Romney announces presidential candidacy

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney formally announced his presidential candidacy yesterday outside of Detroit.

“I don’t believe Washington can be transformed from within by lifetime politicians, there’ve been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements — and too little real world experience managing, guiding, leading,” said Romney, who was a successful businessman before entering politics. Romney focused on his leadership experience outside of government.

Romney made the announcement at the Henry Ford Museum, something which the National Jewish Democratic Council heavily criticized saying that they were, “deeply troubled by Governor Romney’s choice . . . to kick (off) his presidential campaign on the former estate of a well-known and outspoken anti-Semite and xenophobe.” A spokesman for Romney said, “Governor Romney believes our country needs to put innovation at the forefront if we are to ensure a stronger, safer and more prosperous America, the Ford Museum embodies that bold, innovative spirit.”

Romney’s record as a moderate and his Latter-day Saint faith are expected to be his primary campaign challenges.

Romney, born in Detroit, the son of former Michigan Governor, Republican Presidential candidate, and automotive pioneer George Romney, attended Cranbrook School of Michigan and Harvard Business and Law Schools. Romney ran against senior Massachusetts senator and Kennedy family member, Ted Kennedy. Romney won 41% percent of the vote against Kennedy in the closest election in Kennedy’s entire tenure in the United States Senate. Romney was also CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee which was in charge of planning the 2002 Winter Olympics from 1999 to 2002, he took charge after the 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal. He also sat on the board of Massachusetts-based office supply giant, Staples, Inc.

Sport

A Meeting Venue In Fargo, Nd Is The Ideal Place To Conduct Business

byAlma Abell

If you wish to conduct business in a friendly locale, then conducting a meeting in Fargo, ND is the ideal spot in which to do so. While Fargo is not a tropical destination, it is a place where you can play golf year-round as it does offer facilities where you can play the game inside.

Play Golf Virtually

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For example, one place, Golf Addiction, offers an indoor virtual facility for playing golf with simulators. One of the simulators is represented by a big three-screen SimSurround. You can virtually play a round of golf on some of the most difficult courses on the PGA circuit. You can even use your own clubs. Cold eats and cold brews are part of this entertainment package.

So, if you are seeking a meeting Venue in Fargo, ND, you can also find some golf facilities where you can play the game throughout the year. You don’t even have to wear a parka when playing a winter game as golfing facilities in Fargo simulate a golf course in the spring. In fact, local residents like golf so much that winter leagues are formed for winter play.

An Indoor Driving Range

You can also check out the room reservations at such sites as Fargohi.com and make plans to visit the Sports Bubble in the area. The indoor facility was conceived with golfers solely in mind. Keep your game sharp in the wintertime or just stop by the facility and play recreationally.

The climate-controlled indoor driving range features over 30 hitting stations on two levels. A golfer can practice with any club from a driver to a sand wedge. Even if you don’t play golf, you will find that making Fargo a meeting venue is appropriate. The location offers cross-country skiing in the winter as well as an array of food stalls and eateries.

When you plan your next conference, then think about the interests of the participants who will be attending the meeting venue you establish. You will find that for the money, choosing a northern location is ideal even in the wintertime.

Virginians melee at used Apple iBook sale

Thursday, August 18, 2005

“Total chaos” is how many described the melee that resulted from a sale of used Apple iBook laptop computers at the Richmond International Raceway (RIR) by the Henrico County, Virginia school system.

Officials estimated nearly 5,000 people thronged the sale for the $50, four-year-old computers. Among them were 17 injured, four requiring hospitalization – one for a leg injury, and three for heat-related illness, said Henrico County Police. Reports of trampling in the stampede were not uncommon, and one driver reportedly tried to drive through the throng of prospective buyers.

Alice Jemerson, an elderly customer said, “They bum rushed the gates and I was knocked over, fighting for my life. All these people were on top of me.”

Shortly after 7am EST officials opened the gates and many residents ran hysterically toward the building where the sale was to occur at 9am.

At a post sale press conference, Henrico County Police spokesman Lieutenant Doug Perry told reporters, “A few bad apples found their way inside. It looked worse than it was.”

Apple iBooks are the preferred computer for Henrico County schools, and Director of General Services of Henrico County Paul Proto, said changes were made to the event after tremendous interest was generated, some as far away as Europe and California. Officials closed and moved the sale from the Henrico county school warehouse to the RIR, after residents complained that their tax dollars were used to buy the computers, and they ought to have first right to repurchase them. The Henrico County Board of Supervisors voted to amend the County Code so that only residents could purchase the laptop computers.

Although officials had prohibited camping out and overnight parking, some in attendance reported that people began arriving at midnight.

Henrico Police Chief H.W. Stanley, Jr. said five patrol officers were originally planned for the event, a customary presence for an event the size authorities had estimated. But by 6 am, an enormous crowd was assembled at the front gate.

Officials present before opening told the crowd that automobiles would be allowed to enter first, which prompted many to run to their cars. But while some were running back to their cars, others rushed the gate. The resulting confusion created much anger, and guards closed the gates shortly thereafter.

Long lines encircling the sale building were commonplace, and one observer noted, “They’re going to see themselves on the news tonight, and see what fools they are.”

Some citizens, however, considered their wait worthwhile. Hairstylist and mother of two Sheress Blunt was one of the first hundred to buy one of the iBooks; she came with her mother and said they sneaked into the raceway through a side gate.

Tonya Vaughan arrived at 5:30 a.m., also bought one of the first iBooks and said three people offered to buy it from her for as much as $200. She declined however, saying, “I told them no way! I had worked too hard for it.”

Lt. Perry said many officers were complimented on the way they handled the crowd, adding that police were seen letting children who had been pushed aside, into the building.

Mr. Proto said, “There are no plans right now to have another iBook sale.”

Henrico County Battalion Police Chief Steve Wood said no arrests were made and the iBooks were sold out by 1pm EST.

Fitness Equipment

Have You Created A Life Of Vitality? Take My Quiz To Find Out. Blog Category: Eating Well, Healthy Eating}

Submitted by: Lynda Enright

What does vitality mean to you?

The Websters definition of vitality is: a) capacity to live and develop, b) physical or mental vigor especially when highly developed, c) power of enduring.

To me, vitality means living a life where you are:

thriving

feeling good every day healthy and strong

participating fully in your life

engaged with family, friends and colleagues

not solely in the absence of poor health but in a state of great health

We know from research of populations around the world who live long and thrive that there are many factors to creating a life of vitality. Food is certainly one component, but in addition a sense of purpose, community, physical activity and spirituality are important components as well.

Are you living a life of vitality? Take my quiz to find out.

1. Do you choose foods that are fresh as often as possible?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tI9F68-nGc[/youtube]

2. Do you choose foods that are grown locally when available?

3. Do you choose foods that are in season where you live?

4. Do you prepare foods using plant oils such as coconut, olive, avocado, walnut or grapeseed?

5. Do you sweeten your foods with fruit juices or butters, pure maple syrup or honey?

6. Do you get salt from fish, sea vegetables or sea salt?

7. Do you purchase free range meats?

8. Do you eat naturally fermented and cultured foods?

9. Do you cook with a variety of herbs and spices?

10. Do you spend time with people in your community?

11. Do you have a sense of purpose in your life?

12. Do you spend time with both the young and the old?

13. Do you move your body daily?

14. Do you spend time in spiritual or restorative practice?

If you answered YES to 7 or more questions you are making choices to live a life of vitality. If you answered YES to fewer than 7 questions you have greater opportunities to thrive!

Food is not simply energy, it is information.

Populations who live a life of vitality make food choices that provide different information to their body than the Standard American Diet today.

Food that is fresh, local and in season is richer and more diverse in nutrients.

Food that is cooked from scratch and preserved using natural methods such as fermentation has higher nutrient value and helps to nourish your gut more than foods that are highly processed to allow for shelf stability.

Fats that are consumed from plants nourish your body to protect your heart and against disease.

Salts that come from the sea are rich in a variety of minerals.

Herbs and spices can add so much more to your diet than just flavor. They may have antimicrobial, antiviral or antibiotic properties.

A lifestyle of vitality

In addition to food, there are components of a life of vitality we can learn from long living populations that you can incorporate into your days as well. Research repeatedly shows that having social connection improves health and increases longevity. You may spend your days getting done what needs to get done without thinking about your real purpose. A sense of purpose may protect your heart and add years to your life.

Remember the days when everyone got a day off? When there was for so many an actual day of rest? Stores were closed, time was spent with family. Today our 24/7/365 lifestyle is taking a toll.

Some research has looked at daily movement versus sitting and then exercising. It seems as though building more daily movement into your life may have greater benefit than going to the gym after a day of being sedentary. We know from populations who thrive exercise is not the norm, but rather movement happens every day throughout the day.

What choices can you make?

My hope for each of you is not that you just get through your days or years. But you do it doing what you love, being with people who are important to you, nourishing your body so that you feel well, have energy and a clear head. We can learn from people around the world who not only live long but live well. You may not have the choice to move to a remote island where life moves more slowly and fresh food is available all year round. But you can make choices each day to shift where you can to choose foods that nourish rather than those highly processed, to choose movement instead of a chair, to choose friends and family rather than solitude.

Each choice you make will create your own vitality. Take a step. Your good health is worth it.

About the Author: Lynda Enright, MS, RD, CLT is certified as a Wellness Coach and LEAP Therapist who partners with individuals who want to look and feel amazing. Lynda helps individuals improve their health by addressing each individual as the whole person finding the causes of weight gain, fatigue, bloating, acid reflux, congestion, brain fog or achy joints. This article was originally published at

bewellconsulting.com/eating-well/have-you-created-a-life-of-vitality-take-my-quiz-to-find-out

and has been syndicated with permission. For more tips on eating well and balancing a healthy lifestyle, visit

BeWellConsulting.com

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=1959304&ca=Self+Help}

EPA block massive West Australian energy project

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

The Western Australian (WA) Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has advised against the massive Greater Gorgon liquefied natural gas project off WA’s Pilbara coast. Proponents of the projects say Gorgon is one of Australia’s biggest export ventures, scheduled to provide up to 6,000 jobs and exports of up to $1.2 billion.

EPA chairman Dr Wally Cox said the Gorgon project operators (Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell), had made an effort on flora and fauna issues but in its present state, the Gorgon proposal was “unacceptable.” Gorgon LNG general manager Colin Beckett said that Gorgon was a world-class gas field and that the joint venture partners were confident that the decision would be reversed.

Environment Minister Mark McGowan said there was a definite process to be followed. The Minister says he will make a final decision on the Gorgon proposal after considering the EPA report – and any subsequent report from the Appeals Convenor. The EPA recommendations on the Gorgon proposal are subject to a two-week appeals period.

The EPA’s Dr Cox said that joint venture had “not been able to demonstrate that impacts from dredging, the introduction of non-indigenous species and the potential loss of fauna could be reduced to acceptable levels.”

In September 2003 the WA government provided “in-principle agreement” to the Gorgon joint venturers subject to a number of conditions. Dr Cox said that the Environmental Review and Management Programme had further highlighted the terrestrial and marine conservation values of Barrow Island and the adjacent waters.

Flatback turtles in particular would be put at risk from the proposal with two of the most important nesting beaches located adjacent to the proposed LNG processing plant site and the materials off-loading facility,” Dr Cox said. “There is very little science available on the life-cycle, behaviour and feeding habits of Flatback turtles and as a consequence it is not possible at this time to identify management measures that would ensure ongoing survival of this Pilbara Flatback turtle population.”

Dr Cox also said that the Proponent had not been able to demonstrate that risk could be reduced to satisfactory levels in the areas of: Impacts on the marine ecosystem from dredging; The introduction of non-indigenous species; Potential loss of subterranean and short range endemic invertebrate fauna species. “As a result, the proposal in its present form cannot meet the EPA’s environmental objectives and is considered environmentally unacceptable,” Dr Cox said.

6.7 magnitude quake shakes Hawaii

Sunday, October 15, 2006

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the Hawaiian islands at 17:07:49 UTC (07:07:49 local time) October 15, 2006. The quake, centered approximately 6 miles southwest of Puak? on the west side of Hawai`i Island (the Big Island), was felt throughout the entire state, causing a statewide power outage.

No tsunami warning was issued as a result of the quake; however, a tsunami measuring around 0.1 meters (four inches) was recorded. There were 50 aftershocks reported after the quake, the strongest being a 5.8 tremor reported at about 17:14 UTC (7:14 a.m. local time).

There were no fatalities reported and only scattered reports of minor injuries.

Electric power was lost statewide shortly after the quake. As of about 8:00 p.m. HST, power was restored to all the neighbor islands, but Hawaiian Electric personnel still had work to go on Oahu, the island with the highest population. Power was eventually restored to most areas of Oahu by midnight.

Structural damage occurred at Kona Hospital, where ceiling tiles fell and electricity was lost, forcing an evacuation of patients to Hilo Medical Center on the other side of the island. Damage was also reported at the Honokaa Long-term Care Facility and the Royal Kona Resort.

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle, who was in Kona at the time of the earthquake, issued an emergency declaration for the entire state of Hawaii at about 11:00 a.m. local time (2300 UTC Sunday).

Air service in Hawaii was temporarily suspended shortly after the quake as airports were forced to operate on emergency power. The power outage caused delays to incoming and outgoing flights, as TSA agents had to conduct manual searches of all bags. Airlines have canceled numerous flights scheduled to depart Honolulu International Airport Sunday evening.

Communication links are problematic. Most radio stations lost power and stopped broadcasting immediately after the quake. (Metroblogging Hawaii) Honolulu radio station KSSK, operating on emergency generators, became a central information source for Oahu residents. A landslide has blocked at least one major highway from a section of a cliff at Kealakekua Bay.

USGS Volcano Observatory equipment has not been significantly damaged. Monitoring stations report “no significant changes in the past 24 hours” of the eruption of the K?lauea volcano.

According to USGS records, this earthquake is the fourth largest Hawaiian earthquake in the last 100 years. Previous earthquakes include a magnitude 7.2 quake in 1975, a magnitude 6.9 quake in 1951, and a magnitude 6.8 quake in 1938. The last magnitude 6.7 quake was in 1983.

Music

Get Help With All Your Projects From Printing Companies In Chicago

byAlma Abell

In today’s Information age, with the help of readily available technology, everyone is able to get any information needed about anything, with ease. One way people are able to find whatever they need is through the use of printing companies that can print out quickly and effortlessly any message you want to share. Printing companies in Chicago excel in providing customers with high quality services and the best of printed products of all kinds, for whatever the customers may need them for. It is easy to find the best printing company in Chicago to satisfy your printing needs, even if you don’t know what you are looking for and don’t have the right requirements.

What Do Printing Companies In Chicago Do?

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Printing companies in Chicago, Illinois specialize in providing excellence in printing and reproduction of countless different products for customers. Here are just a few of the things you can get from a Chicago printing company:

-Business cards – To spread the message about yourself and your business to a large audience, you can have your own business cards printed to hand out to potential customers.

-CD and DVD reproducing – If you are putting on a presentation or selling your own music, you can have several copies of your disc reproduced and even have your own cases custom designed and printed out.

-Banners – Whether you are showing your support for something or announcing a special event, printing companies in Chicago will deliver exactly what you need for a colorful, eye catching banner.

-Photo books – These can be used for anything from family memories to recipe books, and with the help of printing companies in Chicago, you can design a beautifully formatted photo book.

-Signs – Every business needs an attractive sign to grab the attention of passersby and potential customers, and printing companies in Chicago will assist you in designing the best sign and printing it out for you quickly.

-Stationery – If you would like personalized stationery to send out letters, you can have it designed and printed with a Chicago printing company.

Are you in need of one of a printed product to help you in your home or business? Go visit the Chicago Print Group website at www.chiprintgroup.com to find out about printing companies in Chicago and what they can do for you.

PBS show asserts greenhouse gases, atmospheric pollutants dimming future

Saturday, April 22, 2006

This week, the Public Broadcasting Service aired a NOVA program titled “Dimming the Earth”, which presented research by leading scientists on the complex systems of our global climate and human activity’s effect on it. One of the largest interactions (or “inputs”) humans have with the atmosphere is the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels. Consumption has risen 2% per year for this decade.

Fossil fuels burnt in factories and automobiles send their waste into our atmosphere in two forms. The first is CO2 and other greenhouse gases, which have received substantial attention in the last few years because of the way they trap heat in the atmosphere. The second is the tiny particles of sulfur dioxide, soot and ash, which scientists call aerosols (basically smog). Research into understanding the negative health effects of air pollution has resulted in the development of catalytic converters for cars as well as devices to remove particulate solids from industrial waste before it reaches the air.

More recently, atmospheric scientists have come upon the phenomenon of the reduction of direct sunlight reaching Earth’s surface— observing a nearly a 5% decline between 1960 and 1990, with evidence of a recovery since then. This has been dubbed the “global dimming” effect, and is probably due to the way these aerosols act upon clouds. It is important to realise that this does not represent a net loss of this much sunshine to the climate system – if so, large temperature declines would have been observed. Instead, the sunshine is absorbed elsewhere in the system, with a much smaller net loss.

Clouds form when moisture gathers around airborne particles, such as pollen or dust. Clouds formed by the aerosol particles emitted by fossil fuel consumption are made of many more tiny droplets than “natural” clouds. These smog-created clouds have two notable effects: they shield sunlight from reaching Earth’s surface and, due to water’s reflective nature, the millions of tiny droplets suspended in them reflect light back into space, allowing even less light to reach Earth.

Many scientists now believe that global dimming caused by these pollutants has mitigated the temperature rises brought about by global warming. Over the last thirty years, Earth’s temperature has increased by about 0.5 oC.

In the absence of global dimming, however, the Earth might be 0.3 oC warmer than it currently is, suggesting that a “tug-of-war” exists between greenhouse gases and particulates released by burning fossil fuels. Efforts to mitigate the human health dangers of smog have allowed more heat into our atmosphere and brought about a sharper increase in global warming.

Dr. James E. Hansen, professor at Columbia University and the head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies [1], believes that if we continue on our current pattern, this warming could be as much as five degrees in the next thirty years and ten to fourteen degrees over the course of the century. Such a temperature rise would devastate life on Earth, likely bringing on a cascade of self-reinforcing warming effects. Earth’s forests drying and burning, a steady thawing of the Greenland and arctic ice sheets, and, most dangerous of all, a release of the methane hydrates that are now frozen at the bottom of the oceans, could remake the planet into something inhospitable to human life. Dr. Hansen warns that, according to his research, man has just 10 years to reduce greenhouse gases before global warming and other responses to human activity by Earth’s climate reach a “tipping point”, becoming unstoppable.

Allegations President Bush staged photo-ops in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina tragedy

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

In a press release issued Saturday, September 3rd, 2005, Democratic Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana claims that President Bush staged a photo opportunity, at the breached 17th Street levee, by having equipment quickly moved into the background during the event. Senator Landrieu says the equipment was dispersed elsewhere the next day, but did not provide details.

Landrieu says in her press release, ” … we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast — black and white, rich and poor, young and old — deserve far better from their national government …”

The President and Senator Landrieu toured the 17th Street levee on Friday, and held the photo-op. Senator Landrieu said she believed the repair effort was legitimate, at that time. Less than 24 hours later, she discovered only “one lonely crane” working on the site, while giving an aerial tour for ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. A video of her tearful comments, during that tour, has been circulating around the internet (WMV).

Senator Landrieu made no specific accusations about the photo-op during the ABC tour. However, neither does her press release describe any measures taken to verify that equipment was in-fact pulled from other projects for the purpose of the photo-op, nor where the equipment is now. The canal wall breach, near Hammond Highway, was later shown Sunday on CBS’ 60 Minutes with dump trucks and a power shovel building a single-lane pathway across the gap. The breach was closed Monday.

Senator Landrieu was herself criticized by Anderson Cooper (CNN) on Thursday, after she responded to a question by rattling off a list of “thank yous” to other politicians (WMV, transcript). Democratic pundits have excused such detachment as an attempt to gain more federal assistance during the tragedy. Senator Landrieu’s press release partially confirms this interpretation by attempting to simultaneously ask the president for more aid, while accusing him of misusing existing resources.

Although press reports mentioned the 17th Street Canal breach was blocked by the use of metal sheets, sandbags, and dumped fill, details were not available. On Wednesday September 7 it was reported that earlier metal girders, often used for retaining walls, had been hung down from the north side of the Hammond Highway bridge so as to form a metal wall which blocked the canal from the lake. After the breach had been closed, by sandbags and fill delivered by dump truck, the metal wall was opened to allow draining of the city through the canal.

Obviously placing the metal wall required an assortment of equipment which was no longer needed after it was in place. The wall was only visible from the bridge and most dry land as a few feet of metal along the bridge railing. It is not known if Senator Landrieu noticed this work of engineering, nor if she had been briefed as to what was being done.

However, photos of work at the site were later found which showed a lot of activity Sept 4, after Landrieu said the equipment was not there. However, the sheet piling wall in the photo was reported to have been completed September 2. Information of the schedule of similar work at the London Avenue breach has not been found.

Danish Integration Minister’s car burned

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Copenhagen, Denmark – The Danish Integration Minister Rikke Hvilshøj’s car was set ablaze outside her family-home on the morning of Wednesday 8 June. From there, the fire spread to the family’s garage, and further on to the side of the house, damaging the roof above the kitchen and children’s room.

At the same time, an e-mail was sent to several media agencies, where a group calling themselves “Action Group Beate” claimed responsibility, saying it is a “protest against the racist immigrational laws of Denmark”. The police found the computer used for sending the mail within a few hours, and closed down the cybercafé whilst removing the computer.

Throughout the Danish political system politicians from both the ruling party and the opposition have expressed their outrage over the terrorism.

The insurance company is currently assessing the amount of damage done to the home, but so far they have made an estimate of £27.000, just for the house damages.