BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Thursday it will not use its dominance of supplies of rare earths as a bargaining tool with foreign economies, and the United States said it hoped trade in the high-tech ores would continue as normal.
China has slashed export quotas and reduced shipments to Japan, igniting international concern that it could use rare earth exports as an economic or political lever. Prices have spiked and mining firms are rushing to develop sources of the minerals outside China
The U.S. and European Union this week said they were pressing for solutions to fears that China was choking supply of the substances used in lasers, computers and superconductors, among other applications, and the issue is expected to figure at next month's G-20 summit
.
Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesman Zhu Hongren said Beijing sought international cooperation.
"China will not use rare earths as an instrument for bargaining," he told a news conference on Thursday. "Instead, we hope to cooperate with other countries in the use of rare earths on the basis of win-win outcomes and jointly protecting this unrenewable resource."
The ministry is one of several in China that oversee rare earths.
Zhu was speaking on the same day a newspaper published by China's Ministry of Commerce urged China to resist pressure to allow foreign firms more access to its rare earths.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was unaware of China's vow not to use them as a bargaining chip, and, speaking in Hawaii, said she would welcome any clarification of China's stance on the minerals.
"I ... hope that it means trade and commerce around these important materials will continue unabated and without any interference," Clinton told a news conference with Japan's foreign minister.
"At the same time, because of the importance of these rare earth minerals, I think both the minister and I are aware that our countries and others will have to look for additional sources of supply," she said.
One engineering firm, Japan's Nidec, has already said it will start making motors that do not use rare earths to lessen reliance on the minerals.
China supplies about 97 percent of the world's demand for rare earth metals, which possess magnetic, luminescent and other properties used in emerging clean energy technologies, computers and electronics.
Prices of some rare earths on world markets have increased tenfold this year, reversing a long-trend toward lower prices caused largely by greater Chinese production over the past two decades.
In response to higher prices and worries among major consumers such as Japanese hi-tech industries that they will be unable to rely on large scale deliveries from China, mining firms are scrambling to speed up mine development timetables.
Shares in potential producers of the minerals outside China, such as Molycorp and Lynas Corp have rocketed since July, when China said it was reducing exports by 72 percent in the second half of the year.
Australian firm Arafura Resources on Thursday raised A$90 million ($87.5 million) to develop a rare earths project, but some analysts have said the long-term investment case for the minerals may be weak, and the market has the makings of a bubble.
(Writing by Daniel Magnowski, editing by Miral Fahmy)
A team of Kiwi Riverman blogs, with a variety of niches. Something globally interesting to write about, every time. Positively influencing the blogesphere.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
The rift between Sir Edmund Hillary's widow and his children grew yesterday, with claims his son Peter has been cut out of a trust the great mountaineer set up.
Sir Ed's daughter, Sarah Hillary, said her brother Peter had not been appointed to the Himalayan Trust, set up by her father to help the Sherpa people, because of personality conflicts.
"There's been a bit of a take-over of the trust by a group that probably don't want Peter there," she said.
Sarah Hillary was appointed to the trust on Friday but she said Peter would have been a better choice.
The comments come as Sarah and Peter battle Sir Ed's widow, Lady June Hillary, over her plans to auction in Switzerland next Saturday his collection of Rolex watches, including one given to him after he climbed Mt Everest in 1953 which is now valued at $25,000.
Sarah and Peter have threatened legal action if the auction house does not withdraw them from sale.
Mike Gill, a long time Himalayan Trust member and a close friend of Sir Ed, said he was expelled on Thursday in a letter couriered to him from Lady June.
%3Cbody%20style%3D%22margin%3A0%22%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22display%3Anone%3B%22%3EIXXXXXX%3C/div%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22display%3Anone%3B%22%3ECCID%3A%2025363%3C/div%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3Ciframe%20src%3D%22https%3A//view.atdmt.com/MAU/iview/183661415/direct/01%3Fclick%3Dhttp%3A//ads.apn.co.nz/accipiter/adclick/CID%3D0000631367d37c2500000000/aamsz%3D300X250/POS%3DPOS2/acc_random%3D46802416044/pageid%3D39912367260/site%3DMSNNZH/area%3DSEC.NATIONAL.STY/keyword%3Dhillary%20family%20rift%20widens%20sir%20edmund%20widow%20children%20grew%20yesterday%20claims%20son%20peter%20cut%20trust%20great%20mountaineer%20set%20ed%20daughter%20sarah%20brother%20appointed%20himalayan%20father%20help%20sherpa%20people%20personality%20conflicts/relocate%3D%22%20frameborder%3D%220%22%20scrolling%3D%22no%22%20marginheight%3D%220%22%20marginwidth%3D%220%22%20topmargin%3D%220%22%20leftmargin%3D%220%22%20allowtransparency%3D%22true%22%20width%3D%22300%22%20height%3D%22250%22%20%3E%0D%0A%3Cscript%20language%3D%22JavaScript%22%20type%3D%22text/javascript%22%3E%20%0D%0Adocument.write%28%27%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A//clk.atdmt.com/MAU/go/183661415/direct/01/%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//view.atdmt.com/MAU/view/183661415/direct/01/%22/%3E%3C/a%3E%27%29%3B%0D%0A%3C/script%3E%3Cnoscript%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A//clk.atdmt.com/MAU/go/183661415/direct/01/%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20border%3D%220%22%20src%3D%22http%3A//view.atdmt.com/MAU/view/183661415/direct/01/%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/noscript%3E%3C/iframe%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C/div%3E
Trust council member David Hayman, who is Lady June's son-in-law, said Friday's meeting was "very successful".
Sarah Hillary's appointment was a "very popular outcome".
Lady June said yesterday that the proceeds from the sale of the watches were earmarked for charity work supporting education and health services in Nepal.
A friend of Lady June, Jim Wilson told the Herald on Sunday they wanted to "clear up any possible misconception that we are selling these watches for personal gain
.
The sale of the watches was to raise funds for Ed Hillary's Himalayan Trust." At the end of last June the trust's assets were worth about $3.9 million.
But Lady June's intention to sell the watches to benefit the trust came as news to Sarah and Peter Hillary.
Sarah Hillary said: "We think it's a wonderful idea to do it to raise money for the Himalayan Trust but we should have been consulted about it. One of the watches is one that Peter had for quite some time."
Peter Hillary declined to comment but his wife, Yvonne, said: "Ed Hillary had a son, three grandsons - any one of whom would have loved those watches."
KR: Such a sad story. I hope it can be resolved speedily; it could damage the memory of one of our country's greatest sons. Sir Ed's wishes should be granted.
Acknowledgements: Kathryn Powley/MSN News
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She is on her private plane after being farewelled by the US ambassador and former World Trade Organisation head Mike Moore and Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker..
.
The skies opened up just as the US Secretary of State arrived at the steps of the US Air Force Boeing.
While she was protected by umbrellas, her farewell party wasn't, so there was no lingering
.
From the dry of the Antarctic Programme hangar, Moore said her visit to New Zealand had been a "triumph," particularly the Town Hall event yesterday where she answered any question put to her from an audience of 300
.
"New Zealand is highly admired by Americans who are intrigued by what you have built here, who are trying to understand rugby and the great attraction it holds, and who are very committed to learning more about New Zealand," she said.
"She's a rock star," said Moore. "Her presentation was superb in the Town Hall, wasn't it. This is the value of people who come from a democratic society where they have had to spend life convincing someone on the other side to agree with them
"Can you imagine foreign secretaries from some countries being able to pull that off?"
Moore said the Wellington Declaration - described as a strategic partnership - was an important document.
"Words mean something and the Wellington accord, these words are important. This allows us to rewrite the agenda in Washington."
But he also described some of the dramatic changes that had already taken place in the relationship.
"It is only a few ambassadors ago that an ambassador would go to the State Department, meet a person like [an assistant secretary of state] Kurt Campbell, say hello, and then a couple of years later go and say goodbye. Now we meet every two weeks."
Mrs Clinton has forged stronger ties between the two countries and signalled her government's willingness to raise the level of the relationship even further.
She Clinton had arrived in Wellington on Wednesday, going into talks with Prime Minister John Key and Foreign Minister Murray McCully before signing the Wellington Declaration.
It sets out a strategic partnership ensuring political and military co-operation, with regular high-level meetings that will be used to workout the next practical steps in areas ranging from joint training to climate change.
"I think we've always had a very close relationship on so many issues and it was important for me to demonstrate that very vividly," she said in a TVNZ interview
.
"We work together on everything from climate change to (nuclear) non-proliferation, our soldiers are working together in Afghanistan...but I think there was a lingering impression the last 25 years had served as an obstacle to our close partnership."
Both governments have said the relationship is better now than at any time since the Anzus rift caused by the introduction of New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation
.
Mr McCully has described the Wellington Declaration as "highly symbolic...the turning of a new page in the relationship."
Mrs Clinton is on a two-week Asia Pacific trip and today heads for Australia.
Acknowledgements: NZPA
http://huttriver.blog.co.uk
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Friday, November 05, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
There were fears for the safety of David Machin, 24, Ben Gavin-Young, 23, and Ryan Irissarri, 24, as they had not made contact with their families since the tsunami struck last week, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Ben's mother, Cheryl Gavin-Young has said that an Indonesian boat has seen her son and his friends sailing off the west Sumatran coastline, still on course.
Apparently the Indonesian sailors spoke with the trio and told them people were looking for them.
The Indonesian crew then contacted Ryan's mum, Joanie Irissarri, to tell her the good news. She had previously been in contact with boats in the area.
Mrs Irrissari also said another boat had been in touch with authorities in Malaysia, telling them they had also seen the Kiwi adventurers and they were fine
.
"It's awesome," said Mrs Gavin-Young. "The whole family feels very reassured.
.
Acknowledgements: MSN News
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- Help arrives for Indonesian tsunami victims (gadling.com)
- Missing Australian surfers found alive in Indonesia after tsunami (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
- More than 100 killed by Indonesian tsunami (telegraph.co.uk)
- Hunt for Australians missing at sea after Indonesia quake (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
- Tsunami surfer: 'I thought I would die' (bbc.co.uk)
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Reuters – A stalk of wild grass grows off soil from an old site of a rare earth metals mine on the outskirts of …
Acknowledgements: Yahoo! News
Related articles
- China vows not to use rare earths as leverage (reuters.com)
- China says rare earths no "bargaining tool" (reuters.com)
- China says it won't use rare earth metals as bargaining chip (financialpost.com)
- China to trim rare-earth exports in 2011 (financialpost.com)
- China says rare-earth minerals not a 'bargaining tool'; no date on export resumption (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- China reassures on rare earth row (bbc.co.uk)
- China says no significant cut for rare earth quotas (reuters.com)
- China says no significant cut for rare earth quotas (financialpost.com)
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Many people claim the Church of Scientology to be a mind-controlling cult. Is it? What are your experiences and knowledge about this so-called church? Please read the following and leave comments below if you wish.
"Operation Clambake" presents:
What is Scientology?
In the late 1940s, pulp writer L. Ron Hubbard declared: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion"Hubbard later created the Church of Scientology... |
| Based on a text by ex-Scientologist Roland Rashleigh-Berry. Roland wrote: "This is my personal opinion. I grant permission to anyone to reproduce this material. This description has been tailored to people who have never been Scientologists and seek a simple and short explanation as to what it is and why it is surrounded by controversy." |
In a Nutshell
The Church of Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control over their money and their lives. Its aim is to take from them every penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to further its wicked ends. It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to make money. It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a religion in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it "Scientology".
Scientology is a confused concoction of crackpot, dangerously applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, idiotic and inapplicable rules and ideas and science-fiction drivel that is presented to its members (at the "advanced" levels) as profound spiritual truth.
The Harm it Does to a Person
The results of applying their crackpot psychotherapy (called "auditing") is to weaken the mind. The mind goes from a rational state to an irrational one as the delusional contents of the subconscious mind are brought to the surface and are assumed to be valid. It also makes a person more susceptible to suggestion since it submerges the critical thinking faculties of the mind into a partial subconscious state. It results in a permanent light hypnotic trance and so from thenceforth that person can be more easily controlled. The person will, to a much greater extent, believe and do whatever they are told. And of course this is used to the full in persuading them to hand over further money and dedicating themselves further to the cult. The results of applying their oversimplified and inapplicable rules in life is to lose the ability to think rationally and logically. A person loses the ability to think for themselves and so they lose the ability to challenge incorrect ideas. This makes them easier to control. It also isolates and alienates the person from society so that they withdraw from normal society and into their "Scientology" society. This further increases their susceptibility to the influence of their group. They end up being afraid of society, believing all society to be controlled by a group of drug companies, psychiatrists and financiers all of whom report to more remote masters. In other words they are in a state of mass paranoia. They therefore avoid reading newspapers and the like since they fear it will disturb their safe Scientology world. It is a downward spiral into madness.
The science fiction content of Scientology is revealed to them after they have reached the state they call "Clear", meaning freed from the aberrations of the mind. However, perhaps "brainwashed" would be a more applicable word to describe the mental state of someone who has survived the near entire delusional contents of their subconscious mind brought to the surface and presented to them as "truth". On the "advanced" levels (called OT levels) above the state of "Clear" they encounter the story of Xenu. Xenu was supposed to have gathered up all the overpopulation in this sector of the galaxy, brought them to Earth and then exterminated them using hydrogen bombs. The souls of these murdered people are then supposed to infest the body of everyone. They are called "body thetans". On the advanced levels of Scientology a person "audits out" these body thetans telepathically by getting them to re-experience their being exterminated by hydrogen bombs. So people on these levels assume all their bad thoughts and faulty memories are due to these body thetans infesting every part of their body and influencing them mentally. Many Scientologists go raving mad at this point if they have not done so already.
The "Ethics" Trap
On the surface the Church of Scientology seems reasonable. The insane content of it is only revealed to a person when the early stuff has done its work and made them more susceptible. After a short while a person "believes" that Scientology is doing them good. They are then persuaded to help their new-found group further by donating money and/or working for the organisation for almost no money. Many people do exactly that. "Ethics" is used to good effect to trap a person. A person�s natural tendency to do good is worked upon. Yes - they want to be more ethical, but what is ethical? This is where a clever trick is pulled! "Ethics" is redefined by Scientology in such a way that to be ethical is to be a better Scientologist and obey the "church". Young people, not yet made cynical through the machinations of life and politics, are very keen to contribute to the world and to be ethical. So the "ethics" trick works easily into persuading them to join the "church". Many of them join an elite group called the "Sea Org" where they become brainwashed slaves. There they work a hundred hour week for almost no pay. There they are subject to every cruel whim of their masters. It is a living hell that they endure because of the conditioning they have received and this now perverted sense of ethics that they have accepted. The "Sea Org" is the ultimate in brainwashed slavery. They are expected to work harder and harder to achieve ever higher targets of production. If they fail to meet their targets there are various penalties. One of them is to be put onto a diet of beans and rice and to miss sleep. Another is to be sentenced to a period on the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force). This is the equivalent to "hard labour". Such is the extent of their brainwashing that they actually write "success stories" when they complete their sentences.http://www.xenu.net/roland-intro.html
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- Meet a Scientologist -- Sophii Kennard, Dancing through Life (prweb.com)
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- 'No Scientology aid', Pickles urges (mirror.co.uk)
- Government urges councils to stop giving tax breaks to Scientology (guardian.co.uk)
- A bad day for Scientology? (newstatesman.com)
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
At least 29 people are reported to have been killed as a volcano erupted in Indonesia, prompting terrified villagers to flee and join the thousands already evacuated from its slopes.
People near the volcano have suffered burns and breathing problems.
Mt Merapi on Java island erupted on Tuesday evening, a day after the alert status was raised to the highest level.
Included among the death toll is an elder known as the volcano's spiritual gatekeeper. Mbah, or grandfather Marijan, was found dead in his burnt house about 4km from the peak.
The BBC cites local media saying emergency teams had found 12 bodies in the area close to the mountain, while AFP says the volcano had claimed the life of a three-month-old baby girl.
Adi Mulyanto, an emergency ward doctor at the Panti Nugroho Hospital in Sleman, told the Reuters news agency that at least six people had been badly burned by hot air bursting out of the volcano.
He said three of those had been rushed to hospital with burns to more than 80% of their bodies.
The mountain's peak was clouded with smoke, making it impossible to see if lava was spewing out, but ash was raining down on frightened residents.
Plumes of smoke and volcanic ash pour out of Mt Merapi.
Authorities had been trying since Monday to evacuate more than 11,000 villagers living on the volcano's slopes.
In a 1994 eruption, after the volcano's lava dome collapsed, 70 people were killed. The volcano killed 1,300 people in 1930.
In September, another Indonesian volcano, Mt Sinabung, on Sumatra island to the west, erupted after laying dormant for 400 years, forcing a mass evacuation.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Young gunman shoots his cousin after squabble over hunting knife...
A 13-year-old boy has been convicted of manslaughter after fatally shooting his 11-year-old relative last year.
The father of the convicted teenager has pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice after it was found he had tried to cover up the truth behind the shooting, reports the New Zealand Herald.
The victim, 11-year-old Triston Papuni, had been staying with his relative at an East Cape farm in July last year when an argument broke out.
The convicted teenager, who was 12 at the time, was in a room with Triston, along with a 17-year-old friend, when the younger boys disagreed over who was taking a knife on a hunting trip.
Police say the accused, whose name has been suppressed, pulled out a semi-automatic rifle belonging to his father from under the table and threatened to shoot Triston.
After poking Triston with the gun, the accused then loaded two bullets into the rifle and asked his relative if he was going to continue to be "cheeky", reports the NZ Herald.
Triston started yelling and as he turned away, the gun was fired. Triston died almost instantly, the court heard, after the bullet travelled through his body.
Before the police arrived at the scene, the father of the accused had told his son and the 17-year-old witness to say that Triston had "got the gun from under the bed."
Both boys told police this and also said the gun had accidentally fired when the 12-year-old was trying to get the rifle from Triston.
Their accounts did not match post mortem findings and the 17-year-witness recanted the story.
A police firearms expect had said that he could not rule out that the gun went off accidentally so the 12-year-old was charged with manslaughter, not murder, which he pled guilty to.
The father and son will be sentenced next month.
Acknowledgements: NZ Herald
A 13-year-old boy has been convicted of manslaughter after fatally shooting his 11-year-old relative last year.
The father of the convicted teenager has pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice after it was found he had tried to cover up the truth behind the shooting, reports the New Zealand Herald.
The victim, 11-year-old Triston Papuni, had been staying with his relative at an East Cape farm in July last year when an argument broke out.
The convicted teenager, who was 12 at the time, was in a room with Triston, along with a 17-year-old friend, when the younger boys disagreed over who was taking a knife on a hunting trip.
Police say the accused, whose name has been suppressed, pulled out a semi-automatic rifle belonging to his father from under the table and threatened to shoot Triston.
After poking Triston with the gun, the accused then loaded two bullets into the rifle and asked his relative if he was going to continue to be "cheeky", reports the NZ Herald.
Triston started yelling and as he turned away, the gun was fired. Triston died almost instantly, the court heard, after the bullet travelled through his body.
Before the police arrived at the scene, the father of the accused had told his son and the 17-year-old witness to say that Triston had "got the gun from under the bed."
Both boys told police this and also said the gun had accidentally fired when the 12-year-old was trying to get the rifle from Triston.
Their accounts did not match post mortem findings and the 17-year-witness recanted the story.
A police firearms expect had said that he could not rule out that the gun went off accidentally so the 12-year-old was charged with manslaughter, not murder, which he pled guilty to.
The father and son will be sentenced next month.
Acknowledgements: NZ Herald
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Good For Your Wallet, Good For Your Brain - Retire Later...
A report published this month in The Journal of Economic Perspectives suggests your brain may benefit from work. Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed memory performance in men and women ages 60-64 who lived in a variety of countries with different retirement ages. They found that people living in countries with later retirement ages performed better. For example, individuals living in the United States, Denmark and England recalled an average of 10-11 out of 20 words across immediate and delayed recall tests. The averages in Spain, Italy, and France, on the other hand, were closer to 6-8 words.
The researchers found, in general, that memory performance was much better in countries where people tended to work into their early 60s. In this particular study, for example, the researchers found that 50% of the US respondents and 10% of the French respondents were still working after the age of 60.
The researchers determined that working may help preserve cognitive function. This conclusion is consistent with the notion of cognitive reserve -- the idea that those who challenge their brains throughout life are somewhat protected from cognitive decline.
The good news, though, is that employment is not the only way to build cognitive reserve. Other approaches include engaging in educational activities, taking on challenging new hobbies, and brain training. Start building your cognitive reserve today with 25% of your Lumosity membership!
Acknowledgements: Luminosity.com
http://huttriver.blog.co.uk/
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Crowd of over 100,000 partied at Hagley Park last weekend in Christchurch earthquake relief concert...
Crowds continue to stream into earthquake relief concert Band Together in Hagley Park this afternoon, with numbers approaching 100,000.
The audience, a mix of all age groups, appears good natured with emergency services reporting few problems.
Police have reported no trouble so far apart from a few "lost children" and St John have only transported one person to hospital who was suffering from a medical condition.
Ex Fur Patrol singer Julia Deans is currently performing with Prime Minister John Key expected to arrive soon.
The concert will run until 8pm and acts still to come include The Exponents, The Feelers, Dave Dobbyn and Bic Runga.
Mayor Bob Parker said he was looking forward to the performances, although not so much to his guitar cameo.
"I think the thought of the concert has kept us going over the last few weeks. It's going to be an amazing day," he said.
Parker said Band Together would give Cantabrians a chance to celebrate their resilience and think about "all the things we didn't lose" during the September 4 earthquake.
"Although things are still difficult for many people, there were no lives lost, and that's worth recognising."
The televised concert was a chance to show gratitude to those outside Canterbury who had helped out in the quake aftermath, Parker said.
He confirmed he would have a small part playing guitar with his "rock'n'roll heroes", The Bats.
"I haven't done too much practice," he said. "I think I'll just slide to the back of the stage."
One of the concert organisers, Opshop frontman Jason Kerrison, said driving around quake-damaged Dallington yesterday brought home the amount of rebuilding work to be done.
"Therefore I cannot use the word exciting when talking about the Band Together concert – not when people are using portable toilets at their front gate and still don't have any water," he said.
"The word I would use to describe how I feel is `overwhelmed' – overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who has made the day work."
Kerrison said the concert was about families and the city getting together and relaxing and having fun together.
"I've watched this go from an idea to an email thread, and yesterday I stood in Hagley Park while a guy told me this was the biggest setup the council had ever been involved with. It's humbling," he said.
Exponents singer Jordan Luck said at a sound check last night that the band members wanted to do their part to help their home region.
"It goes without saying that we wouldn't be here without Canterbury people," he said. "We were formed here and we played pretty much every venue we could."
Luck said many Cantabrians appeared to be in a state of "psychological devastation".
Ad Feedback The concert was a chance for people "just to enjoy how beautiful Christchurch is", he said.
Council marketing manager Richard Stokes said concertgoers should use public transport if possible as there would be no public parking available at the concert. Council car parks would be open later than usual to allow people to park there and walk to the concert.
Stokes said people would need to be patient. The council would close some roads around Hagley Park to manage traffic and ease safety concerns, he said.
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- Mayor's fortunes revived by earthquake response (nzherald.co.nz)
- NZ Quake Zone Hit By Aftershocks And Winds (news.sky.com)
- Preliminary election results: Christchurch (nzherald.co.nz)
- Cantabrians to find out if they can rebuild from today (nzherald.co.nz)
- 'Two thirds of Christchurch homes damaged' in New Zealand earthquake (telegraph.co.uk)
- New Zealand Earthquake In Christchurch [Video] (realestateradiousa.com)
- Good Story or Good Politics. (mildgreens.blogspot.com)
- Earthquake destroying Anderton's chances - Parker expected to win Christchurch according to polls... (peter-petterson.blogspot.com)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Teachers could soon be fired if they friend students on Facebook.
According to the Boston Herald, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees has released a new policy on social networking.
Right now, this policy is merely a suggestion to school districts.
But, if adapted, it would force schools to bar teachers from friending students on Facebook.
Additionally, teachers could not give out their cell phone number to students.
And it asks administrators to "periodically" check the internet to make sure these rules aren't violated.
If they are, the teachers could be fired or disaplined.
Some schools in the Eastern part of the state are considering the policy.
We asked residents here in western Massachusetts what they think about this Facebook crackdown.
"That's good. Yeah, I think that's real good. When I was in high school there was a lot of young teachers, and vunerable girls. I think they're like preying on them to be honest with you," said Garrett Moylan of East Longmeadow.
"I think it's the kind of thing that depends on a case by case situation. My wife is a teacher and she has her own policy not to allow her students to be her friend until after they graduate," said Anton Nickel of New York City.
The Boston Herald reports that opponents of this policy say it's "too-big brother like."
Related articles
- Teachers Fired For Flirting On Facebook With Students (allfacebook.com)
- Teachers gone wild - on Facebook (theglobeandmail.com)
- Teachers Fired Over Inappropriate Facebook Use with Students (appscout.com)
- New York City Schools Need A Facebook Primer (education.change.org)
- Teachers And Students Should NOT Be Friends On Facebook (thefrisky.com)
Friday, October 22, 2010
American presidents must ensure they don't lose the nuclear codes they are entrusted with in the event of a national crisis that may necessitate the launching of a nuclear attack.
President Bill Clinton allegedly mislaid his, and Jimmy Carter sent his to the drycleaners in his suit pocket.So president Barack Obama take note!
All modern presidents have been entrusted with a code of identification to prove their identity in the event of a national crisis that may necessitate the launching of a nuclear. attack.
Related articles
- ABC Notes Bill Clinton Lost Nuclear Codes While President, Maybe Jimmy Carter Too (newsbusters.org)
- Clinton mislaid nuclear launch code for months, General reveals (independent.co.uk)
- Clinton 'lost code for nukes attack' (thesun.co.uk)
- US nuclear codes: key terms explained (telegraph.co.uk)
- Bill Clinton 'lost vital White House nuclear codes' (telegraph.co.uk)
- Report: Clinton Lost Nuclear 'Biscuit' (foxnews.com)
- Shocking: Bill Clinton Lost Nuclear Codes (socyberty.com)
- General: Bill Clinton Lost Nuke Codes for Months (newser.com)
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