2009
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0 Comments | Bismarck Tribune, Aug 21, 2009 | by RON EGGLESTON
‘Clunkers’ doesn’t make much senseBy RON EGGLESTONBismarckIf you have this wonderful vision of a poor family trading in their old junker for a new fuel-efficient car, you need to think again. “Cash for clunkers” is no more than a government program that redistributes tax money from low-income folks to those with the means to make new car and insurance payments.
Low incomers have to continue to drive their smoking gas guzzler to work, the store and the repair shop. Regardless, the low incomer’s taxes will be used to discount the price of new cars. Not only will they contribute their money, they’ll also be tagged with the effects of the $3 billion added to the deficit.
But, at least cash for clunkers is helping with global warming and oil imports? Not really. Studies suggest that the impact of these clunkers is negligible at best.
I suspect that many of the trade-ins were second or backyard cars that were rarely driven.
The American big-three automakers have seen an increase in sales, but, the vast majority of the new cars are foreign brands
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Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Dec 1, 2009
THE future of local markets comes under the spotlight this week.
Dewsbury plays host tomorrow to the National Food Markets Conference, featuring delegates from the worlds of food and markets.
And Kirklees councillors hope they will learn some vital lessons to improve markets in this region.
Delegates to the event will be welcomed by Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik and the Mayor of Kirklees, Clr Julie Stewart-Turner, and it will be chaired by Guardian food editor, writer and broadcaster Matthew Fort.
As part of the event, delegates will visit Dewsbury’s award-winning market.
One international visitor will be Oscar Ubide i Marcet, of Barcelona.
He is the manager of the Boqueria Market and also of the Market Food School.
The Boqueria is one the most important networks of fresh food markets in Europe and he will talk on how Barcelona has revived its markets and the use of markets as a vehicle for education and food promotion.
The future of food retailing in mainstream shopping centres will be discussed as will the key role of active town centre management in promoting markets.
Kirklees Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan said: “Dewsbury is the jewel in the Kirklees markets crown being a past holder of national Market of the Year and it is fitting that the conference is coming to the town.”
0 Comments | Daily Mirror, The; London (UK), Dec 16, 2009 | by Anonymous
AN advert for a new TV series was prejudiced against redheads, according to watchdogs.
The ad, for Dating in the Dark on Virgin’s digital channel, said: “How do you spot a ginger in the dark?” The Advertising Standards Authority – which received three complaints – said it implied those with ginger hair were unattractive and was likely to cause “serious offence”.
Virgin argued that the statement was not offensive but was ordered to remove the advert.
Folk Music Journal, Annual, 2010 by E. Bradtke
May Day Festivals in America, 1830 to the Present
Allison Thompson. Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland, 2009. Illus. Bibliog. Index. ISBN 978-0-7864-3915-7
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0 Comments | Daily Mail (London, England), The, Dec 5, 2009
Byline: Alan Sherry
THE Department of the Environment omitted e26,500 of Minister John Gormley’s foreign travel expenses when it released records this week.
The bills, which mainly applies to car hire, the use of VIP airport lounges and chauffeur transfers between airport terminals, were not included in the original list of costs. The complete figures were released after a complaint from a newspaper.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley denied there was ‘any attempt to deceive anyone’.
However, the incident will be seen as a major embarrassment for Mr Gormley who, in the wake of the John O’Donoghue expenses row, said he was committed to transparency. The department initially omitted around 40 per cent of the e66,000 in costs run up by the minister on 22 foreign trips since his appointment in 2007.
Among the expenses left out were over e8,000 in fees for the use of VIP airport lounges in Dublin, London, Brussels and Frankfurt. An additional e3,000 was spent chauffeuring Mr Gormley between terminals at Heathrow Airport on a number of occasions.
Famously, Mr Gormley ran up an e1,800 bill after a car was sent from London to collect him at Holyhead ferry port when he travelled to Hay-on-Wye in May 2008.
Almost e3,600 was spent on a chauffeur for Mr Gormley and his wife on a five-day visit to London last year.
Some e22,000 was spent on flights while just over e14,000 was spent on accommodation during the foreign visits.
Mr Gormley claimed an additional e6,000 in subsistence payments.
His most expensive trip was a visit to a UN climate change conference in Bali in 2007 which cost e9,700.
Mr Gormley’s spokesman said no attempt had been made to hide the expenses.
He added that ‘a great deal of information’ had been initially provided and that the rest of the expenses had been made available after a newspaper raised the matter.
‘No attempt was made to deceive anybody,’ he insisted.
The spokesman added that the publication of the expenses online had been ‘delayed for administrative reasons’.
John Gormley: The Minister for Back-pedalling – Page 38-39
0 Comments | Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), Dec 3, 2009
COLUMN: MONEY BRIEFS
Hanover to expand
WORCESTER – The Hanover Insurance Group, a provider of property and casualty insurance, will expand its sales area next year into seven Western states – Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
A company team has developed a suite of products for the region, and plans to name 200 agents in those states.
“We are very pleased with the significant progress we have made and thrilled to begin writing business in these seven states,” said Hanover CEO Frederick H. Eppinger.
The company has already opened offices in Denver and Sacramento and plans to open offices in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
IPG Photonics award
OXFORD – IPG Photonics Corp., a provider of high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers, announced yesterday that William H. Shiner, vice president – industrial markets, received the 2009 President’s Award from the Laser Institute of America, a professional society promoting cutting-edge laser applications.
The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to LIA and enable the growth and prosperity of the society. This is the first presentation of the award in more than five years. The award was presented at LIA’s International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics conference. At the ceremony, Mr. Shiner was recognized by current LIA President Rajesh Patel for his long-term contributions toward the success of LIA.
PR Newswire, Dec 1, 2009
–Go Green Expo 2010 Kicks off Cross Country Tour with Return to Los Angeles and Bigger, Better Star-Studded Eco-Showcase–
NEW YORK, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ — Go Green Expo, the nation’s premier green business and sustainable lifestyle show known for its innovative and interactive programming, today announced an exciting and exclusive television partnership for its 2010 tour with the CBS Television Stations group. CBS Television Stations will support Go Green Expo with programming and advertising to broadcast the message of going green to millions of homes in local markets visited by the show, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
“CBS is the perfect media partner to help us further spread the greener living message beyond attendance and reach millions of homes in America from the savviest environmentalist to the newly green,” said Bradford Rand, CEO and Founder of Go Green Expo. “We are thrilled to kick off the new year with a great new partnership and return to one of our favorite cities, Los Angeles.”
Following the groundbreaking inaugural Los Angeles show last year that reached more than 10,000 eco-minded attendees, Go Green Expo will make its second appearance at the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 22-24, 2010 as the first stop of the nationwide tour
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Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Dec 2, 2009
Byline: KATIE GRANT
KIRKLEES could be a world leader with plans to build one of the UK’s first ever eco-towns.
Housing minister John Healey announced he would give pounds 10m in funding to 12 local authorities to help them develop plans for the low-carbon towns.
The Leeds City region, including North Kirklees, will be one of the areas to benefit after successfully bidding for the opportunity.
However, Huddersfield’s Green Party councillor Andrew Cooper told the Examiner more savings to the environment could be made by adapting existing homes.
He said: “The last plan for an eco-town was to build on a flood plain – which would have been very susceptible to global warming.
“It’s all very well looking at new properties but what we really want to be doing is getting lots of investment savings to be made to reducing carbon in existing properties.
“This would be more cost-effective.” Clr Cooper proposed the country’s first universally free insulation scheme in 2007 by amending the Kirklees Warm Zone proposal to make cavity wall and loft insulation free for all residents.
Since then more than 100,000 Huddersfield householders have signed up to the scheme which has insulated more than 13,000 cavity walls and 30,000 lofts.
The Newsome ward councillor added: “Of course, if we are going to be building new houses then they should be energy efficient.”
Back in July, only four locations met the tough standards to become eco-towns.
Yesterday a further nine local authorities were added to the list.
The authorities will now need to submit detailed plans with pioneering green standards that adhere to the eco-towns planning policy statement that was published in July.
This includes 5,000 new homes and good ideas for low-carbon jobs, schools and transport.
The council will need to work as part of the Leeds City Region and with Aire Valley, York North West, and the Bradford to Shipley canal corridor.
A new Eco Town Network would be set up in conjunction with the Town and Country Planning Association, to act as an eco workshop for councils to come together and share ideas.
The plans for North Kirklees are subject to consultation, public consultation and local planning approval. Mr Healey said: “The further nine areas are looking at proposals to design and develop to the tough new eco-town standards.
“This signals real and radical momentum to change and to re-think how we design our towns and homes for the future.
“We must push for international change at Copenhagen, but also act locally here in Britain too.
“We said we wanted to see up to ten eco-towns by 2020, so we will now work closely with these councils and communities to develop their bids and ensure that the public can have their say at every stage.
“We are leading the world with these developments which combine affordable housing with new green infrastructures and an exceptional quality of life.”
The second wave of eco towns are in addition to the four sites announced in July which were Hampshire, Norfolk, Cornwall and Oxfordshire.
Your view? Text: Exletters to 84080 Tel: 01484 437767 email: editorial@examiner.co.uk Forum: www.examiner.co.uk
CAPTION(S):
ECO CHANGES: Clr Andrew Copper, inset, Solar panels being installed at Croftlands, Newsome in September
Flex, Jan, 2010 by Jim Stoppani
Egg whites contain only trace amounts of fat and 4 grams of protein per egg white, whereas a whole egg contains 5 g of fat and 6 g of protein. While both contain adequate amounts of essential BCAAs, the fat content in whole eggs, if consumed in high amounts, may impede fat loss for the precontest-dieting bodybuilder.
However, eating 1 to 2 whole eggs per day, even on a precontest diet, is highly recommended not only because they contain high amounts of the B vitamins thiamine, folate, riboflavin, B6 and B12, but also because they are high in leucine, a key factor in stimulating muscle hypertrophy. Research shows that the fat contained in yolks can help curb hunger and people who eat whole eggs make greater gains in strength and muscle mass than those who consume just egg whites.
This month, we pick the brain of nutritionist and trainer Neil Hill
Edited by JIM STOPPANI, PHD