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Showing posts with label 0312. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 0312. Show all posts
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigns
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080312/ap_on_re_us/spitzer_prostitution
NEW YORK - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is resigning following intense pressure to step down because of a prostitution scandal.
Spitzer says his resignation is effective Monday.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to resign, completing a stunning fall from power after he was nationally disgraced by links to a high-priced prostitution ring, a top state official said Wednesday.
Spitzer was scheduled to announce his resignation midday, according to a second top Spitzer staffer. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.
Spitzer and his wife, Silda, left their apartment around 11 a.m. and got into a black SUV to take them to his office. Cameras aboard news helicopters tracked the movement of Spitzer's three-vehicle motorcade from his apartment on the Upper East Side to his office in midtown Manhattan.
Spitzer would be replaced by Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who will become New York's first black governor.
The scandal erupted Monday when allegations surfaced that Spitzer, a 48-year-old married man with three teenage daughters, spent thousands of dollars on a call girl named Kristen at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine's Day.
"I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong," the governor said at a news conference with his wife at his side. "I apologize to the public, whom I promised better."
Calls for his resignation came immediately. Republicans began talking impeachment if he didn't step aside. Meanwhile, Spitzer stayed holed up in his Manhattan apartment, where he was reportedly weighing his options, including waiting to use resignation as a bargaining chip with federal prosecutors to avoid indictment.
The case involving Spitzer started when banks noticed frequent cash transfers from several accounts and filed suspicious activity reports with the Internal Revenue Service, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The accounts were traced back to Spitzer, leading public corruption investigators to open an inquiry.
A law enforcement official said Tuesday that Spitzer had spent tens of thousands of dollars with the call-girl service Emperors Club VIP. Another official said the amount could be as high as $80,000.
Still another law enforcement official said investigators found that during the tryst with Kristen, Spitzer used two rooms at Washington's Mayflower Hotel — one for himself, the other for the prostitute. Sometime around 10 p.m., Spitzer sneaked away from his security detail and made his way to her room, the official said.
According to an affidavit, a federal judge approved wiretaps on the escort service's telephone in January and February. FBI agents in Washington had the Mayflower under surveillance when Spitzer was in town, a senior law enforcement official said.
The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Spitzer, a first-term Democrat, built his political reputation on rooting out government corruption, and made a name for himself as attorney general as crusader against shady practices and overly generous compensation. He also cracked down on prostitution.
He was known as the "Sheriff of Wall Street." Time magazine named him "Crusader of the Year," and the tabloids proclaimed him "Eliot Ness." The square-jawed graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law was sometimes mentioned as a potential candidate for president.
He rode into the governor's office with a historic margin of victory on Jan. 1, 2007, vowing to stamp out corruption in New York government in the same way that he took on Wall Street executives with a vengeance while state attorney general.
His term as governor has been fraught with problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and a plot by his aides to smear his main Republican nemesis. The prostitution scandal, some said, was too much to overcome.
Barely known outside of his Harlem political base, Paterson, 53, has been in New York government since his election to the state Senate in 1985. He led the Democratic caucus in the Senate before running with Spitzer as his No. 2.
Though legally blind, Paterson has enough sight in his right eye to walk unaided, recognize people at conversational distance and even read if text is placed close to his face. While Spitzer is renowned for his abrasive style, Paterson has built a reputation as a conciliator.
At a morning news conference, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Spitzer's chief rival, said he had not yet heard from the governor but that he was moving on with the business of the state. Lawmakers were set to vote on budget bills Wednesday afternoon.
"We are going to partner with the lieutenant governor when he becomes governor," said Bruno. "David has always been very open with me, very forthright ... I look forward to a positive, productive relationship."
Bruno, though the next highest-ranking official, does not become lieutenant governor upon Paterson's ascension to governor. The lieutenant governor's office would remain vacant until the next general election in 2010 under state law. However, whenever Paterson is out of state or if he were to become incapacitated, Bruno would be acting governor.
NEW YORK - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is resigning following intense pressure to step down because of a prostitution scandal.
Spitzer says his resignation is effective Monday.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to resign, completing a stunning fall from power after he was nationally disgraced by links to a high-priced prostitution ring, a top state official said Wednesday.
Spitzer was scheduled to announce his resignation midday, according to a second top Spitzer staffer. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.
Spitzer and his wife, Silda, left their apartment around 11 a.m. and got into a black SUV to take them to his office. Cameras aboard news helicopters tracked the movement of Spitzer's three-vehicle motorcade from his apartment on the Upper East Side to his office in midtown Manhattan.
Spitzer would be replaced by Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who will become New York's first black governor.
The scandal erupted Monday when allegations surfaced that Spitzer, a 48-year-old married man with three teenage daughters, spent thousands of dollars on a call girl named Kristen at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine's Day.
"I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong," the governor said at a news conference with his wife at his side. "I apologize to the public, whom I promised better."
Calls for his resignation came immediately. Republicans began talking impeachment if he didn't step aside. Meanwhile, Spitzer stayed holed up in his Manhattan apartment, where he was reportedly weighing his options, including waiting to use resignation as a bargaining chip with federal prosecutors to avoid indictment.
The case involving Spitzer started when banks noticed frequent cash transfers from several accounts and filed suspicious activity reports with the Internal Revenue Service, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The accounts were traced back to Spitzer, leading public corruption investigators to open an inquiry.
A law enforcement official said Tuesday that Spitzer had spent tens of thousands of dollars with the call-girl service Emperors Club VIP. Another official said the amount could be as high as $80,000.
Still another law enforcement official said investigators found that during the tryst with Kristen, Spitzer used two rooms at Washington's Mayflower Hotel — one for himself, the other for the prostitute. Sometime around 10 p.m., Spitzer sneaked away from his security detail and made his way to her room, the official said.
According to an affidavit, a federal judge approved wiretaps on the escort service's telephone in January and February. FBI agents in Washington had the Mayflower under surveillance when Spitzer was in town, a senior law enforcement official said.
The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Spitzer, a first-term Democrat, built his political reputation on rooting out government corruption, and made a name for himself as attorney general as crusader against shady practices and overly generous compensation. He also cracked down on prostitution.
He was known as the "Sheriff of Wall Street." Time magazine named him "Crusader of the Year," and the tabloids proclaimed him "Eliot Ness." The square-jawed graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law was sometimes mentioned as a potential candidate for president.
He rode into the governor's office with a historic margin of victory on Jan. 1, 2007, vowing to stamp out corruption in New York government in the same way that he took on Wall Street executives with a vengeance while state attorney general.
His term as governor has been fraught with problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and a plot by his aides to smear his main Republican nemesis. The prostitution scandal, some said, was too much to overcome.
Barely known outside of his Harlem political base, Paterson, 53, has been in New York government since his election to the state Senate in 1985. He led the Democratic caucus in the Senate before running with Spitzer as his No. 2.
Though legally blind, Paterson has enough sight in his right eye to walk unaided, recognize people at conversational distance and even read if text is placed close to his face. While Spitzer is renowned for his abrasive style, Paterson has built a reputation as a conciliator.
At a morning news conference, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Spitzer's chief rival, said he had not yet heard from the governor but that he was moving on with the business of the state. Lawmakers were set to vote on budget bills Wednesday afternoon.
"We are going to partner with the lieutenant governor when he becomes governor," said Bruno. "David has always been very open with me, very forthright ... I look forward to a positive, productive relationship."
Bruno, though the next highest-ranking official, does not become lieutenant governor upon Paterson's ascension to governor. The lieutenant governor's office would remain vacant until the next general election in 2010 under state law. However, whenever Paterson is out of state or if he were to become incapacitated, Bruno would be acting governor.
明天所有小學、特殊學校、幼兒園和幼稚園停課兩星期
Source: RTHK News
小學、特殊學校、幼兒園及幼稚園明起停課
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 11:15 PM
政府宣布，全港小學、特殊學校、幼兒園及幼稚園明日起停課兩星期。 食物及衞生局長周一嶽解釋，與衞生署、教育局等檢討，流感情況和市民反應，反映流感數字有輕微上升，預計流感高峰期延續幾星期，及家長和學校對此的憂慮， 所以作有關決定。
全港小學、幼稚園暨幼兒中心、特殊學校停課至3月28日
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 11:20 PM
教統局宣布，為減低流感在學校繼續蔓延，全港幼稚園、幼稚園暨幼兒中心、小學及特殊學校，由明日起開始放復活節假期，至三月二十八日。 學校需在非原定學校假期內，保持校舍開放，學生如有需要，可照常返校。
小學、特殊學校、幼兒園及幼稚園明起停課
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 11:15 PM
政府宣布，全港小學、特殊學校、幼兒園及幼稚園明日起停課兩星期。 食物及衞生局長周一嶽解釋，與衞生署、教育局等檢討，流感情況和市民反應，反映流感數字有輕微上升，預計流感高峰期延續幾星期，及家長和學校對此的憂慮， 所以作有關決定。
全港小學、幼稚園暨幼兒中心、特殊學校停課至3月28日
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 11:20 PM
教統局宣布，為減低流感在學校繼續蔓延，全港幼稚園、幼稚園暨幼兒中心、小學及特殊學校，由明日起開始放復活節假期，至三月二十八日。 學校需在非原定學校假期內，保持校舍開放，學生如有需要，可照常返校。
香港廿年後可能無冬天
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/080312/12/2qg8m.html
香港廿年後可能無冬天
(明報) 03月 12日 星期三 03:50PM
天文台 長林超英 預計，如採用高排放情景加上持續城市化速率，無冬天時段或在2020年到2029年出現。
林超英說：「考慮了多個室氣體排放情景連同香港城市化的效應之後，我們預料香港本世紀末氣上升的下限是3.0度，上限是6.8度，中間路線是4.8 度。」所謂中間路線，是指代表多個情景和不同城市化程度計算出來的平均數。
他指，夏季熱夜天數（最低氣28度或以上）增多。在本世紀末，中間路線每年平均有41天熱夜，上限可達54天。上世紀末是15天。同樣，酷熱天數（日最 高氣溫33度或以上）亦增多。本世紀末每年平均將有15天酷熱日子，上限是19天，高於上世紀末的7天。
林超英說：「多個情景一起計算的平均結果顯示，在2030年至2039年每年寒冷天數將下降到一天以下，即是有些冬天再無寒冷日子。」如果採用高排放情景 加上持續城市化速率，無冬天的時段預計於2020年到2029年出現。林超英指出：「我們在座各位都有機會見到不寒冷的冬天！」
香港廿年後可能無冬天
(明報) 03月 12日 星期三 03:50PM
天文台 長林超英 預計，如採用高排放情景加上持續城市化速率，無冬天時段或在2020年到2029年出現。
林超英說：「考慮了多個室氣體排放情景連同香港城市化的效應之後，我們預料香港本世紀末氣上升的下限是3.0度，上限是6.8度，中間路線是4.8 度。」所謂中間路線，是指代表多個情景和不同城市化程度計算出來的平均數。
他指，夏季熱夜天數（最低氣28度或以上）增多。在本世紀末，中間路線每年平均有41天熱夜，上限可達54天。上世紀末是15天。同樣，酷熱天數（日最 高氣溫33度或以上）亦增多。本世紀末每年平均將有15天酷熱日子，上限是19天，高於上世紀末的7天。
林超英說：「多個情景一起計算的平均結果顯示，在2030年至2039年每年寒冷天數將下降到一天以下，即是有些冬天再無寒冷日子。」如果採用高排放情景 加上持續城市化速率，無冬天的時段預計於2020年到2029年出現。林超英指出：「我們在座各位都有機會見到不寒冷的冬天！」
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