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Government egged over irrigation pipe plan

Wednesday, 27/08/2008

Northern Victorian farmers remain divided over a plan to modernisethe region's irrigation system and pipe some of the water saved toMelbourne.

The State Government project was celebrated with a dinner inShepparton last night, but around 70 people lined up outsideprotesting against the plan.

Victorian Water Minister Tim Holding was hit by an egg during theprotest.

Premier John Brumby told the dinner other great projects have facedsimilar opposition and it shouldn't deter the plans.

"If you asked Australians what's the greatest ever nation buildingproject in Australia They'd tell you it's the Snowy Hydro Scheme,"he says.

"There were many people who opposed that project. Many people saidit would be a white elephant.

"Fact is, now it's one of the ten great engineering wonders of theworld and this project in its own way is the same.

"It's a nation-building project."

Cynthia Vaughn came Tuesday night to the street where her brother,Jerry Hurt, was attacked that afternoon, hoping to find the man whokilled him.

"I wanted to ask him why he had to hit Jerry over the head withthat pole," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "I wanted to seewhat kind of heart this man has that would do this to my brotherfor the dollar that was in his pocket."

Hurt, 46, of 1507 Washington Ave. SE, was walking on 14th Street SEtoward Second Avenue about 3:15 p.m. when a man on a bicycle cameup to him, police said. The man got off the bike, picked up a pieceof pipe from the street and hit him in the head with it. Then herode away.

Hurt was taken to St. Luke's Hospital, where he later died.

Vaughn, of Cedar Rapids, said witnesses told her the name of theman who attacked him. She said her brother had a "beef" with theman, who was an acquaintance of Hurt's through other friends, andthat the man punched Hurt last week and stole his money. No onereported that assault, Vaughn said, because her brother didn't wantto.

Tuesday afternoon, a chalk drawing outlined where Hurt fell, with asmall pool of blood inside the round circle indicating his head. Acrowd of neighborhood residents milled around the block as policeconducted their investigation. Fourteenth Street was blocked offwith crime scene tape, and a yellow tag marked where the pipe wasthrown near the curb.

Later that night, Hurt's nieces and nephews gathered on the streetwith Vaughn and another sister, Annie Mullinex of Cedar Rapids, toconsole each other and remember their relative through laughter andtears. Hurt's mother, Daisy Hurt, was at home nearby still in shockover the news, they said.

(In U.S. dollars, unless noted)

TORONTO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Vale Inco (VALE5.SA: ), the nickel wing of the Brazilian mining giant, has fallenfurther behind schedule in its efforts to begin installation of awaste pipe at its massive Goro project in New Caledonia, but saidthe mine is still on budget and on target.

Company spokesman Cory McPhee said the mine was still targeted forcommissioning in late October or early November with a developmentbudget of $3.2 billion.

The company halted work on the waste pipe earlier this yearfollowing opposition from environmentalists and locals. It hadhoped to resume work in July, but McPhee said the company has notbeen able to do so yet. (Reporting by Cameron French; editing byRob Wilson)

I've never stayed in quarters as pretty as the Green Homeland MediaVillage.

I've never seen buses that ran so on time and yet were renderedcharming by the volunteers, many of them students.

"I am the volunteer for this bus," one young woman announced to afull house one morning. "Welcome to my bus." I've never before seenvolunteers who didn't tire of me and my fellow bitchy, sweatycolleagues of the fourth estate.

I've never before filled out the 'We Value Your Opinion"questionnaire at a media village. I did at the Green Homeland.

I checked Excellent in every box. I did it earnestly.

I gave serious consideration to buying the staff of my building,D3, a present, but realized it would mean buying presents for 100people, minimum: the uniformed door persons; the legion ofattractive young women behind the front desk; the cleaning crews;the greeters; the maintenance staff.

1) What inspires your work  What is your process for thinkingabout and creating art… for your cut-out workWhen I was small I watched Ultra-Man and Power Rangers sort of shows and all kinds of anime on TV. In many shows I liked there were “good guys”and “bad guys,”

heroes and villains. They fight. Usually the good guys win. Ididn`t care much about the heroes. They weren’t as attractiveas the villains. The good guys remain in the same costume everyweek but the bad-buys change

every week because the one before is dead--killed by the good guy.The bad guys try to take over the world every week with veryinteresting ideas and wild and crazy looking monsters. Awesome.

As a kid, I wanted to role play the show in my hands.

 So, I cut the bad guy characters from the show out of a piece ofscratch paper. In the beginning, I drew them first and then cutthem out--but that wasn’t fast enough. It wasn’tefficient. I was and still am impatient and lazy.

A 15-year-old boy has been charged after a classmate was stabbed inthe head with a pair of scissors at Edenham High School.

The teenager was charged with GBH with intent on August 20 and isdue to appear before Croydon Youth Court tomorrow.

The victim, 15, was rushed to hospital by air ambulance after beingstabbed in the head at 1:30pm in the school corridor on February27.

The scissors pierced his brain and he had to undergo surgery tohave them removed.

Mark Cleland of Ireland took home the gold in what sounds like a Cleland says he gets recognized everywhere he goes in Ireland, andSears carries a throng of female groupies with him.

"Yeah, it's a great feeling," said Sears, with a smile.

Wait, what Groupies Did this whole thing morph into a sequel to Balls of Fury And come on, Mr. AP Reporter Man, can't we at least get a bit ofexplanation

For the record, the Washington Post's blogger extraordinaire, DanSteinberg, also covered the competition for both the Web and print editions. Steinz's description of the night sounds telling:

Truth be told, I spent most of the night trying to figure outwhether this whole thing was an elaborate put-on. If it was, noneof the principals broke character. Not when the U.S. entry, Sean"Wicked Fingers" Sears, turned redder than Mao toward the end ofhis bronze-medal victory over Guam. "I was so focused and so zonedin on the match itself that I think I forgot to breathe," he latersaid. "Like, literally, I think I forgot to breathe."

Also, Steinz adds this:

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, this is my last entry fromBeijing. It's just as well, really. Not to make chop suey out ofchopsticks, but the Olympics really is a whole bunch of peopleagreeing to ignore the obvious absurdities--the grown men jumpingon trampolines, the little girls swinging on bars, the inflatablepanda mascots dancing with thunderstick-wielding cheerleaders tothe soundtrack of "High School Musical"--and to agree that, forsome reason, the Olympics matter.

Man, I miss the Olympics already. We'll try and catch up with Seanlater this week.

(Rochester, N.Y.)  The cameras are mounted high and clearlylabeled. The Rochester Police Department wants you to know you"rebeing watched.

The 50 cameras are monitored for 24 hours a day by several officersfrom a room at police headquarters.

It"s a $1.3 million system that was activated last spring.Twenty-five more cameras are expected to be put up by the end ofthe year. The department places the cameras in problem areas.Eventually, the cameras will be linked with the 911 system, so thatwhen a call comes in, an image from the nearest camera will pop upin the monitoring room.

During our visit, officers zoomed in on a man who appeared to beselling drugs to a motorist. Officers zoomed in on the man andwatched his activities for some time.

While that man may not have known he was being watched, others havegotten the message.

Deborah Brown says the cameras have made a difference on JeffersonAvenue.

SIt keeps the crime down. It keeps the young kids off thestreets, she said.

Frank Dixon lives across the street from a camera on South PlymouthAvenue. He"s not worried about privacy.

From http://www.new-energy-supply.com/

Tom is clutching his iPhone to his ear, clearly straining to hearsomething. I can't help laughing at the way his jaw is tensed inconcentration, and his hands are clamped to his head, one holdingthe phone in place, the other trying to block out the screech ofthe seagulls and the howl of the wind as it kicks up a fine sprayof sharp sand at those of us foolish enough to stand too close tothe beach.

One of the most wonderful things about the West Country seaside isthe way the Bristol Channel disrupts and distorts mobile phonesignals; it is like going back in time. Well, ten years or so,before phones became ubiquitous even on holiday.

When my husband gave up his day job in the City to leave the ratrace and write a novel, I had hoped he'd want to abandon thetrappings of that life, too - the constant checking of emails, thetelevision pre-set to Bloomberg, the insistence on keeping a mobilephone fully charged and within earshot as though he was expecting aheart attack at any time, and the phone was a portabledefibrillator.

From http://www.new-energy-supply.com/

Even when he found himself on the long, arduous road back from atorn ACL and later a fractured ankle, Rex Grossman always couldpoint to the fact he was the quarterback of the future.

Now, he's the quarterback with the clipboard -- or whatever hechooses to occupy his time with on the sidelines, where he will bea play away from being called upon but seemingly forever away fromthe starting job.

A week after coach Lovie Smith announced Kyle Orton was the winnerof the quarterback derby that commenced back in April, Grossmanshared his feelings publicly for the first time Monday as he cameoff the practice field at Halas Hall.

''That's not for me really to say,'' Grossman said when asked ifthe competition was fair. ''I'll never fully get over it and Idon't think anyone would expect me to.''

He returned to the Bears on a one-year contract in February beforefree agency opened, but after he and his agent Eugene Parker hadsurveyed the landscape to find his best opportunity to win astarting job. That didn't materialize after the quarterbacksrotated days with the first team in training camp, and thingsremained relatively even. After the fact, members of Grossman'scamp believe the club was leaning toward Orton all along and itwould have required a decisive victory for Grossman to keep the gighe effectively lost by injury when he left with a sprained kneelast December at Washington.

From http://www.new-energy-supply.com/

FOXBOROUGH - The last impression left by the Patriots' offensiveline was not a favorable one, and it is the one that remains etchedin most people's minds.

They don't see the line that produced three Pro Bowl selections,allowed 21 sacks, the team's lowest total in a 16-game season, andopened the holes that allowed the team to rush for 4.1 yards percarry, its highest average since 1985.

They see the line that surrendered five sacks and nine hits of TomBrady to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, the line thatcouldn't keep the quarterback clean when it counted most, the linethat looked overmatched and overpowered in the biggest game of theseason.

"It was tough," said Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins of the Super Bowlloss. "We know we didn't play up to our potential that game andthat had to do a lot with why we lost."

Redemption for the offensive line may lie in the lessons learnedfrom that game. When the Giants loaded up on pass rushers topressure Brady into oblivion, the offensive line was unable to takeadvantage by creating holes in the running game. New Englandaveraged just 2.8 yards per carry (16 rushes for 45 yards) in theSuper Bowl. Yesterday, the Patriots spent a lot of time working onthe running game, trying to, in the words of Laurence Maroney,"just finish everything and become more of a balanced team."

From http://www.new-energy-supply.com/

"The AV8OR(TM) Handheld is ideal for any pilot that requires GPS navigation in the air or in the car, real-time weather, andnavigator graphical moving map, with built-in entertainmentsystem," Barks said. "In addition to pilot-specific features, theAV8OR Handheld includes an all-in-one multimedia player with theability to view or play music, movies, pictures and electronicbooks. The AV8OR(TM) Handheld is much more than an aviation GPSunit -- it's a handheld Multi-Function Display that pilots willwant to keep with them from the car to plane, and even at theirdestination, for entertainment."

SAN FRANCISCO (Fortune) -- Garmin's latest GPS device, the nuvi880, says a lot about the state of the market for portablenavigation devices. The gadget has it all: directions, MP3 playerfor listening to songs and books, a photo viewer - even an alarmclock.

Why all the bells and whistles Because these are tough times for GPS makers. Demand is slowing and prices are falling fast, in partdue to competition from cell phone manufacturers like BlackBerrymaker Research in Motion (RIMM and Apple.In response, GPS makers like Garmin (GRMN)are loading their devices with extras in the hopes of reignitingthe torrid sales growth of years past. Curious, I decided to findout if any of these features are worth a few hundred bucks. Ipicked two new devices from the top GPS makers - Garmin and TomTom- and matched them up against Apple's new white-hot iPhone.

One piece of advice that should've been obvious to participants oflast weekend's

Rental Car Rally from Long Island City, New York, to Montreal, Quebec: use GPS.Or so I figured, as one member of a three-person team equipped witha MacBook, an EVDO card, a GPS navigator, a backup GPS navigator,and a radar detector to know when authorities were nearby in casewe, uh, pushed the speed limit a little bit. (We only used that inNew York state, though, because radar detectors are illegal inVermont and Quebec.)

The surprising truth A large number of the driving squads hadnothing but paper maps on them, making the overnight rally--withsix backroad checkpoints, most of which were marked with nothingbut a set of coordinates, to ensure that you couldn't just takeI-87 the whole way--a pretty difficult affair.

The Sony Ericsson TM506 is among T-Mobile's first 3G phones,featuring GPS navigation from TeleNav and a 2-megapixel camera.

 Sony Ericsson today announced the expansion of its carrierchannels in the U.S. to include T-Mobile USA, starting with thelaunch of the Sony Ericsson TM506 in early September. The SonyEricsson TM506 clamshell phone is the Swedish manufacturer's firsthandset supporting T-Mobile's 3G network (operating in the AWSspectrum).

We're not talking about an exceptional high-end 3G phone herethough, but rather a standard 3G phone for the masses. The SonyEricsson TM506 measures 3.7 by 1.9 by 0.69 inches and weighs 3.4ounces. Furthermore, it's equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, GPSnavigation courtesy of TeleNav and should offer up to 3.5 hours oftalk time.

It's worth noting that the Sony Ericsson TM506 is Sony Ericsson'sfirst phone to support TeleNav Navigator out-of-box, as they'verelied on Wayfinder Navigator previously. Sony Ericsson confirmsthat TeleNav will be the out-of-box provider of T-Mobile's GPSservices, like in Europe.

Operating on GSM 850/1800/1900 MHz and HSDPA 1700/2100 MHznetworks, the Sony Ericsson TM506 will be available from T-Mobileonline and retail stores in early September 2008.

The British government will lose its leadership position on climatechange and risk scuppering a global deal to cut emissions if itpresses ahead with a new generation of dirty coal power, sayleading US scientists and environmental leaders.

 The heads of three influential groups, representing more than 2million members, have written to the foreign secretary, DavidMiliband, warning that the UK proposals for up to eight coal plantsthreaten the chance of the US joining a post-Kyoto internationalagreement, due in 2009.

 It is the first public sign of growing international anger over theplans and will add to pressure on Miliband and environmentsecretary Hilary Benn to oppose the government's new coal policy incabinet. Most immediate is the decision on a new coal plant atKingsnorth in Kent, the site of this month's Climate Camp protest.

 There has been heavy criticism of the plans to build coal plantswithout technology to capture and bury their large volumes ofcarbon dioxide. The letter, revealed to the Guardian, is signed bythe heads of the Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists andthe Natural Resources Defence Council. It argues Britain is in aparticularly important position because of "your government'shistoric commitment to lead on global warming in Europe and aroundthe world".

 Energy minister Malcolm Wicks said: "As a 'live' planning case Icannot comment on the merits or otherwise ... or on the timing ofany decision." In a Guardian interview this month, he said new coalpower stations were essential for energy security and to allowdevelopment of carbon capture technology. Without that technology,"all is lost on global warming", he said, because of China'sreliance on coal.

Virginia coal production has declined nearly 18 percent this year,even though the energy resource is fetching prices three timeshigher, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

 In the 52-month period that ended Aug. 16, Virginia produced about23 million tons of coal, down from about 28 million during theprevious 52 weeks.

 Nationwide, coal production in the past 52 weeks is up 0.3 percentfrom the previous 52 weeks.

 The decline in Virginia production comes despite soaring demand andprices for coal worldwide. Central Appalachian coal was selling forabout $45 a ton last August. It's now going for $140 a ton,according to the EIA.

 Virginia coal officials were unable to explain the size of the dropin production, except to say production has been in a slow, steadydecline since 1990, when the state's miners dug up 46.5 milliontons of coal.

 "I can't think of any reasons or mine closings or anything," saidBill Bledsoe, executive director of the Virginia MiningAssociation.

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NEW YORK -

Shares of Patriot Coal Corp. fell Friday after posting gains in theprevious three sessions, as oil prices fell.

 The St. Louis-based company's stock fell $1.55, or 2.7 percent, to$55.65.

 Light, sweet crude for October delivery fell $6.59 to settle at$114.59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

 Crude prices rose Thursday due in part to concerns about Russia'spresence in Georgia and the broader implications for the energysupplies in the region.

 Coal stocks and prices for crude oil have been trading in tandem inrecent periods, though they probably shouldn't be, Zacks InvestmentResearch analyst Neil Malkin said in a recent interview.

 So far this year shares of Patriot Coal have more than doubled.

  Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materialmay not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed