Mother Teresa and Al Gore may be considered peace activists to some. Their Nobel Peace Prize awards, however, violated the terms of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel's will, a lawyer who authored a book on the subject said. In his 1895 last will and testament, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and philanthropist who invented dynamite, decreed that part of his vast fortune be used to create the awards that now carry his name, including the Nobel Peace Prize. The Peace Prize, the only one awarded by a Norwegian committee, was to be presented each year to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." Only 45 percent of the Nobel Peace Prizes attributed since World War II are in line with the spirit and terms of Nobel's will, according to Norwegian lawyer Fredrik Heffermehl, author of the book "Nobels vilje" ("Nobel's Will"). "Disarmament and anti-militarism was what Nobel wanted to promote," Heffermehl told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten's English desk.
In his 1895 last will and testament, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and philanthropist who invented dynamite, decreed that part of his vast fortune be used to create the awards that now carry his name, including the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Peace Prize, the only one awarded by a Norwegian committee, was to be presented each year to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."
Only 45 percent of the Nobel Peace Prizes attributed since World War II are in line with the spirit and terms of Nobel's will, according to Norwegian lawyer Fredrik Heffermehl, author of the book "Nobels vilje" ("Nobel's Will").
"Disarmament and anti-militarism was what Nobel wanted to promote," Heffermehl told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten's English desk.
A Swiss fisher reeled in a surprise on Sunday. The Swiss environment ministry confirmed Wednesday that the hobby fisher had caught the first salmon seen in Basel for half a century. A fish using one of the fish ladders in the eastern French town of Gambsheim. Fish ladders are one of many measures intended to lure salmon back into the formerly polluted Rhine River. A amateur fisherman in Switzerland made the catch of a lifetime last Sunday when he reeled in the first salmon seen in Basel in the last half a century. Experts hail the fish as a sign that efforts to help salmon return to Basel are working and that the species may soon find its way back to the landlocked country in larger numbers. "It's crazy, I can still hardly believe it," Thomas Wanner, 39, told the local Basler Zeitung. On Wednesday, Switzerland's Environment Ministry confirmed to the press that the 36-inch (91-centimeter) fish was indeed a salmon, based on a photo Wanner took of the fish with his mobile phone before releasing it back into the Birs River near where it flows into the Rhine. The size of the fish indicates that it travelled all the way down the Rhine to the open sea before returning upstream to spawn, Erich Staub, an official with the Environment Ministry, told the Associated Press. The round-trip journey is roughly 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.
A Swiss fisher reeled in a surprise on Sunday. The Swiss environment ministry confirmed Wednesday that the hobby fisher had caught the first salmon seen in Basel for half a century.
A fish using one of the fish ladders in the eastern French town of Gambsheim. Fish ladders are one of many measures intended to lure salmon back into the formerly polluted Rhine River. A amateur fisherman in Switzerland made the catch of a lifetime last Sunday when he reeled in the first salmon seen in Basel in the last half a century. Experts hail the fish as a sign that efforts to help salmon return to Basel are working and that the species may soon find its way back to the landlocked country in larger numbers.
"It's crazy, I can still hardly believe it," Thomas Wanner, 39, told the local Basler Zeitung. On Wednesday, Switzerland's Environment Ministry confirmed to the press that the 36-inch (91-centimeter) fish was indeed a salmon, based on a photo Wanner took of the fish with his mobile phone before releasing it back into the Birs River near where it flows into the Rhine.
The size of the fish indicates that it travelled all the way down the Rhine to the open sea before returning upstream to spawn, Erich Staub, an official with the Environment Ministry, told the Associated Press. The round-trip journey is roughly 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.
A scientist in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt believes he has uncovered tracks from the world's oldest dinosaur. But the footprints at the center of the find have sparked a major debate among scientists. Purported dinosaur tracks in Bernburg, Germany: Are the evolutionary "missing link" between reptiles of the Paleozoic era and the later, lithe dinosaurs? A massive creature tromped its way across an expansive limestone marsh. Horseshoe crabs scurried in its wake, and a reptile similar to a crocodile crossed its path. Weighing between 600 and 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds), the creature left impressive footprints in the limestone deposit. Shifting sand then covered the tracks. The creature's rear foot measured a large 35 centimeters (14 inches). All this happened around 243 million years ago -- and it took until now for the fossilized tracks of this massive reptile to come to light again. The find was made in a quarry near Bernburg, a small city in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, and the first details were revealed last week. If the discoverer, paleontologist Cajus Diedrich, is to be believed, these limestone impressions will make for a research coup of global dimensions. Diedrich believes he's found the world's oldest dinosaur, the ancestor of T. rex, Brontosaurus, Triceratops and all the others. The German weekly newsmagazine Stern obligingly reported the paleontological discovery was a "sensation," but a number of experts in the field believe Diedrich's theory is fundamentally wrong and an all-out scientific brawl is brewing within the profession.
A scientist in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt believes he has uncovered tracks from the world's oldest dinosaur. But the footprints at the center of the find have sparked a major debate among scientists.
Purported dinosaur tracks in Bernburg, Germany: Are the evolutionary "missing link" between reptiles of the Paleozoic era and the later, lithe dinosaurs? A massive creature tromped its way across an expansive limestone marsh. Horseshoe crabs scurried in its wake, and a reptile similar to a crocodile crossed its path. Weighing between 600 and 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds), the creature left impressive footprints in the limestone deposit. Shifting sand then covered the tracks. The creature's rear foot measured a large 35 centimeters (14 inches).
All this happened around 243 million years ago -- and it took until now for the fossilized tracks of this massive reptile to come to light again. The find was made in a quarry near Bernburg, a small city in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, and the first details were revealed last week. If the discoverer, paleontologist Cajus Diedrich, is to be believed, these limestone impressions will make for a research coup of global dimensions.
Diedrich believes he's found the world's oldest dinosaur, the ancestor of T. rex, Brontosaurus, Triceratops and all the others. The German weekly newsmagazine Stern obligingly reported the paleontological discovery was a "sensation," but a number of experts in the field believe Diedrich's theory is fundamentally wrong and an all-out scientific brawl is brewing within the profession.
Messages have been sent to a planet 20 light years from Earth in the hope they will reach intelligent alien life. Some 501 photos, drawings and text messages were transmitted on Thursday by a giant radio-telescope in Ukraine normally used to track asteroids. The target planet was chosen as it is thought capable of supporting life. Any reply to the messages - collated through a competition by the social networking website Bebo - would not reach Earth for 40 years. The competition - A Message From Earth - invited Bebo's 12m users to send in missives they would like extra-terrestrials to receive.
Messages have been sent to a planet 20 light years from Earth in the hope they will reach intelligent alien life.
Some 501 photos, drawings and text messages were transmitted on Thursday by a giant radio-telescope in Ukraine normally used to track asteroids.
The target planet was chosen as it is thought capable of supporting life.
Any reply to the messages - collated through a competition by the social networking website Bebo - would not reach Earth for 40 years.
The competition - A Message From Earth - invited Bebo's 12m users to send in missives they would like extra-terrestrials to receive.
The SETI people think it might be in the millions...
Do we deserve a contact with so much foolishness demonstrated in the last 20-30 years?
Wouldn't an alien invasion be the perfect end to this year?
French carmakers and the French government announced new programs Thursday to promote the development of carbon-free cars. The French government will provide funds to subsidize the development and construction of environmentally friendly automobiles, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday. "We will earmark more than 400 million euros ($550 million) of state funds over the next four years," Sarkozy said in an address at the Paris Automobile Fair. The money will be used "exclusively" to fund the research and development of "carbon-free cars, that is vehicles with the least possible emission of carbon dioxide, whether electric cars or hybrids," Sarkozy said.
The French government will provide funds to subsidize the development and construction of environmentally friendly automobiles, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.
"We will earmark more than 400 million euros ($550 million) of state funds over the next four years," Sarkozy said in an address at the Paris Automobile Fair.
The money will be used "exclusively" to fund the research and development of "carbon-free cars, that is vehicles with the least possible emission of carbon dioxide, whether electric cars or hybrids," Sarkozy said.
The credit crisis is forcing investors to ask, "Which banks are safe?" According to a survey from the World Economic Forum, Canada has the world's most solid banking system. Next on the list are Sweden, Luxembourg and Australia. The U.S. ranked 40th, behind Germany, Chile and Namibia. Britain, which used to be ranked in the top five, dropped to 44th place.
ROSEBUD, S.D. -- The wind blows incessantly here in the high plains; screen doors do not last. Wind is to South Dakota what forests are to Maine or beaches are to Florida: a natural bounty and a valuable inheritance. Rodney M. Bordeaux, the Rosebud Sioux tribal council president, said that with the proposed 30-megawatt wind farm, "We can become a major player in wind in South Dakota." Native American tribes like the Rosebud Sioux now seek to claim that inheritance. If they succeed in building turbine farms to harness some of the country's strongest and most reliable winds, tribal officials like Ken Haukaas believe, they could create a new economic underpinning for the 29,000 tribal members whose per capita annual income is about $7,700, less than a third the national average.[...] In 2003, after erecting a 750-kilowatt turbine that powers the Rosebud Casino near the Nebraska border, the Rosebud Sioux tribal council set its sights on building the Owl Feather War Bonnet wind farm, a 30-megawatt project that could power about 12,000 homes, each about 1,200 square feet. After five years of negotiations with a non-Indian developer, Distributed Generation Systems Inc. of Colorado, the tribal council president, Rodney M. Bordeaux, said Thursday that he expected to sign a construction deal that would bring in some $5 million to the tribe over 20 years. The total is about $1.7 million less than the developer's original offer because of an acrimonious last-minute dispute with the tribe.
ROSEBUD, S.D. -- The wind blows incessantly here in the high plains; screen doors do not last. Wind is to South Dakota what forests are to Maine or beaches are to Florida: a natural bounty and a valuable inheritance.
Rodney M. Bordeaux, the Rosebud Sioux tribal council president, said that with the proposed 30-megawatt wind farm, "We can become a major player in wind in South Dakota."
Native American tribes like the Rosebud Sioux now seek to claim that inheritance. If they succeed in building turbine farms to harness some of the country's strongest and most reliable winds, tribal officials like Ken Haukaas believe, they could create a new economic underpinning for the 29,000 tribal members whose per capita annual income is about $7,700, less than a third the national average.
[...]
In 2003, after erecting a 750-kilowatt turbine that powers the Rosebud Casino near the Nebraska border, the Rosebud Sioux tribal council set its sights on building the Owl Feather War Bonnet wind farm, a 30-megawatt project that could power about 12,000 homes, each about 1,200 square feet.
After five years of negotiations with a non-Indian developer, Distributed Generation Systems Inc. of Colorado, the tribal council president, Rodney M. Bordeaux, said Thursday that he expected to sign a construction deal that would bring in some $5 million to the tribe over 20 years. The total is about $1.7 million less than the developer's original offer because of an acrimonious last-minute dispute with the tribe.
Some companies try to do it right, or at least include the resource stakeholders (landowners.) "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
How to get out of this bad equilibrium? There is only one way. The governments of the big countries (US, UK, the eurozone, possibly Japan) must take over their banking systems (or at least the significant banks). Governments are the only institutions that can solve the co-ordination failure at the heart of the liquidity crisis. They can do this because once the banks are in the hands of the state, they can be ordered to trust each other and to lend to each other. The faster governments take these steps, the better. <...> The recent decision of the US Federal Reserve to bypass the banking system and to lend directly to the non-banking sector by buying commercial paper is a step in the right direction. It allows companies to obtain cash by borrowing long; a service banks do not want to provide anymore. The step taken by the Fed is insufficient, however. The Fed cannot take over all bank lending operations. Only the government can do this by temporarily transforming private banks into public ones. It can then order the management of these state banks to lend to each other. Such a transformation (call it a temporary nationalisation) will make it possible to jump start the interbank market and allow the normal flow of credit to be activated.
The recent decision of the US Federal Reserve to bypass the banking system and to lend directly to the non-banking sector by buying commercial paper is a step in the right direction. It allows companies to obtain cash by borrowing long; a service banks do not want to provide anymore. The step taken by the Fed is insufficient, however. The Fed cannot take over all bank lending operations. Only the government can do this by temporarily transforming private banks into public ones. It can then order the management of these state banks to lend to each other.
Such a transformation (call it a temporary nationalisation) will make it possible to jump start the interbank market and allow the normal flow of credit to be activated.
Re: Please, tell me what's next ? Nationalisation of all banks across the OECD.
Nationalisation of all banks across the OECD.
Today, Sequoia Capital hosted a mandatory CEO All-Hands Meeting on Sand Hill Road. There were about 100 CEO's in attendance and let me tell you, the mood was somber. I'm not one to perpetuate doom and gloom or bad news, but let me underscore this for you: We are in a serious economic downturn and this is just the beginning. Immediate, decisive and swift action is required, along with frugal, day-to-day management of expenses and our business is required. **Here are my notes from the meeting. Keep this note in your in-box and read it every day. I'm serious folks, this is for our survival.** <...> Slide projected on the huge conference room screen as people assembled inside the conference center to take their seats: a gravestone with the inscription: RIP, Good Times. <...> · We are in the beginning of a long cycle, what we call a "Secular Bear Market." This could be a 15 year problem. [many slides on historical charts of previous recessions, averaging 17 year cycles.] <...> · There is significant risk to growth and your personal wealth. Advice: · Manage what you can control. You can't control the economy, but you can control everything else. · Cut spending. Cut fat. Preserve Capital. · Don't trust your models and spreadsheets. All assumptions prior to today are wrong. <...> · A "V" shaped recovery is unlikely <...> · This is a different animal and will take years to recover. <...> 4. Cash is king [have you gotten this message yet?] <...> · Engineering: Since you already have a product, strongly consider reducing the number of engineers that you have. <...> · Finance: Defer payments, what is essential? Kill cash burn. <...> · Make your cuts · Review all salaries · Change sales comp ... · Spend like it's your last dollar. Get Real or Go Home.
Today, Sequoia Capital hosted a mandatory CEO All-Hands Meeting on Sand Hill Road. There were about 100 CEO's in attendance and let me tell you, the mood was somber. I'm not one to perpetuate doom and gloom or bad news, but let me underscore this for you: We are in a serious economic downturn and this is just the beginning. Immediate, decisive and swift action is required, along with frugal, day-to-day management of expenses and our business is required.
**Here are my notes from the meeting. Keep this note in your in-box and read it every day. I'm serious folks, this is for our survival.** <...>
Slide projected on the huge conference room screen as people assembled inside the conference center to take their seats: a gravestone with the inscription: RIP, Good Times. <...>
· We are in the beginning of a long cycle, what we call a "Secular Bear Market." This could be a 15 year problem. [many slides on historical charts of previous recessions, averaging 17 year cycles.] <...>
· There is significant risk to growth and your personal wealth.
Advice:
· Manage what you can control. You can't control the economy, but you can control everything else.
· Cut spending. Cut fat. Preserve Capital.
· Don't trust your models and spreadsheets. All assumptions prior to today are wrong. <...>
· A "V" shaped recovery is unlikely <...>
· This is a different animal and will take years to recover. <...>
4. Cash is king [have you gotten this message yet?] <...>
· Engineering: Since you already have a product, strongly consider reducing the number of engineers that you have. <...>
· Finance: Defer payments, what is essential? Kill cash burn. <...>
· Make your cuts · Review all salaries · Change sales comp ... · Spend like it's your last dollar.
Get Real or Go Home.
We are in the beginning of a long cycle, what we call a "Secular Bear Market." This could be a 15 year problem. [many slides on historical charts of previous recessions, averaging 17 year cycles.]
Cut spending. Cut fat. Preserve Capital. Engineering: Since you already have a product, strongly consider reducing the number of engineers that you have.
Engineering: Since you already have a product, strongly consider reducing the number of engineers that you have.
significant risk to growth and your personal wealth.
And, yes, it can last 23 years. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
David Brooks - The Class War Before Palin - NYTimes.com
... Republican political tacticians decided to mobilize their coalition with a form of social class warfare. Democrats kept nominating coastal pointy-heads like Michael Dukakis so Republicans attacked coastal pointy-heads. Over the past 15 years, the same argument has been heard from a thousand politicians and a hundred television and talk-radio jocks. The nation is divided between the wholesome Joe Sixpacks in the heartland and the oversophisticated, overeducated, oversecularized denizens of the coasts. What had been a disdain for liberal intellectuals slipped into a disdain for the educated class as a whole. The liberals had coastal condescension, so the conservatives developed their own anti-elitism, with mirror-image categories and mirror-image resentments, but with the same corrosive effect. Republicans developed their own leadership style. If Democratic leaders prized deliberation and self-examination, then Republicans would govern from the gut.
Over the past 15 years, the same argument has been heard from a thousand politicians and a hundred television and talk-radio jocks. The nation is divided between the wholesome Joe Sixpacks in the heartland and the oversophisticated, overeducated, oversecularized denizens of the coasts.
What had been a disdain for liberal intellectuals slipped into a disdain for the educated class as a whole. The liberals had coastal condescension, so the conservatives developed their own anti-elitism, with mirror-image categories and mirror-image resentments, but with the same corrosive effect.
Republicans developed their own leadership style. If Democratic leaders prized deliberation and self-examination, then Republicans would govern from the gut.
