Fighting The Camorra 2011-07-13
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe.Tags: Camorra, Cosa Nostra, family, feud, Godfather, mafia, Naples, organised crime
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Their life has been blighted by Italy’s bloodiest mafia, the Naples Camorra, but Ms. Alessandra Clemente and Mr. Antonio Prestieri could hardly come from more different backgrounds.
Mr. Antonio Prestieri’s father is a convicted murderer, drugs trafficker and clan boss — but he rejected his father’s lifestyle from the start. Ms. Alessandra Clemente’s mother was killed by the brutal crime syndicate.
His father was one of its clan bosses, and yet the two have become unlikely friends. More striking still, they are now taking a brave stand against The Camorra, inspired by the firm conviction that it can be defeated once and for all. (more…)
Plan to Redefine the Kilogram 2011-01-24
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe, Science.Tags: kg, kilo, kilogram, kilogramme, mass, SI Units, weights and measures
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In a laboratory vault outside Paris is a small cylinder of platinum–iridium alloy that serves as the standard for all mass measurements worldwide. By an 1889 international accord, the mass of this metal cylinder defines the kilogram.
But that may soon change. (more…)
Paris First To Ban 4x4s & Old Diesels 2010-12-29
Posted by clype in Europe, Intolerance.Tags: 4x4, cars, CO2, ecology, emissions, green, Greenhouse Gas, Motoring, Paris, SUV, Traffic, Transport
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European car makers are now planning to build electric vehicles because many European cities are widely expected to ban high-emissions vehicles from their city cores over the next decade — perhaps even vehicles with any emissions at all.
Now, Paris may be the first city to experiment with such a policy. Next year (2011), it will begin to test restrictions on vehicles that emit more than a certain amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre — the measure of a car’s contribution to ‘greenhouse gases’. (more…)
Scotland Snowed Under 2010-12-07
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe, Glasgow, Scotland.Tags: Glasgow, ice, Scotland, Severe Weather, Snow
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- Chaos on Scotland’s roads as blizzards batter country;
- Cost of big freeze could prove the final straw for some, warn business groups;
- Scotland Stranded
Chaos on Scotland’s roads as blizzards batter country
Thousands of people were stranded yesterday after the heavier-than-expected snowfall brought much of the country’s transport network to a complete standstill.
Up to 40omm of snow fell in just a few hours, leaving workers trapped miles away from their homes and pupils and teachers stuck inside schools.
The army was drafted in to help ‘The Scottish Ambulance Service‘ reach patients by providing military 4×4 vehicles to transport paramedics and transfer those in need of medical assistance to (more…)
New Nuclear Power Reactor Rescued 2010-09-30
Posted by clype in Europe, Science.Tags: Cadarache, Experimental, Fusion, ITER, Nuclear Power
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The European Union and six member states have reached a deal on the financing and timetable for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor.
An explosion in costs had cast a cloud over ‘The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor’ (The ITER).
- The project, which is to be based in Cadarache in southern France, aims to harness the same physical process that fuels the Sun.
Additional construction funds will have to come from within the EU’s budget.
The extra 1400 million EUR will cover a shortfall in building costs in 2012-13.
Delegates agreed that the overall costs of the project will be almost US $21bn, (16 ooo million EUR/13 000 Million GBP), some three times the original price. (more…)
Big Paris Art Heist 2010-05-21
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe, Humanities, Money.add a comment
Art thieves stole works by Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque and Amedeo Modigliani worth 500 million EUR (431 million GBP) from a Paris museum, French police and prosecutors said today, 2010-05-20. (more…)
UK Has Poorest Quality of Life 2009-10-12
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe, Health, Money.Tags: quality of life, Statistics, UK, UN, UNDP
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According to the UN, the UK has been ranked the 21st best place in the world to live prior to the recession, and a recent uswitch report puts the UK as having the worst quality of life in Europe.
The report highlights the long hours, bad weather, low life expectancy and high price of many consumer goods in Britain. (more…)
Planning a New Paris 2009-03-13
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe, Humanities.Tags: Architecture, design, Paris, urban renewal
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Ten of the world’s leading architects on 2009-03-12, Thursday, detailed their plans to dramatically transform the French capital into a Grand Paris, in what has been described as the most complex city project ever. (more…)
No Waiting in Robo Restaurant 2008-04-09
Posted by clype in Articles of Interest, Europe, Humanities, Science.Tags: automation, design, engineering, fast food, Nuremberg, restaurant, robot, sci-fi
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A German inventor and chef has dispensed with the need for waiters by designing an automated restaurant.
The restaurant, in Nuremberg, has proved such a success that its owner says it’s booked up for weeks. (more…)
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