Croatia celebrates its EU membership

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) ? Fireworks are ready and foreign leaders are arriving as Croatia celebrated on Sunday its entry into the European Union some 20 years after winning independence in a bloody civil war that shook the continent.

Croatia will become the 28th EU member on Monday, the bloc's first addition since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007. Croatia's membership marks a historic turning point for the small country, which went through carnage after declaring independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

A decade back, when Croatia started negotiating the entry, the once war-torn country was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a member of the European elite. But with the EU in deep financial turmoil and Croatia's own economy in recession for five consecutive years, the excitement has dimmed.

Thousands of people are expected to join in the celebrations across the country, including in the main square of the capital, Zagreb, where artists will perform for dozens of EU and regional leaders until midnight when big fireworks and the singing of Beethoven's Ode to Joy ? EU's anthem ? will mark the official entry into the bloc.

Customs posts will be removed from Croatia's borders with EU neighbors Slovenia and Hungary, while EU signs and flags will be put on its borders with non-EU states Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro.

But overall, the celebrations will be much more modest and less jubilant than when Bulgaria and Romania ? currently EU's poorest states ? became members. With the entry, Croatia ? a nation of 4.2 million people ? will become the third poorest country in the EU.

"There are not too many festivities because the general situation is not brilliant," Croatian President Ivo Josipovic told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "We have to develop our economy, take care of those people who are jobless now, and there is no time and money for big celebrations."

With an unemployment rate hovering at around 20 percent, plunging living standards, endemic corruption among its political elite and its international credit rating reduced to junk, many Croats are not in the mood to celebrate.

Protest movement Occupy Croatia is planning an anti-EU march Sunday evening, saying in a statement that "the European Union is not a solution to our problems."

"The entry into the European Union is an economic genocide over the people living in our country," the group said in a statement, blasting the EU as a "union tailored for rich corporations and their politicians."

The EU is in the grips of a recession, with many countries struggling to stimulate growth while grappling with a debt crisis that has led governments to slash spending and raise taxes. The EU countries account for 60 percent for Croatia's exports, which has sent the Balkan country's economy into a steady decline.

"It's important that we remember that Croatia is joining at the strangest time for the European Union in history," said Paul Stubbs, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Economics in Zagreb. He said Croatians "might see some increased prices, some increased competition, I wouldn't expect some huge increase in investment overnight."

But, the pro-EU voices in Croatia note that joining the bloc means Croatians could find jobs in more prosperous EU countries, that their country could attract more foreign investment, and that the EU's leadership in Brussels could help keep widespread corruption and economic mismanagement in check.

"We really had no choice," said Nino Vidic, a Zagreb resident. "Croatia is a small country, and logically as a Catholic country, we strive toward the West."

___

Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/croatia-celebrates-eu-membership-101549636.html

march 30 rimm pauly d project adrienne rich autism cesar chavez day raspberry ketone

PPL Park Beverage Power Rankings (Oh, and a Big Union Game)

Photo and hand by Enrico

The new beer stand in Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park might be the city?s gold standard for sporting event beverage selection. But PPL Park is a close second, mostly because the Venn diagram comparing soccer ?snobs? (like me) and beer ?snobs? (also like me) has a rather large overlap.

So if you don?t have plans this afternoon, head to Chester and try my rankings on for size (only if you have a designated driver, of course).

5. Bud Light from a vendor: If you need a quick beer and only have a minute before kickoff, the vendors do a nice job of parking in the middle of the concourse. Keep your ears open around the 65th minute, as well, when the same vendors roll through the sections at lightning speed to beat the 70th minute last call. UPSIDE: Fast and easy. DOWNSIDE: It?s still Bud Light.

4. Victory HopDevil: I know there is one small kiosk near midfield on the south concourse, and I believe another on the north side. They?re set up on the opposite side of the concession stands, closer to the field. UPSIDE: HopDevil is always outstanding. DOWNSIDE: Is it greedy to request Victory Summer Love during these hot-weather games?

3. ?Snake & Shield: There?s 2 of these permanent stands (one just inside the plaza on south side). Their selling point? Double-size beers. They?re selection is somewhat limited to beers available in 24-ounce bottles, but the Blue Moon or Stella Artois is better than the Bud heavy, and with no stoppages until halftime for a refill, you?ll appreciate the big cup. If you?re a season-ticket holder, add some money to your card and use it to buy beer. A $14 ?premium? beer becomes $12 and change. ?UPSIDE: They even have gluten-free beer, if that?s your thing. DOWNSIDE: On a hot day, you?re left with warm beer at the end of the cup (drink faster).

2. Boddington?s: There?s at least one of these stands on the south side, and I assume another on the north. The guy working the tap knows how to properly pour it, and even (politely) corrected a customer in front of me last month who INSISTED that he should tilt the cup while pouring. UPSIDE: No beer screams ?I?m at a soccer game!? like Boddington?s. DOWNSIDE: The line can get a little long at halftime.

1. Parking Lot Beer: It?s cheaper, it?s colder and it?s usually accompanied by grilled meat. I?m partial to Lot A myself, but if you?re drinking beer in a parking lot with a river view on a summer day, you?re doing something right. UPSIDE: Philly?s best tailgating scene. Hands down. DOWNSIDE: Eventually, you?ll actually have to go into the stadium.

TODAY?S GAME

Philadelphia Union (7-5-4, 25 points) vs. FC Dallas (8-3-5, 29 points), 5:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

This will likely be the last game for Jack McInerney until August, after being called up to the U.S. National Team for the Gold Cup. The Union will miss his finishing touch, but if Sebastien Le Toux and Conor Casey keeps playing like they have been of late, the Union should be able to survive until his return. Expect McInerney to get a big send-off from the crowd today, and expect him to find the back of the net at least once.

Prediction Sure To Be Way Off:

McInerney gets at least one, and Casey gets another. Whether the Union can keep Dallas off the board will be the real question. But I think they do just enough to get stay hot heading into a tough mid-week game in Salt Lake City.

Union 2, FC Dallas 1.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The700levelcom-PhillySportsMinutiae/~3/_q0YDabKnWs/

2012 oscar predictions jim jones tony stewart kurt busch kurt busch nba dunk contest 2012 act of valor

'Lola' tops 204 mph, breaking electric vehicle land speed record

Autos

Paul A. Eisenstein The Detroit Bureau

4 hours ago

Drayson Racing/The Detroit Bureau

Drayson Racing team members celebrate their land speed record.

With all the emphasis on electric propulsion these days, it might seem hard to believe that it?s been 39 years since General Electric ? yes, GE ? set the FIA World Electric Land Speed Record. But that achievement has finally been bested by a sleek, Le Mans Prototype dubbed ?Lola.?

On an RAF airbase in Yorkshire, England, an 850-horsepower battery-electric built by Drayson Racing hit a top speed of 204.185 miles per hour during a pair of runs down a 3-kilometer (nearly 2-mile) track. That was a full 29 mph faster than the 175 mph record set way back in 1974 by the Battery Box General Electric.

?I?m delighted we?ve beaten the record tonight and can show the world EVs can be fast and reliable,? said Lord Paul Drayson, whose firm built the 2,200 battery, and who personally piloted it during the record run. ?It is not the outright speed of 204.185 mph that is most impressive about this record, but the engineering challenge of accelerating a 1000 kilogram electric vehicle on a short runway over a measured mile.?

Officially known as the Drayson B12 69/EV the enclosed racer used ultra-light carbon fiber for its chassis and body to compensate for the heft of a 30 kilowatt-hour battery pack. It also relied on custom-designed Michelin LM P1 tires.

Though most folks likely associate electric propulsion with ? but slow ? vehicles like the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt, the reality is that battery power can also deliver some impressive performance as an electric motor yields maximum torque the moment it starts spinning.

Drayson?s Lola can launch from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds, for example, and keep gaining speed until it?s pushed well past 200 mph. In fact, Lord Drayson is apparently looking to soon beat his own record, tweeting to fans that on an additional run the car was ?very lively at 216 mph.?

While he may be celebrating victory, the claimed record could come under dispute. The Buckeye Bullet, an EV built by students at Ohio State University, actually achieved a 307.7 mph average during two runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in August 2010 ? and was seen as capable of reaching 400 mph. But that effort was not officially sanctioned by the FIA, leaving GE?s Battery Box the certified record-holder for another three years.

To proponents, what matters most is the increasing focus in electric racing and battery propulsion, in general.

There?s clearly a lot more interest, for example, has nudged its ZEOD RC battery race car up to 186 mph, and Top EV Racing claims to have launched its battery dragster from 0 to 100 in a mind-boggling 0.8 seconds.

What could put battery racing square in the public eye is the new Formula E series set to launch in 2015. Not surprisingly, Lord Drayson is looking to participate when that program gets underway.

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2defcb70/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Clola0Etops0E20A40Emph0Ebreaking0Eelectric0Evehicle0Eland0Espeed0Erecord0E6C10A464452/story01.htm

boxing news mint julep silk Star Wars Cinco De Mayo History lindsay lohan bob newhart

Stampede coach on former player, top NBA Draft pick: 'Wow'

Idaho's Mike Peck coached Anthony Bennett at Findlay Prep outside Las Vegas.

Mike Peck coached a number of Findlay players who landed in the NBA. But Anthony Bennett is the first former pupil to become a No. 1 pick, as he did Thursday night, and a surprised Peck said the Cleveland Cavaliers have the potential for a new marquee player.

"People don't realize he's only been playing basketball seriously since he was 14," Peck said. "And it's not like he eased into it. He got thrown into the highest level (at Findlay and then UNLV). ? It's not like he started out with a beginner course and he was able to slowly transition and progress. Uh-uh, with him, it was more like, 'Jump in, it's 20 feet deep. Now swim.' "

Bennett proved to be a quick study and a rare talent. In his one season at UNLV, he was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the Sporting News' All-Freshman Team.

THE BLAZERS' DRAFT

Portland, the Stampede's NBA affiliate, acquired four players Thursday:

? Shooting guard C.J. McCollum (Lehigh) was selected with the 10th overall pick.

? Jeff Withey, a 7-foot-1 center out of Kansas, was picked in the second round.

? Spain product Marko Todorovic, a 6-11 center, was taken in the second round.

? Allen Crabbe, a shooting guard out of Cal, was acquired in a trade with the Cavaliers.

Peck said Crabbe is the player most likely to see some time in Idaho next season.

COMING TO BOISE?

The Blazers and Jazz will play a preseason game Oct. 11 at CenturyLink Arena, a game that should include the NCAA Player of the Year.

Trey Burke was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the ninth overall pick and dealt to the Jazz. The 6-1 point guard led Michigan to the national championship game.

Utah acquired two other players via trade Thursday night: Rudy Gobert, a power forward/center from France, and Raul Neto, a guard out of Spain.

Chris Langrill: 377-6424

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IdahostatesmancomSports/~3/dy2emP6rzzw/stampede-coach-onhis-former-player.html

Darla Moore newsweek Tony Scott UFC 151 empire state building prince harry Hurricane

Cher: Tom Cruise was one of my top 5 lovers

Celebs

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper TODAY

19 hours ago

Rob Kim / Getty Images

Cher says Tom Cruise makes her list of best lovers.

They're both famous names, but did you forget Cher and Tom Cruise were once an item? The singer, 67, confessed on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" Thursday that she still ranks the movie star, who's now 50, among her top 5 lovers.

"He wasn't a Scientologist then!" Cher told host Andy Cohen. "It was pretty hot and heavy for a little minute."

Cher and Cruise dated in the mid-1980s when he was in his early 20s, before his first marriage to actress Mimi Rogers, who reportedly introduced the actor to Scientology.

When Cohen asked Cher to name her all-time best lover, she stumbled, saying "well, a lot of them kinda came in first. I've had just the greatest lovers ever."

When asked where Cruise ranked, she was quick to say, "Well he ... was in the top five."

Cohen showed Cher a number of photos of famous people, including Cruise and asked her to say the first thing that came to her mind about each one.

Elvis Presley, Cher said, invited her to stay with him once for a weekend, and she refused, "but I wish I'd gone," she said. Of "Moonstruck" co-star Nicolas Cage, Cher said, "Aw, I love him. But he's crazy!" Of producer Phil Spector, she said "he paid me $25 for a year's work. My mother didn't believe I was working." Of Michael Jackson, she hesitated, saying "I have too much information."

Cher will appear on TODAY Monday with Savannah Guthrie, and is scheduled to reveal some big news in advance of her comeback album, "Closer to the Truth," which hits stores in September.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/cher-tom-cruise-was-one-my-top-5-lovers-6C10486630

hopkins hopkins dear john derrick rose torn acl undrafted free agents braveheart roy orbison

Hospitals seek high-tech help for hand hygiene

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. (AP) ? Hospitals have fretted for years over how to make sure doctors, nurses and staff keep their hands clean, but with only limited success. Now, some are turning to technology ? beepers, buzzers, lights and tracking systems that remind workers to sanitize, and chart those who don't.

Health experts say poor hand cleanliness is a factor in hospital-borne infections that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that one of every 20 patients in U.S. hospitals gets a hospital-acquired infection each year.

"We've known for over 150 years that good hand hygiene prevents patients from getting infections," said Dr. John Jernigan, an epidemiologist for the CDC. "However, it's been a very chronic and difficult problem to get adherence levels up as high as we'd like them to be."

Hospitals have tried varying ways to promote better hygiene. Signs are posted in restrooms. Some even employ monitors who keep tabs and single out offenders.

Still, experts believe hospital workers wash up, at best, about 50 percent of the time. One St. Louis-area hospital believes it can approach 100 percent adherence.

Since last year, SSM St. Mary's Health Center in the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights, Mo., has been the test site for a system developed by Biovigil Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich. A flashing light on a badge turns green when hands are clean, red if they're not. It also tracks each hand-cleaning opportunity ? the successes and the failures.

The failures have been few at the two units of St. Mary's where the system is being tested, the hospital said. One unit had 97 percent hand hygiene success, said Dr. Morey Gardner, the hospital's director of infection disease and prevention. The other had 99 percent success.

"The holy grail of infection prevention is in our grasp," Gardner said.

The Biovigil system is among many being tried at hospitals. A method developed by Arrowsight, based in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., uses video monitoring. It is being used in intensive care units at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., and the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

Akron, Ohio-based GOJO Industries, maker of Purell hand sanitizer, has developed an electronic compliance monitoring system using wireless technology to track when soap and hand sanitizer dispensers are used. The SmartLink system gives the hospital data on high- and low-compliance areas. The company said it has installed the system at several hospitals around the country, but didn't say how many.

HyGreen Inc.'s Hand Hygiene Reminder System was developed by two University of Florida doctors. The Gainesville, Fla., company now features two systems used in seven hospitals, including Veterans Administration hospitals in Chicago, Wilmington, Del., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

One is similar to Biovigil's green badge method. In HyGreen's, a wall-mounted hand wash sensor detects alcohol on the hands. The badge includes an active reminding system. Unclean hands create a warning buzz. If the buzz sounds three times, the worker is noted for noncompliance.

HyGreen spokeswoman Elena Fraser said that because some hospitals are moving away from alcohol-based sanitizers, HyGreen offers a second system. A touch of the sanitizer dispenser clears the worker to interact with a patient. If the worker shows up at the patient bed without hand-cleaning, the series of warning buzzes begins.

Fraser said hospital infections have dropped 66 percent at units of Miami Children's Hospital where the badge system has been implemented.

Nurses using the Biovigil system at St. Mary's near St. Louis wear a badge with changeable colored lights. A doorway sensor identifies when the nurse enters a patient's room, and the badge color changes to yellow.

The nurse washes his or her hands and places them close to the badge. A sensor in the badge detects chemical vapors from the alcohol-based solution. If hands are clean, the badge illuminates a bright green hand symbol.

If the nurse fails to sanitize, the badge stays yellow and chirps every 10 seconds for 40 seconds, then flashes red. Once the flashing red starts, the nurse has another 30 seconds to wash up, otherwise the badge turns solid red, denoting non-compliance. Either way, each instance is tracked by a computer. The hospital can track each individual's compliance.

Registered Nurse Theresa Gratton has helped lead the effort toward hand cleanliness at St. Mary's. She heard about the Biovigil system in early 2012 and convinced the hospital to give it a try.

Gratton said patients are aware of the risk of infection and frequently inquire about whether caregivers have washed their hands. She said the badge relieves their anxiety.

Bill Rogers, a 65-year-old retiree recuperating at St. Mary's from back surgery and a heart scare, agreed.

"The first thing I noticed up here was the badges," Rogers said. "It is comforting for me to know their hands are clean as soon as the badge beeps and it goes from yellow to green."

St. Mary's is expanding the Biovigil system later this year to other units of the hospital and to employees other than nurses, though details are still being worked out, Gardner said. Eventually, the system may be expanded to SSM's seven other St. Louis-area hospitals, he said.

Biovigil's chief client officer, Brent Nibarger, said customers won't buy the system but will pay a subscription fee of about $12 a month per badge.

The CDC's Jernigan said the high-tech systems can only help.

"For a health care worker, keeping their hands clean is the single most important thing they can do to protect their patients," Jernigan said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospitals-seek-high-tech-help-hand-hygiene-071012525.html

green book some like it hot whale shark whale shark duke university platypus platypus

Where do 700,000 displaced Syrians go? An interactive map

The world population of refugees grew by nearly 100,000 people in 2012, according to detailed data the United Nations released last week, an increase driven in large part by the crisis in Syria. Separate conflicts in Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo combined to make 2012 the worst year for refugees in two decades.

Even this stark figure is misleading, however, because of a grim irony in the data: Of the more than 1 million people who fled Syria last year, about a quarter were existing refugees from Iraq returning to their native country. These Iraqis returning to their home country partly offset the 728,500 new refugees from Syria in the total figure reported by the U.N.

View the interactive map on Tumblr

Turkey hosts the largest population of Syrian refugees with nearly 250,000, followed by Lebanon and Jordan. All told, Syria is now the country with the fourth-most total refugees?defined as those living outside their home country for fear of persecution?behind Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq.

In the interactive map above, you can see where each country?s refugees are currently residing by clicking on that country or selecting it from the menu. To flip the scales and see which countries? refugees are currently in a particular nation, switch the blue button from ?Origin? to ?Host.? By default, every nation is shaded according to the number of refugees originating there.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/news/where-700-000-displaced-syrians-interactive-map-124057346.html

Columbus Day 2012 carlina white Sam Champion Engaged Infield fly rule Taken 2 Venezuela Elections Skyfall