PARIS (Reuters) - The euro zone's crisis is far from over and its members must consolidate their budgets and forge a banking union to put the bloc on a more stable economic footing, the leaders of the IMF and European Central Bank said on Friday.
Underlining the bloc's woes, data showed both German retail sales and French consumer spending falling faster than expected as well as stubborn Spanish inflation that will likely lift the cost of state pension rises for an already hard-pressed budget.
Euro zone wide numbers showed another 173,000 people joining record jobless queues in October, while a dive in consumer price inflation offered only limited relief to households struggling with the recession.
Speaking in Paris, where the government is trying to dispel concerns raised by the IMF that France could be left behind as Italy and Spain reform at a faster pace, ECB President Mario Draghi said the euro zone's three-year-old crisis was likely to stretch deep into next year.
"We have not yet emerged from the crisis," Draghi told Europe 1 radio. "The recovery for most of the euro zone will certainly begin in the second half of 2013."
"It's true that budgetary consolidation entails a short-term contraction of economic activity, but this budgetary consolidation is inevitable," Draghi said, speaking through a translator.
ECB policymakers hold their regular monthly policy meeting next week and are widely expected to leave interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.75 percent. Economists are divided on whether the central bank will cut next year.
Draghi has stressed the ECB is ready to help tackle the crisis by buying potentially unlimited amounts of sovereign debt under its new bond-buy plan but until Spain applies for aid, a prerequisite for the ECB to intervene, it cannot use the tool.
Resisting fresh ECB action, Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann said on Thursday central bankers had done more than enough to fight the crisis and it was now up to governments to act by reforming their economies and making the banking sector solid.
BANKING UNION
Draghi, in Paris for a conference with top financial officials, said euro zone governments should push ahead quickly with implementing a banking union which must apply to all banks to avoid fragmenting the sector.
His position puts the ECB, which would take on the role of pan-European banking sector, at odds with Germany. Berlin has said that unified banking supervision under the aegis of the ECB should apply only to the bloc's largest banks.
Joerg Asmussen, one of the ECB's key negotiators for a closer integration of the euro zone and a former deputy German finance minister, said late on Thursday a new European banking supervisory body would not be ready to operate fully before 2014.
But International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde pressed for swift implementation of a banking union that would have powers to supervise all banks in the euro zone.
"Banking union seems to us to be the first priority," Lagarde said during the meeting with top financial officials in Paris, adding that closer budgetary consolidation should be the next priority.
The economic situation in the euro zone remained fragile and governments should maintain a "reasonable" pace of budgetary consolidation to avoid crimping growth, she added.
(Writing by Paul Carrel; editing by Patrick Graham)
Located across the Lakeside Evozone, accessible from the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road, lies the Future Central Business District. From the planner and developer of the Makati Central Business District, Ayala Land is once again in the forefront of developing the next financial district south of Makati. Taking the critical components of a successful business center, NUVALI brings in more open space, recreational facilities, tree-lined walking and biking trails, and areas for congregation. Key support facilities such as post office, police station, church, hospital, school, retail/commercial establishments are also incorporated into the master plan.
One Evotech is the maiden structure in NUVALI TechnoHub, the first of three office campus developments in NUVALI?s Lakeside Evozone. Now fully operational, it is home to multinational solutions management group Convergys. A project of the Ayala Businesscapes Group of Ayala Land, Inc. it caters to the office space requirements of call centers, business process outsourcing, and the information technology/information technology-enabled services (IT/ITES) firms. This is the first of several buildings in the Lakeside Evozone.
One Evotech features a visitor?s center, common conference and huddle rooms, training centers, and retail areas to cater to the people in the vicinity. But aside from this, it integrates sustainable features, consistent to NUVALI?s overall vision. A bike ramp going up to the building encourages alternative means of mobilizing. The stairs are strategically located to have access to the scenic open areas outside, discouraging the use of elevators and encouraging a healthier way of moving about. Nearby commercial establishments include 7-11, BoNa Coffee Company, Reyes Barbeque, Kanin Get It, Indulgence day Spa and BPI. One Evotech promises to be the start of a new office working experience in NUVALI.
Event at NuvaIi A Concert for HEROes (on November 30, 2012)
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Lakeside Evozone East Commercial Lots For Sale
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Part of an approximately 150-hectare commercial hub dedicated to become the premier business district of NUVALI, the 46-hectare Lakeside Evozone provides perks to locators such as fiscal incentives for business establishments operating within the Lakeside Evozone. Incentives include income tax holiday, exemption from import and export tax, foreign exchange assistance and financial assistance for PEZA registered companies and industries.
NUVALI?s Lakeside Evozone was carefully conceptualized with well-thought out facilities and infrastructures such as telecom redundancy, central sewage treatment plant and underground utilities in a campus-type setting with generous open spaces, landscaped parks and side walks, parking areas with permeable blocks, and located near the lakeside shops at NUVALI and the NUVALI transport terminal area.
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Nuvali Evozone East LOT CLASSIFICATIONS
Premier Lots facing a 25-meter wide road providing oppurtunity for excellent frontage and direct access from NUVALI Boulevard.
Premier Plus Corner lots provide great vantage points, excellent frontage, and better access as it is bounded by a 25-meter wide road on one side, and a 15-meter wide road on the other.
Prime Lots are nestled at the heart of the district. Facing away from the main road, it provides for more privacy yet is conveniently accessible through a 15-meter wide secondary road.
Prime Plus This individuals lot is afforded a prime corner location directly accessible from NUVALI Boulevard and bounded by two access roads, yet provides unusual privacy.
Evo Lot Evo lots are all frontage locations accessible through a 15-meter wide road, and beside a 10-meter wide buffer area.
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For Inquiries, Please Call JP, Tony or Vicky Reyes at 930-7635, 211-1970, 453-8373, 425-2979 or 09178653689 or 09173138271 or 09173138273 or 09173138278 | APReyes Realty Investment | Feel free to ask us questions about Nuvali Evozone Commerical Lots, we will be happy to answer them for you. Please contact only the undersigned for viewing appointments or site tripping. Or INQUIRE NOW by CLICKING HERE.
GOMA, Congo (AP) ? Congo's M23 rebels said Wednesday they will withdraw from the strategic city of Goma if President Joseph Kabila's government meets their demands for wide-ranging national reforms and negotiations.
"Kabila has to meet our demands if we are to pull out," said M23 vice-minister of interior Theophile Ruremesha to The Associated Press Wednesday.
"The African Union and the ICGLR (a bloc of neighboring countries) asked us to withdraw from Goma. We are ready, we respect diplomacy," said Ruremesha. "But we realize that Kabila is not seriously considering meeting our demands. If we see that there is a will to answer our demands, we can make concessions."
The regional groups demanded that the M23 leave Goma by Friday but Ruremesha suggested that the withdrawal could take longer.
"For humanitarian reasons we cannot leave the town in the hands of just anybody," he said. "Creating the neutral force will take some time."
M23's military chief, Col. Sultani Makenga, also said that the rebels intend to pull out of Goma. Makenga returned from talks in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
"We have started to withdraw our forces from Masisi (a small town northwest of Goma) and we will then withdraw from Goma as we agreed in Kampala," Makenga told AP on Wednesday.
When asked if the M23 troops would be out of Goma by Friday, Makenga said: "It will depend on our troops' movement, but we have started to do what we agreed to in Kampala."
A pull-out from Goma is a reversal from the statement by the M23's political chief Tuesday that the rebels would fight the government army to retain control of Goma.
Goma's population remained confused about whether the M23 would withdraw or not by Friday and many people expressed anxiety about a possible attack by the Congo army.
"This is a nerve-wracking situation. It fluctuates every hour and we cannot even plan for tomorrow," said Goma resident Ernest Mugisho. "The M23 needs to give a clear message because for us, the population, this is not good."
Whether the M23 stay or leave Goma, the rebel group has a large new cache of 1,000 tons of weapons, including heavy artillery, that were abandoned by the fleeing Congo army last week, according to M23 president Jean-Marie Runiga.
It appears the M23 are moving the weapons north of Goma. Six flatbed trucks carrying crates of ammunition were seen Tuesday being driven by M23 soldiers north from Goma.
The M23 was created nearly eight months ago by former rebels who joined, and then defected from the Congolese army. They have been accused of human rights abuses, including executions and forced recruitment of children.
Both the M23 and the FDLR rebel groups have their origins in the scars left by Rwanda's 1994 genocide. The perpetrators of that genocide were from the Hutu ethnic group, and 18 years ago, at the end of the 100-day massacre they fled across the border and took refuge in the jungles of eastern Congo. Their leaders regrouped under the banner of the FDLR, and have used Congo as a base to try to take back Rwanda. Numerous reports indicate that the FDLR was tacitly backed by Congo, which wanted to use them as a buffer against Rwanda.
By contrast the M23 are fighters who are mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group that was targeted for extermination during the genocide.
Did you know?Alt Design Summit?has a wide variety of Pinterest?boards??The boards are wonderful sources of inspiration any time of the year and especially during the holidays. I'm honored to be the curator of one of the boards?It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere.?Stop on by and check it out. The board has drink recipes, wine selection ideas, vineyard videos, and gift ideas for the wine lovers and more.?
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I love everything about the splendid blog?D E S I G N ?L O V E ?F E S T? here's my Pin for Bri's Violet crumble cocktail recipe.
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"I cook with wine.
Sometimes I even add it to the food."
Now that's my recipe for a great dinner! I pinned this image from the lovely stylish blog?Apartment 34.?
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Images: PINTEREST images are from the ALT Design Summit board?It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere?that I curate.??Feel free to Pin images on?Pinterest?with a link back to this board. Thanks!
The fields of psychology and psychiatry have shown tremendous growth during the past decade or two, yet sadly, there are still widespread misconceptions about mental disorders, emotional problems and the treatments that are recommended for these problems. Medical experts all agree that diseases and disorders of this type are as real as physical injury and disease. When seeking psychoanalysis Philadelphia has distinguished itself as the home of several renowned experts.
While this form of therapy is usually credited to the work of Freud, the field has expanded considerably and not boasts several schools of thought. The basic theory is that all, or at least mot psychological disturbances can be traced to the unconscious. This means that the patient is not even aware of the fact that his or her problems and the symptoms caused by them are hidden, even from themselves.
The theory states that psychological problems can almost always be traced back to childhood issues that have remained unresolved or to trauma that has such negative power that it is repressed. The idea is therefore to apply techniques that will force these issues into the light of the conscious mind where they can be faced. Only when the patient is able to identify the repressed issues that cause the psychological problem can a solution be found.
Patients must agree to several sessions each week and the entire process make require years of treatment. In many cases progress is made rather quickly and patients report that some of the symptoms that they experienced have disappeared. A cure is not declared, however, until the patient has managed to consciously deal with each of the repressed issues that caused the problem in the first place.
Therapists use various techniques to help patients dig out hidden memories. Rorschach ink blots and free association techniques are employed to help analysis to understand the way in which the patient associates with real life. Dream analysis is also performed and in some cases hypnosis has been found to be very helpful. In many cases the patient is simply encouraged to relax and to relate stories and memories as they occur to him.
Experts that favor this approach to therapy have reported successes in the treatment of disorders where it is necessary to help patients face their memories and anxieties and where they can be helped to understand that past events do not necessarily have a permanent effect upon the future. Patients suffering from phobias, depression and severe stress have all been said to benefit.
Many critics of this method of therapy see it is unscientific. They are of the opinion that years of therapy that does not result in any measurable final result is nothing but quackery. They also argue that the focus on sexual matters and childhood experience is excessive and that the unconscious mind is not as powerful as proponents of this therapy believes.
For positive results with psychoanalysis Philadelphia psychological experts have gained quite a reputation. Patients that have undergone other forms of treatment reacted positively for the first time when exposed to this approach. The very complexity of the human mind demands an approach that is careful and slow.
Two years ago, as WND reported, the Obama administration was proceeding with a novel way to finance trillion-dollar budget deficits by forcing IRA and 401(k) holders to buy Treasury bonds by mandating the placement of government-structured annuities in their retirement accounts.
Remarkably, those financial professionals specializing in private retirement savings and the U.S. citizens investing in private retirement plans now face the possibility the Obama administration and its allies on the political left will impose rules and regulations that effectively abolish the private retirement savings and investment markets.
Recent evidence suggests government officials continue to eye the multi-trillion dollar private retirement savings market, including IRAs and 401(k) plans, eyeing the opportunity to redistribute private retirement savings to less affluent Americans and to force the retirement savings out of the private market and into government-controlled programs investing in government-issued debt.
Continue Reading on www.wnd.com ...
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In anticipation of the potential separation of Dart Energy International (DEI) from Dart Energy Limited (DTE), the Directors of Dart Energy Limited announced a personnel and structural change to the Board of DTE.
Directors announced the appointment of Ms Kirstin Ferguson as a NonExecutive Director of DTE.
Kirstin is an experienced Non-Executive director sitting on a range of boards. She was appointed as the first female director of Queensland Rugby Union in 2011 and has received a number of awards for her work as a professional independent director including the prestigious Talbot Foundation Scholarship awarded by the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2012.
Kirstin, a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course was also selected for the AICD ASX Chairman?s Mentoring Program in 2011.
Kirstin is currently completing a PhD in Business with a specific focus on safety governance for ASX listed boards. For her research, she was recently honoured as the QUT Colin Brain Governance Fellow and has also been awarded an Australian Postgraduate Scholarship.
Kirstin has degrees in Law (Honours) and Arts (Honours) and has previously been named Brisbane Young Manager of the Year by the Australian Institute of Management and has also been awarded a Churchill Fellowship.
In addition to her corporate governance skills, Kirstin brings specific corporate and commercial experience to the board having been CEO of a global organisation operating across Australia, North and South America, Europe and Africa that provided health and safety consulting to the mining and resources industry.
She has a strong professional services background having spent many years as a senior executive in one of Australia?s leading international law firms. As a result, Kirstin will bring international business operations, human resources, workplace safety, innovation and organisational culture skills to the board.
Dart Chairman Nick Davies commented, ?We are very excited to have Kirstin join the Board of Dart Energy. Her experience of the resources industry and in particular her expertise in the area of health and safety will serve Dart well. We welcome Kirstin to the Board of Dart Energy?.
Secondly, as previously announced, Mr Nicholas Davies, Mr Stephen Bizzell and Mr Shaun Scott will revert to being Non-Executive Directors of DTE. Their Executive positions were intended to be transitional, following the demerger of Dart from Arrow in 2010 and, in Mr Davies? case, following the departure of the former CEO in 2011.
LNG World News Staff, November 26, 2012; Image: Queensland Rugby Union
'We totally hit it off,' Hutcherson tells MTV News after Jennifer Lawrence revealed the pair's budding friendship. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Geometries presented by Chinese scholars for all possible space-time kinematics and their relationsPublic release date: 26-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Yan Bei yanbei@scichina.org Science China Press
The possible kinematics and their corresponding geometries were once regarded as an already-solved problem. The de Sitter relativity research group formed by researchers from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and Beijing Normal University, restudied the problem and showed that additional, previously unknown realizations exist of possible kinematical algebras, each of which has so(3) isotropy and a ten-generators symmetry group. They presented these geometries corresponding to all these realizations and provided a classification in an article, entitled "Geometries for Possible Kinematics", published in the 2012 10th issue of SCIENCE CHINA [1] .
In the 1960s Bacry and Lvy-Leblond established connections among eleven kinematical algebras of eight types. Each kinematical algebra was supposed to possess (i) an so(3) isotropy, (ii) parity and time-reversal automorphisms, and (iii) a non-compact one-dimensional subgroup generated by each boost. For a long time, it was widely accepted that the accounting for all kinematical algebras satisfying those three conditions had been exhausted. Two years ago, the de Sitter relativity research group showed by using linear combinations of generators that there are 24 kinematical algebras if the third condition is relaxed [2], and all of those kinematical algebras are subalgebras of a 4-dimensional "inertial motion algebra".
In Ref. [1], it was shown that, with the exception of two static algebras, the 22 possible kinematical algebras with so(3) isotropy can be obtained by the Inn-Wigner contraction from the Riemann, Lobachevsky, de Sitter, and anti-de Sitter algebras (r, l, d), respectively. The existence of more possible kinematical algebras than obtained by Bacry and Lvy-Leblond arises from taking different realizations of the generators and then performing the contraction under two opposite limits. For example, it is well known that the de Sitter and anti-de Sitter algebras contract to the Poincar algebra (p) when a certain length parameter tends to infinity. What was overlooked was that when the length parameter tends to zero, [3] these algebras contract to other realizations of the Poincar algebra, called the second Poincar algebras and denoted p2, for brevity. Although these are isomorphic, p and p2 have very different geometrical significance. The 22 possible kinematical algebras are related, as depicted in figure 1.
More importantly, a kinematic action should be established on a suitable geometry so that the geometry is invariant under the transformations generated by the kinematical algebra. In Ref. [1], the geometries for all 22 kinematical algebras were presented using the contraction technique. As arranged in figure 2, there are 45 different 4-dimensional geometries in total. Each geometry is defined on a portion of a 4-dimensional real projective manifold. Among these geometries, some are non-degenerate like the de Sitter and Minkowski geometries, but most are degenerate as for example for the Galilei and Carroll geometries. In these geometries, including the degenerate ones, some have Lorentzian signature that may serve as space-time geometries, and some have Euclidean signature that may serve as Euclidean versions of space-time. Moreover, there are geometries which have a (+, +, -, -)-signature and are interpreted as double-time geometries. Many of the geometries are related by the transformation t 1/(n2t). When this transformation is regarded as a coordinate transformation, these geometries are not independent from the view of differential geometry.
The explicit geometric structures show that the requirement that transformations generated by boosts in any given direction form a noncompact subgroup does not guarantee a geometry having Lorentz-like signature. Some geometries satisfying that requirement possess Euclidean signature, whereas others violating that requirement possess Lorentz-like signature. In addition, before the geometry is presented, the isotropy (rotational invariance) of the space is expressed by an so(3) subalgebra. However, although many geometries are invariant under transformations generated by so(3), they might not have spatial isotropy with respect to each point in the manifold.
Therefore, the requirements suitable in identifying genuine possible kinematics have been revised to the following: (1) space is isotropic with respect to any point in the manifold; (2) space-reflection and time-reversal are automorphisms of the kinematical group; and (3) the geometry has Lorentz-like signature. According to those requirements, the genuine possible kinematics from the viewpoint of differential geometry correspond to three relativistic geometries, three absolute-time geometries and three absolute-space geometries (see Table 1).
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1. HUANG CG, TIAN Y, WU XN, XU Z and ZHOU B, Geometries for possible kinematics, SCI CHINA Phys. Mech. Astron. 2012, 55(11), doi: 10.1007/s11433-012-4788-4.
2. GUO HY, HUANG CG, WU HT and ZHOU B, SCIENCE CHINA Phys. Mech. Astron. 2012, Vol 53(4) 591
3. HUANG CG, In Proceedings of the 9th Asia-Pacific International Conference. Singapore ed Luo J et al World Scientific Publishing, 2010. 118; HUANG CG, TIAN Y,WU XN, et al. Chin Phys Lett, 2012, 29: 040303; Commun Theor Phys, 2012, 57: 553.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Geometries presented by Chinese scholars for all possible space-time kinematics and their relationsPublic release date: 26-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Yan Bei yanbei@scichina.org Science China Press
The possible kinematics and their corresponding geometries were once regarded as an already-solved problem. The de Sitter relativity research group formed by researchers from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and Beijing Normal University, restudied the problem and showed that additional, previously unknown realizations exist of possible kinematical algebras, each of which has so(3) isotropy and a ten-generators symmetry group. They presented these geometries corresponding to all these realizations and provided a classification in an article, entitled "Geometries for Possible Kinematics", published in the 2012 10th issue of SCIENCE CHINA [1] .
In the 1960s Bacry and Lvy-Leblond established connections among eleven kinematical algebras of eight types. Each kinematical algebra was supposed to possess (i) an so(3) isotropy, (ii) parity and time-reversal automorphisms, and (iii) a non-compact one-dimensional subgroup generated by each boost. For a long time, it was widely accepted that the accounting for all kinematical algebras satisfying those three conditions had been exhausted. Two years ago, the de Sitter relativity research group showed by using linear combinations of generators that there are 24 kinematical algebras if the third condition is relaxed [2], and all of those kinematical algebras are subalgebras of a 4-dimensional "inertial motion algebra".
In Ref. [1], it was shown that, with the exception of two static algebras, the 22 possible kinematical algebras with so(3) isotropy can be obtained by the Inn-Wigner contraction from the Riemann, Lobachevsky, de Sitter, and anti-de Sitter algebras (r, l, d), respectively. The existence of more possible kinematical algebras than obtained by Bacry and Lvy-Leblond arises from taking different realizations of the generators and then performing the contraction under two opposite limits. For example, it is well known that the de Sitter and anti-de Sitter algebras contract to the Poincar algebra (p) when a certain length parameter tends to infinity. What was overlooked was that when the length parameter tends to zero, [3] these algebras contract to other realizations of the Poincar algebra, called the second Poincar algebras and denoted p2, for brevity. Although these are isomorphic, p and p2 have very different geometrical significance. The 22 possible kinematical algebras are related, as depicted in figure 1.
More importantly, a kinematic action should be established on a suitable geometry so that the geometry is invariant under the transformations generated by the kinematical algebra. In Ref. [1], the geometries for all 22 kinematical algebras were presented using the contraction technique. As arranged in figure 2, there are 45 different 4-dimensional geometries in total. Each geometry is defined on a portion of a 4-dimensional real projective manifold. Among these geometries, some are non-degenerate like the de Sitter and Minkowski geometries, but most are degenerate as for example for the Galilei and Carroll geometries. In these geometries, including the degenerate ones, some have Lorentzian signature that may serve as space-time geometries, and some have Euclidean signature that may serve as Euclidean versions of space-time. Moreover, there are geometries which have a (+, +, -, -)-signature and are interpreted as double-time geometries. Many of the geometries are related by the transformation t 1/(n2t). When this transformation is regarded as a coordinate transformation, these geometries are not independent from the view of differential geometry.
The explicit geometric structures show that the requirement that transformations generated by boosts in any given direction form a noncompact subgroup does not guarantee a geometry having Lorentz-like signature. Some geometries satisfying that requirement possess Euclidean signature, whereas others violating that requirement possess Lorentz-like signature. In addition, before the geometry is presented, the isotropy (rotational invariance) of the space is expressed by an so(3) subalgebra. However, although many geometries are invariant under transformations generated by so(3), they might not have spatial isotropy with respect to each point in the manifold.
Therefore, the requirements suitable in identifying genuine possible kinematics have been revised to the following: (1) space is isotropic with respect to any point in the manifold; (2) space-reflection and time-reversal are automorphisms of the kinematical group; and (3) the geometry has Lorentz-like signature. According to those requirements, the genuine possible kinematics from the viewpoint of differential geometry correspond to three relativistic geometries, three absolute-time geometries and three absolute-space geometries (see Table 1).
###
1. HUANG CG, TIAN Y, WU XN, XU Z and ZHOU B, Geometries for possible kinematics, SCI CHINA Phys. Mech. Astron. 2012, 55(11), doi: 10.1007/s11433-012-4788-4.
2. GUO HY, HUANG CG, WU HT and ZHOU B, SCIENCE CHINA Phys. Mech. Astron. 2012, Vol 53(4) 591
3. HUANG CG, In Proceedings of the 9th Asia-Pacific International Conference. Singapore ed Luo J et al World Scientific Publishing, 2010. 118; HUANG CG, TIAN Y,WU XN, et al. Chin Phys Lett, 2012, 29: 040303; Commun Theor Phys, 2012, 57: 553.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook's stock is climbing after an upgrade from an analyst who believes Wall Street is underestimating the company's potential to grow revenue.
Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner said Monday that Facebook Inc. is likely to beat Wall Street's revenue expectations over the next 12 to 24 months. He expects Facebook to hit $6.98 billion in revenue in 2013, some 9 percent higher than the average analyst's expectation. In 2011, the social network reported revenue of $3.71 billion.
Kirjner upgraded Facebook's stock to "Outperform" from "Market Perform," saying that mobile advertising will drive revenue growth. He wrote in a note to investors that Facebook will likely be able to increase the number of advertisements its users view each day, with little chance they will see the additional ads as a "material deterioration" of their Facebook experience.
That said, Kirjner still thinks Facebook is a risky investment, because it depends on the long-term success of social advertising ? a still new and unproven advertising model.
Facebook's stock is up $1.85, or 7.7 percent, at $25.85. It's still down 32 percent from its initial public offering price of $38.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 23, 2012) ? Researchers in the United States are calling for a change to the US building codes, following a study showing that the mandatory flame retardants routinely added to foam insulation are not only harmful to human health and the environment, but also make no difference to the prevention of fire in buildings where a fire-safe thermal barrier already exists. Such a change would bring the US building codes in line with regulations in Sweden and Norway.
The research team, which is drawn from US-based centres of excellence including the University of California and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, conducted a thorough review of fire safety literature since the mid-1970s and conclude that the addition of halogenated organic compounds to plastic insulation materials such as polystyrene, polyisocyanurate and polyurethane is costly, ineffective and environmentally damaging. Their conclusions are published in the latest issue of the journal Building Research and Information.
Led by internationally renowned fire expert Dr Vytenis Babrauskas of Fire Science & Technology Inc., the research team investigated the impact of the "Steiner Tunnel test," which is used to test the propagation of fire over the surface of all sorts of building materials in the early stages of fire (before flashover point is reached). Their paper suggests that changing the US building codes to exempt foam plastic insulation materials from the test would avoid the use of thousands of tonnes of flame retardants that are known or suspected to be persistent organic pollutants. They conclude:
"Such a change would ? decrease the cost of foam plastic insulation and encourage the use of insulation materials for increasing building energy efficiency and mitigating climate change. The potential for health and ecological harm from the use of flame retardant chemicals would be reduced and the fire safety of buildings would be maintained.
The Steiner Tunnel test, showing the flame being applied to the ceiling, is an inadequate and inappropriate method for testing insulation safety. Photo: IntertekTesting Services Inc.
Their article begins with a review of the development of the US building codes in relation to fire safety, and foam insulation in particular, and explains that foam plastics used for insulation have required a thermal barrier (usually 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) thick gypsum wallboard) since 1976. In addition, chemicals such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and Tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) are routinely added in order to meet the requirements of the Steiner Tunnel test. The building codes have never stipulated that chemicals be added to foam plastic insulation, however doing so is the most common way to meet the Steiner test. These additives are semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) which do not bind to the insulation material and are known to be released into the environment throughout the life cycle of insulation. The chemicals can persist and accumulate, and have been implicated in thyroid hormone disruption and nervous system development problems and are potentially carcinogenic.
The experts suggest that exempting foam plastic insulation materials from the Steiner Tunnel test would mean there was no longer a need to add these flame retardants.
As well as presenting a detailed analysis of the problems associated with the Steiner Tunnel test, the article reviews the:
? Adequacy of the thermal barrier
? Fire propagation into a cavity constructed in violation of codes
? Behaviour of exposed foam insulation installed in violation of codes.
The article also discusses alternative courses of action, including the possible development of a more accurate test, the use of different flame retardant chemicals and a range of options for mitigating the impact of the flame retardants currently used.
Finally, the article says that such an action would not be without precedent. Flame retardants were once routinely added to children's pajamas, but their use was discontinued in many regions after a range of adverse environmental and health impacts were identified. Dr Babrauskas and his team conclude that, in the light of their evidence, an equivalent volte-face should be implemented in the US building codes as soon as possible. They also recommend a root and branch review of the process of designing fire standards and building codes, in particular to ensure that fire scientists, building code officials and other regulators consider the efficacy, life cycle, health and ecological impacts of building materials.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Taylor & Francis, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Vytenis Babrauskas, Donald Lucas, David Eisenberg, Veena Singla, Michel Dedeo and Arlene Blum. Flame retardants in building insulation: a case for re-evaluating building codes. Building Research and Information, 2012, 40(6), pp 738-755 DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2012.744533
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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Why have there been no public hearings on one of the most important legislative events of our lifetimes? We mean the proposed amendment of the New York Constitution to allow full-scale casino gambling. The amendment requires two legislative votes and then a referendum. The first vote took place out of the public eye and without debate or community input in an all-night session. It is no secret that the gambling industry poured millions upon millions of dollars in contributions to legislators in the hope of securing a positive vote. They got it, the first vote was affirmative.
Now it?s time and past time to bring this issue out into the light of day. Legislators can?t be allowed to decide, unchallenged, that casinos build the economy. Let the people of New York hear the other side, that casinos suck money out of the pockets of citizens and into the hands of casino owners like a vacuum cleaner. So what if the state gets a cut of this virtual theft? Let?s confront the fact that entering into a compact with a predatory industry is completely contrary to the state?s duty to safeguard the well-being of the people. Let?s discuss the mess that will have to be cleaned up all around the casinos. Will the state help with the increased crime, bankruptcy, and social services needed to ease the devastation of families, all of which research has shown follows in the wake of casinos? Will the state help local businesses which are shut down by the in-house casino restaurants and mall-like stores? Or will it leave all this up to municipalities and counties? Either way, it will hurt people, cost money, and suck cash out of the economy. Let?s at the very least have a public discussion before we take this terrible step.
Lanny Walter, president;?Naomi Rothberg, secretary; Susan Puretz, treasurer;?Arnie Lieber; Mark Knaust Executive Committee of No Saugerties Casino
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Brick company mystery
I read with interest the article entitled: ?Team Effort: Moving the old Dutch Barn to the Kiersted House? (11-1-12), but was puzzled by the statement therein that ?The old Walsh brickworks were once located in Glasco and made bricks by hand about 100 years ago.?
As a collector and student of Hudson River impressed or branded bricks for over 30 year I was not aware of a Walsh brickyard having been located at Glasco, NY, in Ulster County. Not claiming expertise in the matter I double checked my source materials and reference papers on brick manufacturers but could find no Walsh brickyard in the literature as existing at Glasco, Town of Saugerties.
I did find however that Elijah and Jerome Walsh of Walsh Bros. & CO. had two 1890?s yards in Columbia County, one at Coxsackie Station (a.k.a. Little Nutten or Newton Hook) and the other at Stockport, NY, until 1902 when the yards were sold. Also, there is one reference to Jerome Walsh?s yard at Catskill, Greene County, a decade or so earlier. Finally, Charles E. Walsh was a brick manufacturer at Hackensack, NJ circa 1905.
Is it possible I missed something in my attempt to verify a Walsh brickyard at Glasco, Ulster County?
Gerard M. Mastropaolo Port Ewen
Editor?s reply: We checked with village historian Marjorie Block, and the letter writer?s puzzlement was indeed warranted: the bricks were Washburn, not Walsh. We apologize for the error and thank Mr. Mastropaolo for bringing it to our attention.
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Supervisor is thankful
This is my first year?as town supervisor and my sixth year in public service. It has been a blessing and a privilege to represent the people of Saugerties.?We have worked together, compromised, supported each other, forthrightly?exchanged ideas, weathered storms,?celebrated successes?and mourned losses?together. With Thanksgiving coming in just a few days my thoughts turn to what I?m most thankful for.
Each year?I do this?as a way of anticipating the?celebration,?making it more meaningful than just a special meal. I?ve travelled to many places and participated in discussions and workshops in other municipalities;?what?continually impresses?me is that the community character of?Saugerties is different. People in Saugerties?demonstrate a level of generosity and caring for each other that is unsurpassed.
Thank you for being full participants?in your community. Thank you for caring enough to be part of?the process of working toward solutions.?Thank you for volunteering your time to make?our hometown a better place to live. Thank you for looking out for your neighbors,?keeping a watchful?eye on?children and helping them develop their full potential,?and for?being stewards of?the environment and the economy?we share.
This is a community where people rise to challenges.?Saugerties is a place where people step up and?help without being?asked.?This?week when I thanked fire department volunteers, the chief?responded by saying, ?That?s what we?re here for.? This level of commitment and passion for service is life?s highest calling.
We?re all in this together, and it?s good to be here doing this work, with you.?There?s nowhere else I?d rather be.?Thanks for being my neighbors and my friends. I feel very?blessed?and very?grateful for?the goodness in Saugerties.Wishing you and your families?a wonderful Thanksgiving.
God Bless us, every one!
Kelly Myers Saugerties town supervisor
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A hidden gem
Living in Saugerties for 40 years, we have watched it change and become a more diverse place to live and visit. One of the new hidden gems is an Asian restaurant called ?Ruyi,? which means ?Everything is perfect? in Chinese. In addition to a menu of Chinese, Japanese and Thai food prepared by excellent chefs, it has a unique feature. The dining room area overlooks the Esopus Creek and affords a beautiful view in every season and sunsets.
This family of young, creative and energetic people are an asset to the community and we hope you will welcome them and check out their authentic food and lovely view. And don?t miss the sushi bar with delicacies prepared by Chef Chen.
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, conference flags are displayed ahead of the Doha Climate Change Conference, in Doha, Qatar. As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas rich Qatar for annual talks on curbing climate change, one of the main challenges will be raising hundreds of billions of dollars to help poor nations adapt to a warming world that may damage their health, agriculture and economies. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, conference flags are displayed ahead of the Doha Climate Change Conference, in Doha, Qatar. As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas rich Qatar for annual talks on curbing climate change, one of the main challenges will be raising hundreds of billions of dollars to help poor nations adapt to a warming world that may damage their health, agriculture and economies. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal, File)
In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012 photo, a conference flags is displayed ahead of the Doha Climate Change Conference, in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012. The eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) will take place from Monday, Nov. 26 to Friday, Dec. 6, 2012.(AP Photo/Osama Faisal)
DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas-rich Qatar for annual talks starting Monday on slowing global warming, one of the main challenges will be raising climate aid for poor countries at a time when budgets are strained by financial turmoil.
Rich countries have delivered nearly $30 billion in grants and loans promised in 2009, but those commitments expire this year. And a Green Climate Fund designed to channel up to $100 billion annually to poor countries has yet to begin operating.
Borrowing a buzzword from the U.S. budget debate, Tim Gore of the British charity Oxfam said developing countries, including island nations for whom rising sea levels pose a threat to their existence, stand before a "climate fiscal cliff."
"So what we need for those countries in the next two weeks are firm commitments from rich countries to keep giving money to help them to adapt to climate change," he told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Creating a structure for climate financing has so far been one of the few tangible outcomes of the two-decade-old U.N. climate talks, which have failed in their main purpose: reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases that scientists say are warming the planet, melting ice caps, glaciers and permafrost, shifting weather patterns and raising sea levels.
The only binding treaty to limit such emissions, the Kyoto Protocol, expires this year, so agreeing on an extension is seen as the most urgent task by environment ministers and climate officials meeting in the Qatari capital.
However, only the European Union and a few other countries are willing to join a second commitment period with new emissions targets. And the EU's chief negotiator, Artur Runge-Metzger, admitted that such a small group is not going to make a big difference in the fight against climate change.
"I think we cover at most 14 percent of global emissions," he said.
The U.S. rejected Kyoto because it didn't cover rapidly growing economies such as China and India. Some hope for stronger commitments from U.S. delegates in Doha as work begins on drafting a new global treaty that would also apply to developing countries including China, the world's top carbon emitter. That treaty is supposed to be adopted in 2015 and take effect five years later.
Climate financing is a side issue but a controversial one that often deepens the rich-poor divide that has hampered the U.N. climate talks since their launch in 1992. Critics of the U.N. process see the climate negotiations as a cover for attempts to redistribute wealth.
Runge-Metzger said the EU is prepared to continue supporting poorer nations in converting to cleaner energy sources and in adapting to a shifting climate, despite the debt crisis roiling Europe. But he couldn't promise that the EU would present any new pledges in Doha and said developing countries must present detailed "bankable programs" before they can expect any money.
Sometimes, developing countries seem to be saying, "OK give us a blank check," he told AP.
Climate aid activists bristled at that statement, saying many developing countries have already indicated what type of programs and projects need funding.
"They need the financial and technical support from the EU and others. Yet they continue to promise 'jam tomorrow' whilst millions suffer today," said Meena Raman of the Third World Network, a nonprofit group.
Countries agreed in Copenhagen in 2009 to set up the Green Climate Fund with the aim of raising $100 billion annually by 2020. They also pledged to raise $30 billion in "fast-start" climate financing by 2012.
While that short-term goal has nearly been met by countries including the EU, Japan, Australia and the U.S., Oxfam estimates that only one-third of it was new money; the rest was previously pledged aid money repackaged as climate financing. Oxfam also found that more than half of the financing was in the form of loans rather than grants, and that financing levels are set to fall in 2013 as rich countries rein in aid budgets amid debt problems and financial instability.
Meanwhile, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere keeps going up. It has jumped 20 percent since 2000, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, according to a U.N. report released last week.
A recent projection by the World Bank showed temperatures are on track to increase by up to 4 degrees C (7.2 F) this century, compared with pre-industrial times, overshooting the 2-degree target on which the U.N. talks are based.
>>place so silent you can hear your heart beating and lungs filling with air. may sound like
science fiction
but it's actually a place here on earth recognized by the folks on guinness as the quietest place on earth. nbc's
kerry sanders
took a look inside.
>> reporter: in the kay office our world where there's seemingly no escape from noise,
petty officer third class
nick hare wanted complete silence. for the last nine months he's bunked feet below the deck of the "
uss abraham lincoln
."
>>you know, it's loud and noisy, like living on a roller coaster.
>> reporter: at orfield labs in minneapolis in a chamber the
guinness book of world records
says is the quiet place on earth, where you can literally hear a pin drop, this sailor asked for an escape.
>>okay. settled in. it's the world's quietest room. cool.
>> reporter: i endured the chamber for just five minutes. there's like this intense pressure, like you're in a car driving up a mountain and keep trying to swallow and yawn to equalize the pressure, and i'm pretty sure what i hear is the blood flowing in my neck.
>>the ear is both a loudspeaker and microphone and when it's deprived of sound it creates its own.
>> reporter: why does this chamber to exist? to test product sound levels, like hospital equipment, vacuum cleaners or just this once for a sailor on overload.
>>it's becoming a little disorienting, it's interesting.
>>i'll bet after ten minutes, nick might think he has now had that experience, and he's ready to move on.
>> reporter: nick hare lasted more than an hour. how are you?
>>i'm okay.
>> reporter: let's see if you can actually stand up.
>>okay.
>> reporter: how do you feel?
>>i feel wobbly.
>> reporter: a sailor getting his
sea legs
.
>>do you hear the planes landing?
>>not right now. i can't do it right now. it's really interesting.
>> reporter: it is erased.
>>i believe so.
>> reporter: and finally that elusive peace and quiet.
kerry sanders
, nbc news, minneapol minneapolis.
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Posted by: admin on November 24, 2012 Under: debt relief in |
Getting rid of debt in Alaska is virtually the same as any other state in the nation. If you are looking for debt relief choices, you can get in touch with a debt management business who can help you in examining your financial standing, total debt and payment capabilities.
National Debt Relief can provide you with debt relief services in the State of Alaska. All you have to do is give us a call and you can get professional help that will lead you to rise above your financial woes. You can also send us your information through the short form on this page and we will have someone get in touch with you.
What we can do is to help you come up with a debt relief strategy that you can afford. We will present that to the creditor/collector on your behalf to come up with a reduced payment plan. The purpose is to have a certain percentage of your debt forgiven as long as you stick to the new payment term.
Apart from that, National Debt Relief is also here to help train you of your consumer rights based on the federal laws enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state laws of Alaska. Despite being unable to pay off your debts, your collectors do not have the right to abuse, threaten or harass you and the people around you.
Please notice that anything you find on this page is just meant to be a source of debt collection facts in Alaska. It is not meant nor should it be treated as a legal advice.
Debt Collection Laws in Alaska
The State of Alaska follows the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act as enforced by the FTC. They also came up with state laws that can further protect consumers under their authority.
Based on Chapter 1, Article 3 (Sections 210 and 220) of the Alaska Administrative Code, the state laws forbid the subsequent debt collection practices:
Debt collectors are forbidden from calling your workplace unless the company and the debtor allows it. A collector is forbidden from getting in touch with friends, employers (former and present), co-workers, neighbors, and other family members and talk about a debtor?s financial obligations. They are only permitted to do so to get advice on how to contact the debtor and they should correctly and truthfully introduce themselves. Unless a property has been used for security, the collector has no legal claims over a debtor?s property and should not threaten to repossess it. If the debtor is represented by a lawyer, the collector should quit communicating with them and deal with the representative instead. Any type of misrepresentation of the collector?s identity is strictly forbidden (e.g. lawyer, government officer). The same holds true for the details of the debt like the sum. The collector should not falsely tell the debtor of the rights to file a response or dispute to their demands. They are also forbidden from deceiving the debtor to signing any confession of judgement. The collector is prohibited from adding any fees and costs on top of the debt originally owed by the debtor. In addition to these provisions, the law in Alaska also says in sections 45.50.471 ? 561 that unfair trade practices and any violation can be sued in the state courts. If the courts rule in favor of the debtor, they can receive 3 times more than the true financial damages incurred by the untowardly actions of the collector. It is either that or $500, depending on which amount is higher. On top of this, you will also be paid for any legal costs and attorney fees spent on the legal action.
To file a charge, you can get in touch with the Attorney General of the State of Alaska. Their office will use your charge ? along with other consumers, to file a suit against breaking debt collectors and their various agencies.
There are three methods for you to file a charge.
By submitting charge form online. By sending a formal written charge that can be sent to the office of the Attorney General at the Alaska Department of Law (Civil Division), Commercial and Fair Business Division. Here are the different addresses that you can use: 1031 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99501-1994; (tel) 907-269-5200 PO Box. 110300, Juneau, AK 99811-0300; (tel) 907-465-3600 100 Cushman Street, Suite 400, Fairbanks, AK 99701-4679;n (tel) 907-451-2811 By calling the nearest Attorney General?s office near you through the individual numbers provided in number 2. Debtors are also encouraged to submit your complaints with the FTC. They supply the Congress with a yearlyl report with regards to debt collection and also fair credit reporting practices and violations. To send your complaints, you can use this LINK.
For more information about the Fair Debt Collection Practices in Alaska, click on this LINK.
Statute of Limitations in Alaska
Alaska also has a list of statute of limitations (SOL) that protect debtors from old debts that were not acted upon by either the creditor or the collector representing them. Once the debts age long enough to surpass the statute of limitations, both the creditor and collector cannot go after the debtor or file a legal action against them.
The time limit for debts in Alaska is six (6) years for oral and written contracts. For promissory notes and open-ended accounts, the limitation is just up to three (3) years. The SOL countdown begins from the day the debtor defaults payment. This does not mean the count begins on your last payment but the date after you have not paid. For instance, if your payment is every 1st of the month and your last payment was on 2/1/2012, the SOL will begin on 3/2/2012. If this is a written contract, you will not be covered by the SOL until
3/3/2018. What Happens When the Debt Goes to Court
If a creditor or collector goes to court as a last resort to get the debtor to pay their debts, one of the first things to check is the statute of limitations. You need to present evidence of the age of the account. This can be in the form of the cardholder agreement and the letter from the collector with the name of the original creditor, the quantity of the debt and the date you stopped payments.
Should your debt be uncovered by the SOL, the state laws of Alaska enable the debtor to get the professional services of a debt settlement business. They can represent the debtor to help them reduce the outstanding balance of the debt to an amount that is satisfactory to both debtor and creditor.
However, if the creditor or the debtor cannot reach an understanding, they might be compelled to go to court. As the debtor, you can present in court evidence of your limited financial situation. The Alaska Courts will require at least 3 months of bank statements to show the debtors claim if being financially unable to pursue paying the debts. If the court rules a debtor as being ?judgement proof?, this means any opinion against them will be rendered useless to the creditor since there is nothing of value that can be taken as compensation for the debt.
When the court finds the debtor completely responsible for the debt, the creditor will be given judgement. They will be permitted to gather valuable assets and properties that belong to the debtor as payment for the debt owed. However, there are limits to what they are permitted to gather.
Here is a list of assets and properties that are exempted from being collected:
$54,000 equity of a house property (whether separately or co-owned) $2,800 worth of personal things that the debtor needs to make a living (e.g. publications, gear, etc) $350 (weekly) or $1,400 (monthly) of the debtors wages. If the debtor is the single earner in the family they are entitled to either $550 (weekly) or $2,200 (monthly) of their wages. $3,000 worth of personal things like clothes, publications, home goods, family portraits, heirlooms and musical instruments $1,000 worth of jewelry $3,000 of a vehicle?s equity $1,000 for pets owned Burial plot Recoveries for any personal injury or wrongful death (same value as the wage garnishment exemption) Profits for any lost, destroyed or damaged property exempted from group Health helps Building materials Insurance benefits for/from the following: Impairment $10,000 worth of contract or annuity loan from a Life insurance Life insurance profits for policies wherein the beneficiary is the debtor?s spouse or any dependent (same value as the wage garnishment exemption) Benefits from Fraternal benefit society Qualified ERISA benefits (should have been deposited at least 120 days before bankruptcy filing) Medical, hospital or surgical benefits Pensions of teachers, judicial and public employees (benefits building up only) Other pensions with the same value as the wage garnishment exemption (for payments being received) Public benefits from the following: Adult assistance (blind, handicapped and aged) AFDC Longevity bonus for Alaska residents Compensation for crime victims National public benefits General Aid assistance 45% from dividends of permanent funds Tuition credits from a contract for college tuition payment Worker?s compensation Compensation for unemployment Company property (if involved in a venture) Alimony (same value as wage garnishment exemption) Child support from a collection agency License for Liquor Alaska Fisheries limited entry permit There are also national exemptions that you may need to look into. See the FTC debt collection FAQ section.
Alaska is also one of the states implementing the community property law. However, couples have the option to sign up for it or not. The community property law means any property or asset incurred after marriage is co-owned by the couple. If one of them declares bankruptcy, properties and assets possessed by the couple can be taken by creditors/collectors.
A U.S. soldier stands guard at the site of suicide attack in Wardak Province of Kabul Afghanistan, Friday, Nov, 23, 2012. A suicide attacker detonated a car laden with explosives Friday in eastern Afghanistan, killing several civilians and wounding dozens of others, officials said. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a statement that the attack was in response to the recent execution of four Taliban detainees at the Afghan government's main detention center in Kabul. (AP Photo/ Mohammed Naser)
A U.S. soldier stands guard at the site of suicide attack in Wardak Province of Kabul Afghanistan, Friday, Nov, 23, 2012. A suicide attacker detonated a car laden with explosives Friday in eastern Afghanistan, killing several civilians and wounding dozens of others, officials said. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a statement that the attack was in response to the recent execution of four Taliban detainees at the Afghan government's main detention center in Kabul. (AP Photo/ Mohammed Naser)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A Taliban suicide bomber detonated a truck full of explosives Friday in eastern Afghanistan, killing three Afghan civilians and wounding more than 90 people, including several Afghan and NATO troops, officials said.
The early morning explosion in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Wardak province, also destroyed or damaged several government offices and a local prison, said provincial spokesman Shahidullah Shahid.
The blast occurred in an area that is home to government offices, the provincial governor's office, police headquarters, a prison and a coordination center used by international and Afghan security forces.
Shahid said two men and a woman were killed and 90 people ? 75 men, 11 women and four children ? were wounded.
U.S. Army Maj. Adam Wojack, a spokesman for the international military coalition, said a half-dozen NATO soldiers also received minor injuries in the explosion.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a statement to media that it was in response to the recent execution of four Taliban detainees at the Afghan government's main detention center in Kabul.
The men were convicted and sentenced to death in Afghan courts for a variety of crimes, including murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery and cruelty against children. The Taliban condemned the hangings, saying the detainees were prisoners of war who were unjustly jailed.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said Afghan security troops and prisoners were among the wounded in the Wardak blast. Three prisoners tried to escape from the damaged prison, but were apprehended, he said.
"Unfortunately, it was a very bad explosion and many of our countrymen were injured," he told reporters at a news conference in Kabul. "There was a lot of damage to infrastructure. The buildings that were around the blast were destroyed."
Sediqi did not provide a number for the wounded Afghan troops. He said the government was sending a delegation, including the head of Afghan prisons, to Wardak, to investigate the attack.
The Taliban said the attack involved two suicide bombers and claimed it killed tens of Afghan and international troops. The militants often exaggerate the number of casualties caused in their attacks.
Afghan and international forces have been working to root out insurgents in Wardak, to keep them from moving north into the Afghan capital. The international forces are scheduled to turn over security responsibility to local troops by the end of 2014.
Separately, Sediqi said that police in Kabul had arrested two men with four explosive vests. He said the two, described as experts in making suicide vests, were planning to conduct an attack in Kabul on Saturday, which is the holy day of Ashoura in Afghanistan.
Last year on Ashoura, a suicide bomber on foot struck worshippers at a Shiite shrine in Kabul, killing at least 80 people. It was the country's first major sectarian attack since the fall of the Taliban regime.
Ashoura, which is observed in the Muslim world either on Saturday or Sunday, commemorates the 7th century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.
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Public release date: 26-Nov-2012
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Lack of debate on casino issue