Category Archives: FYI

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FYI, News

UN VOTES TO GRANT PALESTINE NON-MEMBER OBSERVER STATUS

The UN has voted overwhelmingly in favour of granting Palestine non-member observer status- 138 in favor, 9 against, 41 abstentions. Israel had threatened before the vote to retailed with financial penalties if the vote was passed.

The move in effect recognises Palestinian statehood, and will give them access to a number of different bodies, like the International Criminal Court.

Before the vote Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had told the General Assembly that it “is being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine.”

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FYI, News

MASSIVE BLACK HOLE DISCOVERED BAFFLES ASTRONOMERS

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Astronomers have discovered a massive black hole, the second biggest ever observed. What is unusual about the discovery is the black hole’s location. Black holes are found at the centre of galaxies, and this one has been discovered at the centre of NGC 1277. NGC 1277 is a tiny galaxy, a quarter of the size of our own Milky Way. This new black hole has a mass 17 billion times bigger than our Sun, and is thought to be the size of our Solar System, comprising of 14% of NGC 1277 total mass. And this is what makes the discovery unique.

Current understanding about black hole behaviour tells us that the size of the black hole is linked to the stellar velocities within the galaxy. A galaxy the size of NGC 1277 should not have stellar velocities high enough to create a black hole of this size. Astronomers have never seen anything like it, the discovery goes against what they previously believed about black hole evolution.

An average black hole will have a mass around 1000 time that of the sun, within a size no bigger than the earth.

Astronomers will be studying NGC 1277 closely to see what new knowledge they can learn about the behaviour of black holes.

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Read the full report in Nature

Entertainment, FYI

FRENCH DOCUMENTARY ABOUT GAY SENIORS AIRS AS FRANCE DECIDES ON GAY MARRIAGE

Sébastien Lifshitz’s “Les Invisibles” (“The Invidables”) is a documentary about the lives of elderly homosexual and lesbian couples in France. The documentary is released this week at a time France is gripped by the debate about same-sex marriage and gay adoption.

The documentary looks at the lives of gay men and women and how they explored their sexuality through a time that same-sex marriage was not in the public consciousness.

Lifshitz has made name for himself creating gay-themed documentaries. Although he argues “Les Invisables” is not about the national debate in France surrounding same-sex marriage, he agrees his documentary is his contribution to the conversation.

French lawmakers are set to vote on same-sex marriage in a few months time.

Read More of France 24s interview with Sébastien Lifshitz

FYI, News

FRANCE SUPPORTS PALESTINE’S BID FOR NON-MEMBER OBSERVER STATUS AT THE UN

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French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has told the French parliament that France will vote in favour of the Palestinian Authorities UN bid to be made a non-member observer. If the Palestinian bid is successful it would implicitly recognise Palestinian statehood, and would give the Palestinian’s access to bodies like the International Court of Human Rights in the Hague. The Palestinian’s could then file complaints against Israel.

The rest of Europe remains divided over the issue. Portugal and Spain say they will vote for the motion, but Germany are opposed to any change in the Palestinian’s United Nations status. Britain remains undecided. The United States and Israel are strongly opposed to the move.

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FYI, News

UN CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT BEGINS IN DOHA, QATAR

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The 18th annual Climate Change summit began in Doha Qatar today. Delegates from over 200 nations will be looking to sign nations up to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The first commitment period runs out December 31st. Kyoto binds 40 of the richest nations to strict greenhouse gas emission targets, China and the US never signed up to Kyoto.

Delegates are also hoping to reach a draft plan for a new global climate deal to be brought into effect in 2020.

At the end of the week negotiators will be joined by cabinet ministers from over 100 nations. Ministers will be under pressure to sign up to stricter pre-2020 greenhouse gas targets for richer nations, as well as providing greater funding to poorer nations.

Read More France 24

FYI, News

White House Attempt To Give Millions To Egypt Meets Resistance

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On Friday, Congress was notified by the Obama administration that it would be sending $450 million to Egypt.  This $450 million is part of a $1 billion package that Obama had pledged to Egypt in 2011 for debt forgiveness to the United States.

The administration however has met resistance.

The direction of Egypt’s course under the Muslim Brotherhood, its policies, local protests against the American Embassy located in Cairo and how the Obama administration has handled crisis in Islamic regions has left some wondering why the US continues to send aid.

Kay Granger, a Texan Republican who is chairwoman of the House appropriations subcommittee that is responsible for managing foreign aid, said that she would block this aid distribution.

The US relationship with Egypt “has never been under more scrutiny” than it is now.  Granger goes on to say, “I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time”.

However, Hillary Clinton speaking in New York on Friday, indicated that the world should do more in supporting the regions that have experienced the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings.

This debate comes at a time when Egypt is in an economic crisis.  They are currently facing a $12 billion deficit in their budget.

Source

FYI, News

Leno: ‘We Wasted Four Years Waiting For Obama To Do Something About The Economy’

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Jay Leno took some surprising jabs at Obama and his handling of the economy and jobs on Thursday.  “I love how the politicians capitalize on this kind of thing, like the minute the replacement refs were fired, President Obama said, See, sometimes losing jobs can be a good thing. Its a good thing…. A new survey out today shows how much time we waste every day in our lives. For example, we waste seven minutes in line every time we go to get coffee, 28 minutes getting through airport security, four years waiting for Obama to do something about the economy. Every year, we waste a lot. We wasted a lot of time.”

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FYI, News

1700 Jobs Lost in California

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It has been a bad week for California jobs, especially in the Sacramento area. First Comcast announced it will close all three of it’s call centres, with a loss of 1,000 jobs, 300 of these in Sacramento. The the news that the Campbell Soup factory in Sacramento will close, with all 700 employees being laid off.

Campbell’s Sacramento factory was build in 1947 and is their oldest factory, but it also has the highest production costs. When the plant closes in summer 2013, operations will move to other factories in Texas, North Carolina and Ohio.

California’s unemployment rate is currently around 10%, one of the highest in the country.

FYI, News

Bible App Downloaded 65 Million Times

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YouVersion’s Bible app has been downloaded 65 million times.  It is has been ranked third for iPad and ninth for the iPhone by Appsfire in non game categories.

The site/app was created by Bobby Greunewald.  He used to run a professional wrestling website!  The inspiration came to him while waiting in a security line at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport.  Before he arrived at his gate of departure Greunewald had registered the domain name which is YouVersion.

There is approximately 300 versions that can be downloaded and options for people in 144 different languages.

Source

FYI, News

UN Attempting Power & Money Grab Supported by Influential Occupy Supporter

The United Nations (UN) attempt to grab money and further power is not new.  “Innovative methods of financing” is the latest term they are using to describe their actions.

Examples: A 1% worldwide billionaires tax, a currency trading tax, a tax on all financial dealings (stock, bond and derivative trading), a carbon emissions tax or an airline ticket tax.

These ideas are supported at UN meetings.  The idea is that the UN would be in charge of these funds and “redistribute” the funds to poorer countries.

Also supporting these measures is Jeffrey Sachs.

Sachs is a vocal Occupy Wall Street supporter and “climate change” fighter.

Sachs also happens to be the leader of the Earth Institute, from Columbia University and a UN Assistant Secretary General.  Part of his (UN) duties are to work with UN agencies and “multilateral financing institutions and other international organizations” to (in large part) fight climate change.  To do so he was appointed head of a new lobbying group named the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

This week Sachs was noted to have been promoting a U.S. carbon tax to fight “climate change” by calling on President Obama.  He has also been quoted “I’m happy to have the future pay for a lot of this. It doesn’t have to be current financed.” by Bloomberg News.

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FYI, News

TSA Spending More On New Security System

The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) is switching security systems.  The apparent motivation…  privacy and health concerns.

A $245 million program is establishing the second generation of body scanners.  American Science and Engineering and L-3 Communications has been chosen to develop the new device.

The new technology now in use is called Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT-2).  It is able to find non metal weapons and home made explosive devices.  The AIT-2 makes use of two types of technology;  x-ray scans and electromagnetic waves.

These new scanners have already been deployed in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento earlier this summer.  Another 700 have also been placed around the country.

Source

Entertainment, FYI

JK Rowling’s New Book For Adults Published

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JK Rowling the author of the Harry Potter series as written her first book for adults. The Casual Vacancy was published today, but has failed to live up to the high expectations. Parents who love the Harry Potter books may be shocked by the dark content of the adult novel, critics have slated the book for being dull and banal; although saying it was funnier than they would have imagined. Readers may be shocked by the graphic depictions of pornography and the use of the f-word, and c-word. The book shows the darker, grittier side of life in a small English village. The characters include a prositiute, a drug dealer, and teenage girl raped by her mum’s heroin dealer. The is the deaths of children and a teen suicide. The Telegraph’s literary critic remarks, “As for the ending, dear God, it is so howlingly bleak that it makes Thomas Hardy look like PG Wodehouse.”

When challenged in an interview about the novel, and any responsibility she may have as the world’s most famous children’s author Rowling said, “There is no part of me that feels like I represented myself as your children’s babysitter or their teacher. I’m a writer and I will write what I want to write.”

FYI, News

Iran’s President Calls for “New World Order”

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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has given an interview with the Associated Press at the United Nations this week, where he calls for the establishment of a “New World Order”. Ahmadinejad wants to see the world move away from “years of American bullying and domination” In the interview he said, “God willing, a new order will come together and we’ll do away with everything that distances us…I do believe the system of empires has reached the end of the road. The world can no longer see an emperor commanding it.”

“Now even elementary school kids throughout the world have understood that the United States government is following an international policy of bullying,” he said.

Ahmadinejad also called American and Israeli insistence that Iran abandon it’s nuclear program as a non-issue, claiming America was using it as an excuse for the US to impose it’s will on Iran.

President Ahmadinejad is due to speak at the UN tomorrow, the United States delegates have already said they will boycott his speech.

In the interview Ahmadinejad also addressed the issue of Syria. He is calling for a group of countries to work together to bring an end to the bloody conflict in the country. However, intelligence suggests Iran is actively helping the Assad, with weapons and logistical support.

This will be Ahmadinejad’s last appearance at the UN General Assembly as he is due to leave office next June.

To read more about his interview see The Telegraph