Blog

Al Jazeera
Tuesday , January 12th, 2010

China has successfully tested its advanced air defence
capabilities, intercepting a missile in mid-flight within its
territory, state media reported.

“The test has achieved the expected objective,” the
official Xinhua news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying on
Tuesday.

The report on the “ground-based mid-course missile
interception technology” comes amid tensions over US arms sales
to Taiwan.

Last week the US cleared a sale of advanced Patriot air defence
missiles to Taiwan despite opposition from Beijing, a move which could
chill ties at a time when China and the US are also wary about trade
disputes and economic strains.

Full article here

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

RideLust is currently hiring for our lead writer position. This is a full time position with a $3000 monthly salary plus performance incentives that make a five figure monthly income possible with the right amount of effort.

There are 5 main requirements for this position:

1) You must have visions of greatness. You have to want to be the best.

2) You must be a workaholic. You have to WANT to work your ass off building one of the best auto blogs on the net.

3) You must be ultra productive. There will be a minimum set of daily expectations. And you’ll want to blow those expectations away.

4) You need an intense and diverse love for all types of vehicles. Motor or no. Carbon puffing or green. Raw speed or creative design.

5) You need to be able to write (quickly) in a conversational tone.

If you’re interested in this position, send us an email explaining why you are the best person for the job: [email protected]

This Sunday, January 17th, First Lady Michelle Obama will celebrate her 46th birthday. We here at Michelle Obama Watch would like to extend our warmest birthday wishes to the First Lady. As we look back and reflect on her first year as First Lady of the United States we say congratulations on a job well done and we look forward to more Michelle Obama Watching as the unique, never been told told story of First Lady Michelle Obama unfolds. Happy Birthday First Lady and may you be blessed with many more!!!

To celebrate the First Lady shared a cake with her White House staff.

On her special nigh,t according to Lynn  Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times…

“… President Obama took her to dinner at Restaurant Nora, one of this city’s best known special occasion eateries with a gang of Chicago pals as guests.

Among the guests were Marian Robinson, Michelle’s mother; Chicago pal and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett; Chicago pals Eric and Cheryl Whitaker; and Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife, Sharon Malone.”

The Obamas lingered at Nora’s for four hours. My spy who happened by chance to be at Nora’s told me the presidential party was in the private upstairs room — and the other guests were frisked and wanded before being allowed in the restaurant near Dupont Circle.

Nora’s is well-known for serving locally produced organic food.”

Posted by Aminah Hanan

We'd like to add an additional angle to the analysis -- For this new project, Exxon plans to invest only $340 million. This means that for just $8.5 per barrel Exxon has discovered another 40 million barrels of recoverable oil in a 70-year old field right within its own backyard.

More importantly, the latest project is an experiment, using some of the latest extraction technology. If it succeeds, it could be applied to other old U.S. oil fields. For just $8.5 per barrel. It's further evidence of how technology works wonders at solving energy problems, and that with the right technology there's far more oil out there than most of us can imagine, especially in a world where $50 oil is considered cheap.

Statesman.com: The $340 million investment in East Texas is small for Exxon, which spent $26 billion on capital projects last year.

However, the Hawkins plans are significant compared with the $700 million Exxon has spent in Texas during the past three years.

Vinson & Elkins energy expert Steve Davis said the investment represents an experiment for Exxon.

If it works, the company can potentially apply the technology to other fields.

"This is $340 million. It's nothing to these guys," he said, but added: "Their investment criteria are so stringent, that I would think there's a high likelihood of success."

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• ExxonMobil Just Struck It Rich In Texas
• Exxon's XTO Buy Is A Direct Affront To The Russians
• With XTO Acquired By Exxon, Here Are The Next Players To Get Snapped Up

Whoops.

A new study says the real danger of rising temperatures in the arctic is the release of methane gas locked in the permafrost.

Methane levels in the artic rose by almost one-third in the past five years. As methane is a far more powerful greenhouse agent than carbon dioxide, the discovery signifies a huge blow to climate change prevention.

Guardian: The discovery follows a string of reports from the region in recent years that previously frozen boggy soils are melting and releasing methane in greater quantities. Such Arctic soils currently lock away billions of tonnes of methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, leading some scientists to describe melting permafrost as a ticking time bomb that could overwhelm efforts to tackle climate change.

They fear the warming caused by increased methane emissions will itself release yet more methane and lock the region into a destructive cycle that forces temperatures to rise faster than predicted.

…

Palmer said it was a “disgrace” that so few satellites were launched to monitor levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Monckton Lies About Calling Climate Activists "Hitler Youth"
• Climate Scientist Attacked At Press Conference In Copenhagen
• Climate Researcher Caves And Will Make Raw Temperature Data Public

Chevrolet acaba de anunciar una nueva edición especial limitada de uno de sus modelos más importantes. No es otra que el Chevrolet Camaro Synergy Special Edition que recupera el verde de los primeros Camaros que salieron a la venta.

Junto al verde ”Synergy” le acompañan dos bandas de color gris “Cyber” que están presentes tanto en el capó como en el maletero. En el interior nos encontramos con una tapicería en un color negro “Jet“.

Otros elementos disponibles en esta edición limitada son las llantas de 19 pulgadas de plata “Sterling“, un spoiler trasero y el paquete de equipamiento “Comodidad y Conectividad” que cuenta con puerto USB, conexión Bluetooth y arranque a distancia en el caso de poseer caja de cambios automática. Este modelo sólo se fabricará entre febrero y mayo de este mismo año.

En el ambito de la motorización, nos encontramos con un motor 1LT 3.6 V6 con inyección directa y 304 cv. Podremos elegir entre una transmisión de seis velocidades manual o automática. Su precio apróximado será de 26.790$ .

Related posts:

1. Chevrolet Camaro estará disponible en Europa
2. General Motors confirma la producción de nuevos Chevrolet Camaro Cabrio
3. Chevrolet Aveo RS Concept

Last weekend, Saturday Night Live did another skit poking fun at embattled New York Governor David Paterson and his blindness, and once again, the politician was not amused.

Cast member Fred Armisen played the governor as a confused and clumsy New Jersey hater with a penchant for staring away from the camera as Charles Barkley hosted the first episode of SNL of the decade. Gov. Paterson says he “can take a joke” about his blindness, but contends SNL is going too far.

“By the way, I don’t bounce off walls and if anyone from ‘Saturday Night Live’ would like to have me on, maybe I can bounce a few left hands off of them,” Paterson told Don Imus during an interview on “Imus in the Morning” this week.

He noted that about 70 percent of blind people are unemployed, and that jokes like the one on SNL perpetuate a negative stereotype.

GE’s presence has been growing significantly in Africa in recent years — and part of that has been in the form of medical aid to communities in need. This week, a GE team made up of leaders in GE’s African American Forum traveled to Africa to meet with government officials and business leaders — and to visit healthcare facilities where GE has provided solutions that include healthcare equipment and support with water, energy, communications and infrastructure development.

Doctor’s orders: The first stop was a 105-bed facility in Ghana where GE has partnered to donate products, technology and knowledge to improve access to healthcare for the Apam district under the Developing Health Globally program. Mike Barber, Vice President of healthymagination, is pictured in the center and Dmitri Stockton, President & CEO of GE’s Global Banking business, is in the foreground.

In the audio clip below, Mike Barber — who called in during his Africa trip — describes how the clinic he visited is making use of donations such as baby warmers, incubators, ultrasounds, and basic x-ray equipment. “What we’ve learned in Developing Health Globally has really enabled us to understand what some of the needs are [throughout the region] and how we can provide solutions for hospital systems all over the world,” he said.

The Developing Health Globally program offers solutions using products and expertise from a variety of GE businesses including Water, Energy, and Healthcare to address critical gaps in developing-world clinics. It directly impacts 4.8 million people globally through its $40 million commitment in 14 countries throughout Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Staying connected: To promote long-term self-sufficiency at completed sites, the GE African-American Forum engages in ongoing relationships with local leaders. In this photo, Deborah Elam, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at GE, is seen with Mike and Dmitri at the clinic in Ghana.

* Learn about GE’s donations for Haiti earthquake relief
* Read “Helping 101 babies & counting in Cambodia’s hospitals” on GE Reports
* Read “GE commissions first hospitals in Cambodia” on GE Reports
* Read about GE’s work with International Medical Corps in Africa
* Read “Making rural healthcare exponentially more effective” on GE Reports
* Learn more about GE’s Developing Health Globally program
* Learn about our healthymagination work in Bangladesh
* Learn more about the partnership with Grameen Healthcare Trust
* Read “Helping the docs at the nation’s largest free clinic”
* Learn about GE’s healthymagination strategy
* Read about GE’s work with clinics in India

Interested in hopping on board with that Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus on Verizon later this month? Well, Big Red is looking out for you and with their brand new plans you can get away with sacrificing only a single limb instead of an arm and a leg. Boy Genius Report got the scoop on Verizon’s new plans, and not only have they been made less expensive, but made fewer as well through means of consolidation (from sixteen choices down to six). How it breaks down is all after the break.

read more

General Motors plans on stopping production of Hummer later this week until the sale proposed Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. is approved by the Chinese governement officials. President of GM’s China group has said that he is optimistic  but not certain that the deal will be approved. The reason for the delay is due to the fact that Sichuan Tengzhong is not a deep-rooted car manufacturer and the Chinese government has regulations against companies sporadically entering  an industry that can have economic effects. The deal has already been approved by the U.S. governemnt. It has been reported that the Hummer manufacturing plant in Shreveport, La., will halt production on all H3 models until completition of the deal. The H2 Hummer, which is manufactured in Mishawaka, In., ceased their production in late 2008, but under the deal with Sichuan Tengzhong, production of the H2 will also resume. Under the deals of the sale agreement, the Sherevoport GM plant will continue producing Hummer models for Sichuan Tengzhong all the way through 2011, with an option to extend the production through 2012.

I don’t think I need to say anything here other than: Imax has put out a trailer for their hi-res 3D movie about the Hubble repair mission from May 2009.

Oh, yeah. I’m in.

Tip o’ the spherically aberrated mirror to my old friend from college Christy Venters. Hi Christy!

I love making my own homemade treats for my dogs because I like knowing exactly what’s going into them. I also like trying out new recipes now and then to mix things up for them a bit, and though I know they probably don’t care one way or the other, it makes me feel a little better that they’re getting a bit of variety, even if it is just treats!

Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers
from bullwrinkle.com

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup milk

~ Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

~ In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder.

~ In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead.

~ Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

~ Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown.

~ Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers

See Any Dentist – No Referrals Needed

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is offering individual and family dental plans to its members with the BlueCare Dental PPO plan.

With the BlueCare Dental PPO, members have access to one of the largest networks of contracting dentists and are able to see any dentist without a referral.

“The BlueCare Dental PPO plan has one of the highest maximum benefit levels with no deductibles for checkups, cleanings and other preventive services,” says BCBSIL Divisional Vice President of Consumer Markets, Katherine Wright.

“This saves our members’ money.”

With the BlueCare Dental PPO plan, costs are reduced when members receive care from a network dentist. However, the plan allows members to see any dentist not in the network, but out-of-pocket costs may be higher.

There is also a 20% discount for orthodontic services at participating dentists.

Existing individual members can add BlueCare Dental PPO to their health insurance plan without having to answer any medical questions through January 29, 2010. It’s as simple as adding an amendment (called a Dental Rider) to their policy.

All family members currently on the BCBSIL health insurance plan must be added to the dental plan. Coverage begins after the first dental premium is received.

To enroll in the dental plan, members can log in to Blue Access for Members (BAM) at bcbsil.com, call 1-888-454-5594, or contact a BCBSIL authorized independent health insurance agent.

The deadline for existing members to enroll is Jan. 29, 2010.  New BCBSIL applicants can check the dental checkbox on the application for medical coverage.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

With more than 7 million members, BCBSIL, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, is the largest health insurance company in Illinois.

Started in 1936, BCBSIL is committed to promoting the health and wellness of its members and its communities through accessible, cost-effective, quality health care.

BCBSIL is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The United States remains the world’s science and technology leader, but other countries are gaining ground, the National Science Board said Friday in its biennial report on science and engineering.

The U.S. accounted for nearly a third of $1.1 trillion spent on research and development globally in 2007, minted more science and engineering doctorates than any other country, and led the world in innovative activity. Efforts by China and other developing Asian countries to boost their science and engineering capabilities are bearing fruit, however, and the gap between them and the U.S., though still wide, is narrowing.

For the 10 years ending in 2007, spending on research and development grew between 5% and 6% annually in the U.S., Japan and the European Union. R&D spending in India, South Korea and Taiwan grew an average 9% to 10% a year over the same period. In China, it averaged more than 20%.

The U.S. awarded 22,500 doctorates in natural sciences and engineering in 2007, but more than half of them were awarded to foreign nationals. Past experience suggests that rather than return to their native countries, many of those new PhDs will stay in the U.S. The report noted that 60% of temporary visa holders who earned doctorates in science in engineering in 1997 were working in the U.S. in 2007.

U.S. researchers published about a quarter of an estimated 760,000 peer-reviewed research articles in peer-reviewed journals in 2008. Chinese researchers published 8% of the research articles, up from just 1% in 1988.

Despite China’s strides, Chinese researchers accounted for only about 1% of U.S. patents granted in 2008. Despite Chinese government efforts, inventive activity in China “appears elusive, at least as indicated by patents filed in a major Western market,” the report noted.

U.S.-based inventors accounted for 49% of patents granted, down from 55% in 1995.

Here’s a new study: Two groups are asked to choose between two identical plane tickets, one of which is slightly more expensive. Group A learns that the pricier ticket includes a “carbon tax.” Group B is told that the pricier ticket includes a “carbon offset.” Same policy, different names.

What happens? The second “offset” group not only sprung for the pricier object, but also suggested making the offset mandatory. In Group A, only self-identified Democrats were willing to pay the tax.

What does this mean?

Bradford Plumer at The Vine
concludes: “Labels really do matter.” Undeniably so. His commenter says
it proves Democrats are smarter about money since they weren’t
fooled by the labels. Eh, not going there.

My take is that this is an interesting study whose real-world
implications can be overstated. The term “cap and trade,” you notice,
does not include the world tax. So conservatives, applying the rules of alliteration and creative destruction to this term, swapped the
“trade” for “tax.” And it stuck! When you Google the phrase “cap and
tax” you get 5.9 million returns. The first two hits are actually an
op-ed in the Washington Post,
for heavens sake. “Cap and trade” spits out 2.5 million results.
That’s not definitive evidence that cap-and-traders have lost the PR
war. It’s only evidence that in the real world there is no such thing
as a control group. Messaging matters, but labels are liquid.

Buying or Selling in Oakville or Mississauga

How you do choose a real estate agent? Whether you are buying or selling real estate in Oakville or Mississauga one of the first steps is deciding whom to work with. When it comes to purchasing a home choosing the right agent can have a huge impact on whether you end up in the right home in the right neighbourhood. It is a relationship based on many things and trust is one of them. To trust your real estate agent you need to have the confidence that they have the experience required to help you find that special home. To me, that means having a good grasp on a wide range of areas and neighbourhoods to understand the little pockets and nuances of each community – whether it’s about schools, amenities or the demographics. For example, “empty nester” clients often tell me that they really don’t want a home on a street with kids playing road hockey or bouncing a basketball at ten pm. – understandable? Absolutely – I don’t blame them for wanting to live in a community that they feel they share something in common with their neighbours. Alternately, if I were the parent of road hockey teens, or young children – top of my list would be a real estate in Oakville that was in a child friendly neighbourhood.

I’ve had many clients along the way who started out looking for one thing and finished with something in either a completely different location or a very different home – why is that? Because very often at the beginning of your search for a home you are in the learning mode – and from my standpoint the more you learn about what it is that you want in your home in Oakville or Mississauga or anywhere else, the better your final decision will be. I see my role in that is being critical. I want you to trust my experience and my expertise in real estate so that when we reach that important next step of actually putting an offer in on your home – you are filled with excitement and confidence.

Oakville or Mississauga Real Estate Listings

As much as finding the right home is important, the next step is equally important – what to pay for your house? There’s no easy answer to that one – real estate agents in Oakville do not price properties based upon anything so specific that you can be sure the list price is the right price for the home. There is lots of work that SHOULD go into determining whether the list price on a home you are interested in, is in line with the market values within the area. This takes careful research – it means that the agent should be a member of the real estate board within that area (for example the Oakville Real Estate Board – for real estate in the Oakville area or the Toronto Real Estate Board – for real estate in the surrounding areas of Toronto including Mississauga Real estate). Once your realtor has reviewed the comparables that becomes the time for you to decide together what the strategy will be for your offer. This includes the price as well as any other considerations such as conditions and when you will take possession of the home. Next, is my favourite – the negotiation process –, which is critical to your success in getting your new home for the best possible price. I’ve been told by my clients as well as by many agents I have negotiated with – this is something that I excel in. While it is important to come away with a win/win – to me I can’t help but want my clients to “win” just a little more than the other.

What I tell you next is very important! The relationship does NOT stop here. There is so much more ahead to make this a smooth transaction. Home inspection, Finance, Lawyers, Re-visiting the property and many other things all play a role right up until the day you receive your key to your brand new home. They are all things that a good real estate agent has a direct involvement in. So when you are thinking about finding a home in Oakville or Mississauga – choose your real estate agent very carefully – it will be one of the smartest decisions you will ever make! To learn more about Oakville Real Estate agent, Debra Curran, call 905-845-4267

Tags: Oakville real estate Agent, Oakville Ontario real estate, Oakville Royal Lepage, Oakville homes for sale, real estate agent, Ontario, Royal LePage, Debra Curran, Mississauga Real Estate Agent