| UNICEF report: Infant mortality rates still high
Nearly 10 million children under five died worldwide in 2006, according to a new report. That is a daily rate of 26,000 deaths. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has used the latest data available (2006) on the under-five mortality rate for every country in the world. The rate is expressed as the number of children dying before their fifth birthday per 1,000 live births. Of the 10 million, 4 million die within the first month of life, half of these within the first 24 hours. Many of these deaths are related to the lack of adequate medical and nursing intervention at the time of birth. The report notes that half a million women a year die in childbirth. The mortality rate is a result of various factors, such as nutrition, availability of safe water, child and maternal services available, the availability of medication and immunisation.
Power loss a blow to wind farm
Predictictions of annual generation for planning and financing, is based on the AVERAGE, not maximum capacity. Consider this analogy. Your automobile may have an engine rated at 100 horsepower (or "hp"). Yet, when cruising the roads, you may only be using 10 hp. Then why not use a 10 hp engine? Because you need the extra horspower in bursts for accelerations from a stop or to pass other cars. That "extra" 90 hp is essential. Likewise, occasional and seasonal winds greater than the average carry vast amounts of energy. A wind turbine rated for 100% maximum power in the average wind would be an engineering and financial stupidity. A wind turbine generating 1/3 of its maximum potential output may , in fact, be running 100% of the time, and be performing exactly as required.How else could it capture the energy of high winter winds if it ran at full maximum in summer calm? This is different than a nuclear reactor.
Are Designers The Enemy Of Design?
Does a great movie on global warming but does he walk the talk with a 20-room mansion and private jets? What is his real carbon footprint? Yes, he buys all kinds of carbon offsets, you know pay peasants in the Amazon to grow trees. But is that living a sustainable life. Can you buy your way to a carbon-free life there if you are rich? Both Davos and the Oscars were full of rich folks flying in on private jets leaving a big fat carbon footprint. Yet both conferences were allegedly CARBON-FREE. What's up with that? OK, enough. Now that I've insulted designers, allow me to insult myself. In the 90's, I was the editorial page editor of Business Week. I was the VOICE OF AUTHORITY. Truly, they had an ad campaign revolving around the voice of authority. I did design as a journalistic afterthought, at nights or the weekend.
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TELUS Reports Profit of $400 Million in Fourth Quarter 2007
Vancouver, BC, February 15, 2008--(T-Net)--TELUS Corporation today reported fourth quarter 2007 revenue of $2.33 billion, an increase of 3.4 per cent from a year ago. The performance was driven by nine per cent growth in wireless revenue and seven per cent growth in wireline data revenue, partially offset by declines in local and long distance wireline revenues. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased eight per cent to $953 million due to a 14 per cent increase in the wireless segment and two per cent increase in the wireline segment.
Net income in the quarter was $400 million and earnings per share (EPS) was $1.23, up 66 per cent and 73 per cent respectively. Net income and EPS included favourable tax related adjustments of approximately $143 million or 44 cents per share, compared to $20 million or six cents a year ago.
What’s Going On Calendar: Ongiong Events
San Francisco Women Against Rape seeks volunteers committed to supporting survivors of sexual assault, challenging all forms of oppression, and developing valuable counseling skills. People of color and people who are bilingual/bicultural are encouraged to apply. To find out more call 415-861-2024x319 or check us out at www.sfwar.org/volunteers.html. Speak up for a child in foster care. SF's foster children need your help. Be a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Men and people of color are especially needed. Training provided. Call for upcoming orientations dates and locations, 415-398-8001. Info at www.sfcasa.org. Become a volunteer at one of SF's most resourceful youth organizations. SMART, Schools Mentoring and Resource Team, is a scholarship program for highly motivated, low-income middle school students in SF.
Exxon v. Venezuela and you’re the loser in this battle
Exxon claims it's won a round in its court battle against Venezuela. Venezuelan assets are now frozen in Britain and Netherlands. A lawsuit is in court int he U.S. as well. Exxon claims total Venezuelan assets valued at $36 billion dollars are now frozen. In turn Venzuela is threatening to retaliate by cutting off oil exports to the U.S. in what it terms an economic war. Bet they won't have any trouble selling that oil elsewhere. Of course nothing like a good slam-bang international oil crisis to set up another upward surge in crude oil prices which have now once again gone over $90 per barrel. Exxon v. Venezuela trumps recession fears for now. And this is another full employment act for lawyers. Even V's socialist regime will have to pay international law firms.
Concentration camps in America: The consequences of 40 years of fear
More realistically, an increase in street and campus protests against the Iraq War, similar to those of the '60s, could easily lead to the imposition of martial law in the Unites States as an extension of the War on Terrorism. Or, as the current recession deepens into a depression with wide spread unemployment, hunger and civil unrest, martial law could be imposed and military work camps established. Irrespective of how it plays out, every scenario involves mass preventative detentions, without trial, by the military and requires federal confinement facilities. Accepting the fact that the president has the power to detain as many American citizens as he chooses, is the government actually building facilities to concentrate them? In January 2006, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $385 million contract to former Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) to provide detention centers in the United States to deal with "an emergency influx of immigrants into the US, or to support the rapid deployment of new programs." Unexplained were these "new programs" and why they require a major expansion of detention centers.
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