WRBB News For Friday February 16th!

WRBB News

WORLD NEWS
Blair defiant over nuclear plans

Mr Blair says nuclear power is needed to cut carbon emissions
Tony Blair has said he is still firmly behind the construction of new nuclear power stations, despite losing a High Court battle with Greenpeace. The court found the decision to back a new generation of power stations was unlawful, because of a "seriously flawed" public consultation process.

Ministers plan to re-consult, but say nuclear power is the best way to tackle climate change and energy security.

Mr Blair told the BBC: "This won't affect the policy at all". He said it was important to have nuclear power "back on the agenda...If we don't replace the existing nuclear power stations then, first, I cannot see how we are going to meet our climate change targets.

"And secondly we... will move to a situation that without nuclear power we are going to be dependent on very uncertain supplies of energy and that would be bad for business and bad for the consumer."

Greenpeace brought the case after accusing the government of reneging on its promise to carry out "the fullest consultation" before deciding about whether to build new power stations. In 2003 the government had described nuclear power as an "unattractive option". But by July 2006 its report The Energy Challenge, said "new nuclear power stations would make a significant contribution to meeting our energy policy goals". Greenpeace argued, and the judge agreed, that the consultation in 2006 did not give enough information about radioactive waste disposal and the costs involved. (BBC News)



Chavez threat to seize food shops

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has threatened to nationalise stores that sell meat above a government-set price.
The government says supermarkets have been artificially boosting prices of basic foods by manipulating stockpiles. But critics blame regular food shortages on prices imposed four years ago, forcing shops to sell at a loss.

Many privately-owned supermarkets have suspended sales of beef, milk and sugar after one chain was temporarily closed for pricing meat above allowed levels. The government has already seized goods that it says are being hoarded to drive up prices. The products have been sold at government-run Mercal supermarkets, which sell staple foods at discount prices in poor areas, and at makeshift distribution centres.

President Chavez told a gathering of pensioners in the capital, Caracas, that he was waiting for the "first excuse" to take over privately-owned outlets that manipulate prices. "If they insist on violating the interests of the people, the constitution and laws, I will take away the warehouses, the shops, I will take away the supermarkets and I'll nationalise them," he warned.

Earlier this week, the government raised the prices it sets on staple foods, but retailers said they had not gone high enough to take account of their increased costs. Some private companies are also concerned about President Chavez's intention to make them allow their employees time during the working day to study socialism. (BBC News)


US NEWS
Air force demotes Playboy poser

A US Air Force sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been removed from active duty and demoted.
The move reverts Michelle Manhart to air national guard status, a move which has prompted her resignation, she says.

"I'm disappointed in our system. They went too far with it," she told the Associated Press news agency. Ms Manhart appeared in the Playboy's February edition in a range of poses, some in uniform and striking a military pose, others while naked.

Ms Manhart had been a member of the Iowa air national guard before going on extended active duty with the air force. In January, Ms Manhart was suspended from duties while an investigation into the incident was carried out. At the time the air force released a statement saying that her actions did not "meet the high standards we expect of our airmen".

However, Ms Manhart defended her decision to pose for the magazine, pointing out that she had served her country since 1994. (BBC News)

LOCAL NEWS
Local markets pull Peter Pan peanut butter
Stop & Shop and Shaw's, two of New England's largest grocery chains, said today that they responded to reports of a salmonella outbreak by ordering their stores to pull all Peter Pan peanut butter off their shelves.

ConAgra Foods Inc. of Nebraska touched off national concern when it disclosed that certain jars of its Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter had been linked to an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened people in 39 states, the Associated Press reported.

ConAgra indicated that the outbreak was tied to jars whose lids bear a product code beginning with 2111, the AP reported.

Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. said that to its knowledge, no tainted peanut butter had been found in its stores, but as a precaution, company officials today ordered all Peter Pan peanut butter to be removed from store shelves, company spokesman Robert Keane said.

The chain has also programmed its cash registers to issue an alert in the event that a Peter Pan peanut butter jar had somehow eluded the recall and a customer showed up with it at a checkout line, Keane said; if such a jar were to be swiped over the scanner, the store employee at the cash register would be alerted that the product was not for sale.

Stop & Shop does not carry Great Value, another peanut butter brand linked to the salmonella outbreak, Keane said. Based in Quincy, Stop & Shop operates 385 supermarkets in the Northeast, including about 120 in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Shaw's Supermarkets Inc., a New England chain based in West Bridgewater, said its 210 stores were instructed to immediately remove all Peter Pan peanut butter from store shelves, spokeswoman Judy Chong said.

Any customer who has recently purchased Peter Pan butter at a Shaw's can return it for a full refund or exchange it for a comparable product, Chong said.
(Boston Globe)

CAMPUS NEWS
The Asian American Center Presents:
BUBBLE TEA TIME

Join us for another bubble tea session at the Asian American Center! Bubble Tea Time is a discussion series that focuses on topics relevant to the Asian American community and provides an opportunity for informal conversation between students who are interested in issues related to identity, history, media, and other topics. The best part is, free bubble tea is provided!
Date: Wednesday, February 21st
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Place: Asian American Center at 109 Hemenway Street
Topic: Interracial Dating

Share your thoughts and experiences on the hot topic of interracial dating. How is it viewed in the Asian American and other communities? What are the cultural barriers or challenges that still exist today?

Please RSVP to Van at liwanag.v@neu.edu by Tuesday, February 20th to reserve your bubble tea, only a limited number will be ordered.

What is bubble tea?
In 1983 Liu Han-Chieh introduced Taiwan to tapioca pearls. The new fad was to add tapioca pearls into a favorite drink. Most of the time tapioca pearls were served in cold infused tea. The tapioca pearls also looked like bubbles, thus also became to known as “bubble tea.” Bubble tea is generally split into two types: fruit-flavored teas, and milk teas.


CELEBRITY NEWS
The ABC Curse
Lost is crashing and burning!

A new episode of the show that aired this week got a dubious distinction for the ABC drama.

It garnered an all-time low for a new episode of the show.

This past Wednesday's episode drew and estimated 12.8 million viewers - well off the peak of more than 20 million just two years ago. (www.perezhilton.com)

MUSIC NEWS
British Music Awards!
Las Vegas natives The Killers, who broke out in Britain before finding success at home, were named international group of the year at the British equivalent of the Grammys. They also took the international album prize for "Sam's Town."

Infectious rockers the Arctic Monkeys — who released Britain's fastest-selling debut album after building a cult Internet following — were named best British band.

The Sheffield quartet also took the British album prize for "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" ... Canadian songstress Nelly Furtado took the prize for international female act.

Gravel-voiced singer-songwriter James Morrison, 22, was named best male British act. The former busker topped the British album chart last year with his debut album, "Undiscovered." "This one's for every singer-songwriter still playing in pubs," he said as he accepted his award.

Justin Timberlake took the prize for best international male, while Los Angeles-based band Orson were named international breakthrough act.

Angsty rockers Muse were named best live act, while Glasgow trio the Fratellis were named British breakthrough act. The British single prize, decided by viewers' votes, went to "Patience" by Take That, the former 1990s boy band whose chart-topping comeback — minus original member Robbie Williams — was one of the biggest British music stories of 2006.

Oasis, who dominated Brit rock in the 1990s, received a special award for outstanding contribution to music (www.pinkisthenewblog.com)