. In 1848 the Presbyterian Church relocated to the independent chapel in Pitt Street near the School of Arts. Then during the Gold Rush years a prefabricated iron church was imported from Glasgow and erected in 1855 next to Parliament House, between here and the Mitchell Library. Such iron churches were very popular at the time in Britain, and of course we in the Legislative Council are sitting in one such church. The new iron church next door could seat 800 worshippers but, being made of iron, it was exceedingly hot in summertime, and bitterly cold in wintertime. Later it was moved to the Lidcombe hospital, where it became the chapel. In front of the new section of the Mitchell Library on the footpath there is a bronze picture-plaque of that church.

It was around this time that the traditional name of St Stephen’s was chosen for this church opposite Parliament House. It was considered to be traditional because Westminster Parliament in England had met in its St Stephen’s Chapel at Westminster for many hundreds of years. The very fact that members of Parliament sit opposite each other on benches is because the first Parliament in Britain sat in the choir chapel of St Stephen’s. By 1875 the Presbyterian congregation of St Stephen’s combined with another meeting in Phillip Street and became the leading centre of Presbyterianism. It was not until 1935 that St Stephen’s opposite Parliament House became a handsome, newly built church building, which stands on its present position. As members can easily see, the church is currently having a sandstone facelift.

The church has seen some outstanding churchmen in its history, one of whom was John Ferguson. In August 1894 Ferguson was inducted into St Stephen’s, which was by then the largest Presbyterian congregation in Sydney. Ferguson’s first address, which was later published as The Economic Value of the Gospel, caused enormous controversy and was highly praised and distributed by Labor Party and trade union leaders. The Labor politician Billy Hughes, who later became the Prime Minister of Australia, said at the time that Reverend Ferguson “grapples with the problems of poverty, he insists on justice being done, though the heavens fall. I advise every citizen to read every word of it!”

St Stephen’s most famous minister was Reverend Gordon Powell, the extremely popular Australian preacher. More than 1,000 people would attend his Wednesday lunchtime services and Sunday mornings were always packed. Another contribution worth mentioning is that for many years St Stephen’s in Macquarie Street, Sydney, had a brilliant choir led by Peter Dodds McCormick, who was the author of the anthem Advance Australia Fair, which was first sung in St Stephen’s on St Andrew’s Day in 1878. St Stephen’s in Macquarie Street later became a part of the Uniting Church in Australia upon the union of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in 1977. Since its beginnings it has played a significant part in the heart of Sydney’s business and political districts. With God’s blessing, it will continue its ministry for years to come.

Another hospitalization for Bret? Michaels is “up, walking, talking, continuing his daily rehab and very happy to be alive,” and he hopes to make a full recovery. But what did really happen to him?

In Los Angeles California, the rockstar and “Celebrity Apprentice” cast Bret Michaels was reconfined to the hospital due to complaints of heart attack like symptoms. It is reported that the new condition is not related nor similar to the stroke or the so-called “brain attack” that he suffered few weeks ago. Although it was called by the doctor to be a “warning stroke” , reports say that it is a kind of a patent foramen ovale of the heart. “Foramen ovale” is an opening in the heart present in prenatal periods and is supposed to close after the early hours of neonatal period or after birth when the blood flow direction in the heart reverses. There are infants whose foramen ovale won’t close, a kind of a disease called PDA, causing a mixing of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood in the heart therefore decreases the efficiency of the tissue oxygenation. It was called a warning stoke most probably since a deacrease in oxygenation in originating from the heart follows a decrease in oxygenation in the brain. Before the actual stroke happened, pain over the chest, numbness and weakness over the left or right arm with radiation to the jaw may be experienced.

Related posts:

1. Brett Michaels back in hospital after a “Warning Stroke” – Update in his Condition
2. Bret Michaels Has A ‘Warning Stroke’
3. Update On Bret Michaels Condition

I ask the Hon John Robertson on behalf of Hon Frank Sartor, Minister assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer) the following question without notice: Is the Minister aware that the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has just released their projections of the number of gynaecological cancers that are likely to occur in New South Wales by the year 2015? Is the Minister aware that the specialist staff to diagnose, treat and provide ongoing care for women with these cancers, including ovarian, uterine, and cervical, is already less than optimal? Can the Minister please indicate what steps will be taken to provide specialist medical personnel to cope adequately for the future needs of the women of NSW who will be diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer?

The Turanor is preparing for its journey around the world. And no, we aren’t talking about anything or anyone related to The Lord of the Rings. This Turanor is a solar powered yacht, greener then the technology in JRR Tolkein’s trilogy of supernatural creatures. The world’s largest solar powered yacht, the brainchild of skipper Raphael Domjan, is 30 meters long and boasts 536 square-meters of photovoltaic panels. That’s as big as two tennis courts. These photovoltaics will help the Turanor on its circumnavigation of the earth. The catamaran type vehicle costs a sweet $16 million and travels at an average speed of 7.5 knots.

The batteries can store enough power to last 72 hours, if the sun decides to ditch the journeymen on their way. The solar-powered giant took around 14 months of sweat and labor to construct. We wish it a Bon Voyage!

[CNN]

The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing, so what better way to show team spirit then by wearing a pair of NHL inspired headphones.  Coloud has released six pairs of officially endorsed headphones sporting colors and logos of NHL teams such as the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, NHL Montreal Canadians, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Each one retails for $39.95 and even if your fav team isn’t one of the headphones available from Coloud, its a great gift for your girlfriend who has to endure going with you. That way she can listen to her iPod.

Eco Factor: Solar panel designed in the shape of a leaf.

Solar power is definitely green and companies like Greendix have started efforts to make these panels look green as well. The company has developed the world’s first leaf-shaped crystalline silicon solar panel in the world via new proprietary technology.

Greendix’s breakthrough new patented technology allows the manufacturing of custom shaped crystalline silicon solar panels. Greendix solar panels are also available in a variety of colors, so designers are not longer restricted by the usual rectangular shapes and dark colors.

Greendix’s new patented process offers designers unlimited new ways to integrate solar technology into their projects. This leaf-shaped solar panel is the first of many products showcasing this new technology. Greendix states that the company wanted to revolutionize existing technology so that it can seamlessly merge with our surroundings.

Greendix’s solar tree concept not only provides aesthetic advantages, but also serves as a viable alternative to traditional solar panels in the generation of electricity from the sun. The company also plans to develop several new custom shaped solar panels in the near feature to show case the potential of this new market.

Via: Greendix [Press Release]

Toyota and Tesla will become partners to produce electric vehicles at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. in Fremont, Calif., a plant that Toyota last year ruled too inefficient to keep open.

Tesla will acquire the now-closed NUMMI property and employ 1,000 people building unspecified electric vehicles in a partnership with the world’s largest automaker, the companies announced today in Palo Alto, Calif.

Toyota will invest $50 million in the small California-based electric sports maker in exchange for Tesla’s common stock when the EV company completes its planned initial public offering.

Speaking at the announcement, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said he admired the entrepreneurial spirit at Tesla and hoped the venture will teach Toyota about quick decision-making and flexibility.

“Decades ago,” Toyoda said, “Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that venture business spirit, and take on the challenges of the future.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company would spend “a couple of hundred million dollars” preparing NUMMI for the project.

NUMMI, a former joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, closed earlier this year amid a storm of criticism from the plant’s UAW work force.

Musk said the negotiations to acquire the closed plant concluded yesterday.

He said that Tesla’s next model, a Model S that will debut in 2012, will only account for about 20,000 units a year, but said other models will follow off of the Model S platform.

“We’re going to be occupying a little corner,” Musk said.

He said that eventually the project would account for 10,000 jobs, including supplier jobs.

Tesla’s Model S is being made possible thanks to a $465 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. Until that product appears, Tesla is marketing a two-seat electric sports car that retails for more than $100,000.

Tesla has said that the Model S will sell for closer to $40,000.

Until now, Toyota has expressed little interest in electric cars. The Japanese automaker has staked considerable research and marketing investment on its popular hybrid-drive vehicles, including the Prius and hybrid Camry.

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