| Warren Buffett P2Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:11:23 -0800 by DarkAngelStarQAmerica's most beloved investor is now the world's richest man. Soared past friend and bridge partner Bill Gates as shares of Berkshire Hathaway climbed 25% since the middle of last July. Son of Nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. Filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle. Studied under value investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965. Today holding company invested in insurance (Geico, General Re), jewelry (Borsheim's), utilities (MidAmerican Energy), food (Dairy Queen, See's Candies). Also has noncontrolling stakes in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo. Insurance operations flourished in 2007. "That party is over. It's a certainty that insurance-industry profit margins, including ours, will fall significantly in 2008." The Oracle of Omaha issued a challenge to members of The Forbes 400 in October; said he would donate $1 million to charity if the collective group of richest Americans would admit they pay less taxes, as a percentage of income, than their secretaries. Had long promised to give away his fortune posthumously. Irrevocably earmarked the majority of his Berkshire shares to charity in 2006, mostly to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gift was valued at $31 billion on day of announcement; donation will far exceed that sum so long as Berkshire shares continue to rise. Related: none | |
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| Warren Buffett P1Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:03:46 -0800 by DarkAngelStarQAmerica's most beloved investor is now the world's richest man. Soared past friend and bridge partner Bill Gates as shares of Berkshire Hathaway climbed 25% since the middle of last July. Son of Nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. Filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle. Studied under value investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965. Today holding company invested in insurance (Geico, General Re), jewelry (Borsheim's), utilities (MidAmerican Energy), food (Dairy Queen, See's Candies). Also has noncontrolling stakes in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo. Insurance operations flourished in 2007. "That party is over. It's a certainty that insurance-industry profit margins, including ours, will fall significantly in 2008." The Oracle of Omaha issued a challenge to members of The Forbes 400 in October; said he would donate $1 million to charity if the collective group of richest Americans would admit they pay less taxes, as a percentage of income, than their secretaries. Had long promised to give away his fortune posthumously. Irrevocably earmarked the majority of his Berkshire shares to charity in 2006, mostly to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gift was valued at $31 billion on day of announcement; donation will far exceed that sum so long as Berkshire shares continue to rise. Related: none | |
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| Resistance 2 Action TrailerFri, 05 Dec 2008 06:58:42 -0800 by martynvkResistance 2 is a sci-fi first person shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games, published by SCEA, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.The game was released on November 4, 2008 in North America and on November 28, 2008 in Europe. The game is the sequel to the best-selling PlayStation 3 launch title Resistance: Fall of Man. As of November 29, 2008 Resistance 2 has sold 0.59 million copies worldwide.Resistance 2 sees protagonist Nathan Hale travel to the United States in order to once again battle the Chimera, who have launched a full scale invasion of both the east and west coasts. This time out Hale is part of a special task force of soldiers called "The Sentinels", who, like him, have survived mostly unchanged after being infected by the Chimeran virus.Resistance 2 features multiplayer in two variations: competitive and cooperative. Cooperative is actually a stand-alone campaign mode, with a story running parallel to the single-player campaign, except in this one mode, two through eight players online (or only two offline) are taking the role of a special forces group called Specter Team. These players are tasked with many randomized objectives around the map, while defeating hordes of AI Chimera and bosses in the process; the strength of the enemy forces are altered based on the number of players and their current skill levels. There are three classes to choose from: Special Ops - long-distance damage dealers, who also provide ammunition; Soldier - the "tanks" and damage soakers of the team; and Medics - who drain life from enemies and give it to teammates (for health does not regenerate in this mode).Competitive mode gives players the option of four game modes to choose from: Core Control (like Capture the Flag, except the player cannot shoot while carrying the core), Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, and Skirmish (objective-based battle.) Players are pitted against each other (Chimera vs. Humans). Players get to choose their starting weapon of choice anytime when respawning. The LAARK and Pulse Cannon are now available in the form of their own berserks. Maps for this mode have varying sizes and layouts for different game modes and player numbers. Up to sixty players can be on one map, setting the bar for highest number of players online in one game. Both multiplayer modes track the player's performance, gaining experience and leading to benefits and rewards, as well as assigning the player a skill ranking. Related: resistance fall of man two teaser trailer action ps3 ps | |
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| BOPE - O Lado Obscuro do Rio part 1/5Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:48:21 -0800 by KNIhokkiBOPE (Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais) is the most elite unit in the Military Police of the state of Rio de Janeiro.The life in the slum quarters is conducted by the poverty, the drugs and the violence! With its typical Carnival, the convivência of its millions of inhabitants, Rio De Janeiro is a city that takes the people to dream. During the Carnival they come people of the whole world to attend the Brazilian sambistas that meneiam ancas in the parades of cars. However, for backwards of this idyllic side another reality exists! In Rio De Janeiro, each one of five inhabitants lives in the quarters of the can the one that if calls slum quarters. The life in the slum quarters is conducted by the poverty, the drugs and an enormous violence. With a daily average of 107 people deceased the shot, Brazil withholds the record of abated victims for firearms. The BOPE is a troop of the elite of the Brazilian military policy created especially to clean the slum quarters of the drugs and the traffics. For the first time, the BOPE was followed by a team of television during one of its operations!A vida nas favelas é regida pela pobreza, pelas drogas e pela violência! Com o seu típico Carnaval, a convivência dos seus milhões de habitantes, o Rio de Janeiro é uma cidade que leva as pessoas a sonhar. Durante o Carnaval vêm pessoas de todo o mundo para assistir aos sambistas brasileiros que meneiam as ancas nos desfiles de carros. Contudo, por trás deste lado idílico existe outra realidade! No Rio de Janeiro, cada um de cinco habitantes vive nos bairros da lata a que se chama favelas. A vida nas favelas é regida pela pobreza, as drogas e uma enorme violência. Com uma média diária de 107 pessoas mortas a tiro, o Brasil detém o recorde de vítimas abatidas por armas de fogo.O BOPE é uma tropa da elite da polícia militar brasileira criada especialmente para limpar as favelas das drogas e dos tráfegos. Pela primeira vez, o BOPE foi seguido por uma equipe de televisão durante uma das suas operações! Related: bope brazil rio de janeiro military police swat | |
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| PSA_CaptionInfo.org_2.movFri, 05 Dec 2008 06:46:24 -0800 by bsutcom47304Captions are on-screen text descriptions (words or symbols) that display a video product's dialogue, identify speakers, and describe other relevant sounds that are otherwise inaccessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.Captions can be either open or closed. Open captions are always in view on the screen and cannot be turned off whereas closed captions can be used as needed and turned on and off by the viewer.According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 34 million Americans have a significant hearing loss; of these almost 6 million are profoundly deaf.Approximately 1 of every 1,000 infants is born deaf while 6 of every 1,000 are born with some level of hearing loss.In the Telecommunications Act of 1996 television captioning was made mandatory. Log on to: captioninfo.org for more details. Related: education "nonprofits & activism" | |
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| Individual Purpose: MonologueFri, 05 Dec 2008 06:45:28 -0800 by AndreDeJuanTVThis is another one of my monologues. I'm talking from a British perspective. If the accent is awful, just let me know so I can improve. Please rate it on a scale of 0-5. Thanks a million for watching. Related: andredejuan | |
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| Ski : l'hiver est menacé...partout...Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:43:27 -0800 by kompilman57POZNAN (Pologne) - Une trentaine de skieurs professionnels, parmi lesquels le champion américain Ted Ligety, ont signé un appel, rendu public vendredi à Poznan, réclamant une action urgente dans la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique.L'América ine Julia Mancuso, championne olympique du slalom géant, ou encore la Suissesse Tanja Frieden, championne olympique de snowboardcross, font partie des signataires."Skieurs et snowboarders passionnés, nous constatons directement le pouvoir destructeur du réchauffement climatique", écrivent les sportifs dans cette pétition remise au ministre de l'Environnement polonais, Maciej Nowicki, qui préside la conférence Climat de Poznan."Des Alpes à l'Himalaya, des Rocheuses à la chaine des Andes, le réchauffement climatique menace l'hiver", ajoutent-ils. Le recul des glaciers et les modifications profondes dans les chutes de neige "toucheront des millions de personnes", menaçant en particulier le tourisme lié aux sports d'hiver, relèvent-ils.Les signataires de la pétition, lancée à l'initiative de l'ONG WWF, réclament un nouveau traité ambitieux qui permette de contenir le réchauffement moyen de la planète à +2°C par rapport à l'ère pré-industrielle.Ils demandent que les pays industrialisés s'engagent à réduire leurs émissions de gaz à effet de serre de 25% à 40% d'ici 2020 par rapport à 1990.Près de 10.000 délégués de plus de 180 pays sont rassemblés depuis lundi à Poznan pour tracer la voie d'un futur traité climatique. Ce traité devrait être finalisé dans un an à Copenhague afin d'entrer en vigueur à expiration des premiers engagements du Protocole de Kyoto, fin 2012.(©AFP / 05 décembre 2008 15h21) Related: actu politique environnement réchauffement climatique appel public skieurs ted ligety julia mancuso ski actualité | |
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| PSA_CaptionInfo.org_1.movFri, 05 Dec 2008 06:40:33 -0800 by bsutcom47304Captions are on-screen text descriptions (words or symbols) that display a video product's dialogue, identify speakers, and describe other relevant sounds that are otherwise inaccessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.Captions can be either open or closed. Open captions are always in view on the screen and cannot be turned off whereas closed captions can be used as needed and turned on and off by the viewer.According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 34 million Americans have a significant hearing loss; of these almost 6 million are profoundly deaf.Approximately 1 of every 1,000 infants is born deaf while 6 of every 1,000 are born with some level of hearing loss.In the Telecommunications Act of 1996 television captioning was made mandatory. Log on to: captioninfo.org for more details. Related: education "nonprofits & activism" | |
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| Architecture in Russia | Visions of The FutureFri, 05 Dec 2008 06:32:55 -0800 by Na1zzurEastern Europe and Russia, in particular, is currently home to one of the most dynamic and attractive construction equipment markets in the world. MetropoliyaMETROPOL Group of Companies plans to build a mammoth $3.5 billion (approx. ?2.04 bln.) multi-complex district in the heart of the Russian capital of Moscow based on Japanese "green" technology.Rotating TowerMoscow will have its Rotating Skyscraper to become the new icon of the Russian capital.This tower will have 70 stories, 400 Mt high. (1312 ft).The developer is the international Moscow based, MIRAX GROUP Company headed by Mr. Sergei Polonsky.The volume of investments into the tower construction is going to exceed $400 million. Ohkta CenterOkhta Center known before March 2007 as Gazprom City is a construction project of a business center in Saint Petersburg. It will include the first supertall skyscraper in the city.Federtion IslandRussia is planning to build artificial island called Federation Island located off the coast of Sochi in the Black Sea. It will house 25,000 people in apartments and villas. Federation Island is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The project will cost around 6.2 billion dollars (4.4 billion euros).New HollandNew Holland is a 19-acre artificial island, formed between the Moika River and the Admiralteisky and Kryukov canals, near the famed Mariinsky Theater. Five buildings on the island are listed on UNESCO's World Heritage Register.Crystal IslandCrystal Island is a proposed building project in Moscow, Russia that is currently planned to have around 2,500,000 square metres (27,000,000 square feet) of floor space and a height of 450 metres (1,300 ft) designed by Norman Foster. A £2 billion "city inside a building" in Moscow will be the world's largest building.Expo CenterExpo Center is construction project closely located to the Moscow International Business Center (MIBC), which offers the city a new exposition venue, hotel, and residential development.Russia TowerThe Russia Tower is an unfinished supertall skyscraper in Moscow. Construction began in September, 2007, and was planned to be completed in 2012. Upon reaching its final height of 612.2 m (2,009 ft.), it would be the eighth tallest free-standing structure in the world after the Mubarak al-Kabir Tower (3284 ft/1001 m), Burj Dubai (2684 ft/818 m), Pagcor Tower (2182 ft/665 m), Lanco Hills Signature Tower (2099 ft/640 m), Shanghai Center (2,073 ft/632 m), Pentominium (2028 ft/618 m), Songdo Incheon Towers (2013 ft/614 m). Additionally, it would be the tallest building in the world with a natural ventilation system.... Related: metropoliya moscow sochi st petersburg 2014 stadiums zenit spartak amazing buildings tallest future new centre dubai | |
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