Paris pressing ahead with planned windfarms off Normandy beaches

Posted on by

STUTTGART, Germany - The beaches of the D-Day invasion have long been places of pilgrimage for veterans of World War II and their surviving family members looking to connect with the bloody sacrifices made along the Normandy shoreline.

Now, it appears that shoreline will soon be in for a change as the French government presses ahead with plans for a large wind farm that critics say will have a horizon-scarring impact on the coastal towns nearby.

We receive a lot of mail from all over the world. I have letters from families of soldiers who died in these places. They dont approve. We dont approve, said Jean-Louis Butr, chairman of the European Platform Against Windfarms. Its very upsetting.

Butrs group has launched a petition drive as part of an effort to achieve UNESCO world heritage designation, which in turn would provide the area with special protections. However with construction set to begin as early as 2014, it could be a long-shot as it can take years to win such classification.

In 2011, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy backed plans for a massive off-shore wind power project, which involves hundreds of turbines up and down Frances coastline. That plan is set to press ahead under new President Franois Hollande. Along the D-Day beaches, plans call for 75, 150-foot high towers to be built about seven miles offshore.

If it was 20 kilometers from the coast it would be one thing, but this is 10 kilometers. They flash by night, Butr said. It doesnt belong here.

Companies involved in the wind farm project say it will provide hundreds of new jobs while also being far enough off shore to respect the landing sites of Normandys beaches.

Still, Butr claimed it will infringe on hallowed ground and will permanently alter the landscape of the area. Each June 6, scores of veterans from around the world still descend on Normandy where next year the town will mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Meanwhile, some towns in Normandy have been holding public hearings about the project. The next debate is slated for June 12 in the town of Arromanches, one of the landing sites.

But since the wind farm projects have already been approved by Paris, Butr says he has little hope that officials will listen to any public opposition that might be voiced during the meeting.

See the article here:

Paris pressing ahead with planned windfarms off Normandy beaches

Fifty-five beaches meet new rules

Posted on by

22 May 2013 Last updated at 05:29 ET

More than 50 English beaches have met tough new EU standards to receive Blue Flag awards, recognising their high standards and water quality.

Thanet in Kent won eight awards, while the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth and Poole in Dorset, and Torbay in Devon each received four awards.

Campaign group Keep Britain Tidy runs the awards scheme in England.

The 55-beach total is down from 79 in 2012, but this year beaches were subject to much tougher standards.

They had to meet the new "excellent" standard required under the new EU Bathing Waters Directive.

Beaches also had to advise users where they could obtain real-time information on discharges from nearby combined sewage overflows if it could temporarily affect the quality of bathing water.

Other well-known beaches awarded Blue Flags this year included Central Beach in Skegness, Lincolnshire; Lowestoft South Claremont in Suffolk; Martello Bay at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex; and Whitby in North Yorkshire.

Westward Ho! beach in North Devon was awarded a Blue Flag for the 10th year in a row.

A further 133 beaches in England were rated clean enough to be awarded Seaside Awards - formerly known as Quality Coast Awards - by Keep Britain Tidy.

Link:

Fifty-five beaches meet new rules

Blue flag beaches down in Britain

Posted on by

The awards scheme is administered by Keep Britain Tidy.

Richard McIlwain, operations director of the charity, said: It is fantastic news for everyone who loves visiting the seaside that 147 places will be flying a flag that guarantees the public the best facilities and the cleanest beaches this summer.

Read a full list of winning beaches here.

Some of the Blue Flag beaches are recommended by our destination experts.

Norfolk our expert Sophie Butler said:

"Cromer, like its neighbour Sheringham, is a blue-flag beach. Well-managed, long and sandy, this large resort has a traditional pier, zoning for watersports, and lifeguards on patrol during summer. Crab boats unload their catches onto the sand and there are plenty of cafes and ice-cream places within easy reach. Dogs are not allowed on the beach from May to September."

"Sea Palling" is a blue-flag stretch of yellow sand backed by dunes and with occasional outcrops of large grey boulders and fine shingle. There is a series of manmade reefs lying just off shore. This sea defence scheme, built in the mid-1990s by the Environment Agency, was designed to protect the area from flooding and helps calm the water making it good for swimming (the area is zoned in summer) but also attracting jet skiers, canoeists and windsurfers.

Devon our expert Suzy Bennett said:

"Beneath wooded cliffs, Blackpool Sands is a mile-long, privately owned sweep of shingle that attracts families in their droves during the school holidays. By day, swimmers can practise their dives from a floating dock, and the beach caf stays open beyond sunset."

Read more expert destination guides

Read the original:

Blue flag beaches down in Britain

Beaches throughout South Jersey reinforced and ready for Memoria – NBC40.net

Posted on by

CAPE MAY -

Shore towns throughout South Jersey say their beaches are replenished and ready for Memorial Day Weekend.

"They are going to say, 'It's beautiful - you wouldn't even know there was a hurricane,'" said Joan Fitzgerald, an Avalon resident. And that is exactly what officials in shore towns throughout South Jersey have been working towards, ever since Hurricane Sandy hit last October.

Mayor of the City of Cape May, Edward Mahaney, told NBC40, "We are a hundred percent operational and all systems are go!"

In preparation for Memorial Day this weekend, crews in Avalon have wrapped up their beach replenishment project, which pumped over 300,000 cubic yards of sand onto their beaches. In Stone Harbor, officials have successfully negotiated a new agreement that will result in a fully restored beach along the entire community at no cost to the municipality.

Scott Wahl, Public Information Officer for Stone Harbor, said, "Hey we're ready, we turned back Sandy, it's going to take a lot more than Sandy to knock us out. We are more than ready to go."

Back in Cape May, officials report completion and full restoration of their beaches as well. "Post sandy, we had terrific cooperation from the state and the county government. We have completed a full restoration of the beaches on the west end or south end of town," explained Mayor Mahaney.

Even though the beaches have been restored and there is plenty of sand and reinforced dunes throughout the coastline, some surfers we talked to said Hurricane Sandy really impacted how the surf breaks, and where. Avalon surfer and resident, John Biegalski, told NBC40, "It was a lot different post Sandy. Actually, 10th street breaks very good but you can't even surf over at the main surfing beach on 30th street anymore. It's so bad."

While surfers in Cape May County may be frustrated with some of their favorite surf breaks this Memorial Day Weekend, beach goers up in Atlantic County should be pleased to hear that all of the beaches tested by the Atlantic County Ocean Water Quality Program received a rating of Excellent, ensuring safe swimming water for residents and tourists this holiday weekend.

Go here to see the original:

Beaches throughout South Jersey reinforced and ready for Memoria - NBC40.net

Universal Beauty – Astronomy Picture May 2013 HD – Video

Posted on by


Universal Beauty - Astronomy Picture May 2013 HD
Per te Guido Immagini tratte dal sito ufficiale della NASA/CXC/NCSU/ - Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/NCSU/ bull; Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus Image Credit Copyri...

By: #9756; #10084; #9758; #8499; #1342; real; #8354; #1126; #413; #1126; #9756; #10084; #9758;

Originally posted here:

Universal Beauty - Astronomy Picture May 2013 HD - Video