BP to drill controversial Rockies site

As oil continues to gush from a BP wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico, critics say the company has quietly broken ground on a controversial project in B.C.'s Rocky Mountains.
Opponents of the Mist Mountain project say they were surprised to find that BP Canada, an arm of the BP group of companies, began construction earlier this month on an exploratory well for its coalbed methane project near Fernie, B.C.
The company was granted permission to conduct experimental drilling in the pristine area in southeast B.C. just a few days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
The disaster that has unfolded in the gulf since then has renewed concerns about the BP subsidiary's plans in the Rockies.
"This is just a reaffirmation of what we've always known and what everyone has known about BP is that they've had the worst environmental record of all oil companies in the world, even before the gulf disaster," said Ryland Nelson, of the group Wildsight, which opposes the project.
Drilling this summer
But Hejdi Feick, the director of communications for BP Canada, said British Columbians can be reassured that the company is a good corporate citizen.
"We are absolutely committed to doing this right," she said Tuesday. "We have been very open and accessible over the last three years."
That is little comfort for Nelson, who said BP had promised to consult with the public every step of the way yet he only learned construction was underway when he went to the site Monday.
Nelson said the contractor on site told him they hope to bring in drilling equipment by the end of the month and start drilling this summer.
"Here they are, they've been working for nearly two weeks and nobody knew anything about it," he said.
The provincial government awarded tenure to BP Canada for the Mist Mountain project last December, over the objections of conservationists and First Nations on both sides of the border, as well as the Fernie town council.
Those critics say there is not enough environmental oversight for the project, which they believe will impact water and wildlife in the Rocky Mountain ecosystem.
Polluted water injected
The coalbed methane extraction includes reinjecting polluted water back into the ground, a process conservationists worry will contaminate ground water.
Feick said the company has been forthcoming with all information, including that it planned to start test drilling this summer.
"This is certainly not news to the folks there," she said.
"We've already gone as far as inviting some of the key groups to come and tour the site when we are drilling so they can have a sense of what that entails and what it means, what it looks like, that sort of thing."
Critics including Nelson say because BP's application was for a single well, the company avoided a thorough B.C. Environmental Assessment review, but Feick said the company has done three years of environmental studies and all the reports are available on the its website.
Graham Currie, a spokesman for the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, said the commission did an extensive review of the project and concluded that direct impacts to wildlife habitat, environment and the forest land base would be minimal.
Project reviewed
Currie said the review is a rigorous environmental assessment, but he couldn't say how it compared to the B.C. Environmental Review process.
He said there was no thought of reviewing BP's application, given the actions of its parent company surrounding the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
"No. We have made an extensive review here, we have granted a well authorization," he said. "We are satisfied with our process."
Nelson said the project threatens one of the most important wildlife corridors in North America. The well will be drilled in the area between Banff National Park and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which stretches between Alberta and Montana, a corridor for grizzlies, wolverines and other mountain-dwelling wildlife.
"This special place needs special consideration when considering major developments like this," he said.
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Pre-game: South Africa vs. Uruguay

What's at stake
South Africa and Mexico played to a 1-1 draw in their opening game, while Uruguay and France battled to a goal-less stalemate. As a result, all four teams are tied for first place in Group A with one point apiece, so the race for the top two spots (and the berths in the next round that go with them) are up for grabs.
Conventional wisdom suggests that a team needs five points to clinch a second-round spot. If that's true, this is a make-or-break game that neither South Africa nor Uruguay can afford to lose.
A victory would propel one nation into first place in Group A with one game to go and put them on course to the round of 16. The loser would still be alive mathematically, but realistically their World Cup dreams would be over, needing a win in their final match and some help in order to advance.
A tie would be disastrous for South Africa, as it would need a victory in its final match of the first round is against France, considered the Group A favourite, to move on.
Suspension watch
Kagisho Dikgacoi and Tsepo Masilela earned yellow cards in South Africa's previous match. If either one of them receive a yellow card against Uruguay, they will be suspended for South Africa's final game of the group stage.
Diego Lugano and Mauricio Victorino are in a similar predicament for Uruguay. Also, Nicolas Lodeiro is suspended for Uruguay against South Africa.
Player to watch for South Africa
Siphiwe Tshabalala — The Bafana Bafana midfielder won the hearts of his nation when he scored the opening goal of the tournament, beating Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Perez with a sublime finish from inside the penalty area. With his confidence at an all-time high, it will be interesting to see what he can do for an encore.
Player to watch for Uruguay
Diego Forlan — The Uruguayan forward was kept off the score sheet against France, but not due to a lack of effort. He had several scoring chances but couldn't put any of them away. That's unlike the usually clinical Forlan, who will be looking to make amends against the host nation.
Key match-up
Aaron Mokoena vs. Diego Forlan — This should be an intriguing one-on-one battle pitting the 23-year-old defender, considered the brightest prospect in South African soccer, versus the veteran striker, rated one of the most dangerous goal-scorers in the game today.
The South Africa perspective
"A win against Uruguay will virtually seal our passage into the second round and make the nation even prouder. Uruguay will be in trouble if we carry on where we left off against the Mexicans." — midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala
The Uruguayan perspective
"We did come to win against France. We got a point, which isn't the end of the world because everyone now has one point after one game. We still have the chance to go forward and progress. … We defended well but the attacking was less effective. We'll have to attack more in the next game." — forward Diego Forlan
World Cup head-to-head
South Africa and Uruguay have never met in the World Cup.
All time head-to-head
Games played: 2.
Uruguay: 1 win, 0 losses, 1 draw.
South Africa: 0 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw.
Goals: Uruguay 4, South Africa 3.
Last match: South Africa hosted Uruguay in Johannesburg in 2007 and played to a 0-0 draw.
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Jessica Simpson Slams Plastic Surgery Report

Jessica Simpson has dismissed speculation she's preparing to undergo cosmetic surgery. The singer was spotted leaving a Los Angeles medical centre on Monday, June 14 and insiders claimed she had been consulting a surgeon about beauty procedures.
But Simpson has laughed off the rumours, insisting she was merely undergoing a medical check-up. In a post on her Twitter.com page, she writes, "True - went to the doctor yesterday. False - plastic surgery."
Simpson has been the subject of beauty criticism ever since splitting from husband Nick Lachey. "When it comes to media criticism, that's just something I have had to train myself - literally train myself - to ignore," she said in an interview. Simpson is now hosting a reality show called "The Price of Beauty" where she searches different meaning of beauty around the world.
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Kelly Clarkson Thrills Fans With Impromptu Karaoke Concert


thrilled fans in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday night, June 14 by staging an impromptu show at a karaoke bar. The "Since U Been Gone" hitmaker took to the microphone at Larry's Lounge, and she extended an invite to all her online followers to join her.

In a post on her Twitter page, she wrote, "Okay, everyone that sees this in Nashville, meet us at Larry's Lounge asap!! Karaoke and fun times for everyone 21 and above!! Bring it!!"

Clarkson sang a number of songs during the night, including tracks by Carrie Underwood and Ke$ha, and she later gave a shout-out to her loyal followers who made it the venue, tweeting "And the trophy for most awesome fan at Karaoke tonight goes to DANIELLE!!!!! You're awesome and sang the heck out of 'Proud Mary' girl!!"
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Microsoft Office 2010 Now Available Worldwide

Mircrosoft’s much hyped new version of its productivity suite, Microsoft Office 2010, is debuting to the public today and will now be available for purchase at 35,000 retail stores and a number of online retailers including Best Buy and Amazon.com.

Of course, many will find the new version pre-installed in their PCs upon purchase. In a release, Microsoft says that in the next year, more than 100 million PCs will ship with Office 2010 preloaded, which users can then purchase.

The suite, which was announced last year (see our coverage here), had 9 million downloads in its beta program. One of the more notable features in the suite is the interconnectivity between the web and the desktop.

Office 2010 Home and Student is priced at $149, and Office 2010 Home and Business runs at $249. However, you can already find discounted versions of the suites on Amazon.com

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Obama: We're Going to Make Sure 'BP Pays For The Damage It Has Done'

As a congressional committee chided the heads of the nation's five largest oil companies in Washington, President Obama assured the people of the Gulf coast again that the administration would make BP pay for the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.
"Yes, this is an unprecedented environmental disaster," the president said today at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Pensacola, Florida. "But we're going to continue to meet it with an unprecedented federal response. ... This is an assault on our shores and we're going to fight back with everything we've got."
"I am with you, my administration is with you for the long haul to make sure BP pays for the damage it has done," Obama said to loud applause.
Obama, on his fourth trip to the region, visited Pensacola, Florida, today where he surveyed oil containment and cleanup efforts with Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen. He traveled through Louisiana , Mississippi and Alabama on Monday.
The president dispelled the idea that the Gulf coast waters were unsafe and expressed optimism that the economy would pick up again.
"This city and this region will recover and it will thrive again," said Obama.
The president will address the nation tonight on the BP oil spill -- the first nationally televised address of his presidency to be delivered from the Oval Office -- to try to convince the American people that the administration is on top of the growing economic and environmental crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, 57 days after millions of gallons of oil first began spilling from a damaged BP well.
Obama will discuss plans to contain the environmental damage, how it will pressure BP, long-term recovery plans for the Gulf coast, the importance of a "clean energy" future, and the reorganization of the Minerals Management Service (MMS).
Meanwhile, in Washington, lawmakers grilled oil industry executives for what they describe as inadequate plans to ensure the safety of oil drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico and respond to a catastrophic spill.
source http://abcnews.go.com
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New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia

Winston Reid headed a dramatic injury-time equaliser against Slovakia to earn New Zealand their first ever World Cup point.
Slovakia were on course for a perfect start in their debut World Cup as an independent nation after Robert Vittek's 50th-minute header.
But Vladimir Weiss's side paid for sitting back on their lead when, in the third minute of injury time, Reid rose to head home Shane Smeltz's left-wing cross.
The result in Rustenburg leaves all four teams in Group F on a point each after Italy's draw with Paraguay on Monday.
Perhaps more importantly for the Kiwis, though, it breaks their World Cup duck.
New Zealand's only other appearance in a World Cup finals was in 1982 when they lost to Scotland (5-2), Soviet Union (3-0) and Brazil (4-0).
Their warm-up matches were hardly encouraging either, with a 1-0 win over Serbia the highlight among defeats by Slovenia, Australia and Mexico.
However, skipper Ryan Nelsen promised his team would "make every New Zealander proud" and they were true to the Blackburn defender's word at a far-from-full Bafokeng Stadium.
Middlesbrough striker Chris Killen threatened twice within the first five minutes, first with a long-range effort which flew well over and then with a header, which goalkeeper Jan Mucha gathered at the second attempt.
Slovakia's main threat in the first half, such as it was, was provided by 20-year-old Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss, as the much-vaunted Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik struggled to impose himself.
Weiss's trickery on the left set up chances for Hamsik, who bent an ambitious shot wide, and Stanislav Sestak, who fired narrowly wide.
Slovakia's best chance of a breakthrough, though, came through New Zealand's nervy keeper Mark Paston.
The Wellington Phoenix player embarrassingly miscued a clearance, gifting Vittek a difficult chance, and was fortunate to see one of his defenders clear when he failed to collect a header across the box.
Paston partly redeemed himself with a smart tip-over from Hamsik's long-range effort shortly before half-time, but within five minutes of the restart, he was beaten.
Slovakia finally found a good delivery from Sestak on the right, the Bochum winger whipping a cross in from deep for Vittek to plant a perfect header into the bottom corner.
New Zealand were rocked, but Slovakia, while looking comfortable in defence, did not seem desperate to press home their superiority.
Their attitude was summed up when more good work from Sestak gave Vittek a chance to wrap it up, but the striker appeared to delay too long, allowing Reid to slide in with an excellent tackle.
And it was Reid who was the New Zealand hero at the other end.
The Kiwis had hardly threatened in the second half, but they saved their best two chances for the dying minutes.
Smeltz, the former Mansfield, AFC Wimbledon and Halifax striker, headed wide from a tempting Tony Lockhead cross before he set up an unlikely equaliser, delivering a perfect ball from the left for Reid to head past Mucha.
The FC Midtjylland defender ripped off his shirt and swung it around his head, prompting the inevitable booking from the referee, but that mattered little as he celebrated a historic goal for his country.
A first World Cup win may prove harder to come by: New Zealand face Italy in their next game on Sunday, when Slovakia will look to make amends against Paraguay.
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The 2010 World Cup's first own goal


Outside of Germany's bandwagon-strengthening 4-0 win over Australia on Sunday, goal scoring seems to be down from where it was through the first few games of the 2006 World Cup. Whether it's the ball, the pitch, the vuvuzelas, or something that can't be used as a scapegoat like mere coincidence, goals have been so hard to come by that it even took nine matches before the first giggle-inducing own goal.
[Photos: See all the action from Netherlands-Denmark]
Denmark remedied the lack of own goals, though, with a pinball-like effort just after halftime of their match against the Netherlands on Monday. Defender Simon Poulson (pictured above, No. 15 in white) tried to head away a Netherlands cross, but instead of clearing it, he knocked it into the back of teammate Daniel Agger, causing it to ricochet into the net. Have a look:

Poulsen couldn't help but smile at his own misfortune -- probably not the reaction Danish fans shared after handing over a lead against a good team in their opening World Cup match -- but tried to make up for the incident later in the match by saving a goal with a tremendous bicycle kick clearance. Still, Denmark lost 2-0. But this is something they can improve on! They proved they can score. Now they just have to do it on the right net.
Poulsen says: "Tee-hee-hee!"
Photos: Reuters
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Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal

Ivory Coast and Portugal contested a goalless draw in a cagey opening game to the World Cup's so-called group of death at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
With Brazil also in Group G, it was obvious that both sides were desperate to avoid defeat and there was an extent to which both teams cancelled each other out.
It was the first competitive fixture of Sven-Goran Eriksson's short spell in charge of the Elephants and he can be pleased with the unity and discipline his side showed, particularly with talismanic striker Didier Drogba missing from the starting line-up.
The Chelsea striker, who broke his arm on 4 June, came on after the break to huge cheers from the far-from-capacity Port Elizabeth crowd, but he had limited chance to make an impact on the game.
Ivory Coast were courageous in defence - Didier Zokora, for example, receiving a kick in his arm after bravely heading a cross that Liedson tried to volley - and showed an organisation and discipline in their play that suggested talk of fractures in their squad are wide of the mark.
Portugal, third in the Fifa rankings but who only made it to South Africa after a play-off victory over Bosnia-Hercegovina, should perhaps have tried to capitalise on Drogba's absence.
They did come closest to scoring when Cristiano Ronaldo struck a post, but there was little to suggest an upsurge from their patchy form during qualifying.
It was a match that desperately needed an early goal to force one team to abandon the tactical caginess that has been a feature of the opening round of fixtures.
It almost arrived when Ronaldo's 25-yard strike after 10 minutes swerved and dipped, easily defeating Boubacar Barry but finding the woodwork an altogether more difficult opponent.
It would have been a stunning end to a precise and swift build-up from the Portuguese - but it proved to be the high watermark in the match.
There were glimpses of real attacking intent from both sides, but all too often defensive and midfield players remained pinned back.
It left little room for the opposition to exploit with swift counter-attacking moves, while Ronaldo soon started to become frustrated with the close attention he received.
The Portuguese captain and Guy Demel were both booked after a brief confrontation, with Ronaldo perhaps a little unfortunate after referee Jorge Larrionda failed to spot a clear foul by the Ivorian moments earlier.
Portugal, who only managed 17 goals in their 10 qualifying games, failed to test Barry again after Ronaldo's early shot until the Elephants keeper stopped a weak header from the largely anonymous Liedson after 57 minutes.
Raul Meireles, industrious in midfield, had a shot deflected wide, while Ronaldo, who has not found the net for Portugal since February 2009, missed the target with a free-kick.
Ivory Coast, who conceded twice in every game during their debut appearance at a World Cup in 2006, had only mustered errant long-range strikes from Siaka Tiene and Ismael Tiote during the opening 45 minutes.
However, they made a more incisive opening to the second half and the impressive Gervinho drilled a strike across the face of goal, while Salomon Kalou was inches away from connecting with a cross from the right and finally forced Eduardo into action with a low shot from the edge of the box.
And it was the Ivorians who finished the game on top, without actually managing to break the deadlock.
Drogba stretched to reach a through ball but his attempted shot ended up being more of a cross even though he was little more than eight yards out.
source
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Mr Svanberg is due to visit the White House next week.

There is a huge security presence in Tehran and other Iranian cities, as the country marks the first anniversary of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election, witnesses say.

Opposition leaders have called off planned protests, saying they want to avoid the loss of innocent lives.

The government says Mr Ahmadinejad was re-elected by a landslide. It says the protests were just a Western plot.

So far there are no reports of any protests.

But opposition sources say their supporters did go out onto their roofs after dark on Friday night to chant Allahu Akbar (God is great), a gesture of defiance they began following Mr Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Sullen acquiescence
They came onto the streets in their millions a year ago. It was a spontaneous outburst of anger from huge numbers of Iranians who felt Mr Ahmadinejad had stolen the presidential election.

Since then the opposition have been steadily battered into submission, beaten up when they demonstrate on the streets, arrested and, they say, abused in prison.

Mr Ahmadinejad's government continues to be tellingly nervous about its hold on power. It has been steadily tightening its grip on the media and the internet, and even warning foreign exiles not to speak out.

The opposition seem to have run out of ideas. Many Iranians are now reduced to sullen acquiescence. The government's next big problem looks to be the economy: with falling oil revenues, it could be, fairly rapidly, running out of money.
source bbc news
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Cameron and Obama to discuss BP oil spill

David Cameron will discuss the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster with President Barack Obama later.
The prime minister has said he is "frustrated and concerned" about the environmental damage caused by the leaking well - owned by BP.
But Downing Street says the telephone conversation with the US president will be "statesmanlike and workmanlike".
BBC business editor Robert Peston said BP was now likely to bow to US pressure and suspend dividends to shareholders.
The oil giant's directors will meet on Monday to discuss the possibility.
Our correspondent said: "It has taken a while for BP's board to reach the decision that if President Obama wants them to stop paying dividends, perhaps it would be sensible to do so.
'Resources to cope'
"It is looking more likely BP will cease paying the £1.8bn of dividends per quarter it's been delivering to shareholders - until, that is it, can quantify the final bill for the oil debacle and prove it can afford those enormous costs."
He added: "Even if those costs exceed £20bn, as analysts expect, BP feels it has the resources to cope."
Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.
As much as 40,000 barrels (1.7m gallons) of oil a day may have been gushing from a blown-out well before it was capped on 3 June.
Mr Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne have already spoken to BP's chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, about the crisis.
A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Svanberg had told Mr Cameron that BP would "continue to do all that it can to stop the oil spill, clean up the damage and meet all legitimate claims for compensation".
Mr Svanberg is due to visit the White House next week.
President Obama's criticisms of BP - and in particular its chief executive Tony Hayward - have been consistently blunt.
And some UK businessmen have accused the president's team of using "anti-British" language when discussing the spill.
But Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said he expected talks between the two men to be amicable and productive.
"It's in our joint interest to make sure that BP is able to go on functioning as an effective oil company, but first and foremost we have to deal with the environmental disaster," he said.
BP employs 10,105 people in the UK and it is estimated that about 18 million people in the UK either own BP shares or pay into a pension fund that holds BP shares.
The company's shares finished up 7.2% on the London Stock Exchange on Friday, recovering losses suffered on Thursday.
Its share price has almost halved since the oil spill began.
source bbc news
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Nigeria's Kanu warns Argentina not to overlook African team's strikers

With all the hoopla surrounding Argentina and its vaunted attack, Nigeria captain Nwankwo Kanu warned the South Americans on Friday not to overlook the African team's strikers.
Argentina coach Diego Maradona has said he plans to field three forwards against Nigeria in the teams' World Cup opener Saturday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, and is expected to start world player of the year Lionel Messi, Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.
But Kanu said Nigeria's attacking force shouldn't be taken lightly either.
"They have to be aware of our strikers. We have good strikers as they do, and tomorrow they're going to be able to see that," said Kanu, who is playing in his third World Cup.
Along with Kanu, who plays for Portsmouth, Nigeria also boasts Everton striker Yakubu Ayegbeni and Wolfsburg forward Obafemi Martins up front, while Peter Osaze and Chinedu Obasi add pace and flare from the wings.
Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback, who only took over the team in February, said Argentina's tactics to push the pace up front may open up for his players to counter-attack.
"What I've seen from Argentina — not only during Maradona as a coach — is they always try to play very offensive game," Lagerback said. "If they come with a very offensive team, that means they want to attack a lot, and maybe that can give us some good chances to find useable space for us to attack."
Either way, the attention ahead of the match has focused on Messi, Maradona and the rest of the Argentina team, allowing Nigeria to breathe a bit easier than usual ahead of a World Cup opener and focus on the match itself.
"It's good, now that everybody's talking about Argentina, talking about their players and everything," Kanu said. "It helps us in a way because the pressure is on them."
source :The Canadian Press
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Woods remains an enigma in return to Pebble

The swing is different, and so, too, is the man. Tiger Woods couldn't help but change in the 10 years since he blew everyone away at Pebble Beach, sex scandal or not.
He was 24 then, a talent so prodigious that his fellow pros had to fight the urge not to bow before him whenever graced by his presence. He won the U.S. Open by an astonishing 15 shots, and the talk in the locker room wasn't who would challenge him on the course, but who would be lucky enough to finish second the next time he teed it up.
Woods would go on to win the British Open, the PGA Championship, and then the Masters the next year. He held all four major championships at once, a feat so difficult that even the great Jack Nicklaus couldn't do it.
Tigermania was raging.
No one could imagine what the next 10 years would bring. But Woods continued to thrill us even as he changed his swing, got married, lost his father and had two children of his own.
He seemed able to handle life's events as easily as he handled Pebble Beach. Few knew his darker secrets, and, if they did, they weren't talking.
Then it all imploded, in the most spectacular of ways.
The same fans who once revered Woods now ridiculed him. The same players who once feared Woods now pitied him.
He returns to Pebble Beach not with hopes of winning but with hopes of finishing. A summer that once seemed to hold such promise seems to be slipping away even as it just begins.
Everyone seems to have an idea what's wrong with Tiger. No one really knows what's wrong with Tiger.
All we really know is that he's somehow different. Not different in ways he promised in his latest comeback, just different.
The player who didn't say a word to his playing partners while beating them into submission 10 years ago now chats and jokes with them as he walks down the fairway. The man who didn't pay a bit of attention to fans a decade ago as he hit drives down the fairway now hands out autographed gloves when he hits them with his drives.
Almost incredibly, though, he remains an enigma. Even with all that's been said and written about him, we still know very little.
Journalists gingerly probe him for answers, but he's done doing public confessions. And even in the best of times he's never been forthcoming about the state of his game.
We have no idea what's going on in his marriage. He doesn't seem to have an idea what's going on with his swing.
His neck hurts. His neck doesn't hurt.
"You don't need to know," he told a questioner who asked about his health at the Memorial.
What we do know is that he's a shell of the player he was 10 years ago, or even 10 months ago. His short game is still magical enough to get him through the day, but he hits it so sideways off the tee that it's hard to see how he can compete in a tournament where the rough figures to be both deep and nasty.
He no longer has a swing coach to help him through the day, though that might not matter. Hank Haney may have done some things for Woods, but he never figured out how to get him to hit fairways with his driver.
Woods may one day work it out himself. He knows his game better than anyone, and talent never goes away.
It won't, however, happen at Pebble. Winning on one leg at Torrey Pines was easy compared to winning an Open without a clue on the tee.
And it might not happen soon enough for Woods to have a realistic chance of breaking the major championship record of 18 wins held by Nicklaus. He's been stuck on 14 for two years now, and it won't get any easier if he can't win this year at Pebble Beach or St. Andrews, another course he has dominated.
Indeed, there's the real possibility that we've already seen both the best and worst of Woods. What we may end up with in the future could be something almost as unimaginable as the scandal that brought him down once was.
We could see a glimpse of it Friday afternoon at Pebble Beach if Woods is struggling to make the cut. We may see it Sunday morning, when Woods has to get up for an early tee time along with other players who have no chance of winning the Open.
He's still the No. 1 player in the world, has been for the last 261 weeks. But, as the mutual fund salesmen warn, past performance doesn't guarantee future results.
Worst-case scenario?
How about a Tiger Woods who becomes so mediocre we simply stop caring?
source :http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2010-06-11-601377959_x.htm
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Apple introduces iPhone 4

Jobs described the phone as, “beyond a doubt, the most precise thing and one of the most beautiful things we’ve ever made” before highlighting a number of its new features.

Updated design

Apple says the iPhone 4 is 9.3mm thick, or 24 percent thinner than the iPhone 3GS. It includes new camera with an LED flash on the black, but a second, front-facing camera as well. There are new volume buttons, a mute button, plus a second microphone on the top for noise cancellation. Just like the iPad, it now incorporates a micro-SIM tray.

engineered three integrated antennas into the design: one for Bluetooth, one for WI-Fi and GPS, and one for UMTS and GSM.

Improved display

A new screen technology called a retina display add much higher precision to the iPhone. In fact, at 326 pixels per inch, it’s double the 163 pixels per inch resolution of the iPhone 3GS.

The new display is the same 3.5 inches diagonally, but at 960 by 640 it has four times as many pixels as the previous model. And the 800:1 contrast ratio is also four times that of the iPhone 3GS. It uses the same IPS display technology as the iPad and the iMac for good color fidelity, brightness, and viewing angle.

New processor

Designed by Apple, the A4 chip is tiny and has good power management. Apple went with the micro-SIM design to save space, mostly for a new battery that—coupled with the new chip—Apple says provides 40 percent more talk time. The company says talk time is up from 5 hours to 7 hours; 6 hours of 3G browsing; 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing; 10 hours of video; 40 hours of music; and 300 hours of standby.

Environmentally, the new iPhone is arsenic free, BFR-free mercury-free, PVC-free, and made from highly recyclable materials.

It comes in sizes up to 32GB of storage (the same as the iPhone 3GS) and includes quad-band HSPDPA/HSUPA networking with a maximum of 7.2Mbps down and 5.8 Mbps up.

“That’s theoretical because the carriers don’t support it yet,” said Jobs.

There’s also 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, an improvement from 802.11g in the previous model.

Gyroscope

The iPhone 4 add a three-axis gyroscope for measuring angular velocity. It can figure out pitch, roll, and yaw; and rotation about gravity. The gyroscope plus the accelerometer provide six-axis motion sensing. There are also new CoreMotion APIs that developers can call for extremely precise position information—ideal for games.

New camera system

The iPhone 4 has a new, 5-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and an LED flash. It also adds 720p HD video capture at 30 frames per second. To go along with the new video capabilities, Apple has created a version of its iMovie consumer video-editing application for the iPhone. With it, you can record or edit you videos (and add photos as well). You can add titles, changes themes, and use music from your iTunes library.

iMovie for iPhone will be available for $5—“if we approve it,” Jobs joked, in reference to the App Store.

Macworld will have more details on the new iPhone as they become available Monday.
source :www.macworld.com

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Israeli Navy Fires on Palestinian Divers Off Gaza, Killing Four

Israeli forces have killed four Palestinian divers that Israel says were heavily armed and preparing to carry out a terrorist attack.
The Israel Defense Forces says its navy spotted several men in diving suits off the coast of the Gaza Strip. IDF officials say they had information the men intended to carry out a terror attack on Israel, just a few kilometers to the north.
A hospital in Gaza says the bodies of four men were recovered.
One man was reported missing, and another made it back to shore with slight injuries.
Mohammed Dawwas, reporting for VOA in Gaza, says one survivor claims the divers were from the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade group, a militant offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction.

"I just talked to the commander of this group that belongs to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and he exactly told me these words: 'They were not on any kind of mission. They were only in training, doing some training in the sea. That is all, exactly, what they were doing.' That is what he said."
Later, Israel carried out an air strike in northern Gaza, hitting alleged militants who, it said, were preparing to fire a rocket into Israel.
The shooting offshore occurred as tensions remained high off the coast of Gaza, following Israel's raid last week of an aid flotilla in which nine activists – eight Turks and one American – were killed.
Israel's government says it opposes an international probe of last week's raid on the aid flotilla. Israeli officials say any probe should be carried out internally by Israelis, with foreign observers.
Pressure is also growing domestically. In a letter published in a major newspaper, a group of 10 Israeli naval officers questioned the way the deadly raid was carried out.
Israel's parliament was to vote on no-confidence motions against the government for the raid.
Some in the opposition are also questioning whether Israel should maintain its three-year-old blockade of Gaza.
Israel says the embargo is necessary to keep weapons out of the enclave. The blockade has been in place since 2007, when the militant Islamist group Hamas seized control of Gaza. The group's charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish State.
source http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Israeli-Navy-Kills-4-Palestinians-In-Diving-Gear-95756184.html
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Another Ship Sent to Catch More Oil, Coast Guard Says

The containment cap placed over the stricken well on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico is capturing as much oil as BP can collect, so another ship is being sent to the site to increase capacity, the Coast Guard said on Monday.
Though considerable amounts of oil are still escaping from the well into the gulf, some 11,100 barrels were collected on Sunday, the admiral heading the federal response to the spill said on Monday at a briefing in Louisiana. The additional equipment on the way will increase the capacity to 20,000 barrels a day.

The sheer volume of oil gushing from the well — now known to be several times greater than the rough estimate used for weeks after the accident that left the well out of control — has forced BP to temporarily halt its attempts to close the vents on the capping device. . Oil continues to escape through some of the vents. One technician, amazed at the power of the oil gushing from its depths, called it “one hell of a well.”

Adm. Thad W. Allen, the Coast Guard commander, said over the weekend and on Monday that BP officials were continuing to try to secure the cap over the wellhead and increase the amount of oil recovered. But he said the only solution to the problem would be the successful completion of relief wells to finally stop the flow from the bottom of the 18,000-foot-deep well, a job that will not be completed until August at the earliest.

“The spill will not be contained until that happens,” Admiral Allen said on the CBS program “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “But even after that, there will be oil out there for months to come. This will be well into the fall.”

He added: “This is a siege across the entire gulf. This spill is holding everybody hostage, not only economically but physically. And it has to be attacked on all fronts.”

Officials say it is not yet possible to gauge what fraction of the total flow is being captured and what fraction is still escaping.

Before BP began the procedure to put the containment cap on the well, a federal panel estimated that 12,000 to 25,000 barrels of oil was flowing from the well daily. BP had to cut a riser pipe on the stricken well last week to accommodate the capping device, which administration officials have said could have increased the flow rate by as much as 20 percent.

The area of gulf shoreline potentially affected by the spill has continued to grow, extending from central Louisiana to Port St. Joe in the middle of the Florida Panhandle, a 400-mile front in a widening sea, air and land war. Admiral Allen, who appeared on four television programs on Sunday morning to discuss the disaster, said he was fighting the oil and the elements with a flotilla of skimmers and boom-laying boats to try to keep the oil from making landfall.

“The problem we have, this is not a large, monolithic spill anymore,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It is an aggregation of thousands of smaller spills that could come ashore at any particular time based on wind and current.”

It was too early to judge the degree of success of BP’s latest maneuver to control the leak, although company officials continued to express optimism that the containment cap and a new device to be installed later in the week could eventually collect the majority of the oil.

After two days of trying to gradually close the four vents on the capping device, engineers on Sunday decided to keep some open when they realized that more oil was being captured than could be processed on a drill ship floating in the gulf above. In a statement late Sunday, the company said it “may leave some” of the valves open “to ensure system stability.”

Engineers had feared that the volume and velocity of oil escaping might create so much friction on the new pipe that it might force it entirely off the cap. All day Saturday they worked to shut two of the vents, and they spent the afternoon measuring the results, mindful that if they closed the vents too quickly, water could rush in and form the kind of icy hydrates that doomed a previous containment effort.
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Bhopal campaigners condemn 'insulting' sentences over disaster


The Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. Photograph: Harish Tyagi/EPA

Campaign groups representing survivors of the Bhopal disaster expressed outrage today at the "insulting" sentences given to seven men for their roles in the tragedy.

The accused, several of them now in their 70s, were convicted of criminal negligence and sentenced to two years in prison but bailed pending an appeal.

The convictions are the only ones so far in a case that was opened the day after the tragedy, which happened 26 years ago.

Up to 25,000 people are thought to have died after being exposed to clouds of lethal gas that escaped from a chemical plant run by the US company Union Carbide on 2 and 3 December 1984.

Half a million are estimated to have been harmed in some way in what remains one of the worst industrial accidents in the world.

"There is a sense of betrayal, of major outrage. This is not merely too little too late, but it is also a slap in the face of all those who were hoping for some kind of salve on their wounds," said Nitiyanand Jayaraman, of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.

Hundreds of protesters, many waving placards saying "hang the guilty" and "traitors of the nation", tried to force their way into the court complex but were stopped by police.

Ram Prasad, a 75-year-old resident of the area, said the sentence was not enough. "I lost my son, younger brother and my father and I still have nightmares," he told reporters.

The prosecution, one of India's longest-running, was brought by the national Central Bureau of Investigation (CB). More serious charges – which could have meant sentences of up to 10 years – were controversially downgraded in 1996.

Most of those in the dock were operational managers at the plant. They included the then chairman of the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide, the industrialist Keshub Mahindra.

Those convicted were also ordered to pay fines of 100,000 rupees (£1,400) each. The survivors' groups have criticised the prosecution, which involved around 3,000 documents and 170 witnesses, as "sloppy", and attacked the level of the fines.

"This is just pocket change to some of them. It is what they make in a month. The fine is an insult," Jayaraman said.

The Bophal plant was built in 1969 on wasteland outside the then limits of the city in order to produce pesticide for use in India's green revolution.

A series of investigations revealed how poor design and maintenance, as well inadequately trained and ill-equipped staff, contributed to the disaster, which happened when water was allowed to enter a tank of volatile methyl isocyanate, triggering a chemical reaction.

The toxic gas produced then flowed out into the slum areas that had grown up around the plant.

The Bhopal disaster has deep resonance in a country where the interests of poor or marginalised communities are regularly sacrificed in the name of development, and where enforcement of safety regulations is haphazard at best. Many Indians are deeply suspicious of foreign companies looking to invest.

A separate action is still pending against Union Carbide and its then chairman, Warren Anderson. Anderson, who lives in the US, has refused to return to India to face charges against him.

Dow Chemicals, which bought the company, says an agreement with the Indian government under which it paid $470m (£323m) in compensation resolved all outstanding legal issues.

A spokesman for Union Carbide said that as "the Bhopal plant was detail designed, owned, operated and managed on a day-to-day basis by Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) and its employees … all the appropriate people … have appeared to face charges".

Although a previous attempt to extradite Anderson failed, Rachna Dhingra, of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, said efforts to secure a trial of the former chairman would continue.

An appeal against the decision to downgrade charges to criminal negligence is also being planned.

"These men have been convicted of the equivalent offence of causing a road traffic accident. The government of India has shown it cares more about the corporations than the people. But there is still hope yet – we will keep the pressure on," Dhingra said

source :http://www.guardian.co.uk

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