tagged w/ Current News France
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A pretty disturbing thought. As if we don't have enough problems.
"The number of people unemployed throughout the world could rise by up to 25 million by 2010 because of the global financial and economic crisis, the head of the OECD Angel Gurria said on Monday.
"We're heading for a loss of between eight and 10 million jobs in the OECD area... and 20 to 25 million in the world as a whole between now and 2010," Gurria said on France's BFM radio.
Gurria said that the construction sector would be especially badly hit because its activities had "stopped in a brutal way," affecting in particular countries such as Spain and Ireland.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris brings together 30 countries, including all the world's industrialised economies. The group conducts research and publishes economic forecasts.
Gurria also suggested that European countries should spend more in their fiscal stimulus plans to kickstart their economies, considering the size of rescue plans in China, Japan and the United States."
The European Union should "go beyond" the fiscal stimulus plans already announced, equivalent to around 1.4 percent of GDP, since "all the other major countries are going beyond that," Gurria added.A pretty disturbing thought. As if we don't have enough problems.
"The... more
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NFUSA
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4 years ago
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Can any sequel match Hugo's work?
"Two modern-day sequels to Victor Hugo's classic Les Miserables have been allowed by a French appeals court.
In 2001, novelist Francois Ceresa published the follow-ups to the acclaimed 19th-Century classic.
But Hugo's family objected to the books - Cosette and the Time of Illusions and Marius or The Fugitive - arguing they were an insult to the original work.
The Paris High Court ruled they did not constitute a threat to the integrity of the original novel.
Hugo's heirs - including his great, great grandson Pierre Hugo - filed a suit in 2001 demanding 685,000 euros (£636,181) in damages from Ceresa, who wrote the novels using the characters and style of Les Miserables.
They also sought to ban the two books.
The family had since reduced its claim to a symbolic one euro in damages and dropped the idea of outlawing the books.
But the court ruled on Friday that Hugo's novel was in the public domain, meaning Ceresa was therefore free to invent a sequel.
"Francois Ceresa, who does not pretend to have Victor Hugo's talent, is free to pursue his own personal expression, which does not necessarily act on all the levels that Victor Hugo was able to access," the judges ruled.
"We can't criticise the author of this sequel... not to have respected the learned construction of the primary work, which functions on many levels through philosophical and historical asides," they added.
"He is also free to develop the characters that he brings back to life in new situations."
Hugo's family were particularly annoyed that Ceresa had resurrected the policeman Inspector Javert, who drowned in the Seine in the course of Les Miserables for the modern sequels.
But the judges decided it was not sufficient reason to ban the sequels. They said: "The general spirit of Les Miserables can not be reduced to Javert's fate, but embraces a much wider social and philosophical project."Can any sequel match Hugo's work?
"Two modern-day sequels to Victor... more
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NFUSA
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4 years ago
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Morning Edition, July 10, 2008 · Mary Lou Sarazin went to Paris to teach. When the job ended, she was newly married to a French husband and pregnant. Her visa had expired, however, and she couldn't renew it right away, so she returned to New York a little over a year ago to finish graduate school and have the baby.
Sarazin, 34, has since received health care in both France and the United States. Her experience has given her a firsthand look into why France has earned a reputation for being a good place to be pregnant and have a child.
In New York, pregnant and unable to find work, Sarazin couldn't find health insurance that she could afford. Eventually, she did get limited coverage through New York Medicaid, the state program for the poor and uninsured, but it only covered her prenatal and hospital care. Once the baby was born, she would be uninsured again.
"I just felt like when I was in New York, it was always stress, stress, stress," she says. "I just didn't like the care I was receiving. And I didn't want to stress out about something I shouldn't have to stress out, not at the time of my pregnancy."
----WAY more at the link. You may choose to read it or listen. It clocks in at 8 minutes. It's a great article and gives way to thinking. I believe that every Country has something uniquely awesome about them that if all countries took something from each other the world would most defiantly become better....and in this case the French know their mommies. Morning Edition, July 10, 2008 · Mary Lou Sarazin went to Paris to teach. When... more
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A project envisaged and curated by Jean-François Sanz (head of cultural projects agnès b.)
Between the late 70s and mid-80s in France, a prolific and chaotic music scene that combined the energy of rock-n-roll, punk nihilism and electronic experimentation.
A kind of hope and frenzied vitality could also be detected during these years. A breed
of modernist utopia, which was sometimes wilfully ironic, fed them both. A whole segment of, they were nonetheless resistant to the post-Hippie utopias of the previous generation. In search of an identity, they recognised themselves in the dark lyrics, the
cold synthetic music and the laid-back attitude of the new groups hatching all over the country, as much in the provinces as in Paris.
With the benefit of thirty years’ hindsight, the “Mödern Young People” project reactivates this post-punk/novo diskö/French new & cold wave scene, through an exhibition, a book, an audio compilation, and a documentary film. One of the project’s ambitions is to highlight a cross-section of the specific creative diversity of this scene. It does so by engaging with the music produced by this scene, but also with the aesthetics and the attitudes.
The Art Pack Thanks: Agnès b., Jean-François Sanz, Marie Schneier, Annie Maurette, Yann Le Marec, Gilles Le Guen, Les éditions Naïve (Laurence Patrice et Corinne Stenneler), Maripol, Patrick Vidal, Pierre René-Worms, Dominique Fury, Patrick Eudeline, Claude Arto, Gilles Riberolles, Laurent Fétis, J-B Guillot & Born Bad Records,
Directed & Produced by The Art Pack:
- Vincent Tajan
- Victor Lech
- Pierre Zandrowicz
- Book and audio cd compilation produced by agnès b. / Naïve.
- Vinyl compilation produced by Born Bad Records.
- Documentary directed by Emmanuel Bovet and Jean-François Sanz, produced by Love
Streams / agnès b.
www.theartpack.fr
www.agnesb.com
www.myspace.com/deseunesgensmodernes
www.naive.frA project envisaged and curated by Jean-François Sanz (head of cultural... more
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Excerpt:
Eric Sottas, director of the International Organisation against Torture sees it as a a political gesture. “The US has always clearly shown its opposition to the Council. This is a slightly more public way of putting pressure on it in order to raise the stakes. What is more the Bush dynasty is coming to the end of its mandate,” he said. “It reminds me of the time when the Nixon administration, which backed Pinochet in Chile, chastized the UN for criticising the Chilean dictator. But when Carter was elected in 1977, the American government took the floor at the Human Rights Commission to ask forgiveness. After a presidency like that of Bush, you can expect some important changes in US policy on human right.”Excerpt:
Eric Sottas, director of the International Organisation against Torture... more
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"When we think of waste, we don’t usually think utility. Yet, as we face droughts, limited landfill space, and depleting natural resources, we’ve been forced to reconsider our castoffs, with interesting results. These five case studies show that with innovation and a little planning, our dumps, sewers, and piles of manure are not necessarily the end of the line. Instead, they’re just the beginning. ""When we think of waste, we don’t usually think utility. Yet, as we face... more
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Damage to forests, rivers, marine life and other aspects of nature could halve living standards for the world's poor, a major report has concluded.
Current rates of natural decline might reduce global GDP by about 7% by 2050.
Damage to forests, rivers, marine life and other aspects of nature could halve living... more
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The forests of Papua New Guinea are being chopped down so quickly that more than half its trees could be lost by 2021, according to a new satellite study of the region.
The study, by the University of Papua New Guinea and the Australian National University, found that deforestation is much more widespread than was previously thought, even in so-called conservation areas. Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the world's third largest tropical forest, but it was being cleared or degraded at a rate of 362,000 hectares (895,000 acres) a year in 2001, the report said.
Phil Shearman, lead author of the study, said: "The unfortunate reality is that forests in Papua New Guinea are being logged repeatedly and wastefully with little regard for the environmental consequences and with at least the passive complicity of government authorities." The destruction will drive global warming, because tropical forests are an important store of carbon.
The researchers compared satellite images taken over three decades from the early 1970s. In 1972, the country had 38m hectares (94m acres), of rainforest covering 82% of the country. About 15% of that was cleared by 2002.
"For the first time, we have evidence of what's happening in the PNG forests," Shearman said. " The government could make a significant contribution to global efforts to combat climate change. It is in its own interest to do so, as this nation is particularly susceptible to negative effects due to loss of the forest cover."
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WE HAVE TO STOP. We also have to support any tree planting initiative and frankly, I think one should be part of any climate change bill passed in this country.The forests of Papua New Guinea are being chopped down so quickly that more than half... more
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The Amazonian city of Altamira played host to one of the more uneven contests in recent Brazilian history this week, as a colourful alliance of indigenous leaders gathered to take on the might of the state power corporation and stop the construction of an immense hydroelectric dam on a tributary of the Amazon. By Patrick Cunningham in Altamira, BrazilThe Amazonian city of Altamira played host to one of the more uneven contests in... more
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lecoke
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4 years ago
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US Patent 7291944 - Electromagnetic engine
US Patent Issued on November 6, 2007
The electromagnetic engine operates by having the solenoids receive input power from an external electrical power source and providing output power to the output shaft. The magnets include four outer magnets and four inner magnets. The inner magnets have magnetic forces that oppose the magnetic forces of the outer magnets. Electrical power provided to the solenoids causes the solenoids to oscillate the outer magnets. Springs provide stability and assist the solenoids.
Once the electromagnetic motor has reached operating speed, it generates sufficient electrical energy to continue driving the electromagnetic motor for a period of time. Input energy can be supplied to the solenoids by an auxiliary electrical generator. However, the efficiency of the electromagnetic motor enables the output shaft to perform useful work. Useful work may be in the form of a mechanical attachment to the output shaft for the purpose of driving an auxiliary mechanical device. Alternatively, an electrical generator may be attached directly to the output shaft to provide electrical output energy to other electrical devices.
Source: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7291944/fulltext.html
The device shown in the video is different from the listed patent. Though they both share the same approach to harnessing power from magnetic energy.
US Patent 7291944 - Electromagnetic engine
US Patent Issued on November 6, 2007... more
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The world's poor are paying the price for years of bad government policy in agriculture.The world's poor are paying the price for years of bad government policy in... more
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The prices of basic food commodities have increased rapidly over the past three years. In only the first quarter of 2008, wheat and maize prices increased by 130 percent and 30 percent respectively over 2007 figures. Rice prices, while rising moderately in 2006 and more so in 2007, rose 10 percent in February 2008 and a further 10 percent in March 2008. The threat to food security in developing countries increases in stride. Coordinated action by the international community, and by the United Nations in particular, is essential. "Responding effectively to the impact of higher food prices must be a top priority for the global community, particularly when the impact is combined with the projected effects of climate change", says Lennart Båge, IFAD's President. The prices of basic food commodities have increased rapidly over the past three years.... more
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An influential coalition of investors has this week called on the US Senate to deliver binding emission reduction targets or risk undermining firms' long-term competitiveness.
The group of more than 50 institutional investors, including Deutsche Asset Management, F&C Asset Management, and the world's largest hedge fund the Man Group, wrote to senate majority leader Harry Reid and senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, calling for a national climate policy to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by between 60 and 90 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
The targets are in line with those proposed under the Lieberman-Warner climate bill, which will be debated in the Senate early next month.
The letter also urges Senate leaders to increase pressure on regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue clear guidance on what climate change risks firms should disclose to investors.
The coalition, which has been organised by ethical investment lobby group Ceres, said there was a strong business case for enacting more stringent carbon targets and legislation.
"Investors hate uncertainty, and that is the problem they face today," said Mindy S Lubber, president of Ceres and director of INCR. "Strong and decisive action from Washington will open the floodgates on large-scale clean technology investments, enabling US investors and businesses to lead instead of lag on climate change solutions."
Oregon state treasurer Randall Edwards, whose office manages $80bn (£40bn) in assets, agreed that far from damaging the economy as its critics claim, the Lieberman-Warner bill would create opportunities for investors. "It is time for Congress to step up to the plate and tackle climate change. Any further delay is inexcusable," he said "The Lieberman-Warner bill would give investors such as myself the ability to see the risks involved so we can begin rebuilding our economy by investing in green technologies."
The calls come in the same week as Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer released an overview of a package of amendments to the Lieberman-Warner bill which are expected to form part of the proposed legislation. The amendments contain a number of measures designed to minimise the financial impact of the planned cap-and-trade scheme, including a mechanism to reduce the price of carbon credits if they hit a certain level and proposals for an $800bn (£400bn) tax relief fund to help consumers cope with rising energy costs.
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Yes, 90% by 2050... That's what I'm talking about.This bill is going to be debated on the floor starting tomorrow. Please contact your senators and tell them that even though this is a start, we need to do much better to pass a more comprehensive bill that truly meets the demands and addresses the adverse effects climate change will have on our country and our world if left unchecked. And that means new forms of energy aggressively brought to market to wean us off the destructive energies that pollute our planet and put us all at risk.An influential coalition of investors has this week called on the US Senate to deliver... more
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