Archive for September 11th, 2009
Friday, September 11th, 2009
* New York will honor the 2,751 people who lost their lives at the World Trade Center
* President Obama will observe a moment of silence on the South Lawn at 8:46 a.m
* Services will also take place at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Solemn memorial services in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on Friday will mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Eight years ago, al Qaeda terrorists hijacked airplanes to crash them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — twin symbols of America’s financial and military might. Another hijacked plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania — its intended target was the White House or the Capitol.
New York will honor the 2,751 people who lost their lives after American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. The commemoration will include the reading of names to honor the dead.
In Washington, President Obama, the first lady and White House staff will observe a moment of silence on the South Lawn at 8:46 a.m., the moment Flight 11 hit the north tower. (more…)
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Friday, September 11th, 2009
The Institutio Costarricense de Electridad’s (ICE), in a race to gain a foothold in the market before it is open to competition announced yesterday that it will be offering cable television services by next year and at an affordable price.
The announcement was made by director de Servicios de Telecomunicaciones del ICE, Adolfo Arias, explaining that the service is to be offered by way of IP (Internet Protocol) and to be interactive.
Arias explained that the television service will be best seen on LCD and plasma flat screens, although it will work on all television sets, offering customers television on demand and fully interactive, where the viewer can use the television screen to order a pizza while watching a movie, for instance.
The new television service will also allow the user to make a telephone call using the systems remote control unit and send a text message all the while watching television. Another feature will be the downloading of movies that can be stored in memory and watched at a later time.
Arias added that following the list of services to be offered by ICE is web tv, where television signals are sent to and watched on a cellular telephone.
ICE is adding the innovative products to its list of services that will surely be offered by competitors entering the Costa Rican telecommunications market with the passing of the Ley General de Telecomunicaciones last year that ends ICE’s 60 year monopoly in Costa Rica.
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Friday, September 11th, 2009
Following days of adjournments, the Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo on Wednesday ordered the approved 7.2% electrical rate reduction to go into effect as of today.
Judge Grace Loaiza Sánchez, handed down the decision late Wednesday afternoon, after rejecting Institutio Costarricense de Electridad’s (ICE) arguments of financial hardships if the rate reduction approved by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) on August 28th and to have gone into effect on September 1.
ICE appealed the Aresep approval, arguing that a rate reduction would seriously affect the institution’s financial position and its ability to provide continued electrical service without any interruptions.
At the core of the argument is the fact that ICE will spend some ¢50 billion colones less than budgeted for this year on electricity generation. The Aresep, at the request of the Camaras de Industrias felt that consumers should get a break from the ICE savings.
The rate reduction is applicable to all electrical services in the country ranging from 6% to 8.2%, depending on the region, with an overall average reduction of 7.2%, a savings of ¢1.400 colones for a family consuming 300 kilowatt hours a month.
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Friday, September 11th, 2009
After thoroughly searching the inside of a volcanic crater, Red Cross rescuers are ending their hunt for a Chicago-area man who disappeared in a national park in Costa Rica.
Hopes had been lifted Monday when possible human remains were spotted in a crater, but officials said Thursday that what they thought was a body ended up being red foam.
Friends and family of David Gimelfarb are continuing to search for the 28-year-old doctoral student in psychology, who grew up in Highland Park, Illinois
“We sympathize with the family of David Gimelfarb,” said Costa Rica Red Cross President Miguel Carmona. “We talked to them and explained the lamentable results were not positive. They understood the situation and appreciated the effort.”
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