Thu, 24 May 2007 21:55:42 GMT

Colombia Can Eschew ‘Plan Colombia’

Colombia warns America that it will not support American led Plan Colombia, which linked to curb drug trafficking and terrorism, if the United State dont sign free trade agreement with Colombia.

Immensely hurts withhttp://www.economylive.org/images/plan-colombia_1292.gif the US decision to mar the bilateral free trade agreement, Head of Uribe’s Social National Unity Party, Sen. Carlos Garcia, said

If the U.S. Congress does not support Colombia in expanding its markets, there is absolutely no reason to accept Plan Colombia aid. That is just one component of the solution. The best way out of poverty and the cultivation of illegal crops is the marketplace

Colombia incensed over the American decision to thwart the agreement, but bewildered as the Bush administration okayed a deal this month with Peru and Panama, but put Colombia on hold. Countrys brass leaders are considering the decision to discard the Colombo plan as a national dignity” and possibly prompt Colombia to move away from its close relationship with the United States.

Colombia indicts America for ill-treating and asserts that Colombia would not accept treatment as a “pariah” and asked U.S. Embassy to “take that message back to your Congress.”

After the drama, Colombia affirms to redefine its relations with the U.S. whereas US is firm on its stand, not to consider it before the 2008 presidential elections.


Plan Colombia has produced a mixed result for America. Although, it helped to curb anti social elements in Colombia, yet it could not hindered the supply of cocaine to U.S. markets.

Image: soawne

Via: latimes Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Thu, 24 May 2007 18:15:29 GMT

S&P 500 Recoils from Record High

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index continuously showing positive trend as it rose to record 1527.46 high in a succession.

Market respond positively as increases long-term interest rates provide new competition for investor dollars. The 30-year Treasury bond yield rose slightly above 5 percent for the first time in nine months. The 10-year Treasury note yield rose to its highest point since January. With the higher long-turn interest rate, housing slump is expecting stop.

Despite gating good response from the market in succession, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan expressed concern for “dramatic contraction” in Chinese stocks after the recent boom, adding the run-up was “clearly unsustainable.”

The comments come almost three months after a sharp drop in Chinese stocks on concerns about speculative investments triggered a global equity rout.

Head of block origination at UBS, Bobby Harrington, said

There were some comments about the bubble in China and that reversed our market. The last big sell-off was China- driven, so Greenspan’s comments got people to be a little bit more aggressive on the sell side

In the trading S&P 500, climb to a new high, ends up losing 1.84 points to 1522.28 despite being up 8.3 points earlier in the session. The index is up 7.3% this year. Despite a good result from S&P 500, The Dow Jones industrial average results dip 0.11 percent at 13,525.65, and the Nasdaq composite index stumbled 10.97 points to 2577.05.

Big Gainers:

Cypress Bioscience, a biotech company, shares mounts record 94% or $7.92, to $16.37. Men’s Wearhouse, a men’s clothing retailer, jumped $4.44 to $49.98., as the company posted better-than-expected earnings of $40.9 million, an increase of 42% from the year-ago period. Whereas Payless ShoeSource (PSS) increased $3.24 to $35.14 after the shoe retailer disclose its decision to buy rival Stride Rite for about $800 million.

Big looser:

CSS Industries profit slashed $5.6 million. Whereas Spartan Stores income fell $26.04 per share. The dollar value declined, whereas gold shines in the market. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.38, or 0.4%, to 836.54.

Chinese stocks increased as report said that the government may increase quotas for foreign investment in local bourses. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.5% to 4,173.71. The Shenzhen Composite Index raised 2.1% to 1,223.98. Japan’s Nikkei stock average mounts 0.1%. Britain’s FTSE 100 recorded 0.2%rise, whereas Germany’s DAX index added another 1.0%, and France’s CAC-40 advanced 0.5%.

Image

Via: chicagotribune Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:00:38 GMT

China is a Possible Competitor: Boeing Chief

Many market experts correlate the 21st century with Asia and astonishing developments cemented the fact. If we ponder about Asia’s growth and developments than it is sure for granted that china would be a leader.

China’s overall development with advanced technology and innovative ideas helped country to compete successfully with the technologically strong western market leaders. Chinese brands are gaining popularity over well-established western giants.

After getting applaud from the consumers as well as from the rivals in all spheres of opportunistic field, such as aerospace, auto, consumerist, china might become favorite in the consumes.

Under western entrepreneurs, world experiences few competitors in all challenging and risk taking ventures, such as aviation and military equipments, but now it is expecting that china is ambitious to challenge their monopoly.

After analyzing a healthy growth, CEO of the plane maker Boeing, James McNerney said that he expected a third major aircraft manufacturer to emerge over the next decade and suggested that any new entrant in the market could come out of China,

“I think it’s inevitable,”

American plane maker Boeing and European rival, Airbus is sharing the market from decades and china considers as a new entrant for the possible competitor.

James McNerney annals china’s efficiency as china successfully built “supply chain capable for the automotive industry” which, were considered as impossible 10 years ago. The country could feasibly, do the same thing for the aerospace industry. China having an experience and booming Asian domestic market give a boost to its possible foray in the aerospace industry. A new lane maker could come at considerable cost to Boeing, which has benefited greatly from Asia’s economic boom and subsequent growth among commercial airlines.

Image: businessweek

Via: telegraph Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Thu, 24 May 2007 10:08:10 GMT

Pound-Euro Row Anguishes UK Honda Plant

Honda, the Japanese automobile manufacturer, announced that company would not expand its future investment in its UK plant, Swindon as UK diplomats reluctant to adopt the European single currency, euro.

Honda management alleges that company is facing problems with euro and labeled its investment an error in Swindon.

Japanese automobiles giant asserted that company invest in UK as they thought that it is a part of Europe. Honda’s President Takeo Fukui shows their apprehension and said

The exchange rate of the pound against the euro is very difficult to forecast. Unless the UK joins the eurozone, we can’t add to plant in Swindon

Honda threatened to close its UK plants. Japanese No three automobiles anxiety over euro is growing disappointment among Japan’s industrialists over the strong pound, now trading at multi-year highs against the dollar, the Swiss franc and other currencies.

Honda’s Swindon plant, which makes company’s flagship model Civic, starts its production in 1992 and since than company is producing at its full capacity, which could not fulfill its growing demand in Europe. Apart from Swinton, Honda has another manufacturing unit in Turkey and now auto giant is thinking to develop it as a major producer in west to meet growing demands for its stuff. Turkey also does not come under the EU, but cheap labour helps company to insulate it against currency risks.

Honda’s growing popularity in the western market has fueled the competition among rival automakers and mounting threat of global warming forced companies to ponder over fuel-efficient products as well as hybrid vehicle.

Honda recently announces its hybrid fuel cell car FCX to combat with increasing threat of global warning.

Image: askaprice


Via: independent Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:50:49 GMT

Urbanites Encouraged to Keep Bees

In UK, city dwellers are being encouraged to keep bees. A flower show has been organised to motivate people for the same and improve the dwindling population of bees in the country. Bees have lost some of their natural habitats in the countryside.

British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) chairman, Tim Lovett said:
Many new urban beekeepers see working with a colony of honeybees as a healthy change to the stress of office life. Tending bees is peaceful, keeps you in touch with nature - and bees only sting when provoked.

The hives can be installed on rooftops, in gardens, terrace gardens and even balconies.

If you happen to see the bees closely, chances are you must have been fascinated by the orange and black colour stripe patterns of the lovely creatures. The body shape of bees make them really cute creatures and I have always been awed by these little creatures whenever I had a chance to see them closely, most of the times hovering on flowers in gardens and at few occasions in my living room. The bees living in urban places are forced to be restricted in gardens and other small patches of green. If they dare venture out, they are caught amid heavy traffic and pollution or get entrapped in any building. Dead bees on pavements or in houses are testimony to this hypothesis.

Bees are important for ecosystem as they play important role of pollinator for a number of plants and trees. Keeping bees as pets is a good idea but only if they get adequate number of flowers to collect nectar that serves as their food. If you have a garden, do keep a beehive. Just stay away from stings of the beautiful creatures.

Source: Guardian
Image Source: kmaisch.com Posted by: Bahadurshahzafar      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 May 2007 23:20:56 GMT

Beware Of Glare In Your Photographs

Source:www.jimippolito.com

Glare is always a problem to be dealt with in all forms of photography, both still and video, film and digital.

Glare and its closely related cousin "flare" or "lens flare," simply put, is the result of non-image forming, or "stray" light. It is usually the result of light striking the lens directly and then bouncing around or "reflecting" off the inner elements of your camera's lens.

Remember that you're always supposed to have the light behind you, and therefore falling "on" your subject.

This is not always possible and usually the opportunity for a good photograph is missed. There are times however when you may actually want to include or induce a bit of flare for dramatic effect.

This short article shows you how to avoid glare by altering your position in relation to the subject.

This is not always possible of course but sometimes you can limit glare and even use it to good effect.

I took the above picture in early November of last year in Zion National Park, with my Kodak 880P, and as you can see I deliberately shot into the sun.

The reason I took this picture, despite the sun being in exactly the wrong position, was because I liked what I saw in the shadow detail, and the fall colored leaves that were illuminated from behind appear a bit delicate and transparent.

In order not to have a huge color killing hot spot in the photo I moved the camera around until just a hint of the sun poked through an opening in the leaves.

I'm happy with the result, which took about a dozen shots to finally achieve the effect I wanted. Again, that's the beauty of digital, all the muffed shots cost me nothing, no wasted film or processing costs.

Flare and glare can also be controlled, to some degree, by the use of a "polarizing" filter; but that's a subject for another time.

Now get out there with your digital camera and do some experimenting. Posted by: jim      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 May 2007 22:54:29 GMT

What? People in need should NOT be the customer?!

Apparently not-for-profit organizations are popping up all over the place - so many, in fact, that philanthropists are having a hard time keeping up. So these non-profits are starting to seek out ways to be sustainable, like merging with other non-profits, and sometimes even merging with for-profit organizations.

I'm a bit suspicious of non-profit to for-profit merger to begin with. I mean, what if the shareholders suddenly decide that the non-profit has to help the people the shareholders tell them to. They could, especially when the for-profit is providing the large majority of their operating capital.

I'm sure the smart non-profits have systems in place to ensure that kind of thing doesn't happen. For one, the non-profit actually has most of the power in that relationship. Most have worldwide brand recognition, and most importantly, the people's trust. You have seen me give more credibility to non-profits than for-profits just because of that one simple fact.

However, I recently ran across an article in Policy Innovations that sent alarm bells running through my head.
One step would be shifting the focus of the organization from the recipients of the service to the donors who fund the service. It's a radical concept, but think what could happen if NGOs viewed their donors as their customers and the recipients of their services as secondary. - source: article at Policy Innovations
I beg to differ. Business-ifying non-profits could mean disaster for the industry! If non-profits become more interested in funding themselves than helping those in need, all those safeguards that make sure the non-profit is in charge of the driving decisions could melt away.

Why should non-profits make the same mistake every other social sector business has made?! This just doesn't make any sense to me. Posted by: Miche      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:00:41 GMT

Did Somebody Mention Cupid?

Looks like Justin Timberlake is back in business after his break-up with blonde hottie, Cameron Diaz. And from the looks of it, hes moved on from cry me a river to sexyback, if you know what I mean? It seems that Justin Timberlake has started getting really cozy with dazzling actress Jessica Beil. He invited Beil to join him on the UK leg of his ongoing tour. They were spotted having a meal in a restaurant in Manchester. The very next day, the singer took her to watch a Premiership soccer match between Manchester united and West Ham at Old Trafford stadium.

The two of them are not being linked together for the first time. They were spotted together back in January; right after Timberlake broke up. Jessica, earlier partied with Justin at Princes Golden Globe Bash. The duo also snowboarded together at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Looks like Timberlake has made his move at just the right time. Beil, has recently been voted the sexiest woman alive by Esquire magazine.

Wow, who wouldnt like to go out with her? Great going Justin!

Source Posted by: Gagan      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 01:24:55 GMT

USA and EU: I'm right, you're wrong, end of story

Modern day agriculture in developed countries is really flourishing - but only because the small farms are being oppressed and put out of business. Nowadays it seems farmers can only get along if they use special self-destructing single use seeds and industrial chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

There is this background shuffle going on in agriculture that almost nobody understands or sees, and it all starts with food and drug administrations. The US FDA, in particular, is really stringent on what gets out to the public, and they have basically made it impossible for small farmers across the globe to survive.

Essentially they have it set up so that only farmers who use single-use seeds and chemicals to treat their produce get wide market exposure.

The system works like so....

Single-use seeds and chemical treatments are offered at a subsidized rate, and the farmer's produce is then put on the market at a prime rate. This helps the farmer earn more so they can continue to purchase the single-use seeds and chemical treatments. This process is also "FDA Approved" so farmers using this method basically gain instant access to the US and EU markets, in addition to being able to produce in larger quantities and purchase more land due to the lower initial investment.

Renewable seeds (i.e. naturally produced seeds) and renewable fertilizers/pesticides (i.e. organic and healthy ways to treat produce) are severely penalized in the form of a lower fetching price for the produce, and less market exposure. Labelling is more strictly regulated, with all kinds of fees and fines associated with little mistakes in verbiage. Plus maintaining these farms takes more people and is generally more expensive, so growth and overall mass in production is very limited.

I'm right, and that's that

If a country's food administration does not believe a method to be inherently safe, they won't allow the produce to be imported - and the "organic" method is very much shunned in the world market. It's just not profitable, and doesn't exactly forward the development of a country. Of course, refusing these imports from less developed countries, who can only produce in this way, isn't helping either.

I wish the governments of the world would just get over themselves and let people decide for themselves. Posted by: Miche      Read more     Source

Sun, 20 May 2007 19:06:33 GMT

Approval to Study Antarctic Lake

It has long been the desire of the scientists from all over the world to drill through the thick ice and into Antarcticas 100-mile-long Lake Vostok, the most isolated, mysterious and fragile ecosystem on the planet. National Academies of Science (NAS) has approved to the proposal in the form of report entitled: Exploration of Antarctic Sub-glacial Aquatic Environments: Environmental and Scientific Stewardship.

It took long time for NAS to give the approval. Recent studies on the changing elevations of the surface ice in and around the lakes have revealed that Vostok is no more an isolated. It is tied to an enormous network of sub-glacial waterways that can push the surface ice up and down.

It is anticipated that the study will also help reveal the clues of how sea level might change with the change in climate that means clues could be yielded as to how the frozen continent will respond to warming.

Drilling through the ice into Vostok and more than 140 smaller sub-glacial lakes is not an easy task and there is a risk of damaging the pristine environments. NAS report has led to the controversy among the scientists as to how the study should be carried out responsibly.

Source: Discover News Posted by: Rajni      Read more     Source