March 29, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
WASHINGTON — President Obama cast U.S. military intervention in Libya in stark strategic and humanitarian terms Monday, saying he would not stand by while the democratic aspirations spreading across the Middle East were “eclipsed by the darkest form of dictatorship” at the hands of a murderous Moammar Gadhafi.
In his first address to the nation since he authorized a military air cover and bombing campaign to shield the Libyan people and rebel forces from Gadahfi’s troops and weapons, Obama told a nation that the U.S. will relinquish its role as leader of the effort when NATO takes over on Wednesday.
He pushed back against critics on the political left and right who question his March 19 decision to commit the nation’s already taxed military to a third Muslim country.
“To brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and, more profoundly, our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are,” Obama said in a speech before officers at the National Defense University, a military think tank. “Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.”
Obama also pushed back against those who say he should broaden the mission, which was narrowly defined by a United Nations Security Council resolution to protect the Libyan people. It is his administration’s stated position that Gadhafi must go — but getting rid of him is up to the Libyan people, Obama said.
“To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq,” Obama said. “Regime change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives and nearly a trillion dollars. That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.”
Some Republicans dismissed Obama’s speech as too vague; others said the president had no right to send forces to intervene.
“Nine days into this military intervention, Americans still have no answer to the fundamental question: what does success in Libya look like?” said Brendan Buck, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
“What imminent threat do Gadhafi or Libya pose to the United States?” asked Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., called the mission “a dangerous path toward perpetual U.S. military engagement around the world.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who complained Monday that Obama failed to adequately consult Congress before intervening in Libya, called the president’s speech “overdue.”
The No. 2 Democrat in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, said he supports the “lifesaving effort” in Libya but is pleased that NATO is poised to take the lead.
The public appears conflicted. A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll finds the public evenly split — 44% each approve and disapprove and 12% have no opinion — over how Obama is handling the situation in Libya. The poll of 1,027 adults was taken March 25-27, before Obama’s speech, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Obama did not say how — or when — he expects the military operation in Libya to end. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will join foreign leaders at a conference today in London today to discuss the endgame.
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-03-29-RW1AObama29_ST_N.htm
In Monday's national address, President Obama vows to hand over primary responsibility of Libya's intervention to NATO. AP Photo
WASHINGTON — President Obama cast U.S. military intervention in Libya in stark strategic and humanitarian terms Monday, saying he would not stand by while the democratic aspirations spreading across the Middle East were “eclipsed by the darkest form of dictatorship” at the hands of a murderous Moammar Gadhafi.
In his first address to the nation since he authorized a military air cover and bombing campaign to shield the Libyan people and rebel forces from Gadahfi’s troops and weapons, Obama told a nation that the U.S. will relinquish its role as leader of the effort when NATO takes over on Wednesday.
He pushed back against critics on the political left and right who question his March 19 decision to commit the nation’s already taxed military to a third Muslim country.
“To brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and, more profoundly, our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are,” Obama said in a speech before officers at the National Defense University, a military think tank. “Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.”
Obama also pushed back against those who say he should broaden the mission, which was narrowly defined by a United Nations Security Council resolution to protect the Libyan people. It is his administration’s stated position that Gadhafi must go — but getting rid of him is up to the Libyan people, Obama said.
“To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq,” Obama said. “Regime change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives and nearly a trillion dollars. That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.”
Some Republicans dismissed Obama’s speech as too vague; others said the president had no right to send forces to intervene.
“Nine days into this military intervention, Americans still have no answer to the fundamental question: what does success in Libya look like?” said Brendan Buck, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
“What imminent threat do Gadhafi or Libya pose to the United States?” asked Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., called the mission “a dangerous path toward perpetual U.S. military engagement around the world.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who complained Monday that Obama failed to adequately consult Congress before intervening in Libya, called the president’s speech “overdue.”
The No. 2 Democrat in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, said he supports the “lifesaving effort” in Libya but is pleased that NATO is poised to take the lead.
The public appears conflicted. A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll finds the public evenly split — 44% each approve and disapprove and 12% have no opinion — over how Obama is handling the situation in Libya. The poll of 1,027 adults was taken March 25-27, before Obama’s speech, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Obama did not say how — or when — he expects the military operation in Libya to end. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will join foreign leaders at a conference today in London today to discuss the endgame.
March 28, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
The most improbable Final Four since NCAA tournament seeding began in 1979 took shape Sunday as a double-digit seed and a once-proud champion played their way to Houston next weekend.
For the first time, neither a No. 1 nor a No. 2 seed will be there. Virginia Commonwealth of the Colonial Athletic Association and Butler of the Horizon League advanced, marking the first time two teams from outside the six power conferences are in the same Final Four since the bracket expanded in 1985.
All four have back stories:
No. 3 Connecticut finished ninth in the Big East, then won nine games in 19 days. It also weathered an NCAA investigation that led to a three-game suspension for coach Jim Calhoun next season to reach the Final Four.
No. 4 Kentucky is in its first Final Four since 1998. Coach John Calipari is taking his third team, though trips by Massachusetts and Memphis were later vacated because of NCAA rules violations.
No. 8 Butler, which started the season 4-4, is the first school from outside the six major conferences to make back-to-back Final Fours since UNLV in 1990 and ‘91.
No. 11 VCU won an unprecedented five games to reach its first Final Four after playing in an opening-round game.
Kentucky (seven national titles) and UConn (two) are bluebloods. Despite a disparity in the four auras, Kansas coach Bill Self said the talent is similar. “If we played shirts and skins today, you wouldn’t have much of a difference on players or how they look,” he said after losing to VCU in the Southwest Regional final.
Said VCU coach Shaka Smart: “Over the last 10 or 15 years … the playing field has evened out a little bit. When you have a senior-laden team like we do, you have an opportunity to make a run like this, because we have as much experience as anybody we’re going to play.”
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/03/ncaa-final-four-improbable-kentucky-vcu-butler-uconn/1
Kentucky's Darius Miller celebrates after making a three-pointer during the Wildcats' victory over North Carolina which earned Kentucky its first trip to the Final Four since 1998.
The most improbable Final Four since NCAA tournament seeding began in 1979 took shape Sunday as a double-digit seed and a once-proud champion played their way to Houston next weekend.
For the first time, neither a No. 1 nor a No. 2 seed will be there. Virginia Commonwealth of the Colonial Athletic Association and Butler of the Horizon League advanced, marking the first time two teams from outside the six power conferences are in the same Final Four since the bracket expanded in 1985.
All four have back stories:
No. 3 Connecticut finished ninth in the Big East, then won nine games in 19 days. It also weathered an NCAA investigation that led to a three-game suspension for coach Jim Calhoun next season to reach the Final Four.
No. 4 Kentucky is in its first Final Four since 1998. Coach John Calipari is taking his third team, though trips by Massachusetts and Memphis were later vacated because of NCAA rules violations.
No. 8 Butler, which started the season 4-4, is the first school from outside the six major conferences to make back-to-back Final Fours since UNLV in 1990 and ‘91.
No. 11 VCU won an unprecedented five games to reach its first Final Four after playing in an opening-round game.
Kentucky (seven national titles) and UConn (two) are bluebloods. Despite a disparity in the four auras, Kansas coach Bill Self said the talent is similar. “If we played shirts and skins today, you wouldn’t have much of a difference on players or how they look,” he said after losing to VCU in the Southwest Regional final.
Said VCU coach Shaka Smart: “Over the last 10 or 15 years … the playing field has evened out a little bit. When you have a senior-laden team like we do, you have an opportunity to make a run like this, because we have as much experience as anybody we’re going to play.”
March 25, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
Forget those late-night cheeseburgers ordered from room service. Hotels increasingly are filling menus with low-calorie, low-fat options so you can eat healthy on the road.
Hotels are serving healthier fare as more travelers seek to maintain a fit lifestyle while on the road.
•Hilton will feature low-calorie, low-fat breakfast options at all its hotels by the end of April.
•Sofitel’s De-Light menu launched in the U.S. in February and is available at its properties in New York, Chicago and several other North American cities. Guests can order a three-course meal that doesn’t top 500 calories, and every item on the menu is cooked without oil, flour, butter or cream.
•Courtyard by Marriott began listing calories on menu boards posted in its new hotel bistros in June. Handouts are available for guests who want a more detailed breakdown of the food’s content, from sodium to carbohydrates.
“The hotel companies need to always be on their toes to provide services and products that are attractive to the road warrior,” says Jan Freitag of Smith Travel Research, who notes that hoteliers are responding. “(They’re) saying, ‘Hey, we understand that being on the road is tough, but it shouldn’t necessarily impact your healthy lifestyle you have at home. So this is one way to make it easier for you.’ “
Hotels are mirroring a focus on fitness and healthy eating that has led cities such as New York to require chain restaurants to prominently display calorie information and the national health care law to mandate that insurance plans offer wellness programs.
“Today’s savvy and health-conscious diners and travelers demand options to eat as they do at home,” says Beth Scott, vice president of food and beverage strategy and innovation at Hilton Worldwide.
Cheeseburgers are still the top seller, but fresh fruit, steel-cut oatmeal and Greek yogurt have become the most-requested breakfast items, she says: “Choice is key. If they want to indulge, it should be by choice, not necessity.”
Brad Nelson, who oversees culinary strategy for Marriott International, says more consumers want information on menu boards about the food they eat.
Guests who want to know how many calories are in the Caesar salad “can look right up there and see it,” he says.
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://travel.usatoday.com/news/story/2011/03/Hotels-put-healthier-choices-on-their-menus/45309844/1
Hotels are serving healthier fare as more travelers seek to maintain a fit lifestyle while on the road. AP Photo
Forget those late-night cheeseburgers ordered from room service. Hotels increasingly are filling menus with low-calorie, low-fat options so you can eat healthy on the road.
Hotels are serving healthier fare as more travelers seek to maintain a fit lifestyle while on the road.
•Hilton will feature low-calorie, low-fat breakfast options at all its hotels by the end of April.
•Sofitel’s De-Light menu launched in the U.S. in February and is available at its properties in New York, Chicago and several other North American cities. Guests can order a three-course meal that doesn’t top 500 calories, and every item on the menu is cooked without oil, flour, butter or cream.
•Courtyard by Marriott began listing calories on menu boards posted in its new hotel bistros in June. Handouts are available for guests who want a more detailed breakdown of the food’s content, from sodium to carbohydrates.
“The hotel companies need to always be on their toes to provide services and products that are attractive to the road warrior,” says Jan Freitag of Smith Travel Research, who notes that hoteliers are responding. “(They’re) saying, ‘Hey, we understand that being on the road is tough, but it shouldn’t necessarily impact your healthy lifestyle you have at home. So this is one way to make it easier for you.’ ”
Hotels are mirroring a focus on fitness and healthy eating that has led cities such as New York to require chain restaurants to prominently display calorie information and the national health care law to mandate that insurance plans offer wellness programs.
March 24, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
BlackBerry users no longer will be able to pinpoint police drunken-driving checkpoints.
Following a request Tuesday from four Democratic senators, Ontario, Canada-based Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, has agreed to pull from its online store downloadable applications that allow its operating systems to identify the locations of local police DUI checkpoints.
Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Tom Udall of New Mexico asked RIM, Apple and Google to disable or stop selling the apps for BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad, and Android devices.
USA TODAY reported Monday on the growing popularity of apps that identify law enforcement tools such as DUI checkpoints, speed traps and red-light cameras through user-submitted information that connects with GPS data.
Research In Motion did not respond to a request for further comment. The senators said RIM thanked them “for bringing the issue to the company’s attention and said that they would comply with the senators’ request to remove the applications, likely within the day.”
The senators praised RIM and urged Apple and Google to follow RIM’s lead. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple, maker of the iPhone and iPad, and Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, which makes the Android, did not respond to requests for comment.
“Drunk drivers will soon have one less tool to evade law enforcement and endanger our friends and families,” the senators said in a joint statement Wednesday. “We appreciate RIM’s immediate reply and urge the other smartphone makers to quickly follow suit.”
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-24-scofflaws24_ST_N.htm
Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, says it will stop selling apps that locate DUI checkpoints.
BlackBerry users no longer will be able to pinpoint police drunken-driving checkpoints.
Following a request Tuesday from four Democratic senators, Ontario, Canada-based Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, has agreed to pull from its online store downloadable applications that allow its operating systems to identify the locations of local police DUI checkpoints.
Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Tom Udall of New Mexico asked RIM, Apple and Google to disable or stop selling the apps for BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad, and Android devices.
USA TODAY reported Monday on the growing popularity of apps that identify law enforcement tools such as DUI checkpoints, speed traps and red-light cameras through user-submitted information that connects with GPS data.
Research In Motion did not respond to a request for further comment. The senators said RIM thanked them “for bringing the issue to the company’s attention and said that they would comply with the senators’ request to remove the applications, likely within the day.”
The senators praised RIM and urged Apple and Google to follow RIM’s lead. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple, maker of the iPhone and iPad, and Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, which makes the Android, did not respond to requests for comment.
“Drunk drivers will soon have one less tool to evade law enforcement and endanger our friends and families,” the senators said in a joint statement Wednesday. “We appreciate RIM’s immediate reply and urge the other smartphone makers to quickly follow suit.”
March 22, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
Some cities in the USA are better positioned to deal with rising gas prices than others because of their design and transit systems, according to a national non-profit group that works to build stronger cities.
The key factor: whether residents have to drive everywhere, or have other options.
That’s according to CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based network of civic, business, academic and philanthropic leaders seeking to build and sustain stronger cities for the future. Researchers analyzed federal government data on vehicle miles traveled in 51 metropolitan areas that have at least 1 million residents.
It’s a timely analysis: Gas prices have eased a bit in the past few days — to a national average of $3.60 for a gallon of regular unleaded Monday — but they are still 28% higher than a year ago.
The average American driver logs 25 miles per day. Motorists in compactly developed cities that have extensive transit systems can drive nearly 50% less.
The way to cut back on driving miles in a city isn’t by reducing commutes, says Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the group.
“What adds up is all those small trips, which are much shorter and not as necessary,” she says. “The question is, how do we make the city a place where we don’t have to drive as much or as often?”
Edward McMahon, an expert on sustainable development at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Washington, D.C., says the analysis confirms a study done in 2009 on the relationship between urban design and driving.
“Most trips in a car are not back and forth to work,” he says. “Most trips — 80% to 85% — are lifestyle trips to the movies, the grocery store, taking the kids to school, and so on. What we found is if you live in a community where you can walk, ride a bike, take a short trip, those savings start to add up really quickly.”
McMahon says ULI examined automobile usage trends in two Maryland cities: Bethesda, a mixed-use community with transit, and Germantown, a traditional car-oriented suburb. “We found that in Bethesda, about 75% of trips during the day were in fact on city transit,” he says. “In Germantown, 90% of all trips were by car.”
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-22-citygas22_ST_N.htm
A recent study finds that people drive less in compact cities that have extensive transportation systems. AP Photo
Some cities in the USA are better positioned to deal with rising gas prices than others because of their design and transit systems, according to a national non-profit group that works to build stronger cities.
The key factor: whether residents have to drive everywhere, or have other options.
That’s according to CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based network of civic, business, academic and philanthropic leaders seeking to build and sustain stronger cities for the future. Researchers analyzed federal government data on vehicle miles traveled in 51 metropolitan areas that have at least 1 million residents.
It’s a timely analysis: Gas prices have eased a bit in the past few days — to a national average of $3.60 for a gallon of regular unleaded Monday — but they are still 28% higher than a year ago.
The average American driver logs 25 miles per day. Motorists in compactly developed cities that have extensive transit systems can drive nearly 50% less.
The way to cut back on driving miles in a city isn’t by reducing commutes, says Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the group.
“What adds up is all those small trips, which are much shorter and not as necessary,” she says. “The question is, how do we make the city a place where we don’t have to drive as much or as often?”
Edward McMahon, an expert on sustainable development at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Washington, D.C., says the analysis confirms a study done in 2009 on the relationship between urban design and driving.
“Most trips in a car are not back and forth to work,” he says. “Most trips — 80% to 85% — are lifestyle trips to the movies, the grocery store, taking the kids to school, and so on. What we found is if you live in a community where you can walk, ride a bike, take a short trip, those savings start to add up really quickly.”
McMahon says ULI examined automobile usage trends in two Maryland cities: Bethesda, a mixed-use community with transit, and Germantown, a traditional car-oriented suburb. “We found that in Bethesda, about 75% of trips during the day were in fact on city transit,” he says. “In Germantown, 90% of all trips were by car.”
March 21, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
Drivers looking to avoid pricey citations for traffic offenses such as red-light camera violations and speed-trap busts are turning to technology to level the playing field.
As red-light cameras proliferate across the USA and cash-starved police agencies pump up coffers with traffic-ticket revenue, many drivers are using devices and applications that give them a heads-up when it’s time to stop or slow down. Among them: Cobra’s iRadar, which can connect with an iPhone; Trapster, an application that relies on information reported by other users; and Fuzz Alert, which works with iPhones and iPads.
One of the most popular is PhantomAlert, an online database that drivers can download to GPS devices or smartphones. It uses audible alerts to warn drivers about everything from speed and red-light cameras to speed traps, school zones and DUI checkpoints.
The apps’ DUI checkpoint feature — which sends alerts about drunken-driving checkpoints that have been reported by other drivers — is troubling for some police agencies. “If people are going to use those, what other purpose are they going to use them for except to drink and drive?” says Capt. Paul Starks of the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department.
“They’re only thinking of one consequence, and that’s being arrested. They’re not thinking of ending the lives of other motorists, pedestrians, other passengers in their cars or themselves.”
Officer Brian Walters, who runs the red-light camera program for Virginia Beach, has a different take: “I’m all for them,” he says. “A couple of GPS companies have sent me requests to verify and validate where our cameras are. I helped them.” He says the devices and apps make drivers more aware. “If that’s what gets them to comply, that’s fine,” he says.
Dennis Ricketts, a retired firefighter in Newport News, Va., bought a lifetime subscription to PhantomAlert about 11/2 years ago for his TomTom GPS navigation system. He says the device has made him even more aware. “A lot of times when people drive, they’re not paying a lot of attention, especially if it’s a road you drive on repeatedly,” he says. “With this, you are a lot more aware of everything that’s going on, and on things that might be coming up.”
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-21-1Ascofflaw21_ST_N.htm
The iRadar uses the iPhone Bluetooth technology to enable users to see radar alerts and warns of upcoming speed and red light cameras. Getty Images
Drivers looking to avoid pricey citations for traffic offenses such as red-light camera violations and speed-trap busts are turning to technology to level the playing field.
As red-light cameras proliferate across the USA and cash-starved police agencies pump up coffers with traffic-ticket revenue, many drivers are using devices and applications that give them a heads-up when it’s time to stop or slow down. Among them: Cobra’s iRadar, which can connect with an iPhone; Trapster, an application that relies on information reported by other users; and Fuzz Alert, which works with iPhones and iPads.
One of the most popular is PhantomAlert, an online database that drivers can download to GPS devices or smartphones. It uses audible alerts to warn drivers about everything from speed and red-light cameras to speed traps, school zones and DUI checkpoints.
The apps’ DUI checkpoint feature — which sends alerts about drunken-driving checkpoints that have been reported by other drivers — is troubling for some police agencies. “If people are going to use those, what other purpose are they going to use them for except to drink and drive?” says Capt. Paul Starks of the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department.
“They’re only thinking of one consequence, and that’s being arrested. They’re not thinking of ending the lives of other motorists, pedestrians, other passengers in their cars or themselves.”
Officer Brian Walters, who runs the red-light camera program for Virginia Beach, has a different take: “I’m all for them,” he says. “A couple of GPS companies have sent me requests to verify and validate where our cameras are. I helped them.” He says the devices and apps make drivers more aware. “If that’s what gets them to comply, that’s fine,” he says.
Dennis Ricketts, a retired firefighter in Newport News, Va., bought a lifetime subscription to PhantomAlert about 11/2 years ago for his TomTom GPS navigation system. He says the device has made him even more aware. “A lot of times when people drive, they’re not paying a lot of attention, especially if it’s a road you drive on repeatedly,” he says. “With this, you are a lot more aware of everything that’s going on, and on things that might be coming up.”
March 18, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s top government spokesman said Tokyo is willing to accept U.S. help in dealing with the country’s nuclear crisis, and is discussing the matter with Washington.
Spokesman Yukio Edano said, “We are coordinating with the U.S. government as to what the U.S. can provide and what people really need. We have repeatedly asked for specific support, and indeed, they are responding to that.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Japan’s nuclear safety agency said smoke was seen rising from Unit 2 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant on Friday morning. The spokesman said the agency did not know the cause, but an explosion occurred in Unit 2 earlier in the week, possibly damaging a chamber next to the reactor core.
The utility that runs the nuclear plant said workers were laying a cable to restore power to the cooling systems. The military was also preparing to spray more water on the plant by helicopter and firetrucks.
Emergency workers seemed to try everything they could think of Thursday to douse Japan’s most dangerously overheated nuclear reactors: helicopters, heavy-duty firetrucks, even water cannons normally used to quell rioters.
Three reactors have had at least partial meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, where wisps of white steam rose from the stricken units Friday morning. But Japanese and U.S. officials believe a greater danger exists in the pools used to store spent nuclear fuel: Fuel rods in one pool were believed to be at least partially exposed, if not dry, and others were in danger. Without water, the rods could heat up and spew radiation.
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-03-17-japan-nuclear-crisis_N.htm
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant's badly damanged No. 4 reactor has spawned dangerous radiation surges.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s top government spokesman said Tokyo is willing to accept U.S. help in dealing with the country’s nuclear crisis, and is discussing the matter with Washington.
Spokesman Yukio Edano said, “We are coordinating with the U.S. government as to what the U.S. can provide and what people really need. We have repeatedly asked for specific support, and indeed, they are responding to that.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Japan’s nuclear safety agency said smoke was seen rising from Unit 2 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant on Friday morning. The spokesman said the agency did not know the cause, but an explosion occurred in Unit 2 earlier in the week, possibly damaging a chamber next to the reactor core.
The utility that runs the nuclear plant said workers were laying a cable to restore power to the cooling systems. The military was also preparing to spray more water on the plant by helicopter and firetrucks.
Emergency workers seemed to try everything they could think of Thursday to douse Japan’s most dangerously overheated nuclear reactors: helicopters, heavy-duty firetrucks, even water cannons normally used to quell rioters.
Three reactors have had at least partial meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, where wisps of white steam rose from the stricken units Friday morning. But Japanese and U.S. officials believe a greater danger exists in the pools used to store spent nuclear fuel: Fuel rods in one pool were believed to be at least partially exposed, if not dry, and others were in danger. Without water, the rods could heat up and spew radiation.
March 17, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
The natural disaster in Japan and the threat of a nuclear catastrophe are dominating world headlines. But beyond the shock and sympathy, everyday Americans’ financial response to the crisis is so far oddly subdued.
Charities in the U.S. have raised $49 million for the Japanese cause in the six days since the tsunami hit — a small percentage compared with other recent disasters that caught worldwide attention.
The earthquake that decimated Haiti last year, for instance, prompted $296 million in American donations in the first seven days, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. In 2004, Americans gave nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in the first week.
Part of the reason for fewer contributions may be the perception of Japan, which has the world’s third-largest economy, as a self-sufficient society, says the philanthropy center’s executive director, Patrick Rooney.
“Japan is a highly developed industrialized nation and doesn’t appear to be in great need. Haiti and Indonesia, these are countries that were for the most part very poor countries,” Rooney said. “You see these disasters hitting and think, ‘Oh gosh these countries really need something.’ “
Even star power has remained mostly muted in the wake of the 9.0 earthquake that left an estimated 350,000 people homeless.
So far, Lady Gaga has designed a $5 bracelet benefiting Japan and Charlie Sheen has pledged to donate $1 from every ticket sold for his upcoming stand-up tour to the Red Cross to help the ravaged country. And American Idol announced that all songs played on Wednesday night’s show will be available for downloadable purchase, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross relief effort in Japan.
Still, compare that reaction to the Hollywood response following the Haiti earthquake. Within days, Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders, while Gisele Bundchen gave the same amount to the American Red Cross, and Chelsea Clinton organized a benefit. There was even a remake of We Are the World.
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/doing-good/story/2011/03/US-donations-not-rushing-to-Japan/44961802/1
Snow falls as two people cross the street in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday. Charities in the U.S. have raised $49 million in the six days since the tsunami hit Japan.
The natural disaster in Japan and the threat of a nuclear catastrophe are dominating world headlines. But beyond the shock and sympathy, everyday Americans’ financial response to the crisis is so far oddly subdued.
Charities in the U.S. have raised $49 million for the Japanese cause in the six days since the tsunami hit — a small percentage compared with other recent disasters that caught worldwide attention.
The earthquake that decimated Haiti last year, for instance, prompted $296 million in American donations in the first seven days, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. In 2004, Americans gave nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in the first week.
Part of the reason for fewer contributions may be the perception of Japan, which has the world’s third-largest economy, as a self-sufficient society, says the philanthropy center’s executive director, Patrick Rooney.
“Japan is a highly developed industrialized nation and doesn’t appear to be in great need. Haiti and Indonesia, these are countries that were for the most part very poor countries,” Rooney said. “You see these disasters hitting and think, ‘Oh gosh these countries really need something.’ ”
Even star power has remained mostly muted in the wake of the 9.0 earthquake that left an estimated 350,000 people homeless.
March 15, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
The last thing Japan needed was more bad news on its threatened nuclear reactors. But Monday and early today, that’s just what this nation got.
An unprecedented series of crises in the reactors at three of Japan’s 54 nuclear power reactors, triggered by Friday’s massive quake and tsunami, is continuing to fuel fears of a fresh, enduring catastrophe of radioactive contamination — a prospect that is particularly alarming in the only nation to be attacked with atomic bombs.
In one reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, nuclear fuel rods were exposed when they were dangerously depleted of cooling water. In two other reactors, hydrogen explosions have blown the roofs off their surrounding buildings. And early this morning, another explosion occurred. Like the others, it was the result of hydrogen building up in the outer building that surrounds the reactor.
Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency acknowledged Monday that radiation levels at the plant had increased. Japan has evacuated nearly 200,000 people from areas near the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant nearby. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Japan had distributed 230,000 units of iodine — which can counter radiation’s effects on the thyroid — to evacuation centers as a precaution.
Late Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said a fire had started among spent fuel rods at the plant, sparking further radiation worries. The Associated Press reported that Japan’s nuclear safety agency said the fire had been extinguished.
Edano said that “although we cannot directly check it, it’s highly likely,” that nuclear fuel rods were melting in the plant’s three working reactors.
Even so, “the Japanese government’s troubles are immense and unprecedented,” says Peter Bradford, a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission official. Amid the damage from an earthquake and tsunami that the U.N. said has left more than 10,000 missing, nuclear engineers likely will spend the next several days — maybe weeks — battling to keep the reactors from overheating and melting.
“They do not have the situation under control,” says nuclear safety specialist Robert Alvarez of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., a former Energy Department official. He warns that the reactor containment walls may have been breached in the disaster.
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-03-15-1Aquake15_ST_N.htm
A woman attempts to use her cellphone at a shelter in the Miyagi Prefecture town of Watari. The official death toll hit 2,414, but more than 10,000 were still missing.
The last thing Japan needed was more bad news on its threatened nuclear reactors. But Monday and early today, that’s just what this nation got.
An unprecedented series of crises in the reactors at three of Japan’s 54 nuclear power reactors, triggered by Friday’s massive quake and tsunami, is continuing to fuel fears of a fresh, enduring catastrophe of radioactive contamination — a prospect that is particularly alarming in the only nation to be attacked with atomic bombs.
In one reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, nuclear fuel rods were exposed when they were dangerously depleted of cooling water. In two other reactors, hydrogen explosions have blown the roofs off their surrounding buildings. And early this morning, another explosion occurred. Like the others, it was the result of hydrogen building up in the outer building that surrounds the reactor.
Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency acknowledged Monday that radiation levels at the plant had increased. Japan has evacuated nearly 200,000 people from areas near the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant nearby. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Japan had distributed 230,000 units of iodine — which can counter radiation’s effects on the thyroid — to evacuation centers as a precaution.
Late Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said a fire had started among spent fuel rods at the plant, sparking further radiation worries. The Associated Press reported that Japan’s nuclear safety agency said the fire had been extinguished.
Edano said that “although we cannot directly check it, it’s highly likely,” that nuclear fuel rods were melting in the plant’s three working reactors.
March 14, 2011 Filed under Ahen
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
WESTCHESTER, N.Y. — The company whose tour bus crashed in New York City, killing 14 passengers, has been cited for fatigued driving often enough in recent years that it was put on alert by the federal government.
This image provided by ABC-TV shows the World Wide Tours tour bus after it was sliced by the exit sign on Interstate 95 south in the Bronx borough of New York early Saturday morning.
Online records of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show World Wide Travel buses were inspected 26 times over the past two years, with five violations related to fatigued driving issued in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. There were two crashes with injuries: Oct. 24, 2009, in Westchester, N.Y., and last June in Perth Amboy, N.J. One person was injured in each crash; there were no fatalities.
The company had no serious violations over the past 24 months, the records show.
The alert status triggers additional roadside inspections and follow-ups with the company. Candice Tolliver, a spokeswoman for the agency, said investigators were reviewing what steps had been taken with World Wide since the alert went into effect.
The 14 victims — eight men and six women — died of blunt force trauma, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner’s office. She said the office was working with family members to identify them.
The driver, Ophadell Williams, 40, of Brooklyn, survived the 5:30 a.m. Saturday crash on the border between the Bronx and Westchester County with a fractured hip and other non-life-threatening injuries. He told investigators he tried to swerve from a tractor-trailer and lost control.
The bus was knocked onto its side after hitting a guard rail and a steel stanchion. The post cut through the bus, tearing off the top.
Police said other drivers indicated the bus may have been speeding.
There were 31 passengers on the trip, one of several daily excursions the company runs between New York’s Chinatown and the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut.
State police Maj. Michael Kopy wouldn’t discuss Williams’ driving record or witness statements. He said investigators had located what was thought to be the tractor-trailer and were checking it for evidence of a crash and interviewing the driver.
(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-13-nyc-bus-probe_N.htm
This image provided by ABC-TV shows the World Wide Tours tour bus after it was sliced by the exit sign on Interstate 95 south in the Bronx borough of New York early Saturday morning. AP Photo
WESTCHESTER, N.Y. — The company whose tour bus crashed in New York City, killing 14 passengers, has been cited for fatigued driving often enough in recent years that it was put on alert by the federal government.
This image provided by ABC-TV shows the World Wide Tours tour bus after it was sliced by the exit sign on Interstate 95 south in the Bronx borough of New York early Saturday morning.
Online records of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show World Wide Travel buses were inspected 26 times over the past two years, with five violations related to fatigued driving issued in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. There were two crashes with injuries: Oct. 24, 2009, in Westchester, N.Y., and last June in Perth Amboy, N.J. One person was injured in each crash; there were no fatalities.
The company had no serious violations over the past 24 months, the records show.
The alert status triggers additional roadside inspections and follow-ups with the company. Candice Tolliver, a spokeswoman for the agency, said investigators were reviewing what steps had been taken with World Wide since the alert went into effect.
The 14 victims — eight men and six women — died of blunt force trauma, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner’s office. She said the office was working with family members to identify them.
