MOBILE TECNOLOGY 2012: Iphone 5 da record, 2mln ordini in 24 ore

(ANSA) - NEW YORK, 17 SET - Più di due milioni di ordini in 24 ore. Per il nuovo iPhone 5 della Apple, in uscita il 21 settembre negli Stati Uniti e in altri otto Paesi - è già un grande successo. Lo rende noto la Casa di Cupertino, sottolineando come gli ordini on line, partiti da venerdì sera, sono raddoppiati rispetto a quando era in uscita il precedente iPhone 4S. "Una risposta fenomenale" esultano dalla Apple, "la richiesta oltrepassa l'offerta iniziale".

Best News About Republic of Angola Post-Election 2012 - What Next?

ANALYSIS

Angolan democracy turned another page when the nation went to the polls on 31 August. The ruling party MPLA won with 72% of the vote - 10% less than in 2008 but still a huge majority. Voter participation was approximately 63%, a drop of nearly 20% from 2008. Voter apathy could be attributable to the fact that in the minds of many Angolans the victory of the MPLA was never in doubt.

The elections

Predictions of unrest and violence in the run-up and after the elections were unfounded. The opposition parties UNITA and CASA-CE have alleged fraud and called the election process into question. Their main criticisms are that the Angolan National Election Commission (CNE) failed to accredit party observers to all polling stations and that the voter register was not made public. Both parties will contest the results from some polling stations where they did not have observers present but this will happen within the framework of the law. UNITA has stated that they will provide a dossier 'proving fraud'. But any legal challenge will likely be a long drawn-out affair and may fizzle-out as the MPLA get on with running the country.

UNITA nearly doubled its support from 10% in 2008 to nearly 19% and this will temper any misgivings about the process. Likewise, CASA-CE which was only formed in March this year, will be pleased to have entered parliament on their first try with around 6% of the vote.

The elections were judged free and credible by SADC observers, and the head of the African Union observer mission and former president of Cape Verde, Pedro Pires, stated that the elections proceeded 'satisfactorily' and were an improvement from 2008.

The next five years

The elections prove the continued dominance of the MPLA in Angolan politics. One implication of this is that internal MPLA party dynamics will continue to strongly influence Angolan politics, perhaps even more so than the opposition. Manuel Vicente as vice-president is still a contentious choice for some within the party. He will have to invest in his popularity amongst Angolan citizens and MPLA party members.

In terms of governing the country, President dos Santos and his government will focus on the challenges of reducing poverty and inequality, increasing economic opportunities for the majority and creating jobs. In the words of the president: 'Our social development should be as dynamic as our economic growth.'

After investing heavily in physical infrastructure, which has mostly been put into place over the last ten years, human and social infrastructure is now the priority for Angola's government. Mass education and mass employment however are considerably more difficult to achieve than building railway lines or roads, and instead of kilometres of roads tarred Angola will have to accept the UNDP's Human Development Index as a measure of success.

A new census in 2013 (the first since 1970) will contribute accurate data for better policy-making. But the government has taken on a colossal challenge which may require wide-reaching reforms to make the Angolan system of governance more efficient. Good policy ideas do not always get translated into policy outcomes on the ground and on many levels of government there are capacity and accountability deficits.

While the elections and the increase in opposition MPs could partly alleviate these accountability deficits, local elections (autarquias) seem unavoidable in the medium term to increase government responsiveness and accountability. As of yet no date has been set for the autarquias.

The presidential succession

With the re-election of President dos Santos and now vice-president Manuel Vicente (former CEO of Sonangol), the final pieces for an eventual exit of dos Santos are in place. Vicente as successor to the presidency is instrumental to avoiding a scenario similar to that of Zambia, where former President Chiluba was convicted of various corruption cases upon leaving office.

The exact moment of dos Santos's retreat from frontline politics will crucially depend on Vicente's popularity with the population and within the party. While dos Santos has been able to steer the political currents and has core support amongst party and population, Vicente seems aloof and out of place in the political arena. It also remains to be seen whether Vicente can emulate dos Santos's skill as a political operator to remain in power. Dos Santos will assist Vicente - especially in the first few months (or even years), but Vicente will eventually have to learn to stand on his own two feet.

Markus Weimer is Research Fellow, Africa Programme, and Coordinator, Angola Forum, at Chatham House

R.I.P. Michael Clarke Duncan Dies; Actor Was 54

About six weeks after he suffered a cardiac arrest and needed his fiancee - Omarosa Manigault - to revive him and get him to the hospital, actor Michael Clarke Duncan has passed away. He was 54.

Best known for his role in The Green Mile and most recently a series regular on Fox's The Finder, Duncan reportedly died unexpectedly, though he was hospitalized at the time.

TMZ sources say Omarosa's mother was at Duncan's side, while the former Apprentice star herself simply left the room for a short while and returned to the horrible news.

While details are sketchy at the moment, the actor's rep says his client never fully recovered from last month's myocardial infarction. The rep adds in a statement:

"[Omarosa] Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date."

Prior to his Oscar nomination for The Green Mile, the 6'5", 300-pound Duncan served as bodyguard for such stars as Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J and Notorious B.I.G.

Election 2012: Angola's Ruling MPLA Party Wins 74 Percent of Vote

President Jose Eduardo dos Santos' ruling party has won 73 percent of the national vote assuring his government, in power for 32 years, another five years in power.

With 85 percent of the votes counted from Friday's poll, the state election commission said Sunday that the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, has gained a large majority. The MPLA will control Angola's 220 seat legislature, but the party's margin of victory is down from the 82 percent that it won in 2008.

The largest opposition party, UNITA, won 18 percent of the vote, nearly twice its share from 2008. And newcomer party, CASA-CE, gained five percent. Both opposition parties criticized the elections for not being free and fair.

The elections were largely peaceful and relatively well-organized in this former Portuguese colony of 21 million that is Africa's second largest oil producer, according to a diplomatic observer.

"We didn't witness one single case of coercion of intimidation. People voted freely throughout the country," Leonardo Simao, chief of the observing mission of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, or CPLP, told The Associated Press.

He said the turnout of 57 percent of the 9 million eligible voters was good, particularly among women and youths, and that the voting process went smoothly.

"If there are people who have witnessed wrongdoings or violations of the law, they should use legal procedures to bring forward their grievances," Simao said.

The African Union observers declared the election to be "free, just, transparent and credible," said Pedro Pires, chief of the mission, although he noted that opposition parties did not have equal access to the state media and Angolans living abroad could not vote.

Others, however, were more critical of the election process.

"This was all prepared during the electoral process," said Elias Isaac of the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa. "The only surprise for me is that the ruling party did not get 90 percent." He said many abstained from voting, and that "the whole system was built to exclude and prevent people from heading to the polls."

On a positive note, Isaac said that "CASA-CE has done very well" for such a new party "especially given the context of a virtual one party system. But real change will only come when the electoral process is managed by independent, critical people," Isaac said.

Friday's elections were Angola's second since the end of the 27-year civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, and the third since independence. On September 20 President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and his MPLA party will mark 33 years in power.

Buona sera Roma | L'estate sta finendo ma la nostra città continua calda.

Buona sera Roma | L'estate sta finendo ma la nostra città continua calda. Tuttavia la cultura rinfresca ogni momento delle nostre giornate. In questi giorni potresti ancora trovare sia mostre di grande impatto artistico, sia concerti ed eventi di movida.
;))) Buona serata a tutti!

Kizomba Romana | 13 Agosto 2012 | Programmazione Agosto & Settembre ‘12

TOC TOC TOC | BOM DIA, BUONGIORNO A TUTTI
GLI AMANTI DELLA KIZOMBA!
Questo lunedì 13/08/2012 è bellissimoooooooooo.

Alcune informazioni da memorizzare:

0) Estate Romana 2012: Ogni mercoledì di agosto abbiamo un Apericena al Blou Up – Lungo Tevere dei Mellini, 7. Vicinissimo agli ex-Professionisti, Piazza Cavour, il locale dove organizzavamo “I momenti di Kizomba Romana”. Venite in tanti, più siamo, più Kizomba balleremo. C’è una sala che potrebbe essere aperta solo per la KIZOMBA/FARRÓ/BACHATA!

1) A settembre partirá il corso base di Kizomba. Si realizzerà nella sede dell’Associazione VIDA NOVA | San Lorenzo.

2) Da settembre, due domeniche al mese, avremo l’Apericena Kizomba|Forro|Bachata a San Lorenzo.

3) Una volta al mese Kizomba Romana insieme ad alcuni amici (altre organizzazioni) vi faremo una sorpresa. I dettagli arriveranno tra breve.

PREPARATEVI!!

PS: A settembre si terrà il primo Festival Italiano di Kizomba. Gli interessati si possono scrivere al sitohttp://www.kife.it/ col nostro promocode “Kizomba Romana” per avere uno sconto.

Maggiori informazioni:

Kizomba Romana – Dolci Emozioni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kizomba.romana
Web: http://www.kizomba-romana.angolaxyami.com

Belen Rodriguez nuda in piscina a Los Angeles per GQ