'Selfie' diplomacy at Mandela's memorial ..[ 3196 ]

'Selfie' diplomacy:Michelle Obama looks unamused by Barack's joking with Danish prime minister

Raf Sanchez in Washington

6:38PM GMT 10 Dec 2013

For a memorial service it was a remarkably jovial scene: Barack Obama, David Cameron and Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish prime minister, huddled together for a smart phone photograph.

But one person looked distinctly less amused by the world leaders' "selfie" - Michelle Obama. 
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The First Lady stared straight ahead, hands clasped in her lap, while her husband laughed with the Europeans at Nelson Mandela's memorial in Johannesburg. 
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Another photograph shows shows her looking on, unsmiling, as Mr Obama shared a joke with Ms Thorning-Schmidt and patted her on the shoulder.

 
 ^{(KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS)}

In a later photograph, the Obamas appeared to have switched seats with the First Lady separating her husband from the Danish prime minister.
The joking appears to have stopped by then, with Mrs Obama's back turned slightly to Ms Thorning-Schmidt and Mr Obama staring determinedly ahead.
The Scandinavian leader meanwhile looks down at what appears to be her phone.
 
 ^{(ALEXANDER JOE/AFP)}
Ms Thorning-Schmidt is married to Stephen Kinnock, the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock. 
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The interaction between the Obamas and Ms Thorning-Schmidt was closely monitored by three of the President's closest aides - Susan Rice, the White House National Security advisor; Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor; and Eric Holder; the US attorney general - who were sat behind. 
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The gathering of world leaders at the 95,000 capacity FNB Stadium is thought to be the largest since Winston Churchill's 1965 state funeral.
Mr Cameron defended posing for the photograph during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

Ban..και κάτω ..[ 3195 ]

Με ψεύτικες αιτιολογίες δέχτηκα  " ban for ever"  από ένα διαχειριστή του φόρουμ "μέσα έξω"

Μήνυμα vBulletin
You have been banned for the following reason:
Επανειλημμένες βρισιές και εντελώς ανάρμοστη συμπεριφορά
-
Date the ban will be lifted: Ποτέ
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Ελπιζω η ΔΟ  να λαβει υπ'οψιν της οτι ειμαι μελος στο  εν λογω Φορουμ απο την 05/09/2008 και εχω μεχρι τωρα πανω απο 9,013 ποστς και έχω συγκεντρώσει και  1331  thanks
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Ποτέ δεν έβρισα ούτε  συμπεριφέρθηκα ανάρμοστα πρώτος αλλά πάντα  έδωσα  τις αρμοζουσες , κατάλληλες και πρέπουσες απαντήσεις  και επομένως ο ισόβιος αποκλεισμός μου απο το Φόρουμ είναι άδικος και αποτελεί σημείο χαμηλού ήθους  κακεντρέχειας του εν λόγω
διαχειριστή.- 

F/A-18, 35 years of distinction..[ 3194 ]

Navy honors F/A-18 for 35 years of distinction

Published: Tue December 10th, 2013 via: US Navy

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NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The F/A-18 Hornet community celebrated the 35^th anniversary of the aircraft’s first flight during a ceremony today in the Rear Adm. William A. Moffett building atrium at NAS Pax River.
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Sponsored by the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265), the celebration highlighted the accomplishments and continued impact of the U.S. Navy’s longest running tactical aircraft program.
“The F/A-18 and EA-18G program continues to thrive; it is by far the predominant tactical force for naval aviation,” said Capt. Frank Morley, PMA-265 program manager, “and it will continue to be for many years to come.”
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Originally designed to replace the F-4 Phantom and the A-7 Corsair II, the F/A-18 Hornet took its first flight Nov. 18, 1978. Today, the F/A-18 platform, including the Hornet, Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, operate in 44 Navy and 11 Marine Corps Strike Fighter and Electronic Attack Squadrons worldwide.
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Since its maiden voyage 35 years ago, the F/A-18 family of aircraft has flown 8,692,167 flight hours averaging nearly 250,000 flights hours per year since the historic journey.
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“The success of this program rests on the shoulders of many that have come before us, and many that have spent a lifetime supporting this program,” Morley said during the ceremony.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker, retired Vice Adm. Jeffrey A. Wieringa, shared a number of “sea” stories based on his experience as a past program manager (April 2000 to May 2003).
“I became a naval aviator in 1977 – just one year before the Hornet entered into service,” said Wieringa. “So, you could say that both the F/A-18 and I earned our wings right about the same time.”
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Rear Adm. Donald (B.D.) Gaddis, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs (PEO(T)), also shared thoughts about his time as PMA-265’s program manager and what he believes has made the F/A-18 and EA-18G program so successful.
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“We have always had very, very good leadership inside the Hornet industry team, PMA-265 and in the competencies,” said Gaddis. “That successful culture is going to keep us flying as a team until probably 2030 or 2035.”
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The ceremony was followed by a luncheon and tours of Hangar 201, home of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23. Four static aircraft displays were on exhibition, each representing an iteration of the F/A-18. Boeing also provided guests the opportunity to “fly” the F/A-18 Super Hornet via its mobile simulator.

Meteor explodes over Arizona..[ 3193 ]

Meteor explodes over Arizona; big meteor shower begins

By Ben Brumfield, CNN

December 11, 2013 -- Updated 1136 GMT (1936 HKT)

(CNN) -- A resounding boom over Tucson, Arizona, roused residents from their dinner tables Tuesday and had them pointing up to the sky.

The largest meteor shower of the year seemed to be giving them a sneak preview, as a whopper of a rock roared past over their heads.

It exploded, rattling their houses, and a dash cam captured it on video as it vanished in a bright blaze.

The spectacular annual Geminid meteor shower officially starts Thursday. Now, even with 100 to 120 meteors per hour at its peak, it has given itself a tough act to follow.

Astronomer Tod Lauer heard the blast but did not bother to look outside.

"We were eating dinner and heard a good bang that rattled the roof of our house. I dismissed it as a sonic boom," he posted to Facebook.

Then a local TV station phoned the scientist, who studies images from the Hubble Space Telescope, to ask him to explain what had happened.

Frantic eyewitnesses across the state called local news outlets to report what they saw.

The explosion shook Tony Kubrak's house, too, he told CNN affiliate KGUN, which received a flood of calls and hundreds of posts to its Facebook page.

Kubrak went outside to check it out.

"I see this tremendous, white, bright light in the western sky. And it was just ... it was absolutely enormous, I couldn't believe it."

Others took to social media.

"Did y'all see the meteor that flew above Tucson? Crazzzzy. That was toooo craaaazy!" Tucson resident Eric Gomez posted on Twitter.

People around the world can enjoy what bedazzled Arizonans until at least Monday, NASA said. The Geminid meteor shower this year will be "rich in fire balls."

They can be viewed best from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET.

"Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids are by far the most massive," said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. "When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of 5 to 500."

NASA calls it the 900-pound gorilla of meteor showers.

Most meteor showers are caused by comets, but not Geminid, which contains the name of the constellation Gemini.

A large space rock named 3200 Pheathon flings the debris that makes the sparkling magic.

CNN's Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report.

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Το γήπεδο του Παναθηναϊκού..[ 3192 ]

Σχέδια για το Γήπεδο του Παναθηναϊκού στη Λεωφόρο

Αυτή είναι η νέα Λεωφόρος! (ΦΩΤΟ)

11/12/2013 12:00:00 μ.μ.  grizos gatos 

Στη Λεωφόρο γήπεδο τραγουδάνε σε κάθε ματς οι οπαδοί του Παναθηναϊκού, με το ΠΑΝ.ΚΙ να παρουσιάζει την πρότασή του για νέο γήπεδο στη φυσική έδρα του Τριφυλλιού. 
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Πάνω από 40.000 θέσεις, κλειστό γήπεδο μπάσκετ και βόλεϊ χωριτηκότητας 3000 θέσεων, στρέψη κατά 90 μοίρες προς το χώρο όπου υπάρχουν τώρα τα σχολεία και όλα όσα είναι απαραίτητα για ένα σύγχρονο ευρωπαϊκό γήπεδο.

Ο αγωνιστικό χώρος θα είναι βυθισμένος 8,5 μέτρα, εμπορικά καταστήματα, χώροι πάρκινγκ και... φωτοβολταϊκά στην οροφή είναι μερικά από τα στοιχεία του νέου γηπέδου, με τη τιμή κατασκευής να φτάνει τα 75εκατομμύρια ευρώ.

Δείτε παρακάτω μερικές φωτογραφίες από τα σχέδια της νέας Λεωφόρου.

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