BT Sport v Sky: battle kicks off to win sports TV fans

All to play for: Sky and BT battle it out to win over sports fans for the big live games. Photograph: Phil Noble/REUTERS

Until recently, the viewing choice for big sports fans was relatively limited. You simply signed up for Sky Sports and settled down in a comfy chair for the season. But the arrival this week of BT Sport's two channels ? the first broadcasts were on Thursday ? has thrown that into some disarray.

BT has spent ?736m for the right to broadcast Premier League games, and has captured exclusive coverage of the Premiership rugby season.

The telecoms firm says its sports service is "free" for its broadband customers, but in reality many will be forking out at least ?5 a month to access the service.

What's on offer?

BT reckons its big draw is the 38 Premier League live football matches it has exclusive rights to over the coming season, compared to the 115 matches Sky will be screening. But are you aware that most of the BT games are being shown at 12.45pm on a Saturday? Lunchtime is not exactly peak viewing time except for all but the most committed. BT says it will be offering some weekday evening matches later in the season, but no matches during peak weekend early evenings when big audiences tune in.

Perhaps more attractive ? to rugby fans, at least ? is its coverage of Aviva Premiership Rugby. BT Sport will show exclusive live coverage of up to 69 matches a season for the next four years, plus a host of other action.

What's the deal ? for new and existing BT customers?

BT says anyone who takes its broadband service can access BT Sport for nothing over a computer, iPad or phone, but may need to pay ?5 a month to watch on a standard television set. BT's basic broadband costs ?10 a month, or you can pay ?15 for capped usage on its superfast Infinity (fibre) broadband or ?26 a month for unlimited usage. On top of this is a line rental charge of ?15.45.

To get the sport channels on your TV you have to commit to a 12-month contract, or have at least 12 months remaining on your existing contract.

Users can watch the BT Sport channels in one of four ways:

? The easiest and cheapest is on an iPad or other tablet or PC via the BT Sport app, although most will want to be able to watch on an actual TV set. For reasons unexplained the app service is not available to internet-connected smart TVs.

? BT broadband customers who are also Sky TV customers, with a set-top box and Skyviewing card, can register the card and watch for nothing via the Sky platform. If they want BT sport in high definition it will cost ?3 a month.

? Those outside BT's Infinity (fast broadband) area need a Vision+ set-top box. This has a ?49 activation fee if you sign up to BT TV, plus a ?5 monthly payment, or can be bought outright for ?199 with no ongoing charge. The BT Sport signal comes via your digital aerial in the same way as Freeview.

Those in non-urban areas, whose broadband speed is less than 2.2Mbps, won't be able to access the on-demand services, which come via broadband.

? Customers who are in an Infinity-served area have to take the more expensive fibre broadband if they want BT Sport via BT TV. They can also opt for the all-singing, all-dancing YouView digital box which delivers the TV signal via the broadband connection.

This box offers a host of other TV services, such as on-demand. If you buy it outright it costs ?299, otherwise again it has a ?49 connection fee and ?5-a-month payment.

Rather strangely, BT customers with the older Vision+ box can add the Sky Sports 1 and 2 channels for ?20 a month, but only if they have the Infinity broadband. Those with the YouView box can't, although they do get access to ESPN sports channel.

I am a Sky TV customer. Can I access BT Sport games cheaply?

If you're not (and don't want to become) a BT broadband customer, you simply have to pay extra if you want to also access BT Sport's two channels. This will cost ?12 a month, or ?15 if you want HD. Contact BT, hand over your card details and the channels will magically appear on your Sky box.

How about Virgin and TalkTalk TV customers?

Virgin says it is looking at adding BT Sport to its packages, but had no deal in place at the time of writing. TalkTalk, which gives its customers access to all of Sky's six sports channels for ?30 a month on a pay-as-you-go basis, says it is not currently looking at offering the BT channels. That might change in the future if BT grabs more exclusive sports rights.

Is it worth switching, and what are the downsides?

BT is hoping that its sports offering will be enough to tempt people away from Sky, but the only group we can see that would be likely to switch will be hardcore rugby fans. So far 500,000 customers, who mostly already have BT broadband, have signed up.

Is the deal worth switching broadband and home phone provider?

Probably not. Money has recently received many complaints from readers who have tried to get BT phone lines fixed or installed over the past few months.

Switching your service to BT might go without a hitch, but it could also be problematic. BT says it has taken on new call centre staff and engineers to cope with the demand it expects ? however, it won't go down well if you leave the rest of family without internet access for a few weeks in your attempts to gain some football coverage.

There are also increasing tales of problems with BT Infinity, with lots of customers reporting a loss of download speed after a few weeks of it being installed ? something to consider.

Critics have already suggested that BT would have been better to spend the money on sorting out customer service rather than on football rights.

What are the other options?

There's no need to do anything if you are happy listening to live games on the radio and watching Match of the Day highlights on a Saturday night. Trips to the pub for the big games are an option.

Alternatively, Sky's Now TV allows you to buy a one-day Sky Sports pass for ?9.99. If there are only a few games a season you "have" to watch live, this is the way to go.

Sky has also just launched a very basic box that will allow people to stream Sky Sports and Sky Movies channels on-demand to their TV, without a standard subscription, for just ?9.99 ? and you can then buy the bits of the service you want on a pay-as-you-go basis.

? See if you can save money on your TV and broadband bills with the Guardian

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/aug/02/bt-sky-sports-tv-football-coverage

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Vestas expands market share in South Africa

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Source: http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20130801/BUSINESS/308010015/-1/rss09

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Uruguay takes step toward full pot legalization

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) ? Uruguay's unprecedented plan to put the government at the center of a legal marijuana industry has made it halfway through congress, giving President Jose Mujica a long-sought victory in his effort to explore alternatives to the global war on drugs.

All 50 members of the governing Broad Front coalition approved the proposal in a party line vote just before midnight Wednesday, keeping a narrow majority of the 96 lawmakers present after more than 13 hours of passionate debate.

The measure now goes to the Senate, where Mujica's coalition has a bigger majority and passage is expected to come within weeks for the proposal to make Uruguay the world's first nation to create a legal, regulated marijuana market.

"Sometimes small countries do great things," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the U.S. Drug Policy Alliance. "Uruguay's bold move does more than follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington. It provides a model for legally regulating marijuana that other countries, and U.S. states, will want to consider - and a precedent that will embolden others to follow in their footsteps."

Marijuana legalization efforts have gained momentum across the Americas in recent years as leaders watch the death toll rise from military responses to unabated drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America. Presidents Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Otto Perez Molina of Guatemala also have called for reforms, and a recent report by a commission of the Organization of American States encouraged new approaches, including legalization of marijuana.

But no sitting president has gone as far as Mujica to support the creation of legal alternatives to marijuana trafficking.

"At the heart of the Uruguayan marijuana regulation bill is a focus on improving public health and public safety," said Hannah Hetzer, a Drug Policy Alliance staffer who moved to Montevideo to help shepherd the proposal. "Instead of closing their eyes to the problem of drug abuse and drug trafficking, Uruguay is taking an important step towards responsible regulation of an existing reality."

Legislators in the governing coalition said putting the government at the center of a legal marijuana industry is worth trying because the global war on drugs had been a costly and bloody failure, and displacing illegal dealers through licensed pot sales could save money and lives.

They also hope to eliminate a legal contradiction in Uruguay, where it has been legal to use pot but against the law to sell it, buy it, produce it or possess even one marijuana plant.

Critics warned that marijuana opens the way for other drugs and said fostering the bad habits of addicts is playing with fire.

Mujica said he never consumed marijuana, but believes regulations are necessary because many other people do, even though recent polls suggest two-thirds of Uruguayans oppose the plan.

National Party Deputy Gerardo Amarilla said the government was underestimating the risk of marijuana, which he called a "gateway drug" for other chemical addictions that foster violent crimes.

"Ninety-eight percent of those who are today destroying themselves with base cocaine began with marijuana," Amarilla said. "I believe that we're risking too much. I have the sensation that we're playing with fire."

Under the legislation, Uruguay's government would license growers, sellers and consumers, and update a confidential registry to keep people from buying more than 40 grams a month.

Carrying, growing or selling pot without a license could bring prison terms, but licensed consumers could grow up to six plants at a time at home.

Growing clubs with up to 45 members each would be encouraged, fostering enough marijuana production to drive out unlicensed dealers and draw a line between pot smokers and users of harder drugs.

The latest proposal "has some adjustments, aimed at strengthening the educational issue and prohibiting driving under the effects of cannabis," ruling coalition deputy Sebastian Sabini said. "There will be self-growing clubs, and it will also be possible to buy marijuana in pharmacies" that is mass-produced by private companies.

An Institute for Regulation and Control of Cannabis would be created, with the power to grant licenses for all aspects of a legal industry to produce marijuana for recreational, medicinal or industrial use.

Dozens of pro-marijuana activists followed the debate from balconies overlooking the house floor, while others outside held signs and danced to reggae music.

"This law consecrates a reality that already exists: The marijuana sales market has existed for a long time, but illegally, buying it from traffickers, and in having plants in your house for which you can be thrown in jail," said Camilo Collazo, a 25-year-old anthropology student. "We want to put an end to this, to clean up and normalize the situation."

The heavy toll, costs and questionable results of military responses to illegal drugs have motivated marijuana legalization initiatives in the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington, and inspired many world leaders to re-think drug laws.

The secretary-general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Inzulza, told Mujica last week that his members had no objections. Pope Francis, however, said during his visit to Brazil that the "liberalization of drugs, which is being discussed in several Latin American countries, is not what will reduce the spread of chemical substances."

___

Associated Press Writer Michael Warren in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uruguay-takes-step-toward-full-pot-legalization-055751123.html

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Florida declares two butterfly species extinct as pollinator crisis worsens

By: Alexander Holmgren
August 01, 2013
Conservationist?s faced a crushing blow last month as two butterfly species native to Florida were declared extinct.

"Occasionally, these types of butterflies disappear for long periods of time but are rediscovered in another location," said Larry Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife state supervisor for ecological services. We think it?s apparent now these two species are extinct."

Neither species has been seen in any environment for at least nine years, the latter of the two not being seen since 2000. This calamity is only made worse by the fact that so much could have been done in order to save these creatures. The first species, the Zestos skipper butterfly (Epargyreus zestos oberon), had strong bodies with large black eyes and large wings that were adorned with spots that looked like eyes. While the Zestos skipper was visibly declining in its environment, the subspecies was denied access to the U.S.?s Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of the confusion between it and other skipper species in the Bahamas. In the end, what was thought to be a bountiful reserve in the Bahamas proved to be a completely different species. By the time the mistake was realized it proved too late.

The Rockland grass skipper butterfly (Hesperia meskei pinocayo), an amber golden insect with club like antenna and black eyes, was similarly thought to be making a comeback as the species that had not been seen since the 80?s was spotted back in 2000. But is now believed extinct.

A skipper butterfly. Photo by Muhammad Mahdi Karim and reproduced under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

The extinction of these animals "serves as a wake-up call that we really need to intensify our efforts to save other imperiled butterflies," according to Williams.

Both species vanished almost overnight as conservationists and scientists realized that the abundant populations of these species simply did not exist.

The extinction of these species may have far-reaching environmental repercussion. One of the most important ecological services performed by butterflies is pollination Ninety percent of plants on our planet require pollinators in order to reproduce, and butterflies are a key part of this process for many plants. While not regularly known as keystone pollinators, butterflies are actually capable of dispersing pollen farther than honeybees since they don?t have to return to a hive with the pollen they have collected.

Butterflies also serve as crucial indicator species. Because of their short life cycles and close reliance on the climate, butterflies are excellent indicators of environmental stress. The extinction of both these species in such a short span is a clear sign of degradation. Researchers believe that habitat loss likely played a key role in these species? loss. In addition, extreme weather events such as hurricanes or droughts--while before would only help to regulate the population--may now directly cause extinction in much reduced population numbers.

The extinction of the Zestos skipper and the rockland grass skipper marks a new contribution towards the ever-worsening pollinator crisis. The same factors that led to their extinction, such as a growing human population and a dwindling natural habitat for animals, is only exacerbated with every year.

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(07/15/2013) In the next few months, the beating of fragile fiery orange and black wings will transport the monarch butterfly south. But the number of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) reaching their final destination has steadily declined, dropping to its lowest level in two decades last winter, according to a recent survey.

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Scientists suggest that the 1960s eruption of Costa Rica's largest stratovolcano was triggered by magma rising from the mantle over a few short months, rather than thousands of years or more, as many scientists have thought.

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Golf outing to benefit prostate cancer research

CARY ? To help raise money for prostate cancer research, a golf outing has been scheduled for Aug. 10 in honor of a person who died of the disease.

The Hank Bauer Memorial Golf Outing will take place at the Cary Country Club and will benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation, as well as Cary-Grove Youth Baseball and Softball, said organizer Luann Bauer. Hank Bauer, Luann's husband, died Aug. 10, 2012.

Organizers hope to make the golf outing an annual event, Bauer said.

The cost of the outing is $100 per person, and includes an after party, with dinner and two drink tickets. Tickets for the party only cost $75 each.

The nine-hole golf outing will have a shotgun start at 4:30 p.m

So far, 90 people are signed up for the golf outing, which can host up to 144 people, Bauer said.

The event will include a drawing for a trip to Cancun, Mexico, with airfare. Those raffle tickets cost $20 each, and only 300 will be sold, Bauer said.

Registration for the golf outing begins at 3 p.m. The dinner begins at 7 p.m.

For information call 815-356-9900 or go to Lulu's Wiggin' Out at 63 N. Williams St. in Crystal Lake.

??Joseph Bustos

Source: http://nwherald.com/2013/08/01/golf-outing-to-benefit-prostate-cancer-research/apvl19k/

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