2012 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the European Union - Washington Post [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

2012 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the European Union - Washington Post [getdailynow.blogspot.com]

---

---

LONDON â€" The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was bestowed Friday on the European Union, a 27-nation body that is rooted in the post-World War II economic and political unification of the region and, because of the continent’s debt crisis, is facing its biggest crisis since inception.

The award honored the massive â€" if messy â€" struggle in Europe to not only hold the union together in the wake of the debt crisis, but also to deepen integration across a vast swath of the region stretching from the isles of Greece to the Scottish Highlands, from the ports of Portugal to northern Finland.

But the choice, announced to audible gasps from a room of journalists in Oslo, comes as the E.U. has come under international fire for its bureaucratic and plodding handling of the crisis, as well as for foisting onto its heavily indebted members a crushing austerity that has crippled domestic economies and sparked social unrest in nations such as Greece and Spain.

“Twenty years ago this prize would have been sycophantic but maybe more justified. Today it is downright out of touch,” said Martin Callanan, a Conservative British politician and chairman of the European Conservative and Reformists Party in the European Parliament. “The E.U.’s policies have exacerbated the fallout of the financial crisis and led to social unrest that we haven’t seen for a generation. . . . By giving the prize to the E.U., the Nobel committee has undermined the excellent work of the other deserving winners of this prize.”

The Nobel committee said it wanted to laud the E.U.’s greater accomplishment of safeguarding peace and security and forging a common future for a continent saddled with a dark history of conflict, even as the union confronts its toughest test.

“The E.U. is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest,” Thorbjoern Jagland, the Nobel Committee chairman, said in Oslo. “The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the E.U.'s most important result, the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights. The stabilizing part played by the E.U. has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.”

But if the union has instilled democracy and peace in Europe, it has also sowed fresh resentments in recent years. As borders have been gradually erased around the region and trade has flowed freely, anxiety has grown in some countries over unfettered immigration as well as the economic dominance of the region by the E.U.’s core nations, Germany and France.

Nationalist parties are on the rise in several nations, including Finland, France, Greece and Italy. Germany has been criticized for being reluctant to extend its largesse to threatened European countries such as Greece and Spain.

The award also comes amid a growing gulf between the 17 E.U. nations that share the euro and the 10 nations still outside the common currency, with talk growing of a two-tiered body that sees some nations forge more closely together while others drift apart.

Find More 2012 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the European Union - Washington Post Issues

---

Question by J R: In a medicine pamphlet, What does "time to peak, serum 1-3 hours; Steady state 5-7 days mean? I'm guessing the serum part is when its concentration is highest in your blood? The "steady state" part I completely don't understand. Best answer for In a medicine pamphlet, What does "time to peak, serum 1-3 hours; Steady state 5-7 days mean?:

Answer by Smartassawhip
You are right that the first part means that it takes from 1 to 3 hours for the medicine to reach the highest concentration in your blood. All medicine takes time to get into your bloodstream, has a peak level, and then the level lowers as your liver and/or your kidneys get the medicine out of your body. With some medicines and for some medical reasons, if the doctors order multiple doses during the day, there will come a time when the rate of medicine coming into your blood will be the same rate as the medicine leaving your bloodstream. From that time on, the level of the medicine in your blood will stay at the same level. That is called, the steady state level.

[state]

Poll: What is the worst thing you've ever eaten? www.micropoll.com Ringtones & Wallpaper: iStardom: www.istardom.com Our new CafePress "Microwave = Kiln" products: www.cafepress.com Experiment #126 - Play-Doh Jory has crafted a deliciously looking Play-doh pizza, and now it is time for him to bake it - thankfully, he has quick access to the lazy-people's kiln. So, you're probably wondering, Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This? Tune in to find out. Twice a week, microwave specialist Jory Caron microwaves different objects... so you don't have to! The "Jory Caron Microwave Laboratory II" is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with tinfoil shielding, a ventilation system, emergency surge protectors, safety clothing, and a Panasonic microwave, named Whoopi. ** New Episodes Every Monday & Friday! ** +++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++ Support The Show +++++ FAQ Video - bit.ly T-Shirts ----- bit.ly ideo App ---- apps.facebook.com Live Show -- bit.ly Donate $ $ -- bit.ly +++++ Connect With Us +++++ ::: Jonathan Paula ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly ::: Jory Caron ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly ::: Riley McIlwain ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly ::: ideo Productions ::: YouTube ---- bit.ly Twitter ------- bit.ly Facebook --- bit.ly +++++ Video Credits +++++ Starring: Jory Caron, Riley McIlwain, & Jonathan Paula Filmed & Edited By: Jonathan Paula An ideo Production - © 2010. ~

Is It A Good Idea To Microwave Play-Doh?

Posted in: