Mercredi 16 mars 2011

Teacher reform bill set for final vote Wednesday

There is one thing that is conclusive on all sides of all educational

research, and that is that teacher  top toys  ffectiveness is the most

influential school-level variable that determines student learning,”

said Rep. Erik Fresen, the Miami Republican who pushed for the

legislation in the House.

 

His Democratic colleagues who oppose the proposal questioned how the

state would pay for the bill’s provisions, particularly the

development of exams and other criteria to evaluate teachers. Fresen

said most of the funding would come largely from Race to the Top, the

$700 million competitive grant the state won from the federal

government last year.

 

Democrats also said they fear teachers on annual contracts would not

have job security even if they  power balance  receive favorable evaluations. Rep. Rick

Kriseman of St. Petersburg suggested an effective teacher whose

contract may not be renewed could be “blacklisted” and find it

difficult to land another teaching position.

 

What’s the actual impact on that teacher for purposes of trying to

get a job at another school, at another district?” he asked.

 

On Tuesday, House leaders set aside nine hours to bring up questions

and amendments on the bill, with 12 more hours of debate scheduled for

Wednesday. They based the length of time on the marathon sessions held

to debate last year’s contentious Senate Bill 6, a similar teacher

overhaul that led to widespread protests and was ultimately vetoed by

then-Gov. Charlie Crist. (Critics have christened the new proposal

Son of Six.”)

 

But this time around, House members needed less than three hours to

review amendments and questions, a reflection of the quieter tone

surrounding debate on the bill this year.

 

To be sure, critics have still loudly expressed their discontent with

the overhaul. The Florida Education  cheap power balance  Association, the statewide teachers

union, asked its members to call and e-mail their lawmakers in protest,

and teachers took to the streets across Florida last week.

 

Yet those demonstrations were muted compared to last year’s high-

decibel outrage, in part because teachers and school districts gave

some input on the proposed reforms in hearings earlier this year and as

part of a work group Crist convened last year before leaving office.

 

Also contributing to the shift in tone: the GOP’s bolstered power in

Tallahassee. Scott’s election last November, along with a crop of new

Republican lawmakers who gave their party veto-proof legislative

majorities, made it all  power balance mixed colors  but certain that the GOP’s legislative

priorities would meet swift approval.

 

The House gave an initial go-ahead Tuesday to the Senate version of the

teacher overhaul bill — without amending it, a crucial move for

lawmakers to move the proposal directly to the governor’s desk.

 

House Republicans rejected four amendments proposed by Democratic

legislators that would have phased in the portion of a teacher’s

evaluation based on student test scores and given teachers more job

security by tweaking the annual-contract provision in the bill

   

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/15/2116933/teacher-

reform-bill-set-for-final.html#ixzz1GieGeXgw

Par xmjiang - 3 commentaire(s)le 16 mars 2011

Quake-prone California questions nuclear safety

The first test of the Golden State's support for nuclear power is coming soon, as the nuclear plants perched on the scenic but   shop online 2011   fault-laden California coastline since the early 1980s begin the process for 20-year license renewals.California banned construction of new nuclear power plants in the 1970s, when the then-governor Jerry Brown joined "no-nukes" activists in opposing construction of Diablo Canyon nuclear station on the Central Coast. Seismic safety worries played a prominent part in the campaign.But the plant went ahead and nuclear power today generates about 15 percent of California electricity, slightly more than the portion generated by renewable sources in a state known for its clean-energy drive to combat global warming.After the 9.0 quake and tsunami compromised reactors in Japan, lawmakers and activists have been quick to call for more seismic safety measures and monitoring for California's plants, considered the most vulnerable in the United States to major quakes. Brown, who is governor again, has so far been silent.That pressure could make matters difficult, particularly for the owners of Diablo Canyon, Pacific Gas & Electric, who have to renew their licenses that expire in 2024 and 2025.The licenses for California's other nuclear power plant, Edison International-owned San Onofre in between Los Angeles and San Diego, expire in 2022.Renewing licenses for nuclear power plants begins years in advance of their expiration so that plans can be made to replace them if the  power balance pulseira  application is denied. Diablo Canyon has already filed its renewal application, but San Onofre has not. Of the 104 operating U.S. reactors, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed 62 licenses and denied none.That may not happen this time, however."The NRC has typically rubber-stamped these license renewal applications, but it's hard to see them turning a blind eye now," said Matt Freedman, an attorney with consumer group The Utility Reform Network in San Francisco. "The NRC will take a harder look and perhaps require additional measures, some of which will be expensive, to get those licenses."The Obama administration has said it will press ahead with nuclear energy as an integral part of the U.S. "clean energy" mix. The Energy Department's budget includes $36 billion for loan guarantees to help build new nuclear reactors. The more than 100 reactors nationwide provide about 20 percent of U.S. energy.'SEISMIC UNCERTAINTY'Both PG&E and Southern California Edison say their nuclear power plants are built to withstand earthquakes far greater than the nearby faults are capable of producing.A fault 5 miles away from San Onofre is capable of producing a quake up to a 7.0 magnitude, Edison spokesman Steve Conroy said, adding that the plant could withstand ground motions much greater than those  power balance  produced by the 9.0-magnitude quake in Japan.Diablo Canyon, meanwhile, could operate safely during up to a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, according to PG&E spokesman Kory Raftery. The four faults near the plant could potentially produce an earthquake of up to 6 to 6.5 magnitude, he said. 
Par xmjiang - 0 commentaire(s)le 16 mars 2011
Mardi 15 mars 2011

Arab League proposal to establish no-fly zone over in Libya

Arab League (AL) on March 12 in the Egyptian capital Cairo, Arab League foreign ministers held an emergency meeting headquarters, to  shop online 2011  discuss the situation in Libya, the Arab League and the next step to be taken countermeasures. Although the Libyan government, a 7 high-level delegation has arrived in Cairo, but eventually failed to be allowed to attend the meeting. According to media reports the Middle East, Egypt had also rejected the Libyan delegation asked Egypt to provide arms and ammunition requests.

 

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said the meeting made two important decisions: First, the Arab League will be officially presented to the UN Security Council, it is recommended to establish no-fly zone over in Libya, including military and civilian aircraft, to prevent mass casualties continue to occur ; Second, the Arab League will be located in the eastern city of Benghazi in Libya, "National Committee" to contact. Arab League stressed that all foreign forces against the armed intervention of Libya.

 

"Times" web site 12, commented that the Arab League, "asked the Arab countries of Western troops in the territory of the extremely rare invitation" to increase the pressure on Obama, but also requirements for the United States and Europe  power balance  through the relevant United Nations Security Council resolution "cleared the way." Article, Obama so far on the military intervention "reluctance" because of its prospects may mean that a "lasting and complex" war.

 

U.S. National Security Adviser Duo Nilun 11, said the U.S. government officials are the opposition through various channels in direct contact with the Libyan Secretary of State Bill Clinton will be in the coming week and met with representatives of the Libyan opposition. Duo Nilun also revealed plans for the establishment of no-fly zone within NATO will be submitted within the next week.

 

U.S. media that the world except Russia, the only Western countries to establish no-fly zone in the Libyan military capabilities. Obama 11, said, "The bottom line is I currently do not exclude any option", but the decision to send troops to be "to balance the costs and benefits", and should the international community's support.

 

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and commander of U.S. forces stationed in Europe, published an article 11, Wesley Clark, said the situation in Libya, the U.S. military intervention has not yet reached the standard.  power balance wholesale  Clark believes that once the U.S. military intervention, the conflict will be a war between the United States and Qaddafi, and U.S. troops have been conducting in Iraq and Afghanistan war two over-expenditure.

 

Although France and Britain in the 11 EU emergency summit expressed support for the no-fly zones set up over in Libya and to support military intervention against Libya. But outside the EU presidency hairy Ertuo Ni Hungary said in a statement on the 12th, and only under strict conditions in order to be taken against Libya, including the establishment of any military action, including no-fly zone.

 

According to reports, the Libyan official said 12 to freeze diplomatic relations with France because France is the only recognized against Gaddafi's Libya, "State Commission" Western countries.

Par xmjiang - 0 commentaire(s)le 15 mars 2011
Lundi 14 mars 2011

Crowley resigns as State Department spokesman

Washington (CNN) -- P.J. Crowley abruptly resigned Sunday as State

Department spokesman over  bakugan toys   controversial comments he made about the

Bradley Manning case.

 

Sources close to the matter said the resignation, first reported by

CNN, came under pressure from the White House, where officials were

furious about his suggestion that the Obama administration is

mistreating Manning, the Army private who is being held in solitary

confinement in Quantico, Virginia, under suspicion that he leaked

highly classified State Department cables to the website WikiLeaks.

 

Speaking to a small group at MIT  power balance  last week, Crowley was asked about

allegations that Manning is being tortured and kicked up a firestorm by

answering that what is being done to Manning by Defense Department

officials "is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."

 

Crowley did add that "nonetheless, Bradley Manning is in the right

place" because of his alleged crimes, according to a blog post by BBC

reporter Philippa Thomas, who was present at Crowley's talk.

 

"The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious

crime under U.S. law," Crowley said in a statement Sunday. "My recent

comments regarding the conditions of the pre-trial detention of Private

First Class Bradley Manning were intended to highlight the broader,

even strategic impact of discreet  power balance  actions undertaken by national

security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and

leadership.

 

"The exercise of power in today's challenging times and relentless

media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and

values," Crowley said. "Given the impact of my remarks, for which I

take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation."

 

Crowley has told friends that he is deeply concerned that mistreatment

of Manning could undermine the legitimate prosecution of the young

private. Crowley has also made clear he has the Obama administration's

best interests at heart because he thinks any mistreatment of Manning

could be damaging around the world to President Obama, who has tried to

end the perception that the United States tortures prisoners.

 

Nevertheless, Crowley's political   power balance  fate was sealed Friday when Obama was

asked at a White House news conference about his comments regarding

Manning.

 

Obama revealed that he had asked Pentagon officials "whether or not the

procedures that have been taken in terms of (Manning's) confinement are

appropriate and are meeting our basic standards."

 

In a comment that drew howls of protest from liberals, Obama added that

Pentagon officials "assure me that they are. I can't go into details

about some of their concerns, but some of this has to do with Private

Manning's safety as well."

 

Manning's treatment has become a flashpoint for liberals, with Amnesty

International noting he has been confined to a windowless cell for 23

hours a day, is stripped down to his boxers at night and is not given

pillows or blankets.

 

Manning's lawyer also says the young private recently had to sleep in

the nude because defense officials   power balance  thought there was a suicide threat

and decided to take away his boxer shorts.

 

Crowley is highly respected on foreign policy matters, dating back to

his time as National Security Council spokesman under then-President

Bill Clinton. He has been the Obama administration's public face on

many international stories as the daily briefer at the State Department

for Secretary Hillary Clinton.

 

But he has not had a completely smooth relationship with officials in

the Obama White House, and  power balance  eyebrows were raised several months ago when

White House aide Mike Hammer was sent over to the State Department to

serve as Crowley's deputy.

 
Par xmjiang - 0 commentaire(s)le 14 mars 2011

Analysis: Seawater helps but Japan nuclear crisis is not over

It is probably the first time in the industry's 57-year history that

seawater has been used in  bakugan toys   this way, a sign of how close Japan is to

facing a major nuclear disaster following the massive earthquake and

tsunami on Friday, according to the scientists.

 

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) workers on Sunday were pouring seawater

into two reactor cores at the  power balance  coastal Fukushima Daiichi power plant and

were considering using seawater on a third. Authorities have been

forced to vent radioactive steam into the air to relieve pressure in

the plant and reactors at the company's nearby Daini plant are also

troubled.

 

"I am not aware of anyone using seawater to cool a reactor core before.

They must be desperate to find  power balance  water and the seawater was the only

thing nearby," said Richard Meserve, former chairman of the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission and president of the Carnegie

Institution, in an interview on Sunday.

 

He said that suggests the company has decided it will sacrifice the

reactors altogether, in what has become the worst nuclear accident

since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.

 

The method being used to regain a semblance of control of the reactors

smacks of last-resort desperation, said Robert Alvarez of the Institute

for Policy Studies and formerly a senior policy adviser at the U.S.

Department of Energy.

 

"I would describe this measure  power balance  as a Hail Mary Pass but if they succeed,

there is plenty of water in the ocean and if they have the capability

to pump this water in the necessary volume and at the necessary

rates...then they can stabilize the reactor," said Alvarez in a press

conference on Saturday.

 

In a sign of how volatile the situation is, the Union of Concerned

Scientists said in a statement on Sunday in Washington that it fears

the situation "took a turn for the worse as serious problems developed"

at the Unit 3 reactor at Daiichi.

 

It said that statements from Tokyo Electric officials indicate that

water levels have dropped so far that approximately 90 percent of the

fuel rods in the core of the reactor were uncovered and that despite

pumping in seawater the water level is still well below where it should

be.

 

The Daiichi plant was shut immediately after the March 11 earthquake

when outside power was lost. Diesel generators kept the cooling water

running over the superheated uranium   power balance  fuel rods in the reactor core for

about an hour until water from the tsunami caused them to stop.

 
Par xmjiang - 0 commentaire(s)le 14 mars 2011
Samedi 12 mars 2011

Apple IPad 2 Lines Led by Gray Marketers Eager to Resell Abroad

March 11 (Bloomberg) -- When Apple Inc. releases a product, the store

lines are typically led by fanboys  bakugan toys  clamoring to be first with the

latest gadget. At the downtown San Francisco store for the iPad 2

debut, the gray market got there first.

 

Dennis Ng, 20, said he was being paid $10 an hour to arrive before 5

a.m. -- half a day before Apple was to begin selling the device at its

stores. He said he was among about 35 mostly Chinese immigrants at the

front of the line, waiting to power balance  buy the iPad for somebody else. Resales

of new electronics in countries where they’re not yet available feed

the so-called gray market.

 

I’m here waiting in line because I want to make some money,” said

Ng, who lives in San Francisco and works at a clothing store. He wouldn

t identify who hired him. “Many of the Chinese immigrants you see

here need work and money so power balance  they go through this associate group for

side jobs and this is one we found.”

 

The iPad 2 debuted today in the U.S. and it will be released in 26

other countries on March 25. Nations like China and Russia have to wait

even longer, creating a market for people to import the device and

resell it. According to a July estimate by Flora Wu, a handset analyst

at BDA China Ltd., gray- market purchases accounted for almost half the

iPhones sold in China. BDA came up with the estimate prior to the

release of the iPhone 4 and the iPad in China.

 

The demand is changing the vibe at the front of the line. At the iPhone

s debut in 2007, those in line watched “Star Wars,” smoked cigars

and got a surprise visit from Apple co- founder Steve Wozniak, said

Kurt Collins, a self-described technology enthusiast. He said the

people in line created a “community.”

 

Sense of Community

 

This one is very much not that kind of community feeling,” said

Collins, who  power balance  was in line behind Ng’s group. “Normally you see a lot

of tech enthusiasts and first adopters.”

 

Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs has taken steps to rein in the

gray market, including limits on purchases to two iPads per person.

During the debut of the original iPad, Apple only accepted credit cards

or debit cards to pay for new gadgets. It later stopped that policy to

accept cash.

 

Apple spokeswoman Amy Bessette didn’t immediately respond to requests

for comment.

 

At some stores, people have taken steps to work within the rules.

Esteban Kelly, a 19-year-old student at the College of San Mateo, and

seven of his friends, were being paid $100 each to buy 16 iPads at the

Burlingame, California, store. The buyer:  power balance  someone Kelly described as a

gazillionaire.”

 

My income’s tight right now,” Kelly said, when asked why he was

willing to wait 20 hours in line at a pay rate of about $5 an hour.

 

Brian Williams, a high school teacher in San Lorenzo, California, said

it’s a simple matter of supply and demand.

 

I’m an economics teacher,” said Williams, who lined up at the

downtown San Francisco store. “If there are people who don’t want to

stand in line, and power balance  they are happy to pay for that service, then there

are people who are going to do it.”

 

--Editors: Lisa Wolfson, Tom Giles

 

To contact the reporters on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco

at asatariano1

Par xmjiang - 0 commentaire(s)le 12 mars 2011
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