The campaign against climate change could be set back by the global food crisis, as foreign populations turn against measures to use foodstuffs as substitutes for fossil fuels. [READ MORE]
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Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Why a Weaker Dollar Means Higher Oil Prices
The dollar's tailspin since the Federal Reserve began to cut interest rates is giving an updraft to already bullish crude-oil futures, and analysts say that relationship will continue driving oil and the currency both in their current directions.
"The much larger structural story [of the oil price rise] is demand from emerging markets -- in particular, China -- but in recent months, the dollar has depreciated sharply," which has in turn pushed up crude to all-time highs, said David Powell, senior foreign exchange analyst at IDEAglobal.
Oil is produced in dozens of countries around the world, but its standard trading unit is in dollars per barrel.
"As the dollar declines in value, so does the price of oil in non-dollar terms," said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at the Bank of New York Mellon. "Consequently, foreigners bid up the price of oil and other dollar-denominated commodities. [READ MORE]
"The much larger structural story [of the oil price rise] is demand from emerging markets -- in particular, China -- but in recent months, the dollar has depreciated sharply," which has in turn pushed up crude to all-time highs, said David Powell, senior foreign exchange analyst at IDEAglobal.
Oil is produced in dozens of countries around the world, but its standard trading unit is in dollars per barrel.
"As the dollar declines in value, so does the price of oil in non-dollar terms," said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at the Bank of New York Mellon. "Consequently, foreigners bid up the price of oil and other dollar-denominated commodities. [READ MORE]
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Catching Wild Pigs
There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some
exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab
the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his
back, and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student
told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while
fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow
his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a
strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.
The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a
suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find
it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to
coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they
are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat
the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to
that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides
of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to
the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate
on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and
around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating
the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to
forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees
happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward
socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of
programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income,
tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP),
welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms -
just a little at a time.
One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free Lunch!
A politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you
can do yourself.
If you see all of this wonderful government 'help' is a
problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to
send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to
your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help
you when the gate slams shut!
In this 'very important' election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you ----just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America.
'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big
enough to take away everything you have.' - Thomas Jefferson
exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab
the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his
back, and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student
told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while
fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow
his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a
strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.
The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a
suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find
it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to
coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they
are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat
the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to
that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides
of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to
the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate
on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and
around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating
the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to
forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees
happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward
socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of
programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income,
tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP),
welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms -
just a little at a time.
One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free Lunch!
A politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you
can do yourself.
If you see all of this wonderful government 'help' is a
problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to
send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to
your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help
you when the gate slams shut!
In this 'very important' election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you ----just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America.
'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big
enough to take away everything you have.' - Thomas Jefferson
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
The New York Times v. Hugo Chavez
Missile defense- The US-Russia-Iran knot
Obama, Clinton, and McCain Won't Save the American Economy
Clinton's Plan To Create Three Million Jobs
Can John McCain win if US has recession-
Clinton, Obama attack McCain on economics
Wall Street Shows Optimism That Crisis Is Fading
Profits realistic, oil execs insist
Letter- Taxes forcing people out of homes
Florida lawmakers should look at property values to adjust real ...
Cuba's Opening Marks Shift Away From Fidel
Cuba after Fidel Castro- Time to go-
Castro's scientist son highlights SA-Cuba biotech potential
Parachute thought to be DB Cooper's believed to be from 1945 ...
Sprint Nextel's Last-Ditch Weapon
Environmental Laws to Be Waived for Fence
Dropout rate drops jaws- SJ ranks 8th-best in US
Experts to testify of 'growing' nuke threat to US
Coast Guard auctions off lighthouses
Discovery- Oldest gold jewelry ever found
Explosive Materials Found in Luggage at Orlando Airport
Scientists mix human and cow DNA in embryo...
WATCHING- Government Centers Tap Into Personal Databases...
Street-sweeper cameras to tackle illegal parking...
UNITED AIRLINES grounds 52 BOEING 777 aircraft for emergency inspections...
BBC POLL- USA image improves after years of decline...
BOTOX May Move From Face to Brain, Study in Rats Says...
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Credit card companies' evil tricks
By Liz Pulliam Weston
Parents spend the first several years of children's lives teaching them how to play fair. By the time we hit elementary school, most of us are pretty good at knowing what's just and what's not.
That sense of fair versus foul, though, tends to get tangled up in the world of credit cards. Some practices that seem egregious at first glance actually make sense when you understand their rationale. Other policies don't hold up so well to scrutiny, even though they're widely accepted in the industry.
What makes matters more complicated is that a few credit card issuers are bad to the bone. Some of the companies that have the most consumer-friendly practices in one area turn around and punish their customers unfairly in another.
[READ MORE]
Parents spend the first several years of children's lives teaching them how to play fair. By the time we hit elementary school, most of us are pretty good at knowing what's just and what's not.
That sense of fair versus foul, though, tends to get tangled up in the world of credit cards. Some practices that seem egregious at first glance actually make sense when you understand their rationale. Other policies don't hold up so well to scrutiny, even though they're widely accepted in the industry.
What makes matters more complicated is that a few credit card issuers are bad to the bone. Some of the companies that have the most consumer-friendly practices in one area turn around and punish their customers unfairly in another.
[READ MORE]
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Why the Fed's rate cuts won't help you
By Jon Markman
In its efforts to keep irresponsible bankers on Wall Street afloat, the Federal Reserve is spurring inflation, crippling the dollar and cutting into retirees' incomes. And mortgages and car loans won't get any cheaper.
The Federal Reserve today continued its attempt to get out in front of the worst financial crisis to hit the world banking system in five decades by slashing short-term interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, to 2.25%, the lowest level since 2004.
But the Fed's effort will have little effect on the ability of the average American to get a cheap loan for a new home, car or college education even as it has a large effect on U.S. banks' ability to fix their balance sheets by racking up fat profits.
[READ MORE]
In its efforts to keep irresponsible bankers on Wall Street afloat, the Federal Reserve is spurring inflation, crippling the dollar and cutting into retirees' incomes. And mortgages and car loans won't get any cheaper.
The Federal Reserve today continued its attempt to get out in front of the worst financial crisis to hit the world banking system in five decades by slashing short-term interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, to 2.25%, the lowest level since 2004.
But the Fed's effort will have little effect on the ability of the average American to get a cheap loan for a new home, car or college education even as it has a large effect on U.S. banks' ability to fix their balance sheets by racking up fat profits.
[READ MORE]
Sunday, March 02, 2008
What Buyers Want
By: Chris Lytle
Never approach a customer unprepared. According to a survey by Purchasing magazine, lack of preparation is the number one dislike buyers have about sellers, with a lack of interest or purpose following close behind. "Hello, your account has just been assigned to me," is blatant behavioral evidence that the salesperson is going through the motions. [READ MORE]
Never approach a customer unprepared. According to a survey by Purchasing magazine, lack of preparation is the number one dislike buyers have about sellers, with a lack of interest or purpose following close behind. "Hello, your account has just been assigned to me," is blatant behavioral evidence that the salesperson is going through the motions. [READ MORE]
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
America’s economy risks mother of all meltdowns
By Martin Wolf
“I would tell audiences that we were facing not a bubble but a froth – lots of small, local bubbles that never grew to a scale that could threaten the health of the overall economy.” Alan Greenspan, The Age of Turbulence.
That used to be Mr Greenspan’s view of the US housing bubble. He was wrong, alas. So how bad might this downturn get? To answer this question we should ask a true bear. My favourite one is Nouriel Roubini of New York University’s Stern School of Business, founder of RGE monitor.
[READ MORE]
“I would tell audiences that we were facing not a bubble but a froth – lots of small, local bubbles that never grew to a scale that could threaten the health of the overall economy.” Alan Greenspan, The Age of Turbulence.
That used to be Mr Greenspan’s view of the US housing bubble. He was wrong, alas. So how bad might this downturn get? To answer this question we should ask a true bear. My favourite one is Nouriel Roubini of New York University’s Stern School of Business, founder of RGE monitor.
[READ MORE]
More from Martin Wolf
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
- Medicine for an Ailing Economy
- Your Passive-Aggressive Stinginess Is Destroying The American Economy
- Merrill lynch positive reports support American economy
- Iran announces arms deal with Russia
- Jews flee Iran for Israel in secret
- Hugo Chavez urges Latinos to buy from Citgo. Really.
- This and That Florida living is getting expensive
- Florida businesses wish for more tax relief
- Few survivors as boat capsizes off Cuba
- Florida executives to Cuba opportunists- Be prepared
- Wider scope for dissent in Cuba- Raul Castro
- Home Prices Fell Faster in October
- Apple to Offer Fox Movie Rentals Digitally
- Apple trades at $200 for first time
- New Jersey Requires HIV Test in Pregnancy
- Turkish Jets Strike Kurdish Rebels
- Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe
- The Year in Tech- Top 2007 News and Trends
- Retailers cling to post-holiday hopes
- Google Thinks It Knows Your Friends
- Giuliani’s Doctor Says Tests Reveal ‘Very Good Health’
- Those questions about long-term care insurance
- "Drilling Up" -- Some Look to Space for Energy
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Scientists reduce Bible to a speck
SCIENTISTS in Israel have used a particle beam to etch the entire text of the Jewish Bible on a chip less than half the size of a sugar grain.The nanotechnology experts at the Technion institute in Haifa said the text measured less than 0.5 sq mm.
They chose the Jewish Bible to highlight how vast quantities of information could be stored in tiny spaces, the Associated Press reported.
"It took us about an hour to etch the 300,000 words of the Bible onto a tiny silicon surface,'' said Ohad Zohar, the university's scientific adviser for educational programs.
[READ MORE]
The Top 10 Alternatives to Google Adsense
Google AdSense is the current leader in content-sensitive web-based marketing. Webmasters can place Google AdSense JavaScript code on their web pages in order to allow Google's servers to show context sensitive advertisements (Google Adwords). The left hand side of this page shows an example of a Google AdSense skyscraper displaying a text or image ad.
Google's terms and conditions are very strict such that many web publishers cannot use adsense adverts on their sites. They are either denied from joining the Google AdSense program, or in a situation that is becoming more and more common do not wish to do business with Google. A number of publishers are also finding their Adsense accounts are being disabled for reasons that are completely beyond their control. The problem is that most of the alternatives to Google's Adsense are pretty useless. Most of the good ones (such as doubleclick) are only interested in very large volume customers and so are not interested in the little guy with his blog who wants to earn a small income on the side. For this reason I have compiled my Top 10 alternatives to Google's Adsense that are ideal for the small time publisher.
Has your adsense account been disabled? Then try these top 10 alternatives.
[READ MORE]
Google's terms and conditions are very strict such that many web publishers cannot use adsense adverts on their sites. They are either denied from joining the Google AdSense program, or in a situation that is becoming more and more common do not wish to do business with Google. A number of publishers are also finding their Adsense accounts are being disabled for reasons that are completely beyond their control. The problem is that most of the alternatives to Google's Adsense are pretty useless. Most of the good ones (such as doubleclick) are only interested in very large volume customers and so are not interested in the little guy with his blog who wants to earn a small income on the side. For this reason I have compiled my Top 10 alternatives to Google's Adsense that are ideal for the small time publisher.
Has your adsense account been disabled? Then try these top 10 alternatives.
[READ MORE]
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
- It's way too soon to count Chávez out
- Huckabee does a flip-flop on Cuba
- Cuba deports 8 Spaniards for joining demonstration
- Broward County might waive tax bills under $30
- Is this why Iran has no homosexuality-
- Symptoms of an economic depression
- Bank on an Improved Economy
- Al-Qaeda could spark US economic crisis-
McCain - The American Dream is Alive and Well ... in Finland!
- Latin American nations form Bank of South
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