Eeyore's News and a View

E.U. Military Observers to Deploy to Georgia on Oct. 1 Despite Russian Refusal Monday, September 22, 2008 Under a French-brokered cease-fire, Russia has 10 days to withdraw its forces from Georgian areas outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia once the EU observers are in place. Hansjoerg Haber, who is heading the EU mission, promised that the 200 observers will be in place near the cities of Gori, Zugdidi and Poti by Oct. 1 — a promise that was praised by Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze. "The deployment is a pivotal step to stabilize the situation," Gurgenidze said after meeting Haber. "We appreciate the speed with which they sent the mission." The presence of non-Russian, foreign observers in Georgia was a key aspect of the updated cease-fire deal reached between Russia and Georgia earlier this month. But the scope and effectiveness of the EU mission — and that of other foreign observers — has been in doubt due to Moscow's refusal to allow the observers into Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow has also balked at letting more monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe into South Ossetia. The OSCE had hoped to send an additional 80 unarmed observers to South Ossetia, but talks with Russia broke down last week. The United Nations also has a small observer force in the region. Moscow intends to keep around 3,600 troops in each region, both of which it has recognized as independent states. Haber made no comments about EU observers having access to South Ossetia or Abkhazia. War in Georgia broke out Aug. 7 when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia's main city and Russia repelled the Georgian offensive, routed its army and occupied swaths of Georgian territory. Also Monday, Georgian officials said a Georgia police officer was killed and three others were wounded when Abkhazian fighters fired on a Georgian police checkpoint Sunday. Another two Georgian officers were wounded Monday when they went into the area and stepped on a land mine, Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said. Georgia's Foreign Ministry alleged that Sunday's shooting was the third to come from the direction of a Russian police checkpoint. Russians officials could not be reached for comment. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,426106,00.html Venezuela Set to Develop Nuclear Power With Russia Monday, September 29, 2008 Chavez said he accepted an offer from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for assistance in building a nuclear reactor. "Russia is ready to support Venezuela in the development of nuclear energy with peaceful purposes and we already have a commission working on it," Chavez said. "We are interested in developing nuclear energy." Putin offered Chavez assistance in developing nuclear energy during a meeting in the Russian city of Novo-Ogaryovo last week. The prime minister did not specify what kind of cooperation he could offer Venezuela, but Russia is aggressively promoting itself as a builder of nuclear power plants in developing nations. Russia has ramped up its cooperation with Venezuela since last month's war with Georgia, which badly damaged Moscow's already strained ties with the West, particularly the United States. During Chavez's visit to Russia last week, a Russian naval squadron sailed for the Caribbean Sea in preparation for joint exercises with Venezuela later this year — a move that appeared retaliatory after the U.S. sent warships to deliver aid to Georgia. /**/ The deployment is expected to represent the largest Russian naval maneuvers in the Caribbean — and perhaps the Western Hemisphere — since the Cold War. Chavez says that stronger ties with Russia will help build a multi-polar world — a term the two allies use to describe their shared opposition to what they claim is U.S. global domination. Since 2005, Venezuela has agreed to buy more than US$4.4 billion worth of weapons from Russia including fighter jets, combat helicopters, and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. And President Dmitry Medvedev has offered Chavez a loan to purchase additional weapons. Chavez argues the United States and European Union do not have the right to prevent developing countries from pursuing nuclear technology, and he has strongly defended Iran's nuclear program despite the Western powers' fear that Tehran may be building nuclear weapons. Before taking Russia up on its offer, Chavez had expressed interest in acquiring a nuclear reactor from Argentina and working with Iran, among other countries, to research nuclear energy. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,429441,00.html EU Tells Savers to Invest Outside Europe By Mark Nestmann With an average tax burden consuming more than 40% of GDP, the 27-member European Union already has some of the world's highest taxes. At the same time, the EU faces a fiscal crisis. Most EU countries have huge unfunded liabilities, especially for pensions. Unless EU economies grow at a much higher rate than they have over the last 20 years, taxes will skyrocket as Europe's baby boomers retire. http://www.sovereignsociety.com/2008Archives2ndHalf/92908EUTellsSaverstoInvestOutsideEurope/tabid/4660/Default.aspx Increase your productivity by using 2 monitors

How'd you like to increase your office productivity by as much as 50%? Add a second monitor to your computer setup. Once you do, you'll never go back to using only one monitor again. For example, you can open a document or presentation on one monitor and use the other to conduct research on the Web. Or, see your e-mail arrive as you work. Photo editors really benefit from having an image open on one monitor and the tool bars in full view on the second monitor. Video editing suddenly becomes almost as easy as the TV commercials promise. What you need Adding a second monitor to your system is easy. First, you have to check to be sure your computer has a dual-output video card. If it has a single-output card, you'll need to add a second video card. A dual-output video card runs about $100, depending on the specifications. A single-output card costs slightly less. Your computer may already support dual monitors, though, because many newer computers do. Installing a video card isn't difficult, but you may not want to mess with it. An electronics store can install a card for a fee. You could also buy an external monitor adapter, but internal cards perform better. If you use two video cards, the cards should have the same specifications. That way, there will be no lag between the monitors. Choosing a monitor You can use an old monitor if you have one. The experience is better if the monitors are the same size. Even better are identical monitors. These days, you can find bargains on flat-panel monitors. Go for a 19-inch monitor if possible. Otherwise, a 17-inch screen is good. Anything larger than 19 inches may strain your eyes if you sit close. The monitors and computer should have matching ports. Many monitors have both VGA (analog) and DVI (digital) connections. This makes things easier. Before buying a monitor, judge the picture quality in the store. Pay attention to the contrast ratio. This is the difference between the whitest whites and the darkest blacks. Aim for 500:1 or higher. Higher ratios yield more shadow detail. Response time is equally important. This is the time it takes for a pixel to change color. Lower numbers are better. Accept no higher than 12 milliseconds. Slow response time can result in smeared movement in videos. Screen resolution refers to the number of pixels on the display. The higher the resolution, the smaller things like text appear on the screen. Monitors can be adjusted to different resolutions. However, flat panels usually work best at their native resolution, which is expressed by figures such as 1,600 by 1,200 pixels. The two monitors should have the same native resolution. But you may need a resolution other than the native resolution of a particular monitor, so check the monitors in the store to be sure they work for you. You don't need a brand-name monitor. Many companies buy panels from the same manufacturers. But pay attention to build quality. It should have a sturdy feel and solid buttons. A good warranty is also important. Setting up the monitor After you have both monitors connected to your PC, plug in both and turn them on. In Windows Vista, right-click the desktop and select Personalize. Click Display Settings. In Windows XP, click Start, then Control Panel. Double-click Display. Open the Settings tab. In both Vista and XP, you'll see numbered boxes representing the monitors. Click Identify Monitors. A "1" appears on your primary monitor. The other monitor displays a "2." Click and drag the boxes to change the designations. Select monitor 2 and check "Extend my windows desktop onto this monitor." Click Apply. You can then open programs and drag them between monitors. Third-party programs improve the dual-monitor experience. UltraMon ($40) places a taskbar on each monitor. Buttons help you arrange program windows on the monitors and you can apply different wallpapers to each monitor. Multimon does much the same for free. Add Multishow if you want different wallpapers. You'll find links to these programs at www.komando.com/news. Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about computers and the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you, visit: www.komando.com/listen. To subscribe to Kim's free e-mail newsletters, sign up at: www.komando.com/newsletters. Contact her at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.