CARACAS (Reuters) – The United States believes that increasingly warm ties between Venezuela, Iran and Cuba do not benefit the Venezuelan people, U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview published on Monday.
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have expanded the two OPEC nation’s close business and political relations in recent years, exacerbating tensions between Caracas and Washington.
In May, the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA for defying U.S. law by sending at least two tankers carrying $50 million in oil products to Iran.
“Venezuela is a proud, sovereign nation … The U.S. has no intention of intervening in Venezuela’s foreign relations,” Obama said in the email interview with Venezuela’s El Universal. “However, I think the government’s ties with Iran and Cuba have not benefited the interests of Venezuela and its people.
“Sooner or later, Venezuela’s people will have to decide what possible advantage there is in having relations with a country that violates fundamental human rights and is isolated from most of the world. The Iranian government has consistently supported international terrorism.”
Responding during a televised cabinet meeting later on Monday, Chavez told the U.S. leader to quit meddling.
“Obama, mind you own business, man. Focus on governing your country, which has become a disaster. Now you’re going looking for votes by attacking Venezuela,” he said.
“Obama, you’re a phony … Go and ask the black community in your country what you are to them: the biggest frustration in I don’t know how many years,” he added.
“Go and ask the many people in Africa who may have believed in you because of the color of your skin, because your father was from Africa. You’re a descendent of Africa, but you are the shame of all those people.”
Chavez’s alliance with Ahmadinejad, as well as other anti-U.S. leaders, is a source of pride for the socialist and a central part of his efforts to build alternative axes of power.
‘IDEOLOGICAL BATTLES’
Since coming to power 13 years ago, Chavez has sought to project himself as the head of a global “anti-imperialist” movement inspired by his friend and ideological mentor, former Cuban president Fidel Castro.
Chavez lauds Castro’s communist-led revolution and underwent cancer surgery in Cuba in June. After recuperating from that and four sessions of chemotherapy, Chavez is now focused on winning a new six-year presidential term at an election next October.
In his interview, Obama said the U.S. administration was closely watching the run-up to the Venezuelan vote.
“We felt great concern to see that measures have been taken to restrict press freedom and to erode the separation of powers that are so necessary for a democracy to flourish,” he said.
A year ago, the U.S. government revoked the Venezuelan ambassador’s visa in retaliation after Chavez rejected Obama’s choice of envoy to Caracas. That appeared to bury any lingering hopes of a rapprochement between the two men.
But most analysts say neither will risk jeopardizing trade ties, principally Venezuelan oil exports that amount to about one million barrels per day and are crucial to both economies.
There was a window to improve relations after Obama took office in January 2009 and promised more engagement with foes. Chavez toned down his tirades against the “Yankee empire” and shook hands with the new U.S. leader at a summit.
But within months, he said Obama was disillusioning the world by sticking to his predecessor George W. Bush’s foreign policies, and the rhetoric from Caracas cranked up again.
In his interview with El Universal, Obama said most people in the region were worn out by the war of words.
“I think most people in Latin America are tired of refighting old ideological battles that contribute absolutely nothing towards improving their daily life. Our people want to know what we promote, not just what we oppose,” he said.
“I look forward to the day when the governments of the United States and Venezuela can work together more closely.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Last week a Nigerian attorney friend of mine who is based in the U.S. forwarded a report to me of the sentencing of former Governor Rod Blagojevich to fourteen years in prison. Mr. Blagojevich, a former governor of the state of Illinois – President Barack Obama’s home state – was arrested three years ago and charged with several felony counts, including solicitation of bribe. The major allegation stemmed from the mercurial, dashing former governor’s attempt to sell Mr. Obama’s erstwhile Senate seat.
Once Mr. Obama was elected president, it fell to the governor to appoint somebody to serve out the remainder of Obama’s term as a senator. Mr. Blagojevich saw an opportunity to cash in. He directed his aides to find him persons willing to make hefty financial donations to him in exchange for the privilege of assuming the senatorial seat vacated by President Obama.
Officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wire-tapped the governor in numerous telephone conversations where he outlined his determination to make the (material) most out of his gubernatorial prerogative to appoint Mr. Obama’s interim replacement. Then, having painstakingly built a case against the then governor, FBI agents swooped on his office on December 9, 2008. They handcuffed the governor and marched him off to court where he was formally arraigned.
For the record, Governor Blagojevich was considerably popular at the time. Despite anecdotal suspicion of his corruption, many residents of Illinois rather liked his gregarious style, youthful good looks and allure. If he was deficient in substance, he more than made up for it with an arresting, charismatic personality. But U.S. law enforcement authorities were far from impressed. They had proof that the then serving governor had broken the law, and they went after him.
Released on bail, the embattled Mr. Blagojevich tried to use his charm offensive to fend off federal authorities. In front of TV cameras that trailed his every movement, he proclaimed his innocence and boasted of his preparedness to beat the case against him. He deployed his swagger in an effort to keep his job through his trial. He insisted that he possessed the political capital and skills to run the state whilst awaiting trial.
Thanks, but no thanks, said outraged residents of Illinois. They demanded that the indicted governor step down and devote his attention fully to governing his impending case. The former governor was so thick-headed he didn’t even know the game was up after many of his own political associates mutinied, joining the chorus of calls for his resignation. He stubbornly stuck to his office until outraged representatives in the Illinois legislature impeached him by a vote of 114-1. Then the state senate found him guilty of the charges, and gave their imprimatur to his disgraceful exit.
Brash and unconventional as they come, Mr. Blagojevich then took to the airwaves and launched a blitz of television campaigns to proclaim his innocence. He even briefly starred in a reality TV show. His body language was of a man who made light of the serious allegations against him. Well, all that posturing ended once the trial commenced.
It’s instructive that the former governor never collected a dime in bribe money in exchange for President Obama’s seat. Still, federal prosecutors established at his trial that supporters of Jesse Jackson, Jr., a Congressman and one of the candidates coveting the vacant Senate seat, were willing to hand the former governor as much as $1.5 million in campaign contributions in order to snag the seat.
At first, the ex-governor seemed to treat his trial as another day in the soapbox. But the jury was neither amused nor impressed. They stunned him – and struck fear in him – by finding him guilty on 18 counts, including the crucial one of seeking to auction off Mr. Obama’s seat. The judge then came down hard. “The jury didn’t believe you and neither did I,†U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel told Mr. Blagojevich. It was only at that moment of truth that the former governor struck a contrite note. “I want to apologize to the people of Illinois, to the court, for the mistakes I have made,†said the former governor before his sentencing. Citing the fact that he had not actually profited from his schemes, his lawyers made a case for leniency. But the judge sided with prosecutors who remarked that the convicted former governor had “further eroded the public’s confidence in government and government officials.†They added: “He lied repeatedly, concretely, and on issues that went to the heart of the case and he lied on every episode that he was questioned.â€
The Blagojevich case holds out several lessons for Nigerians. Misguided apologists for official corruption in Nigeria are quick to point out that the country doesn’t hold a monopoly on that crime. “There’s corruption in the U.S. and in Europe,†they state with gusto.
As arguments go, that line is at once true and facile. It may well be true that the tendency to corruption is part of the DNA of many humans. But those who argue that corruption exists elsewhere conveniently forget that the more important question is whether Nigeria responds to corruption the same way other serious-minded nations do. A serious nation sets out to combat acts of corruption, to stem them, and to punish corrupt officials who are caught in the act.
That’s where Nigeria lags. If Blagojevich were a Nigerian governor, the police would not have bothered or dared to tap his telephone conversations. Law enforcement agents in Nigeria hardly snoop around to catch governors at some illicit scheme. The only chance of that happening would be if a governor were somehow at odds with the president – who would then order the Inspector-General of Police to make life difficult for him.
No Nigerian governor would have been arrested and dragged off while still in office. That’s because Nigeria has an odious constitutional idea called executive immunity. This concept shields governors and the president from prosecution as long as they remain in office. The U.S. constitution also has the immunity clause, but its protection of governors and the president from court proceedings is limited only to the legitimate business of office. Once a U.S. governor or the president commits a felony, the immunity clause ceases to apply. That’s why former President Bill Clinton was tried for perjury and other felonies related to the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. And that’s why former Governor Blagojevich was arrested in his office.
Were a Nigerian governor to do as Blagojevich did, nobody would have accused him of any crime. Ah ah, the man didn’t even touch one dollar, his supporters would protest. Others would argue that it’s God who put him in his position, and that God wants to prosper him. His town’s people would take out newspaper adverts accusing faceless enemies of engaging in a demonic plot against “our esteemed son.†A delegation of traditional rulers from the reeling governor’s area would troop to Abuja to importune the president to order the police (or EFCC) to halt the harassment and embarrassment of one of their number.
And even if, by some freak accident, a Nigerian governor were charged with seeking to profit from the sale of a legislative seat, the accused would easily insist on occupying his gubernatorial seat through the trial. He would then mobilize his security vote and (if necessary) other sources of public funds to bribe the presiding judge to find that no crimes were ever committed. Shortly after a trial, an accused Nigerian governor’s name would top the list of recipients of national honors – an official form of apology to him for putting him through the inconvenience of a trial. And a way of the Nigerian state proclaiming, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.â€
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Just a week after the Nigerian Senate passed the anti-gay sex bill, US president Barrack Obama issued a presidential memorandum directing ‘all federal agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.
Half the time I don’t understand homosexuality, how anyone can be attracted to the same sex amazes me…but that doesn’t give me the right to wish them death or imprisonment. I like to talk about this here ‘cos a lot of you seem extremely passionate about the topic…all the comments! So continue to read and let’s know what you think of Obama’s statement…
“FACT SHEET: Working to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Persons Globally.
“The struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States’ commitment to promoting human rights.â€
–President Obama, December 6, 2011
Since taking office, President Obama has demonstrated that his vision for a brighter future includes greater equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Americans. The President and this Administration are dedicated to eliminating barriers to equality, fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and engaging LGBT communities across the country. The Administration’s dedication to LGBT rights does not stop at our borders, as the President made clear at the United Nations in September of this year when he said: “no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere.â€
Today, President Obama issued a Presidential memorandum that directs all federal agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons. Under the Obama Administration, agencies have already begun taking action to promote the fundamental human rights of LGBT persons everywhere. And now, following an interagency process coordinated by the National Security Staff, this memorandum directs the first-ever U.S. government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad.
Today’s memorandum applies to the Departments of State, the Treasury, Defense, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, the United States Trade Representative, and such other agencies as the President may designate.
The memorandum directs agencies to: *Combat the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct abroad. *Protect vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. *Leverage foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination. *Ensure swift and meaningful U.S. responses to human rights abuses of LGBT persons abroad. *Engage International Organizations in the fight against LGBT discrimination. Report on progress.
Even before today’s memo, U.S. agencies have been working to protect and promote the rights of LBGT persons around the world. Since January 2009, Secretary Clinton has directed the Department of State to champion a comprehensive human rights agenda—one that includes the protection of LGBT people.
Around the world, the State Department is:
*Engaging bilaterally and regionally in conjunction with U.S. embassies, civil society, and multilateral agencies to encourage countries to repeal or reform laws that criminalize LGBT conduct or status.
*Reinforcing the human rights of LGBT people in multilateral fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council. In June 2011, the United States joined South Africa and a cross-regional group of co-sponsors in passing the first-ever UN Human Rights Council resolution on the human rights of LGBT persons.
*Promoting human rights worldwide. U.S. embassies are declaring the United States’ support for the human rights of LGBT people through innovative public diplomacy. Ambassadors and embassies have hosted public discussions and private roundtables, published op-eds and supported Pride events.
*Supporting LGBT human rights defenders and civil society groups, with programmatic and financial assistance, including efforts to document human rights violations; build advocacy skills; provide advocates with legal representation; and, when necessary, relocation support.
*Reporting on the conditions of human rights of LGBT people in each of its annual, country-specific Human Rights Reports.
*Strengthening the Department’s personnel and consular policies. The Secretary extended the range of legally available benefits and allowances to same-sex domestic partners of foreign service staff serving abroad. The United States also incorporated gender identity into federal equal employment opportunity policies in 2010.
*Protecting LGBT refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants through a protection strategy developed with other U.S. Government agencies, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (Codewit) — An eastern Kentucky church under a firestorm of criticism since members voted to bar mixed-race couples from joining the congregation overturned that decision Sunday, saying it welcomes all believers.
Stacy Stepp, pastor of the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church in Pike County, told The Associated Press that the vote by nine people last week was declared null and void after it was determined that new bylaws can’t run contrary to local, state or national laws. He said the proposal was discriminatory, therefore it couldn’t be adopted.
Stepp said about 30 people who attended church services voted on a new resolution that welcomes “believers into our fellowship regardless of race, creed or color.”
The issue came up at the tiny all-white Appalachian church after the daughter of church secretary Dean Harville visited over the summer with her boyfriend, who is from Africa, and the two sang for the congregation.
Harville said he was approached in August by Melvin Thompson, the church member who crafted the resolution to bar mixed-race couples, and was told that his daughter and her boyfriend were no longer allowed to sing at the church.
Thompson has said he is not racist and called the matter an “internal affair.”
Stepp said the Sandy Valley Conference of Free Will Baptists declared the vote on Thompson’s resolution null and void during a meeting on Saturday.
He said he told church members on Sunday about the decision and proposed a resolution to promote “peace, love and harmony.”
He said the resolution to welcome all believers passed with a unanimous vote.
{source} <!– You can place html anywhere within the source tags –> <embed src=’http://rawreplaymedia.com/fvp/fvp5.8/player.swf’ height=’375′ width=’460′ allowscriptaccess=’always’ allowfullscreen=’true’ flashvars=”&file=http%3A%2F%2Frawreplaymedia.com%2Fmedia%2F2011%2F1111%2Fwkyt_church_ban_111130a.mp4&image=http%3A%2F%2Frawreplaymedia.com%2Fmedia%2F2011%2F1111%2Fwkyt_church_ban_111130g.jpg&logo=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawreplaymedia.com%2Ffvp%2Frsvidlogo05.png&plugins=viral-2h&skin=http%3A%2F%2Frawreplaymedia.com%2Ffvp%2Ffvp5.8%2Fbeelden.zip&viral.allowmenu=true&viral.email_footer=http%3A%2F%2Frawstory.com&viral.link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawstory.com%2Frs%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2Fkentucky-church-bans-interracial-couples%2F&viral.oncomplete=false&viral.onpause=false&viral.pluginmode=FLASH&logo.link=http://rawstory.com&;logo.file=http://www.rawreplaymedia.com/fvp/rsvidlogo05.png“/>
<script language=”javascript” type=”text/javascript”> // You can place JavaScript like this </script> <?php // You can place PHP like this ?> {/source}
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Now that a criminal jury has found Dr. Conrad Murray’s guilty of involuntary manslaughter, his case will head for civil court where Murray could be found liable for medical malpractice.
The Jackson family is ready for the next chapter. On his way out of Monday’s court hearing when Murray receive his guilty verdict, family patriarch Joe Jackson told the crowd of media and fans, “There’s more.”
Civil suits against Murray and AEG Live LLC, the firm behind Jackon’s “This Is It” tour, have already been filed. Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson’s father, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Murray in November 2010. Katherine Jackson, the pop star’s mother, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AEG in September 2010.
Sources familiar with planning told ABCNews.com that it’s likely the two suits will be joined together and focus on Murray’s action. Sources said that the civil case will attempt to answer whether or not AEG knew that propofol, the drug that was determined to have killed Michael Jackson, was being used in an outpatient basis and whether AEG knew administering propofol that way was a risky enterprise.
But it’s unlikely the law suits will ask Murray to pay damages. Sources said that considering AEG’s resources and Murray’s lack thereof, the entertainment firm would be held accountable.
In a civil case, a judge or jury only has to find that there is more than a 50 percent probability that the defendant was negligent, whereas the standard in a criminal case is beyond a reasonable doubt.
“His conviction can be used in a civil case as conclusive proof,” legal expert Dana Cole told ABCNews.com.
Statements Murray made to the police and other evidence excluded from the criminal trial would also more than likely be admissible in a civil case.
A civil suit may bring comfort to Jackson fans and his heirs, since even the manslaughter conviction may not bring them the result they were hoping for — that Murray spend time behind bars. On Monday, a judge remanded Murray to jail pending his Nov. 29 sentencing. Murray was cuffed and taken into custody after Monday’s hearing finished.
Murray could be sentenced to up to four years in prison. But with the recent change in California law, which transfers all non-violent inmates to county jail, he’s unlikely to do any time in state prison, Chicago-based attorney Kelly A. Saindon said. Moreover, with the realities of jail overcrowding in California, he’s more than likely to get a sentence of house arrest for up to a year, she said.
“I have a feeling that’s what will happen. I don’t think he will serve a day behind bars,” Saindon said.
For Jackson’s heirs, that reality could be fueling their civil battle against Murray. “I wouldn’t think it’s for the money, though money always makes people feel vindicated to some extent,” Saindon said. “This is their way of exacting revenge.”
Cole doubts Murray would return to the courtroom after his ordeal in the criminal case. If he’s got malpractice insurance, more than likely he will try to settle any civil suits.
As for his medical license, if convicted, Murray will most certainly lose his legal right to practice. In 20 years of practicing medicine, he’s never had his license suspended or a malpractice claim filed against him.
“The medical board can … suspend or revoke his license and they’ll have all the evidence before them,” a job made easier with his conviction, Saindon said.
The trial and the ensuing publicity have dealt “an unmitigated blow to his career,” Cole said. “He probably was decent a physician who cared for his patients, as they testified. Whether he can bounce back, it will be an uphill battle.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Occupy Wall Street protest movement originating in New York spread to Finnish cities on Saturday, with people demanding reform to the global financial system.
Around 100 protestors gathered by the Kamppi shopping centre in Helsinki’s city centre. Loosely organised groups also clustered in Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Tampere, Turku and Oulu to criticise the country’s handling of the eurozone crisis.
â€ÂOur decision makers want to participate in the European bailout fund without hearing citizens’ opinions on the matter,” said protestor Heikki Ketoharju.
Protestors are marching in cities around the world this weekend to call attention to perceived income inequality and corporate greed.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
DETROIT (AP)  The man accused of trying to destroy an airliner on behalf of al-Qaida has entered a Detroit courtroom for the first day of trial.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab said nothing Tuesday as he settled into his seat next to defense attorney Anthony Chambers. He faces life in prison if convicted of trying to bring down an Amsterdam-to-Detroit plane with a bomb in his underwear on Christmas 2009.
Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds asked a Detroit-area attorney to leave the courtroom before opening statements were to begin because he could be called as a witness for Abdulmutallab. Kurt Haskell was a passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 253.
The judge also denied a defense request to prevent prosecutors from using the word “bomb.” She then called a brief recess.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Sarah Palin wasn’t ever really going to run for president, was she? That’s Donald Craig Mitchell’s guess. In an Op-Ed that discusses Palin’s decision not to run, Mitchell says she’s long prioritized her celebrity career over her commitment to public office, reminding us of Palin’s lucrative deals that followed after she quit as Alaska’s governor, including a seven-figure contract with Fox News.
After three years of tweeting, hinting and eyelash-batting, on Wednesday Sarah Palin announced that she was not running for president. Her Facebook friends are disappointed. But for Sarah-watchers in Alaska like me, the announcement was long expected, old news. […]
For the past two years that's how Palin has spent most of her time: promoting books, making paid television appearances, giving paid speeches. During that time she made no effort to establish campaign organizations on the ground in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Nevertheless, with the filing deadline for the New Hampshire primary election less than a month away, until Wednesday millions of Americans were still wondering about her intentions.
While some readers on our discussion board side with Mitchell — and also express relief that Palin isn’t joining the race — others have used the space to support Palin’s decision. Here’s a sampling.
Props to Palin for choosing high-paying gigs — obviously something lazy liberals don’t understand
As someone who supported Sarah Palin and wished she had run I can assure you I don't feel scammed. I can speak for many of her supporters who feel the same way. I can also tell you we already knew it was a long shot that she was going to run. It's funny that those on the left make a list of high paying jobs as though it was an insult. What is it about the left and not wanting to work? So wink, wink, nudge, nudge no I never felt teased.
As for her PAC we are mostly well informed and we knew that no matter if she was going to run or not by law she wouldn't have been allowed to use those funds. So you see no one was ripped off on that.
Here's a funny thing though. I came to this hit piece when I saw it in the sidebar while reading an article on the Fast and Furious operation. Surely your venom would be better served on that article. You know the Obama administration pumping illegal weapons into Mexico? Weapons that are killing many Mexican citizens and have indeed been traced to the killing of federal agents.
I'm sure I could go on that article and see all your user names there, right? I won't hold my breath.
–Cuttingboardblues
Washington is too corrupt for Palin
I do not blame Sarah one bit for dropping out of the presidential race. Too much corruption in the Washington, D.C., crowd. I would not run if they paid me one million dollars per day. I choose better friends than those running our country. I pray that God will give our politicians wisdom so that wise decisions are made, and making certain that God is in these decisions.
–Len Heinrichs
Palin’s one great-lookin’ 'outsider'
Sarah Palin is far more effective as an "outsider" than she could possibly be as an elected politician. And, she's having more fun and making a lot more money.
She's a smart, conservative, principled, honest, successful great-looking woman — a left-winger's nightmare.
Way to be, Palin; keep up the good work.
–candorman
Perhaps she'll teach Obama how to give a speech
Whenever Mr. Obama accidentally enters the terrifying world of extemporaneous speech, he collapses in a heap of uhs and ahs and usually ends up with his foot in this mouth.
Perhaps now that she is not entering the presidential race, Mrs. Palin, who is a brilliant and inspiring extemporaneous speaker, might offer to give Mr. Obama speech lessons. He certainly could use them.
–joinamerica
Spelling errors in the above comments have been corrected.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Helsinki welcomes showcase of green construction technology
The Embassy of the United States in Helsinki is planning to set up a new innovation centre on the embassy compound in the city’s Kaivopuisto area. The aim is to showcase construction technologies which improve energy efficiency. The centre is part of a US project aimed at making the countries embassies models of energy efficiency and environmentally friendly construction.
The final plans for the changes at the embassy compound will be completed in about two weeks after the necessary permits are secured from the City of Helsinki. Hannu Penttilä (SDP), the Deputy Mayor responsible for zoning issues, says that the new building will require a change in zoning. He says that the city takes a positive view of the project, but that the matter needs to go through the proper channels.
Penttilä also points out that zoning issues involve certain complications. The land where the embassy is located is sovereign territory of the United States. The area has a number of other embassies, and it is considered to form an important part of Helsinki’s urban landscape. “For instance, the residential building of the Russian Embassy, which is now under construction, involved a lengthy process, and some people might still remember the Iraqi Embassy project in Kulosaari. These are sensitive issues for both sidesâ€Â, Penttilä says. Discussions have touched upon issues such as the planned height of the building. Helsinki reportedly would like the new building to be lower than what the Americans have proposed.
The aim of the innovation centre in its early stages will be to showcase the construction innovations used in the renovation. Later the exhibition is to be updated with new inventions and technologies. David McGuire does not yet want to know how open the exhibition space will be, in light of security measures which restrict access to US diplomatic missions.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
About 30 per cent of the columns I write for Wired revolve around social networking and largely to the king of that realm, Facebook. It seems Facebook rolls out new features frequently, but every time something new is added, or something we liked is taken away, the Internet moans and groans. Change is never wanted. Personally, to a certain extent I believe Mark Zuckerberg needs to learn the phrase, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” This past week, a completely new way to use Facebook has been rolled out, so I want to tell you everything about it: the tricks to make it work better, how it works and what I like and don’t like about it.
User engagement
FACEBOOK has officially hit 800 million users and most of them check Facebook multiple times weekly. Facebook also reached a record 500 million people using Facebook in one day. They must have huge server capacity. However, I have found since the new release was launched, the response time has been slower. Perhaps more users are exploring the new features. Well, here are the highlights.
The timeline
THE timeline has changed quite drastically. Instead of the old timeline where you saw the top stories and then you clicked a button to see the new updates, you are now presented with a scrapbook of your life essentially. The timeline now is a stream of photos of you, places you’ve visited in the world, apps you’ve used and so forth. The new Facebook encourages you to post more things about your past. The further back you view the timeline, the more information you see. You can customize this by enlarging a picture or viewing a status. The timeline is in beta right now but it will be most definitely the model in the future.
Like this
BACK in the good old days, all you could do was ‘like’ a status. With the new Facebook, they launched something called Facebook Gestures. This essentially allows you to make any verb into a button. REALLY weird.
Apps
REMEMBER when you wanted to play a Facebook game or use an application? You had to give the company permission to do basically whatever they wanted to your profile and for the most part you accepted it anyway? Well, instead of having to accept that permission document every time, you just have to click ‘Accept’ once and they can use your information, make statuses for you and use your photos for whatever they want. Cool right? Not really. When you’re dealing with Facebook, make sure you read what you are signing up for. You might be granting them permission to access to your email, phone numbers, for some people, even addresses. Make sure you’re not signing an agreement that allows a company to use your personal information.
Lightweight info GONE!
STATUS updates, pictures of hot girls that you like and relationship statuses are things that I want to see on Facebook. You achieving a new high score on Mafia Wars or seeing my Gramma’s farm expanding on Farm Ville aren’t the best updates to be filling up my timeline. All that information is now going to be in the ticker and all the important stuff on your timeline will show up. So in fact, Facebook is giving you the things you really want to see.
TV, movies, music and news
STARTING now, thanks to a whack of newly acquired partnerships with Facebook, you can use popular services like Hulu, Spotify or read Yahoo news all within Facebook. The ticker will tell you what your friends are watching/reading.
My opinion of the
new Facebook
FOR the most part I enjoy all the new features Facebook provides. The only thing I’m not so fond of is how the timeline works. It seems to function very awkwardly and the way it displays information to me is also awkward. But other than that, congrats Facebook, you’re on the right path!
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
