Minecraft: Ultimate Survival Islands 2.0 - Episode 8 - Porkchop Farm Fail!
GUYS GET PUMPED! We are bringing back the most loved series on our channel, Ultimate Survival Islands! Let #39;s get 4000 LIKES for the next video to get posted...
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Minecraft: Ultimate Survival Islands 2.0 - Episode 8 - Porkchop Farm Fail! - Video
Post-conflict trauma haunts Solomon Islands By Catherine Wilson
HONIARA, Solomon Islands - After 10 years of working towards peace and reconciliation in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, following a five-year civil conflict known as the "Tensions" (1998-2003) which left 30,000 people displaced and hundreds unaccounted for, people now go about their daily lives in improved freedom and personal security.
Below the surface, untreated post-conflict trauma continues to impact many individuals and communities. Robert (name
"There is pain in my heart when I remember men with high-powered guns coming into the community at night and grabbing a young child, dragging him away from his parents," he said. Robert still hears the child, who was never seen again, screaming for his parents.
The Solomon Islands is an ethnically and culturally diverse nation comprising more than 900 islands east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Fiji. The economic downturn and rising unemployment in the late 1990s and crime contributed to escalating grievances by the indigenous Gwales of the main island Guadalcanal against large numbers of migrants from Malaita, a heavily populated island 100 kilometers to the east.
In 1998, the Gwale-led Isatabu Freedom Movement began evicting Malaitan settlers, alleging they were encroaching on land, resources and jobs on Guadalcanal. Armed warfare followed when the Malaita Eagle Force, formed in defense, began to retaliate. Despite a peace agreement brokered by Australia in 2000, violence continued until the arrival of the peacekeeping Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands at the request of the government in 2003.
Today state infrastructure and services that were destroyed or damaged are slowly being restored, but healing minds will take much longer.
"There are people whose lives are haunted, they roam around town, they are silent; they are traumatized. They don't want to participate in any form of development," Reuben Lilo, director of Peace and Reconciliation at the Ministry of National Unity, Peace and Reconciliation, told IPS.
There are no available statistics on the extent of post-conflict trauma in the Solomon Islands. However, a social impact assessment by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in 2004 revealed that 75% of female and 73% of male respondents suffered personal trauma as a result of experiencing rape, death of relatives, threats and intimidation, destruction of homes and villages and being held at gunpoint.
Jack Kaota, a clinical mental health consultant at the National Psychiatric Unit in Auki, Malaita Province, told IPS that he had seen an increase in numbers of young people, especially since 2000, afflicted with substance abuse, and there was a connection with the legacy of the conflict.
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Fridge and Freezer Replacement Program In Cook Islands to Reduce Energy Consumption-ADB
RAROTONGA, COOK ISLANDS (2 MAY 2012) A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed today by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Government of the Cook Islands, and the white goods retailers-Motor Centre and the Cook Islands Trading Corporation Ltd. The MOU supports the Fridge and Freezer Replacement Program which is one of several energy efficiency projects being developed and implemented under the Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Pacific-Phase 2 Project.
The project, co-financed by: ADB, the Government of Australia, the Global Environment Facility and the Asian Clean Energy Fund under the Clean Energy Financing Partnership aims to reduce energy consumption in the residential, commercial and public sectors through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, and to establish policy frameworks to help Cook Islands move away from fossil fuel dependency.
The Fridge and Freezer Replacement Program will encourage households to replace their old inefficient fridge/freezer (5 years or older) with high energy efficient models. The program, financed by ADB, will subsidize participating retailers in the Cook Islands, enabling them to sell new high energy efficient fridge/freezers at the market price of a low energy efficient one.
Its estimated that around 40% of household electricity costs in Cook Islands is for refrigeration, said Martina Tonizzo, Project Team Leader from ADBs Pacific Department. By using an energy efficient fridge, the average household would save around NZ$200 to NZ$300 per year on electricity.
The program will reduce electricity consumption in the Cook Islands by promoting high energy efficient fridge/freezers. Under the program, the retailers will offer rebates between NZ$150 and NZ$500 to customers purchasing selected high efficient fridge/freezer models, in exchange for their old, working low efficient fridge/freezer of similar capacity.
The fridge/freezer replacement program aims to initially cover 325 households in Cook Islands over a one year period. It is expected, the program will quickly transform the fridge/freezer market from low energy efficient to high energy efficient models, resulting in a reduction of electricity consumption of approximately 20-30% for each participating household. Significant cost savings in household electricity bills and increased awareness of energy appliance labeling and the benefits of using energy efficient appliances are also expected benefits of the program.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members 48 from the region. In 2012, ADB assistance totaled $21.6 billion, including cofinancing of $8.3 billion.
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Watch President Obama on Syria, Closing Guantanamo, Boston, Health Care and Jason Collins
President Barack Obama suggested Tuesday he #39;d consider military action against Syria if it can be confirmed that President Bashar Assad #39;s government used che...
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Watch President Obama on Syria, Closing Guantanamo, Boston, Health Care and Jason Collins - Video
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers are likely to return home this week without an agreement on meaningful health care reform, despite the early endorsement of Gov. Rick Scott and the pleas of businesses and hospitals.
With two days remaining in the legislative session, Republicans in the House are no closer to caving on accepting $51 billion in federal health insurance aid.
Democrats are no closer to being recognized as a legitimate partner in talks.
And Scott, who bucked many in his party to support a major health care expansion, is no closer to being seen as an effective advocate.
"We're no closer than we were the first day," Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chris Smith said.
Senate leaders on Wednesday continued to seek flexibility from federal health officials to craft a plan that House Republicans might stomach. But House Republicans seem more entrenched than ever against accepting federal money, and a proposed compromise reported by the Associated Press was quickly downplayed by leaders in both chambers.
The decision by House Democrats to protest a lack of a health care compromise has only emboldened Republicans to hold their ground.
The most likely result nothing gets done.
"I think nothing should probably happen this session, and we take a deep breath and come back and work on it," said Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine.
While Scott early on endorsed a plan to expand Medicaid, and subsequently the federally funded alternative offered by the Senate, House leaders always were an impediment. House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, made it clear on Day 1 of the 60-day lawmaking session when he called Medicaid expansion a "social experiment" that is doomed to fail.
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IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (SBRA) will be holding its 2013 first quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, May 2 at 10 am Pacific Time. The dial in number for the conference call is (888) 312-3048 and the participant code is "Sabra." A replay of the call will also be available by dialing (888) 203-1112, passcode 5201862 for 30 days following the call.
ABOUT SABRA
Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (SBRA), a Maryland corporation, operates as a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust (a "REIT") that, through its subsidiaries, owns and invests in real estate serving the healthcare industry. Sabra leases properties to tenants and operators throughout the United States.
The Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=8563
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BRISTOL, Tenn. Congressmen Morgan Griffith and Phil Roe shared the stage at the Paramount Center Wednesday night to field questions during a town hall event.
Topics given to the two lawmakers during the forum included sequestration, Obamacare, the handling of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi last September and the decision to allow women on the battlefield.
Roe, R-1st, who also has a medical practice in Johnson City, says from the time the Affordable Health Care Act was ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, businesses and individuals have been preparing for the fallout and subsequent insurance rates for planning purposes.
He says the wait will be hard for those in the states that he and Griffith, R-9th, represent, and not because both state governments have rejected the current guidelines for the plan and the federal dollars that come with them.
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey taken last month and released on Wednesday showed 42 percent of Americans dont know that the Affordable Health Care Act had been became law, and 58 percent of uninsured citizens dont have enough information to know how the plan works or how it affects them.
It doesnt say a lot about my intelligence, but I read that entire 2,700-page bill (on health care reform). It has 20,000 rules, Roe said. I cannot tell my own employees on Oct. 1 what their insurance is going to cost them and how theyll get it. Thats how confusing this thing is.
Griffith described the situation of a 26-year-old voter who told him about the economic hardship she is facing due to the health care law. The woman is a full-time student and has a full-time job, but because she is working full-time, she can no longer be carried under her familys health insurance plan under the new law, Griffith said.
I can see this plan and this law falling like a house of cards. Something is found to be flawed or stripped away every day, he said.
A retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Bristol, who did not give his name, asked the congressmen if the change in Pentagon policy by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that lifted the ban on women on the front lines of battle could be repealed.
There are physical standards for military service and you dont change those standards, and you let the chips fall. I think the service branches will make those decisions, and I think there is a question if you change those, Roe said.
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Roe, Griffith talk health care during town hall at Paramount
London, United Kingdom (Reuters) - British scientists are stepping up clinical tests of gene therapy in a bid to help people with advanced heart failure pump blood more efficiently. Researchers said on Tuesday they planned to enroll patients into two new clinical trials using Mydicar, a gene therapy treatment made by privately held US biotech company Celladon. After more than 20 years of research, the ground-breaking method for fixing faulty genes is starting to deliver, with European authorities approving the first gene therapy for an rare metabolic disease last November.
In the case of heart failure, the aim is to insert a gene called SERCA2a directly into heart cells using a modified virus, delivered via a catheter infusion. Lack of SERCA2a leads to ever weaker pumping in people with heart failure.
Although drugs offer some relief, there is currently no way of restoring heart function and the prognosis for those with advanced disease is worse than for many cancers.
One of the studies, led by scientists at Imperial College London, is part of a wider mid-stage Phase II project sponsored by Celladon that involves 200 patients worldwide, some of whom have already been treated in the United States and Denmark.
The second trial, which is due to start in the summer, will test the same treatment in 24 British patients already fitted with mechanical heart pumps to see how the approach may help in this particular setting.
It promises to be a long haul, with extensive Phase III studies still needed once results of the current mid-stage tests are received, which Celladon expects in the first half of 2015. Gene therapy has experienced a series of advances and setbacks over the decades. The most notable blow came in 1999 when an Arizona teenager died in a gene therapy experiment. More recent results, however, have been promising in fields ranging from immune system diseases to blindness.
''It is a great example of the slow burn of good laboratory science translating into a potential clinical treatment,'' said Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, which is co-funding the second trial.
Because gene therapy replaces or boosts the activity of a faulty gene, it offers the possibility of a one-time ''fix'' - and that creates an economic challenge.
Any gene therapy is bound to be expensive, since a single dose could last a lifetime and the manufacturer will have just one shot at recouping its investment.
But Alexander Lyon of Imperial College, lead investigator on both studies, said it could be a cost-effective solution in heart failure if it avoided the need for interventions such as heart transplants at 200,000 pounds ($300,000) each.
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San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 30, 2013
Following on the heels of his successful keynote presentations at SingTel's CIO Days in Hong Kong and the New Jersey CIO summit, popular keynote speaker, renowned global futurist, technology forecaster and best-selling author, Jack Uldrich has been selected to deliver the closing keynote address at Optus Vision2013 Conference at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Center in Sydney, Australia on May 2, 2013.
The title of Uldrichs presentation will be Tomorrows Technology Today and much of the material for his keynote is drawn from his latest book, "Foresight 2020: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow. The presentation will cover trends in information and communication technologies, robotics, cloud computing, next generation broadband and wireless technologies, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and Big Data, and it is designed to provide attendees a solid foundation upon which they can take action and create their own successful futures. A synopsis of some of Uldrichs ideas on information technologies can be found in this article, 10 Future Mobile Trends for CIOs to Consider Today.
In addition to covering future trends, Uldrich will also provide an overview of how technological change and enhanced mobility is rapidly changing customer expectations and behavior and, in the process, upending long-standing business models. Uldrich, who has been hailed as "America's Chief Unlearning Officer," will conclude his talk by reviewing the consequences of not embracing tomorrows changes. Throughout his presentation, he will use vivid analogies and memorable stories, drawn from a wide spectrum of industries, to ensure his message of change "sticks" with his audience.
In the past year, Uldrich has addressed hundreds of business and trade groups from around the world, including delivering customized keynote presentations at ten McGladrey Emerging Technology Summits across the United States this spring, Case IH, Emerson, the Womens Food Forum, PepsiCo, Southern Company, Cisco, IBM, WiPro, Parsons Brinckerhoff, various YPO and WPO groups, and General Electric.
Parties interested in learning more about Jack Uldrich, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website at: http://www.jumpthecurve.net. Media wishing to know more about the event or interviewing Jack Uldrich can contact him directly at 612-267-1212 or jack(at)schoolofunlearning(dot)com.
Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, technology forecaster, best-selling author, editor of the monthly newsletter, The Exponential Executive, and host of the award-winning website, http://www.jumpthecurve.net. He is currently represented by a number of professional speakers' bureaus, including Leading Authorities and Executive Speakers Bureau.
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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 1, 2013) - Dr. Peter Diamandis, noted futurist, X Prize founder and New York Times best-selling author will make his first Canadian appearance as the opening-day keynote speaker at OCE's Discovery conference.
"We are thrilled that Dr. Diamandis has agreed to bring his visionary insights on innovation, technology and business to Discovery," says OCE's President and CEO, Dr. Tom Corr. "This is an opportunity for the thousands of entrepreneurs, researchers and investors who attend Discovery to hear and learn from one of the most creative and provocative thinkers in his field."
Discovery takes place May 27 and 28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building.
"I am honoured that Dr. Peter Diamandis will deliver the keynote at Discovery 2013; we are fortunate to welcome this visionary speaker," said Ontario's Minister of Research and Innovation, Reza Moridi. "His attendance reinforces Discovery's reputation as Canada's premier innovation showcase and I know that his insights will inspire innovations that will result in more jobs for young Ontarians."
At Discovery, Dr. Diamandis will share his thoughts on how disruptive innovation (a game-changing innovation that creates new opportunities in an existing market) in exponentially growing technologies including digital manufacturing, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and nanomaterials, will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than in the previous two centuries.
"As a place where innovators and investors gather to connect and learn, Discovery is the ideal venue to talk about the fact that all of the world's problems can be solved while presenting terrific business opportunities as well," says Dr. Diamandis. "I look forward to sharing my messages and hopefully inspiring people to think big."
Having obtained degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT and his MD designation from Harvard Medical School, Dr. Diamandis is currently Chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, which leads the world in creating large incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs beneficial to humanity. The board of X Prize Foundation includes film director James Cameron, inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk, Google co-founder Larry Page and author/inventor Ray Kurzweil.
As co-founder (along with Kurzweil, a past Discovery speaker) and Chairman of the Singularity University, a Silicon Valley-based institution partnered with NASA, Google, Autodesk and Nokia, he counsels some of the world's top enterprises on exponential technologies and incentivized innovation to accelerate their business objectives.
Dr. Diamandis is also recognized as a leader in the commercial space arena having founded and run Zero Gravity Corporation, the Rocket Racing League and Space Adventures.
His 2012 book Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think (co-authored with Steven Kotler) was on the New York Times best seller list for nine weeks.
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Punnany Massif: Szabadon (Na-Na-Na) / Freedom song (Na-Na-Na) Official Sziget Festival Anthem
5-12. August, Budapest http://www.sziget.hu http://www.szigetfestival.com http://facebook.com/SzigetFestival.
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A leading Australian journalism law professor and freedom of the press advocate will give New Zealands inaugural UNESCO World Press Freedom Day lecture at AUT University on Friday.
Professor Mark Pearson, professor of journalism and social media at Griffith University near Brisbane, will be speaking on the theme "Press freedom, social media and the citizen", at the university on May 3, observed globally as media freedom day.
The public address is being hosted by AUTs Pacific Media Centre and supported by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the School of Communication Studies.
The international theme for the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day is "Safe to speak: Securing freedom of expression in all media".
"This broadens the debate," says Professor Pearson, who publishes a high profile blog on media law and free media issues, Journlaw.com.
"It opens the way for an exploration of the libertarian origins of press freedom and the advent of social media and citizen journalism at a time when we are looking for new models of media responsibility and ethics - beyond a social responsibility model - some of which embrace cultural and religious notions of truth and story-telling."
Professor Pearson is the author of the popular textbook The Journalists Guide To Media Law, which has run to four editions, and Blogging and Tweeting Without Getting Sued. He is also the Australian correspondent of the Paris-based media freedom advocacy group
Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders) and is on the editorial board of the New Zealand-based Pacific Journalism Review.
The public address is being hosted by AUTs Pacific Media Centre and supported by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the School of Communication Studies.
A half-hour documentary, Media Freedom in the Pacific, commissioned by the International Federation of Journalists will also be screened and speakers include Professor Judy McGregor, head of AUTs School of Social Sciences, and Tim McBride for UNESCO New Zealands communications committee.
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Journalism law professor to give World Press Freedom Day lecture
JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
The Freedom Riders Pilgrimage is making stops in the Magnolia State to remind the public about the sacrifices made to achieve voting rights.
The pilgrimage made a stop at the Medgar Evers Statue in Jackson Tuesday morning.
The Freedom Riders are visiting cities and sites where voting rights workers were murdered during the 1960s.
Activistshope this pilgrimage will help peopleunderstand the importance of supporting Section5 of the Voting Rights Act.
"Our young people know so little about this history so the right to vote is taken for granted, but as the supreme court considers whether or not to declare section five unconstitutional, which is the heart of the voting rights act, it is critical that our young people and our elders recognize the great sacrifices for the right to vote and remind ourselves and our children that the struggle for the right to vote continue and we will not stop until it is secured," activist Faya Toure said.
Before heading to Alabama, the group will visit Tougaloo and areas in Philadelphia.
Copyright 2013 MSNewsNow. All rights reserved.
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People carry an image of Cuba's president Raul Castro at the May Day parade in Havana's Revolution Square May 1, 2013. REUTERS/Enrique De La Osa (CUBA - Tags: POLITICS) (ENRIQUE DE LA OSA)
GENEVAThe Castro government's easing of foreign travel restrictions on Cubans has not led to greater freedoms on the island, a leading dissident said on Wednesday.
Elizardo Sanchez said 19 opposition activists had been allowed to leave since a new exit policy was introduced on January 14. Dozens more would go in the next few weeks, he said.
But the Communist government, in power since 1959, was keeping strict control on dissident voices at home, he said.
"They calculate it will be freedom of expression for people outside
Elizardo Sanchez, spokesman for the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights, talks to reporters during his arrival at Laura Pollan house in Havana October 15, 2011. REUTERS/Enrique De La Osa ( Enrique de la Osa / Reuters)
A total of 92 political prisoners were currently held in Cuban jails, which the International Committee of the Red Cross has not been allowed visit since 1989, he said. A further 350 were held in short-term detention on political grounds.
Sanchez is president of the Havana-based independent Cuban Commission of Human Rights and for years has been one of the most prominent opposition figures tolerated by the government.
President Raul Castro has introduced some economic and other reforms since taking over Cuba's leadership from his brother Fidel in 2008 but they have stressed it will not stray from the revolutionary path.
Sanchez, who said he had spent nearly 12 years in jails and was on his first foreign trip in more than a decade, said he worried he would face reprisals when returned to Cuba in June.
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Freedom of speech still elusive for Cubans despite easier travel
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA (Reuters) - The Castro government's easing of foreign travel restrictions on Cubans has not led to greater freedoms on the island, a leading dissident said on Wednesday.
Elizardo Sanchez said 19 opposition activists had been allowed to leave since a new exit policy was introduced on January 14. Dozens more would go in the next few weeks, he said.
But the Communist government, in power since 1959, was keeping strict control on dissident voices at home, he said.
"They calculate it will be freedom of expression for people outside Cuba but the voices will not be reproduced in Cuba. They control all communications, radio, newspaper, local and international television, and access to Internet," Sanchez said.
A total of 92 political prisoners were currently held in Cuban jails, which the International Committee of the Red Cross has not been allowed visit since 1989, he said. A further 350 were held in short-term detention on political grounds.
Sanchez is president of the Havana-based independent Cuban Commission of Human Rights and for years has been one of the most prominent opposition figures tolerated by the government.
President Raul Castro has introduced some economic and other reforms since taking over Cuba's leadership from his brother Fidel in 2008 but they have stressed it will not stray from the revolutionary path.
Sanchez, who said he had spent nearly 12 years in jails and was on his first foreign trip in more than a decade, said he worried he would face reprisals when returned to Cuba in June.
But he said: "Every day there are more human rights activists in Cuba. The good thing is that they are active inspite of fear of reprisals."
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No freedom of speech in Cuba despite easier foreign travel: activist
HOUSTON, May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Pennzoil is proud to announce the second year of its relationship with Tim McGraw as the presenting sponsor of his Two Lanes Of Freedom 2013 Tour. As part of the continued relationship, expanded activations will be introduced to further unify the passion that fans have for both cars and music.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130501/NY05132)
"One of the feelings I think you take away from my new album is the freedom you get out on the open road, and I really wanted to take my fans on a ride from the time the album starts to the very last track. The same goes for the tour," explained McGraw. "It just made sense to team up with Pennzoil again for another summer. They are great partners and I know they have a lot of stuff planned for the fans out on the road."
Pennzoil will be taking the relationship to the next level by introducing new programs for fans that include access to exclusive content from McGraw. One program will provide a behind-the-scenes view leading up to the tour, as well as an original video series that will share an insider's look at the connection between Americans' love of cars and music. Additionally, Pennzoil is putting the spotlight on fans as they will have the chance to be featured in a special edition VEVO live music video for a song from Tim's latest album, TWO LANES OF FREEDOM, by submitting their favorite images and videos via social media.
"Cars and music go hand-in-hand and who better to drive that message than car enthusiast and country music superstar Tim McGraw," said Bree Sandlin, Pennzoil Global Brand Manager. "His tour and album were inspired by freedom and acceleration, making it a perfect fit for the Pennzoil brand, which stands for the love of cars."
As part of Pennzoil and McGraw's shared love of cars, Pennzoil enlisted the superstar to personally customize a new 2013 Challenger SRT. McGraw drove the creative direction of the car, from the exterior paint inspired by the TWO LANES OF FREEDOM album art, down to the fine details of the interior including his autograph hand-stitched in the front seats.
This one-of-a-kind car will go on tour with Tim McGraw and will be on display at each tour stop where fans can watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of the step-by-step customization process, both at the show and online. Fans will also have the chance to win this special-edition vehicle through the Four Wheels to Freedom promotion running May 1st through July 31st.
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pennzoil activities, for exclusive looks at Tim McGraw content and to enter in the Four Wheels to Freedom sweepstakes, visit pennzoil.com/timmcgraw. Be sure to 'Like' the official Pennzoil Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/Pennzoil) and follow Pennzoil on Twitter (www.twitter.com/Pennzoil).
About Pennzoil
At Pennzoil, we're car people. We love cars and the role they play in our lives. Some of our most cherished memories are made possible by cars. That's why we tirelessly pursue the latest advances in oil technology - to provide car lovers just like us with state-of-the-art motor oils. At Pennzoil, motor oil is our passion, but cars are our way of life.Not just oil. Pennzoil.
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Pennzoil® And Tim McGraw Renew Relationship With Two Lanes Of Freedom 2013 Tour
Freedom House, an independent watchdog dedicated to expanding freedom around the world, has released its annual report on global press freedom ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Friday. Media and press freedom have declined in several areas across the globe.
Just one out of six people across the globe enjoyed a free press last year. Freedom House President David Kramer says the global decline in press freedom is a huge concern.
"A free press is critical to any country's democratic development. It acts as a check and balance. It acts as a check on corruption. It promotes transparency. It promotes good government, and so a free press is indispensable," Kramer said.
The report says the percentage of people enjoying a free media environment fell to its lowest point in more than a decade due to repression by authoritarian regimes, political instability and threats from radical Islamists.
Mansour Ali is a reporter in the tribal areas of Pakistan, one of 64 countries the group says is "unfree" for media.
"Security is the foremost problem, because just two days ago my colleague was injured in a suicide attack and another was killed," Ali said.
Mali, once Africa's freest media environment, suffered the year's biggest decline in press freedom. It slid from a "free press" nation to one of 70 "partly free" countries following a military coup and the capture of its northern half by Islamist militants.
In Europe, Greece also slid into the partly free category. Its economic troubles led to widespread staff cuts in the media and closures.
In the Middle East, Libya and Tunisia retained gains in press freedom won during the Arab Spring revolts. But in Egypt the media environment declined and is now described as unfree.
Karin Karlekar of Freedom House, says many factors are behind Egypt's decline.
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NKorea sentences American to 15 years labor NKorea sentences American to 15 years labor North Korea says an American detained for nearly six months has been sentenced to 15 years of "compulsory labor" for crimes against the state.More >> An American detained for nearly six months in North Korea has been sentenced to 15 years of "compulsory labor" for unspecified crimes against the state, Pyongyang announced Thursday.More >> First residents move into Montgomery's new Plaza at Centennial Hill development First residents move into Montgomery's new Plaza at Centennial Hill development
Updated: Wednesday, May 1 2013 11:28 PM EDT2013-05-02 03:28:31 GMT
Updated: Wednesday, May 1 2013 11:21 PM EDT2013-05-02 03:21:52 GMT
Updated: Wednesday, May 1 2013 11:02 PM EDT2013-05-02 03:02:29 GMT
Freedom Riders for Voting Rights will arrive in Montgomery Wednesday afternoon, ending a two-day pilgrimage across Mississippi and Alabama. Their journey will culminate on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol, where they say they'll hold a news conference to discuss the continuing struggle for voting rights. Since Tuesday, they have beentraveling by bus to ten sites where someone fighting for the Voting Rights Act of 1964 was killed.
The pilgrimage is called "Never Again, Never Forget". It was planned in response to the current US Supreme Court caseShelby County, Alabama v. Holder, et al., an Alabama case that seeks to strike down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It's a provision that requires states with a history of discrimination at the polls to get federal permission before making any changes in how they conduct elections, no matter how small. Shelby County attorneys argue that times have changed and the law is outdated, so this provision should be taken out. The Freedom Rider's want to keep Section 5 in place. They are making this Pilgrimage to make their voices heard.
"We wantto send a message to the Supreme Court that we want section 5 of the Voting Rights Act kept alive. We want it kept because it is the pre-clearance section. We need to send a message to the President, to the Congress, and to the Supreme Court that we will not be silent when they are trying to take away voting rights." said Mayor Johnny Ford of Tuskegee.
The Supreme Court 's decision is expected sometime in May or June. The bus rides were organized by member organizations of the National Coalition of Leaders to Save Section 5. Their news conference is expected at 4:00 Wednesday afternoon.
Copyright 2013 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
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Freedom Riders send Voting Rights message to US Supreme Court
Published: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 6:37 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 6:37 p.m.
The state Legislature this week is poised to approve the final plank of funding to renourish Venice and Anna Maria Island beaches, both ravaged last year by Tropical Storm Debby.
Anna Maria Island is slated for $20 million of restoration work, which involves bringing in tons of sand from offshore and filling in the eroded areas. The federal government has pledged nearly $14 million. Manatee County has set aside $3.175 million. The state will pay $3.175 million.
Venice will get an $11.87 million project; that includes more than $9 million in federal dollars, $1.425 million from the state and a local match of $1.425 million. The project comes just eight years after a $12 million restoration in Venice, much of which has already eroded.
Those projects could just be the start. Sarasota County is working on designs and permitting for a renourishment project for Siesta Key, which also lost sand to Debby, especially at Turtle Beach. Laird Wreford, coastal resource manager for the county, says that project is likely to get approved by the state Legislature next year.
While local officials cheered the projects, some fiscal conservatives questioned why the federal government is spending millions on renourishing beaches at a time when the government is $16.8 trillion in debt.
There's simply no public purpose for the state of Florida, much less the federal government, to be doing this, said Eli Lehrer of R Street Institute a nonpartisan organization in Washington, D.C.
In many cases, the projects are to protect private homes owned by wealthy people, Lehrer said. We build up beaches that nature is going to wash away again.
President George W. Bush unsuccessfully tried to curtail federal spending on beach nourishment. Yet Congress continues to put up most of the dollars for such projects, which legislators from beachfront states and communities can tout back home.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, pushed for the latest round of federal funding, saying the work has vast benefits.
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The Very Large Array, one of the worlds premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 82 feet (25 m) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 22 miles (36 km) across. Image courtesy of NRAO/AUI and NRAO
Thanks to Channel 37, radio astronomers keep tabs on everything from the Sun to pulsars to the lonely spaces between the stars. This particular frequency, squarely in the middle of theUHF TVbroadcast band, has been reserved for radio astronomy since 1963, when astronomers successfully lobbied the FCC to keep it TV-free. Back then UHF TV stations were few and far between. Now there are hundreds, and Im sure a few would love to soak up that last sliver ofspectrum. Sorry Charley, the moratorium is still in effect to this day. Not only that, but its observed in most countries across the world.
Channel 37, a slice of the radio spectrum from 608 and 614 Megahertz (MHz) reserved for radio astronomy, sits in the middle of the UHF TV band. Click to see the full spectrum. Credit: US Dept. of Commerce
So whats so important about Channel 37? Well, its smack in the middle of two other important bands already allocated to radio astronomy 410 Megahertz (MHz) and 1.4 Gigahertz (Gz). Without it, radio astronomers would lose a key window in an otherwise continuous radio view of the sky. Imagine a 3-panel bay window with the middle pane painted black. Who wants THAT?
The visible colors, infrared, radio, X-rays and gamma rays are all forms of light and comprise the electromagnetic spectrum. Here you can compare their wavelengths with familiar objects and see how their frequencies (bottom numbers) increase with decreasing wavelength. Credit: ESA
Channel 37 occupies a band spanning from 608-614 MHz. A word about Hertz. Radio waves are a form of light just like the colors we see in the rainbow or the X-rays doctors use to probe our bones. Only difference is, our eyes arent sensitive to them. But we can build instruments like X-ray machines and radio telescopes to see them for us.
Diagram showing what how Earths atmosphere allows visible light, a portion of infrared and radio light to reach the ground from outer space but filters shorter-wavelength, more dangerous forms of light like X-rays and gamma rays. To study the cosmos in these varieties of light, orbiting telescopes are required.
Every color of light has a characteristicwavelengthandfrequency. Wavelength is the distance between successive crests in a light wave which you can visualize as a wave moving across a pond. Waves of visible light range fromone-millionth to one-billionth of a meter, comparable to the size of a virus or DNA molecule.
X-rays crests are jammed together even more tightly one X-ray is only as big as an small atom. Radio waves fill out the opposite end of the spectrum with wavelengths ranging from baseball-sized to more than 600 miles (1000 km) long.
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