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Haiti President Names New PM

October 31, 2009 by ·

haite president names new pm_Rene Preval, Haiti’s president, has named a replacement for the role of prime minister after Michele Pierre-Louis, who previously held the role, was voted out of office by the senate.

Preval selected Jean Max Bellerive, the country’s planning and co-operation minister, on Friday, hours after the senate dismissed Pierre-Louis, citing her record on tackling Haiti’s flagging economy.

“The president of the senate, Kely Bastien, has just received the letter in which President Preval has designated Jean Max Bellerive to become the new prime minister. Now it is official,” Nenel Cassy of Preval’s ruling Lespwa party told Reuters.

Bellerive’s nomination has to be approved by both chambers of parliament – the senate and chamber of deputies.

Minister dismissed

The resolution to fire Pierre-Louis was approved by a simple majority in the 29-member chamber on Friday.

“Eighteen senators voted against the prime minister, which means the president has to replace her. We will write to the president to inform him of our decision,” Kely Bastien, the senate leader, said.

Pierre-Louis has been accused of failing to use millions of dollars made available through an oil discount agreement with Venezuela to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by deadly storms and flooding last year.

“Prime Minister Pierre-Louis proved she did not have the capacity nor the leadership to meet the population’s expectations and satisfy its basic needs. That’s why we were obliged to fire her,” Joseph Lambert, a senator, said.

Vote criticized

Supporters of Pierre-Louis said the move was unconstitutional and that politicians had no power to remove the prime minister in a special session without instructions from Preval.

“It is really unjust to say Prime Minister Pierre-Louis is responsible for the problems of poverty and social inequality we have been facing for more than 200 years,” Rudy Heriveaux, a senator opposed to the dismissal, said.

“This vote to fire her is illegal, unconstitutional and really unfair.” About 70 per cent of Haiti’s population of nine million live on less than $2 a day, making it the poorest state in the Americas.

The move to fire Pierre Louis comes days after Bill Clinton, the UN’s special envoy to Haiti and a former US president, told an investor conference in Port-au-Prince that Haiti’s political risk was lower than it had been in his lifetime.

About 9,000 UN troops and police are stationed in Haiti, which five years ago saw the overthrow of its president by armed rebels. Al Jazeera

Filed Under: Documentary, Foreign News, Foreign Policy ·

Every Citizen Deserves To Have Their Rights Protected

October 30, 2009 by ·

defense lawyer_Known for their willingness to accept tough cases and fight hard for their clients’ rights and freedom. Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer | Criminal Attorneys Los Angeles list DWI defense, drug conspiracy, bank and wire fraud, and sex crimes against children, among other things, as some of their areas of expertise. Typically, they operates under the premise that every citizen deserves to have their rights protected, and that everyone is legally presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, can be retained simply to ensure that those rights are all arbitrarily afforded via the constitution, and are indeed protected. They can be with the client every step of the way, ascertaining that the government follows the intent of the law during its investigation.

Filed Under: Personal, Professional Services ·

Tuna Ban ‘Justified’ By Science

October 30, 2009 by ·

tuna ban justified_Banning trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna is justified by the extent of their decline, an analysis by scientists advising fisheries regulators suggests.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas’ (ICCAT) advisers said stocks are probably less than 15% of their original size.

The analysis has delighted conservation groups, which have warned that over-fishing risks the species’ survival.

ICCAT meets to consider the report in 10 days’ time. The analysis was triggered by Monaco’s recent proposal to ban international trade in the Atlantic bluefin under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – a proposal that has gathered support from several other European countries.

“What’s needed to save the stocks is a suspension of fishing activity and a suspension of international commercial trade,” said Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries with the environmental group WWF for the Mediterranean region.

“We must stop mercilessly exploiting this fragile natural resource until stocks show clear signs of rebound and until sustainable management and control measures are firmly put in place.”

The body charged with regulating catches of the southern bluefin, a closely related species, has just approved 20% quota cuts across the board.

Quota excesses

For a number of years, ICCAT has set quotas higher than scientists’ recommendations.

The pressure this puts on stocks has been compounded by illegal fishing for this valuable species, which according to some estimates adds 30% to the official quota.

Last year, an independent report concluded that ICCAT’s management of tuna was a “disgrace”, blaming member countries for not accepting scientific advice and for turning a blind eye to their fleets’ illegal activities.

The report recommended interim closure of the Mediterranean fishery, where most bluefin are caught – a measure that won backing from the US.

Frustrated by what it saw as ICCAT’s inability to control the problem, Monaco’s government – supported by conservation groups – submitted its CITES proposal.

The proposal will be heard at the CITES meeting in March. If enacted and enforced, it would severely hamper the trade.

Atlantic bluefin tuna are mainly caught from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, but most of the meat is consumed in Asia, particularly Japan.

Japan has previously argued that commercial fish species should be controlled by bodies like ICCAT rather than CITES.

“The right thing would be to impose a zero quota,” said Sue Lieberman, director of international policy for the Pew Environment Group.

“It wouldn’t be forever – stocks will recover, but not at current rates of catch.”

ICCAT’s scientific committee considered different ways of analysing the decline – whether to start from estimates of how many bluefin there were before industrial fishing began, or from the largest stocks reliably recorded, and according to different rates of reproduction.

They concluded that whichever way the data is cut, it is 96% likely that numbers in the east Atlantic and Mediterranean are now less than 15% of their pre-industrial-fishing size.

CITES guidance suggests this would trigger a trade ban for a slow-reproducing fish species.

For the western Atlantic stock, subject to much smaller catches, the figure is 93% likely.

At its forthcoming meeting in Brazil, ICCAT delegates will decide whether to place new restrictions on catches.

“ICCAT’s track record isn’t too good,” commented Dr Lieberman, “but they could surprise us.”

Usually, ICCAT makes reports such as this one publically available.

But because of its “controversial and politically-charged nature”, the commission asked members to “consider refraining from distributing this report” before the Brazil meeting, and it is not clear if and when it will be posted on the organisation’s website. By Richard Black, BBC News

Filed Under: Wildlife ·

A Mainstream Treatment

October 30, 2009 by ·

women of today's generation_Women always want products that make their skin’s health look lustrous, glossy and shiny in quality. Skin care and foundation/powder are among of the most important skin products, and so are worth spending on. Hence, if you are a constant user of these beauty products, however, it is also a must for you to know about regular beauty products in relation to some known cosmetics guide, which has become a mainstream treatment of people undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Meanwhile, regardless of what tribe and creed you are in, whether you are an old man or woman, a teenager or a child, using fragrances especially after taking a bath can be a great way to freshen yourself more. Aside from the fact that it’ll add more confidence and enhance everyone’s lifestyle, Miss Dior Cherie a scent of sugar and spice may not makes you look pretty but at least, makes you smells good, so to speak.

In a nutshell, affordable men’s toiletries have never been more desirable than they are in today’s economy. Where can anybody buy men’s grooming products of quality that don’t have the quality price tag of the higher end designer products? In this brave new world there are now more products specifically geared to the special needs of the male audience and finally, the supply is meeting the demand.

Filed Under: Fashion, Lifestyle, Personal ·

Exercise Prevents Regain Of Harmful Fat One Year After Weight Loss

October 30, 2009 by ·

exercise prevents regain_As little as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or resistance training helps not only to prevent weight gain, but also to inhibit a regain of harmful visceral fat one year after weight loss, according to a new study.

Unlike subcutaneous fat that lies just under the skin and is noticeable, visceral fat lies in the abdominal cavity under the abdominal muscle.

Visceral fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat because it often surrounds vital organs. The more visceral fat one has, the greater is the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

In the study, Gary Hunter, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Human Studies, and his team randomly assigned 45 European-American and 52 African-American women to three groups: aerobic training, resistance training or no exercise.

All of the participants were placed on an 800 calorie-a-day diet and lost an average 24 pounds. Researchers then measured total fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat for each participant. Afterward, participants in the two exercise groups were asked to continue exercising 40 minutes twice a week for one year.

After a year, the study’s participants were divided into five groups: those who maintained aerobic exercise training, those who stopped aerobic training, those who maintained their resistance training, those who stopped resistance training and those who were never placed on an exercise regimen.

“What we found was that those who continued exercising, despite modest weight regains, regained zero percent visceral fat a year after they lost the weight. But those who stopped exercising, and those who weren’t put on any exercise regimen at all, averaged about a 33 percent increase in visceral fat,” Hunter said.

“Because other studies have reported that much longer training durations of 60 minutes a day are necessary to prevent weight regain, it’s not too surprising that weight regain was not totally prevented in this study. It’s encouraging, however, that this relatively small [amount] of exercise was sufficient to prevent visceral fat gain,” Hunter added. DNA India

Filed Under: Exercise, Health & Fitness ·

Have Fun Sharing Your Image

October 30, 2009 by ·

totup & tarab_The first time you want to share your images with one of your networking sites, you select web sharing and log onto the site. After the initial contact, the site will save your information so that you can easily access your folders from then on. If you are on the site, and want to edit funny photo effects online, just select the social site and folder, the images are in from the folders pane and edit just as you would if they were on your computer.

The first was very simple photo funny effect editing, where users have the option to perform exposure corrections with the relight tool, adjust crispness, adjust saturation and color balance with the color strength and color warmth tools, respectively, and perform some other minor adjustments like converting the image to black and white, remove redeye and make crops.

When the user wants to perform an adjustment, such as adjusting exposure with the relight tool, it will shows the user what the image will look like by displaying the image with steps of adjustment in either direction. This way you can make funny pictures online while the user can pick which adjustment looks best and go from there. After which it’ll then saves the edited images and when opened again, will show what settings were used in editing the image. So for more details and information’s, just visits the above mentioned and have some fun.

Filed Under: Art, Personal, Photos ·

GM Crops May Ease Drain On Soil – Researchers

October 30, 2009 by ·

gm crops may ease drain on soil_The world needs genetically modified crops both to increase food yields and minimize the environmental impact of farming, Britain’s top science academy said on Wednesday. The Royal Society said in a report the world faced a “grand challenge” to feed another 2.3 billion people by 2050 and at the same time limit the environmental impact of the farm sector.

The world will have to increase food output by 70 percent and invest $83-billion annually in developing countries by mid-century, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation said earlier this month. “The problem is such an acute one, doing that sustainably without eroding soil, overusing fertilisers is an enormous challenge,” said the chair of the Royal Society report, Cambridge University’s David Baulcombe.

“There isn’t a lot more land to use,” he told Reuters. “And from the point of expense and using fossil fuels, we want to use less fertiliser.” “The food supply problem is likely to come to a head 10, 20, 30 years from now,” he said, adding this didn’t leave much time given the research lead time to develop new crops.

The answer would be a range of approaches from hi-tech genetically modified crops to low-tech management approaches such as sowing grass around maize to divert pests, as well as preserving the diversity of natural, wild crop varieties.

Farming indirectly, including deforestation, accounts for a third of greenhouse gases, say scientists, underlining the problem of increasing production simply by clearing more land or using more fertilisers, the biggest source of a powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.

Britain had to invest an extra 50 to 100 million pounds annually in research to boost innovation in a sector which had lost allure following food over-supply in Europe, the report said. A combination of changing diets, growing population, demand for farmland for biofuels and high energy prices have stoked food prices and renewed interest in agriculture.
Wednesday’s report invoked the successes of the Green Revolution of the 1960s, but aimed for a more sustainable approach. That revolution had more than doubled food output over 30 years but had also degraded soils in some cases. The world must develop over the next 16 years through genetic modification and conventional breeding varieties of crops resistant to disease, drought, salinity, heat and toxic heavy metals, the report said.

Progress in DNA-sequencing had made more plant genes available for engineering, improving the predictability of results in a “second generation” GM approach. “We’re looking at a different base than 10 years ago,” said Baulcombe. A combination of the food crisis and the global economic downturn has pushed more than one billion people into hunger in 2009, UN agencies said last week, confirming a grim forecast released earlier this year.

The Pressure group Greenpeace said GM crops were a costly distraction from tackling hunger through fighting poverty and helping smallholders in developing countries sell their product. “Poverty and hunger are the same thing,” said Marco Contiero, Greenpeace’s European GM policy director, who pointed out that the world already produced enough to feed itself, if that were shared fairly and there was less waste.  By Gerard Wynn, Independent Online

Filed Under: Agriculture, Crop Protection, Ecology ·