(AFP) – 5 hours ago
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Monday that the International AIDS Society will host its 2012 conference in Washington, as the Obama administration lifts a decades-old ban on HIV-positive visitors.
"I'm pleased to announce that, with the repeal of the ban, the International AIDS Society will hold the 2012 international AIDS conference in Washington DC," Clinton said on the eve of World AIDS day.
"This conference will draw together 30,000 researchers, scientists, policy makers, health care providers, activists and others from around the world," Clinton said at the White House.
"On World AIDS Day, let us renew our commitment to ensuring that those infected and affected by HIV ... that all those who have joined together to fight this pandemic will someday live in a world where HIV/AIDS can be prevented and treated as a disease of the past," Clinton said.
In July, the South African city of Capetown hosted the 2009 conference. Vienna is due to host the conference in 2010 and Rome in 2011.
President Barack Obama announced at the end of October that his administration would overturn a controversial US policy that had been in place since 1987.
The ban on foreign nationals with HIV/AIDS visiting the United States will effectively be lifted early next year.
Obama's anti-AIDS efforts build on those of his predecessor George W. Bush, who won plaudits for them.
During Bush's two terms in office, the United States pumped nearly 19 billion dollars into fighting AIDS in poor countries, saving many people who had been denied therapy that only rich economies could afford.
The Obama administration will next year increase financing to prevent mothers from transmitting the HIV virus to their children, the White House said.
"Nearly 240,000 babies have been born free of HIV thanks to programs supported by the American people to prevent HIV-positive mothers from passing the virus on to their children," it said in a statement.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Dubai default threat rattles world stocks
Global stock markets tumbled Thursday on mounting anxiety over a debt default request by Dubai and tighter lending conditions in China, analysts said.
London lost 1.86 percent to 5,264.97 points in late morning trade but was suspended at about 1030 GMT owing to a technical issue.
The London Stock Exchange said it was investigating the "root cause" of the problem and would update investors when it had further information.Elsewhere, Frankfurt dived 1.80 percent to 5,698.99 points and Paris plunged 1.89 percent to 3,737.06 points at the half-way stage.
In Asia, Beijing nosedived 3.62 percent, Tokyo fell 0.62 percent and Hong Kong closed 1.78 percent lower. Chinese shares were also hit by the prospect of tighter banking rules and worries about monetary policy next year.
New York markets is closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the United States.
"We have two major factors weighing on equities and other risk markets: Dubai's call for a moratorium on its debt repayment to May and more stringent capital adequacy requirements for Chinese banks -- but Dubai is bigger," David Morrison, an analyst at financial betting firm GFT, told AFP.
The government of Dubai shocked financial markets on Wednesday when it said it would ask creditors of its Dubai World conglomerate for a debt moratorium of at least six months.
The Dubai government announced that it would revamp the Dubai World group and wanted its lenders to extend its maturing debt until at least May 2010.
Dubai added that it had raised five billion dollars in a new bonds issue aimed at helping meet its debt obligations.
"Dollar weakness ... sent Asian markets plunging, which then took European exchanges with them," said Xavier de Villepion, an analyst with Global Equities in Paris.
In addition, the partial default by Dubai "fed a climate of insecurity and crisis of confidence at a time when fears are mounting about excessive public debt."
As equities sank heavily, investors sought safety in the bond market and gold, which struck yet another record high point.
"It's causing a mini flight-to-quality as US, European debt gets bought as a relative safe haven," noted Morrison.
He added: "If (Dubai) had given the debt markets more warning, then there would be less of a panic now."
Meanwhile, ratings agency Standard & Poor's said the development could be considered a default and downgraded a raft of Dubai government entities including Dubai World.
"The rating actions are the result of the announcement on November 25 of the restructuring of the debt obligations of Dubai World and its subsidiary, (construction group) Nakheel," S & P said in a statement.
"In our view, such a restructuring may be considered a default under our default criteria, and represents the failure of the Dubai government to provide timely financial support to a core government-related entity."
Barclays Capital analyst Paul Robinson warned that the issue of Dubai could contribute towards a "serious" pullback in global stock markets.
Others warned that it could take more than a decade for investor enthusiasm over Dubai to return, as a result of this week's development.
"Dubai could not undermine either itself, or global perception any further as a place not to do business in at the moment," MF Global analyst Manus Cranny told AFP.
"Quite literally, this geographic region is now looking as a mirage in stability terms."
He added: "It is the much longer term implications on funding, confidence and capital raising that will take a decade or more to re-establish.
"This last-minute moratorium on debt repayments at Dubai World is unacceptable has all the smacking of an Ireland -- nay worse, an Iceland -- in the making.
"The two regions may be polemic in climate but mirror images in terms of credit and ability to meet their bills."
Elsewhere on Thursday, gold soared to a record high of 1,195.13 dollars an ounce after a purchase of IMF gold by Sri Lanka's central bank, traders said.
The precious metal has also won support in recent weeks from inflationary fears, the weak US currency and increasing moves by central banks to diversify assets into gold.
info came from
London lost 1.86 percent to 5,264.97 points in late morning trade but was suspended at about 1030 GMT owing to a technical issue.
The London Stock Exchange said it was investigating the "root cause" of the problem and would update investors when it had further information.Elsewhere, Frankfurt dived 1.80 percent to 5,698.99 points and Paris plunged 1.89 percent to 3,737.06 points at the half-way stage.
In Asia, Beijing nosedived 3.62 percent, Tokyo fell 0.62 percent and Hong Kong closed 1.78 percent lower. Chinese shares were also hit by the prospect of tighter banking rules and worries about monetary policy next year.
New York markets is closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the United States.
"We have two major factors weighing on equities and other risk markets: Dubai's call for a moratorium on its debt repayment to May and more stringent capital adequacy requirements for Chinese banks -- but Dubai is bigger," David Morrison, an analyst at financial betting firm GFT, told AFP.
The government of Dubai shocked financial markets on Wednesday when it said it would ask creditors of its Dubai World conglomerate for a debt moratorium of at least six months.
The Dubai government announced that it would revamp the Dubai World group and wanted its lenders to extend its maturing debt until at least May 2010.
Dubai added that it had raised five billion dollars in a new bonds issue aimed at helping meet its debt obligations.
"Dollar weakness ... sent Asian markets plunging, which then took European exchanges with them," said Xavier de Villepion, an analyst with Global Equities in Paris.
In addition, the partial default by Dubai "fed a climate of insecurity and crisis of confidence at a time when fears are mounting about excessive public debt."
As equities sank heavily, investors sought safety in the bond market and gold, which struck yet another record high point.
"It's causing a mini flight-to-quality as US, European debt gets bought as a relative safe haven," noted Morrison.
He added: "If (Dubai) had given the debt markets more warning, then there would be less of a panic now."
Meanwhile, ratings agency Standard & Poor's said the development could be considered a default and downgraded a raft of Dubai government entities including Dubai World.
"The rating actions are the result of the announcement on November 25 of the restructuring of the debt obligations of Dubai World and its subsidiary, (construction group) Nakheel," S & P said in a statement.
"In our view, such a restructuring may be considered a default under our default criteria, and represents the failure of the Dubai government to provide timely financial support to a core government-related entity."
Barclays Capital analyst Paul Robinson warned that the issue of Dubai could contribute towards a "serious" pullback in global stock markets.
Others warned that it could take more than a decade for investor enthusiasm over Dubai to return, as a result of this week's development.
"Dubai could not undermine either itself, or global perception any further as a place not to do business in at the moment," MF Global analyst Manus Cranny told AFP.
"Quite literally, this geographic region is now looking as a mirage in stability terms."
He added: "It is the much longer term implications on funding, confidence and capital raising that will take a decade or more to re-establish.
"This last-minute moratorium on debt repayments at Dubai World is unacceptable has all the smacking of an Ireland -- nay worse, an Iceland -- in the making.
"The two regions may be polemic in climate but mirror images in terms of credit and ability to meet their bills."
Elsewhere on Thursday, gold soared to a record high of 1,195.13 dollars an ounce after a purchase of IMF gold by Sri Lanka's central bank, traders said.
The precious metal has also won support in recent weeks from inflationary fears, the weak US currency and increasing moves by central banks to diversify assets into gold.
info came from
real world DC: the trailer
info came from http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0911/real_world_dc_the_trailer.html
Hindu sacrifice of 250,000 animals begins
Cheers and protests as thousands of buffalo are decapitated at start of festival in Nepal honouring Hindu goddess Gadhimai
Gallery: Hindu sacrifice ceremony starts
Nepalese Hindus lead buffalo to the slaughter in Bariyapur. Photograph: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP
The world's biggest animal sacrifice began in Nepal today with the killing of the first of more than 250,000 animals as part of a Hindu festival in the village of Bariyapur, near the border with India.
The event, which happens every five years, began with the decapitation of thousands of buffalo, killed in honour of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.
With up to a million worshippers on the roads near the festival grounds, this year's fair seems more popular than ever, despite vocal protests from animals rights groups who have called for it to be banned. "It is the traditional way, " explained 45-year old Manoj Shah, a Nepali driver who has been attending the event since he was six, "If we want anything, and we come here with an offering to the goddess, within five years all our dreams will be fulfilled." .
Crowds thronged the roads and camped out in the open, wrapped in blankets against the cool mist. The festivities included a ferris wheel, fortune-telling robots and stalls broadcasting music and offering tea and sugary snacks.
As dawn broke, the fair officially opened with the sacrifice of two rats, two pigeons, a pig, a lamb and a rooster in the main temple, to cheers of "Long live Gadhimai" from spectators pushing against each other for a better view.
In the main event, 250 appointed residents with traditional kukri knives began their task of decapitating more than 10,000 buffalo in a dusty enclosure guarded by high walls and armed police.
Frightened calves galloped around in vain as the men, wearing red bandanas and armbands, pursued them and chopped off their heads. Banned from entering the animal pen, hundreds of visitors scrambled up the three-metre walls to catch a glimpse of the carnage.
The dead beasts will be sold to companies who will profit from the sale of the meat, bones and hide. Organisers will funnel the proceeds into development of the area, including the temple upkeep.
On the eve of the event, protesters made a final plea to organisers by cracking open coconuts in a nearby temple as a symbolic sacrifice. "It is cruel and inhumane. We've always been a superstitious country, but I don't think sacrifice has to be part of the Hindu religion," said the protest organiser, Pramada Shah.
The campaign has the support of the French actor Brigitte Bardot, who has petitioned the Nepalese prime minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, about the issue. But the government, which donated £36,500 to the event, has shown no sign of discontinuing the centuries-old tradition. An attempt by the previous government to cut the budget for animal sacrifice provoked street protests.
Chandan Dev Chaudhary, a Hindu priest, said he was pleased with the festival's high turnout and insisted tradition had to be kept. "The goddess needs blood," he said. "Then that person can make his wishes come true."
info came from
Gallery: Hindu sacrifice ceremony starts
Nepalese Hindus lead buffalo to the slaughter in Bariyapur. Photograph: Gemunu Amarasinghe/APThe world's biggest animal sacrifice began in Nepal today with the killing of the first of more than 250,000 animals as part of a Hindu festival in the village of Bariyapur, near the border with India.
The event, which happens every five years, began with the decapitation of thousands of buffalo, killed in honour of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.
With up to a million worshippers on the roads near the festival grounds, this year's fair seems more popular than ever, despite vocal protests from animals rights groups who have called for it to be banned. "It is the traditional way, " explained 45-year old Manoj Shah, a Nepali driver who has been attending the event since he was six, "If we want anything, and we come here with an offering to the goddess, within five years all our dreams will be fulfilled." .
Crowds thronged the roads and camped out in the open, wrapped in blankets against the cool mist. The festivities included a ferris wheel, fortune-telling robots and stalls broadcasting music and offering tea and sugary snacks.
As dawn broke, the fair officially opened with the sacrifice of two rats, two pigeons, a pig, a lamb and a rooster in the main temple, to cheers of "Long live Gadhimai" from spectators pushing against each other for a better view.
In the main event, 250 appointed residents with traditional kukri knives began their task of decapitating more than 10,000 buffalo in a dusty enclosure guarded by high walls and armed police.
Frightened calves galloped around in vain as the men, wearing red bandanas and armbands, pursued them and chopped off their heads. Banned from entering the animal pen, hundreds of visitors scrambled up the three-metre walls to catch a glimpse of the carnage.
The dead beasts will be sold to companies who will profit from the sale of the meat, bones and hide. Organisers will funnel the proceeds into development of the area, including the temple upkeep.
On the eve of the event, protesters made a final plea to organisers by cracking open coconuts in a nearby temple as a symbolic sacrifice. "It is cruel and inhumane. We've always been a superstitious country, but I don't think sacrifice has to be part of the Hindu religion," said the protest organiser, Pramada Shah.
The campaign has the support of the French actor Brigitte Bardot, who has petitioned the Nepalese prime minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, about the issue. But the government, which donated £36,500 to the event, has shown no sign of discontinuing the centuries-old tradition. An attempt by the previous government to cut the budget for animal sacrifice provoked street protests.
Chandan Dev Chaudhary, a Hindu priest, said he was pleased with the festival's high turnout and insisted tradition had to be kept. "The goddess needs blood," he said. "Then that person can make his wishes come true."
info came from
Dollar hits 14-year low against yen
The dollar slumped to a 14-year low point against the yen on Thursday, prompting fears that a further surge could hurt a fragile recovery in Japan, the world's second largest economy.
Gold scored yet another record high, breaching 1,195 dollars an ounce as the US currency waned.
During Asian trading, the dollar slid to 86.28 yen, the lowest level since July 1995.
In later European deals, the dollar stood at 86.64 yen compared with 87.38 yen late on Wednesday in New York. The euro fell to 1.5085 dollars from 1.5127 dollars late Wednesday.
Responding to the yen's surge, Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said his government must take measures to avoid a double-dip recession.
"We must take measures so that the economy will not fall into a double-dip" recession, said Hatoyama, without specifying what measures his government may take to boost the world's second largest economy.
The premier stressed that "rapid and drastic movements in foreign exchange are not desirable" but added that the day's fluctuations were due mainly to the fall of the dollar rather than a rise of the yen.
A stronger yen threatens the competitiveness of Japanese exporters, while Asia's biggest economy sank into its worst post-war recession in the second quarter of 2008 as the economic downturn hammered demand for its cars, electronics. Japan's economy has meanwhile gradually rebounded this year.
The dollar's fall was driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve would maintain its ultra-low interest rates for some time, sending investors in search of other higher-yielding assets, dealers said.
"This yen strengthening is caused by dollar selling rather than yen buying, so this is not something Japan can handle by itself," said Mizuho Securities senior technical analyst Yutaka Miura.
"This trend will continue unless the Japanese government takes action, in cooperation with the US."
In London on Thursday, the euro was changing hands at 1.5085 dollars against 1.5127 dollars late on Wednesday, at 130.70 yen (132.21), 0.9117 pounds (0.9056) and 1.5086 Swiss francs (1.5080).
The dollar stood at 86.64 yen (87.38) and 1.0001 Swiss francs (0.9965).
The pound was at 1.6646 dollars (1.6703).
On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold rose to 1,183.13 dollars an ounce from 1,179.75 dollars an ounce late on Wednesday. Earlier Thursday it had struck a record high at 1,195.13 dollars an ounce.
info came from
Gold scored yet another record high, breaching 1,195 dollars an ounce as the US currency waned.
During Asian trading, the dollar slid to 86.28 yen, the lowest level since July 1995.
In later European deals, the dollar stood at 86.64 yen compared with 87.38 yen late on Wednesday in New York. The euro fell to 1.5085 dollars from 1.5127 dollars late Wednesday.
Responding to the yen's surge, Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said his government must take measures to avoid a double-dip recession.
"We must take measures so that the economy will not fall into a double-dip" recession, said Hatoyama, without specifying what measures his government may take to boost the world's second largest economy.
The premier stressed that "rapid and drastic movements in foreign exchange are not desirable" but added that the day's fluctuations were due mainly to the fall of the dollar rather than a rise of the yen.
A stronger yen threatens the competitiveness of Japanese exporters, while Asia's biggest economy sank into its worst post-war recession in the second quarter of 2008 as the economic downturn hammered demand for its cars, electronics. Japan's economy has meanwhile gradually rebounded this year.
The dollar's fall was driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve would maintain its ultra-low interest rates for some time, sending investors in search of other higher-yielding assets, dealers said.
"This yen strengthening is caused by dollar selling rather than yen buying, so this is not something Japan can handle by itself," said Mizuho Securities senior technical analyst Yutaka Miura.
"This trend will continue unless the Japanese government takes action, in cooperation with the US."
In London on Thursday, the euro was changing hands at 1.5085 dollars against 1.5127 dollars late on Wednesday, at 130.70 yen (132.21), 0.9117 pounds (0.9056) and 1.5086 Swiss francs (1.5080).
The dollar stood at 86.64 yen (87.38) and 1.0001 Swiss francs (0.9965).
The pound was at 1.6646 dollars (1.6703).
On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold rose to 1,183.13 dollars an ounce from 1,179.75 dollars an ounce late on Wednesday. Earlier Thursday it had struck a record high at 1,195.13 dollars an ounce.
info came from
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Google Chrome OS: New PC Operating System Introduced
SUN VALLEY, Idaho — Google Inc. is hoping to gain greater control over how personal computers work by developing a free operating system that will attack Microsoft Corp.'s golden goose _ its long-dominant Windows franchise.
The new operating system will be based on Google's 9-month-old Web browser, Chrome. Google intends to rely on help from the community of open-source programmers to develop the Chrome operating system, which is expected to begin running computers in the second half of 2010.
The early versions of the Chrome operating system will be tailored for "netbooks," a breed of low-cost, less powerful laptop computers that are becoming increasingly popular among budget-conscious consumers primarily interested in surfing the Web.
That is a direct challenge to Microsoft, whose next operating system, Windows 7, is being geared for netbooks as well as larger computers.
The vast majority of netbooks already run on Windows, and that is unlikely to change unless Google can demonstrate the Chrome operating system is a significant improvement, said Forrester Research analyst Paul Jackson. He pointed out that many customers had returned the original netbooks that used open-source alternatives to Windows.
"It was not what people expected," he said. "People wanted Windows because they knew how to use it and knew how applications worked."
Google struck a confident tone in a blog posting late Tuesday night announcing its operating system. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company believes it can streamline the operating system to improve speed and reduce security threats.
"We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear _ computers need to get better," wrote Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google's engineering director. Microsoft hadn't responded to requests for comment through Wednesday.
Investors seemed to be betting on Google Wednesday as its shares rose $5.86, or 1.5 percent, to close at $402.49. Shares in Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft inched up 3 cents to $22.56.
The success of the Chrome operating system will likely hinge on its acceptance among computer manufacturers that have been loyal Windows customers for years, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst for the research group Directions on Microsoft. "Most people, when they get a new operating system, they get it with their PC," he said. "I don't think most people think much about their operating systems."
If enough computer manufacturers embrace the Chrome operating system, it could weaken Microsoft while opening up new avenues for Google to persuade consumers and businesses to use its suite of online applications and other Internet services, generating more opportunities for Google to sell lucrative Internet ads.
Getting consumers and businesses to switch to computers powered by a new operating system won't be easy, as Google has learned from the introduction of Chrome. Google says about 30 million people are using Chrome, a small fraction of the Web surfers who rely on Microsoft's market-leading Internet Explorer.
Microsoft's Windows operating system has been even more dominant for a longer period time despite challenges from Apple Inc. and various systems based on Linux, the same type of open-source software that Google plans to use.
"It's going to be tough," Standard & Poor's equity analyst Scott Kessler said of Google's foray into PC operating systems. "The reality is that as the importance of a device or task increases, people have a much lower inclination to consider a change."
Businesses will be especially reluctant to abandon Windows because, on average, about 70 percent of their applications are designed to run on that, said Gartner Inc. analyst Michael Silver.
"This is going to generate a lot of hype, but it will probably be three to five years before it has any noticeable impact on the market," Silver said.
Consumers are likely to be more tempted to experiment with the Chrome operating system because it probably will decrease netbook prices even further. Microsoft's operating system typically adds $50 to $100 to a computer's price, Silver said.
Netbooks are winning new fans largely because they are inexpensive. Gartner estimates about 21 million netbooks will be shipped worldwide this year. That's still just relatively small portion of the 149 million laptops and other mobile PCs that Gartner expects to be sold this year.
If the Chrome operating system gains market momentum, it could raise antitrust concerns, depending on how Google ties the software with its other products, including its dominant Internet search engine. Microsoft had faced such complaints in the U.S. and Europe in packaging Windows with its now-dominant Internet Explorer browser.
Chrome will run on the same x86 microprocessors that now power Windows and Apple Inc.'s Mac computers, as well as ARM chips used in smart phones.
Google has already introduced an operating system for smart phones and other mobile devices, called Android, that vies against various other systems, including ones made by Microsoft and Apple.
The Android system worked well enough to entice some computer makers to begin developing netbooks that will run on it. Acer Inc., the world's third-largest PC maker, said last month it would begin offering Android netbooks, saying it would cut costs and likely help computers start up more quickly.
Google, though, apparently believes a Chrome-based system will be better suited for netbooks.
The duel between Google and Microsoft has been steadily escalating in recent years as Google's dominance of the Internet's lucrative search market has given it the means to threaten Microsoft in ways that few other companies can.
Google already has rankled Microsoft by luring some of its top employees and developing an online package of computer programs that provide an alternative to Microsoft's top-selling word processing, spreadsheet and calendar applications.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has been trying to thwart Google by investing billions of dollars to improve its own Internet search and advertising systems _ to little avail so far. In the past month or so, though, Microsoft has been winning positive reviews and picking up more users with its search upgrade, Bing.
Now Google is aiming for Microsoft's financial jugular with the Chrome operating system.
Microsoft has drawn much of its power _ and profits _ from the Windows operating system that has steered most personal computers for the past two decades. The research firm IDC estimates the Windows operating system and software applications designed to run on it accounted for about $29 billion, or 58 percent, of Microsoft's revenue last year.
Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, and its co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have not concealed their disdain for Windows.
Schmidt maintains Microsoft sometimes unfairly rigs its operating system to limit consumer choices _ something that Microsoft has consistently denied doing. Google fears Microsoft could limit access to its search engine and other products if Windows is set up to favor Microsoft products.
Schmidt and Brin are expected to discuss Google's new operating system this week when they appear at a media conference hosted by Allen & Co. at the Sun Valley resort in Idaho. They had not arrived at the conference Wednesday afternoon as other participants finished up their lunch and set out for a whitewater rafting trip.
info came from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/08/google-chrome-os-new-pc-o_n_227513.html
The new operating system will be based on Google's 9-month-old Web browser, Chrome. Google intends to rely on help from the community of open-source programmers to develop the Chrome operating system, which is expected to begin running computers in the second half of 2010.
The early versions of the Chrome operating system will be tailored for "netbooks," a breed of low-cost, less powerful laptop computers that are becoming increasingly popular among budget-conscious consumers primarily interested in surfing the Web.
That is a direct challenge to Microsoft, whose next operating system, Windows 7, is being geared for netbooks as well as larger computers.
The vast majority of netbooks already run on Windows, and that is unlikely to change unless Google can demonstrate the Chrome operating system is a significant improvement, said Forrester Research analyst Paul Jackson. He pointed out that many customers had returned the original netbooks that used open-source alternatives to Windows.
"It was not what people expected," he said. "People wanted Windows because they knew how to use it and knew how applications worked."
Google struck a confident tone in a blog posting late Tuesday night announcing its operating system. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company believes it can streamline the operating system to improve speed and reduce security threats.
"We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear _ computers need to get better," wrote Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google's engineering director. Microsoft hadn't responded to requests for comment through Wednesday.
Investors seemed to be betting on Google Wednesday as its shares rose $5.86, or 1.5 percent, to close at $402.49. Shares in Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft inched up 3 cents to $22.56.
The success of the Chrome operating system will likely hinge on its acceptance among computer manufacturers that have been loyal Windows customers for years, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst for the research group Directions on Microsoft. "Most people, when they get a new operating system, they get it with their PC," he said. "I don't think most people think much about their operating systems."
If enough computer manufacturers embrace the Chrome operating system, it could weaken Microsoft while opening up new avenues for Google to persuade consumers and businesses to use its suite of online applications and other Internet services, generating more opportunities for Google to sell lucrative Internet ads.
Getting consumers and businesses to switch to computers powered by a new operating system won't be easy, as Google has learned from the introduction of Chrome. Google says about 30 million people are using Chrome, a small fraction of the Web surfers who rely on Microsoft's market-leading Internet Explorer.
Microsoft's Windows operating system has been even more dominant for a longer period time despite challenges from Apple Inc. and various systems based on Linux, the same type of open-source software that Google plans to use.
"It's going to be tough," Standard & Poor's equity analyst Scott Kessler said of Google's foray into PC operating systems. "The reality is that as the importance of a device or task increases, people have a much lower inclination to consider a change."
Businesses will be especially reluctant to abandon Windows because, on average, about 70 percent of their applications are designed to run on that, said Gartner Inc. analyst Michael Silver.
"This is going to generate a lot of hype, but it will probably be three to five years before it has any noticeable impact on the market," Silver said.
Consumers are likely to be more tempted to experiment with the Chrome operating system because it probably will decrease netbook prices even further. Microsoft's operating system typically adds $50 to $100 to a computer's price, Silver said.
Netbooks are winning new fans largely because they are inexpensive. Gartner estimates about 21 million netbooks will be shipped worldwide this year. That's still just relatively small portion of the 149 million laptops and other mobile PCs that Gartner expects to be sold this year.
If the Chrome operating system gains market momentum, it could raise antitrust concerns, depending on how Google ties the software with its other products, including its dominant Internet search engine. Microsoft had faced such complaints in the U.S. and Europe in packaging Windows with its now-dominant Internet Explorer browser.
Chrome will run on the same x86 microprocessors that now power Windows and Apple Inc.'s Mac computers, as well as ARM chips used in smart phones.
Google has already introduced an operating system for smart phones and other mobile devices, called Android, that vies against various other systems, including ones made by Microsoft and Apple.
The Android system worked well enough to entice some computer makers to begin developing netbooks that will run on it. Acer Inc., the world's third-largest PC maker, said last month it would begin offering Android netbooks, saying it would cut costs and likely help computers start up more quickly.
Google, though, apparently believes a Chrome-based system will be better suited for netbooks.
The duel between Google and Microsoft has been steadily escalating in recent years as Google's dominance of the Internet's lucrative search market has given it the means to threaten Microsoft in ways that few other companies can.
Google already has rankled Microsoft by luring some of its top employees and developing an online package of computer programs that provide an alternative to Microsoft's top-selling word processing, spreadsheet and calendar applications.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has been trying to thwart Google by investing billions of dollars to improve its own Internet search and advertising systems _ to little avail so far. In the past month or so, though, Microsoft has been winning positive reviews and picking up more users with its search upgrade, Bing.
Now Google is aiming for Microsoft's financial jugular with the Chrome operating system.
Microsoft has drawn much of its power _ and profits _ from the Windows operating system that has steered most personal computers for the past two decades. The research firm IDC estimates the Windows operating system and software applications designed to run on it accounted for about $29 billion, or 58 percent, of Microsoft's revenue last year.
Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, and its co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have not concealed their disdain for Windows.
Schmidt maintains Microsoft sometimes unfairly rigs its operating system to limit consumer choices _ something that Microsoft has consistently denied doing. Google fears Microsoft could limit access to its search engine and other products if Windows is set up to favor Microsoft products.
Schmidt and Brin are expected to discuss Google's new operating system this week when they appear at a media conference hosted by Allen & Co. at the Sun Valley resort in Idaho. They had not arrived at the conference Wednesday afternoon as other participants finished up their lunch and set out for a whitewater rafting trip.
info came from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/08/google-chrome-os-new-pc-o_n_227513.html
Lending Declines as Bank Jitters Persist
By DAMIAN PALETTA
U.S. lenders saw loans fall by the largest amount since the government began tracking such data, suggesting that nervousness among banks continues to hamper economic recovery.
Total loan balances fell by $210.4 billion, or 3%, in the third quarter, the biggest decline since data collection began in 1984, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The FDIC also said its fund to backstop deposits fell into negative territory for just the second time in its history, pushed down by a wave of bank failures.
The decline in total loans showed how banks remain reluctant to lend, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars the government has spent to prop up ailing banks and jump-start lending. The issue has taken on greater urgency with the U.S. unemployment rate hitting 10.2% in October, even as the economy appears to be stabilizing."There is no question that credit availability is an important issue for the economic recovery," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair told reporters Tuesday. "We need to see banks making more loans to their business customers."
She said large banks -- which account for 56% of industry assets and received a large share of the government's bailout funds -- accounted for 75% of the decline.
James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association, an industry trade group, said, "It's a very risky time for any lender because the probability of loss is greater, and they are being prudent in their approach to lending. Their regulators are demanding it."
The FDIC's quarterly banking profile, which analyzed data from 8,099 federally insured banks, reported that 552 financial institutions, with combined assets of $345.9 billion, were on the government's problem list at the end of September, up from 416 with $299.8 billion of assets at the end of June. That means roughly 7% of all U.S. banks are on the list and face a higher probability of failure.
FDIC officials don't disclose the names of banks on the list, in part because it could lead to bank runs.
Many banks on the problem list are expected to return to health, but the FDIC is seeing a jump in the number of failures. Fifty banks failed in the third quarter, the most in a single quarter since the fourth quarter of 1992. Three new banks were chartered in the third quarter, the lowest quarterly number since World War II.
The FDIC said its deposit-insurance fund, which backstops trillions of dollars in deposit accounts, fell to a negative $8.2 billion at the end of September, an $18.6 billion drop from the end of June. The FDIC said one reason for the decrease was that the agency shifted $21.7 billion from the fund into reserves for bank failures over the next 12 months.
Even though the FDIC's fund balance was negative, it still had reserves of cash. The FDIC said it had $23.3 billion in cash at the end of September to help resolve future bank failures.
FDIC officials recently agreed to require banks to prepay three years' worth of government insurance fees, which is expected to bring in an additional $45 billion by the end of the year.
The decrease in loan balances reported Tuesday likely reflects a decline in demand for loans among economically anxious businesses and consumers, as well as a reduced willingness by banks to lend.
The total of commercial and industrial loans, a category that includes business loans, fell to $1.28 trillion at the end of September, from $1.36 trillion at the end of June. The outstanding total of construction loans, credit cards and mortgages also fell.
Government officials have stepped up pressure on banks to make more loans in recent weeks.
The banking industry recorded a net profit of $2.8 billion for the third quarter, compared with a $4.3 billion loss in the second quarter, according to the FDIC report. Banks wrote off $50.8 billion in bad loans in the third quarter, $22.6 billion more than they did in the third quarter of 2008.
Ms. Bair said the industry wasn't likely to be profitable in the fourth quarter, in part because banks are expected to write off more bad loans before year-end.
—David Enrich contributed to this article.
Write to Damian Paletta at damian.paletta@wsj.com
info came from
U.S. lenders saw loans fall by the largest amount since the government began tracking such data, suggesting that nervousness among banks continues to hamper economic recovery.
Total loan balances fell by $210.4 billion, or 3%, in the third quarter, the biggest decline since data collection began in 1984, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The FDIC also said its fund to backstop deposits fell into negative territory for just the second time in its history, pushed down by a wave of bank failures.
The decline in total loans showed how banks remain reluctant to lend, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars the government has spent to prop up ailing banks and jump-start lending. The issue has taken on greater urgency with the U.S. unemployment rate hitting 10.2% in October, even as the economy appears to be stabilizing."There is no question that credit availability is an important issue for the economic recovery," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair told reporters Tuesday. "We need to see banks making more loans to their business customers."
She said large banks -- which account for 56% of industry assets and received a large share of the government's bailout funds -- accounted for 75% of the decline.
James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association, an industry trade group, said, "It's a very risky time for any lender because the probability of loss is greater, and they are being prudent in their approach to lending. Their regulators are demanding it."
The FDIC's quarterly banking profile, which analyzed data from 8,099 federally insured banks, reported that 552 financial institutions, with combined assets of $345.9 billion, were on the government's problem list at the end of September, up from 416 with $299.8 billion of assets at the end of June. That means roughly 7% of all U.S. banks are on the list and face a higher probability of failure.
FDIC officials don't disclose the names of banks on the list, in part because it could lead to bank runs.
Many banks on the problem list are expected to return to health, but the FDIC is seeing a jump in the number of failures. Fifty banks failed in the third quarter, the most in a single quarter since the fourth quarter of 1992. Three new banks were chartered in the third quarter, the lowest quarterly number since World War II.
The FDIC said its deposit-insurance fund, which backstops trillions of dollars in deposit accounts, fell to a negative $8.2 billion at the end of September, an $18.6 billion drop from the end of June. The FDIC said one reason for the decrease was that the agency shifted $21.7 billion from the fund into reserves for bank failures over the next 12 months.
Even though the FDIC's fund balance was negative, it still had reserves of cash. The FDIC said it had $23.3 billion in cash at the end of September to help resolve future bank failures.
FDIC officials recently agreed to require banks to prepay three years' worth of government insurance fees, which is expected to bring in an additional $45 billion by the end of the year.
The decrease in loan balances reported Tuesday likely reflects a decline in demand for loans among economically anxious businesses and consumers, as well as a reduced willingness by banks to lend.
The total of commercial and industrial loans, a category that includes business loans, fell to $1.28 trillion at the end of September, from $1.36 trillion at the end of June. The outstanding total of construction loans, credit cards and mortgages also fell.
Government officials have stepped up pressure on banks to make more loans in recent weeks.
The banking industry recorded a net profit of $2.8 billion for the third quarter, compared with a $4.3 billion loss in the second quarter, according to the FDIC report. Banks wrote off $50.8 billion in bad loans in the third quarter, $22.6 billion more than they did in the third quarter of 2008.
Ms. Bair said the industry wasn't likely to be profitable in the fourth quarter, in part because banks are expected to write off more bad loans before year-end.
—David Enrich contributed to this article.
Write to Damian Paletta at damian.paletta@wsj.com
info came from
China expert warns of pandemic flu mutation
China expert warns of pandemic flu mutation
By Stefanie McIntyre
HONG KONG (Reuters) - China must be alert to any mutation or changes in the behavior of the H1N1 swine flu virus because the far deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in the country, a leading Chinese disease expert said.
Zhong Nanshan, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in China's southern Guangdong province, said the presence of both viruses in China meant they could mix and become a monstrous hybrid -- a bug packed with strong killing power that can transmit efficiently among people.
"China, as you know, is different from other countries. Inside China, H5N1 has been existing for some time, so if there is really a reassortment between H1N1 and H5N1, it will be a disaster," Zhong said in an interview with Reuters Television.
"This is something we need to monitor, the change, the mutation of the virus. This is why reporting of the death rate must be really transparent."
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that H5N1 had erupted in poultry in Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, posing once again a threat to humans.
"First, it places those in direct contact with birds -- usually rural folk and farm workers -- at risk of catching the often-fatal disease. Second, the virus could undergo a process of "reassortment" with another influenza virus and produce a completely new strain," it said.
"The most obvious risk is of H5N1 combining with the pandemic ... (H1N1) virus, producing a flu virus that is as deadly as the former and as contagious as the latter."
Zhong told the Chinese media last week that China may have had more H1N1 flu deaths than it has reported, with some local governments possibly concealing suspect cases.
The doctor is known for his candor and work in fighting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, when nationwide panic and international alarm erupted after it emerged that officials hid or underplayed the spreading epidemic.
Cover-ups by local governments in 2003 during the SARS epidemic led to the sackings of several officials. More than 300 people died in that outbreak.
China, the world's most populous country, has reported around 70,000 cases of H1N1 and 53 death from the virus.
While some regions simply lack the technology to test for H1N1, other areas have been treating deaths as cases of ordinary pneumonia without a question, Zhong said.
"Some local healthcare authorities are reluctant, unwilling to test patients with severe pneumonia because there's some latent rule which says the more H1N1 deaths, the less effective the control and prevention work in your area," Zhong said.
Zhong said China's health minister Chen Zhu rang him up last week and agreed with his views. A notice then appeared on the ministry's website threatening severe punishment for officials caught concealing deaths from H1N1 swine flu.
WHO reported more than 526,060 laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide on November 15, with at least 6,770 deaths. However, it has stressed for months now that the figures were only the tip of the iceberg.
It urged countries to place more resources on mitigating the disease rather then on costly prevention measures or testing everyone. All WHO and the U.S. CDC will say is that "millions" have been infected.
info came from
pandemic flu mutation
By Stefanie McIntyre
HONG KONG (Reuters) - China must be alert to any mutation or changes in the behavior of the H1N1 swine flu virus because the far deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in the country, a leading Chinese disease expert said.
Zhong Nanshan, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in China's southern Guangdong province, said the presence of both viruses in China meant they could mix and become a monstrous hybrid -- a bug packed with strong killing power that can transmit efficiently among people.
"China, as you know, is different from other countries. Inside China, H5N1 has been existing for some time, so if there is really a reassortment between H1N1 and H5N1, it will be a disaster," Zhong said in an interview with Reuters Television.
"This is something we need to monitor, the change, the mutation of the virus. This is why reporting of the death rate must be really transparent."
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that H5N1 had erupted in poultry in Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, posing once again a threat to humans.
"First, it places those in direct contact with birds -- usually rural folk and farm workers -- at risk of catching the often-fatal disease. Second, the virus could undergo a process of "reassortment" with another influenza virus and produce a completely new strain," it said.
"The most obvious risk is of H5N1 combining with the pandemic ... (H1N1) virus, producing a flu virus that is as deadly as the former and as contagious as the latter."
Zhong told the Chinese media last week that China may have had more H1N1 flu deaths than it has reported, with some local governments possibly concealing suspect cases.
The doctor is known for his candor and work in fighting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, when nationwide panic and international alarm erupted after it emerged that officials hid or underplayed the spreading epidemic.
Cover-ups by local governments in 2003 during the SARS epidemic led to the sackings of several officials. More than 300 people died in that outbreak.
China, the world's most populous country, has reported around 70,000 cases of H1N1 and 53 death from the virus.
While some regions simply lack the technology to test for H1N1, other areas have been treating deaths as cases of ordinary pneumonia without a question, Zhong said.
"Some local healthcare authorities are reluctant, unwilling to test patients with severe pneumonia because there's some latent rule which says the more H1N1 deaths, the less effective the control and prevention work in your area," Zhong said.
Zhong said China's health minister Chen Zhu rang him up last week and agreed with his views. A notice then appeared on the ministry's website threatening severe punishment for officials caught concealing deaths from H1N1 swine flu.
WHO reported more than 526,060 laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide on November 15, with at least 6,770 deaths. However, it has stressed for months now that the figures were only the tip of the iceberg.
It urged countries to place more resources on mitigating the disease rather then on costly prevention measures or testing everyone. All WHO and the U.S. CDC will say is that "millions" have been infected.
info came from
pandemic flu mutation
Washington Post closing remaining U.S. bureaus
NEW YORK, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The Washington Post (WPO.N) is closing its last U.S. bureaus outside the nation's capital as the money-losing newspaper retrenches to focus on politics and local news.
"At a time of limited resources and increased competitive pressure, it's necessary to concentrate our journalistic firepower on our central mission of covering Washington and the news, trends and ideas that shape both the region and the country's politics, policies and government," the newspaper's top editor, Marcus Brauchli, wrote in a memo to employees that was obtained by Reuters.
if you want to read all of it goto
"At a time of limited resources and increased competitive pressure, it's necessary to concentrate our journalistic firepower on our central mission of covering Washington and the news, trends and ideas that shape both the region and the country's politics, policies and government," the newspaper's top editor, Marcus Brauchli, wrote in a memo to employees that was obtained by Reuters.
if you want to read all of it goto
Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) - Signaling an imminent decision on Afghanistan troop levels, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" and destroy terrorist networks in the region.
The president said he would announce his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after Thanksgiving.
"I feel confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he said.
Obama held his 10th and final war council meeting Monday night to assess his Afghanistan strategy in advance of his troop decision. He commented Tuesday during a brief news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was at the White House for a state visit.
"It is in our strategic interests, in our national security interest to make sure that al-Qaida and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas," Obama said. "We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks."
"It is my intention to finish the job," he said of the war in Afghanistan that has been going on for eight years—since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
to read me goto Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan
The president said he would announce his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after Thanksgiving.
"I feel confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he said.
Obama held his 10th and final war council meeting Monday night to assess his Afghanistan strategy in advance of his troop decision. He commented Tuesday during a brief news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was at the White House for a state visit.
"It is in our strategic interests, in our national security interest to make sure that al-Qaida and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas," Obama said. "We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks."
"It is my intention to finish the job," he said of the war in Afghanistan that has been going on for eight years—since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
to read me goto Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan
Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate" on Washington Times Americas Morning Show
Link to 2005 Inhofe Senate Floor Speech: "Today, I will discuss something else – scientific integrity and how to improve it. Specifically, I will discuss the systematic and documented abuse of the scientific process by an international body that claims it provides the most complete and objective scientific assessment in the world on the subject of climate change – the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. I will conclude with a series of recommendations as to the minimum changes the IPCC must make if it is to restore its credibility."
Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate"
Interview on Washington Times America's Morning Show
Transcript From Inhofe Radio Interview
Monday, November 23, 2009
Senator Inhofe: This is a huge issue and of course we have the Gitmo issue and we have the, of course, cap-and-trade is now taking a new turn. Jed, if I could…
Jed Babbin: Yeah.
Senator Inhofe: Would you let me make one sentence?
Jed Babbin: Please.
Senator Inhofe: This is out of a speech that I made, Melanie, back on the floor of the Senate, and it was repeated, John Gizzi picked it up and put it in Human Events. This was 4 years ago, in talking about the science, cooking the science. I said I would discuss the “systematic and documented abuse of the scientific process by which an international body that claims it provides the most complete and objective science assessment in the world on the subject of climate change, the United Nations IPCC.” Now that was four years ago; so we knew they were cooking the science back then, and you’ve been talking about the, you know, what’s happened recently with the bloggers coming up with what they did, what they…
Jed Babbin: Let me interrupt you there Senator, because I think that’s a really important point. Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven’t followed that story, what Senator Inhofe’s talking about, in Britain, a blogger got into some of the official government records about climate change and how the measurements were being taken to show…
Melanie Morgan: And the politics behind it.
Jed Babbin: And the – well but they were basically saying, “Oh yea, hey, let’s make it look like Jim so-and-so did that, and let’s help him cook the books, and let’s change the data…”
Melanie Morgan: And “let’s beat up those who don’t agree with us.”
Jed Babbin: Yea, but it’s all a huge fraud! I mean, Senator, am I exaggerating?
Senator Inhofe: No you’re not. If you remember, mine was the hoax statement, and that was, what, five years ago I guess.
Jed Babbin: Well, we ought to give you a big pat on the back for being …
Melanie Morgan: Yea, you deserve an an ‘atta boy, and now you are finally being vindicated.
Senator Inhofe: Well, on this thing, it is pretty serious. And since, you know, Barabara Boxer is the Chairman and I’m the Ranking Member on Environment and Public Works, if nothing happens in the next seven days when we go back into session a week from today that would change this situation, I will call for an investigation. ‘Cause this thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with.
Melanie Morgan: So what will you be calling for an investigation of?
Senator Inhofe: On the IPCC and on the United Nations on the way that they cooked the science to make this thing look as if the science was settled, when all the time of course we knew it was not.
Jed Babbin: Should somebody stop further spending on this until we get this investigation, Senator?
Senator Inhofe: Well, I don’t know how you do that, though, ‘cause we’re not the ones that are calling the shots. The interesting part of this is it’s happening right before Copenhagen. And, so, the timing couldn’t be better. Whoever is on the ball in Great Britain, their time was good.
Melanie Morgan: Well, Senator, thank you very much for coming back and handling a little bit, a tiny little bit of heat from the kitchen.
if you want to read all of it goto th link below
info came from Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate" on Washington Times Americas Morning Show
Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate"
Interview on Washington Times America's Morning Show
Transcript From Inhofe Radio Interview
Monday, November 23, 2009
Senator Inhofe: This is a huge issue and of course we have the Gitmo issue and we have the, of course, cap-and-trade is now taking a new turn. Jed, if I could…
Jed Babbin: Yeah.
Senator Inhofe: Would you let me make one sentence?
Jed Babbin: Please.
Senator Inhofe: This is out of a speech that I made, Melanie, back on the floor of the Senate, and it was repeated, John Gizzi picked it up and put it in Human Events. This was 4 years ago, in talking about the science, cooking the science. I said I would discuss the “systematic and documented abuse of the scientific process by which an international body that claims it provides the most complete and objective science assessment in the world on the subject of climate change, the United Nations IPCC.” Now that was four years ago; so we knew they were cooking the science back then, and you’ve been talking about the, you know, what’s happened recently with the bloggers coming up with what they did, what they…
Jed Babbin: Let me interrupt you there Senator, because I think that’s a really important point. Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven’t followed that story, what Senator Inhofe’s talking about, in Britain, a blogger got into some of the official government records about climate change and how the measurements were being taken to show…
Melanie Morgan: And the politics behind it.
Jed Babbin: And the – well but they were basically saying, “Oh yea, hey, let’s make it look like Jim so-and-so did that, and let’s help him cook the books, and let’s change the data…”
Melanie Morgan: And “let’s beat up those who don’t agree with us.”
Jed Babbin: Yea, but it’s all a huge fraud! I mean, Senator, am I exaggerating?
Senator Inhofe: No you’re not. If you remember, mine was the hoax statement, and that was, what, five years ago I guess.
Jed Babbin: Well, we ought to give you a big pat on the back for being …
Melanie Morgan: Yea, you deserve an an ‘atta boy, and now you are finally being vindicated.
Senator Inhofe: Well, on this thing, it is pretty serious. And since, you know, Barabara Boxer is the Chairman and I’m the Ranking Member on Environment and Public Works, if nothing happens in the next seven days when we go back into session a week from today that would change this situation, I will call for an investigation. ‘Cause this thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with.
Melanie Morgan: So what will you be calling for an investigation of?
Senator Inhofe: On the IPCC and on the United Nations on the way that they cooked the science to make this thing look as if the science was settled, when all the time of course we knew it was not.
Jed Babbin: Should somebody stop further spending on this until we get this investigation, Senator?
Senator Inhofe: Well, I don’t know how you do that, though, ‘cause we’re not the ones that are calling the shots. The interesting part of this is it’s happening right before Copenhagen. And, so, the timing couldn’t be better. Whoever is on the ball in Great Britain, their time was good.
Melanie Morgan: Well, Senator, thank you very much for coming back and handling a little bit, a tiny little bit of heat from the kitchen.
if you want to read all of it goto th link below
info came from Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate" on Washington Times Americas Morning Show
Monday, November 23, 2009
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
The $100 Million Health Care Vote?
ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports:
What does it take to get a wavering senator to vote for health care reform?
Here’s a case study.
On page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.”
The section spends two pages defining which “states” would qualify, saying, among other things, that it would be states that “during the preceding 7 fiscal years” have been declared a “major disaster area.”
I am told the section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana, the home of moderate Democrat Mary Landrieu, who has been playing hard to get on the health care bill.
In other words, the bill spends two pages describing would could be written with a single world: Louisiana. (This may also help explain why the bill is long.)
Senator Harry Reid, who drafted the bill, cannot pass it without the support of Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu.
How much does it cost? According to the Congressional Budget Office: $100 million.
Here’s the incredibly complicated language:
SEC. 2006. SPECIAL ADJUSTMENT TO FMAP DETERMINATION FOR CERTAIN STATES RECOVERING FROM A MAJOR DISASTER.
Section 1905 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d), as amended by sections 2001(a)(3) and
2001(b)(2), is amended— (1) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘subsection (y)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (y) and (aa)’’; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
‘‘(aa)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (b), beginning January 1, 2011, the Federal medical assistance percentage for a fiscal year for a disaster-recovery FMAP adjustment State shall be equal to the following:
‘(A) In the case of the first fiscal year (or part of a fiscal year) for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), increased by 50 percent of the number of percentage points by which the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year after the application of only subsection (a) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5 (if applicable to the preceding fiscal year) and without regard to this subsection, subsection (y), and subsections (b) and (c) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5.
‘‘(B) In the case of the second or any succeeding fiscal year for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the preceding fiscal year under this subsection for the State, increased by 25 percent of the number of percentage points by which the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year under this subsection.
‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘disaster-recovery FMAP adjustment State’ means a State that is one of
the 50 States or the District of Columbia, for which, at any time during the preceding 7 fiscal years, the President has declared a major disaster under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and determined as a result of such disaster that every county or parish in the State warrant individual and public assistance or public assistance from the Federal Government under such Act and for which— ‘‘(A) in the case of the first fiscal year (or part of a fiscal year) for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year after the application of only subsection (a) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5 (if applicable to the preceding fiscal year) and without regard to this subsection, subsection (y), and subsections (b) and (c) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5, by at least 3 percentage points; and ‘‘(B) in the case of the second or any succeeding fiscal year for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year under this subsection by at least 3 percentage points.
‘‘(3) The Federal medical assistance percentage determined for a disaster-recovery FMAP adjustment State under paragraph (1) shall apply for purposes of this title (other than with respect to disproportionate share hospital payments described in section 1923 and payments under this title that are based on the enhanced FMAP described in 2105(b)) and shall not apply with respect to payments under title IV (other than under part E of title IV) or payments under title XXI.’’.
info came from The $100 Million Health Care Vote?
CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) - A 39-year-old Southern California man has been arrested for misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paying a teenager $31 to spit in his face. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department says Charles Hersel was arrested Wednesday in a sting operation at a mall in Thousand Oaks. He's free from jail pending a court hearing.
A sheriff's statement says Westlake High School students claimed Hersel paid them to yell profanities, spit and slap him in the face. Several also claimed he offered them cash to urinate and defecate on him.
A motive wasn't clear.
Authorities say Hersel contacted some teens through the MySpace social networking site.
Hersel couldn't be reached for comment Friday. He had no listed phone number in Thousand Oaks.
info came from CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
A sheriff's statement says Westlake High School students claimed Hersel paid them to yell profanities, spit and slap him in the face. Several also claimed he offered them cash to urinate and defecate on him.
A motive wasn't clear.
Authorities say Hersel contacted some teens through the MySpace social networking site.
Hersel couldn't be reached for comment Friday. He had no listed phone number in Thousand Oaks.
info came from CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Friday, November 20, 2009
Miley Cyrus bus crash: bus driver dead, singer was not on board
Early this morning, a tour bus from the Miley Cyrus tour crashed, killing one person.
The Associated Press reports that around 8:15 a.m., one of the tour's four buses overturned on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie, about 40 miles south of Richmond.
Early reports indicate that it was the bus driver killed in the incident. Pop star Cyrus wasn't on board the tour bus when it crashed.
A representative from Dinwiddie Fire and EMS told TMZ the bus had 14 members of Cyrus's production crew.
The singer is expected to perform Sunday in Greensboro, N.C. No word whether the accident will cause her to postpone the date.
End of an era: Oprah ending show after 25 years
CHICAGO (AP) - Oprah Winfrey was set to announce Friday that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air.
Winfrey planned to announce the final date for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during a live broadcast, according to her production company, Harpo Productions Inc.
Many fans heading into Harpo Studios on Friday morning seemed to support Winfrey's decision to end the show.
"You always want to end a show when people want more—and not when people are sick of watching you," said Rebecca Switaj, 31, of Chicago.
Said Sandra Donaldson, 51, of Indianapolis: "It's time to elevate to something new. Whatever she does is going to be a blessing. It's going to be rewarding and eye-opening. Her name alone opens doors."
Once a local Chicago morning program, the production evolved into television's top-rated talk show for more than two decades, airing in 145 countries worldwide and watched by an estimated 42 million viewers a week in the U.S. alone.
"Oprah Winfrey is in a category of her own," said Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University. "This is a great American story and like any great American story it's supersized."
A Harpo spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday on Winfrey's plans except to say that "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which has seen ratings slip 7 percent from a year ago, will not move to cable television.
Winfrey, 55, is widely expected to start up a new talk show on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a much-delayed joint venture with Discovery Communications Inc. that is projected to debut in 2011. OWN is to replace the Discovery Health Channel and will debut in some 74 million homes. An OWN spokeswoman declined comment Thursday.
CBS Television Distribution, which distributes "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to more than 200 U.S. markets, held out hope it could continue doing business with Winfrey, perhaps producing a new show out of its studios in Los Angeles.
"We know that anything she turns her hand to will be a great success," the CBS Corp. unit said in a statement. "We look forward to working with her for the next several years, and hopefully afterwards as well."
Fans expressed hope that Winfrey would announce another project on Friday.
"Oprah, she impacts everybody, her life, the way she gives," Shawana Fletcher, 29, of Chicago, said outside Harpo Studios. "I hope she's not totally done. That's what we're praying."
Winfrey's 24th season opened this year with a bang, as she drew more than 20,000 fans to Chicago's Magnificent Mile for a block party with the Black Eyed Peas. She followed with a series of blockbuster interviews—Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, singer Whitney Houston and ESPN's Erin Andrews, and just this week, former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
As a newcomer, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" chipped away at talk-show king Phil Donahue's dominance. Later, it turned to inspiration. The show's coverage ranged from interviews with the world's celebrities to an honest discussion about Winfrey's weight struggles.
"As the show evolved, it really kind of dressed up the neighborhood of the daytime talk show," Thompson said.
In 1986, pianist-showman Liberace gave his final TV interview to Winfrey, just six weeks before he died. In a 1993 prime-time special, Michael Jackson revealed he suffered from a skin condition that produces depigmentation. Tom Cruise enthusiastically declared his affection for the much-younger Katie Holmes on the program in 2005—and jumped on the couch to prove it.
In 2004, Winfrey unveiled her most famous giveaway, when nearly 300 members of the studio audience opened a gift box to find the keys to a new car inside. The stunt became a classic show moment as much for Winfrey's reaction—"You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car!"—as its $7 million price tag.
The show also became a launching pad for Oprah's Book Club, which then launched best-sellers. The titles ranged from "Song of Solomon" and "Paradise" by Toni Morrison to Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone" and Elie Wiesel's "Night."
For others, the selection backfired. "A Million Little Pieces" exploded in sales after Winfrey chose the James Frey memoir in fall 2005. Soon after, it was revealed as a fabricated tale of addiction and recovery, and Winfrey later chewed out Frey on her show.
"I call her `Queen of the New Consciousness' because she did so many things to change lives, the books that she promoted," said hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
The loss of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would be a blow to CBS Corp., which earns a percentage of hefty licensing fees from TV stations that use it—largely ABC affiliates. CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves told analysts two weeks ago that the contract with the show runs through most of 2011 and "if there's a negative impact, it wouldn't hit us until '12."
"Oprah's been a force of media and there's really no person you can look to out there who you could say, `That's the heir apparent,'" said Larry Gerbrandt, an analyst for Media Valuation Partners in Los Angeles. Gerbrandt noted many stations build their schedules around Winfrey's show.
"It's a big loss, but not as huge as it would have been 10 years ago," he said. "However, it still commands the biggest audience and ABC station competitors are licking their chops."
Talk of the show's end often has accompanied Winfrey's contract negotiations. Before signing her current contract in 2004, she talked about quitting after the 2005-2006 season. As far back as 1995, she called continuing "a difficult and important decision."
Winfrey started her broadcasting career in Nashville, Tenn., and Baltimore, Md., before relocating to Chicago in 1984 to host WLS-TV's morning talk show "A.M. Chicago"—which became "The Oprah Winfrey Show" one year later. She set up Harpo the following year and her talk show went into syndication.
Powered by the show's staggering success, Winfrey built a media empire. Harpo Studios produces shows hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw and celebrity chef Rachael Ray. O, The Oprah Magazine was the nation's 7th most popular magazine in the first half of 2009.
"I came from nothing," Winfrey wrote in the 1998 book "Journey to Beloved." "No power. No money. Not even my thoughts were my own. I had no free will. No voice. Now, I have the freedom, power, and will to speak to millions every day—having come from nowhere."
Earlier this year, Forbes scored Winfrey's net worth at $2.7 billion.
info came from http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9C3BATO0&show_article=1
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Travelers scrambling after FAA glitch Computer problem slows air travel, leads to widespread delays
ATLANTA - Air travelers nationwide scrambled to revise their plans Thursday after an FAA computer glitch caused widespread cancellations and delays for the second time in 15 months.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the problem, which lasted about five hours, was fixed around 10 a.m., but it was unclear how long flights would be affected.
Doug Church, a spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Union, said controllers were still entering flight plans manually in some locations even after the glitch was fixed
Aviation officials told The Associated Press that the problem began at the computer center in Salt Lake City. The officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto said the problem started between 5:15 and 5:30 a.m. Airplane dispatchers had to send plans to controllers, who entered them by hand.
"It's slowing everything down," Takemoto said.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest, was particularly affected. The problem also exacerbated delays caused by bad weather in the Northeast, with airports in the Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York metro areas reporting problems.
Some flights were more than two hours behind schedule. Airports around the South also reported delays and cancellations.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said the country's aviation system is "in shambles" and the FAA needs more resources to prevent such problems from continuing.
"If we don't deliver the resources, manpower, and technology the FAA it needs to upgrade the system, these technical glitches that cause cascading delays and chaos across the country are going to become a very regular occurrence," he said in a statement.
In Atlanta, sisters Sharon Walker and Sheila James were taking their elderly mother, Rosa Washington, to see their other sister in St. Louis. The trio's 9:30 a.m. flight out of Hartsfield-Jackson was delayed until 4 p.m.
"We were going to be there for a four-day weekend, but now it's getting cut short," James said as she sat with her family in airport atrium. "It's just not a good day."
AirTran canceled at least 22 flights and delayed dozens more. Delta Air Lines was also affected. American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said several hundred flights would be delayed around the country. He said American was told the problem would be fixed soon, "but once you get behind, it tends to stay that way" throughout the day.
Julie King, a spokeswoman for Continental Airlines, said delays averaged about an hour from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and were concentrated at the carrier's hubs in Houston, Cleveland and Newark, N.J. JetBlue Airways said 25 of its flights at JFK had average delays of 60 minutes and delays at other airports were up to 30 minutes.
Passengers were asked to check the status of their flights online before going to airports.
At Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va., nearly all departures were still on time. But passengers on AirTran flight 63 to Atlanta were trying to make other arrangements after that flight was canceled.
Hilda Ruffin of Manassas, a senior citizen who uses a wheelchair, said the airline urged passengers to head to nearby Reagan National Airport to catch another flight to Atlanta. She eventually lobbied the airline for a free shuttle pass to Reagan.
"I really fought for it...I don't have the money to pay for a cab," said Ruffin, who was trying to get to San Antonio.
Houston's two airports and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reported few delays but said things could get worse, especially for travelers headed east. Los Angeles International Airport also reported that delays were likely later in the day.
The problem hinged on flight plans collected by the FAA for traffic nationwide at two centers -- one in Salt Lake City and the other in the Atlanta area. Slide show
Awful airlines
An editorial cartoon roundup by Daryl Cagle depicting the trials and tribulations of air travel.
more photos
Victor Santore, the National Air Traffic Controllers Union southern region vice president, said he began getting e-mail messages from air traffic controllers around 7 a.m. EST Thursday that the Atlanta-area computers had stopped processing plans.
Santore said some controllers were pulled away from their normal duties talking to airplanes or pulled off breaks to help enter the flight plans.
"When something crazy like this happens, we'll pull everybody onto the floor," Santore said. "Every airport at some point some will be affected ... (The delays) are going to ripple through the entire system."
In August 2008, a software malfunction delayed hundreds of flights around the country.
In that episode, the Northeast was hardest hit by the delays because of a glitch at the Hampton, Ga., facility that processes flight plans for the eastern half of the U.S.
The FAA said at that time the source of the computer software malfunction was a "packet switch" that "failed due to a database mismatch."
info came from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34037203/ns/travel-news/?GT1=43001
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Obama in Korea: warmer welcome than in China, Japan?
Seoul, South Korea – President Barack Obama can expect the warmest reception of his swing through East Asia Thursday morning when he meets South Korea's conservative President Lee Myung-bak – a welcome contrast to tense summits in China and Japan as well as talks with other Asian leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore.
Fresh from difficult sessions with China's President Hu Jintao, Mr. Obama flew into Osan Air Force base south of Seoul on Wednesday evening eager to face the leader of a conservative government fully committed to getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program and strengthening the US-Korean alliance.
The sense here is that relations between Washington and Seoul have vastly improved since disagreements on North Korea and differences with Mr. Lee's presidential predecessors, Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung, both of whom flew to Pyongyang for summits with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il.
A South Korean honor guard, dressed in colorful uniforms dating from Korea's ancient dynastic history, greeted Obama as he stepped off Air Force One on a freezing night. Members of the honor guard, armed with bows and arrows on an airstrip used by the latest US fighter planes, bowed low while Obama shook hands with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan; the top US commander in South Korea, Gen. Walter Sharp; the US ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stephens; and other senior officials.
He then boarded a helicopter for the brief flight to Seoul, where he and Mr. Lee are to urge North Korea to return to six-party talks and abandon its nuclear program.
Close alignment on approach to North
Obama and Lee are likely to strongly reaffirm the close alignment between Washington's plea for a "comprehensive package" and Lee's call for a "grand bargain," in which North Korea does away with its entire nuclear weapons program.
"The general US approach is very similar to the grand bargain that President Lee is talking about," says David Stroub, a former US diplomat here. Mr. Stroub believes the US, like South Korea, has wearied of the "salami tactics" of trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program by stages, only to see the North fail to live up to its side of agreements signed at six-party talks hosted by China in 2005 and 2007.
"Officials in the Obama administration believe a step-by-step approach is not politically supported in the US," says Stroub, who headed both the Korea and Japan desks during a 30-year career with the State Department. In the wake of North Korea 's second nuclear test in May, he says, "Americans see no benefit to giving help to prop up an immoral regime."
US officials have repeatedly told South Koreans that when the US envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, goes to Pyongyang after Obama's visit here, he will confine his talks to getting North Korea to return to six-party talks, last held nearly a year ago.
For others to discuss the North Korean nuclear program without South Korean participation "will arouse suspicions for South Koreans," warns Yoon Young-kwan, a Seoul National University professor and former foreign minister. "It is important to develop a multilateral relationship including [South] Korea ."
Former Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo says US-Korean relations by now are considerably better than US-Japan relations in view of the objections raised by the new government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to US bases on Okinawa.
"In the past, it was the Korean alliance they worried about," says Mr. Han. "Now the alliance with Korea has more value than ever before."
Potential turmoil on free trade
If Obama and South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak see eye to eye on North Korea, however, they will have to get around potentially contentious differences on a Korea-US free trade agreement worked out in 16 months of complex negotiations, before either of them was elected as president.
Lee is sure to try to persuade Obama to try to win US congressional approval of the FTA as it now stands, while Obama is just as sure to express some of the reservations that he gave while campaigning for president. Obama reflected the grave doubts of beleaguered US motor vehicle manufacturers and their strongly unionized work force about a rising tide of imports from Korean competitors.
But "the FTA is probably more important to the US than to South Korea," Han says. "South Korea will mean a bridgehead in Asia when China is expanding its influence." Obama, he says, "has to understand how dangerous it is not to have the FTA ratified."
Victor Cha, who served as director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council under George W. Bush, sees ratification of the Korea-US free trade agreement as "the next big upgrade in this alliance." Mr. Cha, now a professor at Georgetown , says it's "important for the US to be very clear about its support for free trade" and urges ratification "based on broader strategic arguments and not domestic politics."
Also:
Obama bids China farewell with Great Wall tour, modest expectations
Obama raps Israel over new Jerusalem settlement plan
info came from http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20091118/wl_csm/oskobama_1
Fresh from difficult sessions with China's President Hu Jintao, Mr. Obama flew into Osan Air Force base south of Seoul on Wednesday evening eager to face the leader of a conservative government fully committed to getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program and strengthening the US-Korean alliance.
The sense here is that relations between Washington and Seoul have vastly improved since disagreements on North Korea and differences with Mr. Lee's presidential predecessors, Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung, both of whom flew to Pyongyang for summits with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il.
A South Korean honor guard, dressed in colorful uniforms dating from Korea's ancient dynastic history, greeted Obama as he stepped off Air Force One on a freezing night. Members of the honor guard, armed with bows and arrows on an airstrip used by the latest US fighter planes, bowed low while Obama shook hands with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan; the top US commander in South Korea, Gen. Walter Sharp; the US ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stephens; and other senior officials.
He then boarded a helicopter for the brief flight to Seoul, where he and Mr. Lee are to urge North Korea to return to six-party talks and abandon its nuclear program.
Close alignment on approach to North
Obama and Lee are likely to strongly reaffirm the close alignment between Washington's plea for a "comprehensive package" and Lee's call for a "grand bargain," in which North Korea does away with its entire nuclear weapons program.
"The general US approach is very similar to the grand bargain that President Lee is talking about," says David Stroub, a former US diplomat here. Mr. Stroub believes the US, like South Korea, has wearied of the "salami tactics" of trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program by stages, only to see the North fail to live up to its side of agreements signed at six-party talks hosted by China in 2005 and 2007.
"Officials in the Obama administration believe a step-by-step approach is not politically supported in the US," says Stroub, who headed both the Korea and Japan desks during a 30-year career with the State Department. In the wake of North Korea 's second nuclear test in May, he says, "Americans see no benefit to giving help to prop up an immoral regime."
US officials have repeatedly told South Koreans that when the US envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, goes to Pyongyang after Obama's visit here, he will confine his talks to getting North Korea to return to six-party talks, last held nearly a year ago.
For others to discuss the North Korean nuclear program without South Korean participation "will arouse suspicions for South Koreans," warns Yoon Young-kwan, a Seoul National University professor and former foreign minister. "It is important to develop a multilateral relationship including [South] Korea ."
Former Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo says US-Korean relations by now are considerably better than US-Japan relations in view of the objections raised by the new government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to US bases on Okinawa.
"In the past, it was the Korean alliance they worried about," says Mr. Han. "Now the alliance with Korea has more value than ever before."
Potential turmoil on free trade
If Obama and South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak see eye to eye on North Korea, however, they will have to get around potentially contentious differences on a Korea-US free trade agreement worked out in 16 months of complex negotiations, before either of them was elected as president.
Lee is sure to try to persuade Obama to try to win US congressional approval of the FTA as it now stands, while Obama is just as sure to express some of the reservations that he gave while campaigning for president. Obama reflected the grave doubts of beleaguered US motor vehicle manufacturers and their strongly unionized work force about a rising tide of imports from Korean competitors.
But "the FTA is probably more important to the US than to South Korea," Han says. "South Korea will mean a bridgehead in Asia when China is expanding its influence." Obama, he says, "has to understand how dangerous it is not to have the FTA ratified."
Victor Cha, who served as director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council under George W. Bush, sees ratification of the Korea-US free trade agreement as "the next big upgrade in this alliance." Mr. Cha, now a professor at Georgetown , says it's "important for the US to be very clear about its support for free trade" and urges ratification "based on broader strategic arguments and not domestic politics."
Also:
Obama bids China farewell with Great Wall tour, modest expectations
Obama raps Israel over new Jerusalem settlement plan
info came from http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20091118/wl_csm/oskobama_1
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Gun sales shoot up amid America’s fear of rising crime and terrorism
Smith & Wesson, the famed American gunmaker once owned by Tomkins, the British conglomerate, expects to nearly double its annual sales in the next three to five years as demand for its firearms soars in the recession. It is not alone.
All over America demand for firearms and ammunition is rising amid concerns that rising unemployment, which passed 10 per cent this month, will lead inexorably to higher rates of crime. Fears of terrorism have also helped to lift demand, as have concerns among gun owners that the Obama Administration may introduce restrictions on gun ownership and impose additional taxes.
Smith & Wesson is expecting sales to rise by 30 per cent to $102 million (£61 million) in the first quarter of the next financial year, after growing by more than 13 per cent this year to $335 million.
At Sturm and Ruger, sales for the third quarter hit $71.2 million, up 70 per cent from the same period last year. At Glock, the leader in law enforcement markets, pistol sales rose by 71 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year for 2010, in comparison with the same period last year.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the FBI carried out more than a million background checks on behalf of gun dealers in September (a check is required with every sale), an increase of 12.4 per cent on the same period in the previous year.
Mike Golden, chief executive at Smith and Wesson, is sceptical about the so-called Obama effect on gun sales, believing that his company’s booming revenues have “nothing to do with the administration” and everything to do with the economy.
“People are worried about personal protection with unemployment and crime on the rise,” he said in a presentation to investors, adding that 30 per cent of customers who had bought the company’s guns in the first half of this year were “first-time gun owners”, up from 9 per cent nine a year earlier.
Randy Williams, industry editor at Hoover, the research firm, agreed. “As an example of the personal safety and terrorism aspect, Smith & Wesson’s hunting rifle sales in 2009 dropped about 33 per cent at a time when the company’s other gun sales — revolvers, pistols, Walther imports, and tactical rifles — grew 33 per cent,” he said.
Even though some experts believe that the gun bubble may be about to burst, with a slowdown in the rate of sales growth, such a view is not shared across the industry.
At the Freedom Group, whose brands include Remington, Marlin, Bushmaster and Harrington & Richardson, managers are encouraged by the “meaningful percentage of current firearm sales . . . made to first-time gun purchasers, particularly women”.
The company, owned by Cerberus, the private equity group, is seeking to raise $200 million through an initial public offering.
Although there is no clear evidence of a surge in gun ownership among women (they make up about 13 per cent of gun owners), the company says in its prospectus that it believes that the introduction of first-time shooters, as well as a younger demographic of users and those who like to customise or upgrade their firearms, will sustain the increase in demand.
Freedom is also hoping for an increase in the market for hunting guns, the only segment of the industry to experience a fall during the recession as cost-conscious consumers cut back on their discretionary spending on leisure activities.
With ongoing commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, all manufacturers also believe that American military contracts will continue to provide them with large opportunities.
At Smith & Wesson, Mr Golden is taking no chances and has already started to diversify away from retail gun sales. In June he bought Universal Safety Response, which makes and installs security barriers and which he expects to bring in sales of $90 million next year.
info came from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6917828.ece
Dell Adamo XPS
STYLE
Thinnest laptop in the world at 9.99mm1
13.4-inch widescreen LED HD display
Elegantly matched external peripherals
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Opens with a stroke of your finger
Keyboard folds seamlessly into display
Unique angled design when open
Cool, quiet, solid state drive
Weighs a mere 3.2 lbs.
Metallic key cap, full-size keyboard
PERFORMANCE
1.4GHz Intel® Core™2 Duo ULV processor - delivering ultra-low-voltage mobile performance
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
4GB 800MHz DDR3 dual-channel memory2
Intel® Ultimate-N WiFi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini card and Dell™ Bluetooth® 2.1 adapter
Up to 5 hours and 17 minutes with an optional extended battery life on a full charge3
info came from http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Dell+Adamo+XPS&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10
heres my menu.vbs made by a friend ( http://jagstechblog.blogspot.com )
ok 1st open notepad
then copy and past this
'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Option Explicit
Dim oWSH, oEXE, oIE, iHeight, iWidth, sHTML, sEXE
Set oWSH = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set oEXE = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
Set oIE = WScript.CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application", "IE_")
' § Add Programs to the dictionary §
oEXE("Notepad") = "%SystemRoot%\system32\notepad.exe"
oEXE("Calculator") = "%SystemRoot%\system32\calc.exe"
oEXE("Paint") = "%SystemRoot%\system32\mspaint.exe"
oEXE("DOS Window") = "%comspec%"
' § Configure the Internet Explorer window §
oIE.Navigate "about:blank"
Do Until oIE.ReadyState = 4
WScript.Sleep 100
Loop
iHeight = 60 + (oEXE.Count * 25)
iWidth = 300
oIE.document.parentWindow.resizeTo iWidth, iHeight
oIE.document.title = "Click on a button..." & String(50, Chr(160))
oIE.addressBar = False
oIE.toolBar = False
oIE.statusBar = False
oIE.document.body.scroll = "no"
sHTML = "
oIE.document.body.innerHTML = sHTML
' § Create references for the buttons created above §
For Each sEXE in oEXE
oIE.document.getElementById(sEXE).onClick = GetRef("Click")
Next
' § Make the Internet Explorer windows visible & focus it §
oIE.visible = True
oWSH.AppActivate oIE.document.title
' § Sit in an endless loop until Internet Explorer is closed §
Do
WScript.Sleep 100
Loop
' § Terminate the VBScript when the IE window is closed §
Sub IE_OnQuit
WScript.Quit
End Sub
' § When a button is clicked, launch the associated program §
Sub Click
Dim sProgram
sProgram = oEXE(oIE.document.parentWindow.event.srcElement.id)
oWSH.Run """" & sProgram & """", 1, False
End Sub
'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
then flie save as menu.vbs
and open it. it is going to look like this
then copy and past this
'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Option Explicit
Dim oWSH, oEXE, oIE, iHeight, iWidth, sHTML, sEXE
Set oWSH = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set oEXE = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
Set oIE = WScript.CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application", "IE_")
' § Add Programs to the dictionary §
oEXE("Notepad") = "%SystemRoot%\system32\notepad.exe"
oEXE("Calculator") = "%SystemRoot%\system32\calc.exe"
oEXE("Paint") = "%SystemRoot%\system32\mspaint.exe"
oEXE("DOS Window") = "%comspec%"
' § Configure the Internet Explorer window §
oIE.Navigate "about:blank"
Do Until oIE.ReadyState = 4
WScript.Sleep 100
Loop
iHeight = 60 + (oEXE.Count * 25)
iWidth = 300
oIE.document.parentWindow.resizeTo iWidth, iHeight
oIE.document.title = "Click on a button..." & String(50, Chr(160))
oIE.addressBar = False
oIE.toolBar = False
oIE.statusBar = False
oIE.document.body.scroll = "no"
sHTML = "
"
' § Loop through the dictionary & create application buttons §
For Each sEXE in oEXE
sHTML = sHTML & "
"
Next
' § Write the generated HTML to Internet Explorer §
sHTML = sHTML & "
" ' § Loop through the dictionary & create application buttons §
For Each sEXE in oEXE
sHTML = sHTML & "
"
Next
' § Write the generated HTML to Internet Explorer §
sHTML = sHTML & "
oIE.document.body.innerHTML = sHTML
' § Create references for the buttons created above §
For Each sEXE in oEXE
oIE.document.getElementById(sEXE).onClick = GetRef("Click")
Next
' § Make the Internet Explorer windows visible & focus it §
oIE.visible = True
oWSH.AppActivate oIE.document.title
' § Sit in an endless loop until Internet Explorer is closed §
Do
WScript.Sleep 100
Loop
' § Terminate the VBScript when the IE window is closed §
Sub IE_OnQuit
WScript.Quit
End Sub
' § When a button is clicked, launch the associated program §
Sub Click
Dim sProgram
sProgram = oEXE(oIE.document.parentWindow.event.srcElement.id)
oWSH.Run """" & sProgram & """", 1, False
End Sub
'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
then flie save as menu.vbs
and open it. it is going to look like this
Monday, November 16, 2009
Web site's cash handout stunt horrifies French minister
PARIS (Reuters) - French Budget Minister Eric Woerth said on Sunday he was horrified by a publicity stunt that attracted huge crowds hoping for a cash handout and led to serious violence when it was canceled for safety reasons.
Marketing Web site Mailorama.fr was forced to call off its plan to throw envelopes of cash to passers-by from the top of a bus on Saturday after thousands of people turned up and began spilling over security barriers.
The decision to call off the stunt, which had been heavily promoted beforehand, sparked violent scenes in which shop windows were smashed, at least one car was overturned by hooded youths and photographers and cameramen were attacked.
Police in riot gear were called in to break up the disturbances and about 10 people were arrested.
"This kind of behavior by companies horrifies me," Woerth told Radio J. "They've done this in the United States but that's no reason to do it in France."
Rentabiliweb, the company behind Mailorama.fr issued a statement on Saturday saying it had official permission, otherwise it would not have gone ahead with what it called a "friendly, enjoyable and good natured cash-back initiative."
"Rentaliweb deplores the excesses which occurred," it said.
It said it would donate the 100,000 euros ($148,800) which it had intended to distribute to a charity for the poor.
Woerth denied the violence had any wider significance for French society in view of the economic crisis.
info came from http://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCATRE5AD1DI20091115
Marketing Web site Mailorama.fr was forced to call off its plan to throw envelopes of cash to passers-by from the top of a bus on Saturday after thousands of people turned up and began spilling over security barriers.
The decision to call off the stunt, which had been heavily promoted beforehand, sparked violent scenes in which shop windows were smashed, at least one car was overturned by hooded youths and photographers and cameramen were attacked.
Police in riot gear were called in to break up the disturbances and about 10 people were arrested.
"This kind of behavior by companies horrifies me," Woerth told Radio J. "They've done this in the United States but that's no reason to do it in France."
Rentabiliweb, the company behind Mailorama.fr issued a statement on Saturday saying it had official permission, otherwise it would not have gone ahead with what it called a "friendly, enjoyable and good natured cash-back initiative."
"Rentaliweb deplores the excesses which occurred," it said.
It said it would donate the 100,000 euros ($148,800) which it had intended to distribute to a charity for the poor.
Woerth denied the violence had any wider significance for French society in view of the economic crisis.
info came from http://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCATRE5AD1DI20091115
Dollar falls, sending gold to record high
LONDON (AFP) – The dollar fell on Monday as China accused the United States of increasing protectionism and following unexpectedly strong Japanese economic growth figures, pushing gold prices to a record high point.
US President Barack Obama is in China for a three-day mission aimed at convincing Beijing that Washington is its partner, not its rival.
As the dollar dropped against the euro and yen, gold struck an all-time peak of 1,133.20 dollars an ounce.
In late morning trading here, the euro climbed to 1.4969 dollars from 1.4918 dollars late in New York on Friday.
Against the Japanese currency, the dollar fell to 89.42 yen from 89.66 yen late on Friday.
"Far better than expected Japanese third-quarter GDP data...spurred risk appetite," said Jane Foley, an analyst for online trading firm Forex.com.
"This pushed the euro close to 1.50 dollars in early European hours."
Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.2 percent in the third quarter of 2009 from the previous quarter -- the fastest pace in two-and-a-half years and much better than expected, the government reported.
The euro also gained as higher commodity prices, driven by hopes of a global economic recovery, spurred investor risk appetite, market watchers said.
"Gains in gold prices lifted demand for currencies of commodities-exporting nations like the Aussie against the US dollar," Osao Iizuka, chief foreign exchange trader at the Sumitomo Trust and Banking Co, told Dow Jones Newswires.
"Then the selling of the US dollar spread across other currencies, causing the euro to gain ground," he said.
Comments from a Chinese commerce ministry spokesman accusing the US of protectionism earned a quick rebuttal from senior US officials speaking in Beijing, who said a trade war was in neither country's best interests.
"We used to see that the United States was an innovation-driven US. But what we are seeing now is an increasingly protective US," commerce ministry spokesman Yao Jian told reporters at a regular monthly briefing.
"It is necessary to create for enterprises a stable and predictable environment, including (stable) economic and foreign exchange policies, to help the global economy grow steadily and China's exports recover," he said.
Yao added that the United States had "continued" to let the dollar drop "to improve its competitiveness" while pressing for the yuan's appreciation.
"It is detrimental to the global recovery and is unfair for (the US) to require other (currencies) to rise while allowing the dollar to keep slumping," Yao told reporters.
But US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Washington was not at fault.
"The United States is not engaged in increased protectionism," Locke told a luncheon in Beijing.
Obama is expected to raise trade tensions with his counterpart Hu Jintao and also urge China to reconsider the value of the yuan, which has been effectively pegged to the dollar since July 2008 and is deemed by Washington as being kept artificially low to boost Chinese exports.
In London on Monday, the euro was changing hands at 1.4969 dollars against 1.4918 dollars late on Friday, at 133.85 yen (133.57), 0.8966 pounds (0.8937) and 1.5096 Swiss francs (1.5093).
The dollar stood at 89.42 yen (89.66) and 1.0085 Swiss francs (1.0117).
The pound was at 1.6695 dollars (1.6693).
On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold jumped to 1,131.70 dollars an ounce from 1,104 dollars an ounce late on Friday.
info came from http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091116/bs_afp/forexeurope_20091116120712
US President Barack Obama is in China for a three-day mission aimed at convincing Beijing that Washington is its partner, not its rival.
As the dollar dropped against the euro and yen, gold struck an all-time peak of 1,133.20 dollars an ounce.
In late morning trading here, the euro climbed to 1.4969 dollars from 1.4918 dollars late in New York on Friday.
Against the Japanese currency, the dollar fell to 89.42 yen from 89.66 yen late on Friday.
"Far better than expected Japanese third-quarter GDP data...spurred risk appetite," said Jane Foley, an analyst for online trading firm Forex.com.
"This pushed the euro close to 1.50 dollars in early European hours."
Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.2 percent in the third quarter of 2009 from the previous quarter -- the fastest pace in two-and-a-half years and much better than expected, the government reported.
The euro also gained as higher commodity prices, driven by hopes of a global economic recovery, spurred investor risk appetite, market watchers said.
"Gains in gold prices lifted demand for currencies of commodities-exporting nations like the Aussie against the US dollar," Osao Iizuka, chief foreign exchange trader at the Sumitomo Trust and Banking Co, told Dow Jones Newswires.
"Then the selling of the US dollar spread across other currencies, causing the euro to gain ground," he said.
Comments from a Chinese commerce ministry spokesman accusing the US of protectionism earned a quick rebuttal from senior US officials speaking in Beijing, who said a trade war was in neither country's best interests.
"We used to see that the United States was an innovation-driven US. But what we are seeing now is an increasingly protective US," commerce ministry spokesman Yao Jian told reporters at a regular monthly briefing.
"It is necessary to create for enterprises a stable and predictable environment, including (stable) economic and foreign exchange policies, to help the global economy grow steadily and China's exports recover," he said.
Yao added that the United States had "continued" to let the dollar drop "to improve its competitiveness" while pressing for the yuan's appreciation.
"It is detrimental to the global recovery and is unfair for (the US) to require other (currencies) to rise while allowing the dollar to keep slumping," Yao told reporters.
But US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Washington was not at fault.
"The United States is not engaged in increased protectionism," Locke told a luncheon in Beijing.
Obama is expected to raise trade tensions with his counterpart Hu Jintao and also urge China to reconsider the value of the yuan, which has been effectively pegged to the dollar since July 2008 and is deemed by Washington as being kept artificially low to boost Chinese exports.
In London on Monday, the euro was changing hands at 1.4969 dollars against 1.4918 dollars late on Friday, at 133.85 yen (133.57), 0.8966 pounds (0.8937) and 1.5096 Swiss francs (1.5093).
The dollar stood at 89.42 yen (89.66) and 1.0085 Swiss francs (1.0117).
The pound was at 1.6695 dollars (1.6693).
On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold jumped to 1,131.70 dollars an ounce from 1,104 dollars an ounce late on Friday.
info came from http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091116/bs_afp/forexeurope_20091116120712
Paterson Rips White House For NYC 9/11 Trial
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Gov. David Paterson openly criticized the White House on Monday, saying he thought it was a terrible idea to move alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected terrorists to New York for trial. "This is not a decision that I would have made. I think terrorism isn't just attack, it's anxiety and I think you feel the anxiety and frustration of New Yorkers who took the bullet for the rest of the country," he said.
Paterson's comments break with Democrats, who generally support the President's decision.
"Our country was attacked on its own soil on September 11, 2001 and New York was very much the epicenter of that attack. Over 2,700 lives were lost," he said. "It's very painful. We're still having trouble getting over it. We still have been unable to rebuild that site and having those terrorists so close to the attack is gonna be an encumbrance on all New Yorkers."
Paterson also said that the White House warned him six months ago this very situation would happen. He said while he disagrees with the decision, he will do everything in his power to make sure that the state's Department of Homeland Security will keep New Yorkers as safe as possible.
Republicans, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, have said the group should be tried in a different location under military tribunal because the attacks are considered an act of war.
Instead, the five suspects will be tried at the federal court house, just steps from Ground Zero.
Attorney General Eric Holder said he decided to bring the suspects, currently detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to trial in New York because of the nature of the undisclosed evidence against them, because the 9/11 victims were mostly civilians, and because the attacks took place on U.S. soil.
New Yorkers are taking sides over the terror trial for the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks. "I think it's a logistical and security nightmare for the American People," Alice Hoagland, mother of a 9/11 victim, said.
Hoagland's son was a passenger on United Flight 93 when terrorists crashed it into a Pennsylvania field on that tragic day. Hoagland worries that bringing the self-proclaimed mastermind of the attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and his accomplices to New York would make the city an even bigger target – and some security experts agree.
"Keeping the courthouse secure, keeping downtown secure, we've got the manpower to do that, but what we worry about is suicide bombers, something that could attract other terrorists like the ones that are being tried," Robert Strang, of Investigative Management Group, said.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the NYPD is fully prepared.
"We've handled high profile events, certainly high profile trials in the past, and we'll be able to do it," Kelly said.
"I am pleased that they're moving these trials to New York near the scene of the crime, giving the families that were most affected [the opportunity] to see the trials," Lorie Van Auken, wife of a 9/11 victim, said.
Van Auken lost her husband, Kenneth, on September 11, and she said she'll be in the federal courtroom for the terror trial. She said the military court proceedings in Guantanamo Bay were not open enough. "It would be very assuring to me and a lot of others to see the American system of justice work," Van Auken said.
Some relatives fear the suspects could be freed on a technicality that a defense attorney could challenge Mohammed's confession to planning the attacks. The government admitted to using water-boarding interrogation techniques on him 183 times in 2003.
"But ultimately, the administration would not have put these five individuals into the federal system, I think, if they weren't convinced they could get a conviction," CBS News security consultant Juan Zarate said.
Defense lawyers could argue that Mohammed's six years in detention have already violated his right to a fair trial. They could also challenge if it's possible to get an impartial jury in New York, where nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11.
info came from http://wcbstv.com/politics/911.trial.paterson.2.1316155.html
Paterson's comments break with Democrats, who generally support the President's decision.
"Our country was attacked on its own soil on September 11, 2001 and New York was very much the epicenter of that attack. Over 2,700 lives were lost," he said. "It's very painful. We're still having trouble getting over it. We still have been unable to rebuild that site and having those terrorists so close to the attack is gonna be an encumbrance on all New Yorkers."
Paterson also said that the White House warned him six months ago this very situation would happen. He said while he disagrees with the decision, he will do everything in his power to make sure that the state's Department of Homeland Security will keep New Yorkers as safe as possible.
Republicans, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, have said the group should be tried in a different location under military tribunal because the attacks are considered an act of war.
Instead, the five suspects will be tried at the federal court house, just steps from Ground Zero.
Attorney General Eric Holder said he decided to bring the suspects, currently detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to trial in New York because of the nature of the undisclosed evidence against them, because the 9/11 victims were mostly civilians, and because the attacks took place on U.S. soil.
New Yorkers are taking sides over the terror trial for the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks. "I think it's a logistical and security nightmare for the American People," Alice Hoagland, mother of a 9/11 victim, said.
Hoagland's son was a passenger on United Flight 93 when terrorists crashed it into a Pennsylvania field on that tragic day. Hoagland worries that bringing the self-proclaimed mastermind of the attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and his accomplices to New York would make the city an even bigger target – and some security experts agree.
"Keeping the courthouse secure, keeping downtown secure, we've got the manpower to do that, but what we worry about is suicide bombers, something that could attract other terrorists like the ones that are being tried," Robert Strang, of Investigative Management Group, said.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the NYPD is fully prepared.
"We've handled high profile events, certainly high profile trials in the past, and we'll be able to do it," Kelly said.
"I am pleased that they're moving these trials to New York near the scene of the crime, giving the families that were most affected [the opportunity] to see the trials," Lorie Van Auken, wife of a 9/11 victim, said.
Van Auken lost her husband, Kenneth, on September 11, and she said she'll be in the federal courtroom for the terror trial. She said the military court proceedings in Guantanamo Bay were not open enough. "It would be very assuring to me and a lot of others to see the American system of justice work," Van Auken said.
Some relatives fear the suspects could be freed on a technicality that a defense attorney could challenge Mohammed's confession to planning the attacks. The government admitted to using water-boarding interrogation techniques on him 183 times in 2003.
"But ultimately, the administration would not have put these five individuals into the federal system, I think, if they weren't convinced they could get a conviction," CBS News security consultant Juan Zarate said.
Defense lawyers could argue that Mohammed's six years in detention have already violated his right to a fair trial. They could also challenge if it's possible to get an impartial jury in New York, where nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11.
info came from http://wcbstv.com/politics/911.trial.paterson.2.1316155.html
here a batch file i call menu.bat
1st open notepad
then copy and pasted this then save as menu.bat
and open it plz tell your friends about this blog plz and thank you
@ECHO OFF
:0
cls
color b
title Menu
echo MAIN MENU:
echo 1.Open Microsoft Word
echo 2.Open Microsoft Powerpoint
echo 3.Open Microsoft Excel
echo 4.Open Internet Explorer
echo 5.Open Mozilla Firefox
echo 6.Open Itunes
echo 7.Open documents
echo 8.Open Command Prompt
echo 9.Open Notepad
set INPUT=
set /p INPUT=Enter choice....
If "%input%"=="1" goto 1
If "%input%"=="2" goto 2
If "%input%"=="3" goto 3
If "%input%"=="4" goto 4
If "%input%"=="5" goto 5
If "%input%"=="6" goto 6
If "%input%"=="7" goto 7
If "%input%"=="8" goto 8
If "%input%"=="9" goto 9
:1
start word.exe
:2
start powerpoint.exe
:3
start excel.exe
:4
start iexplore.exe
goto 0
:5
start firefox.exe
:6
start itunes.exe
:7
explorer.exe
:8
start cmd.exe
:9
start notepad.exe
then copy and pasted this then save as menu.bat
and open it plz tell your friends about this blog plz and thank you
@ECHO OFF
:0
cls
color b
title Menu
echo MAIN MENU:
echo 1.Open Microsoft Word
echo 2.Open Microsoft Powerpoint
echo 3.Open Microsoft Excel
echo 4.Open Internet Explorer
echo 5.Open Mozilla Firefox
echo 6.Open Itunes
echo 7.Open documents
echo 8.Open Command Prompt
echo 9.Open Notepad
set INPUT=
set /p INPUT=Enter choice....
If "%input%"=="1" goto 1
If "%input%"=="2" goto 2
If "%input%"=="3" goto 3
If "%input%"=="4" goto 4
If "%input%"=="5" goto 5
If "%input%"=="6" goto 6
If "%input%"=="7" goto 7
If "%input%"=="8" goto 8
If "%input%"=="9" goto 9
:1
start word.exe
:2
start powerpoint.exe
:3
start excel.exe
:4
start iexplore.exe
goto 0
:5
start firefox.exe
:6
start itunes.exe
:7
explorer.exe
:8
start cmd.exe
:9
start notepad.exe
here is an easy way to make a batch file
1st open a new texts doc.
then 2nd you are going to type something like this or just copy and past this
@echo off
:o
cd\
title games
cls
echo ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
echo º Games º
echo ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͹
echo º1.MineSweeper º
echo º2.Spider Solitaire º
echo º3.Pinball º
echo ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
set INPUT=
set /p INPUT=Enter choice....
If "%input%"=="1" goto 1
If "%input%"=="2" goto 2
If "%input%"=="3" goto 3
:1
start winmine.exe
goto 0
:2
start spider.exe
goto 0
:3
start pinball.exe
goto 0
after you do that you hit file save as
and i would say save it as games.bat but its up to you but make sure that what every you save it as it has to be .bat ok there you go it you want one that does something different just use the email me thanks
then 2nd you are going to type something like this or just copy and past this
@echo off
:o
cd\
title games
cls
echo ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
echo º Games º
echo ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͹
echo º1.MineSweeper º
echo º2.Spider Solitaire º
echo º3.Pinball º
echo ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
set INPUT=
set /p INPUT=Enter choice....
If "%input%"=="1" goto 1
If "%input%"=="2" goto 2
If "%input%"=="3" goto 3
:1
start winmine.exe
goto 0
:2
start spider.exe
goto 0
:3
start pinball.exe
goto 0
after you do that you hit file save as
and i would say save it as games.bat but its up to you but make sure that what every you save it as it has to be .bat ok there you go it you want one that does something different just use the email me thanks
ABC News Exclusive: Obama Admin Slashed 60,000 Jobs From Recent Stimulus Report
The Obama administration, under fire for inflating job growth from the $787 billion stimulus plan, slashed over 60,000 jobs from its most recent report on the program because the reporting outlets had submitted "unrealistic data," according to a document obtained by ABC News.
The Office of Management and Budget document shows that before an Oct. 30 progress report on the program the administration asked the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to remove information from 12 stimulus recipients that contained "unrealistic data," including "unrealistic job data." (Read the document here.)
One recipient – Talladega County of Alabama – claimed that 5,000 jobs had been saved or created from only $42,000 in stimulus funds.
"The administration committed from the start to be upfront with the American people about the impact of the Recovery Act. Overall, the recipients provided good information on the impact of the Recovery Act across the country," Rob Nabors, deputy director at OMB, told ABC News Monday. "The test that we used when examining the data for accuracy was, 'Is that reasonable?' When the answer was no, we acted accordingly." "For instance," Nabors noted, "there is little chance that a $42,000 grant actually created 5,000 jobs, and we did not want that count to be part of the final jobs report. We are continuing to examine data for inconsistencies or errors, whether small or large. Given the unprecedented nature of this reporting effort, these are cautious, responsible steps to ensure that the information provided to the American people is accurate and reliable."
Some of the other recipients whose data was omitted included Belmont Metropolitan Housing Authority in Ohio that reported 16,120 jobs saved or created after receiving $1.3 million in stimulus funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Shelton State Community College in Alabama reported 14,500 jobs saved or created after receiving $27,000 from the General Accounting Office. And Alkan Builders of Alaska reported 3,000 jobs saved or created after receiving $11 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
info came from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/abc-news-exclusive-obama-administration-slashed-60000-jobs/story?id=9095621
The Office of Management and Budget document shows that before an Oct. 30 progress report on the program the administration asked the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to remove information from 12 stimulus recipients that contained "unrealistic data," including "unrealistic job data." (Read the document here.)
One recipient – Talladega County of Alabama – claimed that 5,000 jobs had been saved or created from only $42,000 in stimulus funds.
"The administration committed from the start to be upfront with the American people about the impact of the Recovery Act. Overall, the recipients provided good information on the impact of the Recovery Act across the country," Rob Nabors, deputy director at OMB, told ABC News Monday. "The test that we used when examining the data for accuracy was, 'Is that reasonable?' When the answer was no, we acted accordingly." "For instance," Nabors noted, "there is little chance that a $42,000 grant actually created 5,000 jobs, and we did not want that count to be part of the final jobs report. We are continuing to examine data for inconsistencies or errors, whether small or large. Given the unprecedented nature of this reporting effort, these are cautious, responsible steps to ensure that the information provided to the American people is accurate and reliable."
Some of the other recipients whose data was omitted included Belmont Metropolitan Housing Authority in Ohio that reported 16,120 jobs saved or created after receiving $1.3 million in stimulus funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Shelton State Community College in Alabama reported 14,500 jobs saved or created after receiving $27,000 from the General Accounting Office. And Alkan Builders of Alaska reported 3,000 jobs saved or created after receiving $11 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
info came from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/abc-news-exclusive-obama-administration-slashed-60000-jobs/story?id=9095621
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Regulators shut 2 banks in Fla., 1 in Calif
NEW YORK (AP) -- Regulators shut down two banks in Florida and one in California on Friday, boosting to 123 the number of U.S. bank failures this year as loan defaults rise in the worst financial climate in decades.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over Orion Bank, based in Naples, Fla., with about $2.7 billion in assets and $2.1 billion in deposits, and Sarasota-based Century Bank, with $728 million in assets and $631 million in deposits.
Pacific Coast National Bank in San Clemente, Calif. was also shut down. It had $134.4 million in assets and $130.9 million in deposits.
IberiaBank, based in Lafayette, La., agreed to assume all of Orion Bank's deposits and $2.4 billion of its assets, as well as Century Bank's deposits and $706 million of its assets.
The FDIC will retain the rest for eventual sale.
In addition, the FDIC and IberiaBank agreed to share losses on roughly $1.9 billion of Orion Bank's loans and other assets, and on about $656 million of Century Bank's.
Orion Bank's 23 branches will reopen Saturday as offices of IberiaBank. Century Bank's 11 branches will reopen during normal business hours, starting Saturday, also as IberiaBank.
Tustin, Calif.-based Sunwest Bank agreed to assume all of Pacific Coast National Bank's deposits and essentially all of its assets.
Pacific Coast National Bank's two branches will reopen Monday as branches of Sunwest Bank.
The failure of Pacific Coast National Bank will cost the federal deposit insurance fund an estimated $27.4 million. Orion Bank's will cost $615 million, while Century Bank's failure will cost $344 million.
As the economy has soured, with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring, bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the federal deposit insurance fund. It has fallen into the red.
To replenish the fund, the FDIC on Thursday mandated the roughly 8,100 insured banks and savings institutions pay about $45 billion in premiums in advance that would have been due over the next three years. It is the first time the agency has required prepaid insurance fees. The idea is for banks to spread the costs over three years rather than paying a one-time fee that would deplete their capital reserves.
The FDIC expects the cost of bank failures to grow to about $100 billion over the next four years.
Depositors' money -- insured up to $250,000 per account -- is not at risk, with the FDIC backed by the government. The FDIC still has about $21 billion cash in loss reserves apart from the insurance fund. It can also tap a Treasury Department credit line of up to $500 billion.
Last week brought the closure of the fourth-biggest bank to fail this year: San Francisco's United Commercial Bank, with $11.2 billion in assets. East West Bancorp Inc., parent of East West Bank of Pasadena, Calif., agreed to buy all of United Commercial's deposits and most of its assets.
Banks have been especially hurt by failed real estate loans. Banks that had lent to seemingly solid businesses are suffering losses as buildings sit vacant. As development projects collapse, builders are defaulting on their loans. Failures have been concentrated in California, Georgia and Illinois. Pacific Coast National Bank's failure was the 15th in California this year. Eleven Florida banks have failed this year.
If the economic recovery falters, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks hold large concentrations of these loans. Nearly $500 billion in commercial real estate loans are expected to come due annually over the next few years.
The 123 bank failures are the most in a year since 1992 at the height of the savings-and-loan crisis. They have cost the federal deposit insurance fund more than $28 billion so far this year. They compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem list" jumped to 416 at the end of June from 305 in the first quarter. That's the most since June 1994. About 13 percent of banks on the list generally end up failing, according to the FDIC.
Gordon reported from Washington.
info came from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Regulators-shut-2-Fla-banks-apf-1446391981.html?x=0&.v=1
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over Orion Bank, based in Naples, Fla., with about $2.7 billion in assets and $2.1 billion in deposits, and Sarasota-based Century Bank, with $728 million in assets and $631 million in deposits.
Pacific Coast National Bank in San Clemente, Calif. was also shut down. It had $134.4 million in assets and $130.9 million in deposits.
IberiaBank, based in Lafayette, La., agreed to assume all of Orion Bank's deposits and $2.4 billion of its assets, as well as Century Bank's deposits and $706 million of its assets.
The FDIC will retain the rest for eventual sale.
In addition, the FDIC and IberiaBank agreed to share losses on roughly $1.9 billion of Orion Bank's loans and other assets, and on about $656 million of Century Bank's.
Orion Bank's 23 branches will reopen Saturday as offices of IberiaBank. Century Bank's 11 branches will reopen during normal business hours, starting Saturday, also as IberiaBank.
Tustin, Calif.-based Sunwest Bank agreed to assume all of Pacific Coast National Bank's deposits and essentially all of its assets.
Pacific Coast National Bank's two branches will reopen Monday as branches of Sunwest Bank.
The failure of Pacific Coast National Bank will cost the federal deposit insurance fund an estimated $27.4 million. Orion Bank's will cost $615 million, while Century Bank's failure will cost $344 million.
As the economy has soured, with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring, bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the federal deposit insurance fund. It has fallen into the red.
To replenish the fund, the FDIC on Thursday mandated the roughly 8,100 insured banks and savings institutions pay about $45 billion in premiums in advance that would have been due over the next three years. It is the first time the agency has required prepaid insurance fees. The idea is for banks to spread the costs over three years rather than paying a one-time fee that would deplete their capital reserves.
The FDIC expects the cost of bank failures to grow to about $100 billion over the next four years.
Depositors' money -- insured up to $250,000 per account -- is not at risk, with the FDIC backed by the government. The FDIC still has about $21 billion cash in loss reserves apart from the insurance fund. It can also tap a Treasury Department credit line of up to $500 billion.
Last week brought the closure of the fourth-biggest bank to fail this year: San Francisco's United Commercial Bank, with $11.2 billion in assets. East West Bancorp Inc., parent of East West Bank of Pasadena, Calif., agreed to buy all of United Commercial's deposits and most of its assets.
Banks have been especially hurt by failed real estate loans. Banks that had lent to seemingly solid businesses are suffering losses as buildings sit vacant. As development projects collapse, builders are defaulting on their loans. Failures have been concentrated in California, Georgia and Illinois. Pacific Coast National Bank's failure was the 15th in California this year. Eleven Florida banks have failed this year.
If the economic recovery falters, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks hold large concentrations of these loans. Nearly $500 billion in commercial real estate loans are expected to come due annually over the next few years.
The 123 bank failures are the most in a year since 1992 at the height of the savings-and-loan crisis. They have cost the federal deposit insurance fund more than $28 billion so far this year. They compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem list" jumped to 416 at the end of June from 305 in the first quarter. That's the most since June 1994. About 13 percent of banks on the list generally end up failing, according to the FDIC.
Gordon reported from Washington.
info came from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Regulators-shut-2-Fla-banks-apf-1446391981.html?x=0&.v=1
vbs
making a VBS file can be hard but here is an easy one that i call chatbox i didn't make this a friend did. ok here is how to make it
open a New Text Document
then copy and past this
dim fname
fname=inputbox("Hi! What's your name?")
fname=inputbox("How are you " & fname )
fname=inputbox("Why are you feeling " & fname)
fname=inputbox("That makes sense. So what are you doing?")
fname=inputbox("Of Course!!! I should have known you would be doing that! Well is it fun?")
same this as chatbox.vbs
then open it
open a New Text Document
then copy and past this
dim fname
fname=inputbox("Hi! What's your name?")
fname=inputbox("How are you " & fname )
fname=inputbox("Why are you feeling " & fname)
fname=inputbox("That makes sense. So what are you doing?")
fname=inputbox("Of Course!!! I should have known you would be doing that! Well is it fun?")
same this as chatbox.vbs
then open it
dont get a virus the suck
China warns of a new virus
Posted by l33tdawg on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 12:00 AM (Reads: 199)
Source: The Inquirer
A PARTICULARLY NASTY computer virus has been discovered in China and the government there is warning that it could spread fast.
Although details of the Worm_Piloyd.B are fairly sketchy at the moment, it is unusual to get a virus warning from China before the rest of the world has caught it.
Surprisingly there have been no traditional messages of doom from the computer insecurity companies in Europe and the US, which normally are quick to play up the four horsemen of the apocalypse scenario about malware. The virus infects exe, html and asp files and if the user tries to restore the files they are blocked from doing so. Notification has come from the Tianjin-based National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre.
Posted by l33tdawg on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 12:00 AM (Reads: 199)
Source: The Inquirer
A PARTICULARLY NASTY computer virus has been discovered in China and the government there is warning that it could spread fast.
Although details of the Worm_Piloyd.B are fairly sketchy at the moment, it is unusual to get a virus warning from China before the rest of the world has caught it.
Surprisingly there have been no traditional messages of doom from the computer insecurity companies in Europe and the US, which normally are quick to play up the four horsemen of the apocalypse scenario about malware. The virus infects exe, html and asp files and if the user tries to restore the files they are blocked from doing so. Notification has come from the Tianjin-based National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre.
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i say if you are going to download any new movie, game, music that is coming out goto http//www.torrentz.com and search it on there and it will bring up at the torrent websites that have it. the torrent website i think are the best are mininova.com and torrenthound.com
Banks in Ga., Mich., Minn., Mo., Calif. closed
CHARLOTTE, N.C (AP) -- Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California,
bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on
loans. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over United Commercial Bank in San Francisco, with $11.2 billion in
assets and $7.5 billion in deposits. East West Bancorp Inc., parent company of East West Bank based in Pasadena,
Calif., is buying all of the deposits and most of the failed bank's assets.
The FDIC also closed United Security Bank, based in Sparta, Ga., with $157 million in assets and $150 million in
deposits; Home Federal Savings Bank in Detroit, with $14.9 million in assets and $12.8 million in deposits;
Prosperan Bank, based in Oakdale, Minn., with $199.5 million in assets and $175.6 million in deposits; and Gateway
Bank in St. Louis, with $27.7 million in assets and $27.9 million in deposits.
Ameris Bank, based in Moultrie, Ga., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of United Security, while Liberty
Bank and Trust Co., based in New Orleans, is buying the assets and deposits of Home Federal Savings.
Alerus Financial of Grand Forks, N.D., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of Prosperan Bank, while Central
Bank of Kansas City is buying the assets and deposits of Gateway Bank.
The failure of United Commercial Bank is expected to cost the federal deposit insurance fund an estimated $1.4
billion; the failure of the other four banks a combined $132.7 million.
With United Security, 21 Georgia banks have failed this year, more than in any other state. Most of the failures
have involved banks in the Atlanta area, where the collapse of the real estate market brought economic dislocation.
Failures also have been especially concentrated in California and Illinois.
As the economy has soured, with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring, bank failures
have cascaded and sapped billions out of the federal deposit insurance fund. It has fallen into the red.
Depositors' money -- insured up to $250,000 per account -- is not at risk, with the FDIC backed by the government.
The FDIC still has billions in loss reserves apart from the insurance fund. It can also tap a Treasury Department
credit line of up to $500 billion.
Last week, regulators shut nine banks owned by holding company FBOP Corp. It was a new milestone: nine was the
highest number of banks closed in a day since the financial crisis began taking down banks last year. Minneapolis-
based US Bancorp bought the deposits and most of the assets of the banks, which included two others in California,
three in Texas, two in Illinois and one in Arizona.
Banks have been especially hurt by failed real estate loans. Banks that had lent to seemingly solid businesses are
suffering losses as buildings sit vacant. As development projects collapse, builders are defaulting on their loans.
If the economic recovery falters, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks, especially,
hold large concentrations of these loans. Nearly $500 billion in commercial real estate loans are expected to come
due annually over the next few years.
The 120 bank failures are the most in a year since 1992 at the height of the savings-and-loan crisis. They have
cost the federal deposit insurance fund more than $27 billion so far this year, and hundreds more bank failures are
expected to raise the cost to around $100 billion through 2013.
The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem list" jumped to 416 at the end of June from 305 in the
first quarter. That's the most since June 1994. About 13 percent of banks on the list generally end up failing,
according to the FDIC.
The 120 failures this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
To replenish the insurance fund, the FDIC wants the roughly 8,100 insured banks and savings institutions to pay in
advance about $45 billion in premiums that would have been due over the next three years.
The Obama administration recently proposed a plan to provide infusions of money to small banks at low interest
rates, provided they agree to increase lending to small businesses. Banks and credit unions that serve low-income
areas would get aid at even lower rates to help small businesses in the hardest-hit rural and urban areas. The aid
would come from money still available in the $700 billion federal bailout fund, which went mostly to large banks.
Gordon reported from Washington.
info from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Small-banks-in-Ga-Mich-Minn-apf-3282864371.html?x=0&.v=9
bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on
loans. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over United Commercial Bank in San Francisco, with $11.2 billion in
assets and $7.5 billion in deposits. East West Bancorp Inc., parent company of East West Bank based in Pasadena,
Calif., is buying all of the deposits and most of the failed bank's assets.
The FDIC also closed United Security Bank, based in Sparta, Ga., with $157 million in assets and $150 million in
deposits; Home Federal Savings Bank in Detroit, with $14.9 million in assets and $12.8 million in deposits;
Prosperan Bank, based in Oakdale, Minn., with $199.5 million in assets and $175.6 million in deposits; and Gateway
Bank in St. Louis, with $27.7 million in assets and $27.9 million in deposits.
Ameris Bank, based in Moultrie, Ga., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of United Security, while Liberty
Bank and Trust Co., based in New Orleans, is buying the assets and deposits of Home Federal Savings.
Alerus Financial of Grand Forks, N.D., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of Prosperan Bank, while Central
Bank of Kansas City is buying the assets and deposits of Gateway Bank.
The failure of United Commercial Bank is expected to cost the federal deposit insurance fund an estimated $1.4
billion; the failure of the other four banks a combined $132.7 million.
With United Security, 21 Georgia banks have failed this year, more than in any other state. Most of the failures
have involved banks in the Atlanta area, where the collapse of the real estate market brought economic dislocation.
Failures also have been especially concentrated in California and Illinois.
As the economy has soured, with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring, bank failures
have cascaded and sapped billions out of the federal deposit insurance fund. It has fallen into the red.
Depositors' money -- insured up to $250,000 per account -- is not at risk, with the FDIC backed by the government.
The FDIC still has billions in loss reserves apart from the insurance fund. It can also tap a Treasury Department
credit line of up to $500 billion.
Last week, regulators shut nine banks owned by holding company FBOP Corp. It was a new milestone: nine was the
highest number of banks closed in a day since the financial crisis began taking down banks last year. Minneapolis-
based US Bancorp bought the deposits and most of the assets of the banks, which included two others in California,
three in Texas, two in Illinois and one in Arizona.
Banks have been especially hurt by failed real estate loans. Banks that had lent to seemingly solid businesses are
suffering losses as buildings sit vacant. As development projects collapse, builders are defaulting on their loans.
If the economic recovery falters, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks, especially,
hold large concentrations of these loans. Nearly $500 billion in commercial real estate loans are expected to come
due annually over the next few years.
The 120 bank failures are the most in a year since 1992 at the height of the savings-and-loan crisis. They have
cost the federal deposit insurance fund more than $27 billion so far this year, and hundreds more bank failures are
expected to raise the cost to around $100 billion through 2013.
The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem list" jumped to 416 at the end of June from 305 in the
first quarter. That's the most since June 1994. About 13 percent of banks on the list generally end up failing,
according to the FDIC.
The 120 failures this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
To replenish the insurance fund, the FDIC wants the roughly 8,100 insured banks and savings institutions to pay in
advance about $45 billion in premiums that would have been due over the next three years.
The Obama administration recently proposed a plan to provide infusions of money to small banks at low interest
rates, provided they agree to increase lending to small businesses. Banks and credit unions that serve low-income
areas would get aid at even lower rates to help small businesses in the hardest-hit rural and urban areas. The aid
would come from money still available in the $700 billion federal bailout fund, which went mostly to large banks.
Gordon reported from Washington.
info from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Small-banks-in-Ga-Mich-Minn-apf-3282864371.html?x=0&.v=9
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