Craig and Brent Renaud know how to film difficult settings. The filmmaker brothers from Little Rock have made documentaries about wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the drug war in Juarez and post-earthquake Haiti. But according to Brent Renaud, none of those compare to a recent shoot in Egypt, where the fledgling news network Al Jazeera America sent him and the correspondent Christof Putzel a few weeks ago.
"The anti-Americanism is so intense on both sides, but particularly on the military side, the more moderate Muslim side that's against the Muslim Brotherhood who's protesting in the streets. They believe the U.S. has been pro-Muslim Brotherhood. They believe the foreign press has been pro-Muslim Brotherhood. The general of the military has fanned the flames, telling the public that they should be suspicious of all foreigners, especially Americans. Because of that, bringing out your camera in the street is extremely dangerous, almost impossible."
Brent said that he and Putzel made it inside a massive Muslim Brotherhood protest once and were relatively safe, aside from the risk of sniper fire. But he said trying to get inside the protest was another story.
"If you're on the periphery trying to get in, supporters of the military, or basically roving thugs of young men, some allegedly paid by the military, are looking for foreigners and cameras, and they will attack you.
"In one case, [the supporters of the military] had picked off a Muslim Brotherhood protester on the outskirts of the crowd and the mob was beating him, and they dragged him right past us, and I pulled out a small Handycam I was using and attempted to film that. They were beating him half to death. The military saw it, and started shooting machine guns up in the air to break up the crowd. And then as the crowd began to disperse, they saw me filming it. And then the crowd turned on us. They hit me on the back of the head. I started running for the car. Christof started running to the car. We had a translator with us. He was at first not able to reach the car. The driver thought he was in the car and started driving, but we managed to stop down the road and let him in just as the crowd started beating on the car."
Footage from that harrowing chase as well as interviews Brent and Putzel did with a supporter of the military and the mother of a Muslim Brotherhood protester who was killed led the Aug. 20 debut broadcast of "America Tonight," Al Jazeera America's flagship nightly news program anchored by CNN veteran Joie Chen. The network, a spin-off from the Qatar-funded media conglomerate, has made much noise about staking a unique position among cable news outlets.
"Viewers will see a news channel unlike the others, as our programming proves Al Jazeera America will air fact-based, unbiased and in-depth news," Ehab Al Shihabi, the channel's acting chief executive, told the New York Times. "There will be less opinion, less yelling and fewer celebrity sightings."
Al Jazeera acquired Current TV in January for $500 million. In the run-up to the launch of the network, it hired some 900 employees.
But its launch has not been smooth. AT&T dropped the network from its line-up in the 11th hour, which kept millions of potential viewers from seeing the channels launch. Al Jazeera America promptly sued.
The Renaud brothers said that they're excited about working with Al Jazeera America. Already, they've done two projects for "America Tonight" — the dispatch from Egypt and a feature on Chicago gangs that was shown in four parts and will eventually appear on the channel as a feature special. Each featured Putzel, but tended more towards the Renauds' verite style than something you'd see on "60 Minutes."
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2013年8月29日星期四
2013年8月27日星期二
Killer is Dead
From the imagination of the developer Goichi Suda, better known as SUDA 51 and CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture – Killer is Dead is the most insane assassination game that could ever be produced, so much so that after playing the first few chapters you will need to take a long rest to get over it and soak up the inexplicable sights to behold! I could describe it as an eccentric take on a James Bond movie where the environments feel like a collection of retro olden day vampire scenes to which the madness then just continues to develop further the more you dive into the alien-futuristic-criminal-underworld. This still does not put into words the oddity of the character artwork and level design that had me convinced I was in a trance!
In simple terms, Killer is Dead is a unique hack and slash in the third person view, but the complexity of the story unravels over the course of twelve very different missions and additional side missions. Throughout the game you are an assassin named Mondo, the main protagonist who takes on a different contract with each mission to assassinate an evil force, cyborg or some other part human mechanical being for a large cash sum. He does have a rather dumb female assistant too, not that it’s a 2 player experience because it is not, but this dumb sidekick appears in cuts scenes and voice overs – however both character are fearless with clearly a strong stomach for the on-going gore-fest of each mission! It will take you a few chapters to get to grips with the gameplay experience because there is nothing quite like it for a multifaceted view on a world where your income is determined by your successful killing sprees and your whole life a continuous spiraling hallucinating mind-fuck! If you’re familiar with anything from SUDA 51 you’ll know to expect the unexpected and thinking outside the box really means a million miles away from any logical perception. This is just plain weird!
Each mission within the game is organised by your employers, Bryan Execution Firm, run by – (you guessed it) a Bryan, and he himself is a powerful cyborg who commands you into this introspective nightmare world of danger. On your journey to complete what you are paid to do – KILL – you also start to learn a few home truths and discoveries of your past revealed through cut scenes and dreamlike gameplay. Every mission is a separate chapter of the game and you are graded and scored by time of completion, number of collectables found, and how many kills and so on. Before you start you are given a brief sheet of information detailing your target and a short cut scene will update you on the story within that mission. The whole presentation style is that of short series of movies, an adventure broken down into shorts with gameplay that is arcade style. Some chapters last only minutes where as others can last for hours depending upon your retries due to the difficult nature of your targets – some feel as though they are born invincible and might never go down. Or, you just have to rethink your strategy for another attempt. On the whole, it is a game about just killing as much as you can with a bloody great Katana and a cybernetic left arm that can be tooled up for drilling, shooting and aiming with a variety of sub weapons. The gameplay is nothing you haven’t done before with a similar style to Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, only with more violence and plenty of blood!
Attacking your enemies or well, job lots could be a better description – is all about taking a slash; lunging forward with the Katana and perfectly timing your strikes whilst using Guard and Dodge to defend yourself. You can heal yourself with the blood of others when health is running low and you will often find objects that will aid your survival and mission requirements by examining them at close inspection. The action is fast paced and keeps you on your toes with a disposal of character upgrades to your Attack and Skills at your disposal too. There are Special Skills to unlock that will improve your gameplay style and different button combo’s to present your deathly strike to the enemy. However, I feel that for the most part you will just button mash your way through it because you will not have the time to think about what buttons to press other than one to just kill the fuckers!
This really is a unique game that will appeal to SUDA 51 fans, those who have likely witnessed other mad plots such as Lollipop Chainsaw, and it is in the midst of that eccentricity that makes it work for you, where the curiosity of always wanting to know what screwed up psychological chapter comes next, and how does this story unfold, or where or when will this journey end for the overworked assassin that is Mondo? If ever there was a leaderboard for being a cold hearted pathological murderer he’d top it…but then, even more insanity comes with the missions where you must blatantly stare at the tits of women at bars, sitting romantically outdoors and showering them with expensive gifts to win their affection. These Gigolo missions form some of the most embarrassing parts of the game which neither add substance or real relevance but you will grab yourself a few Achievements for taking part. If anything it shows that Mondo is a red blooded male who is really needs some form of sexual activity badly. I didn’t find any kind of romance in these missions; it was just a man after a very expensive night of passion.
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In simple terms, Killer is Dead is a unique hack and slash in the third person view, but the complexity of the story unravels over the course of twelve very different missions and additional side missions. Throughout the game you are an assassin named Mondo, the main protagonist who takes on a different contract with each mission to assassinate an evil force, cyborg or some other part human mechanical being for a large cash sum. He does have a rather dumb female assistant too, not that it’s a 2 player experience because it is not, but this dumb sidekick appears in cuts scenes and voice overs – however both character are fearless with clearly a strong stomach for the on-going gore-fest of each mission! It will take you a few chapters to get to grips with the gameplay experience because there is nothing quite like it for a multifaceted view on a world where your income is determined by your successful killing sprees and your whole life a continuous spiraling hallucinating mind-fuck! If you’re familiar with anything from SUDA 51 you’ll know to expect the unexpected and thinking outside the box really means a million miles away from any logical perception. This is just plain weird!
Each mission within the game is organised by your employers, Bryan Execution Firm, run by – (you guessed it) a Bryan, and he himself is a powerful cyborg who commands you into this introspective nightmare world of danger. On your journey to complete what you are paid to do – KILL – you also start to learn a few home truths and discoveries of your past revealed through cut scenes and dreamlike gameplay. Every mission is a separate chapter of the game and you are graded and scored by time of completion, number of collectables found, and how many kills and so on. Before you start you are given a brief sheet of information detailing your target and a short cut scene will update you on the story within that mission. The whole presentation style is that of short series of movies, an adventure broken down into shorts with gameplay that is arcade style. Some chapters last only minutes where as others can last for hours depending upon your retries due to the difficult nature of your targets – some feel as though they are born invincible and might never go down. Or, you just have to rethink your strategy for another attempt. On the whole, it is a game about just killing as much as you can with a bloody great Katana and a cybernetic left arm that can be tooled up for drilling, shooting and aiming with a variety of sub weapons. The gameplay is nothing you haven’t done before with a similar style to Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, only with more violence and plenty of blood!
Attacking your enemies or well, job lots could be a better description – is all about taking a slash; lunging forward with the Katana and perfectly timing your strikes whilst using Guard and Dodge to defend yourself. You can heal yourself with the blood of others when health is running low and you will often find objects that will aid your survival and mission requirements by examining them at close inspection. The action is fast paced and keeps you on your toes with a disposal of character upgrades to your Attack and Skills at your disposal too. There are Special Skills to unlock that will improve your gameplay style and different button combo’s to present your deathly strike to the enemy. However, I feel that for the most part you will just button mash your way through it because you will not have the time to think about what buttons to press other than one to just kill the fuckers!
This really is a unique game that will appeal to SUDA 51 fans, those who have likely witnessed other mad plots such as Lollipop Chainsaw, and it is in the midst of that eccentricity that makes it work for you, where the curiosity of always wanting to know what screwed up psychological chapter comes next, and how does this story unfold, or where or when will this journey end for the overworked assassin that is Mondo? If ever there was a leaderboard for being a cold hearted pathological murderer he’d top it…but then, even more insanity comes with the missions where you must blatantly stare at the tits of women at bars, sitting romantically outdoors and showering them with expensive gifts to win their affection. These Gigolo missions form some of the most embarrassing parts of the game which neither add substance or real relevance but you will grab yourself a few Achievements for taking part. If anything it shows that Mondo is a red blooded male who is really needs some form of sexual activity badly. I didn’t find any kind of romance in these missions; it was just a man after a very expensive night of passion.
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2013年8月25日星期日
More Complex Than You’d Think
I expected two things out of Divekick: Diving and Kicking. In Divekick, the dive button dives (jumps) straight up, and the kick button will have your character spring back if you press it on the ground or kick in a forward moving fashion. A single hit would bring defeat to you or your opponent. This is all I knew before I started playing, and frankly, I was excited. I figured that if a game focused entirely around one attack, with characters given different angles and properties to play with, there would still be enough there to make for some interesting fights with friends.
It would remove a significant barrier to entry, allowing players to focus simply on their character’s fundamentals and learn how to deal with each opponent’s diving and kicking style. However, it turns out there’s a lot more to Divekick than I initially thought.
In addition to diving and kicking (which some characters need to charge or adjust their angle to do), each character has a couple of special abilities they can perform by pressing both buttons simultaneously. These range from simply building meter (which, when full, will activate the speed and jump-increasing Kickfactor) to a parry that will practically guarantee a headshot on any opponent if it blocks an incoming kick. By the way, a successful headshot will drain your opponent’s meter, make them jump lower and move slower for a short while, and forbid them from using any abilities, regardless of if they use meter or not, during that time.
On top of that, you need to keep the gems that you and your opponent select in mind, because a 10% boost to dive speed, kick speed, or meter gain is going to impact the way that they play, as should the one you pick. Not as simple as it first seemed, is it? Honestly, I felt a bit betrayed by Divekick at first. It seemed more complex than it needed to be, and I was frustrated by the fact that people were teleporting around and searching the ground and tossing projectiles like Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 looking for evidence.
However, once I played a few characters Story Modes (sadly, the only single-player option available in the game, which means that you can’t practice certain matchups against the computer unless you get to them somewhat at random), I started to get a feel for how everyone operated, and things that I once thought were chaotic and overly complex began to make sense.
For instance, Redacted is a basically a human sized wolverine who smokes cigars and stands and dive kicks a lot like Wolverine in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. She is obscenely fast, jumps and backjumps insanely high, and her kick is very shallow. Her ground special just has her growl and build meter for a while. At first, I didn’t think this made much sense, because her aerial special is just a short wall-cling, and that didn’t even require much meter usage… but then I hit Kickfactor and realized exactly how dangerous she could be. With Markman, I had a similar experience. His ground special has him search the ground for an item to build a “kickbox” with (think a Divekick two-button arcade stick).
When he doesn’t find one of the parts necessary for the kickbox, he just tosses it, creating an annoying obstacle in the middle of the battlefield. A vial of poison will drain whoever gets to close’s meter, a vial of glue will stick the person to the ground for a second, oil will add a bit of randomness to a player’s jumps and landings, springs will annoyingly have the player on top of them short hop in place until they kick off of it, and holes in the ground just drop a player perpetually from the floor through the ceiling until they kick away from it or it disappears. However, the fun begins when you complete the hitbox. His regular Divekick is kind of shallow and slow (unless you kick on just the right frame of the dive that speeds it up and surrounds it with lightning), so if you miss from a high angle, you basically sign your death warrant.
When the hitbox is complete, you’ve got a little bit of time where your specials are replaced with rising kicks which can be activated from the ground or the air. This means that you can start baiting an opponent into leaping above you mid-divekick, then use the rising kick to take them out as they try to land a headshot.
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It would remove a significant barrier to entry, allowing players to focus simply on their character’s fundamentals and learn how to deal with each opponent’s diving and kicking style. However, it turns out there’s a lot more to Divekick than I initially thought.
In addition to diving and kicking (which some characters need to charge or adjust their angle to do), each character has a couple of special abilities they can perform by pressing both buttons simultaneously. These range from simply building meter (which, when full, will activate the speed and jump-increasing Kickfactor) to a parry that will practically guarantee a headshot on any opponent if it blocks an incoming kick. By the way, a successful headshot will drain your opponent’s meter, make them jump lower and move slower for a short while, and forbid them from using any abilities, regardless of if they use meter or not, during that time.
On top of that, you need to keep the gems that you and your opponent select in mind, because a 10% boost to dive speed, kick speed, or meter gain is going to impact the way that they play, as should the one you pick. Not as simple as it first seemed, is it? Honestly, I felt a bit betrayed by Divekick at first. It seemed more complex than it needed to be, and I was frustrated by the fact that people were teleporting around and searching the ground and tossing projectiles like Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 looking for evidence.
However, once I played a few characters Story Modes (sadly, the only single-player option available in the game, which means that you can’t practice certain matchups against the computer unless you get to them somewhat at random), I started to get a feel for how everyone operated, and things that I once thought were chaotic and overly complex began to make sense.
For instance, Redacted is a basically a human sized wolverine who smokes cigars and stands and dive kicks a lot like Wolverine in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. She is obscenely fast, jumps and backjumps insanely high, and her kick is very shallow. Her ground special just has her growl and build meter for a while. At first, I didn’t think this made much sense, because her aerial special is just a short wall-cling, and that didn’t even require much meter usage… but then I hit Kickfactor and realized exactly how dangerous she could be. With Markman, I had a similar experience. His ground special has him search the ground for an item to build a “kickbox” with (think a Divekick two-button arcade stick).
When he doesn’t find one of the parts necessary for the kickbox, he just tosses it, creating an annoying obstacle in the middle of the battlefield. A vial of poison will drain whoever gets to close’s meter, a vial of glue will stick the person to the ground for a second, oil will add a bit of randomness to a player’s jumps and landings, springs will annoyingly have the player on top of them short hop in place until they kick off of it, and holes in the ground just drop a player perpetually from the floor through the ceiling until they kick away from it or it disappears. However, the fun begins when you complete the hitbox. His regular Divekick is kind of shallow and slow (unless you kick on just the right frame of the dive that speeds it up and surrounds it with lightning), so if you miss from a high angle, you basically sign your death warrant.
When the hitbox is complete, you’ve got a little bit of time where your specials are replaced with rising kicks which can be activated from the ground or the air. This means that you can start baiting an opponent into leaping above you mid-divekick, then use the rising kick to take them out as they try to land a headshot.
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2013年8月14日星期三
Residents living in Brunswick County
Residents living in Brunswick County were able to get a good look at what offshore wind turbines might look like off of our coast.
Monday evening the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hosted a public meeting to display their results of a visualization study.
“I think they’re great. It’s the way of the future,” said Art Fontaine.
Fontaine has spent the last several years enjoying the Carolina coastline.
He says he attended Monday’s public meeting to learn more about the wind turbines that could potentially obstruct the view he loves.
“When looking at the pictures, the larger model looks like a ship sailing across the ocean about 10 miles away,” said Fontaine.
Dozens of people from across the county attended the meeting sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
“Looking at the economic boom that this could be to North Carolina, but to the entire east coast,” said Randy Sturgill.
Sturgill doesn’t just live in the area; he works as a campaign organizer in favor of the wind turbine project.
Officials set up a simulation so residents could see what the turbines would look like if they were built.
“A visual stimulation of what it is going to look like from the beaches. That is a major concern for people and I think this simulation will put those fears to rest,” said Sturgill.
Officials say any decisions on the project is still several years away.
Another public meeting is scheduled from Wednesday, August 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the South Brunswick Islands Center, 9400 Ocean Highway 17 W; Carolina Shores, N.C. 29467.
China is on track to complete the world's highest wind farm by the end of the year, as reports confirmed work has got underway at a new 33 turbine development in Tibet.
State-owned news agency Xinhua reported late last week that five of the 33 turbines have been installed at a height of roughly 4,900 metres above sea level in south west China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
The 15MW project is being developed by Longyuan Power in Naqu Prefecture and is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of the year. The wind turbines have been supplied by Guodian United Power.
Once the project is completed, it will help to alleviate power shortages in the region and also reduce costs associated with transmitting electricity to the remote region.
Wind farm developers are seeking to build more projects in high-altitude areas such as Tibet as turbine technology continues to improve in terms of resilience and reliability.
The turbines in Naqu Prefecture have been designed to handle extremely low temperatures, low air density and high wind speeds, Longyaun Power said in a statement.
The project represents another milestone for a Chinese wind energy industry that has established itself as the largest in the world in recent years, with growth outstripping that experienced in the US and Germany.
Welcome to www.happmart.com Web.If you love Arcade parts,welcome to contact us!
Monday evening the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hosted a public meeting to display their results of a visualization study.
“I think they’re great. It’s the way of the future,” said Art Fontaine.
Fontaine has spent the last several years enjoying the Carolina coastline.
He says he attended Monday’s public meeting to learn more about the wind turbines that could potentially obstruct the view he loves.
“When looking at the pictures, the larger model looks like a ship sailing across the ocean about 10 miles away,” said Fontaine.
Dozens of people from across the county attended the meeting sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
“Looking at the economic boom that this could be to North Carolina, but to the entire east coast,” said Randy Sturgill.
Sturgill doesn’t just live in the area; he works as a campaign organizer in favor of the wind turbine project.
Officials set up a simulation so residents could see what the turbines would look like if they were built.
“A visual stimulation of what it is going to look like from the beaches. That is a major concern for people and I think this simulation will put those fears to rest,” said Sturgill.
Officials say any decisions on the project is still several years away.
Another public meeting is scheduled from Wednesday, August 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the South Brunswick Islands Center, 9400 Ocean Highway 17 W; Carolina Shores, N.C. 29467.
China is on track to complete the world's highest wind farm by the end of the year, as reports confirmed work has got underway at a new 33 turbine development in Tibet.
State-owned news agency Xinhua reported late last week that five of the 33 turbines have been installed at a height of roughly 4,900 metres above sea level in south west China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
The 15MW project is being developed by Longyuan Power in Naqu Prefecture and is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of the year. The wind turbines have been supplied by Guodian United Power.
Once the project is completed, it will help to alleviate power shortages in the region and also reduce costs associated with transmitting electricity to the remote region.
Wind farm developers are seeking to build more projects in high-altitude areas such as Tibet as turbine technology continues to improve in terms of resilience and reliability.
The turbines in Naqu Prefecture have been designed to handle extremely low temperatures, low air density and high wind speeds, Longyaun Power said in a statement.
The project represents another milestone for a Chinese wind energy industry that has established itself as the largest in the world in recent years, with growth outstripping that experienced in the US and Germany.
Welcome to www.happmart.com Web.If you love Arcade parts,welcome to contact us!
2013年6月2日星期日
Abbott strangles $20bn green investment
The first story was mostly symbolic in nature. The Newcastle Herald reported that the only wind turbine in Newcastle, the 600kW Kooragang turbine that was constructed in 1997 to “promote the emerging green energy market” is to be removed by Ausgrid - to make way for a new coal loader.
It is just a single turbine but, amazingly, apart from a small demonstration turbine at the CSIRO energy centre nearby, it is the only one in NSW north of Sydney. In fact, going north, you need to travel 2,000kms to the Atherton Tablelands before coming across another commercial wind turbine, 20 small towers amounting to 12MW at Windy Hill in the Atherton Tablelands. There are two other small turbines on Thursday Island, at the tip of the country and that is it – just 12.45MW of wind energy north of Sydney, out of a total of 2,500MW across the country.
How many other turbines are built in NSW will likely be influenced by key decisions being made by NSW Cabinet as early as today about rules governing wind farm developments and the state’s renewable energy plans. That, of course, and the fate of the large-scale renewable energy target – a federal decision.
The second story was not just one, but a barrage of media placements from Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and others seeking to lay the blame for the state’s stunning 22.5 per cent average rise in electricity costs in 2013/14 on green energy schemes, glossing over the fact that the overwhelming majority of the bill increases come because the cost of the billions of dollars of network upgrades is being borne by the consumer.
These are dangerous times for the renewables industry in Australia, particularly those looking to construct some $20 billion of utility-scale installations – be they wind or solar. Newman threw in large-scale renewables as part of the cause of rising prices, but the analysis by the Queensland Competition Authority shows that only 3.5 per cent of the average customer bill of $1451 a year will go to support the renewable energy target, including the small and large-scale schemes. That’s less than $1 a week for the average household.
Australia’s largest utility Origin Energy has virtually declared war on renewables, arguing again on Friday that they are becoming a costly burden on households. It’s an argument that the state governments such as Newman’s have been keen to embrace.
For the record, the Climate Change Authority, in its review completed late last year, said the large-scale renewable energy target would add between $12 and $64 to the average household’s annual bill. The upper range assumed there was no impact on wholesale prices from the “merit order” effect, where prices on the energy market are forced down by the presence of more wind power. It said even slashing the RET target from 41,000GWh to 26,400GWh would only save around $17 a year from consumer bills, but would cause huge damage to the renewables industry.
It’s bitterly ironic because Australia last week was rated as the fourth most attractive destination for renewable energy investment in the world by Ernst & Young. But that was based on the policies that are currently in force – such as the renewable energy target, and the presence of the Clean Energy Finance Corp and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
The federal Coalition is also promising to abolish the CCA, the independent body that ruled in favour of maintaining the fixed 41,000GWh renewable energy target. Not that it has been bothered by such independent advice before. Ian Macfarlane, who is likely to be the new energy minister, brought the Howard’s government’s modest renewable energy target to an abrupt and damaging close when he was in the same role a decade ago, despite the recommendations of the Tambling inquiry to extend it.
That decision brought the Australian wind industry to a halt, forcing the closure of several newly created manufacturing plants. Many of those manufacturing jobs – in wind and solar – are now going to other countries such as South Africa, Brazil, Malaysia and Thailand which have much stronger and consistent support for large-scale renewable generation.
It is just a single turbine but, amazingly, apart from a small demonstration turbine at the CSIRO energy centre nearby, it is the only one in NSW north of Sydney. In fact, going north, you need to travel 2,000kms to the Atherton Tablelands before coming across another commercial wind turbine, 20 small towers amounting to 12MW at Windy Hill in the Atherton Tablelands. There are two other small turbines on Thursday Island, at the tip of the country and that is it – just 12.45MW of wind energy north of Sydney, out of a total of 2,500MW across the country.
How many other turbines are built in NSW will likely be influenced by key decisions being made by NSW Cabinet as early as today about rules governing wind farm developments and the state’s renewable energy plans. That, of course, and the fate of the large-scale renewable energy target – a federal decision.
The second story was not just one, but a barrage of media placements from Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and others seeking to lay the blame for the state’s stunning 22.5 per cent average rise in electricity costs in 2013/14 on green energy schemes, glossing over the fact that the overwhelming majority of the bill increases come because the cost of the billions of dollars of network upgrades is being borne by the consumer.
These are dangerous times for the renewables industry in Australia, particularly those looking to construct some $20 billion of utility-scale installations – be they wind or solar. Newman threw in large-scale renewables as part of the cause of rising prices, but the analysis by the Queensland Competition Authority shows that only 3.5 per cent of the average customer bill of $1451 a year will go to support the renewable energy target, including the small and large-scale schemes. That’s less than $1 a week for the average household.
Australia’s largest utility Origin Energy has virtually declared war on renewables, arguing again on Friday that they are becoming a costly burden on households. It’s an argument that the state governments such as Newman’s have been keen to embrace.
For the record, the Climate Change Authority, in its review completed late last year, said the large-scale renewable energy target would add between $12 and $64 to the average household’s annual bill. The upper range assumed there was no impact on wholesale prices from the “merit order” effect, where prices on the energy market are forced down by the presence of more wind power. It said even slashing the RET target from 41,000GWh to 26,400GWh would only save around $17 a year from consumer bills, but would cause huge damage to the renewables industry.
It’s bitterly ironic because Australia last week was rated as the fourth most attractive destination for renewable energy investment in the world by Ernst & Young. But that was based on the policies that are currently in force – such as the renewable energy target, and the presence of the Clean Energy Finance Corp and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
The federal Coalition is also promising to abolish the CCA, the independent body that ruled in favour of maintaining the fixed 41,000GWh renewable energy target. Not that it has been bothered by such independent advice before. Ian Macfarlane, who is likely to be the new energy minister, brought the Howard’s government’s modest renewable energy target to an abrupt and damaging close when he was in the same role a decade ago, despite the recommendations of the Tambling inquiry to extend it.
That decision brought the Australian wind industry to a halt, forcing the closure of several newly created manufacturing plants. Many of those manufacturing jobs – in wind and solar – are now going to other countries such as South Africa, Brazil, Malaysia and Thailand which have much stronger and consistent support for large-scale renewable generation.
2013年4月26日星期五
Let's not beat around the bush
When a woman has an orgasm, the muscle contractions help flush the “old” fluid out of the body and rid the body of bacteria that can cause infection.
Think of it like blowing your nose, but it feels incredible and doesn’t make terrifying sounds.
Reaching an orgasm can also dramatically ease menstrual cramps. Surprise, surprise, women bleed out of their lotus patches and sometimes it hurts so badly that cutting your internal organs out of your body and throwing them on the floor sounds like a better idea.
We could suffer it out or load our bodies up with painkillers to ease the burden, or we could just go for a rousing round of “she-bopping.”
Clitoral stimulation is the only way 70 percent of women can reach orgasm, and it allows you to pleasure yourself without having to risk running into the red sea.
Not only do the contractions of an orgasm alleviate cramping, but they also loosen up the juices and may even make your period end sooner. There’s no scientific evidence to support this, but I personally highly recommend this practice.
Self-satisfying “schlucking” can also help you figure out what you like and dislike as far as your lady bits are concerned.
As previously mentioned, some women cannot reach orgasm from penetration alone, and figuring out whether or not you are one of these women is extremely important. If you cannot reach orgasm from vaginal penetration and don’t know this, you’re bound to be left highly unsatisfied in the bedroom with a disappointed partner, or you’ll become very good at faking orgasms, both of which are really terrible things.
Figuring out what sort of touch gets you off is no different than knowing where you’re ticklish. It’s your body; you should really get to know it as best as you possibly can.
Regardless of what the Puritans would have you believe, sex and sexual urges are totally normal. We may be more domestic than our animal friends, but we’re still mammals nonetheless, and we have urges to breed. Humans differ from other animals in that we’re one of the fewer species who actually has sex for fun.
Noted sex therapist Lonnie Barbach has even expressed in her book, “For Yourself,” that avoiding sexual urges can cause body and mind imbalances. If you’re not in a place to have a partner or don’t want to have sex for whatever reason, masturbation can help balance you out. By balancing yourself out, you’re relieving emotional stress and helping to clear the mind so you can focus on other things, like schoolwork.
Masturbation also helps the economy. While hand-to-hand combat with your no-zone is fine and dandy, using the aid of a stimulation device can make you a quicker and more efficient masturbator. Vibrators, dildos and other sex toys feel incredible to use, and will help give your body the very best sensations possible.
My personal suggestion is to look for personal body massagers; they’ve got a higher intensity and don’t cost as much as products labeled specifically for sexual usage.
Whether you use your hand, a toy, the showerhead or a washing machine, you should never feel ashamed of your body or be afraid to make yourself feel good. In the words of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “it isn’t a crime to give yourself over to pleasure.” Well, just don’t do it in public; there are laws against that.
Think of it like blowing your nose, but it feels incredible and doesn’t make terrifying sounds.
Reaching an orgasm can also dramatically ease menstrual cramps. Surprise, surprise, women bleed out of their lotus patches and sometimes it hurts so badly that cutting your internal organs out of your body and throwing them on the floor sounds like a better idea.
We could suffer it out or load our bodies up with painkillers to ease the burden, or we could just go for a rousing round of “she-bopping.”
Clitoral stimulation is the only way 70 percent of women can reach orgasm, and it allows you to pleasure yourself without having to risk running into the red sea.
Not only do the contractions of an orgasm alleviate cramping, but they also loosen up the juices and may even make your period end sooner. There’s no scientific evidence to support this, but I personally highly recommend this practice.
Self-satisfying “schlucking” can also help you figure out what you like and dislike as far as your lady bits are concerned.
As previously mentioned, some women cannot reach orgasm from penetration alone, and figuring out whether or not you are one of these women is extremely important. If you cannot reach orgasm from vaginal penetration and don’t know this, you’re bound to be left highly unsatisfied in the bedroom with a disappointed partner, or you’ll become very good at faking orgasms, both of which are really terrible things.
Figuring out what sort of touch gets you off is no different than knowing where you’re ticklish. It’s your body; you should really get to know it as best as you possibly can.
Regardless of what the Puritans would have you believe, sex and sexual urges are totally normal. We may be more domestic than our animal friends, but we’re still mammals nonetheless, and we have urges to breed. Humans differ from other animals in that we’re one of the fewer species who actually has sex for fun.
Noted sex therapist Lonnie Barbach has even expressed in her book, “For Yourself,” that avoiding sexual urges can cause body and mind imbalances. If you’re not in a place to have a partner or don’t want to have sex for whatever reason, masturbation can help balance you out. By balancing yourself out, you’re relieving emotional stress and helping to clear the mind so you can focus on other things, like schoolwork.
Masturbation also helps the economy. While hand-to-hand combat with your no-zone is fine and dandy, using the aid of a stimulation device can make you a quicker and more efficient masturbator. Vibrators, dildos and other sex toys feel incredible to use, and will help give your body the very best sensations possible.
My personal suggestion is to look for personal body massagers; they’ve got a higher intensity and don’t cost as much as products labeled specifically for sexual usage.
Whether you use your hand, a toy, the showerhead or a washing machine, you should never feel ashamed of your body or be afraid to make yourself feel good. In the words of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “it isn’t a crime to give yourself over to pleasure.” Well, just don’t do it in public; there are laws against that.
2013年3月20日星期三
Sheriff assists U.S. Homeland Security in illegal gambling raid
In one of the most extensive investigations in Canadian County in recent years, the Sheriff's Office helped the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in seizing hundreds of illegal slot machines, firearms and over three-quarters of a million dollars in cash from illegal gambling.
Canadian County Sheriff Randall Edwards said his department conducted a sweep of some businesses and establishments through Federal warrants in El Reno on Wednesday, March 6. He said they seized over 250 slot machines from two bars in El Reno, Gilmore's Pub and Charlie B's, the El Reno VFW and Elks lodge. He said they also seized machines from a warehouse at Manning and Highway 66 and from a residence on S. Banner Road.
Over 250 illegal firearms, including automatic weapons, were also seized, primarily from the warehouse and residence.
Although there were no arrests made in the seizures, Edwards said he expects Federal indictments to be handed down on individuals that not only possessed and played the machines, but those who knew about the illegal activity and did nothing about it.
"The last time the Feds busted someone for illegal gambling was in 1992, so this is something that has gone entirely unchecked for 21 years," Edwards said. "My focus in this investigation is on the public corruption of those who held public offices and turned a blind eye or deaf ear to these activities. This includes state, county and local officials."
The Canadian County Sheriff's Office teamed up with other agencies such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the El Reno Police Department in the investigation.
"This has been an ongoing investigation for about the last four years," Edwards said. "The Feds took the lead in the investigation and have been doing the majority of the work on it, but my department has assisted them in manpower and in investigations."
Edwards said illegal gambling is a county-wide problem. He said other establishments in other municipalities in the county may be involved in illegal gambling, but did not release any specific details because he said it could jeopardize the investigation.
"Illegal gambling is when you either possess or play a slot machine that is outside of a tribal gambling establishment," Edwards said. "It isn't just slot machines either. You cannot play an arcade game if you are playing for money. If a business gives you money for winnings, that is illegal."
For the past few years, Edwards said undercover agents went into to several establishments and received money from gambling.
He said he wants every person involved in the activity to face the consequences.
"We can't have illegal gambling here in Canadian County as long as we have had without anything being done about it," he said. "This has become an accepted culture in our county, but it is against the law. I want the Feds to pursue everyone that has been involved and prosecute them."
The punishment if convicted of illegal gambling ranges from misdemeanors to felonies.
According to Oklahoma State Statute 21-946, it is a felony for any keeper or manager of a house, room or place where prohibited games are taking place to continue.
"This is the largest investigation my agency has been a part of," he said. "It has taken thousands of hours of investigating and it could go on for another year or two."
Investigations of illegal gambling have spread to surrounding counties, including Caddo County.
Just last week, an Anadarko business owner and his wife were taken into custody after federal agents say they were involved an in illegal multi-million dollar gambling operation. According to the federal search warrant, the owner of the company supplied gambling software to internet casinos in Florida.
Canadian County Sheriff Randall Edwards said his department conducted a sweep of some businesses and establishments through Federal warrants in El Reno on Wednesday, March 6. He said they seized over 250 slot machines from two bars in El Reno, Gilmore's Pub and Charlie B's, the El Reno VFW and Elks lodge. He said they also seized machines from a warehouse at Manning and Highway 66 and from a residence on S. Banner Road.
Over 250 illegal firearms, including automatic weapons, were also seized, primarily from the warehouse and residence.
Although there were no arrests made in the seizures, Edwards said he expects Federal indictments to be handed down on individuals that not only possessed and played the machines, but those who knew about the illegal activity and did nothing about it.
"The last time the Feds busted someone for illegal gambling was in 1992, so this is something that has gone entirely unchecked for 21 years," Edwards said. "My focus in this investigation is on the public corruption of those who held public offices and turned a blind eye or deaf ear to these activities. This includes state, county and local officials."
The Canadian County Sheriff's Office teamed up with other agencies such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the El Reno Police Department in the investigation.
"This has been an ongoing investigation for about the last four years," Edwards said. "The Feds took the lead in the investigation and have been doing the majority of the work on it, but my department has assisted them in manpower and in investigations."
Edwards said illegal gambling is a county-wide problem. He said other establishments in other municipalities in the county may be involved in illegal gambling, but did not release any specific details because he said it could jeopardize the investigation.
"Illegal gambling is when you either possess or play a slot machine that is outside of a tribal gambling establishment," Edwards said. "It isn't just slot machines either. You cannot play an arcade game if you are playing for money. If a business gives you money for winnings, that is illegal."
For the past few years, Edwards said undercover agents went into to several establishments and received money from gambling.
He said he wants every person involved in the activity to face the consequences.
"We can't have illegal gambling here in Canadian County as long as we have had without anything being done about it," he said. "This has become an accepted culture in our county, but it is against the law. I want the Feds to pursue everyone that has been involved and prosecute them."
The punishment if convicted of illegal gambling ranges from misdemeanors to felonies.
According to Oklahoma State Statute 21-946, it is a felony for any keeper or manager of a house, room or place where prohibited games are taking place to continue.
"This is the largest investigation my agency has been a part of," he said. "It has taken thousands of hours of investigating and it could go on for another year or two."
Investigations of illegal gambling have spread to surrounding counties, including Caddo County.
Just last week, an Anadarko business owner and his wife were taken into custody after federal agents say they were involved an in illegal multi-million dollar gambling operation. According to the federal search warrant, the owner of the company supplied gambling software to internet casinos in Florida.
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