Click here to view this media Williamstown, Kentucky has agreed to give a staggering 75 percent property tax discount to a biblical theme park that will feature a full-size replica of Noah’s Ark. The tax breaks provided by the Grant County city of Williamstown would span 30 years, according to The Lexington Herald-Leader . That is in addition to the almost $200,000 already given to Ark Encounters LLC by the Grant County Industrial Development Authority. In May, the state agreed to give the project $43 million in tax incentives over a 10-year period. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) supports the project because a feasibility study produced by Ark Encounters predicted they could create up to 900 jobs and bring in 1.6 million tourists during the first year alone. But it turns out that Beshear never actually saw that study. “The press release was a joint effort, and the Ark Encounter provided the numbers for the release based on their own research, much like how we work with companies on jobs announcements — they give us the info about their job numbers and investment and we work together on a release,” Beshear spokeswoman Kerri Richardson told the Herald-Leader . Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has threatened to sue. “The state of Kentucky should not be promoting the spread of fundamentalist Christianity or any other religious viewpoint,” Americans United executive director Rev. Barry W. Lynn told the paper. The new ark theme park will be an offshoot of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, which is run by Answers in Genesis, a part owner of Ark Encounters LLC. The Creation Museum offers attractions based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, including that Earth was was created in six 24-hour days between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. In addition to a life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark with dinosaurs, the 800-acre park will feature a Tower of Babel, a petting zoo and other Bible-themed attractions.
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On Tuesday's NBC Nightly News, correspondent Martin Fletcher borrowed a line from Karl Marx as he explained the cause of violent riots in London: “It's a collision between two worlds here, the haves and the have-nots.” Fletcher played up the class warfare angle as he noted how in a wealthy part of the British capital, “This building, 106 New Bond Street, has just been sold for $42 million cash. And what's more, there were 22 cash bidders on the property.” He then pointed out: “On an average wage, to buy a house it would take a Londoner 31 years.” Anchor Brian Williams introduced Fletcher's report by proclaiming: “…more on the anger and hopelessness that's fueling a kind of tale of two cities.” Here is a full transcript of Fletcher's August 9 report: 7:07PM ET BRIAN WILLIAMS: This has, of course, rocked the people of London, as you saw, and elsewhere, who want to know what it is exactly we are witnessing here. Our veteran correspondent Martin Fletcher, a London native himself, is there tonight with more on the anger and hopelessness that's fueling a kind of tale of two cities. MARTIN FLETCHER: It's a painful week for Londoners. We saw this man being mugged tonight. They beat you up? UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yeah, they beat me up and took everything. FLETCHER: And this YouTube video, a bleeding boy who'd been beaten. Others appear to help him, then robbed him. Everyone's asking why. UNIDENTIFIED MAN B: There's nothing more I can take. I'm really shaken up at the moment. FLETCHER: This is part of the answer. This building, 106 New Bond Street, has just been sold for $42 million cash. And what's more, there were 22 cash bidders on the property. It's a collision between two worlds here, the haves and the have-nots. On an average wage, to buy a house it would take a Londoner 31 years. We found four boys looking on, wise beyond their years. Why are they looting and stealing? UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Well, they… UNIDENTIFIED BOY B: I think they just want to show the power that they have. FLETCHER: A final thought that may say a lot about our times. In this shopping center every store had been looted but one, the book store. Martin Fletcher, NBC News, London.
Continue reading …Three fugitive siblings are accused of firing 20 or more shots at a Florida cop during an Aug. 2 chase, then robbing a bank in Georgia; now police believe they are on the run in Colorado. A customer at a Colorado Springs REI store called the cops yesterday after spotting…
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In the new age of rioting—where flash mobs assemble with the benefit of social media—London police struggled, at best, to quell the rising violence, which is still spreading across the U.K. But what did London do wrong? How could officials have better planned to subdue the riots? Paul Wertheimer, founder of the international Crowd Management
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An executive producer of the hit singing competition says Jennifer Lopez will return for a second season of judging ‘American Idol.’ (Aug. 10)
Continue reading …Even liberal comedian John Stewart thought Newsweek went too far with its Michele Bachmann cover page, but CNN analyst Roland Martin sees no story here. Martin is blunt with “angry conservatives, and delusional feminists” in his latest CNN.com op-ed telling them to “get real.” “To the angry conservatives, and delusional feminists, give it a rest. There is nothing sexist about the photo, nor does it reveal a flaming liberal bias,” Martin writes of a Newsweek cover showing a wide-eyed Bachmann above the title “Queen of Rage.”
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Well, that was anticlimactic. Viacom quickly sued Cablevision after the Optimum for iPad (now on iPhone and iPod Touch ) app launched and allowed cable customers to stream the entire channel lineup on their tablets, but now they’ve resolved that and “an unrelated business matter”. Viacom’s case against Time Warner’s similar offering is on hold while they also try to work out a deal, but Cablevision’s stance from the start is that its approach fell within the existing agreements and they appear to have gotten their way. Just like most other channel carriage disputes, it was likely a deal on the supposedly unrelated issue that got things moving, but as long as we can keep watching Teen Mom in the kitchen, bathroom or out on the patio it doesn’t really matter. Check the official statement from both companies after the break. Continue reading Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The wave has been a popular part of live sporting events for 30 years, but a group of Texas Rangers fans is trying to bring an end to the distraction. People opposed to the wave argue it has nothing to do with the action on the field and takes fans’…
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Reinas de Belleza cambian el “glam” por la cárcel Miss El Paso Arrested Miss El Paso Arrested PalomaStarr says: Shh it’s on the DL lol RT @ dasauce : @ PalomaStarr hey. Miss El Paso just got caught shoplifting. Do you have anything to do with this?
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Dock 아이콘 확대 문제 MHELVIN OSIX AKA BIGBOI WEAK ユキヒョウの赤ちゃん。Baby Snow leopard.#08 m4512ur says: Mac OS X Snow Leopard : The Most Advanced Operating System is Here!: Article by Heide Lynne Canlas The most adva… http://bit.ly/r84C9c
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