China-Reisende können mit der mobilen Anwendung von GyPSii gleichzeitig auf den User Generated Content der Travel Community und Hotelinformationen aus dem Datenbestand von eLong (u.a. Beurteilungen und Fotos von ca. 7.000 Hotels in 400 Städten Chinas) zugreifen. Die Hotels können dann direkt vom Mobiltelefon aus gebucht werden.

Durch die Zusammenarbeit kann eLong die Reichweite der Geolocation- und Social-Networking-Anwendung GyPSii nutzen, um die eigenen Angebote einer neuen Nutzergruppe zu offerieren. Gleichzeitig bietet GyPSii seinen Nutzern eine erweiterte Angebotsvielfalt und generiert bei Buchungen auch Einnahmen (Provision).

Die mobile Applikation von GyPSii läuft auf BlackBerrys, sowie Symbian- und Windows-Mobile-Geräten. Es gibt aber auch eine für das iPhone optimierte mobile Webseite.

Increasing number of colleges offer organic coffee to keep students and administrators perking along while minimizing environmental impact

August 28, 2008 

Sandra Marquardt, 301-592-0077                                                                                                               

GREENFIELD, Mass.  Thanks to the efforts of savvy food service providers and students who support organic farming, this fall’s scholars nationwide will find colleges and universities are increasingly offering organic coffee products to keep them perking along, according to the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

 For example, Columbia University and New York University in New York City brew organic Dallis Coffee (New York City, NY). Equal Exchange (West Bridgewater, MA) revs up Bennington College (Bennington, VT), Brown University (Providence, RI), Indianapolis University (Indianapolis, IN), and Yale University (New Haven, CT). 

In addition, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) students munch on Fresh Harvest Product’s Wings of Nature® (New York City, NY) organic coffee snack bars, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Waterbury, VT) stokes Notre Dame University (Notre Dame, IN), Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT), University of Massachusetts (Boston, MA), and the University of Vermont (Burlington, VT).* Much of this coffee is imported by Elan Organic Coffees (San Diego, CA).

Not all the organic coffee sold on campus is caffeinated. Numerous schools also offer decaffeinated organic coffee, as well. Much of that coffee has been decaffeinated using Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company’s (Vancouver, Canada) process, as it uses only water to extract caffeine from the coffee beans.

“Many college students have grown up with organic foods. As they look for solutions to the economic and environmental problems facing the world, students are among the key drivers changing campus food toward organic products and more sustainable choices,” said David Gagnon, OTA interim executive director. “Similarly, food service providers have their fingers on the pulse of customers’ needs and know that organic food and beverages are here to stay.”

The North American organic coffee market reached one billion dollars in 2007, according to Mr. Daniele Giovannucci, author of the recent North American Organic Coffee Industry Survey. The amount of organic coffee imported into the U.S. and Canada increased 29 percent from 2006-2007 from approximately 65 million pounds to approximately 81 million pounds.

Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, avoid the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production.

Organic Trade Association (OTA):

The mission of the Organic Trade Association is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy. OTA envisions organic products becoming a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people’s lives and the environment. As a membership-based business association, OTA focuses on the organic business community in North America. OTA’s 1,700 members include farmers, processors, importers, exporters, distributors, retailers, certifiers and more (www.ota.com).

The Shinzo Abe administration saw 3 Ministers.  You wouldn't have thought there was time, but surely there was.  Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who committed suicide in May of last year, was succeeded by Norihiko Akagi.  He lasted all of 60 days but you'll remember him as the chap who turned up at a press conference with an unshaven and bandaged face, looking like he'd taken the wrong route home.

Masatoshi Wakabayashi then warmed the Ministry seat for about three weeks before Takehiko Endo took over officially.  Mr Endo then made Akagi look like a stayer by resigning after a mere 8 days in office.  Mr Wakabayashi was called back for his second stint in a fortnight.

Seiichi Ota took over the reins at the beginning of August.  And today he's decided to take responsibility (as is the ministerly tradition) for the tainted rice scandal by buggering off and doing nothing at all to help clear up the mess.  Very noble, I'm sure.

That's 6 ministers in 16 months if you've lost count.  At this rate, within a few years, we'll all get a go at being the Agriculture Minister.

Japan minister quits in rice row

Mr Ota only took over his portfolio in August this year

Japan's farm minister, Seiichi Ota, has tendered his resignation because of a food scandal involving tainted rice.

Mr Ota's ministry has admitted it was told in January 2007 that a food company was distributing rice tainted with pesticide.

Mr Ota had earlier said he saw no need to make "too much of a fuss over it".

It has since emerged that the rice, destined for industrial uses, was resold as a food product and served to the elderly.

The rice has been found to be tainted with pesticides and mould, and was known to be unfit for human consumption.

No-one has been reported as ill as a result of eating the rice; a government official said this was because the density of contaminants was low.

"I met Prime Minister [Yasuo] Fukuda and told him my decision to resign, considering the seriousness of the tainted rice problem for the society," Mr Ota said.

Japanese broadcaster NHK said his resignation had been accepted.

Japan faces general elections soon, possibly as early as next month.

Contamination spreads

As information trickled out, it became clear that the bad rice was sold to more than 300 firms, including brewers, food ingredient wholesalers and sweet makers.

A government report released this week showed that the rice was imported from China, Vietnam and elsewhere, and intended for use in the making of glue and other industrial products.

Instead, the Osaka-based Mikasa Foods company sold the rice on to firms which used it for making foods that have been distributed to hospitals and care homes.

Young people have also been affected as the bad rice was used in making some snacks sold in convenience stores, and in school lunches.

Japanese media reported that police said on Wednesday that the president of one of the small companies that had bought the rice from Mikasa Foods, had committed suicide by hanging himself.

When Mr Ota's ministry first heard of the tainted rice entering the food chain, he said it was unable to uncover any wrongdoing.

Mr Ota only took over the portfolio in August this year.

The minister has come under fire after admitting his ministry "overlooked" the illegal distribution of rice unfit for human consumption.

Our correspondent says Mr Ota is known for his slips of the tongue, such as his expressed confidence that no-one would die from eating tainted rice and that no fuss was necessary.

The senior bureaucrat at the agriculture ministry had already resigned.

Location- OR-

Newport

Job Description

Do you enjoy working and being an integral member of a tight knit community?  Do you enjoy coastal living in a rural setting?  This 48 bed Critical Access Hospital is part of a five hospital organization which provides excellent opportunity for advancement from within which means you have the potential to advance while staying within a committed community.   

WHY THIS Hospital?

1. Small Organization with family culture.
2. Life balance and understand that work is only one part of our life
3. Cozy coastal community of 10,000
4. 45 minutes from Willamette Valley
5. Ocean views from the hospital
6. Rewarding work in critical access hospital
7. Awesome recreation
8. 90 minutes from Portland
9. New Graduates Welcome!

REQUIREMENTS

Ø       Bachelors Degree Required

Ø       BLS required or eligible

Ø       Oregon Occupational Therapy license required or eligible

Ø       Minimum of Bachelor of Science, Masters degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy from an institution accredited by the AOTA, offering training in this specialty, including a supervised clinical internship

BENEFITS

Ø       Paid time off

Ø       Health plan- Premiums are paid on a pre-tax basis. This comprehensive benefit program offers medical, pharmacy, dental and vision.

Ø       Cafeteria and pharmacy discounts- Employees enjoy a 15 percent discount at all Company cafeterias and retail pharmacies.

Ø       Employee Wellness Program- Employees are reimbursed for participating in approved health-related classes and activities up to the yearly maximum of $300.

Ø       Life and disability insurance- Life insurance – a one-time payment of employee’s annual salary up to $50,000 maximum.

Ø       Accidental death and dismemberment – two times annual salary up to $50,000 maximum.

Ø       Long-term disability – 60 percent of employee’s monthly salary up to $5,000 maximum.

Ø       Short-term disability – four voluntary plans available.

Ø       Employees may purchase additional life insurance up to a maximum of $300,000 for the employee and eligible dependents.

Ø       Additional AD&D insurance available.

Ø       Undergraduate and graduate classes are reimbursed at 75 percent (based on OSU tuition rates) for tuition and books. Open to employees who work at least half time.

Ø       Athletic club discounts- Discounts are given at selected athletic clubs in Lincoln, Linn and Benton counties.

Ø       Personal Choice Account- Use pre-tax dollars to pay for dependent care expenses, medical and dental services, and employee insurance premiums.

Ø       College Savings Plan- Designed to help families set aside funds for future college costs.

Ø       Retirement Plan- Employer contribution of 4 percent of annual salary. Employee is 100 percent vested after three years.

Ø       Tax Sheltered Annuity Program – Employees may purchase through payroll reduction with choice of two companies.

Ø       Matching Plan – Maximum of 3 percent matched by SHS for employees participating in Tax Sheltered Annuity Program.

Ø       Employee Assistance Program- Confidential counseling services for employees and their immediate family members.

Ø       Consumer Credit Counseling - debt management counseling services

Ø       Family Connections - child care and elder care referral services

Ø       Relocation Expenses paid up to $15,000

COMPENSATION

$26.74/HR to $38.13/HR

To apply call or email Ron Mason at 801-583-1125 or ron@episearch.com

Speaking at the Promax/BDA conference in New York City June 18, Goodstadt contended the nation’s transition to digital television transmission will likely have the unintended consequence of making viewers re-evaluate how they receive local television. When they do, up to 13 million households may scrap off-air reception in favor of cable, satellite or telco TV, Goodstadt predicted.

The nation’s broadcasters have long dealt with shrinking OTA audiences. For instance, the number of OTA households has fallen from 23.9 million in the first quarter of 2004 to 16.9 million in the first quarter of this year, according to estimates made by Centris. But the potential rapid decline triggered by the DTV transition is unprecedented.

In arriving at his conclusions, Goodstadt relied on three specific data points. First, as of February, 62 percent of OTA households said they plan to buy a DTV converter box to continue using their existing sets. If the remaining 38 percent abandon OTA, the number of OTA households remaining after the transition would be about 10.5 million.

Second, the decision to buy a converter is based on it being the lowest-cost alternative. However with the rollout of budget, or lifeline, TV packages from cable operators priced between $10 and $14 per month, the economic pain threshold has been lowered for choosing pay TV.

Third, Centris research indicates 54 percent of OTA households may have to upgrade their antennas to continue receiving an off-air signal post transition. This, too, is likely to take a toll on the number of viewers who choose to continue relying on OTA TV, he said.

Further bolstering his case was Centris/Omnibus research showing 19 percent of new cable subscribers last year were OTA households and 37 percent of new satellite TV subscribers formerly relied on terrestrial off-air reception, Goodstadt said. Even if the need to upgrade home antennas had no effect, the number of OTA households will fall to between 8 million and 9 million based on consumer choice data, he added.

According to Goodstadt, as over-the-air audiences erode and approach zero, broadcasters, as well as others affected, will have to answer some important strategic questions, such as:

What is the value of a broadcasting infrastructure (towers, transmitters) now aimed at a diminished number of OTA viewers? What will this do to stock prices?
To what extent does this change the broadcaster’s business model, or does it? Will new OTA TVs be cell phones and iPods?
What will a designated market area (DMA) mean when the number of OTAs approaches zero?
What is the meaning of “must carry” in a diminished OTA environment?
What does this mean for retransmission agreements?
What are the implications for advertising revenue?
What will government regulators think about rights to broadcast spectrum that is being used to reach a tiny or non-existent population of OTA consumers?

Speaking on the phone with RF Update after the presentation, Goodstadt said that when he researched and prepared his presentation, he was surprised by the massive scale of the potential OTA household decline. Regardless of DTV’s better picture, elimination of multipath ghosting and higher resolution in the case of HD, the digital television transition will significantly decrease the number of OTA households, he said.

“The whole notion of a revival of OTA broadcast thanks to digital transmission is not playing out as some expected, unless the new OTA TV model is mobile,” he said. “I can see that happening with an attractive demographic, those under 35.”

source : broadcastengineering.com

The DTV transition will decimate the over-the-air (OTA) television audience in the United States, potentially leaving as few as 4 million to 5 million households relying solely on off-air reception, and in the process raise some uncomfortable questions for the nation’s TV broadcasters, according to an assessment by Centris’ senior vice president Barry Goodstadt.

Speaking at the Promax/BDA conference in New York City June 18, Goodstadt contended the nation’s transition to digital television transmission will likely have the unintended consequence of making viewers re-evaluate how they receive local television. When they do, up to 13 million households may scrap off-air reception in favor of cable, satellite or telco TV, Goodstadt predicted.

The nation’s broadcasters have long dealt with shrinking OTA audiences. For instance, the number of OTA households has fallen from 23.9 million in the first quarter of 2004 to 16.9 million in the first quarter of this year, according to estimates made by Centris. But the potential rapid decline triggered by the DTV transition is unprecedented.

In arriving at his conclusions, Goodstadt relied on three specific data points. First, as of February, 62 percent of OTA households said they plan to buy a DTV converter box to continue using their existing sets. If the remaining 38 percent abandon OTA, the number of OTA households remaining after the transition would be about 10.5 million.

Second, the decision to buy a converter is based on it being the lowest-cost alternative. However with the rollout of budget, or lifeline, TV packages from cable operators priced between $10 and $14 per month, the economic pain threshold has been lowered for choosing pay TV.

Third, Centris research indicates 54 percent of OTA households may have to upgrade their antennas to continue receiving an off-air signal post transition. This, too, is likely to take a toll on the number of viewers who choose to continue relying on OTA TV, he said.

Further bolstering his case was Centris/Omnibus research showing 19 percent of new cable subscribers last year were OTA households and 37 percent of new satellite TV subscribers formerly relied on terrestrial off-air reception, Goodstadt said. Even if the need to upgrade home antennas had no effect, the number of OTA households will fall to between 8 million and 9 million based on consumer choice data, he added.

According to Goodstadt, as over-the-air audiences erode and approach zero, broadcasters, as well as others affected, will have to answer some important strategic questions, such as:

• What is the value of a broadcasting infrastructure (towers, transmitters) now aimed at a diminished number of OTA viewers? What will this do to stock prices?
• To what extent does this change the broadcaster’s business model, or does it? Will new OTA TVs be cell phones and iPods?
• What will a designated market area (DMA) mean when the number of OTAs approaches zero?
• What is the meaning of “must carry” in a diminished OTA environment?
• What does this mean for retransmission agreements?
• What are the implications for advertising revenue?
• What will government regulators think about rights to broadcast spectrum that is being used to reach a tiny or non-existent population of OTA consumers?

Speaking on the phone with RF Update after the presentation, Goodstadt said that when he researched and prepared his presentation, he was surprised by the massive scale of the potential OTA household decline. Regardless of DTV's better picture, elimination of multipath ghosting and higher resolution in the case of HD, the digital television transition will significantly decrease the number of OTA households, he said.

“The whole notion of a revival of OTA broadcast thanks to digital transmission is not playing out as some expected, unless the new OTA TV model is mobile,” he said. “I can see that happening with an attractive demographic, those under 35.”

source : broadcastengineering.com

Ce l'hanno fatta, è provato. "Uh-Oh!", la macchina in grado di viaggiare attraverso lo spazio e il tempo, è stata realizzata con successo a San Francisco dai due ingegneri David Gardner e Tim Digulla nel 2001. Anche se la notizia del veicolo del team dei Tipsy non è ancora giunta alle orecchie di tutti. [Probabilmente perché non è un viaggio da tutti]. Ma dato che ogni volta che posso mi ci faccio un giro, condividerò un mio diario di bordo.

Si accendono i motori con "Hard Petting", e poco dopo un flauto annuncia l'arrivo nella buffa giungla di "Papaya Freeway". "Hey!", è tempo di andare via, bpm più sostenuti, fischi e suoni bizzarri, uniti a fiati repentini e chitarre anni '50 segnano il passaggio della navicella Uh-Oh!. Ed ecco l'arrivo in un'altra destinazione: "Sweet Cinnamon Punch", un vero e proprio idillio tessuto da clarinetti e corde, con delle parentesi di tensione impreviste: è ora di ripartire, questa volta navighiamo un fiume in direzione di "Neon Tetra", un bosco abitato da una fauna misteriosa, in parte curiosa in parte inquietante. Con "Wig Out" siamo di nuovo in moto, il viaggio si fa di nuovo movimentato, e con le chitarre e le batterie di "Reverse Cowgirl" si sta nel mezzo di un avventura nelle pianure statunitensi, la vicenda sembra avere addirittura del circense. La tappa successiva, "Swallowtail" è nuovamente un'immersione in qualche imprecisato angolo umido e ombroso, con tanto di danze a tratti solenni a tratti scherzose con le ninfe del posto; si cambia completamente rotta per raggiungere "Moisture Seekers", una spy-story in cui ci si muove di soppiatto. Una leva urtata accidentalmente ci porta da tutt'altra parte: ci troviamo in "Kitty Takes A Ride", una strana storia vagamente infantile con qualche strano presentimento.. e la sensazione di buio e angoscia prende la forma di "Fur Teacup", finchè non viene diluita dai pianoforti e archi rivoltati dell'oceano di "Pink Mood" dal quale veniamo lentamente risucchiati e quasi coccolati. E' tempo di svegliarsi e rimettersi in cammino, è tempo di "Bunny Kick", una spensierata danza tra canti femminili e percussioni.. ma qualcosa va storto, nuovamente. "Suez Motel", bassi, sitar e chitarra ci accompagnano mentre cerchiamo di nasconderci dentro un harem per sfuggire da qualche misteriosa creatura, che ci fiuta e ci scova proprio quando ci credevamo al sicuro. Cose incredibili. Per fortuna riusciamo a rimetterci in moto per tempo, e siamo in fuga per "XXXmas", uno splendido e rassicurante mondo dove un basso ci tiene sempre in movimento e tutto è avvolto da xilofoni e piccole percussioni metalliche. Giungiamo quasi per caso a "Seaweed", probabilmente a causa di una corrente imprevista o chissà per quale ragione.. l'atmosfera è morbida ma è come se fossimo ineluttabilmente attratti, aspirati, da qualcosa di grande e impreciso: si tratta delle profondità marine di "Zombie's Mood", la discesa è verticale e la pressione aumenta, tutto sembra finito.. finchè dei fasci di luce illuminano quello che sembra essere l'ingresso per una falda che conduce a "Eclipse Of The Sun Virgin", meta conclusiva [ma non per questo meno strana] del viaggio, tra voci e archi portatori di messaggi celati.

Stronzate e soggettività a parte, "Uh-Oh!" è una sorta di sostanza psicotropa in formato audio. Il piccolo miracolo orchestrato da Gardner e Digulla [concretizzato grazie ad un gruppo di musicisti che comprende theremin, percussioni, chitarre, pianoforti, fiati e tanto altro] è talmente variegato, intricato e suggestivo che risulta difficile da descrivere o catalogare, se non come un incontro tra l'exotica e dell'elettronica sperimentale un po' vintage. Se avete apprezzato l'electro-tropicalia di Daedelus o se avete il poster di Les Baxter in camera, o se cercate qualcosa di veramente strano e stimolante, recuperatevi assolutamente i Tipsy.

fabio

• O Coringa de Heath Ledger é unanimidade, claro! Sem comentários. Agora, o que dizer deste impressionante boneco (ou "action Figure") lançado pela Hot Toys – com entrega prometida para dezembro – que é extremamente parecido com o ator? Leia os detalhes no Blog de Brinquedo!

• E, já que você vai visitar o Blog de Brinquedo não deixe de ver também esta figura bacana de Namor, o Príncipe Submarino.

• Lucia Hippolito fez um texto-homenagem a um dos maiores comediantes do Brasil (apesar de ele ter nascido na Espanha): o inesquecível Oscarito. Leia, mas aproveite para ler tudo desta que é uma das jornalistas de maior credibilidade do país.

• Visite também o site/blog/Otatube do Ota e garanta boas risadas.

• Recentemente criei um blog para homenagear os mestres do traço mas ainda não publiquei quase nenhum conteúdo. Há apenas três textos, mas prometo que começarei a publicar textos com mais freqüência. Não tanta quanto a desejável... De qualquer maneira, conheça Onomatopeya.

First, and perhaps most importantly, when you're watching live tv and have the indoor antenna pointed in the right direction, the quality of the image and playback is pretty awesome.  Of course, it's not 1080p, and my tv will never be able to show that much detail.  But at 1080i, the Olympics coverage on NBC looked pretty damn good.  The outdoor, daytime coverage especially, under the Beijing sun, looked fantastic.

However, because the antenna doesn't always pick up a clear signal where we live while pointed in one direction, it sometimes needs manual adjustment. (I will add in passing that ironically, it worked fine without manual manipulation during a thunderstorm we had last week.)  In this case, the image begins to stutter pretty badly, sometimes only in the picture (with the sound continuing un-deterred), and sometimes both.  However, through some simple testing we've found two or three positions that seem to work if one of the others is not.  We thought it might have something to do with the direction of a particular station's repeater tower, but that now seems not to be the case.

What this means for the DVR setup, of course, is that you can't really count on things to be recorded clearly while you're not around.  I would say the success rate so far is somewhere between 80 and 90 percent, which is certainly not bad.  But if there is something you absolutely must see, I would not recommend our setup and a DVR: better to plan to be in the house (or get a Slingbox or Orb or something).

Since we're not really planning to use the DVR for shows all that much (maybe some secondary shows that might be fun to have on tap, like Jeapordy or The Simpsons or something), I'm happy with the situation the way it is.  And as I mentioned last post, the iPhone makes a nice little remote for watching non-standard IPTV like Hulu and Netflix instant until someone writes a plugin for those on BeyondTV or BeyondMedia. (I don't use the latter, but I'm aware of it and would use it if the plugins were available).

In passing, I would say this bodes well for the switch to ATSC in February.  Of course there will be lots of people who don't want to or can't afford the converter box and/or HD TV.  That's a big problem in the way the government is rolling out the policy, forcing consumers to pay for the innovations that the cable and satellite companies will ultimately benefit from.  But consumers will gain benefits, too, in the long run, and who knows?  Maybe the switch will encourage more people to drop their cable service and seek other options.  Not that ISPs are any better, given what I've been reading about broadband throttling.  Luckily, CableOne hasn't tried to implement such a system (yet, and that I know of).  But the switch may contrarily be another nail in the coffin of OTA TV, if it isn't implement with some care and sensitivity.  And if cable and satellite providers can't see that they're in a consumer-oriented business, then they deserve what they get.

Por outro lado o RCP anuncia que os proprietários de terrenos na Ota podem novamente, passados 10 anos, começar a pedir licenças e que serão dados descontos de 80% para "compensar" todo este tempo.

Não sei se serei o único mas isto não faz sentido para mim. Nenhum sentido na realidade. Se este Governo continuar nesta política de compensações terá todos os municípios e juntas de freguesia a pedir compensações pelo facto de o TGV não lhe ir passar mesmo à porta, pelo facto de um museu não ser construído no seu concelho,etc., etc.

620 milhões de euros é muito dinheiro. E é dinheiro de todos nós que pagamos impostos. Porque terá esse dinheiro que ser usado só para alguns devido únicamente ao facto que num certo momento se pensou que o aeroporto poderia ser ali construído - sem qualquer base técnica - e começou a especulação a todos os níveis nessa região?

Se o novo aeroporto é um projecto nacional não faz sentido andar a compensar apenas alguns em detrimento de todos. Os senhores da Região do Oeste deviam apenas acatar a decisão do Governo e nada mais.

E o Governo deveria assumir, sem medos políticos, a decisão que tomou. Sem concessões e sem compensações.

A título de curiosidade, se repararem no link do Diário Económico o "path" está todo em Espanhol. Alguém me sabe explicar isto?

A novidade é que, com a ajuda da fantástica ferramenta de web 2.0 Issuu, agora você pode folhear virtualmnte toda a edição página a página, como se ela estivesse em sua mão. Veja as caricaturas, desenhos e charges e leia todos os textos publicados, exatamente como estão na edição impressa. Para isso, basta CLICAR AQUI. Mas, se você quiser baixar esta edição no formato pdf, basta visitar a página do jornal no site da ABI, ou então CLIQUE AQUI.

Em breve publicarei, no Onomatopeya, todos os textos e ilustrações que estão nesta edição. Em diversas postagens, é claro. É só aguardar.
Este blog ainda não é atualizado com a freqüência devida, mas estou trabalhando para corrigir isso.

> Site não oficial da Mad - Leia toda a história da Mad, contada pelo próprio Ota. Lá você descobrirá que quem trouxe a revista para o Brasil foi um cara chamado... Lotário (!!!). E o Ota foi seu primeiro (e eterno) editor. Lotário e Ota: que dupla!

> Blog do Ota - Aproveite para conhecer o pensamento e a arte do célebre editor, merecedor de aparecer no Guiness, o Livro dos Recordes, como o mais antigo editor da Mad do mundo!

> Hotsite da Mad - Este é o site oficial da revista, versão Panini. Aqui você lê a história da revista e conhece alguns dos autores. E baixa papéis de parede também.

> Blog Mad - Como eles mesmos escrevem, este site é "outra porcaria criada pelo pessoal da Mad". Ok, visite e fique por dentro das novidades que não foram publicadas.

Ah! Quer ler sobre a participação de Um Blog no Planeta Mongo na Mad, nº5? Então, CLIQUE AQUI. E baixe o WALLPAPER acima, com a imagem que será publicada na capa da revista deste mês.

So what has been done since then? They will not target any group of people or any ideology. Well good for them! Nice to know you, suckers! This makes me so damn angry. You know who the enemy is, yet you refuse to name him. You know where he lives, yet you fear going after him. Don't get mad at us because we do. See, we choose LIFE. If you want to die, fine. But leave me out of it.

I may be just a girl, but I've bigger ones than all of you put together. (That is regarding the State Department, the whole government of Kenya and most of the USA.) It is the Muslims. That religion needs to either reform or be destroyed. Period. There. Someone has finally said it.

Does that mean that every Muslim is a jihadis? Only if they are true Muslims and not Kafrs! Those who are Kafrs want reform, but they will not step out of line due to fear. So what do we do?

I know. In the beginning, middle or near the end of the war, why don't we treat them like criminals and sentence them for 5 1/2 years and give them time served from Gitmo? That leaves six months left for Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver. Oh, that's really bright! What idiots thought this one up? I WANT SOME FREAKIN' JUSTICE, and I'm tired of waiting around while idiots twiddle their thumbs while the country burns...Have a nice day.

Update: Stop the ACLU has some commentary on the verdict of Hamdan. Go check it out.

Cross-posted @ Rosemary's Thoughts.

Today I am having a Linkfest party for all my friends, they ones I know and they ones I will come to know. If you have a post you would like to share with more people, why not trackpost it here? All you have to do is add my Permalink somewhere in your article (usually at the bottom), then trackback to it. You don't have trackbacks available? Why not use Wizbang Stand Alone Trackback. Everyone have a nice day.
(Here is the link to The Crazy Rantings of Samantha Burns who is having the OTA.)

Sunday: Su. The Amboy Times, Su. walls of the city, Su. Grandinite, Su. OneManBandwidth, Su. Stageleft, Su. InMuscatine.
Monday: M. Perri Nelson (M, W, F), M. Faultline USA.
Tuesday: T. Planck's Constant.
Wednesday: W. Stop the ACLU, W. third world county (W, F), W. Maggie's Notebook (W, Wknd), W. Gribbit (W, S).
Thursday: Th. Diary of the Mad Pigeon.
Friday: F. Stix Blog, F. Pirate's Cove (M, F), F. The World According To Carl, F. Woman Honor Thyself, F. 123beta (F, Wknd).
Saturday: S. Church and State, S. LyfLines.
Daily: D. The Yankee Sailor (M, F), D. The Dumb Ox Daily News, D. Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, D. Conservative Cat.
Weekend: Wknd. Oblogatory Anecdotes, Wknd. Stuck on Stupid, Wknd. Blue Star Chronicles, Wknd. The Uncooperative Blogger.

Friends who have shared their posts for your reading pleasure:
1. W. Right Truth: Jimenez Family Stalked By Eagle Tribune Reporter.
2. F. Phastidio.net (F, Wknd): Maverick No More.

Initially, I ran into a problem because I had no SATA optical drive and the board only had one IDE port, which I used to hook up the two hard drives.  In hindsight, I probably could have taken the second drive out and at least gotten one of my IDE drives spun up, but instead I used an external DVD drive on loan to me from work since my Macbook pro drive has ceases working.  That allowed me to load all the drivers for the board and the two cards, and soon enough it was working just like the previous setup had been.

Still, I ordered an OEM SATA DVD burner from Newegg for $24, about which I'll write in a separate post.The Vista laptop ($500) I got worked just fine right out of the box--it's an Acer Extensa, which though kinda cheap in some ways, is just fine for what my wife needs it for.  The PS2 game and additional controller I was going to order online, but I was in Target the other day and they had both so I grabbed them, $20 and $10 respectively.

So all the pieces are in as of now.

Op de weblog van Nozbe las ik tot mijn grote genoegen dat er binnenkort een iPhone applicatie komt van iNozbe die je offline op je iPhone kunt gebruiken. De actielijst wordt gesynchroniseerd met je Nozbe account. Ik wacht in spanning af wanneer iNozbe beschikbaar komt!

Deze afbeelding van de voorlopige versie staat op de blog van www.nozbe.com; klik daarna op Blog om naar het originele bericht te gaan.

A.configration SMS is not a simple text sms.you have to send your message using  Over The Air(OTA) or Open Mobile Alaince (OMA).

you can download OTA spacification document from there but first you have to make a login to nokia forum.open the link make you registration the download the pdf file

http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/3377eb33-cb1d-490e-a1cb-8735d785e1d3/OTA_settings_general_7_0.pdf.html

you can also download OMA specification

http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/8d85ad81-5a9b-40fe-bf2a-d567dfd755ec/Series_40_DP_2_0_OMA_Client_Provisioning_v1_3_en.pdf.html

-i wanna send configration sms for synch settings . for that i read the these above spacification(parameters required).
-then i create an xml according to OMA/OTA spacification.
-and concert this xml to wbxml

how convert xml to wbxml
there is two solution for that, you can find two APIs on the internet
-wbxml this is c++ library
can be downlaoded for here http://libwbxml.aymerick.com/
-kxml this is java library
can be donwlaod from here http://kxmlrpc.objectweb.org/software/downloads/

i converted my xml to wbxml using kxml api.here is code

package test.kxml;

import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;

import org.kxml.io.AbstractXmlWriter;
import org.kxml.kdom.Document;
import org.kxml.parser.XmlParser;
import org.kxml.wap.WbxmlWriter;

public class Converter {

public static void main(String args[]){

byte[] bytes=null;

try {
File file = new File("D:\\xml\\OMA2.xml");

InputStream is = new FileInputStream(file);

// Get the size of the file
long length = file.length();

// You cannot create an array using a long type.
// It needs to be an int type.
// Before converting to an int type, check
// to ensure that file is not larger than Integer.MAX_VALUE.
if (length > Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
// File is too large
}

// Create the byte array to hold the data
bytes = new byte[(int)length];

// Read in the bytes
int offset = 0;
int numRead = 0;
while (offset < bytes.length
&& (numRead=is.read(bytes, offset, bytes.length-offset)) >= 0) {
offset += numRead;
}

} catch (Exception e) {
// TODO: handle exception
}

try {
FileOutputStream fOutStream = new FileOutputStream("D:\\xml\\OMA2.wbxml");
// Construct an InputStreamReader on ByterArrayInputStream.
InputStreamReader in = new InputStreamReader(new ByteArrayInputStream(bytes));

// Make parser using this Reader.
XmlParser parser = new XmlParser(in);

// Construct a DOM Document to parse XML.
Document document = new Document ();
document.parse(parser);
in.close();

// Make an OutputStream on which WbxmlWriter can write.
ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
//AbstractXmlWriter writer = new WbxmlWriter(out);

AbstractXmlWriter writer = new WbxmlWriter(fOutStream);
document.write(writer);
writer.close();

System.out.println("-------------"+out.toString());
//out.writeTo(fOutStream);
// Get WBXML from this stream.
bytes = out.toString().getBytes();

out.close();

}//try
catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); }

}//End of MAin

}

i also have the exe file of wbxml lib(complied and convert to exe). you can run it on command promt.
place the xml file and related dll in a folder the open the command promt and point to that folder and the write that command
xml2wbxml.exe
then write this command
xml2wbxml -o output.wbxml input.xml
xml2wbxml -k -n -v 1.1 -o output.wbxml input.xml

then your file convertd to wbxml. for wbxml exe file you can email me at aijaz.a.b@gmail.com

wbxml is short form of xml mean all xml data converted to binary so file size get commpressed. when you convert the xml to wbxml you will see all tags are converted into binary form but the text will remain the same.
then convert it to Hexadecimal form and send it to your mobile.

downlaod hex-editor form that link http://www.brothersoft.com/free-hex-editor-download-40299.html, it will convert wbxml to hex.

how to send to the mobile you have to read your gate spacificatio. i am using unwire gateway so for that i set the "type" varibale to "raw" in the url and set the header.i didnt able to get sms on mobile therefor i contacted to my gateway provider but these all step really help to send the configration SMS.

the sms you will send it will have two parts
first is UDH head
what is UDH head read this link
http://dev.mobi/article/binary-sms-sending-rich-content-devices-using-sms

the samlple i send like this
(UDH header)Header1: 0B0504C34FC0020003B90201
(hexdecimal form of wbxml)Body1: 010604039481EA00010045C60601871245018713110331302E392E382E37000187146101872111032B333637303730303039323700018722700187231103766F6461776170000187241103766F646177617000018728730187296C0101C606018712410187131103323232000187146001871A11032B33363730393939363530
Header2: 0B0504C34FC0020003B90202

hope this all will help

also read this link .might be it will be helpful
http://dev.mobi/article/email-configuration-sms

this is the example that i tryied with some gatway

i used this url of my gateway provider to send sms on mobile

http://mobile.unwire.dk/java/servlet/smspush?user=test&password=test&to=92322111111&smsc=dk.tdc&udh=0605040B840000&text=02056A0045C60C037777772E6465762E6D6F62692F69735F66756E2E68746D6C0011033635333200070103446576446F744D6F62692069732046756E2021000101&phoneno=92322111111&mediacode=ijazcompnay&appnr=321&from=ijax&type=raw&

see type variable

cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeerz

El informe revela que Atrápalo obtuvo 2.239.000 usuarios únicos con una duración media por persona de 9,45 minutos. El segundo puesto en el ranking lo ocupa Muchoviaje con 2.011.000 usuarios únicos con una permanencia media en la página de 4,47 minutos. EDreams mantiene el tercer puesto que ocupaba en mayo en el ranking de audiencias gracias a los 1.980.000 usuarios únicos visitaron la página durante el mes de junio.

Logitravel y Rumbo acaparan el cuarto y quinto puesto con 1.558.000 y 1.434.000 usuarios únicos respectivamente. A pesar de contar con pocos años de experiencia en el sector Logitravel consigue subir un puesto respecto al pasado mes de mayo siendo el tiempo medio por persona de 4,14 minutos.

Por otra parte, Lastminute se queda en séptima posición, superada por Priceline y seguida de Trip Advisor y Destinia. Las webs de las agencias tradicionales Marsans, Viajes El Corte Inglés y Barceló Viajes consiguen situarse por encima de agencias online como Terminal A (posición 17) y Expedia (posición 18).

Renfe aumenta los AVE de Madrid a Barcelona
EL PAÍS - Madrid - 02/08/2008
Renfe anunció ayer que el AVE Madrid-Barcelona contará con un máximo de 26 frecuencias diarias por sentido, frente a las 20 actuales, a partir del próximo 15 de septiembre. Se trata del segundo aumento de oferta que Renfe realiza en esta línea de AVE y se registrará siete meses después de su puesta en marcha el pasado mes de febrero, según explicó el director de AVE de Renfe, Abelardo Carrillo.

El aumento de circulaciones permitirá a la operadora ofertar un máximo de 4.440 plazas diarias más (que se pondrán adquirir a partir de hoy), lo que supone un aumento del 16,6% respecto a la actual oferta.

La puesta en marcha del AVE ha permitido al tren robar 30 puntos porcentuales de cuota de mercado del 88% que el avión mantenía en la ruta entre Madrid y Barcelona, una de las primeras del mundo en cuanto a tráfico de pasajeros.

No primeiro ano de exploração, a RENFE espera transportar 6,1 milhões de passageiros e atrair 50% do tráfego aéreo entre Madrid-Barcelona, que é a maior ponte aérea da Europa. Ao fim de 5 anos, espera-se que essa percentagem atinja os 85%. No mês de Dezembro de 2007, foram inauguradas as linhas de AV Madrid-Valladolid e Madrid-Málaga (comum à via Madrid-Sevilha desde Córdoba) o que vai possibilitar o funcionamento de uma verdadeira rede. Brevemente, existirão comboios de AV que ligarão Málaga a Barcelona sem parar em Madrid. -- Rui Rodrigues, in Público/ Cargas e Transportes.

--James Madison (Second Inaugural Address, March 1813); Reference: Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States.

Hat tip: Patriots Post.

I think I'm going dumb. What did he say in plain English? Anyone?
" border="0" alt="" />
Friends I have trackbacked today:
Sunday: Su. The Amboy Times, Su. walls of the city, Su. Grandinite, Su. OneManBandwidth, Su. Stageleft, Su. InMuscatine.
Monday: M. Perri Nelson (M, W, F), M. Faultline USA.
Tuesday: T. Planck's Constant.
Wednesday: W. Stop the ACLU, W. Right Truth, W. third world county (W, F), W. Maggie's Notebook (W, Wknd), W. Gribbit (W, S).
Thursday: Th. Diary of the Mad Pigeon.
Friday: F. Stix Blog, F. Pirate's Cove (M, F), F. The World According To Carl, F. Woman Honor Thyself, F. 123beta (F, Wknd).
Saturday: S. Church and State, S. LyfLines.
Daily: D. The Yankee Sailor (M, F), D. The Dumb Ox Daily News, D. Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, D. Conservative Cat.
Weekend: Wknd. Oblogatory Anecdotes, Wknd. Stuck on Stupid, Wknd. Blue Star Chronicles, Wknd. The Uncooperative Blogger.

Friends who have shared their posts for your reading pleasure:
Political Byline, Woman Honor Thyself, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, Shadowscope, The Pink Flamingo, Democrat=Socialist, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Cross-posted @ Rosemary's Thoughts and Adam's Blog.

OTA

Es una pizzarra multifuncional.  Esta hecho de puros materiales reciclados incluyendo potes de yoghurt, se compone de una pizarra de tiza para dejar mensajes, ideal en un espacio público como el hall de acceso asi no se queda nada antes de salir.....

(Plus, I do believe there is and important consideration in the "wife factor" that I've seen mentioned on other HTPC sites.  To be clear, I think it makes more sense to talk about an "aversion factor" or, to flip it around, a "tech factor" or "DIY factor": that intangible gap between my/your interest in researching, understanding, and implementing an alternative to corporate media offerings and the (lack of similar) interest of your partner, family, or other housemates.  So I always end up bringing up these deals I see on this or that motherboard to my wife, and she rolls her eyes for the millionth time.  It's something I enjoy doing in itself, but how to translate that into an argument she will find persuasive?  This is in some ways not only one of the hardest questions to answer, but the only question that need be answered with any skill.)

So back to the setup.  That PC has been until now a single core, AMD Athlon 64 (it was something else before, not sure what) in an ATX board with 512 RAM and an AGP 8X slot.  My speakers are ancient little desktop ones that provide suprisingly adequate sound in the living room.

I've got a pair of Hauppauge TV tuner cards in there, internet via g wireless, plus I use a wireless radio keyboard with trackball and the Snapstream Firefly remote.  One of my tuners is connected to analog cable and the other to our digital cable box (both on a single splitter).  I use a UIRT blaster to control the latter.  It's all connected to the TV via a DVI-D to HDMI cable.

The TV itself is the 42 inch Panasonic plasma of a couple years ago, and I've also got a standard DVD player, Wii, and playstation2 in the same cabinet with the DVD on a component input and the PS2 and Wii sharing the front composite as needed.

Did I miss anything?  It all works pretty well, though I've definitely had issues over the years with BTV, drivers, and such.  I once tried over-the-air HD, but my single processor couldn't decode it fast enough to be watchable.  However, I stil have the antenna and card, which is hopefully going to save me a step in the new setup.

--Benjamin Franklin (Advice to a Young Tradesman, 1748); Reference: Franklin: Writings, Lemay, Library of America (1198)

--------

Founders' Quote Daily is a service of The Patriot Post, the most widely read conservative journal on the Internet. If you would like to receive Founders Quote Daily, and this highly acclaimed Digest of news, policy and opinion delivered FREE by e-mail to your inbox.

All of the Founders' quotes distributed by FQD have been thoroughly researched and authenticated by the Heritage Foundation. For a complete database of Founders' quotes on various topics, link to the Internet's most comprehensive resource page on our Founding documents and select Founders Quote Database.

--------

This is an open trackback post. Feel free to put your best, funniest, or misc. work here. Share it with others. Not familiar with trackbacks? First, choose the article you want to promote. Copy/paste my permalink (URL) to your post. Then send a trackback to me. Don't have one? You can use Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. Otherwise, leave a comment for me with the permalink for your post, the name of your blog, and a small excerpt, and I will add it to the list.

Bloggers who also participate in 'The Crazy Rantings of Samantha Burns' OTA:

D. Conservative Cat: Livin' Life: A Napster Musical.

Sunday: : Su. The Amboy Times, : Su. walls of the city, : Su. Grandinite, : Su. OneManBandwidth, : Su. Stageleft, : Su. InMuscatine.
Monday: : M. Perri Nelson (M, W, F), : M. Faultline USA.
Tuesday: : T. Planck's Constant.
Wednesday: : W. Stop the ACLU, : W. Right Truth, : W. third world county (W, F), : W. Maggie's Notebook (W, Wknd), W. Gribbit (W, S).
Thursday: : Th. Diary of the Mad Pigeon.
Friday: : F. Stix Blog, : F. Pirate's Cove (M, F), : F. The World According To Carl, : F. Woman Honor Thyself, : F. 123beta (F, Wknd).
Saturday: : S. Church and State, : S. LyfLines.
Daily: : D. The Yankee Sailor (M, F), : D. The Dumb Ox Daily News, : D. Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker.
Weekend: : Wknd Oblogatory Anecdotes, : Wknd Stuck on Stupid, : Wknd. Blue Star Chronicles, : Wknd. The Uncooperative Blogger.

Posts that have trackbacked to this post:
2. The Hill Chronicles: Conservative Liberals vs. A Conservative.

Cross-posted @ Rosemary's Thoughts.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

July 11, 2008 marked Apple's long-awaited release for iPhone hipsters and wannabes...the new iPhone 3G.  It's finally here where surfing time on EDGE will hopefully be few and far between.  Being able to finally pick up those new ear buds you've been i-balling or downloading a few cool apps at the new App Store is a big plus too...we can talk about the so-called "GPS" later.  If you saw the lines that started the night before or were one of the diehards that were in line, you knew the anticipation was high, almost as much as the first release last year.

So you finally get in the store where you're able to get your reward.  You go to pick up your new 3G iPhone only to find out that you need to activate the phone in the store before you leave.  As you go through the activation motions, you’ve already figured out the first 5 people you're going to text/call – but wait, after experiencing failed attempts at activating your new crown jewel, you hear from the store that there's some glitch with the activation process and the service is down (!!!).  So you wait..."It's back up again…"  Now it's down again.  Now they tell you to that you can activate your phone when you get home.  While you’ve been waiting, AT&T already switched your number from your old phone to your new 3G iPhone so you're starting to feel a bit vulnerable because you have no service in the meantime!  (There are help groups for this...)  So you get home and cradle up your new baby and again you wait...and wait, and wait...and finally after what seemed to be an eternity, an activation signal!  YES, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Could this embarrassing delay in activating your phone have been avoided?  Most definitely.  Many high-transactional service carriers and application companies that have very "peaky" user loads run into this type of situation where an onslaught of simultaneous users brings the application platform down to its knees and, when it happens, it's critical.  Would having SSDs in place for this activation service have made a positive difference for Apple and AT&T for their 3G iPhone release?  ABSOLUTELY!

Having been involved with various 3G architecture design teams for MVAS providers and carriers around the world, I've helped to address these very same types of scenarios in services that require real-time user responses like OTA activation, Identity Management and Real-Time Billing services down to the basic SMS text services.  Implementing SSDs for the backend not only provides the quickest persistent service times to data when updating user's records, but also provides an enormous amount of additional headroom to the platform by eliminating the excessive queuing, locking and blocking instances of database tables and records created by using slow HDD storage.  Only DRAM SSDs can provide quick enough service times to data, enabling applications that require persistent storage to remain within required millisecond SLA levels. 

Often complex distributed server environments are implemented to "try" addressing these strict SLA requirements, only to find out that heavy reliance on multiple proxy and application servers full of memory tied to a pile of drives in a gluttonous RAID array didn't cut the mustard.  Had Apple and AT&T implemented a more efficient architecture utilizing SSD technology at Tier0, problems like the one experienced last week and last year would have been mitigated or eliminated.  Can we say "iSSD"? 

In the end, everybody needs their "i's" checked so problems like this can be avoided in the future but, of course, hindsight even in IT, is 20/20...

É caso para dizer que têm estado na resolução deste problema., como diz o provérbio, "encanar a perna à rã".

Era esta a expressão que se utilizava quando se estava a arrastar a resolução de um problema, encontrando sempre uma justificação para o atraso ou a ausência de uma decisão final.

Na actualidade os politólogos identificaram uma nova versão mais sofisticada do provérbio "encanar a perna a rã", que se resume na seguinte expressão "melhorar a proposta".

Esta nova estratégia, é uma nova forma de impedir que os adversários políticos atinjam os seus objectivos ou seja, perante uma proposta concreta de resolução de um problema, quem pretenda impedir a sua concretização já não diz NÃO, propõem antes a "melhoria da proposta".

A técnica de "melhorar a proposta" leva, normalmente, a que a mesma passe a depender de novos projectos e estudos adicionais, a depender de pareceres de outras entidades, a financiamentos suplementares ou seja, condicionantes que deixam de estar só ao alcance de quem tinha essa capacidade, de tal modo que a mesma deixa de ser exequível.

Vale a pena recordar que foi esta a estratégia que Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa utilizou por ocasião do referendo sobre a Regionalização.

A Regionalização que está na Constituição e bastava ser deliberada em Assembleia da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa vendo que existia uma maioria no Parlamento, favorável à sua aprovação, utilizou esta estratégia, conseguindo convencer António Guterres, Primeiro-ministro de então, dizendo-se favorável à Regionalização, considerando que a mesma devia ser aprovada por Referendo, para ter mais apoio institucional.

Após a inclusão do Referendo na Constituição, para a concretização da Regionalização, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa de regionalista passou a discordar do mapa, para em plena campanha acabar numa postura de anti-regionalista primário.

Estratégia idêntica utilizou Marcelo por ocasião da Lei sobre a Despenalização Voluntária da Gravidez, Lei esta que para ser aprovada bastava ser deliberada na Assembleia da República, comendo novamente as papas na cabeça do Eng. António Guterres, dizendo até que estaria de acordo com a lei, mas que seria importante que a mesma tivesse o voto favorável dos cidadãos.

Após o PS ter assumido, de boa fé, esse compromisso, MRS passou a discordar das doze semanas e outros pretextos circunstancias, para apelar ao voto NÃO.

Ou seja, se estamos recordados da posição que o PSD nestes dois casos, vemos que nunca disse NÃO, utilizou a estratégia de "melhorar a proposta".

Voltando ao caso do aeroporto da Ota, vale a pena recordar que numa fase inicial, quando o actual Primeiro Ministro José Sócrates assumiu claramente a execução do aeroporto da Ota, as primeiras manifestações públicas da oposição foi para dizer NÃO, "porque a Portela e mais outro pequeno aeroporto nas redondezas resolviam o problema".

Dentro da oposição os mais avisados, politicamente, deixaram cair o NÃO e passaram à estratégia de "melhorar a proposta", pois sabem que a ser aceite a mesma retardaria a resolução do problema por mais três ou quatro anos, com os novos estudos e pareceres que a mesma implicaria.

Alguns perguntarão, mas qual o interesse da oposição em retardar a construção do novo aeroporto da Ota ?

É simples se tivermos em conta que o investimento directo no novo aeroporto é de 11 mil milhões de euros, verba esta que pelo seu volume conduzirá:

  - A um acentuado crescimento do PIB, induzido pelo investimento e acréscimo da actividade económica que o mesmo implica;

  -  A uma redução significativa do desemprego, durante 10 anos.

Importa no entanto que se desmonte a campanha dos detractores da construção do aeroporto da Ota, quando dizem que se vai gastar o dinheiro dos impostos pagos pelos portugueses, o que é falso, pois o governo já afirmou, claramente, que o concurso público vai atribuir a construção e gestão do novo aeroporto da Ota ao sector privado ou seja, estes assumirão os custos do projecto com capitais próprios, crédito bancário e apoio de fundos comunitários.

A única participação financeira do governo será através da participação no capital da empresa que vai ser constituída para a construção e gestão do aeroporto da Ota, com verbas obtidas com a privatização da ANA (Administração Nacional de Aeroportos E.P.).

De referir ainda que a concessão é por trinta anos, após o termo deste prazo o equipamento passa para a posse do Estado.

Numa palavra, o dinheiro dos impostos não será utilizado na construção do aeroporto da Ota, mas somente em parte das infra-estruturas de acesso à Ota e de toda a actividade económica da Região e do País, como é o caso do TGV.

É dos dividendos políticos que o PS possa beneficiar que a oposição tem medo, mesmo que o país também ganhe, calculismo político esse que é inaceitável.

Não concretizar a abertura do concurso para a construção do aeroporto da Ota, com base nos actuais estudos favoráveis, seria um grave erro económico e político, com gravosas consequências para a Região e para o País.

Aos que defendem que se volte a repensar o processo, para "melhorar a proposta", lembramos o provérbio que "para trás mija a burra", basta-nos os 38 anos de estudos já efectuados e os milhões de euros gastos.