বৃহস্পতিবার, ২ মে, ২০১৩

Government broke EU air quality law, supreme court says

By Nina Chestney

LONDON (Reuters) - British judges ruled on Wednesday that the government has breached European Union air quality law and asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for guidance on what action needs to be taken, delaying immediate improvements to air pollution.

Britain's highest appeal court, the Supreme Court, said the government was in breach of an EU directive which put limits on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - a colourless, odourless gas produced by burning fuels which can damage people's breathing.

London has the highest levels of NO2 of any European capital. Around 29,000 early deaths a year in Britain are attributed to air pollution, according to a body which advises the government.

Before deciding on further action, the Supreme Court referred a number of legal questions to the ECJ in Luxembourg, which could take up to 18 months to answer.

The Supreme Court could eventually force the government to take certain steps to improve air quality but does not have the power to issue fines, according to Alan Andrews, lawyer at the firm ClientEarth which brought the case against the government in 2011.

The environmental law firm wanted to force the government to come up with an air quality plan to comply with European Union limits on N02 concentrations by 2015.

The High Court and the Court of Appeal refused to take action on the issue and the case went to the Supreme Court.

Under the EU directive, member states were supposed to comply with limits on NO2 in 2010 but the deadline could be extended by five years if a plan to deal with high levels of NO2 was delivered.

Court documents show 40 out of Britain's 43 air quality zones exceeded the limits for 2010 and the government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said 23 zones might comply by 2015 and 16 between 2015 and 2020, while London is not expected to comply before 2025.

"This historic ruling marks a turning point in the fight for clean air and will pile the pressure on Owen Paterson," said James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth, referring to the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

"He must now come up with an ambitious plan to protect people from carcinogenic diesel fumes," he added, which are largely blamed for creating NO2.

A spokesman for the European Commission said the body could already take legal action against Britain.

"It has not been done yet because we're working through a number of countries because it's easier to bring one horizontal action (against them all)," said spokesman Joe Hennon.

(Editing by Keiron Henderson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/government-broke-eu-air-quality-law-supreme-court-112100610.html

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বুধবার, ১ মে, ২০১৩

Warren Buffett: Private Equity Porn Shop - Business Insider

This week is the annual shareholder meeting for Berkshire Hathaway, the gigantic conglomerate run by billionaire Warren Buffett.

Buffett has a way of explaining complicated finance topics so that they're fun and understandable.

Carleton English of Belus Capital Advisors points us to this gem of a quote from 2008 where he takes a jab at private equity.

Someone had asked the Oracle of Omaha why people sell their companies to him instead of private equity firms.? This is the type of question that you might hear later this week.? Here's Buffett's response:

?You can sell it to Berkshire, and we?ll put it in the Metropolitan Museum; it?ll have a wing all by itself; it?ll be there forever. Or you can sell it to some porn shop operator, and he?ll take the painting and he?ll make the boobs a little bigger and he?ll stick it up in the window, and some other guy will come along in a raincoat, and he?ll buy it."

According to Bloomberg, Buffett delivered this doozy during some Q&A with a 300 executives in Toronto.

He's basically explaining that there is more than one way for a company to get to a certain market value.

Private equity often involves a lot of debt, a lot of cuts, and usually a lot of risk before a company is turned around and sold back on the market.

Berkshire and Buffett, on the other hand, often take a more passive approach.? Typically, Buffett seeks out what he considers to be undervalued, yet well run companies.? And then he just waits for them to get to their intrinsic values.

Anyways, we hope this weekend's events in Omaha yield some more great quotes.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-private-equity-porn-shop-2013-4

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Will 'Die Hard 6' Really Be Called 'Die Hardest'?

Here's a hefty rumor for your Tuesday afternoon: the upcoming sixth installment of the "Die Hard" franchise is being called "Die Hardest" — at least, for the time being. According to Total Film, the working title for "Die Hard 6" is "Die Hardest." The site reports that Ben Trebilcook, who wrote a treatment for "Die [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/04/30/die-hard-6-die-hardest/

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Dead Men Tell No Tales

Ryback
?I remember first seeing Undertaker in person when I was 12 years old at a Live Event in Las Vegas, and I left that event in awe of the energy of his presence. And today, you can still feel that energy ? and it?s just unmatched. For him to be able to last this long in a business where you see the roster changing every year, it?s really amazing. I know it?s one of my goals to step in the ring at WrestleMania with him someday. It didn?t happen this year, but I?m hoping I?ll be at the very top of that list next year.?

Mark Henry
?As respected as he is and as revered as he is, Undertaker does not feel that he?s bigger than this business. He loves the business and he respects it, and he?ll contribute to the business until he can?t do it anymore. For me, at our match at ?Mania, to look down and have him at my feet and know that I was about to end it, was a big rush for me. Of course, it turned on a dime and I ended up in a coffin, but that brief moment when I thought I had beaten the greatest Superstar of all time was fantastic.?

Antonio Cesaro
?I think The Deadman endures because there is mystery to him. People always want to know more about him, and there is so little to know. These days, with social media and everyone talking all the time, you know everything about everyone and the mystery is lost. But with him, the mystery never got lost. Meeting Undertaker is exciting, but it?s not the same kind of excitement as when you?re a follower. You?re a Superstar now, and it?s as much about, ?I?m so excited to meet him!? as it is a question of, ?Can I beat him?? ?

Cody Rhodes
?TV has a way of making people seem bigger than they are in real life. But when you meet Undertaker, that is definitely not the case at all. He?s actually bigger than what you see on TV. His presence in a well-lit room is the same as it is when the lights go out in the arena and the gong hits. Most guys you meet, you kind of measure yourself up to them. As a colleague, when I met Undertaker, I didn?t measure myself up to him; and there will never be another Undertaker ? and no one should make an attempt to be. He?s timeless.?

Daniel Bryan
?As a kid, I wasn?t much of a fan of Undertaker, but as I became a wrestler, I came to respect him more, after understanding everything he?s accomplished ? especially since his legend has grown through all the WrestleMania wins. He treats everything with such importance, from the entrance to all that happens in the ring. And that?s very important for guys learning to wrestle.?

Wade Barrett
?I first met Undertaker when I was an independent wrestler in the U.K., and my initial reaction was amazement at his size. I had always been aware that he was a huge guy on TV, but when you meet him face to face ? and I?m a big guy myself, and I?m not used to meeting many people bigger than me ? but when I came across him, everything about him was just huge. Recently, he took on Damien Sandow and myself in a tag match. He was tagging with Sheamus, having just returned after almost a year?s absence. That was really the first time I had been in the ring and heard the bell toll, and heard the audience?s reaction. It was an awesome moment to experience, to say the least. I wasn?t sure I would get the opportunity to experience that, at this point in his career. And obviously, Damien and I got our butts handed to us, but that?s to be expected when you?re in the ring with a Superstar of his caliber. I have to say that I?m glad I got that one in the bank, though!?

Brodus Clay
?When you meet him, it?s like you forget to breathe. He?s the ultimate teacher. Actually, he?s more like the Dean in Animal House: You?re always on Double Secret Probation. But in all seriousness, he?s not just great in the ring ? he?s great, period. His spacing, timing, the way he carries himself. You can?t emulate what he does, but you can attempt to learn from the discipline he embodies.?

Drew McIntyre
?The first time I ever came across Undertaker, I was in the ring for a tryout. He was watching my every move and the whole time I was just thinking, ?What is he thinking? Does he think I?m terrible? Does he think I?m good?? I was on the road with him a lot when I first debuted, and that was the best education one can ask for in WWE. He ended my undefeated streak, if you recall. I wrestled him right before he faced Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania in 2010, and he was in full ?Mania mode, which is as dangerous an Undertaker as you?re going to find. I put up a decent offense, but he caught me in the end. But it was a learning experience just being in the ring with him.?

Heath Slater
?This is what happened the first time I met Undertaker: He chewed me out. I was backstage one night before a show and, just then, Edge was talking to me about something, and I was in the locker room fixing my hair. So Edge is sitting there talking to me, and I?m looking in the mirror and listening the whole time, talking back to him, whatever. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Undertaker got on my case so bad, asking me who I thought I was, why I didn?t have time to pay attention, and I should take the time out from fixing my hair to listen to what Edge had to say to me.?

Jinder Mahal
?Whenever Undertaker is in the ring, he takes his time with everything. A lot of younger Superstars, myself included, tend to rush through a match, but Undertaker always takes his time when he's in the ring. He makes every move count, and it makes a big difference. That patience ? that?s something I?ve learned by watching him, both as a fan and up close.?

To read more Superstar encounters with The Deadman, including Triple H, Big Show and Zack Ryder, pick up the May issue of WWE Magazine ? available now, or SUBSCRIBE HERE?and?save 70 percent off newsstand sale price.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/magazine/dead-men-tell-no-tales

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O'Connor suggests misgivings over Bush vs. Gore (cbsnews)

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Microsoft to Open Florida Store Next Door to Apple

It?s no surprise that Microsoft is trying to add new retail stores to its network in the United States, but the company is apparently planning to open a new location right next to an official Apple store.

According to a report issued by the Daily Record, Microsoft is seeking authorization to open a new retail store at the St. Johns Town Center, the same commercial center that?s already hosting an Apple store.

It appears that tech giant Microsoft is willing to spend as much as $400,000 (?305,000) to set up the 4,975-square foot (462-square meter) location that would be used to provide easy access to some of its latest products, including the Windows OS, Surface tablets and other software solutions.

To make sure that it?ll get the authorization, the company has also promised to donate more than $1 million (?765,000) in software grants to local tech organizations creating opportunities for Florida youth.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-to-Open-Florida-Store-Next-Door-to-Apple-349633.shtml

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Daft Punk's Random Access Memories: Dance Music Is Dead

How Daft Punk rediscovered dance's roots, and reimagined the genre's future, in Bigger Than The Sound.
By James Montgomery


Daft Punk's Random Access Memories album cover
Photo: Columbia

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706595/daft-punk-random-access-memories-album-review.jhtml

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