What would you tell your grandchildren about 2008 if they asked you about it in, let’s say, 20 years’ time? If the answer to a quiz question was 2008, what would the question be? The year that markets collapsed, or perhaps the year that Obama became US president? Or the year Heath Ledger died?
Let’s take a look at some of the important stories of 2008. Links to the original Wikinews articles are in all the titles.
Vestas Cowes rooftop occupiers: “Save the environment, scuttle a NIMBY”
Five activists have installed themselves on the rooftop of Vestas Wind System‘s Venture Quays factory in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, in support of the Vestas employees.
The five — four of whom are members of the Climate Camp which has set up in the Isle of Wight — scaled the Cowes plant, which is located about five miles (8 kilometres) north of Vestas’s main Isle of Wight plant in Newport, on August 4 and have been camping on the rooftop ever since.
Martin Shaw, a self-described “environmentalanarcho-syndicalist” on the roof of Vestas Venture Quays, spoke with Wikinews. He reports that while none of the five rooftop occupiers are Vestas employees, but instead consist of one RMT member and four Climate Camp members, factory employees “instigated this action” and had intended to occupy the roof themselves, but Shaw and the other four, as experienced climbers, had the technical ability and experience to accomplish the task.
While on the roof, the five are living in tents and washing in rainwater heated by the sun in black plastic bags. Food is sent up on ropes from members of the local community; unlike at Vestas Newport, the police and security are not restricting the bringing in of food and drink.
While Shaw notes that the stand of the anarcho-syndicalists on the best fate of Vestas does not exactly match that of the workers, who have called for nationalisation of the plant, “whatever their demands are are our demands”.
The central message of the rooftop protest, Shaw related, is opposition to NIMBYism. “I personally have got some sympathy with Vestas”, Shaw noted, accusing the Isle of Wight’s MP, Andrew Turner, of on the one hand saying he supported the Vestas workers but on the other hand campaigning against wind farms being built on the island. “Local opposition is stopping wind turbines being built in this country”, stated Shaw. The occupiers plan to unveil a banner tonight on the roof of the Vestas plant reading: “Save the environment, scuttle a NIMBY”.
The problem, he went on to say, is Europe-wide. The upcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit, Shaw accuses, will be a “business summit rather than an environmental summit”.
The Vestas Cowes occupiers plan to stay on the factory roof “until the workers want us to come down”. If the police come to remove them, as happened earlier today at Vestas’s Newport plant, the five occupiers say they will resist “determinedly and creatively” but offered no details. Shaw says that while they won’t use violence to resist the police, “we will defend ourselves”.
You do have some options when it comes to buying real estate for sale but San Francisco condos for sale may be one of the best options on the table. There are quite a few reasons why San Francisco condos for sale is a better option than other options. Evaluating your choices is the best way to find the best real estate options that will best meet your needs.
The Benefits
People flock to buy condos in SF because it is the option that fits their lifestyle. Here are some benefits that you can experience when you purchase an SF condo:
* No maintenance worries- all you must worry about is inside your apartment, gardens, lounge areas and other communal spaces are taken care of for you. This fact of course will free up your time so that you can enjoy the things that you love to do.
* Prime location-if you love the city and want to live in the heart of the city than condo living is ideal for you. You can have easy access to all the things that make SF a great place to live when you live in the right condo in the right location.
* New, new and new- buying a new condo is even a better deal! When you buy new you are the first to live in it, it is up to the minute styled and will be a worry-free residence for years to come. New condos offer the best value.
Condo living is for people that do not want to be a slave to their property. Living in a condo gives you the possibility of living a carefree lifestyle while still owning property. Why pay for a lease when a condo builds value and can be a great way to get a return on your investment down the road.
Consider Your Options
Before you make a buying, decision consider your options carefully. With a little consideration, most people realize that if you are going to live in SF you might as well live in the heart of the city and take advantage of all the great possibilities. The Austin is a good example of why people buy condos instead of houses. You get all the amenities you need for your lifestyle; the condos are designed for how you live today and the location is completely exceptional!
New Zealand raises interest rates in second straight month to 0.75%
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.75% during its last policy meeting of the year yesterday, after the rate of consumer price inflation was recorded at 4.9% in the third quarter, the highest since December 2007.
The hike to the national official cash rate (OCR) was widely expected by economists and the markets alike: 21 of the 23 economists surveyed in a November 15-19 Reuters poll predicted an increase of 25 basis points, while the other two projected an increase by 50 basis points, to 1%.
New Zealand’s handling of COVID-19 included injecting “huge amounts of fiscal and monetary stimulus” into the economy, according to The Guardian, in line with other major economies, which has pushed the unemployment rate to the lowest and inflation to its highest in over a decade. Stimulus spending and low interest rates, along with a shortage in housing led home prices to double in the last seven years, the least affordable of the OECD nations, according to Reuters.
A statement from the Reserve Bank said the “near-term rise in inflation [accentuated] by higher oil prices, rising transport costs and the impact of supply shortfalls” are risking “generating more generalised price rises”, as reported by ABC News. The RBNZ forecasts rates would rise to 2.5% by 2023, and still higher by 2024, according to Reuters; however, medians from a Friday article predicted the OCR would reach only 2% by year-end 2023, below what it was in 2014.
More recent projections include to 2% by mid-2022 according to economist at Capital Economics Ben Udy, to a high of 3% by Q3 2023 according to acting chief economist at Westpac Michael Gordon, including a 0.5% rate hike during the RBNZ’s next meeting in February, as reported by The Guardian.
Yesterday’s announcement came after a widely-expected rate hike from 0.25% to 0.5% on October 6, the first in seven years, as part of the RBNZ’s tightening cycle initially slated to begin August but pushed back due to the Delta variant of COVID-19 and lockdown in the capital city Auckland. Senior market strategist at the Bank of New Zealand Jason Wong told Reuters then: “We’re on a path towards a series of rate hikes and the market is well priced for that.”
RBNZ Governor Adrian Orr told reporters yesterday “we see steady steps of 25 basis points back to levels where the OCR is marginally above the neutral rate as the most balanced approach we can take”, though Reuters reports the bank had considered a range of options, including a 50 basis point hike.
Orr added on housing, “Homeowners who have just entered the market with extremely high leverage levels have to be incredibly wary and have to understand they have to weather the higher interest rates”, after earlier taxes levied on property investors failed to cool rising house prices, which Reuters reports the RBNZ believes are above their sustainable level, and at increased chance for a correction. He also defended the stimulus but noted the growth in household debt ensuing.
While countries globally are winding down pandemic-related stimulus measures, according to Reuters, there has been pushback from some countries when it comes to raising interest rates: in the United States, the inflation rate recently rose to 6.2%, the highest in 31 years, which has led some economists to put pressure on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to accelerate the process of tapering its monthly bond purchases, according to the Associated Press. The Bank of England and European Central Bank (ECB) also both withstood criticism for a forecasted rise in inflationary pressures, according to The Guardian and Reuters.
ECB President Christine Lagarde told the European Parliament on November 15 “an undue tightening of financing conditions is not desirable, and would represent an unwarranted headwind for the recovery”, adding “[i]f we were to take any tightening measures now, it could cause far more harm than it would do any good”, as reported by Reuters.
Australia’s Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its position that interest rates are not likely to rise until 2024. RBA Governor Philip Lowe told an Australian Businesses Economists lunch last week “the latest data and forecasts do not warrant an increase in the cash rate in 2022”, and for one to be considered by the board “[t]he economy and inflation would have to turn out very differently from our central scenario”, according to ABC News.
However, several central banks have increased rates ahead of even New Zealand: Reuters names Norway, the Czech Republic and South Korea, which is expected to raise rates again in a meeting today.
Reuters reports the New Zealand dollar fell 0.6% due to some investors predicting a higher hike, and both 2- and 10-year government bonds slipped by 10 basis points each.
Fall ’08 styles at New York Fashion Week: the ’70s are back
The fourth day of New York Fashion Week debuted few daring designs even from designers known for such work. With few exceptions, the overwhelming theme was “old is new” and that the ’70s were even more in fashion than the shows on Sunday suggested. Among the designers to unveil their Fall 2008 lines on Monday were Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Betsey Johnson, Proenza Schouler and a rejuvenated Halston line, under the direction of designer Marco Zanini.
Both global warming and the slowing economy have been cited as reasons for the overwhelming use of lighter fabrics over heavier attire. Also, retro designs and continuing trends have been used in effort to save money, like the tights that were expected to go out of fashion this year. Even in the glamorous world of high-end fashion, money has been tight, and with the world economies in a collective downturn, major designers have been more wary of continuing to churn out the stream of couture designs that past Fashion Weeks have seen.
Proenza Schouler’s show took the ’70s retro theme to a fever pitch, liberally using bows on designs and debuting more retro-era wide-legged pants that were first seen in Sunday’s shows. Zanini’s Halston label also brought back the ’70s, resurrecting old designs that the founder of the line made famous. Since the designer Halston’s death in 1990, many designers have tried to take the label in different directions. Zanini’s unveiling on Monday brought the line back to its Studio 54 roots, while using trenchcoats, sheer fabrics, and cardigans to finish the ensembles with a modern twist.
Betsey Johnson also debuted old and new styles on Monday, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her fashion label. Copies of her original 1978 one-piece bathing suit as well as some early 1980s fashions started off the show. Her new pieces, such as animal print leggings coupled with a short twill jacket, were perceived as very skintight and criticized for not representing more fuller figures. Johnson brushed off the criticism, noting, “It’s tighter and sexier, but I still believe the girl brings the sex to the clothes…You won’t look sexy in a tight, below-the-knee skirt if you don’t feel good in it.”
The lone daring designer for the day was Carolina Herrera, who discarded the furs she promoted in the Fall 2007 show to focus on a Peter Pan theme, with earth tones and bird feathers. To further the “flying Peter Pan” motif, models donned such designs as a chiffon dress with ostrich feathers and a taffeta gown with a feather waistband.
Oscar de la Renta opted for more traditional blacks, golds and grays, debuting lines for men and women in fabrics he is familiar with. Men were outfitted in tweed while women were fitted in dresses that experimented with embroidery and tulle, both shades of past collections.
New York Fashion Week runs until Friday. Among others, labels Badgley Mischka, Diesel, and Vivienne Tam unveil their newest collections on Tuesday.
United States begins testing equipment for demolition of a major VX nerve gas stockpile
Testing began on a chemical reactor at the Newport Chemical Depot near Terre Haute, Indiana on Friday morning. If successful, the reactor will be put to use destroying the large VX nerve gas stockpiles stored at the facility over the course of the next two years. After the disposal project experienced several delays, the facility announced it would begin pumping VX into a completed disposal unit for testing. The unit consists of a chemical reactor in which the VX will be mixed with water and sodium hydroxide, heated to 194°F while mixed with paddles. The resulting chemical, called hydrolysate, is chemically similar to commercial drain cleaners and has similar properties. If the test is successfully completed , the unit will continue processing the VX until the entire stockpile has been neutralized, a process projected to take two years. Administrators expect to complete testing on May 10, 2005.
According to the controversial plan, the finished waste product would be shipped to New Jersey for final reprocessing. The inert chemical would then be emptied into the Delaware River where natural attenuation would occur.
Residents near the proposed river disposal site in New Jersey oppose this idea. The contractor for the final component of this disposal would be the DuPont Corporation.
NCD is a bulk chemical storage and destruction facility in west central Indiana, thirty miles north of Terre Haute. Originally founded during World War II to produce RDX, a conventional explosive, it later became a site for chemical weapons manufacturing during the Cold War. It is now used to securely store and gradually neutralize part of the US stockpile of VX.
VX was manufactured by the U.S. in the 1950s and 60’s as a deterrent to possible Soviet Union use. It was never deployed, and the manufacture was halted in 1969 after an order signed by then-president Richard Nixon.
In 1999, the Army announced it awarded a disposal contract to Parsons Infrastructure & Technology, Inc., a business unit of Parsons Corporation. Some 220 civilian Parsons employees work at the facility, which is supervised by an Army officer reporting to the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, and a board of civilian government overseers called the Indiana Citizens’ Advisory Commission, some of whose members are appointed by the state governor.
Security at the facility is controversial. A private security service, supplemented by a complement of Indiana National Guard soldiers, guarded the facility until April 14, 2005, when the soldiers were withdrawn. An Indianapolis television station has questioned security measures in some of its special reports.
Where To Look To Search The Premium Wage Protection Policy
by
Winston Colindres
The Social Security and also Supplemental Safety Income handicap programs would be the largest of several Federal programs that supply assistance to those with disabilities. While these two programs will vary in several ways, both are usually administered because of the Social Stability Administration in support of individuals that have a handicap and meet medical standards may be entitled to benefits below either system.
The Cultural Security office should check your medical history to make certain you be entitled to disability advantages. The Social Security workplace is one way to get impairment benefits, but generally these benefits won\’t be substantial enough for people.
Disability insurance can be acquired through numerous insurance companies. In the big event that you\’ll be disabled, that insurance may serve seeing that financial safety. You will receive a percentage of your respective gross income from the disability insurance policies, income that can ensure your financial security.
You don\’t have to go throughout the Social Safety measures Office to carry a disability insurance policies, nor to receive the benefits from that plan. The Sociable Security impairment program just isn\’t related to help any disability insurance policy that you get.
Individual handicap insurance is really a basic concept. It truly is an insurance coverage product designed to replace between 45-60% of this gross income on the tax-free foundation should some sort of sickness or even illness prevent you from earning an income in the occupation. Every disability insurance plan from every insurance carrier is distinctive, this seriously isn\’t a merchandise to simply go shopping for the most competitive rate. To pick the cheapest disability insurance plan available on the market is for you to throw income away. The chances of acquiring paid any monthly help under a low priced contract can be significantly lower than receiving advantages from a good quality contract.
Many people are aware of two types of disability insurance: short-term disability, and long-term incapacity. Short-term handicap insurance is roofed in a gains package with a variety of employers, and usually provides an income inside early a part of disability. Short-term impairment insurance usually provides coverage for the period of a few months, and does not exceed any two-year phrase.
Longer-term incapability, however, can last for any period of a long period. These kinds of policies can be included began this morning employment, within a benefits deal, but numerous purchase most of these disability insurance policies individually.
Where disability insurance coverage goes, however, there are nevertheless more policies to find out about. One form of disability insurance is the Own-Occupation Incapacity Insurance. Madness of this kind of policy says:
The inability to execute the stuff and substantial duties of your regular career, the insurance firm will consider your occupation for being the occupation you might be engaged in at that time you turn out to be disabled, they will probably pay the claim despite the fact that are in some various other capacity.
A different type of disability insurance will be the Income Replacing Insurance. This is a very popular sort of disability insurance coverage, and most insurance agents have an understanding of this insurance policy. The vocabulary of this sort of disability insurance policies reads:
Because of sickness or maybe injury you can\’t perform the material and also substantial duties of this occupation, and are not engaged in a other work. \”
Widespread in worker benefits plans, Gainful Occupation Coverage is another popular way of disability insurance plan. The language here is worded meticulously:
Because of sickness as well as injury you can\’t perform your material in addition to substantial obligations or ones occupation, or any occupation that you are deemed reasonably qualified by knowledge, training, or experience.
Suspected Muslim militants shot dead over 20 villagers in the Doda district of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir early on Monday morning.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but police suspect that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba is involved and have called the attack “pre-planned.”
Eyewitnesses say armed men in military fatigues raided the village, made the residents line up and then opened fire on them injuring 9 villagers and killing the rest.
The attack comes just after by-elections in the state and just before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s meeting with militant leaders. The Union Home Ministry has convened an emergency meeting in New Delhi. Officers from the Intelligence Bureau are also likely to be present.
The terrestrial analogue television broadcasts in Finland ended in September 1, 2007, at 04:00 local time, marking the transition to the digital DVB-T standard. DVB broadcasts were started in 2001, Users of terrestrial TV are no longer able to receive the formerly nationally available TV channels – YLE TV1, YLE TV2, MTV3, and Nelonen – without set-top boxes or TV sets with built-in digital receivers. SVT Europa is also no longer available in analogue networks.
Cable networks are permitted to make the analogue mode available until the end of February 2008.
While over 75% of households already use digital TV, as of mid-August, over 220 000 households that depend on terrestrial broadcasts have not yet purchased a set-top box. There are also areas where digital terrestrial broadcasts are not yet available. This is being remedied through relay transmitters that will be set up over the following months.
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Wikinews’ overview of the year 2008
