Oil hit a 32-month high near $125 on Friday after attacks on Libyan oil fields raised the prospect of long-term supply cuts, with commodities in general rising on optimism global economic recovery will fuel demand. Ongoing unrest in the Middle East and concerns postponed elections in Nigeria could spark a new wave of militant violence and disrupt supply also contributed to the bullish mood in the market. By 1216 GMT Brent was up $1.82 to $124.49, after earlier climbing more than $2 to just below $125. U.S. crude climbed $1.29 to $111.59, down from slightly an intra-day peak of $111.90 last reached in September 2008. “Troubles in Libya mean Gaddafi has caused damage to the Sirte basin which has about two thirds of their oil, there’s dollar weakness and some very large fund action piling into the market in oil and base metals,” said Rob Montefusco, an oil trader at Sucden Financial. “People are saying the target is $150 but if we get up there it will come off pretty quickly. I don’t think this is a sustainable rally because we’re not seeing real demand pick up.” Rebels and forces loyal to embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi exchanged bitter accusations over who had attacked oilfields and infrastructure vital to both sides. The seven-week old civil war has cut Libya’s 1.6 million barrels per day output by 80 percent to between 250,000 and 300,000, a senior government official said. It took Kuwait two years to restore oil production to pre-war levels of about 1.6 million bpd, similar to Libya’s pre-conflict production, after the 1991 Gulf War, according to International Energy Agency data. Fellow OPEC member and 1.9 million bpd producer Nigeria postponed parliamentary elections again in some areas although polls will go ahead in most of the country on Saturday as planned. “Upcoming elections in Nigeria has already seen an uptick in violence in oil rich states of Akwa Ibom and Balyesa, with any loss in Nigerian crude (similar in quality to Libya) likely to put further pressure on light-heavy differentials,” said Barclays Capital analyst Amrita Sen. Further supply worries came from Norway where a trade source said the North Sea Oseberg crude oil stream will load 118,000 barrels per day in May, significantly down from the provisional program of 160,000 bpd in April. COMMODITIES BOOMING Crude prices rallied in step with gains across the commodities market where gold hit a record high, driven by a weaker dollar and positive global outlook despite Portugal’s request for a bailout earlier this week. But surging oil prices have stoked inflationary concerns for governments worldwide due to the potential adverse impact on economic growth of the rising cost of foodstuffs and raw materials, and the risk of demand destruction. “Awash with still extremely cheap money – the leading policy approach to cope with the passed recession – the investment community is pouring record volumes into long commodity positions,” said analysts at JBC Energy in a note. “This drives not only fuel and food prices to record highs, but also raises the costs for other raw materials massively, clearly putting the economic outlook under threat.” (Additional reporting by Randy Fabi and Alejandro Barbajosa; editing by Keiron Henderson) Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
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A cell phone video showing a police officer spraying a baby squirrel with pepper spray has sparked outrage after it was recently posted on YouTube. The video was recorded by a student at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, Texas, according to Fox 5 New York. In it, students are heard pleading for the officer to stop, shouting things like “Don’t spray him!” After a rally of cries as the officer uses the pepper spray on the squirrel, the animal is seen writhing around on the ground. From Fox: Mesquite Police Department has defended the officer’s actions. Sgt. Wes Talley said the officer stood between a group of students and the animal because he thought it may have been rabid. Talley said after several unsuccessful attempts to scare the squirrel away, the officer used his pepper spray on it to protect the welfare of the students. Following the incident, animal control officers reportedly cared for the squirrel at a shelter before releasing it back into the wild. WATCH:
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Sarah Palin On Trump’s Birth Certificate Investigation: ‘More Power To Him!’ Trump for President? 7 Birthers’ Birth Certificates Even Faker Than Trump’s.. Sarah Palin agrees with Donald Trump's birther… | Gather Sarah Palin slams Michelle Obama · Vanity Fair calls Sarah Palin a liar. Expand Find more about: sarah palin, sarah palin trump , donald trump, trump birther, politics. Expand Find Gather groups: Gather Politics News Channel … from my supporter Mr. Bill Van allen. I did not read most of this … Obama Birth Certificate, Obama’s birth certificate, Orly Taitz, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Trump , Trump Birth Certificate … rockingfriends.com/?tag=orly-taitz. ORLY TAITZ SUMS IT ALL UP…RECENT INTERVIEW SHOULD BE MUST VIEWING … … Palin on Trump's birtherism 'More power to him' – Politico … … District Attorney, Eyebrows, Fox News, Google, him’, Jeanine Pirro, Korea Times, Los Angeles Times, more, Nbsp, News Articles, News Show, News World, Palin, Politico, Power, Presidential Polls, Sarah Palin, Trump , Trump’s, U S News … TrumpForPrez says: The Obots are going after Donald Trump like he's Sarah Palin. Trump has them worried. #tcot #p2
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You’ve certainly seen enough video footage of the unruly union mobs in Madison, WI for the last two months. Well, the SEIU has taken its mob show on the road and, like the pioneers of old, headed West. For the last week, SEIU protesters have been demonstrating at the Washington State Capitol–a state largely controlled by Democrats. Late Thursday, however, the SEIU took its protests to a whole new… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Red State Discovery Date : 11/04/2011 00:31 Number of articles : 2
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Hot weather comes to an end as rain crosses much of country and temperatures revert to seasonal averages “Was that it then?” asked hundreds of thousands of Britons as the weekend’s mini heatwave began to collapse just in time for the Monday morning return to work. The answer from the Met Office is essentially: “Afraid so”, as temperatures revert to seasonal averages and rain crosses much of the country, ending the driest early spring since 1953. A cold front has begun moving in from the Atlantic, initially in the north-west, but it is expected to reach all areas by Wednesday. Sadness at the transitory nature of the “little summer” – which will at least persist for much of Monday along the south coast – was mixed with relief at a bit of damp for farmers and the horticultural industry. Resorting to mains water has leached supplies from reservoirs, especially in the south-west where some have dropped to 80% capacity at a time of the year when things are usually more waterlogged. The area may miss out on heavy rain which is expected to cross northern England and the Midlands on Tuesday. But few will escape an accompanying fall in temperatures, with unsettled and sometimes gusty weather in place nationwide by Wednesday night, according to forecasters. Victoria Kettley, of MeteoGroup, said: “Barbecue weather will be beating a retreat for at least the next few days. The front system will be moving in across the UK over Ireland, Scotland, and north-west England bringing colder air and rain. “Temperatures will be cool across north and western parts of the UK with readings between 11-14°C.” Much of the UK was hotter than the north Mediterranean and even Bermuda over the weekend, with Scotland joining in the bonanza. The highest temperatures were at the country’s opposite ends, with both Southampton and Aboyne near Aberdeen recording 23°C. The Algarve and Rome recorded 21°C. The peaks were 8°C above April averages and the natural world has produced its usual crop of anomalies as a result. Dandelions are on average three weeks earlier, brightening roadside verges and keeping gardeners busy. Dominic Price, of Plantlife, said: “They respond to the sun and it has suddenly become warm enough to trigger them so all the flowers have opened at once, creating a mass of yellow, but not always where it’s wanted, such as on our lawns. Large numbers of dandelions also come at the expense of other wildflowers, such as orchids and harebells, as they will gorge on the nutrients in the soil, leaving the weaker plants struggling to survive.” Weather Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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Serviceman Ryan Donovan charged with murder of lieutenant commander and attempted murder of three other officers A Royal Navy sailor has appeared in court accused of the murder of a colleague and the attempted murders of three other crew on board a nuclear submarine. Able Seaman Ryan Samuel Donovan, 22, of Dartford, Kent, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during the short hearing at Southampton magistrates court. Donovan has been charged with the murder of Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, 36, who was fatally shot on board HMS Astute while it was docked in Southampton, Hampshire, on Friday. He has also been charged with the attempted murders of Petty Officer Christopher Brown, 36, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy, 37, and Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge, 45. Donovan was remanded in custody to appear at Winchester crown court on 13 April. Nick Hawkins, prosecuting, said the case could have been handled internally by the armed forces but it had been agreed that it would be held in the civilian courts. Molyneux’s widow, Gillian, described the father of four from Wigan as “utterly devoted to his family”. “Everything he did was for us. He was very proud to be an officer in the Royal Navy submarine service.” The shootings took place as local dignitaries, including the city council’s mayor, chief executive and leader, were being given a tour of the submarine while it was berthed at the Eastern Docks on an official five-day visit to the city. HMS Astute has been cleared to leave Southampton this afternoon to return to its base at Faslane, Scotland. Hawkins, the chief prosecutor for Hampshire Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The armed forces do have jurisdiction but during the course of the weekend I had discussions with the director of service prosecutions and we are in agreement this case is properly to be tried in the civilian courts and therefore should be dealt with no differently to any other murder or attempted murder cases that appears before your court.” Describing the allegation against Donovan, he said: “The prosecution claims it was the deliberate discharge of a SA80 rifle six times, aimed at four people, one of which was fatally wounded.” Crime Military guardian.co.uk
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In order to grow up, you have to take your parents off the pedestal or out of the ditch. Most of you have either written your parents off as awful and decided to focus on how you are different, or you still think your parents are somehow god-like and not subject to all the human phenomena that you are (like failures, mistakes, bad traits, humility, remorse, regret, wishes, hopes and the ability to change). Either way, you aren’t talking to them, and you aren’t teaching them, and you aren’t grown up yet. I challenge you to care enough to start talking. I challenge you to impress yourself in your own life enough that you would have something to teach. By that I mean to go ahead and surpass your parents (they’ll ultimately be pleased). Go ahead, be smarter in love, be more patient with your children, pursue what you really want to do for work, stick to a budget, stop berating your body and start eating healthfully. Do the work to sort out something in your life that they never did. That will give you the presence of mind and courage to circle back to them. In my life right now, I’m all about developing courage, believing that I can change the world. For some reason being able to talk straight to my father about my opinions, my feelings and my anger at his smoking has everything to do with my ability to be the leader I want to be in my life. Can you see the connection? If you can’t be a grown-up with your parents, are you really a grown-up? If you can’t claim, own and fight for your dream with your parents, can you ever fully believe it? So many of you are stuck in a sort of vague sense that you cannot have what you want, that you are somehow not good enough. At the Handel Group we think this has a lot to do with how you’ve “connected the dots” of your life. Looking starkly at who your parents are and what you really have to ask and say to them is the beginning of “reconnecting the dots.” Even just telling your parents about what you struggle with and what you are overcoming releases something in you. A next step would be asking your parents to tell you about their lives, either their past, the decisions you are curious about or even their present day. You have to want to start hearing and telling the truth for this to work. You have to believe it will help you, and you have to care enough to prove to them that it’s safe to talk to you. Once the ball gets rolling, most parents want to be human in their children’s eyes. They want to explain things that might have hurt you, to own up to and be forgiven for mistakes, and to be free to tell you what they really think without shattering illusions or being looked down on. Imagine allowing your parents to be that with you and how much more mature it will make you feel. For more on private and group life coaching, visit www.handelgroup.com.
Continue reading …ABC’s Amanpour Warns GOP’s ‘Wind in Their Sail’ from Budget ‘Victory’ Could Hurt Future Negotiations
April 11, 2011 No Comment
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Adobe today launched Creative Suite 5.5. With it comes the new Photoshop Touch Software Development Kit that facilitates the creation of apps for smartphones and tablets that can talk to desktop Photoshop app. This opens interesting possibilities and Adobe announced three new iPad apps built using the new SDK that showcase several scenarios. Called Adobe Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : 9 to 5 Mac Discovery Date : 11/04/2011 07:26 Number of articles : 3
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Paris police have detained two women wearing Islamic veils at a protest on the first day of France’s ban on the burqa and niqab Live updates from Angelique Chrisafis in Paris Paris police have detained two women wearing Islamic veils at a protest on the first day of France’s ban on the face coverings. The ban makes France the first country in the world to forbid the veils anywhere in public. About a dozen people, including three women wearing veils, staged a protest in front of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday, and two women were taken away in a van. A police officer on the site said at least one of the women was detained because the protest was not authorised and the protesters refused to disperse. It is unclear whether she was also fined. Two male colleagues of the veiled women were also detained by police. France’s ban on face veils went into force on Monday, and anyone wearing the niqab or burqa in public could now face a fine of €150 (£132), or lessons in French citizenship. The centre-right government, which passed the law in October, has rolled out a public relations campaign to explain the ban and the rules of its application that includes posters, pamphlets and a government-hosted website. Guidelines spelled out in the pamphlet forbid police from asking women to remove their burqa in the street. They will instead be escorted to a police station and asked to remove the veil there for identification. Widely criticised by Muslims abroad as impinging on their religious freedom, the law has provoked a limited backlash in France where a strict separation of church and state is seen as central to maintaining a peaceful civil society. A property dealer is urging women to engage in “civil disobedience” by continuing to wear the veil if they so desire and had called on supporters to hold a silent prayer in protest at the ban in front of Notre Dame. Rachid Nekkaz, who is a Muslim, said in a webcast he would help pay fines and was putting a property worth around €2m up for sale to fund his campaign. “The street is the universal home of freedom and nobody should challenge that so long as these women are not impinging on anyone else’s freedom,” he said. “I am calling on all free women who so wish to wear the veil in the street and engage in civil disobedience,” he said. In Avignon, Vaucluse, Reuters TV filmed a woman boarding a train wearing a niqab, unchallenged by police. “It’s not an act of provocation,” said Kenza Drider. “I’m only carrying out my citizens’ rights, I’m not committing a crime … If they [police] ask me for identity papers I’ll show them, no problem.” France has five million Muslims, but fewer than 2,000 women are believed to wear a face veil. Many Muslim leaders have said they support neither the veil nor the law banning it. On Saturday, French police arrested around 60 people who turned up for a banned protest over the veil ban which had been called by a Muslim group in Britain. One of the protesters was arrested on his arrival from Britain, a police spokesman said. The timing is all the more sensitive after France’s ruling UMP party called a debate on the role of Islam in French society, a forum that some criticised as unfairly singling out a portion of the population as problematic. The guide sent out last week to police notes that the burqa ban does not apply inside private cars, but it reminds officers that such cases can be dealt with under road safety rules. France Europe Religion Islam French burqa and niqab ban guardian.co.uk
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