The descendants of the Habsburg monarchy have confirmed they want to sell a Transylvanian castle mythically linked to the fictional Count Dracula. The family were turfed out of Romania's 14th-Century Bran Castle by the communists after World War II. It was returned to them in 2006 after a long legal battle. But now Dominic Habsburg, a New York architect and son of the late Romanian Princess Ileana, says he is willing to sell it back for $78m (£40m). The local council has said it is willing to buy the castle, one of the country's top tourist attractions. It wants to prevent the castle being turned into a hotel or theme park, and is in the process of investigating a bank loan. However, Romania's culture minister said the local authorities would be "stupid" to pay such a hefty price.
But now Dominic Habsburg, a New York architect and son of the late Romanian Princess Ileana, says he is willing to sell it back for $78m (£40m).
The local council has said it is willing to buy the castle, one of the country's top tourist attractions. It wants to prevent the castle being turned into a hotel or theme park, and is in the process of investigating a bank loan.
However, Romania's culture minister said the local authorities would be "stupid" to pay such a hefty price.
(Psst. The castle where Vlad Tepes did muck about is Poienari Castle in the stunning Făgăraş mountains. Go there instead.)
The Bush administration last February announced the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership initiative, which includes resuming a nuclear fuel recycling program. Constructing a nuclear plant costs hundreds of billions of yen. U.S. financial institutions appear reluctant to give loans to U.S. firms to build the facilities because the companies lack experience. The U.S. government suspended all construction of nuclear plants after the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979. U.S. power utilities have plans to build a number of nuclear plants as higher crude oil prices are putting upward pressure on electricity generation costs based on oil-based thermal power plants. The pact [which is part of a larger U.S.-Japan energy cooperation effort] will help Japanese reactor manufacturers, including Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd., participate in U.S. nuclear plant projects by offering the government-backed trade insurance to cover some of the massive costs. The insurance compensates Japanese companies for losses in the event that problems arise over exports or direct investments overseas. In addition to the planned insurance-based Japanese support, the U.S. government plans to encourage companies to take part in nuclear plant projects by providing repayment guarantees for loans they may take out to finance construction costs.
Constructing a nuclear plant costs hundreds of billions of yen. U.S. financial institutions appear reluctant to give loans to U.S. firms to build the facilities because the companies lack experience.
The U.S. government suspended all construction of nuclear plants after the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979.
U.S. power utilities have plans to build a number of nuclear plants as higher crude oil prices are putting upward pressure on electricity generation costs based on oil-based thermal power plants.
The pact [which is part of a larger U.S.-Japan energy cooperation effort] will help Japanese reactor manufacturers, including Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd., participate in U.S. nuclear plant projects by offering the government-backed trade insurance to cover some of the massive costs.
The insurance compensates Japanese companies for losses in the event that problems arise over exports or direct investments overseas.
In addition to the planned insurance-based Japanese support, the U.S. government plans to encourage companies to take part in nuclear plant projects by providing repayment guarantees for loans they may take out to finance construction costs.
Scientists have found the fossilised remains of a 150 million-year-old stegosaurus in central Portugal. The discovery of the prehistoric creature, which has gigantic armoured plates zigzagging down its back, is further evidence that Europe and America were once joined. "Stegosaurus is a species typical of America, one of the iconic dinosaurs that appear in the movies, and this is the first time it's been found in Europe," said Fernando Escaso, from Madrid University, who led a team of Spanish and Portuguese scientists. The specimen found at Casal Novo, near Batalha, north of Lisbon, in a region rich in dinosaur fossils, belong to the species Stegosaurus ungulatus, and "constitute the first incontrovertible evidence that a member of the genus stegosaurus lived outside North America," Mr Escaso told yesterday's El Pais newspaper. Writing in the online edition of the scientific journal Naturwissenschaften, geophysicists confirmed "a very high probability that an episodic corridor once existed between the Newfoundland and Iberian land masses. "The discovery of the Portuguese stegosaurus, together with geotechtonic evidence, favour a scenario that includes contacts among fauna between the land masses of the north Atlantic," they say. Scientists have in the past found related - but never identical - species on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Stegosaurus is a species typical of America, one of the iconic dinosaurs that appear in the movies, and this is the first time it's been found in Europe," said Fernando Escaso, from Madrid University, who led a team of Spanish and Portuguese scientists.
The specimen found at Casal Novo, near Batalha, north of Lisbon, in a region rich in dinosaur fossils, belong to the species Stegosaurus ungulatus, and "constitute the first incontrovertible evidence that a member of the genus stegosaurus lived outside North America," Mr Escaso told yesterday's El Pais newspaper. Writing in the online edition of the scientific journal Naturwissenschaften, geophysicists confirmed "a very high probability that an episodic corridor once existed between the Newfoundland and Iberian land masses.
"The discovery of the Portuguese stegosaurus, together with geotechtonic evidence, favour a scenario that includes contacts among fauna between the land masses of the north Atlantic," they say. Scientists have in the past found related - but never identical - species on both sides of the Atlantic.
A matter of time, considering the (relative!!) scant amount of dinosaur fossils found until today. But good for them.
Paleo-magnetic and geological reconstructions have long confirmed that Pangea was only beginning to break up in the Jurassic - nice of the geophysicists to pitch in they discovered the wheel...
See this visualisation.
Geotechtonic is still used - but really. It's archaic. The English has settled on geotectonic.
By the way, if 'tectonic' comes from the greek tektonikos, the spelling 'techtonic' is not only archaic but wrong (no chi in there, but a kappa). Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Yup! It's ..........
<wait for it!>
Gin and Techtonic!
rimshot
First popularized in the 1950s by the designer and inventor Buckminster Fuller, who died in 1983, geodesic domes have long been appreciated by environmentalists for their energy efficiency and the way they provide the maximum amount of space with a minimum of material. In the 1960s and '70s, hippies built them in the wilderness, painting them in psychedelic patchworks; their rounded contours were seen as a retort to all things square or right-angled in Western society. The domes of the Flower Power era were rarely more than a standard 24 feet in diameter and cost less than $1,000 to build, according to Jay Baldwin, an early dome builder and dweller. But many new domes are sprawling mansions of more than 10,000 square feet, built on budgets of a million dollars or more. "They want another bedroom," said Robert Singer, the president of Timberline Geodesics, a dome manufacturer in Berkeley, Calif. "They want the home office, they want the entertainment room, they want the extra space in the basement, they want the large custom kitchen." Two years ago, Mr. Singer [president of Timberline Geodesics] said, his factory needed to run only seven months a year to meet the demand. Now it operates full time to produce more than 50 houses annually, and he still can't fill all the orders.
The domes of the Flower Power era were rarely more than a standard 24 feet in diameter and cost less than $1,000 to build, according to Jay Baldwin, an early dome builder and dweller. But many new domes are sprawling mansions of more than 10,000 square feet, built on budgets of a million dollars or more.
"They want another bedroom," said Robert Singer, the president of Timberline Geodesics, a dome manufacturer in Berkeley, Calif. "They want the home office, they want the entertainment room, they want the extra space in the basement, they want the large custom kitchen."
Two years ago, Mr. Singer [president of Timberline Geodesics] said, his factory needed to run only seven months a year to meet the demand. Now it operates full time to produce more than 50 houses annually, and he still can't fill all the orders.
Yes, but with these compromises in shape and structure, do these quasi geodesic homes still have the same energy and space efficiencies that Fuller's original designs intended? Truth unfolds in time through a communal process.
Revelations about NSA's involvement in Vista's development raise concerns about possible 'back-door' access to data by the spy agency The U.S. agency best known for eavesdropping on telephone calls had a hand in the development of Microsoft's Vista operating system, Microsoft confirmed Tuesday. The National Security Agency (NSA) stepped in to help Microsoft develop a configuration of its next-generation operating system that would meet U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) requirements, said NSA Spokesman Ken White.
The U.S. agency best known for eavesdropping on telephone calls had a hand in the development of Microsoft's Vista operating system, Microsoft confirmed Tuesday.
The National Security Agency (NSA) stepped in to help Microsoft develop a configuration of its next-generation operating system that would meet U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) requirements, said NSA Spokesman Ken White.
UK interest rates have been increased to 5.25% from 5% by the Bank of England in an effort to curb inflation. ... Consumer price inflation has recently risen to 2.7%, the highest level in more than a decade. ... The news will come as an unwelcome surprise to many homeowners, but will be welcomed by savers if banks and building societies pass on the increase to their savings rates. ... Employer groups expressed disappointment at the move, saying it could harm already struggling businesses. "If part of the intention was to dampen wage increases, it is doubtful a rate rise will have the desired effect," said Ian McCafferty, the CBI's chief economic adviser.
...
Consumer price inflation has recently risen to 2.7%, the highest level in more than a decade.
The news will come as an unwelcome surprise to many homeowners, but will be welcomed by savers if banks and building societies pass on the increase to their savings rates.
Employer groups expressed disappointment at the move, saying it could harm already struggling businesses.
"If part of the intention was to dampen wage increases, it is doubtful a rate rise will have the desired effect," said Ian McCafferty, the CBI's chief economic adviser.
