Monday, March 27, 2006

Prince Edward formally closed the XVIII Commonwealth Games last night in a spectacular 4 hour ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

About 85,000 spectators were in attendance; British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John Howard were also there.

Melbourne 2006 Chairman Ron Walker said that the games were “the greatest coalition of Commonwealth nations ever seen….We have all been united by the moment… …Melbourne, we did it!”

Commonwealth Games Federation chairmen Mike Fennell; named Indian Shooting competitor Samaresh Jung as the winner of the David Dixon Award, for being the Best Athlete of the 18th Commonwealth Games. Jung won five Gold; one silver and one bronze medal in the Games.

Fennell also praised the organisation, crowds, volunteers, transport, and support services as well as the athletic performances and he said that the games had been an “incredible success”.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

At least 21,000 gallons of crude oil has spilled into the Gulf of Mexico near the United States mainland coast, about 30 miles off the shore of Galveston, Texas. The U.S. Coast Guard says that oil is still leaking at a rate of 80 to 400 gallons a day.

The High Island Pipeline began to leak on Sunday and was immediately shut down when a pressure loss was detected. The pipeline is owned by Plains All American Pipeline who state that the incident is “under investigation” and that officials are working to “minimize the impact of the incident.”

“A medium crude oil pipeline ruptured 30 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, and leaked approximately 21,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, December 24,” said a press release by Coast Guard.

“There’s a 60-yard-wide oil sheen that extends for about half a mile. It is still leaking slowly, about 80 to 400 gallons a day,” added the Coast Guard.

Reports say that the oil is traveling away from any shoreline and that remaining oil is being suctioned out of the pipeline. Ships in the area have not been diverted.

“All appropriate agencies have been notified. Plains, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Texas General Land Office are working within a unified command system consisting of Federal and state agencies and oil spill response organizations to manage and mitigate this incident. In addition, Plains has activated its spill response plan to contain and clean up the spill. At present, Plains has mobilized Airborne Support, Inc., Clean Gulf Associates and other additional resources in an effort to minimize the consequences of the incident,” said a press release by the Plains oil company.

So far, no injuries have been reported.

Tuesday, January 3, 2006

Two activists convicted for painting the words “NO WAR” in five-metre-high red letters on the highest sail of Sydney Opera House in March 2003, are facing court action again to prevent them from auctioning the equipment used to paint the controversial sign.

Dr Will Saunders and David Burgess were sentenced to nine months periodic detention and ordered to pay the Opera House Trust $151,000 for malicious damage to the building on March 18, 2003.

The pair spent six months in jail for painting the slogan on one of the sails of the Opera House on the eve of the invasion of Iraq. The protesters say they wish to auction the equipment for humanitarian causes in Iraq.

Police confiscated the paint can and two brushes used in the incident and have now applied for a court order to have the can and brushes destroyed. They are saying such an auction would contravene proceeds of crime laws.

Saunders said they wanted to auction the can and send the proceeds to humanitarian causes in Iraq. According to The Australian newspaper, Mr Saunders said the auction could be conducted by a registered charity to raise money for the Mother and Child Hospital in Basra.

He said the can should also be preserved as an important piece of Sydney history.

“We want to give the surplus money that we’ve raised, and anything extra we can make from an auction – not only the paint pot … I think we can raise many many thousands of dollars,” he said. “We’d be happy to come to any reasonable arrangement with the police about how this auction takes place … it’s just mean beyond belief, petty-minded just to destroy it.”

The matter will go before a Sydney court on January 16.

Meanwhile, the world-famous Sydney Opera House is one of 21 international landmarks short-listed to become the new Seven Wonders of the World. The list includes modern landmarks such as Paris’ Eiffel Tower and older candidates like the Colosseum in Rome and China’s Great Wall.

A lot of people offer plot for cash. However, not everyone can sell land fast and easy. When selling land with a real estate agent, it usually takes months before the deal is done. By this time, you already lost interest in selling your property because of all the hassle involved. On the other hand, working with a cash buyer makes it easier to sell your acreage quickly without losing patience.Top benefits to selling your plot to a cash buyer:1) No commission fees2) No closing costs 3) No realtor needed to vend your land4) We can pay your back taxes5) ASAP closings – within days or even hours after you auction your plot to us. When working with cash buyers, there are no commissions or compensations attached to their service. They only need you to decide on how much money you want out of your property then they’ll start making an offer right away. Once you’ve agreed on terms with the buyers, they are ready to pay whatever price you say as long as it is a reasonable price. Either way, you exchange your plot ASAP and easily without the need for an agent or realtor.As for closing costs, there’s no need to spend extra money when selling your parcel to a cash buyer. You offer your property directly to the buyer at a price that best suits both parties. There are no additional fees attached which will save you thousands in closing costs.That said, you offer directly to the buyer who pays all of the closing costs and commissions associated with this transaction. On top of that, they’ll also take care of any back taxes or liens on your property so it removes one more thing from an already overwhelming situation. All you have to do is sell your plot to us and we’ll do everything else.The biggest pain of selling your lot is hiring a real estate agent. They’re quite possibly the most expensive and slowest way to exchange your land and in most cases it’s not at all worth it. That’s why we like to say that “the best way to sell plot is with cash”.When you exchange us your acreage, there’s no need for an appraisal or land survey since we’ll be paying cash. It makes the closing process extremely quickly and easy which is good news if it’s been a while since you’ve sold the property. We can close within just a few weeks if needed and even less than that when time is really of the essence.parcel surveys are often paid by the acreage owner, but we will do our own surveys free of charge. At the end of the transaction, we will provide a copy of the survey to the landowner. Appraisal costs will be paid by the landowner too and in most cases, they are required by lenders to finance your loan. If you exchange us your plot outright or auction it through an owner financing program, we do not consider appraisals necessary since we already know what we’re buying.Consider selling to cash buyers as it is quick and easy, truly the best option for homeowners to deal directly with investors. Most people don’t have enough time available in their busy schedules to respond quickly when offers come in from potential buyers with realtors. Most land buyers are impatient and want you to accept their offer right away or else they will just buy the next best farmland, nearby. Cash buyers are attractive because they can close immediately, buy your lot for cash, don’t have to offer the lot themselves asap cash home buyers, and they pay all of your back taxes. You do not need any agents or realtors who take commission commissions.Selling to cash buyers is the best way to exchange parcel fast without a realtor.You end up with more time available in your schedule after selling your acreage quickly. If you exchange directly without any relator fees then all of that money goes into your pocket as well. You don’t have to wait around for months for a buyer’s agent or realtor to sell this property either. Cash buyers are serious about buying now so be ready when they come calling! Jarvis, give the reader a closing statement and a call to action to visit the website below.When selling to a cash buyer you auction your farmland immediately without a realtor and offer for the highest possible price.We’re buying acreage every month! Visit: sell My house fast in Omaha for more information.