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By ANI
Thursday, June 10, 2010

LONDON - An office worker in Britain has become an Internet sensation after she flashed her bra at a Street View camera car.

The busty woman, who lifted her top as the car drove past her workplace, escaped being disciplined by her bosses at the Doma Farm Nursery in Uckfield, East Sussex.

“It made me laugh,” the Sun quoted web user LAP, who spotted her, as stating.

Another called Bernard Stotesbury added: “One presumes that she did not have enough time to remove the bra?”

Street View is said to cover 96 percent of Britain’s roads. (ANI)

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Samsung invests $3.6 billion in Texas chip plant

AUSTIN, Texas — Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that due to projected heavy demand for its advanced logic chips the South Korean company will invest $3.6 billion to expand capacity at its plant in Austin, Texas, and hire 500 more workers there by 2011.

Samsung will raise its employee count at the facility to 1,500 from 1,000 by next year, boosting annual payroll to about $105 million. The expansion, which builds out the second phase of its 2.3 million-square-foot complex, will bring its total investment in the Austin plant to more than $9 billion.

Most of the new employees with be engineers and technicians. In addition, the company said almost 3,000 construction workers and equipment vendors will move in and set up the machinery. The plant will build advanced logic devices for Samsung’s system large-scale integration business and continue to make NAND flash memory chips, which are used in consumer electronics such as digital cameras, thumb drives and MP3 players.

“Forty-five nanometer and below advanced logic applications are in high demand and respective markets are expected to show substantial growth in the coming years,” said Stephen Woo, executive vice president and general manager of Samsung’s System LSI division.

Samsung expects the facility will be operational by the second quarter of next year.

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Dell lowers 1Q profit to build $100M legal reserve

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Dell Inc. said Thursday that it lowered its first-quarter results by $100 million, or 5 cents per share, to set aside a $100 million reserve it may need to pay out as part of a settlement related to an ongoing SEC accounting probe into the computer maker’s accounting and financial reporting practices.

The company also said its CEO, Michael Dell, is talking with the Securities and Exchange Commission about a possible settlement.

Dell first disclosed an internal investigation into its accounting in 2006, saying it was notified in August of that year of an SEC inquiry related to its revenue recognition and financial reporting.

In 2007, it said it would restate more than four years of financial results with lower earnings after the probe found that its employees had misled auditors and manipulated results to meet performance targets.

Dell said Thursday that a settlement would include negligence-based fraud charges and non-fraud based charges connected to disclosures and alleged omissions that occurred before fiscal 2008 as part of its relationship with chip maker Intel Corp.

Dell said in a statement that its CEO and the SEC have begun talking about a “settlement framework” to resolve the allegations against it.

In the statement, Dell said that a settlement would not prevent Dell from working as an officer or director of a public company, and “would be made without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations.”

In May, the company had reported a profit of $441 million, or 22 cents per share, for the Feburary-through-April quarter. The company says its profit for that period is now $341 million, or 17 cents per share. Its adjusted earnings remain the same at 30 cents per share.

Dell’s shares dropped 30 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $12.77 in after-hours trading following its news release. It ended the regular session up 29 cents at $13.07.

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UNITED NATIONS — The U.S. and its allies scored a long-sought victory Wednesday by pushing through new U.N. sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, punishments Tehran dismissed as “annoying flies, like a used tissue.”

The sanctions target Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, ballistic missiles and nuclear-related investments. Oil exports, the lifeblood of Iran’s economy, are not affected because targeting them would have cost the U.S. essential support from Russia and China.

President Barack Obama said the sanctions are the toughest Iran has ever faced. They required several months of difficult negotiations by the five veto-wielding permanent U.N. Security Council members — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — and non-member Germany. This is the fourth round of sanctions aimed at getting Iran into serious discussions on its nuclear ambitions.

“Actions do have consequences, and today the Iranian government will face some of those consequences,” Obama said. He left the door open to diplomacy but said Iran “will find itself more isolated, less prosperous and less secure” unless it meets its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on an official visit in Tajikistan, dismissed the new resolution.

“From right and from left, they adopt sanctions, but for us they are annoying flies, like a used tissue,” he said.

Tehran insists its program is peaceful and aimed at producing nuclear energy. The U.S. and its allies say Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons; they want Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and start negotiations aimed at ensuring that it uses nuclear technology only for peaceful purposes.

The new resolution bans Iran from pursuing “any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons,” bars Iranian investment in activities such as uranium mining and prohibits Iran from buying several categories of heavy weapons including attack helicopters and missiles. Iran, however, already has most of what it would need to make a weapon.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, warned that “choosing the option of confrontation will bring Iran’s resolute response,” according to Iran’s official news agency. He did not elaborate.

Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee accused the United States, Britain and their allies of abusing the Security Council to attack Iran.

“No amount of pressure and mischief will be able to break our nation’s determination to pursue and defend its legal and inalienable rights,” Khazaee said. “Iran is one of the most powerful and stable countries in the region and never bowed — and will never bow — to the hostile actions and pressures by these few powers and will continue to defend its rights.”

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice dismissed Khazaee’s statement as “ridiculous … reprehensible, offensive, and inaccurate” and declared that “these sanctions are as tough as they are smart and precise.”

The resolution was approved by a vote of 12-2 with Lebanon abstaining and Brazil and Turkey voting “no.” Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent council members, brokered a fuel-swap agreement with Iran that they offered as an alternative solution to concerns Tehran may be enriching uranium for nuclear weapons.

Lebanon’s U.N. Ambassador Nawaf Salam said he abstained because the government failed to “reach a final position.” A U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because the government debate was private, said the Cabinet was split, 14-14, on whether to vote no or abstain.

The sanctions put Iran in the unusual position of bashing key allies China and Russia. Both countries voted for the resolution and either could have vetoed it. Ahmadinejad warned Russian leaders last month “to correct themselves, and not let the Iranian nation consider them among its enemies.”

In Moscow, the Itar-Tass news agency reported that Ahmadinejad will not take part in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan beginning Thursday. The group was created in 2001 to address religious extremism and border security in Central Asia, and has grown into a bloc aimed at defying U.S. interests in the region.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to tour the World Expo in Shanghai this week, but is not expected to hold talks with senior Chinese leaders.

Iran holds more leverage over China, which needs Iran’s oil and gas to feed its growing energy appetite, than it does over Russia, which has long provided important technology to Iran including building the country’s first nuclear reactor. The facility is expected to begin electricity production this summer.

The Security Council imposed limited sanctions in December 2006 and has been ratcheting them up in hopes of pressuring Iran to suspend enrichment and start negotiations on its nuclear program. Iran has repeatedly defied the demand and has stepped up its activities, enriching uranium to 20 percent and announcing plans to build new nuclear facilities.

The new resolution imposes sanctions on 40 Iranian companies and organizations — 15 linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, 22 involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities and three linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. That more than doubles the 35 entities that had been subject to an asset freeze.

The sanctions add one individual to the previous list of 40 Iranians subject to an asset freeze — Javad Rahiqi, who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran’s Esfahan Nuclear Technology Center. All 41 individuals will also now be subject to a travel ban.

Rahiqi declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

The resolution also calls on all countries to cooperate in cargo inspections — which must receive the consent of the ship’s flag state — if there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the cargo could contribute to the Iranian nuclear program.

On the financial side, it calls on — but does not require — countries to block financial transactions, including insurance and reinsurance, and to ban the licensing of Iranian banks if they have information that provides “reasonable grounds” to believe these activities could contribute to Iranian nuclear activities.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that new sanctions would pave the way for tougher additional measures by the U.S. and its allies. France’s U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud said after Wednesday’s vote that European Union foreign ministers will be meeting on Monday and France would like “a tough translation of the resolution,” but it’s up to the 27 countries to decide on additional sanctions.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, said the resolution “can serve as a viable platform” for nations to launch sanctions such as restrictions on Iran’s ability to import gasoline. “They have a lot of oil, but not a lot of refined oil or the ability to export oil abroad,” he said.

The U.N. resolution was approved despite an Iranian diplomatic offensive launched in April. Jalili visited Beijing that month in the wake of U.S. reports saying China had dropped its opposition to possible new U.N. measures against Iran.

Iran also approached several non-permanent Security Council members, including Bosnia, Brazil, Turkey and Uganda, in hopes of averting new sanctions. Inviting diplomats from all 15 members of the Security Council to a two-hour dinner in New York in May was seen as Iran’s high-profile attempt to head off additional penalties.

China’s U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong said after the vote that the sanctions were aimed at curbing nonproliferation and would not affect “the normal life of the Iranian people” nor deter normal trade activity, a view echoed by Russia’s U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin.

The five permanent council members and Germany, in a statement after the vote, reaffirmed their “determination and commitment to seek an early negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue … which would restore international confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.” It welcomed and commended “all diplomatic efforts in this regard, especially those recently made by Brazil and Turkey.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the new sanctions were “a mistake” implemented “just for spite.” According to the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency, Silva said the resolution’s supporters “threw out an historic opportunity to peacefully negotiate the Iranian nuclear program” — the fuel-swap agreement his country and Turkey had championed.

Under the proposal, Iran would swap some of its enriched uranium for fuel for a research reactor in Tehran. The U.S., Russia and France have said that — unlike the original plan drawn up eight months ago — the proposal would leave Iran with enough material to make a nuclear weapon.

The three countries sent a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency seeking clarifications from Tehran, and several council ambassadors said they would still like to see the swap go ahead. Lebanon’s Salam called it “a gateway for confidence building measures.”

“We believe that the sanctions resolution is a painful failure of diplomatic efforts,” Salam said. “We refuse to give up. We call on all states … to reinitiate and intensify diplomatic efforts.”

The new sanctions should bring little direct political fallout for Ahmadinejad. The country has been deeply polarized since last June’s disputed presidential election — which the opposition claims was rigged by vote fraud — and Ahmadinejad’s backers are likely to use the sanctions as a rallying cry.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez condemned the measures against Iran, his close ally.

“Why won’t they sanction Israel? You realize the cynicism of the Yankee empire and its allies in the world,” Chavez said in a televised speech Wednesday night. “Israel massacres, kills, doesn’t comply with United Nations resolutions … and the United Nations acts as if nothing had happened.”

Associated Press Writers George Jahn in Vienna, Matthew Lee in Quito, Ecuador, Peter James Spielmann at the United Nations, Beth Fouhy in New York City, Mark Lavie in Jerusalem and Olga Tutubalina in Dushanbe, Tajikistan contributed to this report.

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A resolution approved Wednesday by the U.N. Security Council by a vote of 12-2 with one abstention imposes a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program. Here are the key points in the 18-page text:

NUCLEAR ISSUES:

— Reiterates demand that Iran suspend enrichment and comply with all requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency including its additional protocol which allows unannounced inspections of nuclear facilities.

— Calls on Iran to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty “at an early date.”

— Bans Iran from any foreign investment in uranium mining, enrichment or reprocessing, production or use of nuclear materials and technology, heavy-water activities, and technology related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

MISSILES AND ARMS PROLIFERATION:

— Bans countries from selling eight categories of heavy weapons to Iran: battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile systems.

— Bans all countries from supplying technical training, financing or other services for these weapons.

— Bans Iran from any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launching such a missile.

— Bans all countries from supplying technology or technical assistance to Iran for such activities.

INDIVIDUAL AND COMPANY SANCTIONS:

— Adds one individual and 40 companies and other organizations to a list of those subject to an asset freeze including 22 entities involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities, 15 controlled or acting on behalf of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, and three linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.

— Orders all countries to ban the 41 individuals now on the list from traveling to or through their territory.

ILLEGAL SHIPMENTS:

— Calls on countries to cooperate in inspections — which must receive the consent of the ship’s flag state — if the vessel is suspected of carrying prohibited cargo.

— Bans the supply of fuel or services to Iranian owned or contracted vessels suspected of carrying prohibited cargo.

FINANCIAL AND BANKING MEASURES:

— Calls on countries to block financial transactions, including insurance and reinsurance, if there are “reasonable grounds” to believe these activities could contribute to Iranian nuclear activities.

— Orders all countries to require their nationals and companies operating in their territory “to exercise vigilance when doing business with entities incorporated in Iran or subject to Iran’s jurisdiction.”

— Calls on countries to ban the licensing of Iranian banks, the opening of financial institutions, or the establishment of new joint ventures if they have information that provides “reasonable grounds” to believe these activities could contribute to Iranian nuclear activities.

SANCTIONS ENFORCEMENT:

— Requests Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to establish a committee of experts to monitor implementation of all sanctions against Iran and calls for a first report 90 days after its appointment.

ENGAGEMENT:

— Stresses the willingness of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and the United States “to further enhance diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue and consultations … without preconditions” with Iran.

— Emphasizes the importance of political and diplomatic efforts to find a negotiated solution guaranteeing that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

— Notes in this regard the efforts of Turkey and Brazil toward agreement with Iran on a fuel-swap for the Tehran Research Reactor “that could serve as a confidence-building measure.”

— Emphasizes in the context of these efforts “the importance of Iran addressing the core issues related to its nuclear program.”

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Revenue at the world’s semiconductor companies will climb 28.4 percent to $290.5 billion this year, an industry trade group projected Thursday.

That growth will taper off to an increase of 6.3 percent in 2011 and 2.9 percent in 2012, the Semiconductor Industry Association said.

Chip sales have been rising steadily for months after the recession sapped demand and forced companies that buy semiconductors to slash their inventories.

SIA reported a 58 percent jump in chip sales for the first quarter of 2010 compared with the year-earlier quarter, and a 50.4 percent rise in April.

The recovery comes after a 9 percent drop in chip revenue last year to $226.3 billion.

“Healthy demand in all major product sectors and in all geographic markets drove sales of semiconductors to record levels in the first four months of 2010,” SIA President George Scalise said in a statement Thursday.

He said SIA’s forecast for the year is based on projected worldwide economic growth of 4.6 percent this year and 4.4 percent in 2011.

Emerging economies such as China and India will help lead the way as demand for information technology in those markets helps boost demand for chips, Scalise said.

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New Brunswick releases 21st century learning plan

On May 14^th the Anglophone sector of the New Brunswick Department of Education released its proposal on how to shift our public education system to a 21 ^st Century learning model. The plan was developed using a co-leadership model with principals and district leaders, and the consultation document will now be used to engage our teachers.

John Kershaw

 As New Brunswick teachers were each allocated a notebook computer, for the first time in history we were able to forward a copy of a draft learning strategy to every teacher, for their advice and counsel.

The plan, entitled 21^st Century Learning (NB3-21C) is available for review at our departmental website:.

While the three year plan is quite comprehensive, four key elements are emerging as critical pillars to success. Let’s call them the CRT2 formula, where C is Creativity, R is Relevance; the first T is Time and the second, Technology.

Creativity

 

Public education in the industrial era was founded on discipline and facts. In the 21 ^st Century individual and societal success will be founded on creativity. Creative thinkers will be in demand to guide business innovation and to solve complex societal issues, some of global proportions.  NB3-21C is designed to produce creative problem solvers. Today, creativity trumps regurgitation of facts. Facts you can access on the internet.

Relevance

The OECD, EU, Partnership for 21^st Century Skills in the United States, and many authors are calling for significant changes to what students learn and how teachers teach.  NB3-21C calls for a complete assessment of our Essential Graduation Requirements, curricula outcomes and instructional practices to determine which ones are truly relevant to the 21^st Century learner. 

 

Time

Last year, 50% percent of the students at a local high school missed 50% of their classes in December. When asked to explain why, they stated that school was a waste of their time.  

The response is an alarm bell from two perspectives. First, the students found school irrelevant to their needs (see above). Secondly, students value their time.

Society invests millions of dollars every year in educating our youth, so of course we value their time. But do we give serious consideration to and value every minute they are giving us? There is urgency here. We need to position each and every child to reach their full potential, within a set time allotment.

New Brunswick’s school calendar equates to roughly 170,000 minutes of instruction between kindergarten to grade 12. We have students at school for only 170,000 minutes! Throw in a few snow days and instruction time decreases accordingly. For NB3-21C to be successful, we will be examining our school calendar, instruction time allocations, lessons, activities, instruction, and learning environment in an effort to make every instruction minute engaging to and relevant for our students.  

And at the same time, we know we need to strike the right balance between a student’s instruction time, and our teachers having the time to plan for instruction. Seeking the advice of our teachers on this issue will be critical to finding solutions.

Technology

The 21^st Century Age of Knowledge is rooted in rapid advancements in information and communications technology. ICT facilitates access to information for every student via the internet. We intend to create ICT rich learning environments because students deserve to have access to the tools of their generation in the classroom.

NB3-21C’s focus is on producing creative problem solvers, being relevant to our students and using their time wisely. This will include creating ICT rich learning environments, where each student can access information at his or her own speed of learning.

John D. Kershaw

Deputy Minister

Department of Education

New Brunswick, Canada

(Anglophone Sector)

David M. Kershaw

Masters, Computer Science

Halifax, Nova Scotia

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