Monday, September 7, 2009
News From Asheville Global Report
Aug. 30- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the swine flu and officials are contacting other South American governments whose leaders attended a summit last week with the Colombian leader, authorities said Sunday.
The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina, and he was confirmed to have swine flu after returning home, Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio said.
"This isn't something that has us scared," Palacio said at a news conference. Uribe, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, is not considered a high-risk patient and will continue working from his computer, officials said.
Public health director Gilberto Alvarez said in a telephone interview that there was no need to put the president in isolation and that his condition would be monitored for three days to a week.
The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina, and he was confirmed to have swine flu after returning home, Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio said.
"This isn't something that has us scared," Palacio said at a news conference. Uribe, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, is not considered a high-risk patient and will continue working from his computer, officials said.
Public health director Gilberto Alvarez said in a telephone interview that there was no need to put the president in isolation and that his condition would be monitored for three days to a week.
The Teacher (1974)-A Prurient Delight
Oh, the joys of Cinemax, or as we called it back in the day, "Skinemax." Pornography was not neary as accessible at one time as it was today. Nope, we had to beg a magazine from our roommate, or better yet, watch one of the delectable films that we coudl get away with watching in our dorm room TV lounges, 'cause it wasn't really porn, 'cause it was on cable. Besides, you coul actually get away with watching these films when girls were in the room.
I was thinking of this, the other day while watching the 1974 delight, The Teacher. The film featured Jay North (yep! Dennis The Menace hisownself!!) and the star of many of these types of features, Angel Tompkins.
These movies had to have enough plot so that they would not be dubbed pornogrpahy, so, here it is. By the way, I love 1970s low budget movies. These were predominantly shot on location anywhere they could get away with shooting them, and let's face it, just about everything looked like crap in the that decade. Particularly in southern California.
We quickly find out that public school teachers in southern California in the 1970s were some of the most financially-remunerated people in this decade, as Tompkins' character owns a boat,with her name on it, a Camaro, and a ranch-style house, Either that, or she really took her ex-husband to the cleaners, in which case, putting her name on the boat, was a pretty vindictive move. We never quite learn what subject she teaches, but she does like to sun herself a lot.
Okay, so Jay North and his friend go to the warehouse digs of this friends' creepy older Vietnam vet brother. We find out that the older brother's fave hobby is scoping out Tompkins with a telescope from a veranda at the warehouse. A couple of mildly absurd plot points later,and North's friend falls from the warehouse veranda and is killed.
The creepy older brother stalks Tompkins, and North and Tompkins end us seeing each other, a lot, and we see Tompkins in various states of undress throughout the pic. Much later,the creepy older brother gets his. It turns out that North recently graduated from high school, so that makes his scenes with Tompkins considerably less statutory.
I don't thin this is out on DVD, nor would I expect to see it anytime soon. It is an interesting relic from a more innocent, if crappier age.
I was thinking of this, the other day while watching the 1974 delight, The Teacher. The film featured Jay North (yep! Dennis The Menace hisownself!!) and the star of many of these types of features, Angel Tompkins.
These movies had to have enough plot so that they would not be dubbed pornogrpahy, so, here it is. By the way, I love 1970s low budget movies. These were predominantly shot on location anywhere they could get away with shooting them, and let's face it, just about everything looked like crap in the that decade. Particularly in southern California.
We quickly find out that public school teachers in southern California in the 1970s were some of the most financially-remunerated people in this decade, as Tompkins' character owns a boat,with her name on it, a Camaro, and a ranch-style house, Either that, or she really took her ex-husband to the cleaners, in which case, putting her name on the boat, was a pretty vindictive move. We never quite learn what subject she teaches, but she does like to sun herself a lot.
Okay, so Jay North and his friend go to the warehouse digs of this friends' creepy older Vietnam vet brother. We find out that the older brother's fave hobby is scoping out Tompkins with a telescope from a veranda at the warehouse. A couple of mildly absurd plot points later,and North's friend falls from the warehouse veranda and is killed.
The creepy older brother stalks Tompkins, and North and Tompkins end us seeing each other, a lot, and we see Tompkins in various states of undress throughout the pic. Much later,the creepy older brother gets his. It turns out that North recently graduated from high school, so that makes his scenes with Tompkins considerably less statutory.
I don't thin this is out on DVD, nor would I expect to see it anytime soon. It is an interesting relic from a more innocent, if crappier age.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
News From Infoshop
July 23-Manila, PHILIPPINES — The rejection of nuclear power in Indonesia is another nail in the coffin of the nuclear industry, Greenpeace said today as it demanded the Philippine government to follow suit and abandon its dangerous nuclear power plans which it criticized as "backward and unproductive," and seemingly "reeking of less-than-noble intentions."
The environment organization had recently welcomed the decision of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, (NU), that nuclear power is haram (forbidden) on the island of Madura, East Java. The announcement in Madura, close to Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya, follows a similar decision by the Jepara, Central Java chapter of NU on 1 September 2007, when scholars and clerics concluded that the threat to the local communities from potential radioactive leaks and radioactive waste handling far outweighed any potential benefits.
"In Indonesia and in any part of the world including the Philippines, communities clearly do not want nuclear power as they will be the most at risk from its operations. This latest case of rejection of nuclear power is another nail in the coffin for the obsolete nuclear power industry. Our government must see this as a signal to stop wasting time and money on expensive and dangerous technology that no one wants nor needs, and keep the focus on developing investments in clean, safe renewable energy under a strong Renewable Energy Law," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaigner Francis dela Cruz.
Worldwide, the nuclear industry is failing and still struggles with the same problems as it did forty years ago. Very few of the 435 operational nuclear power plants, as well as waste storage sites around the globe have been built within budget and on schedule. While there were reactors being built in 2008, many of these were delayed and no new reactors came online--compared to 27,000 megawatts of wind energy which came online in the same year. Indonesian President Yudhoyono had already announced that he was opposed to building a nuclear reactor as long as there are better alternatives. In June Indonesia's state energy utility, PLN, stated that it didn’t see nuclear power being part of Indonesia's future energy mix.
In the Philippines, however, the government seems bent on pursuing the costly and hazardous nuclear path with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Department of Energy expressing support for nuclear power as an "alternative" energy source. This is despite strong opposition particularly on plans to revive the mothballed and obsolete Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).
"There is no real benefit from nuclear power--only real economic losses and obvious danger. To pursue nuclear power when the country is ready to harness clean, safe and abundant renewable energy goes against all common sense. Greenpeace asserts that the government should focus on massively expanding our renewable energy capacity and promoting energy efficiency standards and technologies. Renewable energy is the safest and cheapest source of power available, aside from being a key solution to climate change and energy security," concluded dela Cruz.
The environment organization had recently welcomed the decision of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, (NU), that nuclear power is haram (forbidden) on the island of Madura, East Java. The announcement in Madura, close to Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya, follows a similar decision by the Jepara, Central Java chapter of NU on 1 September 2007, when scholars and clerics concluded that the threat to the local communities from potential radioactive leaks and radioactive waste handling far outweighed any potential benefits.
"In Indonesia and in any part of the world including the Philippines, communities clearly do not want nuclear power as they will be the most at risk from its operations. This latest case of rejection of nuclear power is another nail in the coffin for the obsolete nuclear power industry. Our government must see this as a signal to stop wasting time and money on expensive and dangerous technology that no one wants nor needs, and keep the focus on developing investments in clean, safe renewable energy under a strong Renewable Energy Law," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaigner Francis dela Cruz.
Worldwide, the nuclear industry is failing and still struggles with the same problems as it did forty years ago. Very few of the 435 operational nuclear power plants, as well as waste storage sites around the globe have been built within budget and on schedule. While there were reactors being built in 2008, many of these were delayed and no new reactors came online--compared to 27,000 megawatts of wind energy which came online in the same year. Indonesian President Yudhoyono had already announced that he was opposed to building a nuclear reactor as long as there are better alternatives. In June Indonesia's state energy utility, PLN, stated that it didn’t see nuclear power being part of Indonesia's future energy mix.
In the Philippines, however, the government seems bent on pursuing the costly and hazardous nuclear path with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Department of Energy expressing support for nuclear power as an "alternative" energy source. This is despite strong opposition particularly on plans to revive the mothballed and obsolete Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).
"There is no real benefit from nuclear power--only real economic losses and obvious danger. To pursue nuclear power when the country is ready to harness clean, safe and abundant renewable energy goes against all common sense. Greenpeace asserts that the government should focus on massively expanding our renewable energy capacity and promoting energy efficiency standards and technologies. Renewable energy is the safest and cheapest source of power available, aside from being a key solution to climate change and energy security," concluded dela Cruz.
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