Topics

61

General Discussion / From cell phones to solar condos

« on: October 05, 2011, 02:23:13 AM »

LOOKING for a place to live and have a couple million dollars to spare?

Next year, construction will begin on 30 houses at Block 1 Palmiste, San Fernando.
And solar energy is planned to be used.
The project is headed by Sheldon Stephen, a director with the Lollabee Group of Companies which is responsible for its construction.
Stephen, 26, said the gated community will have 24-hour security surveillance and also armed security.

 "We are trying to capture the uptown market. There will be underground wiring, brick roads and very modern and upscale buildings. The layout and ambience the finished product will be different."
Stephen said, "We are trying to have the most elaborate landscaping ever in Trinidad. We are hoping to use solar power for the complex because we are trying to make it as eco friendly as possible. There will be a gym, swimming pool even though some of the houses would have their own swimming pools and an office where persons could make complaints."...... (wow imagine that)

The houses will cost between $2 million to $4 million.
Stephen said construction should begin within the first three months of 2012.
Plans for the project have already been drawn he said.
He said, "Real estate is one of the real money making ventures in Trinidad. I have always wanted to do that. All the big folks in Trinidad are involved with real estate."
The Lollabee Group of Companies provides cellular services, lighting and effects for parties and functions and construction services.
The name Lollabee was formed by combining Stephen's and his business partner Abdool Azimuldah's nicknames.
Stephen said Lollabee provides state of the art equipment for functions and parties including snow canons, LED screens and LED dance floors, latest lighting and equipment.
Anyone seeking information can call 333-4636.

62

General Discussion / Facebook date ends in fracas

« on: October 04, 2011, 12:36:07 AM »

AN AMERICAN man who assaulted a bartender, after coming to Trinidad to meet a woman he found on Facebook, appeared in court yesterday on multiple charges.

Drew Proctor, 30, of South Carolina, USA, appeared before San Fernando Magistrate Rehanna Hosein.
Court prosecutor Sgt Dwight Halls described how the date went wrong last Saturday evening.
He said Proctor had too many drinks after his Facebook date left, and bartender Alexis Carlos, who works at Linx Suites, Gulf View Link Road, San Fernando, intervened.
Proctor began cursing and knocking over chairs. Police officers were contacted and Proctor was arrested.
His attorney Ainsley Lucky said Proctor was drunk and this had "an adverse effect on his judgment. It was unfortunate."

Hosein ordered Proctor to pay $300 for assaulting the bartender or face three months in prison.
For resisting Constable De Boulet in the execution of his duties, Proctor was fined $3,000. He will face a nine-month prison term for this offence should the money not be paid.
He was also fined $100 for using obscene language.
All the money had to be paid in two days.
Hosein also ordered that Proctor pay Carlos $1,800 compensation for his loss of wages.
Carlos, who was unable to work following the fracas, came to court yesterday with his left arm in a sling.

63

General Discussion / Trader honesty or is it??

« on: September 28, 2011, 03:05:19 AM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqN3amj6AcE&feature=player_embedded#!

64

General Discussion / Calling Lt. Colombo

« on: September 20, 2011, 09:13:38 PM »

Drug tycoon seeks review of girlfriend's death

http://news.yahoo.com/drug-tycoon-seeks-review-girlfriends-death-161147078.html

Was this lady murdered or was it suicide?

65

Cricket Anyone / Live champions league now

« on: September 19, 2011, 05:53:34 AM »

TNT vs Ruunana...

http://crictime.com/server3.htm

TT to bat now....

66

General Discussion / When to quit your Phd!!

« on: September 14, 2011, 07:42:02 AM »

http://phdtips.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-to-quit-your-phd-program.html

67

Football / Former Brazil captain Socrates in stable condition

« on: September 08, 2011, 02:23:14 AM »

Former Brazil captain Socrates in stable condition
Sep 7

SAO PAULO (AP)—Doctors say former Brazil captain Socrates is in stable condition two days after being hospitalized with internal bleeding from the stomach.

The Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement Wednesday the 57-year-old Socrates remains in an intensive care unit and is sedated and on a ventilator.

Doctors said they have reduced the amount of medication needed to keep his blood pressure stabilized.

The hemorrhage was caused by high blood pressure in the vein that carries blood from the digestive system to the liver.

Socrates, who has always acknowledged being a heavy drinker, had been hospitalized with the same problem last month.

An elegant playmaker known for his great vision on the field, Socrates captained Brazil in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

68

General Discussion / BLACKS KILLING BLACKS

« on: September 03, 2011, 09:47:25 AM »

BLACKS KILLING BLACKS
Sandy, Jack react to charges of racism in State of Emergency arrests:By Ria Taitt
 
Using police statistics to buttress his case, National Security Minister John Sandy said yesterday that the majority of crimes in Trinidad and Tobago are committed by Afro-Trinidadians against other Afro-Trinidadians.
And this race also comprises the majority of the prison population, he said during the debate on the motion which asked the House of Representatives to take note of the President's statement which set out the specific grounds on which the decision to declare a State of Emergency was based.
Of the total of 2,307 persons murdered since 2006, 1,668 or 72.3 per cent were of African descent, Sandy said as he addressed allegations of race and racial profiling in the search, detention and arrest of persons.
Sandy said when one looked at the murdered victims, in 2006, of the 390 persons murdered, 228 were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2007, of 391 murdered, 308 were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2008, of 547 murdered, 427 were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2009, of the 506 murdered, 383 were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2010, of the 473 murdered, 320 were Afro-Trinidadians.
"We must recognise that it is people looking like me who are being murdered, mothers like my mother, God rest her soul, who are out there weeping more than any other race," he said.
"When we see the accused being led away, being led to court, in most instances, it is people who look like me with their heads bent, hiding from the cameras. We must stop that. This is why I am appealing to my brothers and sisters to stop that," Sandy said, as People's National Movement (PNM) MP Amery Browne shouted, "Shame!".
Sandy said when one looked at the prison population, of the 2,678 prisoners in 2006, 1,532 were Afro-Trinidadians (57 per cent); in 2007, of 2,726 prisoners, 1,464 were Afro-Trinidadians (54 per cent); in 2008, of 3,012 prisoners, 1,610 or 54 per cent were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2009, of a total of 1,886, 1,776 or 57 per cent were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2010, of 2,412 prisoners, 1,300 were Afro-Trinidadians; in 2011, of 1,734 prisoners, 890 or 51 per cent are Afro-Trinidadians.
Sandy said too many youngsters were dying, and there were too many fatherless children. He noted that in San Juan, one gang leader died, leaving 15 children behind.
Defending the declaration of the State of Emergency on August 21, Sandy said, "I remain confident that the decision was the correct one. Had we not taken that decision and averted what was about to happen...1990 would have been a Christmas party compared to what would have happened...the loss of life, the brutality and mayhem would have made 1990 (coup attempt) a garden party."
He said there were a number of drug busts, culminating in a $22 million drug seizure at Piarco Airport on August 16. He said these seizures initiated senseless killings, in which innocent, law-abiding people would have died.
"Together with this information was the receipt of information and the assimilation of intelligence from our national security forces around mid-Sunday, August 21, that prompted me to request of the Prime Minister that she convene a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) so that I might share the information in my possession," he said. He said there was extensive debate by the NSC before options were recommended by the NSC. He said later that evening, the Cabinet examined the options in further detail before seeking concurrence from the President that a State of Emergency should be declared.
Sandy said "no way in the world" would he consider such a "bold option" as the State of Emergency without tremendous thought and consideration.
He said the police had been "quietly" conducting an operation to rid the country of firearms prior to the State of Emergency being called. During that period, 231 arms were seized.
However, to the naysayers to use the numbers of arrests and seizures as a yardstick of success, Sandy stressed that he wanted to differ from their views.
"If the law enforcement agencies had made one arrest, confiscated one firearm, I would still proclaim that the State of Emergency was a resounding success when I consider the mayhem and bloodshed that could have attended a number of our law-abiding citizens, some of whom could easily have been close relatives to our friends on the other side. I remain confident that this Government took the right decision in declaring a State of Emergency as I am convinced that we prevented a crisis of unprecedented proportions," he said.
Sandy said on August 21, 2011, innocent persons were hiding from the criminals. "Two weeks later, the criminals are hiding from law enforcement officers," he said, adding that citizens were sleeping safely at night, there was a resurgence of family life and the fear of crime had subsided.
"That, Mr Speaker, is our objective, to take back our cities, streets, communities and our beloved nation from the criminals. Hard talk is not our strategy, hard action is," he said, to loud desk-thumping.

69

Cricket Anyone / West Indies board confirms $20m WIPA lawsuit

« on: August 28, 2011, 05:47:36 PM »

Cricketinfo.com

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has filed a US$20 million lawsuit against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and a High Court judge has reportedly given the board six weeks to respond. The WICB had earlier confirmed it had received documents relating to the lawsuit filed by WIPA that "related to the issuance of no objection certificates (issued to players by WICB) which require players to fulfil international duties for the West Indies team if selected".

According to a report by CMC sport wire and IANS, Justice David Harris of the Trinidad and Tobago High Court, who presided over the filing of the claim last week, has also told the region's cricket administrators that they will have 16 days to appear before the court.

The claim comes on the back of a bitter and protracted dispute between WIPA and WICB over player rights and pay. The two bodies are currently in the middle of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement and memorandum of understanding in an attempt to resolve their differences but the suit is bound to complicate that process.

There has been no public statement from WIPA but in the 46-page motion filed before the court, the association stated that the WICB "has engaged in a malicious, wanton and wilful campaign to breach the express and implied terms of the collective bargaining agreements as well as impose unlawful and unreasonable restraints of trade on West Indian cricketers".

At the heart of the case are allegations by WIPA that the board has refused 'to grant an unconditional NOC to players who have no contractual obligations to the WICB or any teams under its jurisdiction'. According to WIPA, such actions constitute "an unreasonable restraint of trade" since they prevent the "players from freely plying their trade as free agents."

Under the current system, players require a no objection certificate (NOC) from their member boards to participate in domestic tournaments in other countries such as the IPL in India and the Friends Life t20 in England.

In the case of West Indies, some of their most prominent players - Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo - have all managed to forge remunerative careers in domestic Twenty20 leagues over the last few years. Last September, the trio turned down the West Indies board's central contracts, which require the players to make themselves available for the West Indies team at all times. The WICB had then talked about tightening the rules for providing NOCs, but so far have never refused to grant a player one, giving all three players permission to play in the 2011 IPL.

However, WIPA argued in its suit that the WICB's decision not to issue unconditional NOCs to those players who are not contracted to the board has resulted in the players not being "compensated for the damages they have suffered and continue to suffer" and that "WICB's actions are designed solely to exploit and profit from players and various members of WIPA to their detriment" (WIPA claims that it represents at least 300 cricketers with no more than 25 players signing retainer contracts with the WICB at any one time).

WIPA asserts that the WICB's conduct is so egregious "that while the WICB purports to act on the player's behalf without their authority, and despite the existence of gross conflicts of interests, the WICB profits from the players' plight by being paid a sum equivalent to 10 per cent of the player's salaries earned by the players participating in overseas matches - all while causing millions of dollars in damages to WIPA and its members."

The players' association claimed that WICB has refused to resolve these issues and has therefore forced WIPA to take legal action. "Simply put, the WICB cannot justify its intentional and malicious conduct and must be stopped to prevent further damage to WIPA, West Indian cricketers and West Indies cricket on the whole."

WIPA wants the High Court to redress the situation by declaring the WICB's position on unconditional NOCs to be "oppressive, illegal, contrary to public policy and constituting an unlawful restraint of trade" and to compel the WICB to issue "unconditional NOCs to players not retained or contracted by the WICB when requested'.

Further, the players' body is seeking "not less than" $10 million in actual damages to "compensate WIPA and its members for the WICB's breaches of the Agreements and Member Contracts as well as for lost earnings to individual players and a further $10 million in actual and exemplary damages to compensate WIPA and its members for the WICB's wilful and malicious actions".

The WICB said its legal team was studying the documents and a further statement will be made at the appropriate time.

70

General Discussion / Excuses for resigning!

« on: August 27, 2011, 07:28:15 AM »

Yes one time or the other we must depart our present position....do you tell the truth or be creative?  I can't answer......what would you tell your boss...........open forum...anything ok............i learning

71

General Discussion / PTSC launches television screens at City Gate

« on: August 18, 2011, 01:18:13 AM »

PTSC launches television screens at City Gate
By RESHMA BAAL Thursday, August 18 2011

As part of its re-branding drive, and in an attempt to renew public confidence in the public transport system, the Public Transport Service Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (PTSC) has embarked on a number of initiatives to improve its service.

One such initiative is the installation of 16 LCD screens throughout PTSC hubs in Trinidad and Tobago which will allow passengers to view television content 24 hours a day via the Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) and Click Media.

“For the first time in the region, passengers will be able to view breaking local and international stories, weather updates, entertainment and bus schedules while they wait for their bus,” director of PTSC’s board, Ashvani Mahabir said.

At the launch of the service yesterday at City Gate in Port-of-Spain, PTSC’s deputy general manager of marketing and communications Carl Ramdeo said the service came at no cost to the PTSC as it was funded by CNMG and Click Media.

“We hope that this will increase revenue as our advertising would be increased greatly. In City Gate hub alone we have some 150,000 persons pass through on a daily basis,” he said.

Richard Lewis, managing director of Label House Group, which has responsibility for Click Media said the screens installed at the Sangre Grande, Scarborough, Point Fortin, San Fernando and City Gate hubs should bring in an additional three million viewers every month.

Ken Ali, CEO of CNMG also announced CNMG has begun to deliver more news content even as it developed a “customised news product” specifically for those who used the water taxi service.

Ravi Ratiram, deputy general manager of properties at PTSC said passengers could look forward to “real time” displays of bus schedules as well as get information on the number of seats available on each bus.

“This would be implemented soon. Also coming soon would be text alerts where passengers can text to find out schedules without coming to the hub. It is the age of information and we have to use it,” he said.

Permanent secretary of the Transport Ministry, Myrna Thompson said the new television network would bring PTSC on par with transportation systems as the rest of the world.

Thompson also announced that PTSC will soon establish hubs in Siparia and Rio Claro in order to better serve commuters.

She also said PTSC’s “rigorous” repair and maintenance programme has allowed for the efficient upgrading of its fleet of buses. This would prevent PTSC services from being interrupted “as the life and proper care of the vehicles would be improved”.

“We also expect to have 100 new buses, whose financing should begin in the new fiscal year,” Thompson said.

72

Cricket Anyone / ROBERTS BOUNCES TTCB

« on: August 18, 2011, 12:04:16 AM »

T&T lose Pollard, Bravo for Champions League

By Kern De Freitas   Aug 18, 2011

It's official!
All-rounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo will not represent Trinidad and Tobago at the 2011 Nokia Champions League T20 tournament in India in September.
After months of rumours, speculation and uncertainty over the players' status for the tournament, Minister of Sport Anil Roberts finally announced yesterday that the duo will play for their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) teams--Pollard with Mumbai Indians and Bravo with 2011 IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings.
During a media conference yesterday, called by Roberts to announce the news, the Minister blamed the T&T Cricket Board's (TTCB) "incompetence and the lack of notification, lack of consultation and information sharing, lack of courtesy and professionalism", and not the players actions, for Pollard's and Bravo's unavailability.
And for what he termed "deceiving" the Sport Minister and Government of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as for the poor handling of the recent National League restructuring issue, Roberts has called for Azim Bassarath to resign as TTCB president.
The Minister accused Bassarath of repeatedly misleading him up to as late as Tuesday, by continually stating that the Board was still locked in discussions with the players over their potential appearance with T&T at the lucrative T20 competition, while he knew the players were unavailable.
Roberts explained that he called a meeting with the two players on Tuesday after Bassarath repeatedly failed to provide updates on the issue.
The duo, he said, explained that they first contacted the TTCB in February after T&T qualified for the tournament a month earlier, indicating there was a possibility they might have to negotiate which team they would represent in the Champions League.
Their IPL teams qualified for the Champions League in May and in June the players told the TTCB they would forfeit 20 per cent of their contracts if they opted to play for Trinidad and Tobago. They wanted to negotiate compensation from the TTCB for the income they would have lost playing for T&T.
Roberts further said the players were not given a decision in subsequent meetings and so informed the Board on July 12 they would play for their IPL teams, just three days before the July 15 deadline that teams were given to name their provisional squads for the tournament.
"It is a very emotional issue and I do not want the population to get the wrong message and believe that Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo do not want to play for their country," Roberts said. "The truth is rather alarming and illustrates how important administrative professionalism is in this country."
If he had been informed of the matter earlier on, Roberts said, he would have ensured the cricketers would represent T&T, even if the Ministry had to partially reimburse the players.
But in subsequent conversations with Bassarath—the last being on Tuesday—the Minister said the TTCB head continued to tell him the Board was still negotiating with the players.
T&T captain Daren Ganga and West Indies Players Association (WIPA) president and CEO Dinanath Ramnarine were also yesterday unaware of the status of the players, Roberts said.
Furthermore, although Roberts is due to go to Cabinet today to confirm the release of funds for the national team's trip to India, he alleged that the TTCB also neglected to inform him that the IPL teams were obligated to compensate the local Board US$150,000 for each player.
Roberts said this information only came to light after he contacted the IPL teams for clarification and a copy of the players' contracts.
"…For not consulting, for taking decisions and trying to hold the Government to ransom for something that we do not know about, for not providing information at any time…for telling untruths to the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs and the permanent secretary and the adviser, for keeping us in the dark…I humbly suggest that Mr Azim Bassarath step down and allow somebody else who is more professional, more honest, more forthcoming to run Trinidad and Tobago's cricket."
Roberts also slammed Bassarath on the TTCB National League restructuring proposal, saying while clause 5.2 of the document indicated the proposal hinged on $4.5 million funding from Government, the Ministry had never been consulted on the matter.
"I was shocked to say the least," Roberts declared, "because while you do not have to consult with me to restructure the League, you have to consult with the Ministry and the Minister if you intend to increase the amount of money you are allocated from the Government coffers."

73

General Discussion / Pilot, stewardess had sex romp in cockpit

« on: August 15, 2011, 08:07:56 AM »

August 13 2011 at 04:07pm
By Hazel Parry

Hong Kong - A pilot and a flight attendant were dismissed from Cathay Pacific after photos of them having oral sex in a cockpit appeared online and in print, the Hong Kong airline said Saturday.

The airline's chief executive John Slosar said the couple, who have not been identified, “are no longer employees of the company.”

He stressed that the incident did not happen while a plane was airborne and said a report would be forwarded to Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department.

“I find any behaviour that recklessly soils the reputation of our company or our team members as totally unacceptable.” Slosar said. “That's why we moved as swiftly as we could to ascertain the facts of the case, and to take decisive action.”

According to Chinese newspaper reports, the pilot protested that he and the flight attendant are a couple and that the pictures were downloaded from his personal computer without his knowledge. - Sapa-dpa

They don't call it the "cockpit" for nothing!

74

Cricket Anyone / VIV RICHARDS vs SHANE WARNE - RARE FOOTAGE- legend vs legend

« on: August 07, 2011, 08:02:56 PM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RajqY37YjpU&feature=related

75

General Discussion / South Africa: 'Dead man' wakes up inside morgue

« on: July 25, 2011, 08:47:01 AM »

A 50-year-old South African man woke up inside a mortuary over the weekend and screamed to be let out - scaring away attendants who thought he was a ghost.

His family presumed he was dead when they could not wake him on Saturday night and contacted a private morgue in a rural village in the Eastern Cape.

He spent almost 24 hours inside the morgue, the region's health department spokesman told the Sapa news agency.

The two attendants later returned and called for an ambulance.

The man - whose identity has been withheld - was treated in hospital for dehydration.


“At first the men ran for their lives”

Sizwe Kupelo
Eastern Cape health spokesperson
"Doctors put him under observation and concluded he was stable," Eastern Cape health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said.

"He did not need further treatment."

Mr Kupelo said the man woke up at 1700 local time (1500 GMT) on Sunday, demanding to be let out of the chilly morgue in Libode village, frightening the attendants on duty.

"At first the men ran for their lives," said Mr Kupelo.

Officials have urged the public to contact doctors or the emergency services so they can they can pronounce someone dead before calling an undertaker.

"You begin to you ask yourself how many other people have died like that in a morgue," said Mr Kupelo.

"We need to [get] the message across to all South Africans that it is very wrong for them to conclude on their own that a person has died," he said.

76

Football / King Kenny key moments !!

« on: July 10, 2011, 12:49:08 AM »

Interesting read this....

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/864496/first-xi:-king-kenny's-key-moments?cc=4716

77

General Discussion / Australia's New South Wales police get new burka powers

« on: July 05, 2011, 05:23:56 AM »

Police in Australia's New South Wales state have been given more powers to remove burkas and other face coverings to identify crime suspects.

Anyone who refuses to show their face could now be jailed for up to a year or face a heavy fine.

The move follows the recent case of a Muslim woman who was acquitted after a judge ruled her Islamic veil made a positive identification impossible.

Islamic leaders in the state said they were comfortable with the new measure.

However, civil liberty groups expressed concern that the police were being given powers they did not need.

'Clarity and certainty'
The government of Australia's most populous state approved the changes at a meeting late on Monday.


"I don't care whether a person is wearing a motorcycle helmet, a burka, niqab, face veil or anything else, the police should be allowed to require those people to make their identification clear," Premier Barry O'Farrell said.

He added: "I have every respect for various religions and beliefs but when it comes to enforcing the law the police should be given adequate powers to make a clear identification."

Anyone in New South Wales who refuses to remove their face covering could now be fined A$5,500 (£3,672, $5,882) or put in prison for a year.

State police welcomed the change, saying it would "provide clarity and certainty for both the public and for police officers".

The Islamic Council of New South Wales said it accepted the move, while the Muslim Women's Association said it had no problem if police handled the issue sensitively, including the deployment of female police officers.

The changes come after the high-profile case of Carnita Matthews, who last year was sentenced to six months in prison for falsely accusing a policeman of trying to forcibly remove her burka during a random breath test.

But she won on appeal after a judge ruled that the prosecution could not prove she had made the false complaint because officers were not able to see her face.

State police previously had the power to request the removal of face veils while investigating serious offences, but not on more routine matters.

The Western Australian state government is now also considering introducing similar legislation, the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney reports.

78

Cricket Anyone / Government to intervene in Gayle-WICB standoff

« on: July 05, 2011, 05:08:49 AM »

Government to intervene in Gayle-WICB standoff
ESPNcricinfo staff
July 5, 2011

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government have decided to intervene in the West Indies Players Association's (WIPA) dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) over the future of former captain Chris Gayle. The move comes on the heels of Gayle's latest public and emotional statement against the board that included a request for government intervention.

CARICOM chairman Denzil Douglas said the heads of government had agreed to resurrect the prime-ministerial sub-committee on cricket to try to work out a solution. "Today we had to take certain decisions with regards to the impasse that seems to be ongoing between the regional players association and the WICB," Douglas told the CMC Sports Wire. "We believe that West Indies cricket has not been one of the vehicles of which the Caribbean man today can be proud of moving himself upwards."

CARICOM's announcement follows Guyana president Bharrat Jagdeo's scathing criticism of the board. "It comes back to who owns West Indian cricket," Jagdeo said. "The board thinks it owns West Indian cricket, my belief is that it belongs to all of us, the people of this region.

"[In] many countries, when you have failures consistently, the board goes because sometimes it is the problem. Here it does not seem as if this is going to happen.

"Gayle is being treated unfairly by the WICB. You can't not tell him anything; he needs to earn too, and then you have a tour coming and when he goes off, he gets another contract then you're concerned that he has left the region."

Jagdeo also claimed the board was following its own agenda against some of the players, and was highly critical of coach Ottis Gibson's interference with senior cricketers.

"This can't be right. Something is wrong. It is all about pettiness and the culture of going with people who are compliant and I think we need to change a lot of these people. We need to have term limits there too. We need to have serious term limits on these boards."

The Gayle-WICB standoff was sparked off when Gibson criticised the senior batsmen following the team's quarter-final exit at the World Cup. Gayle was subsequently ignored for the Pakistan series, along with fellow seniors Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Gayle travelled to India to participate in the IPL - where he was the player of the tournament - leaving the WICB disappointed since they were under the impression he was undergoing rehabilitation.

Gayle reacted by slamming the board in a radio interview with KLAS Sports, saying he had been left with no option but to sign an IPL contract since the WICB had disrespected and mistreated him by not checking with him over his fitness before announcing the squad. He was consequently left out of the squad for the India games as well, and a heated meeting with the board - also attended by WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine - did little to improve matters, prompting Gayle's impassioned release that stated he was going to seek options outside the West Indies to further his cricketing career.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

79

General Discussion / Nova Scotia told to pay for grower's medical pot

« on: June 20, 2011, 06:08:51 AM »

CBC
The Nova Scotia government has been ordered to sponsor the medical marijuana growing operation of a woman who says she's too poor to pay for the equipment herself.

The Department of Community Services must pay a one-time setup cost of $2,500 and $100 every three months for supplies, an appeal board ruled.

The Income Assistance Appeals Board concluded that the Amherst woman's need for marijuana was real, and since she has no other means, the department should assist her rather than pay for her pot.

The board stated that her request seems quite reasonable in comparison to what the department pays for other medications.

Tanya couldn't be happier.

"When I don't smoke marijuana I have so much pain that I don't want to get out of bed. I have no energy, I don't want to do nothing," she told CBC News.

Tanya doesn't want her last name used. She fears the grow operation she shares with her husband will be targeted by thieves.

Tanya and Sam, both in their 40s, use marijuana to lessen their pain. She has injuries suffered in a car crash, while he has glaucoma and a blood disorder.

They both have licences from Health Canada to grow medical marijuana for their own use. Between them, they have permission to grow up to 25 plants, but right now they can only afford to have six, so they sometimes run through their supply.

The Nova Scotia couple both have disabilities and use pot to ease their pain. (CBC)
Sam said he cannot understand why the department turned down the request in the first place.

"It's seriously a miracle drug that needs to be recognized a lot more than it's recognized at this point in time," he said.

Community Services has asked its legal department to review the board's decision.

Sam was preparing to represent his wife in court in October. Sam is still preparing a seperate lawsuit against the department, the cabinet minister and the appeals board.

In Nova Scotia
As of May, 1,133 people in Nova Scotia were allowed to have marijuana for medical purposes.

It's not known how many people in the province have licences to grow it. Health Canada says it won't provide a provincial breakdown for privacy reasons.

This isn't the first time the province has faced a legal challenge over medical marijuana.

Last year, a Halifax woman on income assistance won her fight to get the province to pay for her pot as a special need.

Sally Campbell turned to the court after Community Services turned down her request for an increase in her income assistance.

The court later ruled that it wasn't up to the department to decide if the benefits of medical marijuana have been proven and ordered it to start paying for Campbell's pot.

80

General Discussion / Japan scientist synthesizes meat from human feces

« on: June 16, 2011, 11:56:43 PM »

Japan scientist synthesizes meat from human feces   Source:Digital Trends
 
Somehow this feels like a Vonnegut plotline: population boom equals food shortage. Solution? Synthesize food from human waste matter. Absurd yes, but Japanese scientists have actually discovered a way to create edible steaks from human feces.

Mitsuyuki Ikeda, a researcher from the Okayama Laboratory, has developed steaks based on proteins from human excrement. Tokyo Sewage approached the scientist because of an overabundance of sewage mud. They asked him to explore the possible uses of the sewage and Ikeda found that the mud contained a great deal of protein because of all the bacteria.

The researchers then extracted those proteins, combined them with a reaction enhancer and put it in an exploder which created the artificial steak. The “meat” is 63% proteins, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids and 9% minerals. The researchers color the poop meat red with food coloring and enhance the flavor with soy protein. Initial tests have people saying it even tastes like beef.

Inhabitat notes that “the meatpacking industry causes 18 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions, mostly due to the release of methane from animals.” Livestock also consume huge amounts of resources and space in efforts to feed ourselves as well as the controversy over cruelty to animals. Ikeda’s recycled poop burger would reduce waste and emissions, not to mention obliterating Dante’s circle for gluttons.

The scientists hope to price it the same as actual meat, but at the moment the excrement steaks are ten to twenty times the price they should be thanks to the cost of research. Professor Ikeda understands the psychological barriers that need to be surmounted knowing that your food is made from human feces. They hope that once the research is complete, people will be able to overlook that ugly detail in favor of perks like environmental responsibility, cost and the fact that the meat will have fewer calories.

Waste not; want not.

81

Football / Most expensive Benchwarmers in Football?

« on: June 13, 2011, 10:48:54 PM »

Who is your #1 pick for milking d paycheck but always on d bench?? I not talking injured players..I talking underutilized. Sometime come on in d last 2 minutes of d game or aint even suit up..

82

General Discussion / 23 A' Levels

« on: June 11, 2011, 10:44:57 AM »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7863473.stm

83

General Discussion / World's Most Expensive Cities 2011

« on: June 11, 2011, 07:37:48 AM »

World's Most Expensive Cities 2011
by Vanessa Wong
Bloomberg Businessweek

No. 1: Tokyo

Quick lunch: $20.80
Beer at a bar: $10.56
Kilogram of rice: $9.80
Dozen eggs: $4.50
Movie theater ticket: $23.80

Although the consumer price index in the Tokyo area has been falling since 2009, according to data from Japan's statistics bureau, the city remains the world's most expensive. While housing costs are not included in this survey, ECA International estimates that the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Tokyo stood at $4,352 in September.


No. 2: Oslo

Quick lunch: $45.20
Beer at a bar: $13.18
Kilogram of rice: $6.10
Dozen eggs: $8.50
Movie theater ticket: $18.80

Norway's capital is a major hub for trade, shipping, and finance and is home to the Oslo Stock Exchange. Oslo has ranked among the world's most expensive cities for years, which is not surprising when a quick lunch costs about $45 and a dozen eggs, $8.50.


No. 3: Nagoya, Japan

Quick lunch: $19
Beer at a bar: $11.37
Kilogram of rice: $8.50
Dozen eggs: $3.60
Movie theater ticket: $21.80

Nagoya is one of Japan's premier industrial and technological centers and is well known for its high quality of life and competitive business costs, according to the U.S. Commercial Service. Unlike Japan's other major cities, Nagoya was not significantly harmed by the global economic downturn and has maintained its growth.


No. 4: Stavanger, Norway

Quick lunch: $32.30
Beer at a bar: $12.83
Kilogram of rice: $5.70
Dozen eggs: $6.80
Movie theater ticket: $17.30

Stavanger was mainly a fishing community until oil was found in the North Sea in the 1960s, transforming it into a major Norwegian city. Today, Norway is a leading oil exporter, with Statoil as the largest oil company in the Stavanger region. The industry has become central to the local economy and has attracted many residents from other countries.


No. 5: Yokohama, Japan

Quick lunch: $16.90
Beer at a bar: $6.59
Kilogram of rice: $4.20
Dozen eggs: $2.50
Movie theater ticket: $21.70

Japan's second-largest city after Tokyo, Yokohama is easily reached from Tokyo by train. The port city is home to over 300 IT firms and has a growing biotechnology base, according to the city. Yokohama has nine main business districts and exports many cars and auto parts.


No. 6: Zurich

Quick lunch: $32.90
Beer at a bar: $10.54
Kilogram of rice: $3.70
Dozen eggs: $7.90
Movie theater ticket: $19.60

The financial sector is an important part of Zurich's economy and the city is home to the Swiss Stock Exchange and companies such as Credit Suisse and Swiss Re. Zurich is also a major transportation hub. Mercer ranked the city second in the world for quality of life in 2010, but such a high standard of living does not come cheap: Zurich jumped to No. 6, from being the 10th most expensive city last year.


No. 7: Luanda, Angola

Quick lunch: $52.40
Beer at a bar: $6.62
Kilogram of rice: $4.60
Dozen eggs: $5.20
Movie theater ticket: $13.90

Luanda was the most expensive city in the world in ECA International's 2009 ranking. Last year it slipped to third place, due to the depreciation of the kwanza, and this year it fell again, to No. 7. While the city has a high poverty rate, it remains one of the most expensive places for expatriates to maintain standards of living comparable to those in their home countries.


No. 8: Geneva

Quick lunch: $33.70
Beer at a bar: $9.12
Kilogram of rice: $4.70
Dozen eggs: $8.60
Movie theater ticket: $19.20

Truly a global city, Geneva is home to such international organizations as the United Nations (which has an office in the city) and the International Committee of the Red Cross. An important center for banking, government, and technology, Geneva attracts many professional visitors, as well as tourists. It ranked as the third-best city in the world for quality of life in Mercer's 2010 report.


No. 9: Kobe, Japan

Quick lunch: $15.60
Beer at a bar: $8.69
Kilogram of rice: $9.30
Dozen eggs: $3.10
Movie theater ticket: $20.80

Kobe is one of Japan's busiest ports and a manufacturing center for appliances, food, and transportation equipment. The city offers many types of cuisine, though it's known best for high grade and pricey Kobe beef.


No. 10: Bern, Switzerland

Quick lunch: $28.80
Beer at a bar: $7.46
Kilogram of rice: $4.70
Dozen eggs: $8.40
Movie theater ticket: $19.10

Switzerland's capital, Bern is the center of Swiss government, the engineering industry, and the precision industry, as well as a manufacturing center for watches and other technology used in the medical, IT, and automotive sectors, according to the Bern Economic Development Agency. Branded watches such as Rolex, Longines, Swatch, and Rado are manufactured in the Canton of Bern.

84

General Discussion / Real or Fake?

« on: June 08, 2011, 06:04:38 AM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQAaeY0DsgI&feature=related

85

General Discussion / Paralysed man can stand and move his legs again

« on: May 21, 2011, 05:03:54 PM »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13444036

86

General Discussion / $8m cocaine seized

« on: May 14, 2011, 07:04:00 PM »

$8m cocaine seized
By Akile Simon

A couple and a Venezuelan national were arrested by police after officers raided a house in Barataria on Thursday and seized hundreds of rounds in ammunition and $8 million in pure cocaine.

Up to late yesterday, the couple, ages 31 and 36, and a 36-year-old Venezuelan, were in custody at the Morvant Police Station, being quizzed by officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force.

According to police, around 4.30 p.m. on Thursday, Task Force officers and police from the Criminal Intelligence Unit, headed by Snr Supt John Martinez, Supt John Daniel and Sgt Roger Alexander, raided a house at Second Street, Upper Sixth Avenue, Barataria.

Police said after conducting months of surveillance at the house, they executed a search warrant and found 11.5 kilogrammes of pure cocaine; 325 rounds of 9mm ammunition; a Walther 9mm pistol with eight rounds ammunition; a Force 99" 9mm pistol with eight rounds of ammunition; and 315 grammes of marijuana.
The three suspects were immediately taken into custody by the officers. An interpreter was used to interview the Venezuelan national in connection with the discovery of the items.

Police said the suspects are expected to be charged at the weekend in connection with the incident.

87

Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Gayelle owing rent: forced to move

« on: May 14, 2011, 06:44:32 PM »

Local TV station Gayelle the Channel has been forced to move out of its St James studios because of falling revenues.

Errol Fabien, co-founder of Gayelle the Channel yesterday told the Express rumours that the television station had $5 million in debt were untrue.
He said that although revenue was down and the station was forced to move out of its studios at Western Main Road, St James, Gayelle is still broadcasting from its temporary location at upper St Vincent Street, Port of Spain.

"We are not five million dollars in debt. That is completely untrue. Revenue is down because people have not been advertising on Gayelle and we had to move out of the building in St James. We are owing some rent and left equipment with the landlord until we can settle."

"We would not be in this situation if we showed foreign content or if we advertised alcoholic products. People are not willing to advertise on a station showing only local content. We had to shrink the company and are starting from scratch, but if you tune in you will see that we are still running programming and we are still training young people," Fabien said.

"When you buy foreign content it costs about US$500 per half an hour. That is money leaving the country. Advertising and investing in local content means the money remains here giving the consumers more buying power, which benefits local business. The shows we produce may not be the high quality of Hollywood, but they are all relevant to us. In the past seven years we have produced more local programming than anyone else," Fabien said.

Fabien said the Government should provide incentives for television and radio stations that offer fully local content.

"It is easy to just buy foreign content and advertise alcohol to see the station make it, but we are not going to sell out or give up and stop. It is hard, but it will never end even it comes down to only me here," Fabien said.

88

Cricket Anyone / Mumbai teen's favourite cricketer is not Tendulkar

« on: May 01, 2011, 08:40:34 AM »

Mumbai teen's favourite cricketer is not Tendulkar
Aberrant behaviour blamed in part on upbringing
S Aga
April 27, 2011


Investigators in Mumbai are believed to have chanced upon a young man whose favourite cricketer of all time is not Sachin Tendulkar.

The 13-year-old, whose name has not been released, to protect him and his family, is alleged to have said that while he quite liked Tendulkar, his all-time favourite player was probably Vivian Richards. "It keeps changing," he said.

While it is too early to speculate on the reasons for the boy's aberrant behavior, theories have been put forth that his parents are partly to blame, beginning with their failure to name their son Sachin, though he was born in 1998, the year Tendulkar was at the peak of his powers.

"We did not realise what a monumental blunder we were making," the boy's mother said recently. She added that she should have known something was wrong years ago, when her son, six at the time, didn't produce an entry saying "Go east, go west, Sachin is d best", like all his classmates, in a school banner-making competition.

The drastic breach of convention was brought to the notice of the apex government agency in charge of investigating instances of anti-national behaviour by an alert schoolteacher, who noticed there was not a single mention of Tendulkar in an essay titled "My idea of God", submitted by the boy a few months ago.

"He is otherwise a good student, but he must be punished," the teacher told this website.

A security guard at the residential complex the teenager lives in with his parents told television channels he saw it coming in 2007, when he noticed the boy, then 10, did not tug at his crotch before settling into his stance during games of backyard cricket in the compound. "That made me suspicious," the guard said.

"I also noticed that same year this fellow was very happy - from June to December especially," he added, pointing out that Tendulkar was out six times in the 90s in ODIs in that period. The offender was alleged to have watched the Naked Gun movies repeatedly in those months, in flagrant disregard for the national mood of mourning.

"And that time when Sachin saab had that elbow problem, this boy played a lot of tennis. It was like he was mocking him," the guard added.

In addition to their poor judgement in the matter of naming their son, the parents are also believed to be to blame in other ways. They did not take the boy to Shivaji Park frequently enough to derive inspiration by kissing the pitch favoured by Tendulkar in his pre-teen years. This though the family lives in Virar, only 50-odd kilometres away from Shivaji Park.

"We used to leave at 5.30am every Saturday with our son," one of the family's neighbours said, "but they never came, even though I invited them once or twice.

"They have brought shame on the entire colony," he added.

It is reported the parents also neglected to purchase a Mumbai Indians replica t-shirt with Tendulkar's name on the back for their son till earlier this year, though the IPL has been around since 2008 and replica t-shirts have been available since then.

The investigators have been making rapid strides in building a watertight case for the prosecution. One of the officers, who did not wish to be named, said, "I asked him a simple question - how many nights had Sachin not slept before the match with Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup - and he did not know the answer."

"I ask pardon from the nation on behalf of my son," the boy's father said in a statement, while eating a vada pav in an attempt to display that he was a true Mumbaikar.

The quotes and "facts" in this piece are all made up, but you already knew that, didn't you?

89

Football / Sepp Blatter pledges reform if re-elected Fifa chief

« on: April 30, 2011, 07:41:09 AM »

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has pledged wide-ranging reforms if he is re-elected, including changes to how future World Cup hosts are chosen.

He says he is considering allowing all of Fifa's 208 member associations to vote on host countries in future.

Blatter, 75, is standing against Asian football president Mohamed Bin Hammam in the election on 1 June.

He told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine he hopes his reforms will "restore the credibility" of Fifa.

The governing body was criticised for the voting process that led its 24-man executive committee - reduced to 22 after two members were suspended for corruption - give Russia the 2018 World Cup and choose Qatar as host of the 2022 tournament.

Blatter, who is seeking a fourth term as president, is proposing a solution similar to the way in which the International Olympic Committee chooses Olympic venues.

"That's a project I have at the back of my mind," revealed Blatter. "I'd like to adopt the example of the International Olympic Committee to avoid a repeat of what's happened in future.

"The executive committee receives 10 or 12 bids, looks at them, recommends the best ones and then lets the general assembly vote.

World Cup votes should be public - Bin Hammam
"That would be a positive solution for Fifa. In view of the uncomfortable experience I had here in Zurich on December 2 it's an idea worth considering."

Blatter has also proposed setting up a watchdog committee to supervise how football's governing body works, adding he already knew who he wanted to head the body, but did not name them.

"I can't tell you the name yet. He will choose the other members," said Blatter, who confirmed these individuals would not come from within football. "They should be familiar with football but their priority will be to restore credibility."

Blatter said he wanted another term in which to finish what he has called his "mission in football".

"We want to be a little more (influential) in our society... in education. What is education in our game? It is discipline, respect, fighting spirit and fair play," he said.

The Swiss also criticised his Qatari opponent in the presidential election, Bin Hammam, for his decision to stand for election.

"I don't know why Bin Hammam became so aggressive suddenly. He repeatedly told the executive he would not run against me and now he is doing it," said Blatter. "We had a really good relationship and he supported my election in 1998. We worked together but I wouldn't say it was a friendship."

Blatter, who insists he is confident of winning the election, also revealed his presidential salary was "$1m(£598,000), perhaps a bit more" before also claiming: "I'm not ashamed by that".

"Compared with international companies listed on the stock exchange, we are school kids as far as salaries are concerned," he added.

He was also willing to publish the salaries of other Fifa officials, "if the congress so decides".

90

General Discussion / China asks N. Zealand for extra quake dead cash

« on: March 14, 2011, 01:51:47 AM »

WELLINGTON (AFP) – Beijing asked New Zealand Monday to pay extra compensation to Chinese parents whose children died in the Christchurch earthquake, saying China's one-child policy had exacerbated their loss.

Cheng Lei, a counsellor at Beijing's embassy in Wellington, said the one-child policy meant Chinese parents whose son or daughter died in the quake had not only lost a loved one, but also their family's future breadwinner.

"You can expect how lonely, how desperate they are, not only from losing loved ones, but losing almost entirely the major source of economic assistance after retirement," Cheng told Radio New Zealand.
Officials have confirmed seven Chinese students were killed in last month's 6.3-magnitude quake, with another 20-plus believed dead but not yet formally identified after the office block that housed their language school collapsed.

Under New Zealand law, the families of disaster victims, regardless of nationality, receive payments from a government fund called the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC).
The amounts due to relatives of the more than 200 people believed killed in the February 22 quake have not been publicly revealed but Cheng said many Chinese families believed it was not enough "to lead a sound or serene life".

He said the Chinese families were a special case because of the one-child policy, which Beijing introduced in 1980 as a means of limiting population growth.
"We hope the New Zealand government will take this very special case into consideration and, if possible, can make arrangements in terms of economic assistance other than the current ones," he said.

"You can imagine, if New Zealand adopted the same policy and any New Zealand family lost its only son or only daughter."
Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said the New Zealand government was doing its best to look after the bereaved Chinese families but existing laws made it was difficult to single out groups for special payments.
"It's hard within the framework of New Zealand," he said.