| National Auctioneers Day on Saturday, April 21 Focuses on Charity ...
KANSAS CITY -- Auctioneers across the U.S. and world are conducting charity auctions and making separate donations to charities as part of National Auctioneers Day, on Saturday, April 21. Members of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) have donated more than $4 million to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital since 1995 to support this chosen charity of NAA. The hospital in Memphis, Tenn., provides pediatric cancer patients with the most advanced care available, and always regardless of the families ability to pay. Auctioneers and auction schools conduct special fundraising auctions for this charity, and other worthy causes in their communities, in April and throughout the year. Perhaps more than any other group, Auctioneers in all specialties routinely use their fundraising skills to help their local civic groups, churches, schools, and U.S.
Lighthouse illuminates dream
Across the miles, the dream of a lighthouse in Rhode Island brought them closer together. Recently, their dream came true when Juli and Jon Chytka took possession of the Hog Island Shoal Light, off Portsmouth in Narragansett Bay. The Chytkas bought the century-old lighthouse for $165,000 in an online auction, making Hog Island the first lighthouse in New England to be auctioned by the federal government. Even more remarkable is how they did it. At the time of the auction last summer, Jon Chytka, 40, was in Baghdad, a lieutenant colonel and second-in-command of an Army Corps of Engineers battalion responsible for civil military operations, reconstruction and defusing explosive devices. His wife, Juli, 36, was in Giessen, Germany, where he is stationed when not in the Middle East.
Thai draft constitution ends Senate bids
BANGKOK -- Thailand unveiled a draft constitution yesterday that eliminates direct elections for the country's Senate, bolsters the power of the judiciary and absolves the leaders of the September military coup of any wrongdoing. Adoption of a new constitution, which would be Thailand's 18th since the abolition of absolute monarchy 75 years ago, is crucial to resolving the yearlong political crisis and a prerequisite for a return to democracy. But the document, which was drafted by a 35-member committee selected by the junta, quickly came under criticism yesterday as not being democratic enough. "It's a constitution designed to decrease democracy and the role of the electorate," said Ji Giles Ungpakorn, an associate professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University.
Iran calls for bids on building 2 N-power plants
LONDON, April 18 (IranMania) - Iran is inviting bids to build two nuclear power plants in the Southern province of Bushehr, according an advertisement published today in English-language newspaper Iran Daily. Bidders can obtain the necessary documentation from April 25 upon payment of a 15,000-euro ($20,300) fee, the tender notice said. Offers to build the two reactors, each with a capacity to generate between 1,000 and 1,600 megawatts of electricity, must be submitted before Aug. 8, it added, according to Bloomberg. Russia is building Iran's first nuclear plant, also in Bushehr, at a cost of at least $1 bln. Construction of the plant, which will generate about 1,000 megawatts, has faced numerous delays due to political disputes over Iran's atomic development program and over its promptness in making payments to contractors.
Speeding ticket sold in online auction
It started as a speeding fine on a lonely road, but by the end Bob Grieve was a Trade Me star, $NZ51 ($A45.60) richer and fielding amorous advances from complete strangers. Grieve, a TV3 news cameraman in Christchurch, was peeved when a slightly heavy foot while driving back from Geraldine resulted in a policeman handing him a $NZ130 ($A116) fine. So he did what anyone does these days - he put the ticket up for sale on online auction site Trade Me. "I thought it would be a bit of fun. I didn't really know how it would go, but I figured quite a few people would notice it," he said. Ten days later, his auction had been viewed nearly 30,000 times, questions were being posted faster than he could answer them, and then his ticket was being sold to an insurance assessor from near Pukekohe who vowed to pay for the privilege of having someone else's speeding fine.
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