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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/DJpzlpPO7QE/story01.htm
Saturday, December 31, 2011
TiPb Asks: iPad 3 accessories
What kind of accessories do you want for the iPad 3? 2011 was Apple’s official “year of the iPad 2″, and there’s little doubt 2012 will be the...
UFC 141 weigh-in: Diaz weight only minor issue, Overeem absolutely massive at 263
There was no hat tossing, no pushing or shoving, in fact Donald Cerrone tried to give a gift of sort to Nate Diaz.
Diaz missed the lightweight limit at 155 pounds and then cut to within one-quarter pound. Instead of taking 20 percent of Diaz's purse, as is normally mandated by state commissions, Cerrone agreed to re-work the contract. He also said Diaz didn't have to cut anymore weight. Cerrone's camp told its fighter to pipe down and asked Diaz to go lose the weight. After two tries Diaz got it done and the most heated fight at UFC 141 is a go.
Many people were in attendance to see massive heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem weigh-in. Overeem came in at a career-high 263 pounds. Lesnar, who lost a significant amount during his bouts with diverticulitis, came in at 266. The big man is back.
There were some prefight rumors that the UFC wouldn't have Cerrone and Diaz square off today. Yesterday's staredown resulted in a near brawl when Diaz flipped Cerrone's cowboy hat from his head. The staredown happened today, but it was brief and UFC president Dana White was between the fighters, who were at a distance.
UFC 141 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
Brock Lesnar (266) vs. Alistair Overeem (263)
Donald Cerrone (156) vs. Nate Diaz (156)
Jon Fitch (171) vs. Johny Hendricks (170)
Alexander Gustafsson (203) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
Jim Hettes (145) vs. Nam Phan (146)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
Junior Assuncao (145) vs. Ross Pearson (145)
Danny Castillo (156) vs. Anthony Njokuani (154)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Dong Hyun Kim (171) vs. Sean Pierson (171)
Efrain Escudero (155) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
Luis Ramos (171) vs. Matt Riddle (170)
Manny Gamburyan (146) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
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Economic collapse is public's big worry
By Allison Linn
Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, global disease ? if you?re so inclined, there?s no shortage of major issues to fret about these days.
Still, a new poll finds that the catastrophic event Americans are most likely to be worried about is economic collapse.
The pollsters asked Americans to choose the top three catastrophic events that worry them the most. The top choice was ?economic collapse,? with 63 percent choosing that option.
Natural disaster was second, at 46 percent, and terrorist attack ranked third at 44 percent.
Market research firm Leiflin Inc. asked the question on behalf of the EcoHealth Alliance, a conservation group that also works on global disease issues. One-third of the people surveyed said a global disease outbreak was one of their top three worries.
The poll of about 1,000 Americans, conducted this fall, had a margin of error of 3 percent.
The pollsters did not specify whether they were referring to global or national economic collapse. Still, after four years of very difficult economic times, it?s no surprise economic worries are top of mind for many Americans.
Related:
Your grocery bill is getting higher, and higher
It?s the economy, not the debt, stupid
What are you most worried about?
Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/28/9772280-what-worries-us-most-economic-collapse
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Friday, December 30, 2011
LMFAO's Redfoo Opens Up About Honduras Concert Fire
DJ set cut short after venue's electrical system caught fire and at least 15 fans suffered smoke inhalation.
By James Montgomery
LMFAO's Redfoo (file)
Photo: Getty Images
LMFAO's Red Foo was forced to cut short a Wednesday night DJ set in Honduras after a fire broke out, filling the venue with smoke and sending fans scrambling for the exits.
According to TMZ, Red Foo was nearing the end of his performance at the Coliseo Nacional de Ingenieros in the capital city of Tegucigalpa when the venue's electrical system reportedly caught fire, filling the venue with smoke. According to reports, no one was seriously injured, though at least 15 fans were treated for smoke inhalation. Local television reports showed fans being escorted from the venue and receiving oxygen. Honduran authorities suggested the fire was intentionally set, though at press time, it was not clear if anyone had been arrested in connection with the blaze.
Immediately following the abrupt end to the show, LMFAO's Redfoo took to his Twitter account, joking, "Epic concert tonight!!!! Everybody in Honduras, we set the place on fire!!!! #sorryforpartyrocking." He then responded to a fan about the fire, writing, "They told us there was a fire when we were on stage. Then we went to the dressing rooms and there was smoke in the halls."
He then changed his tone, writing, "On a serious note, hope everybody is safe from the fire tonight! Love you Honduras!"
Through LMFAO's label, Interscope, Redfoo gave this account to MTV News: "All of a sudden, right in the middle of 'Beatockin,' my manager Ian Fletcher shouted, 'There's a fire under the stage. We have to go!'
"I didn't want to go!" he continued. "I didn't realize how serious it was. The security escorted us out the venue. We were forced to leave a few items behind, nothing irreplaceable.
"I hope everybody is safe," he added. "Honduras fans are true party rockers! This will go down in history as one if craziest Redfoo DJ sets ever."
Less than 24 hours removed from the fire, the hard-partying duo were pressing on, celebrating the ascension of their hit "Sexy and I Know It" to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (knocking off Rihanna's "We Found Love") and prepping for a New Year's Eve gig at the Haze nightclub in Las Vegas, where, hopefully, nothing will catch fire.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676610/lmfao-concert-fire.jhtml
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Android 4.0 update for Sony Tablet S confirmed
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Source: www.eurodroid.com --- Wednesday, December 28, 2011
#leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { width: 50%; padding-top: 1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float: left; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; } Sony hasn?t given any indication of a timeline for the arrival of Android 4.0 for its Tablet S, but at least it?s on the way at some point. In a short comment on its user support forums , a Sony employee confirmed the plan to bring the ICS update to the larger of Sony?s quirky Android pair, saying: ?We?re happy to confirm that an update to Android 4.0 will be available for Sony Tablet. Details including timing will be announced in due course, so please stay tuned.? We assume that by ?Sony Tablet? it specifically means the Tablet S. But it could mean the odd dual-screen Tablet P as well. But it might not. We just don?t know. This vague news piece brought to you courtesy of the Christmas news lull. Related posts: Sony Tablet S price cut ? now ?349 at Dixons chain Sony launches ?180 day free trial? Music Unlimited app for Sony Tablet Sony Tablet P now available ? ?499 in the UK ...
Source: http://www.eurodroid.com/2011/12/28/android-4-0-update-for-sony-tablet-s-confirmed/
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Vote for the Most Important Gadget of the Year: Round 3 [Gadget Of The Year]
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Crystal City lands Seattle's Best, California Tortilla
Welcome to your Personalized User Bar. Here, you can manage your account, sign up for newsletters, navigate to site sections, and share interesting content on social networks. You also can receive alerts on upcoming events, new products, or subscription/account activities.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bizj_washington/~3/CbBQqle9NEw/crystal-city-lands-seattles-best.html
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PowerAMP Celebrates New Version 2.0 Of Their Hit Music Player With Twitter Contest
Max MP is celebrating the release of PowerAMP 2.0 by throwing a contest on their brand spankin? new Twitter account. If you haven?t heard of PowerAMP, it?s arguably the most popular and full featured music player in the Android Market. Offering full control of EQ settings, crossfading, stereo ?eXpansion,? lyrics support, scrobbling and a wide array of visual themes to customize the look of the player however you like ? PowerAMP just about does it all.
The contest is set to begin on Friday, December 30th at 12PM CT and will end on Sunday, January 1st 12AM CT. So what?s up for grabs? Fittingly, a 32GB micro SD card will be given out to music lovers (US only for now) for storing their entire music library (or caching it if you stream it). The PowerAMP team also promises to have more fun contests and prizes in the future. So, make sure to follow PowerAMP on Twitter and keep an eye out for the details on how to win. Good luck!
[PowerAMP Twitter | Market Link]
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Eurohopes: RT @FIBA: The @NBA season tips off today with five excited games http://t.co/gxsqsfSV #FIBA
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The @NBA season tips off today with five excited games j.mp/mHTx8H #FIBA 
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Source: http://twitter.com/Eurohopes/statuses/150855487338979328
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Transocean Provides Update on Oil Spill in Brazil
Transocean Provides Update on Oil Spill in Brazil ??
?????Monday 26th December, 2011??Source: Rigzone ??
| On or about November 7, 2011, a hydrocarbon release occurred in the vicinity of a development well being drilled by Chevron Corporation ("Chevron") off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the Frade field with a semisubmersible drilling rig, the SEDCO 706, owned by a subsidiary of Transocean Ltd. ("Transocean"). The incident involved the release of hydro... | Breaking News |
|
Source: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?rid=202152615&cat=1f5f6572907d15fb
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Monday, December 26, 2011
2012 New Year Resolutions for CEOs and ... - Big Fat Finance Blog
January 1st, New Year Day, is a chance for proposing changes. The tradition is to make resolutions such as to lose weight or exercise more. Typically they are personal ones made by the individuals, but I have a new twist by making a resolution for CEOs, heads of government agencies and executive teams of all organizations.
I propose these types of managers enlist in a yoga class. My reasoning is that they need to periodically detach themselves from the hustle and bustle of the flurry of daily distractions and have some solitude and be introspective. I was inspired by this idea by reading a lecture by William Deresiewicz that was delivered to the plebe class at the United States Military Academy at West Point in October, 2009.
Deresiewicz began his lecture by asking, ?What does solitude have to do with leadership? Solitude means being alone, and leadership necessitates the presence of others ? the people you?re leading. When we think about leadership in American history we are likely to think of Washington, at the head of an army, or Lincoln, at the head of a nation, or King, at the head of a movement ? people with multitudes behind them, looking to them for direction. And when we think of solitude, we are apt to think of Thoreau, a man alone in the woods, keeping a journal and communing with nature in silence.?
Solitude allows one to be alone with your thoughts. Arguably solitude is crucial to carry out the task of leadership. Executives need this, and a yoga class may provide them the chance to deeply consider the lasting improvements and skills their organization will need to for sustained organizational performance improvement. These include exploiting the emerging practices of business analytics and deploying and integrating enterprise performance management methodologies. These include strategy maps, scorecards, dashboards, risk management, activity-based costing, predictive analytics, rolling financial forecasts, and many others.
Sadly, just as New Year resolutions are usually broken, my fear is that executives will not actively adopt these methods, despite their being proven as ways to advance their organizations. So similar to how individuals make a resolution to diet but then indulge in eating sweets and desserts, it will be unfortunate that executives will likely postpone initiating the methods and techniques that can sustain improvement. If they took a yoga class, that forced solitude may provide them the solitude to have the vision of what can be and inspire their workforce.
Source: http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2011/12/26/2012-new-year-resolutions-for-ceos-and-executives/
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Last-minute shoppers dash for stores
It's that time for caroling, eggnog, holiday cheer ? and for some, a frantic dash to the mall.
Last-minute shoppers hit stores on Christmas Eve in a surge that retailers hope will top off a strong holiday shopping season.
Among them was Len Boswell. He started his shopping at 6 a.m. at Starbucks. Later in the morning he was at a CVS drugstore in Decatur, Ga., picking up candy and a neck pillow for his wife.
"I should have done this a couple of weeks ago," acknowledges Boswell, 68, a director of book publishing at a nonprofit.
Stores are expected to ring up $469.1 billion during the holiday season, which runs November through December. The final week before Christmas can account for up to 20 percent of those sales. Retailers tempered their expectations heading into the season because they worried that Americans weren't ready to spend in the weak economy.
Story: Shoplifters taking bigger piece of holiday pieBut sales have been brisk during the two-month period, rising 2.5 percent from the start of the season on Nov. 1 through last Saturday, according to research firm ShopperTrak, which did not give a dollar figure. As a result, ShopperTrak upgraded its sales growth forecast to 3.7 percent from its 3 percent estimate heading into the season.
"We're seeing good traffic, good sales," said Sherif Mityas, a partner in the retail practice at A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm. "Even with all the bad news and hesitancy in terms of the economy, consumers are still opening up their wallets more than last year, which is good news."
But at a time when Americans are still concerned about high unemployment, stagnant wages and market uncertainty, retailers aren't willing to leave anything to chance on the final shopping days before Christmas.
Toys R Us and some Macy's have been open 24 hours a day in the days leading up to Christmas. At malls, Abercrombie & Fitch has been offering a blanket 50 percent off on all items while J. Crew and Madewell offered 30 percent off. Retailers' promotional e-mails are up 34 percent from a year ago, according to Responsys, which tracks e-mail activity from more than 100 merchants.
"They're clearly putting their best foot forward on promotions right now," said John Morris, analyst at BMO Capital Markets. Morris estimates that promotional sale activity is up about 7 percent compared with last year, taking into account the level of markdowns and the amount of goods marked down.
What to shop for in the post-Christmas salesWhether it's the sales or just plain-old procrastination, last-minute shoppers were drawn to stores across the country on Christmas Eve.
Taubman Centers, which operates malls across the country including The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey and Beverly Center in Los Angeles, reported almost-full parking lots at some malls by 10 a.m., earlier than last year. Apparel, electronics, perfume and jewelry were among the biggest sellers.
Macy's, in New York's Herald Square, also was packed with shoppers by late morning. The store has been open around the clock since Wednesday and was set to close at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Kimberly Sylvester, 28, was out for the first time doing her holiday shopping Christmas Eve. She had already spent $160 at Victoria's Secret, taking advantage of a sale ? two bras for $40 ? for her sister. At Macy's, she picked up Lauren by Ralph Lauren sheets marked down to $79. Sylvester, who works with special needs children, said she has been too busy to shop.
Story: Shoppers winning 'game of chicken' with storesAt Manhattan Mall in New York, there was a steady stream of shoppers Saturday morning.
Shamek Shider, 22, was among them. He had spent $100 at Macy's on snow suits for his goddaughter on Friday, his first time out holiday shopping. He came back on Christmas Eve and spent $250 on jewelry and clothing at Macy's and J. C. Penney for his mother, sister and other relatives.
"This is when I see the best deals," said Shider, who lives in Newark, N.J.
Ryan Eagle, 25, planned to hit South Park Mall in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday morning to shop for presents for his wife. He always shops on Christmas Eve, he said, to get good deals and to people-watch. Last year, he found $200 boots on sale for $50 at Macy's.
"I'm a last-minute person," he said. "I enjoy going out and watching everyone run around."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45783458/ns/business-retail/
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Mexico Zombie TD
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Is Sheriff Joe Arpaio using racial profiling to find illegal immigrants?
A federal judge in Arizona heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit in which Hispanic plaintiffs contend Sheriff Joe Arpaio is ignoring constitutional probable cause standards by targeting Latinos with traffic stops.
In Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Maricopa County, his critics say, the otherwise innocent tableau of Spanish speakers hanging out in front of a convenience store is probable cause for a police officer to approach and ask for identification.
Skip to next paragraphSo, apparently, is cruising down the street, according to a suit filed in federal court in Phoenix. The suit?s Hispanic plaintiffs contend that Sheriff Arpaio is ignoring constitutional probable cause standards by targeting Latinos with traffic stops, during which they are asked about their immigration status.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Murray Snow heard arguments in the case, with the options of allowing the suit to go to trial, throwing the suit out, or declaring that Arpaio uses racial profiling in the enforcement of immigration laws. The judge is considering whether the acknowledged shredding of documents by the Sheriff?s Department would enable a judge or jury to infer that deputies targeted Latinos.
But the suit is just one of a growing mass of legal challenges confronting the maverick sheriff. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice cited Arpaio for racially profiling Latinos through the Sheriff Department?s frequent ?sweeps? of Hispanic neighborhoods in suburban Phoenix.
The death this week of a Hispanic inmate at a Maricopa County jailhouse following a scuffle with Arpaio's deputies is adding to the sheriff's troubles.
The Maricopa County lawsuit and others were bolstered by the Justice Department allegations of racial profiling. One concrete outcome this week of those allegations: 90 of Arpaio's deputies had to turn in federal badges that allowed them to carry out immigration work, including checking suspects' immigration status.
Both the DOJ report and the lawsuit heard Thursday focus on Arpaio's use of large-scale neighborhood ?sweeps? where 1,500 people, mostly Hispanics, have been arrested in the last three years alone, with illegal immigrants accounting for 57 percent of those arrested. The DOJ's report, based on a three-year investigation, accused Arpaio's department of using military-style patrols to confront people based on ?racially charged? citizen complaints about Latinos participating in what some call a ubiquitous "storefront culture."
The DOJ investigation identified other problems with Arpaio's definition of probable cause, noting that the Sheriff's Department has allegedly tried to silence critics by arresting them without cause. Moreover, the report said Latinos are up to 9 times more likely to be stopped than whites, with many of them arrested without ?good cause.?
But legal experts say the allegations against Arpaio's department are hardly slam dunks. For one, state and federal courts tend to give police officers the benefit of the doubt when they're involved in street arrests. Moreover, Supreme Court precedents require very specific, provable allegations to determine constitutional overreach on the parts of police officers on the beat.
"In essence, you've got three Mexican-American men hanging out on the street, and the question is whether that's probable cause for police to believe something is up?" says Norm Pattis, a criminal defense lawyer in Connecticut. "The police officers are going to say, 'We observed three men in a known narcotics area, we suspected foul play, and we went to talk to them.' "
Moreover, many Americans, including presidential candidates like Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, consider Arpaio a ?hero? for doing the job critics claim US immigration authorities won't do. Others see the DOJ allegations against Arpaio as a politicized attack from the Justice Department, intended to bolster President Obama's relationship with Hispanic voters.
Arpaio ?takes great pains to make sure that he doesn't discriminate against people based on race,? Rep. Steve King (R) of Iowa, vice-chairman of the House Immigration subcommittee, said this week. ?It's not a profiling operation going on that I can see.?
Besides Thursday?s court hearing in Phoenix, another federal judge will hear the DOJ's case against Arpaio unless he decides by Jan. 4 to work out a settlement on the racial profiling charges. A federal grand jury has also been investigating whether Arpaio and his deputies abuse their power.
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
A feat of strength: Festivus thrives online
CaptainBlueHen.com
One of many interpretations of Festivus.
By Athima Chansanchai
When "Seinfeld" first introduced "Festivus" to mainstream America in 1997, the show's writers probably had no idea that 14 years later not only would it still be celebrated every Dec. 23, but that it would fit so well in an online world where "airing of the grievances" is pretty much a regular pastime.
For those of you who haven't caught the episode in countless reruns, "Festivus for the rest of us" became a catchphrase after the show's fictional Frank Costanza (George's dad) introduced it as an all-inclusive, secular alternative to Christmas consumerism. See if this jogs your memory:
The New York Times explained to viewers years later that the holiday had actually been around since 1966, invented by Dan O'Keefe, whose son Daniel was a writer on "Seinfeld."
His son took some evolutionary leaps with his dad's idea: He added?a plain aluminum Festivus pole, the "airing of grievances" (a chance for family members to expel the pent-up feelings towards other relatives) and "feats of strength," wrestling matches that end with the take-down pinning of the family patriarch.
Others have contributed their own additions to the holiday over the years, which the wonderful World Wide Web has brought to us in full glory.
- At FestivusWeb.com, revelers can peruse tips on airing grievances (including posting sticky notes to poles), party ideas and re-gifting suggestions. (Might we suggest some tech gadget reycling?)
- The Denver-based Festivus Film Festival (try saying that three times fast) celebrates indie films, though other than the name, it doesn't seem to have too many gimmicks associated with the holiday.
- On Facebook, you can see how your friends include Festivus in their status updates by checking this page.
On Twitter, Festivus?tweets are the best example of grievance airing gone viral, with users encouraging each other to sound off (as if they need a holiday to do that) and brag about feats of strength. Feel free to do both or either in our comments!?Happy Festivus ... for the rest of us!
Dec 23: This sunday, many will be celebrating Christmas and Hannukah, Kwansaa is Monday but starting the 23rd, tis the season for Festivus. What is it? Rita Cosby finds out.
More stories:
Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.
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Lance Bass: Why We Shouldn't Use the Word 'Tranny' (Huffington post)
Friday, December 23, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N passes German legal muster despite Apple?s objections (Appolicious)
After an injunction in Germany that banned Samsung?s Galaxy Tab 10.1, the South Korean Android device maker has reworked the tablet?s design to meet a Dusseldorf court?s standards to avoid infringing on patents held by Apple for its iPad.
The new Galaxy Tab 10.1N, as the device is called, is different enough from the iPad that it?ll likely pass legal muster and won?t infringe, a German judge said today, according to a story from Ars Technica. The case isn?t quite shut yet, however ? the judge still has to rule on the device and Apple is working to get this new Galaxy Tab banned in Germany, as well.
Apple won an injunction in the country against Samsung?s original Galaxy Tab 10.1 by claiming Samsung had ?slavishly copied? Apple?s design for the iPad. The German court agreed, banning the sale of the device in the country because it ruled the look and feel of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 came too close to Apple?s patented designs. The answer to that injunction, the 10.1N, reworks that design slightly in order to make Samsung?s tablet more distinct. The device has been designed only for the German market; its most distinct new feature is the tablet?s metal rim, which wraps toward the front of the device in the 10.1N rather than lying flat behind the black bezel on the 10.1.
Apple still isn?t satisfied that Samsung?s tablet is significantly different enough from its iPad, however, and is working for another injunction against the device. As GigaOM points out, however, it?s probably unlikely that Apple will win a second injunction, given that the Dusseldorf judge said in a preliminary statement that Samsung has sufficiently moved the design of the 10.1N away from the iPad. That?s not the official ruling just yet, since there will be another hearing on the injunction, but Apple would probably have to come up with some compelling new arguments about how the device infringes on its iPad patents.
There?s no timeframe for the final ruling in Germany, but if the ruling goes down as expected, it could hurt Apple?s attempts to get similar bans against Samsung in other countries, like Australia. But for the time being, it seems as though Samsung has been successful in getting its Galaxy Tab 10.1 back to Germany, in some form. Now it?s just a matter of when the device might be able to go back on sale.
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Essay: Report on Eva Per?n Recalls Time When Lobotomy Was Embraced
[unable to retrieve full-text content]New research indicating that Eva Per?n was lobotomized not long before her death is a reminder of how enthusiastically this operation was once embraced.
Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=271447db28cc6b1da9ceecf385e93d4e
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Investing Vs. Speculating In Gold And Silver Stocks | Precious ...
One thing that's intriguing about the precious metals sector is the vast composition of the companies in the sector. The entire equity sector can be divided in so many forms and ways. We can divide the gold and silver stocks, the producers and non producers, the explorers and the developers, the royalty companies and non-royalty companies, as well as those making money and those not making money. To make money in this sector you really need to have a plan and know what you're doing. Specifically, you need to define an investment and a speculation.
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Though the sector itself is risky, there are still numerous companies that can be defined as an investment. An investment is something wherein you receive a return on your money and a return of your money. Therefore we are looking for companies that are making money and have the reasonable ability to grow cash flow and earnings. The royalty companies and large and senior producers fit this bill. An investment in (GDX) or a gold mutual fund fit this category. Mid-tier and smaller producers with experienced management, a track record and a strong financial position can be categorized as investments.
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Anything and everything else falls into the speculation category. How about a large developer with 10 M oz Au? It is a speculation. No one knows if the owner will ever be acquired, much less if the project will ever go into production. Even if a junior explorer or junior developer is trading at $10/oz in the ground, it still qualifies as a speculation.?
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Why are we talking about this?
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Many gold bulls were hurt in 2007-2008 and again this year as they forgot that most of the companies in this sector are speculations. They forgot that shares can fall tremendously, even as the metals remain firm or even rise. You cannot just sit in your juniors and think they will be up fifty-fold by the end of this bull market. After all, you should know by now that most juniors will fail -- and even fail in this historic bull market.?
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This year provides a clear example of the difference between speculating and investing. GDX is down 14% while (GDXJ) is down 33% while the CDNX Index is down 38%.?
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Going forward, one has to have a plan that distinguishes between investing and speculating. How much of your portfolio should be in gold-related investments and how much should be in speculations?
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Obviously, we are coming out of a difficult year and those who held too many speculations will feel jaded. They will feel that the juniors will never gain or that gold stocks will always underperform the metal. The result of this year will cloud their thinking for 2012 and beyond. On the other hand, the real professionals were cautious this year. They held high cash positions and focused most of their risk-capital on investments and not speculations. Since the market is likely to make a major low within potentially days or weeks, it may be time to consider some of the speculations, rather than become really defensive and only sit in a few large-cap stocks.
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Your job as an investors is to figure out the right balance for your portfolio and then shift accordingly with market conditions. Your investments should earn you a return of your money and a return on your money. Whether that is 80% or 50% of your portfolio depends on your risk tolerance, time horizon, and other factors.
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Good luck!
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Editor's Note: See more?from Jordan Roy-Byrne at The Daily Gold.
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Though the sector itself is risky, there are still numerous companies that can be defined as an investment. An investment is something wherein you receive a return on your money and a return of your money. Therefore we are looking for companies that are making money and have the reasonable ability to grow cash flow and earnings. The royalty companies and large and senior producers fit this bill. An investment in (GDX) or a gold mutual fund fit this category. Mid-tier and smaller producers with experienced management, a track record and a strong financial position can be categorized as investments.
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Anything and everything else falls into the speculation category. How about a large developer with 10 M oz Au? It is a speculation. No one knows if the owner will ever be acquired, much less if the project will ever go into production. Even if a junior explorer or junior developer is trading at $10/oz in the ground, it still qualifies as a speculation.?
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Why are we talking about this?
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Many gold bulls were hurt in 2007-2008 and again this year as they forgot that most of the companies in this sector are speculations. They forgot that shares can fall tremendously, even as the metals remain firm or even rise. You cannot just sit in your juniors and think they will be up fifty-fold by the end of this bull market. After all, you should know by now that most juniors will fail -- and even fail in this historic bull market.?
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This year provides a clear example of the difference between speculating and investing. GDX is down 14% while (GDXJ) is down 33% while the CDNX Index is down 38%.?
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Going forward, one has to have a plan that distinguishes between investing and speculating. How much of your portfolio should be in gold-related investments and how much should be in speculations?
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Obviously, we are coming out of a difficult year and those who held too many speculations will feel jaded. They will feel that the juniors will never gain or that gold stocks will always underperform the metal. The result of this year will cloud their thinking for 2012 and beyond. On the other hand, the real professionals were cautious this year. They held high cash positions and focused most of their risk-capital on investments and not speculations. Since the market is likely to make a major low within potentially days or weeks, it may be time to consider some of the speculations, rather than become really defensive and only sit in a few large-cap stocks.
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Your job as an investors is to figure out the right balance for your portfolio and then shift accordingly with market conditions. Your investments should earn you a return of your money and a return on your money. Whether that is 80% or 50% of your portfolio depends on your risk tolerance, time horizon, and other factors.
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Good luck!
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Editor's Note: See more?from Jordan Roy-Byrne at The Daily Gold.
No positions in stocks mentioned.
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Dinner Guests Will Love the Shower Of Hot Wax From Your Candelier [Design]
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
Drilling in 2012: Production up; fewer leases (AP)
PITTSBURGH ? Marcellus Shale natural gas production is expected to keep rising in 2012, yet landowners may find that signing lease deals isn't as easy as in years past.
Though still in its early stages, industry experts say that the business of Marcellus Shale gas drilling is starting to change, as new forces emerge.
Among them: lawmakers putting regulations in place that will create more drilling opportunities in shale states other than Pennsylvania; Shell's coming decision on where to build a massive processing plant; and the great unknown, the market prices for natural gas.
Drillers have swarmed in recent years to the lucrative Marcellus Shale region primarily beneath Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. Pennsylvania is the center of activity, with more than 3,000 wells drilled in the past three years and thousands more planned. Critics say a drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, could poison water supplies, while the natural-gas industry says it's been used safely for decades.
2012 could lessen the spotlight on Pennsylvania. Other states are moving toward updating laws to regulate drilling, and the industry is starting to explore a new gas resource ? the Utica shale, which lies under the Marcellus formation.
"New York will see a regulatory package; I think West Virginia will probably be in a situation where there's more certainty," said Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group based in Pennsylvania.
There's one variable that impacts the industry everywhere it operates, Klaber said.
The biggest unpredictable for 2012 is wholesale natural gas prices, she said. They've stayed low for a few years, and that's helped boost demand from some areas, such as gas-fired electric power plants. But with more and more gas entering the market, no one knows just where the balance of supply and demand will lead.
If prices drop further, drilling could slow. But if they rise, the boom could speed up even more.
Klaber said it will become clearer next year just how economically viable the Utica Shale is. Some companies have reported promising results from wells in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
"The wells drilled to date have made a lot of folks optimistic. But I think it's still too early to tell how the Utica will play out," she said.
Officials from three of the shale states ? Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia ? are all competing to land the a huge new multibillion-dollar Shell Oil Co. petrochemical processing plant. Known as cracker plants in the industry, such plants take a liquid form of natural gas and turn it into other commercial compounds, such as plastics.
Shell expects to choose a location for the plant soon and announce the decision early in January, spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh told The Associated Press.
Another coming change will be in leases for land to drill on, experts said.
The past few years saw what seemed at times to be a mad rush by the industry to persuade property owners to sign deals. But now many of the big drilling companies have tens of thousands of acres under lease, said Brian Pitell, a representative for the National Association of Royalty Owners in northwestern Pennsylvania.
"The land grab, like the gold rush, is kind of over. You don't have two, three or four different companies" all competing to offer leases in the same region, he said.
That means landowners have fewer options, and less power to demand certain lease terms.
"There's a muting, to some degree, of competition," Pitell said. Sometimes it's the fine print that changes, he said, noting that one recent lease from a big company removed the landowner's right to audit royalty statement payments.
And if a landowner doesn't like that?
"If you think you're just going to hold out, that may not work out all that well for you," Pitell said.
That's because when many surrounding landowners have already signed leases with one company, others will have little use for the remaining isolated parcels.
But Pennsylvania still has some significant advantages in the marketplace, Pitell added. While it's true that companies could move some drilling operations to New York, West Virginia or Ohio, they'd have to build up infrastructure there to do so.
Pennsylvania has significant infrastructure in place now, in terms of well pads and a growing network of pipelines and processing stations.
"Once they have that infrastructure in place, they want to feed that infrastructure," Pitell said of drilling companies, noting that to justify moving a drilling rig "the geology is going to have to prove that it makes sense for them to potentially abandon development in a given area, and move to New York" or some other state.
Klaber agreed that the growth of pipeline networks and mergers in that industry will create more ways to deliver gas to customers. But she noted that some widely discussed possibilities, such as the Shell plant, will take years to permit and build.
But there's no question the quantity of gas produced from the Marcellus is increasing rapidly. In 2010, the industry estimated Marcellus production to be the equivalent of 1.3 billion cubic feet per day. By the end of 2012 it is projected to be more than 6 billion cubic feet per day.
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Researchers demonstrate an almost noiseless nanomechanical microwave amplifier
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Physicists in Aalto University, Finland, have shown how a nanomechanical oscillator can be used for detection and amplification of feeble radio waves or microwaves. A measurement using such a tiny device, resembling a miniaturized guitar string, can be performed with the least possible disturbance. The results were recently published in the most prestigious scientific arena, the British journal Nature.
The researchers cooled the nanomechanical oscillator, thousand times thinner than a human hair, down to a low temperature near the absolute zero at -273 centigrade. Under such extreme conditions, even nearly macroscopic sized objects follow the laws of quantum physics which often contradict common sense. In the Low Temperature Laboratory experiments, the nearly billion atoms comprising the nanomechanical resonator were oscillating in pace in their shared quantum state.
The scientists had fabricated the device in contact with a superconducting cavity resonator, which exchanges energy with the nanomechanical resonator. This allowed amplification of their resonant motion. This is very similar to what happens in a guitar, where the string and the echo chamber resonate at the same frequency. Instead of the musician playing the guitar string, the energy source was provided by a microwave laser.
Microwaves get amplified by interaction of quantum oscillations
Researchers from the Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, have shown how to detect and amplify electromagnetic signals almost noiselessly using a guitar-string like mechanical vibrating wire. In the ideal case the method adds only the minimum amount of noise required by quantum mechanics.
The presently used semiconductor transistor amplifiers are complicated and noisy devices, and operate far away from a fundamental disturbance limit set by quantum physics. The Low Temperature Laboratory scientists showed that by taking advantage of the quantum resonant motion, injected microwave radiation can be amplified with little disturbance. The principle hence allows for detecting much weaker signals than usually.
Any measurement method or device always adds some disturbance. Ideally, all the noise is due vacuum fluctuations predicted by quantum mechanics. In theory, our principle reaches this fundamental limit. In the experiment, we got very close to this limit, says Dr. Francesco Massel.
The discovery was actually quite unexpected. We were aiming to cool the nanomechanical resonator down to its quantum ground state. The cooling should manifest as a weakening of a probing signal, which we observed. But when we slightly changed the frequency of the microwave laser, we saw the probing signal to strengthen enormously. We had created a nearly quantum limited microwave amplifier, says Academy Research Fellow Mika Sillanp?? who planned the project and made the measurements.
Certain real-life applications will benefit from the better amplifier based on the new Aalto method, but reaching this stage requires more research effort. Most likely, the mechanical microwave amplifier will be first applied in related basic research, which will further expand our knowledge of the borderline between the everyday world and the quantum realm.
According to Academy Research Fellow Tero Heikkil?, the beauty of the amplifier is in its simplicity: it consists of two coupled oscillators. Therefore, the same method can be realized in basically any media. By using a different structure of the cavity, one could detect terahertz radiation which would also be a major application.
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Aalto University: http://www.aalto.fi/en/
Thanks to Aalto University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
AP-GfK Poll: More than half say Obama should lose (AP)
WASHINGTON ? A majority of adults say President Barack Obama does not deserve a second term but are evenly divided on whether he will win re-election next year, says a new Associated Press-GfK poll that highlights some of the campaign obstacles he faces.
Although the public would prefer Obama be voted out of office, he fares relatively well in potential matchups with Republicans Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Another bit of good news for the Democrat: For the first time since spring, more adults said the economy got better in the past month than said it got worse.
The president's approval rating on unemployment shifted upward ? from 40 percent in October to 45 percent in the latest poll ? as the jobless rate fell to 8.6 percent last month, its lowest level since March 2009.
But Obama's approval rating on his handling of the economy overall remains stagnant: 39 percent approve and 60 percent disapprove.
Heading into the 2012 campaign, the poll shows the challenges facing Obama as he tries to win a second term among a public that does not support his steering of the economy, the most dominant issue for Americans, or his reforms to health care, one of his signature accomplishments. Yet voters appear to be grappling with whether to replace him with Romney or Gingrich.
For the first time, the poll found that a majority of adults, 52 percent, said Obama should be voted out of office while 43 percent said he deserves a second term. The numbers represent a clear reversal since last May, when 53 percent said Obama should be re-elected while 43 percent said he didn't deserve four more years.
Separately, 49 percent expected Obama to win re-election while 48 percent think he will be voted out of office.
Obama's overall job approval stands at a new low: 44 percent approve while 54 percent disapprove. The president's standing among independents is worse: 38 percent approve while 59 percent disapprove. Among Democrats, the president holds steady with an approval rating of 78 percent while only 12 percent of Republicans approve of the job he's doing.
"I think he's doing the best he can. The problem is the Congress won't help at all," said Rosario Navarro, a Democrat and a 44-year-old truck driver from Fresno, Calif., who voted for Obama in 2008 and intends to support him again.
Robin Dein, a 54-year-old homemaker from Villanova, Pa., who is an independent, said she supported Republican John McCain in 2008 and has not been impressed with Obama's economic policies. She intends to support Romney if he wins the GOP nomination.
"(Obama) spent the first part of his presidency blaming Bush for everything, not that he was innocent, and now his way of solving anything is by spending more money," Dein said.
Despite the soft level of support, many are uncertain whether a Republican president would be a better choice. Asked whom they would support next November, 47 percent of adults favored Obama compared with 46 percent for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Against Gingrich, the president holds a solid advantage, receiving 51 percent compared with 42 percent for the former House speaker.
The potential matchups paint a better picture for the president among independents. Obama receives 45 percent of non-aligned adults compared with 41 percent for Romney. Against Gingrich, Obama holds a wide lead among independents, with 54 percent supporting the president and 31 percent backing the former Georgia congressman.
Another piece of good news for Obama: people generally like him personally. His personal favorability rating held steady at 53 percent, with 46 percent viewing him unfavorably. About three-quarters called him likable.
The economy remains a source of pessimism, though the poll suggests the first positive movement in public opinion on the economy in months. One in five said the economy improved in the last month, double the share saying so in October. Still most expect it to stay the same or get worse.
"I suppose you could make some sort of argument that it's getting better, but I'm not sure I even see that," said independent voter John Bailey, a 61-year-old education consultant from East Jordan, Mich. "I think it's bad and it's gotten worse under (Obama's) policies. At best, it's going to stay bad."
Despite the high rate of joblessness, the poll found some optimism on the economy. Although 80 percent described the economy as "poor," respondents describing it as "very poor" fell from 43 percent in October to 34 percent in the latest poll, the lowest since May. Twenty percent said the economy got better in the past month while 37 percent said they expected the economy to improve next year.
Yet plenty of warning signs remain for Obama. Only 26 percent said the United States is headed in the right direction while 70 percent said it was moving in the wrong direction.
The president won a substantial number of women voters in 2008 yet there does not appear to be a significant tilt toward him among women now. The poll found 44 percent of women say Obama deserves a second term, down from 51 percent in October, while 43 percent of men say the president should be re-elected.
About two-thirds of white voters without college degrees say Obama should be a one-term president, while 33 percent of those voters say he should get another term. Among white voters with a college degree, 57 percent said Obama should be voted out of office.
The poll found unpopularity for last year's health care reform bill, one of Obama's major accomplishments. About half of the respondents oppose the health care law and support for it dipped to 29 percent from 36 percent in June. Just 15 percent said the federal government should have the power to require all Americans to buy health insurance.
Even among Democrats, the health care law has tepid support. Fifty percent of Democrats supported the health care law, compared with 59 percent of Democrats last June. Only about a quarter of independents back the law.
The president has taken a more populist tone in his handling of the economy, arguing that the wealthy should pay more in taxes to help pay to extend a payroll tax cut that is worth about an additional $1,000 to a family earning about $50,000 a year. Among those with annual household incomes of $50,000 or less, Obama's approval rating on unemployment climbed to 53 percent, from 43 percent in October.
The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted Dec. 8-12 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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Associated Press writer Stacy A. Anderson and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.
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Online: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com
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Post-US Iraq: Welcome to Shia-stan
By Richard Engel , NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent
Hadi Mizban / AP
Children play next to Shiite posters and flags in the primarily Shiite neighborhood of Hurriyah in north Baghdad on Nov. 15, 2011. The number of Iraqi neighborhoods in which members of the two Muslim sects live side-by-side and intermarry has dwindled.
ANALYSIS
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BAGHDAD ? It was a cold night in Baghdad. I was standing on the roof of Saddam?s information ministry listening to a televised speech by President George W. Bush. He gave Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave, or else.
I remember the chills that went down my legs, as if I was bracing myself for an impact. A big war was coming. The American military machine had risen and was ready.?
This past Monday, on another cold night in Baghdad, I listened as President Barack Obama said the war is ending. Troops are leaving. This war is wrapping up. I had those chills again, but on this night, it was just from the cold.??
So much has changed since the war began. So many U.S. troops have made this the mission of their lives. Nearly 4,500 of them died in a war launched to find weapons of mass destruction that didn?t exist and to topple a dictator who had nothing to do with 9/11 or Osama Bin Laden, even though that?s how it was sold.?
Saddam was brutal. He had no regard for the lives of his people. He buried his enemies in mass graves. Stalin was his hero. Saddam?s son, Uday Hussein, was evil, psychotic and, by many accounts, a rapist. But Iraqis have lived through absolute hell during the war ? an estimated 150,000 of them have died, mostly at the hands of other Iraqis, according to some Iraqi government estimates.
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Regardless of President Bush?s intent in waging this war, what it wound up doing is replacing a dictator with a Shiite-run state that is close to Iran. This could not have been the plan.
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Welcome to Shia-stan.
Shiite revenge
On April 9, 2003, as a few hundred Iraqis pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein, the crowds weren?t cheering for America. They were shouting the name al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric killed by Saddam. Pulling down Saddam?s statue was vengeance for al-Sadr?s murder. It was Shiite revenge. Saddam was a Sunni. Sunnis are a minority in Iraq, yet they had ruled the country for over a thousand years.?
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When Saddam was hanged in December 2006, one of his executioners yelled the name ?Muqtada,? in his ear moments before the dictator dropped through a trap door and a noose stretched his neck.? Muqtada is al-Sadr?s son. He is a radical anti-American Shiite cleric. Saddam?s execution ? carried out on the day Sunnis were celebrating one of the year?s most important holidays ? was more Shiite revenge.
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When Iraq held its first elections, Shiite political parties won.?
Now, as American troops leave Iraq after almost nine years of patrols, IEDs and countless meetings with tribal elders, it is abundantly clear that the Shiites have won this country.
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Haifa Street in Baghdad has long been a Sunni stronghold. It was once considered the most dangerous street in the world. Snipers from al-Qaida in Iraq ? a Sunni militant group ? would fire on U.S. troops from Haifa Street?s tall buildings during the height of sectarian violence in 2006- 2007. Al-Qaida?s all black flag hung from some of the windows.?
Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP - Getty Images
Iraqi Muslim Shiites hit themselves with swords during Ashura rituals in Baghdad's Sadr City on Dec. 6, 2011. Ashura mourns the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
A few days ago, I was back on Haifa Street to meet officials at the High Council for Tourism. The black al-Qaida flags are gone. Instead I saw dozens of pictures of Muqtada al-Sadr and green Shiite flags. Outside the building, there were more Shiite flags and pictures of the Shiite martyr Hussein.?
I was at the tourism office to find out who is coming to Iraq and what they are coming to see.
It?s an especially holy month for Shiites, the month that marks Hussein's martyrdom in the 7th century. The country does have ancient sites, including Babylon and the Ziggurat of Ur ? so perhaps they are a lure for tourists? But more tourists are coming to visit Iraq's Shiite religious sites.
The tourism official is like most government officials in Baghdad these days.? He?s a religious Shiite from one of the many Shiite political parties. He served our TV crew sweet tea in small hourglass shaped cups.?
When I looked closely, I noticed three words were engraved on the cups: Allah, Mohammed and Ali. Including the name Ali, Mohammed?s son-in-law, has only one meaning. Ali is the patron of all Shiites. These were Shiite cups.? Even the tea at the tourism authority was being served in Shiite cups.?
Several Sunnis at the tourism authority have recently been fired, they believe because they are Sunnis. Iraqi Shiites are clearly not shy about showing off their newfound power.
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I asked the official who is visiting Iraq these days. Under Saddam, it was nearly impossible to travel to Iraq. And Iraqis, if they were allowed to leave, had to drive to Syria or Jordan to catch most international flights. Baghdad simply wasn?t connected to the world.?
Now there are direct flights here from Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries. There are no direct flights to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both Sunni states that have been critical of Iraq?s Shiite government. There are no direct flights to the United States.? But there are now on many days more than a dozen flights to Iran.?
Officials at the tourism authority told me that they registered more than 1.5 million Iranian visitors to Iraq in 2010, up 25 percent from the year before. This year they expect the figure to rise to 1.75 million. The official stressed that the tourism authority only registers Iranians coming to Iraq in organized tour groups, but many more Iranians come on their own.
Iranians are issued visas when they arrive at Baghdad International Airport. They can also land at the new international airport in the Holy Shiite city of Najaf and quickly get a visa on site. American citizens have to apply for visas in advance and they usually take three weeks to process.
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When I landed at the airport in Baghdad on this visit, I had to wait about 15 minutes while my visa was verified. It?s a standard procedure. For years, I?ve seen this arrival hall packed with the oddest cluster of misfits imaginable. There were beefy American contractors in baseball caps, cargo pants and with badges around their necks. I?ve seen Americans arriving in Baghdad with big silver belt buckles and cowboy hats, too.? There were often British security contractors with tight t-shirts and Oakley sunglasses perched on top of gelled crew cuts. There were also small armies of sub-Saharan Africans hired to man American checkpoints and guide bomb-sniffing dogs.? And there were journalists with leather satchels, checkered scarves and long hair (usually the photographers).??
This time, nearly every person in the arrival hall was from Iran.? From the badges hanging around their necks, it was clear they were on tours to visit Iraq?s holy Shiite shrines in Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad and Samaraa.? The Iranian tour guides wore fedora hats.
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So Iranians are coming in huge numbers. It doesn?t mean that Iran is taking over. Iran is, after all, Iraq?s neighbor, and Iraq can use the tourist dollars. But it certainly does show the direction Iraq is leaning and with whom Iraqis are connecting.
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Green Shiite flag city
For most of the nearly six years I lived and worked in Iraq, our bureau was in the Jadiriya neighborhood. It is a relatively upscale part of Baghdad with clothing stores, a supermarket and a decent ice cream parlor. There were many bombings in Jadiriya, but compared to other areas, Jadiriya was relatively peaceful. Jadiriya was always a Shiite neighborhood, but there were Sunnis and Christians mixed in too.? Now the Sunnis and Christians are invisible. These days, there are more green Shiite flags in Jadiriya than I?ve ever seen.
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About 65 percent of Iraqis are Shiite. If people want to express their religion, it is certainly their right. Americans couldn?t prevent it even if they wanted to.? But in Iraq, hanging flags isn?t a sign of religious celebration. It is a way to mark territory. It is a way to show dominance, like Marines landing on a beach and raising a flag to say: this is mine.
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South of Jadiriya is the neighborhood of Dora.? Dora has long been a Sunni area, with some Shiites and Christians. The Christians and Shiites have now mostly moved out. They were driven away by al-Qaida in Iraq or opportunists who used the terrorist group to scare away their neighbors so they could buy their houses on the cheap.? If you were a Sunni in a neighborhood like Dora and you wanted your neighbor?s house, and your neighbor happened to be a Shiite or a Christian, all you had to do was slip a threatening note under his door and sign it ?al-Qaida in
Iraq.?? The neighbor would usually accept any price for the house that was offered.?
Ali Abbas / EPA
Iraqi actors perform the epic of Imam Hussein, as part of the Ashura festivals in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 6, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shiites visited the holy city of Kerbala throughout the Ashura week to mark the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Mohammad.
War does ugly things to people. Greed and hate and cynicism bubble up to the surface.? I drove past Dora the other day.? I noticed a new set of houses being built nearby. The houses are still under construction, but on each one was a green Shiite flag and a picture of the Shiite Martyr Hussein. Some Shiite developers have obviously decided to encroach on Dora. They?re moving in. It?s a Shiite settlement.?
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As I drove on from Dora, I kept thinking, sectarian violence is going to blow up in Iraq again. Many Sunnis feel they have no future in the country.?
Cozy relationship will have U.S. national security consequences
But, cynically, does anyone outside of Iraq care anymore? My friends in the United States have long stopped asking me about Iraq. They don?t want to hear about it.
Friends used to like it when I would draw maps on cocktail napkins to show how Sunnis and Shiites are divided and how Iran moves in supplies to help Shiite militias. Now no one wants to see my maps. Most people seem to think if Iraqis want to kill each other, it?s their problem.?
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Aside from the cost of this war in blood and money to the United States, a Shiite-led, Iran-friendly Iraq could have major consequences for American national security.?
Saddam Hussein was a secular Sunni dictator. He despised Iran. Saddam fought a war with Iran in the 1980s in which each side lost a half million men. Saddam let the world think he had nuclear weapons to keep Iran in check.
How times have changed. Iran now has both a close ally in Iraq and a key trading partner. Just look at the taxis in Iraq, which used to be old Volkswagen Passats manufactured in Brazil. Now, many of the yellow taxis choking Baghdad with traffic are boxy Iranian-made Saipas.? Iran is building an oil pipeline to Iraq, too.
The United States wants to punish Iran economically using sanctions so it abandons its nuclear program. But the United States has created economic opportunities for Iran in Iraq, and that could help undermine the sanctions.
Iraq has a long 900 mile border with Iran, and many Iraqi border guards are either corrupt or are sympathetic to Iran. That?s proven every day by the illegal drugs smuggled across the Iran-Iraq border, according to the International Narcotics Control Board, the independent monitoring body associated with the United Nations. If drugs can go across, so can materials banned under the sanctions.?
America?s efforts to strangle Iran with sanctions could end up being undermined by the very nation the United States went to such great efforts to create.?
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Iraq is not an Iranian pawn. It is an independent and patriotic country. And some day, due to all its oil, it may be a very rich country, as well. The United States, despite the huge cost of this war can and probably will make money here eventually. Still, history may not be kind to this project.?
Iraq has become a Shiite-led state that feels a certain affinity to Iran, its giant Shiite neighbor. It is hard to imagine any of this was part of the plan when President Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave on that cold night in Baghdad.
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Richard Engel, NBC News Chief Correspondent, has covered Iraq since the initial U.S. invasion in March 2003. He is the author of two books on Iraq: "A Fist in the Hornet's Nest" and "War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq."
Related link: A growing Iranian threat, in wake of U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq this month
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Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/14/9422243-post-us-iraq-welcome-to-shia-stan
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Europe debt woes prompt year-end flight from risk (Reuters)
SINGAPORE (Reuters) ? Asian shares fell into bear market territory for the year and commodities and the euro nursed stinging losses Thursday, as fears that Europe's debt crisis is still worsening prompted investors to dump riskier assets and seek shelter in the dollar.
The gloomy mood was not improved by a private sector survey indicating China's factory output will shrink again in December, adding to the headwinds facing a global economy struggling with sluggish U.S. growth and the euro zone sliding back into recession.
"We're quite bearish about the world at the moment," said Damien Boey, equity strategist at Credit Suisse in Sydney. "You're looking at basically the three major economies in the world causing problems."
European shares were expected to make an uncertain start, with financial bookmakers calling major indexes to open flat or slightly higher, while S&P 500 index futures were down 0.4 percent, pointing to a weaker start on Wall Street.
The market view that a European Union summit last week had failed to produce a solution to the crisis was reinforced when Italy was forced to pay an eye-watering 6.47 percent on 5-year bonds Wednesday, a record borrowing cost for the euro era.
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HSBC China flash PMI: http://link.reuters.com/hyd55s
Japan BOJ Tankan: http://link.reuters.com/pez55s
Euro zone crisis in graphics: http://r.reuters.com/hyb65p
Interactive timeline: http://link.reuters.com/rev89r
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Japan's Nikkei fell 1.7 percent and MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was down 2.1 percent, following losses of around 1 percent on Wall Street and a steeper sell-off in Europe Wednesday.
The MSCI Asia ex-Japan is down 20 percent for 2011 -- the rule-of-thumb definition of a bear market -- while the Nikkei has lost about 18 percent. Both have underperformed global equities (.MIWD00000PUS), which have lost around 12.5 percent, and U.S. stocks (.SPX), which are only down around 3.5 percent.
Europe remains investors' biggest worry, with markets still braced for ratings agency downgrades of euro zone sovereigns.
"Markets are frustrated and disappointed, waiting for a road map on the resolution of the two-year-old debt crisis," said Ong Yi Ling, an investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore. "Risk assets are all down. The debt crisis will be with us at least through the first half of 2012."
SLOWING CHINA
Hong Kong (.HSI) and Shanghai's (.SSEC) benchmark indexes were among the biggest losers in Asia after the release of HSBC's China flash PMI, the latest piece of data to show the world's second largest economy losing steam.
Wider market reaction was muted, but the survey reinforced the consensus that China's manufacturers are struggling with waning global demand and tight credit conditions.
"Risk reduction has been a theme with investors looking to cut losses on the year and ahead of a choppy 2012," said Larry Jiang, chief investment strategist at Guotai Junan International Securities in Hong Kong.
Wednesday's stock market declines in the West were dwarfed by carnage in commodity markets, where oil, gold and copper shed 4-5 percent.
Gold has been hammered in recent days as fund managers liquidate their holdings, either to cover losses elsewhere or to lock in profits on an asset that is still up more than 10 percent for the year.
"Some macro hedge funds are liquidating gold holdings and taking profits in a difficult year," said James Steel, chief technical analyst at HSBC.
The precious metal fell further Thursday, losing 0.5 percent to around $1,566 an ounce, while U.S. crude oil inched up to $95.20 a barrel and Brent crude bounced more than 70 cents to around $105.80.
The euro fell as low as $1.2944, its weakest level since January 11, and was later steady around $1.2985.
A downgrade by ratings agency Fitch of five major European financial groups, including France's Credit Agricole to A-plus from AA-negative, added to the already euro-negative sentiment.
This comes on top of the prospect of further cuts by rival Standard & Poor's, which warned earlier this month it could downgrade the ratings of 15 of the 17 euro zone members.
"I can see the U.S. dollar keep trending higher while the euro flounders," said Joseph Capurso, a strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
(Additional reporting by Miranda Maxwell in Melbourne, Clement Tan in Hong Kong, Jane Lee in Kuala Lumpur and Frank Tang in New York; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
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