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Mardi 31 octobre 2006

Pedregon, Q Power Race Team Reach Quarterfinals in Las Vegas

by Allison Holt

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Tony Pedregon and his Q Power Race Team ran well but exited the NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway after a tough second round loss in the Nitro Funny Car division. Pedregon once again qualified in the top half of the field in Las Vegas, in 8th, and that effort allowed him to retain 5th in the 2006 point standings.

"We dropped a cylinder in both the first and second rounds, which essentially means we were running on seven cylinders - one cylinder was not firing, which led to the blower belt breaking on both runs. Something was obviously not right with the tuneup," Pedregon explained of his shortened day in Las Vegas. "We need to figure this out before the NHRA Finals in Pomona in a couple of weeks, so we're going to test on Monday and hopefully figure out what we need to do with the car to correct these problems. We know we are better than what we showed in Las Vegas, and we'll work through the problems and hopefully take our Q Power team to Pomona and contend for a win there."

NEXT RACE: November 10-12 – NHRA Finals, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.)

RESULTS

LAS VEGAS 2 RACE RESULTS:

QUALIFIED:

8th - 4.742 / 320.97

FIRST ROUND:

(W) Tony Pedregon - 5.143 / 225.90

(L) Gary Scelzi - 5.179 / 319.82

SECOND ROUND:

(W) Tony Bartone - 4.881 / 312.28

(L) Tony Pedregon - 5.177 / 211.53

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:

1. John Force, 1520

2. Ron Capps, 1449

3. Robert Hight, 1447

4. Eric Medlen, 1373

5. Tony Pedregon, 1328

6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 1269

7. Gary Scelzi, 1172

8. Phil Burkart, 962

9. Whit Bazemore, 956

10. Cruz Pedregon, 946

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Mardi 31 octobre 2006

How to protect your computer from power problems

In the category of "Information We Could've Used Three Weeks Ago," this column deals with protecting your computer hardware with surge protectors.
Many folks suffered damage to their computers and other electronics during the recent earthquake and subsequent power outage. Most took some precautions that they thought would prevent against some of these problems. Sadly, many turned out to be mistaken.

By now, most folks know to put something in between their sensitive electronics and the wall outlet. Typically, people use the cheapest power strip they can find. Sometimes, especially in businesses, we see power strips re-used over and over again. Do you need the $100 model or will the $10 model suffice? Besides price, what factors should you take into account when shopping for surge protectors?

First, we highly recommend something that has been rated by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL). We all know what the UL symbol looks like, so if your unit doesn't have it, that's not a good sign. While there has been some chatter lately about counterfeit UL seals, as long as you're not buying your surge protector on Kuhio Avenue at 3 in the morning, you shouldn't need to worry.

Near the UL seal, the device should also be described as a "transient voltage surge suppressor" that meets the criteria of "UL 1449." However, for reasons we can't fathom, manufacturers often abbreviate these very important terms or use cryptic codes to indicate compliance with UL.

Our best recommendation is to look for the UL seal, and find the "transient suppression voltage" rating on the device. The lower the rating, the better the unit. Anything less than 400 volts should be fine for your computer and peripherals.

Look for units that have an indicator light. Many folks believe that the light is just for show, or to indicate that the power is on. In fact, if the manufacturer has gone to the expense of including a light, it usually indicates whether the unit is still good. After repeated surges, many units lose their protection capabilities, but are still capable of conducting power. If the light used to work and now it doesn't, or even if it's blinking, replace the strip!

Some devices are also equipped with old-fashioned protection, namely, a fuse. If the unit takes a surge, the fuse simply burns out. Some units have replaceable fuses, some don't, and those that don't are useless once the fuse is burnt. For the more simple minded of us, a fuse-based strip often provides the greatest level of comfort.

More expensive units provide for surge protection from phone lines and cables. While it is theoretically possible that your computer could be damaged by a surge through a phone line or cable, this is a very remote occurrence, especially in Hawaii. You might be more concerned about this on the mainland or other areas where ground lightning strikes are more prevalent.

Of course, regardless of the type of surge suppressor you're using, it's always a good idea to unplug everything from the wall whenever the power goes out. Unless the laws of physics happen to change, a disconnected plug is always the most effective surge protector.

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Lundi 2 octobre 2006

Jury acquits two, including Boston police officer, in '05 slaying

Jury acquits two, including Boston police officer, in '05 slaying
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

A jury today acquitted a Boston police officer and another man, rejecting prosecutors' claims that they helped a murder suspect flee after a 2005 killing at the Copa Grande Oasis nightclub in Randolph.

The jury deliberated for less than a day when it returned a not guilty verdict this morning, clearing Office Baltazar DaRosa and Amilcar Cabral of any wrongdoing.

The pair had been charged with helping Carlos DePina, a cousin of DaRosa who is suspected in the killing of Joseph Lopes but has not been captured. Lopes was gunned down in the parking lot of the Copa Grande Oasis nightclub on Jan. 29, 2005.

Prosecutors had charged DaRosa with driving the get-away car. The three-year veteran of the Boston police force has been suspended without pay pending the results of the trial. Cabral was charged as an accessory.

Investigators believe that Lopes's killing is the result of a feud between factions of Cape Verdean youth in Dorchester, a police official has said. DePina's brother, Nathaniel, was killed by a masked gunman at a Dorchester barbecue in 2003. Lopes was a suspect in that slaying, the official has said.

During the week-long trial, DaRosa's lawyer, Wayne R. Murphy, said his client drove his cousin home from the club that night and was unaware that anything had transpired.

Cabral's lawyer, James S. Dilday, told the jury that his client had no knowledge of DePina shooting anyone.

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Lundi 23 janvier 2006

Georgia blames Russia for gas pipeline explosions

Georgia blames Russia for gas pipeline explosions

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili Sunday blamed Russia for being behind the two gas pipeline explosions in the southern Russian region of North Ossetia, which has triggered an energy crisis in his country.

At 3:00 a.m. (0000GMT) on Sunday, the natural gas pipelines in North Ossetia exploded, cutting off gas supplies to Georgia and Armenia while the two countries are suffering a cold snap.

Later in the day, another blast hit a high-power electricity transmission tower west of North Ossetia, causing interruption to electricity supplies to Georgia.

Russian officials accused the anti-Moscow insurgents of the attacks. And Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel said a criminal case of sabotage has been launched over the blasts, which were caused by two explosive devices.

However, Saakashvili remained unmoved by Russia's explanation and said he believed Russia had deliberately cut off Georgia's gas supply in a bid to pressure it into giving up ownership of its domestic gas pipeline network to Moscow, according to news reports reaching here.

"The explanation we have received from the Russian side is absolutely inadequate and contradictory. Georgia has been subjected to serious sabotage from the side of the Russian Federation," reports quoted Saakashvili as saying.

"We have long heard threats from Russian politicians that we could be left without light and gas, and now this has happened, when Georgia is experiencing its coldest winter," he was quoted assaying.

Georgia has suffered serious energy shortages for years. It has been unusually cold this winter, with temperatures plunging to minus 5 Celsius in the capital Tbilisi on Sunday.

Tbilisi is now using gas left over in the pipelines and if no alternative solution is found, the city will run out of gas, said Tbilisi's gas distribution company Tbilgaz.

Meanwhile, many Armenians also shivered in the cold snap after the gas cutoff, since their country receives all its gas via the same pipeline as Georgia. And Armenia, like Georgia, does not produce significant amounts of gas domestically, and they both rely on Russia for the gas imports.

The gas shortfall has prompted Georgia to urgently seek alternative sources of energy. President Saakashvili and his Azerbaijiani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed the possibility of providing Azerbaijani gas to Georgia during a telephone conversation Sunday, the Georgian presidential press service said.

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Mardi 10 janvier 2006

CNOOC takes 45% stake in Nigerian oil

China's largest gas and oil producer CNOOC said it had agreed to buy a 45 percent stake in an oil block off the coast of Nigeria for almost 2.3 billion dollars.

A woman walks past the headquarters of the state-run energy firm China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in Beijing, in June 2005. China's largest gas and oil producer CNOOC said it had agreed to buy a 45 percent stake in an oil block off the coast of Nigeria for almost 2.3 billion dollars. [AFP]
The Hong Kong-listed unit of the China National Overseas Oil Corporation said it had signed a firm agreement with Nigeria's South Atlantic Petroleum to acquire the stake in the OML 130 block in the Niger Delta.

The purchase would be funded from internal resources, a CNOOC statement said.

"The purchase of this interest in OML 130 helps CNOOC gain access to an oil and gas field of huge interest and upside potential, located in one of the world's largest oil and gas basins," CNOOC chairman Fu Chengyu said Monday.

"With one of the leading deep water experts as the operator of the field, we have every confidence for the fast and efficient production of oil."

The block covers about 500 square miles (1,300 sq km) and water depths range from about 1,100 to 1,800 meters (3,630-5,940 feet). It is being operated by French oil giant Total.

Total estimates the block could contain some 600 million barrels of recoverable oil with a potential for some 500 million more barrels, the statement said.

The field is due to come into production in 2008. The transaction is expected to be finalised in the first half of this year and is conditional on approval from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Chinese government.

The deal is China's latest attempt to acquire foreign oil to fuel its booming economy.

China recently became the world's second-largest oil consumer after the United States. In 2004 it consumed 314 million tonnes, of which it imported 122.7 million, taking eight percent of world consumption.

Last year CNOOC's bid to buy the US energy company Unocal Corp lost out to the Chevron Corporation after a politically charged controversy in the United States over a Chinese company taking over US energy assets.

CNOOC has said previously it was in talks for a stake in Australia's Gorgon gas projects, while also expressing interest in acquiring 10 billion dollars of assets in dismembered Russian oil group Yukos.

Several months ago China National Petroleum Corporation paid 4.18 billion dollars for the Canadian-listed company PetroKazakhstan which exploits oil fields in the Central Asian country that borders China.

In expectations of the deal, China and Kazakhstan have built an 806 million dollar pipeline that spans some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the oil fields to refineries in China's Xinjiang region.

CNOOC's Hong Kong-listed Chinese oil group reported third-quarter total revenues of 14.87 billion yuan (1.82 billion dollars) compared with 11.4 billion yuan a year earlier.

Oil and gas sales rose 31.2 percent during the period to 14.76 billion yuan.Enditem

(Source: China Daily/AFP)

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Pedregon, Q Power Race Team Reach Quarterfinals in Las Vegas

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Pedregon, Q Power Race Team Reach Quarterfinals in Las Vegas

How to protect your computer from power problems

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Georgia blames Russia for gas pipeline explosions

CNOOC takes 45% stake in Nigerian oil

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