Play Video Video:Clinton to send US envoys to Syria BBC Play Video Barack Obama Video:President Obama Promoting Long Term Recovery CBS 2 New York Play Video Barack Obama Video:Obama's agenda comes with risks, rewards AP AFP/Pool – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to meet with Palestinian leaders as she pushes on with "aggressive" … RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks on Wednesday with Palestinian leaders concerned over whether Israel's next government will commit to a U.S.-backed peace process leading to a Palestinian state.
A day after pledging the new Obama administration would always protect Israel's security, Clinton visited the Israeli-occupied West Bank to deliver a message of support for President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority.
"We are very committed to your efforts in this leadership of President Abbas," Clinton told Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, pointman in Western-backed reconstruction plans for the Gaza Strip that freeze out the territory's Hamas Islamist rulers.
Hamas, which won a parliamentary election in 2006, violently wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas's Fatah faction in 2007. The West shuns Hamas over its refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept existing interim peace deals.
Clinton is on her first visit to the region as secretary of state during a time of political transition in Israel, which held an election on February 10 that led to right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu being invited to form a government by April 3.
The Likud party leader's reluctance to commit to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a "two-state solution" to the Middle East conflict, could put him on a collision course with the Obama White House.
Clinton met Netanyahu and other political leaders in Jerusalem on Tuesday and pledged that Washington would be "vigorously engaged" in the pursuit of a Palestinian state, an outcome she said would be in Israel's best interests.
Saleh Rafat, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee, said Abbas would tell Clinton later in the day there would be no peace negotiations unless Israel agreed unequivocally to a two-state solution.
SETTLEMENTS
Rafat said Abbas also would urge Clinton to press Israel to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians fear Israeli settlements on occupied land, deemed illegal by the World Court, could deny them a viable state.
Netanyahu, mirroring the policy of the outgoing government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has said he would not build new settlements but expand existing ones to accommodate the "natural growth" of their populations.
A U.S.-backed peace "road map" that has served as the foundation of Israeli-Palestinian talks that were restarted under the Bush administration in 2007 calls for a halt to all Israeli settlement activity, including "natural growth."
Bush, who was regarded by Israel as one of its best allies, brought little pressure to bear on Israeli leaders over the issue. Israel has said it intends to keep major West Bank settlement blocs in any future peace deal.
Netanyahu said on Tuesday he and Clinton found "common ground" and would cooperate.
He has enough votes in parliament to form a right-wing government but has been trying to enlist centrist partners in an apparent bid to avoid friction with Washington.
A former prime minister, Netanyahu has proposed shifting the focus of currently stalled peace negotiations from territorial issues to shoring up the Palestinian economy, a concept Palestinian leaders have rejected. He is not against setting up a Palestinian state, but says that should not be the guaranteed outcome of negotiations yet to be held with Israel.
In her talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Clinton also called for the consolidation of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel in December launched a devastating 22-day offensive in a declared bid to halt cross-border rocket attacks.
(Writing by Jeffrey Heller, Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Richard Balmforth)
3/04/2009
Source: Obama to order gov't contracting overhaul
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to change how government contracts are awarded and who can earn them, a move his aides say would save taxpayers about $40 billion a year by making the process more competitive.
Obama is to sign a presidential memo Wednesday that changes government contracting procedures, an administration official said on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the decision before it was announced.
Obama's directive would order Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to work with Cabinet and agency officials to draft new contracting rules by the end of September. Those new rules, officials said, would make it more difficult for contractors to bilk taxpayers and make some half-trillion dollars in federal contracts each year more accessible to independent contractors.
During last week's White House meetings on the nation's financial future, lawmakers and officials bluntly told top Obama aides that government contracts needed to be handled in a better way. The president's own fleet of Marine One helicopters became an illustration of out-of-control spending.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival during last year's presidential election, dryly told Obama, "Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One."
Obama said he already had spoken with Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the fleet of 28 Marine One helicopters that is now over budget at $11.2 billion, a price that has almost doubled since the Navy started the project.
"It is an example of the procurement process gone amok, and we're going to have to fix it," Obama said last week.
Obama will say that his administration will stop outsourcing to private contractors many services that should be performed by government employees. He also pledged to open contracts to small businesses and eliminate "unnecessary" no-bid contracts that allow preferred contractors to take assignments even though they might not be the least expensive option.
In his remarks Wednesday, Obama also planned to praise McCain and Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan for their work to curb cost overruns in defense contracts. He also will acknowledge Gates' attention to the procurement process.
The administration official said Obama would not, however, sacrifice national security to save pennies. The official also said the administration plans to increase transparency and accountability provisions in contracts — a major theme of Obama's young administration.
A review of 95 defense projects by the Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress, found that the projects went over budget by $295 billion over the course of several years.
Obama is to sign a presidential memo Wednesday that changes government contracting procedures, an administration official said on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the decision before it was announced.
Obama's directive would order Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to work with Cabinet and agency officials to draft new contracting rules by the end of September. Those new rules, officials said, would make it more difficult for contractors to bilk taxpayers and make some half-trillion dollars in federal contracts each year more accessible to independent contractors.
During last week's White House meetings on the nation's financial future, lawmakers and officials bluntly told top Obama aides that government contracts needed to be handled in a better way. The president's own fleet of Marine One helicopters became an illustration of out-of-control spending.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival during last year's presidential election, dryly told Obama, "Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One."
Obama said he already had spoken with Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the fleet of 28 Marine One helicopters that is now over budget at $11.2 billion, a price that has almost doubled since the Navy started the project.
"It is an example of the procurement process gone amok, and we're going to have to fix it," Obama said last week.
Obama will say that his administration will stop outsourcing to private contractors many services that should be performed by government employees. He also pledged to open contracts to small businesses and eliminate "unnecessary" no-bid contracts that allow preferred contractors to take assignments even though they might not be the least expensive option.
In his remarks Wednesday, Obama also planned to praise McCain and Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan for their work to curb cost overruns in defense contracts. He also will acknowledge Gates' attention to the procurement process.
The administration official said Obama would not, however, sacrifice national security to save pennies. The official also said the administration plans to increase transparency and accountability provisions in contracts — a major theme of Obama's young administration.
A review of 95 defense projects by the Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress, found that the projects went over budget by $295 billion over the course of several years.
USA
Play Video Barack Obama Video:Obama's agenda comes with risks, rewards AP Play Video Barack Obama Video:Obama: Wall St. Numbers Not Reflective Of Future CBS 2 New York British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the first European leader to visit President Obama, met with the president Tuesday ahead of an address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday. Brown's visit is meant to strengthen ties with the US in anticipation of a "global new deal" strategy Brown will present at a G-20 economic summit in London next month.
Bernard Madoff's lawyer filed court papers Monday seeking to let Madoff's wife, Ruth, keep a $7 million Manhattan penthouse and $62 million in assets that he and his client claim are "unrelated" to the securities fraud charges against the accused Wall Street broker. While awaiting trial in an alleged $50 billion Ponzi operation, Madoff is confined to the apartment.
Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, President Obama's choice to be US Trade Representative, has agreed to pay an estimated $10,000 in unpaid income taxes related to speaking fees and sports tickets, the Senate Finance Committee reviewing his nomination said Monday.
Dartmouth College named Jim Yong Kim the Ivy League's first Asian-American president Monday. Born in South Korea but raised in Iowa, Dr. Kim is known as a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS and for his work supporting healthcare for the poor.
The number of people on probation or parole more than tripled to 5.1 million between 1982 and 2007, according to a new report by the Pew Center on the States. The study recommends gearing up community-supervision strategies to reduce recidivism.
Japanese Emperor Akihito may become the first Japanese emperor or prime minister to visit Pearl Harbor, according to the Kyodo News. A tour of the site of Japan's surprise World War II attack on the US Navy base could occur during an unofficial July stopover in Hawaii while en route to Canada.
Democrats have opened up their widest lead since 1984 in the race for voters' party identification, a Harris Poll indicates. They enjoy a 10 percentage-point lead over the GOP, a seven-point jump since 2002.
The US Tennis Association saluted Billie Jean King at an exhibition event – the Billie Jean King Cup – played Monday in New York's Madison Square Garden. The Williams sisters joined King after Serena defeated Venus 6-4, 6-3 in the final. King founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973.
Bernard Madoff's lawyer filed court papers Monday seeking to let Madoff's wife, Ruth, keep a $7 million Manhattan penthouse and $62 million in assets that he and his client claim are "unrelated" to the securities fraud charges against the accused Wall Street broker. While awaiting trial in an alleged $50 billion Ponzi operation, Madoff is confined to the apartment.
Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, President Obama's choice to be US Trade Representative, has agreed to pay an estimated $10,000 in unpaid income taxes related to speaking fees and sports tickets, the Senate Finance Committee reviewing his nomination said Monday.
Dartmouth College named Jim Yong Kim the Ivy League's first Asian-American president Monday. Born in South Korea but raised in Iowa, Dr. Kim is known as a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS and for his work supporting healthcare for the poor.
The number of people on probation or parole more than tripled to 5.1 million between 1982 and 2007, according to a new report by the Pew Center on the States. The study recommends gearing up community-supervision strategies to reduce recidivism.
Japanese Emperor Akihito may become the first Japanese emperor or prime minister to visit Pearl Harbor, according to the Kyodo News. A tour of the site of Japan's surprise World War II attack on the US Navy base could occur during an unofficial July stopover in Hawaii while en route to Canada.
Democrats have opened up their widest lead since 1984 in the race for voters' party identification, a Harris Poll indicates. They enjoy a 10 percentage-point lead over the GOP, a seven-point jump since 2002.
The US Tennis Association saluted Billie Jean King at an exhibition event – the Billie Jean King Cup – played Monday in New York's Madison Square Garden. The Williams sisters joined King after Serena defeated Venus 6-4, 6-3 in the final. King founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973.
Obama tries to pump up confidence in the economy
WASHINGTON – Trying to pump up the nation's confidence, President Barack Obama said that Wall Street has been hammered so hard that "buying stocks is a potentially good deal," and he dispatched top aides to Capitol Hill to defend his plans for pulling the economy out of its deep recession. The stock market slipped ever lower, and Republicans suggested Obama was "cooking the books" in rosy recovery predictions.
After being accused for weeks of being too negative about the economy, Obama recently has shifted to a more positive tone. He and his aides still say recovery won't come quickly, but they are becoming more aggressive in declaring that the government's efforts will work.
They better work, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said. The country faces "a prolonged episode of economic stagnation" without bold policy moves, he told the Senate Banking Committee.
Separately, the Fed announced a long-awaited program to spur lending for autos, education, credit cards and other consumer loans by providing up to $200 billion in financing to investors to buy up the debt. If the program succeeds, it should help break economy-crippling credit clogs and make it easier for Americans to finance purchases large and small at lower rates, Bernanke said.
"What the economy requires, what the American people demand is that we move as aggressively as we can to get growth back on track," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. "I'm confident this is the right path for the country."
Republicans were not so sure, accusing the new administration of raising taxes during a recession — on many ordinary Americans as well as on the wealthy.
Underscoring the economy's weakness, Detroit's Big Three automakers reported huge U.S. sales declines for February from a year earlier — 53 percent for General Motors Corp., 48 percent for Ford Motor Co. and 44 percent for Chrysler LLC.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials lost 37 points, but stocks have been falling so fast — 300 points on Monday alone — that the new decline seemed quite modest.
Obama's plan envisions a deficit of $1.7 trillion this year followed by several more years of trillion-dollar shortfalls.
"The new administration has inherited an economic crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetimes," White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told the House Budget Committee.
The administration acknowledges that its energy proposal would increase costs for consumers but argues that the vast majority of people will get tax breaks elsewhere in Obama's budget package.
"Now, if people don't change how they use energy, then they will face higher costs for energy," Geithner acknowledged.
Obama, meanwhile, was asked about the stock market's swoon in recent days to levels not seen since 1997.
"What I'm looking for is not the day-to-day gyrations of the stock market, but the long-term ability for the United States and the entire world economy to regain its footing," Obama said after meeting in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"You know, it bobs up and down," he said, comparing stock market movements to daily tracking polls during political campaigns. "The banking system has been dealt a heavy blow," he added. "There are a lot of losses that are working their way through the system. And it's not surprising that the market is hurting as a consequence."
Sounding ever more like an analyst, he said that "profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it."
The president predicted a recovery "but it's not going to happen overnight."
He got a boost from Bernanke, who was appointed to the top Fed job in 2006 by President George W. Bush. Bernanke said Obama's recently enacted $787 billion stimulus package of increased federal spending and tax cuts should help revive consumer spending, boost factory production and "mitigate the overall loss of employment and income that would otherwise occur."
Bernanke testified that an economic recovery depends on the government's ability to stabilize weak financial markets.
Geithner and Orszag were grilled by Republicans on the tax portion of the budget.
In particular, GOP lawmakers complained about a section that would require polluters to purchase permits from the government for their greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting it would essentially impose huge new energy costs on all consumers and businesses. They also criticized a section limiting the charitable deductions that households earning over $250,000 a year can claim, saying it would burden charities.
"The president's budget increases taxes on every American, and does so during a recession," Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., told Geithner.
Geithner said the budget reflects what Obama views as "a deep moral imperative to make our society more just. But it's very good economic policy, too. It will mean there is again a fairer, more equitably shared tax burden on the vast majority of Americans."
Higher taxes for affluent Americans would not come until 2011 once "we are safely into recovery," Geithner said.
But some lawmakers challenged the administration's predictions for such a speedy recovery.
The budget forecasts that the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, would shrink by just 1.2 percent this year and then snap back and grow by a solid 3.2 percent in 2010, followed by several years over 4 percent.
That's more optimistic than most private forecasts, and comes despite a new government report showing the economy contracted by 6.2 percent in late 2008, far more than the 3.2 percent drop first reported.
"It looks like somebody's cooking the books," Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, told Geithner.
The Obama plan "does predict a somewhat more rapid recovery" than other forecasts, Geithner acknowledged. But, he added, "I believe this is a realistic forecast."
Questioning was pretty much along party lines. Democrats for the most part praised Obama's proposal.
"It is making the tax code more fair," Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., told Geithner.
Obama's budget faces a difficult path through Congress because of its many controversial proposals on health care, taxes and global warming.
___
Associated Press Writers Stephen Ohlemacher, Andrew Taylor, Jeannine Aversa and Jennifer Loven contributed to this report from Washington, Tom Krisher and Bree Fowler from Detroit.
After being accused for weeks of being too negative about the economy, Obama recently has shifted to a more positive tone. He and his aides still say recovery won't come quickly, but they are becoming more aggressive in declaring that the government's efforts will work.
They better work, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said. The country faces "a prolonged episode of economic stagnation" without bold policy moves, he told the Senate Banking Committee.
Separately, the Fed announced a long-awaited program to spur lending for autos, education, credit cards and other consumer loans by providing up to $200 billion in financing to investors to buy up the debt. If the program succeeds, it should help break economy-crippling credit clogs and make it easier for Americans to finance purchases large and small at lower rates, Bernanke said.
"What the economy requires, what the American people demand is that we move as aggressively as we can to get growth back on track," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. "I'm confident this is the right path for the country."
Republicans were not so sure, accusing the new administration of raising taxes during a recession — on many ordinary Americans as well as on the wealthy.
Underscoring the economy's weakness, Detroit's Big Three automakers reported huge U.S. sales declines for February from a year earlier — 53 percent for General Motors Corp., 48 percent for Ford Motor Co. and 44 percent for Chrysler LLC.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials lost 37 points, but stocks have been falling so fast — 300 points on Monday alone — that the new decline seemed quite modest.
Obama's plan envisions a deficit of $1.7 trillion this year followed by several more years of trillion-dollar shortfalls.
"The new administration has inherited an economic crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetimes," White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told the House Budget Committee.
The administration acknowledges that its energy proposal would increase costs for consumers but argues that the vast majority of people will get tax breaks elsewhere in Obama's budget package.
"Now, if people don't change how they use energy, then they will face higher costs for energy," Geithner acknowledged.
Obama, meanwhile, was asked about the stock market's swoon in recent days to levels not seen since 1997.
"What I'm looking for is not the day-to-day gyrations of the stock market, but the long-term ability for the United States and the entire world economy to regain its footing," Obama said after meeting in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"You know, it bobs up and down," he said, comparing stock market movements to daily tracking polls during political campaigns. "The banking system has been dealt a heavy blow," he added. "There are a lot of losses that are working their way through the system. And it's not surprising that the market is hurting as a consequence."
Sounding ever more like an analyst, he said that "profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it."
The president predicted a recovery "but it's not going to happen overnight."
He got a boost from Bernanke, who was appointed to the top Fed job in 2006 by President George W. Bush. Bernanke said Obama's recently enacted $787 billion stimulus package of increased federal spending and tax cuts should help revive consumer spending, boost factory production and "mitigate the overall loss of employment and income that would otherwise occur."
Bernanke testified that an economic recovery depends on the government's ability to stabilize weak financial markets.
Geithner and Orszag were grilled by Republicans on the tax portion of the budget.
In particular, GOP lawmakers complained about a section that would require polluters to purchase permits from the government for their greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting it would essentially impose huge new energy costs on all consumers and businesses. They also criticized a section limiting the charitable deductions that households earning over $250,000 a year can claim, saying it would burden charities.
"The president's budget increases taxes on every American, and does so during a recession," Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., told Geithner.
Geithner said the budget reflects what Obama views as "a deep moral imperative to make our society more just. But it's very good economic policy, too. It will mean there is again a fairer, more equitably shared tax burden on the vast majority of Americans."
Higher taxes for affluent Americans would not come until 2011 once "we are safely into recovery," Geithner said.
But some lawmakers challenged the administration's predictions for such a speedy recovery.
The budget forecasts that the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, would shrink by just 1.2 percent this year and then snap back and grow by a solid 3.2 percent in 2010, followed by several years over 4 percent.
That's more optimistic than most private forecasts, and comes despite a new government report showing the economy contracted by 6.2 percent in late 2008, far more than the 3.2 percent drop first reported.
"It looks like somebody's cooking the books," Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, told Geithner.
The Obama plan "does predict a somewhat more rapid recovery" than other forecasts, Geithner acknowledged. But, he added, "I believe this is a realistic forecast."
Questioning was pretty much along party lines. Democrats for the most part praised Obama's proposal.
"It is making the tax code more fair," Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., told Geithner.
Obama's budget faces a difficult path through Congress because of its many controversial proposals on health care, taxes and global warming.
___
Associated Press Writers Stephen Ohlemacher, Andrew Taylor, Jeannine Aversa and Jennifer Loven contributed to this report from Washington, Tom Krisher and Bree Fowler from Detroit.
Australia woes stoke global recession fears
SYDNEY (AFP) – The first contraction in Australia's economy for eight years sent shockwaves through markets Wednesday, after the US unveiled a credit drive to stem a crisis that shows no sign of relenting.
Dashing hopes Australia could avoid the global recession, shock figures showed the economy contracted 0.5 percent in the December quarter, well below market expectations of 0.1 percent growth.
Ending a long run of expansion on the back of a China-driven resources boom, the figures came despite government attempts to kick start the economy with two stimulus packages worth more than 50 billion dollars (32.5 billion US).
Treasurer Wayne Swan said the figures were a "sobering reflection" of an extremely difficult global environment that was likely to get worse before it improves.
"Although the Australian economy has held up better than most other economies, the inevitable impact of the global recession is clearly evident in today's data," he said.
The news sent currency and share markets plummeting, with the Australian dollar plunging 0.65 US cents to 63.15 US cents immediately after the announcement and the benchmark SP/ASX200 share index closing 1.6 percent lower.
Pressurised world markets earlier hit multi-year lows amid worries about the world economy, exacerbated by a huge global rout earlier in the week.
Japanese share prices slipped 0.82 percent in morning trade, a day after London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares shed 3.14 percent to finish at a six-year low. Tokyo later recovered on bargain-hunting to close up 0.85 percent.
Governments continued to forge stimulus efforts, with Japan's parliament passing a controversial plan to hand 20 billion dollars back to the public to fight the recession.
A 200-billion-dollar US government bid to rev up consumer lending failed to halt a slide on Wall Street which fell 0.55 percent Tuesday, after automakers reported heavy US sales declines as the deepening crisis evaporates demand.
General Motors reported a 53 percent slide, Ford sales fell 48 percent and Toyota's sales dropped 37 percent from a year earlier.
Overall sales for the US market were down 41 percent from a year ago to a weak annual pace of 9.12 million vehicles.
The Treasury and the Federal Reserve said the credit drive, which could increase to one trillion dollars, aims to break a credit crunch by buying up asset-backed securities linked to credit cards, auto loans and other types of consumer credit.
Called the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), the programme is designed "to catalyse" credit markets that have been "virtually shuttered since the worsening of the financial crisis in October," according to a joint statement.
Ryan Sweet at Economy.com said the programme could help revive economic activity.
"If the TALF works as intended, it could become the blueprint for future programs to combat the financial crisis," he said.
As the launch was announced, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said that this and other efforts by the central bank along with a huge stimulus programme should over time provide "solid gains" for the recession-plagued economy.
Bernanke also highlighted the failings of the banking system to steer clear from mountains of bad debt in an unusually harsh rebuke to ailing insurer American International Group, whose record fourth quarterly loss of 61.7 billion dollars helped send world markets spiralling down this week.
He told a Senate hearing that "if there's a single episode in this entire 18 months (of the financial crisis) that has made me more angry, I can't think of one than AIG."
"I think AIG exploited a huge gap in the regulatory system," Bernanke said.
Economies worldwide have been hit by the crisis sparked by so-called subprime loans in the United States, made to borrowers with weak credit histories.
The loans were resold as complicated investment instruments to banks, institutions and private investors around the world. Once large-scale defaults hit, the impact was felt worldwide.
In France, Prime Minister Francois Fillon warned on French radio that "The whole of 2009 will be a year of crisis."
The Bank of England is expected to slash its key interest rate on Thursday by half a percentage point to just 0.5 percent -- the lowest level in the bank's 315-year history, analysts said.
The European Central Bank meets on Thursday when it is expected to cut rates half a point to a record low 1.50 percent amid a chorus of complaints it has been too slow to adjust policy as the economy slumps.
Dashing hopes Australia could avoid the global recession, shock figures showed the economy contracted 0.5 percent in the December quarter, well below market expectations of 0.1 percent growth.
Ending a long run of expansion on the back of a China-driven resources boom, the figures came despite government attempts to kick start the economy with two stimulus packages worth more than 50 billion dollars (32.5 billion US).
Treasurer Wayne Swan said the figures were a "sobering reflection" of an extremely difficult global environment that was likely to get worse before it improves.
"Although the Australian economy has held up better than most other economies, the inevitable impact of the global recession is clearly evident in today's data," he said.
The news sent currency and share markets plummeting, with the Australian dollar plunging 0.65 US cents to 63.15 US cents immediately after the announcement and the benchmark SP/ASX200 share index closing 1.6 percent lower.
Pressurised world markets earlier hit multi-year lows amid worries about the world economy, exacerbated by a huge global rout earlier in the week.
Japanese share prices slipped 0.82 percent in morning trade, a day after London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares shed 3.14 percent to finish at a six-year low. Tokyo later recovered on bargain-hunting to close up 0.85 percent.
Governments continued to forge stimulus efforts, with Japan's parliament passing a controversial plan to hand 20 billion dollars back to the public to fight the recession.
A 200-billion-dollar US government bid to rev up consumer lending failed to halt a slide on Wall Street which fell 0.55 percent Tuesday, after automakers reported heavy US sales declines as the deepening crisis evaporates demand.
General Motors reported a 53 percent slide, Ford sales fell 48 percent and Toyota's sales dropped 37 percent from a year earlier.
Overall sales for the US market were down 41 percent from a year ago to a weak annual pace of 9.12 million vehicles.
The Treasury and the Federal Reserve said the credit drive, which could increase to one trillion dollars, aims to break a credit crunch by buying up asset-backed securities linked to credit cards, auto loans and other types of consumer credit.
Called the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), the programme is designed "to catalyse" credit markets that have been "virtually shuttered since the worsening of the financial crisis in October," according to a joint statement.
Ryan Sweet at Economy.com said the programme could help revive economic activity.
"If the TALF works as intended, it could become the blueprint for future programs to combat the financial crisis," he said.
As the launch was announced, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said that this and other efforts by the central bank along with a huge stimulus programme should over time provide "solid gains" for the recession-plagued economy.
Bernanke also highlighted the failings of the banking system to steer clear from mountains of bad debt in an unusually harsh rebuke to ailing insurer American International Group, whose record fourth quarterly loss of 61.7 billion dollars helped send world markets spiralling down this week.
He told a Senate hearing that "if there's a single episode in this entire 18 months (of the financial crisis) that has made me more angry, I can't think of one than AIG."
"I think AIG exploited a huge gap in the regulatory system," Bernanke said.
Economies worldwide have been hit by the crisis sparked by so-called subprime loans in the United States, made to borrowers with weak credit histories.
The loans were resold as complicated investment instruments to banks, institutions and private investors around the world. Once large-scale defaults hit, the impact was felt worldwide.
In France, Prime Minister Francois Fillon warned on French radio that "The whole of 2009 will be a year of crisis."
The Bank of England is expected to slash its key interest rate on Thursday by half a percentage point to just 0.5 percent -- the lowest level in the bank's 315-year history, analysts said.
The European Central Bank meets on Thursday when it is expected to cut rates half a point to a record low 1.50 percent amid a chorus of complaints it has been too slow to adjust policy as the economy slumps.
Apple introduces new Mac desktop computers
Apple introduces new Mac desktop computers
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc refreshed its line of Mac desktop computers, adding stronger capabilities and nudging some prices lower as consumer spending feels the pinch of the recession.
Apple introduced on Tuesday new models of its iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro desktops, following a refresh of its MacBook notebook PCs last year.
The new line includes a flagship 24-inch iMac with twice the memory size and twice the storage of the previous generation 20-inch iMac, but is priced at the same $1,499. It also includes a 20-inch PC and two new 24-inch iMacs priced between at $1,199 to $2,199.
Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner said the new desktop PCs did not break new ground on form or aesthetics, but the new iMacs offered much more bang for the buck.
"Nothing earth-shattering here but in a time when price and value are of increasing significance the refresh definitely puts Apple at the head of that comparison," he said.
Calyon Securities analyst Shebly Seyrafi said the new desktops should be able to contribute meaningfully to Apple's March quarter, but he wondered whether their price points are still too high.
"They increased the performance but didn't lower the price. I question whether that is the right business move in today's environment where I think customers want lower prices," he said.
Sales of Apple's desktops, like those of competitors such as Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc, have been declining as consumers shift to notebooks.
Apple's desktop shipments fell 25 percent in the December quarter as notebooks rose 34 percent. Desktop revenue made up less a third of all Mac revenue in the quarter.
The picture for desktops is only expected to become grimmer. Research group Gartner expects global desktop sales to fall 32 percent in 2009, even as notebooks rise 2.7 percent.
Apple also introduced a new Mac Pro desktop PC aimed at business users. The new Mac Pro starts at $2,499, $300 less than the previous Mac Pro.
In addition, the company unveiled two new Mac Mini desktops, measuring 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches by 2 inches, with the entry-level price unchanged at $599. The Mac mini also now features an Nvidia graphics processor, and the chip maker said its GPUs are now available in all Mac computers, both desktops and notebooks.
Oppenheimer's Reiner noted that Apple's press release was something of a "non-event" compared to some of the company's other product launches that have been among the most eagerly anticipated events in the technology world.
When Apple refreshed its line of Macbook notebooks in October, Chief Executive Steve Jobs -- currently on medical leave until June -- introduced the new PCs with his typical showmanship at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Calyon's Seyrafi did not see Apple's somewhat low-key announcement as significant, noting that desktops are simply not as important as notebooks these days.
Shares of Apple were up 1.7 percent to $89.41 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq.
(Additional reporting by Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Derek Caney and Tim Dobbyn)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc refreshed its line of Mac desktop computers, adding stronger capabilities and nudging some prices lower as consumer spending feels the pinch of the recession.
Apple introduced on Tuesday new models of its iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro desktops, following a refresh of its MacBook notebook PCs last year.
The new line includes a flagship 24-inch iMac with twice the memory size and twice the storage of the previous generation 20-inch iMac, but is priced at the same $1,499. It also includes a 20-inch PC and two new 24-inch iMacs priced between at $1,199 to $2,199.
Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner said the new desktop PCs did not break new ground on form or aesthetics, but the new iMacs offered much more bang for the buck.
"Nothing earth-shattering here but in a time when price and value are of increasing significance the refresh definitely puts Apple at the head of that comparison," he said.
Calyon Securities analyst Shebly Seyrafi said the new desktops should be able to contribute meaningfully to Apple's March quarter, but he wondered whether their price points are still too high.
"They increased the performance but didn't lower the price. I question whether that is the right business move in today's environment where I think customers want lower prices," he said.
Sales of Apple's desktops, like those of competitors such as Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc, have been declining as consumers shift to notebooks.
Apple's desktop shipments fell 25 percent in the December quarter as notebooks rose 34 percent. Desktop revenue made up less a third of all Mac revenue in the quarter.
The picture for desktops is only expected to become grimmer. Research group Gartner expects global desktop sales to fall 32 percent in 2009, even as notebooks rise 2.7 percent.
Apple also introduced a new Mac Pro desktop PC aimed at business users. The new Mac Pro starts at $2,499, $300 less than the previous Mac Pro.
In addition, the company unveiled two new Mac Mini desktops, measuring 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches by 2 inches, with the entry-level price unchanged at $599. The Mac mini also now features an Nvidia graphics processor, and the chip maker said its GPUs are now available in all Mac computers, both desktops and notebooks.
Oppenheimer's Reiner noted that Apple's press release was something of a "non-event" compared to some of the company's other product launches that have been among the most eagerly anticipated events in the technology world.
When Apple refreshed its line of Macbook notebooks in October, Chief Executive Steve Jobs -- currently on medical leave until June -- introduced the new PCs with his typical showmanship at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Calyon's Seyrafi did not see Apple's somewhat low-key announcement as significant, noting that desktops are simply not as important as notebooks these days.
Shares of Apple were up 1.7 percent to $89.41 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq.
(Additional reporting by Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Derek Caney and Tim Dobbyn)
U.S. mortgage demand off before Obama rescue details
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Applications for loans to buy U.S. homes and to refinance existing mortgages fell for the second straight week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday, as consumers awaited for specific details on President Barack Obama's housing stimulus plan.
The $275 billion program announced two weeks ago aims to reduce mortgage rates and stem the record tide of foreclosures that has dragged home prices down nearly 27 percent from their mid-2006 peak.
The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted mortgage applications index, made up of both purchase and refinance loans, fell 12.6 percent to 649.7 last week.
That was about half the level posted early this year, when average 30-year mortgage rates fell as low as 4.89 percent, according to the trade group. Mortgage rates rose to 5.14 percent last week from 5.07 percent the prior week.
Potential buyers and refinancers have pulled back in the hopes that Obama's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan will cut borrowing costs and steady house prices.
"The housing stimulus package was announced but without sufficient detail to cause the market to have comfort that it would work, and (a sense about) when it would work," Michael Feder, chief executive at real estate data and analytics company Radar Logic, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted refinancing applications index slumped 15.3 percent to 3,063.4, less than half the level seen as recently as mid-January.
Its purchase index dropped 5.6 percent to 236.4 last week, having steadily descended from this year's high of 344.2 in the week ended January 2.
An unwillingness to buy a fast-depreciating asset, a supply glut and swiftly evaporating jobs continue to contribute to the housing market swoon, analysts agree.
"While there is some demand from bargain hunters, housing conditions remain quite dire," Barclays economist Michelle Meyer wrote on Tuesday after the January National Association of Realtors pending home sales index slid to its lowest level since the index was started in 2001.
"Consumers have lost confidence in the economy and are worried about job security, discouraging big-ticket purchases," and tight credit conditions are overshadowing relatively low mortgage rates, she added.
(Editing by Leslie Adler)
The $275 billion program announced two weeks ago aims to reduce mortgage rates and stem the record tide of foreclosures that has dragged home prices down nearly 27 percent from their mid-2006 peak.
The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted mortgage applications index, made up of both purchase and refinance loans, fell 12.6 percent to 649.7 last week.
That was about half the level posted early this year, when average 30-year mortgage rates fell as low as 4.89 percent, according to the trade group. Mortgage rates rose to 5.14 percent last week from 5.07 percent the prior week.
Potential buyers and refinancers have pulled back in the hopes that Obama's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan will cut borrowing costs and steady house prices.
"The housing stimulus package was announced but without sufficient detail to cause the market to have comfort that it would work, and (a sense about) when it would work," Michael Feder, chief executive at real estate data and analytics company Radar Logic, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted refinancing applications index slumped 15.3 percent to 3,063.4, less than half the level seen as recently as mid-January.
Its purchase index dropped 5.6 percent to 236.4 last week, having steadily descended from this year's high of 344.2 in the week ended January 2.
An unwillingness to buy a fast-depreciating asset, a supply glut and swiftly evaporating jobs continue to contribute to the housing market swoon, analysts agree.
"While there is some demand from bargain hunters, housing conditions remain quite dire," Barclays economist Michelle Meyer wrote on Tuesday after the January National Association of Realtors pending home sales index slid to its lowest level since the index was started in 2001.
"Consumers have lost confidence in the economy and are worried about job security, discouraging big-ticket purchases," and tight credit conditions are overshadowing relatively low mortgage rates, she added.
(Editing by Leslie Adler)
Toll Brothers fiscal 1st-qtr loss narrows
HORSHAM, Pa. – Toll Brothers Inc. said Wednesday its loss in the fiscal first quarter narrowed despite plummeting revenue as the luxury homebuilder slashed expenses.
For the quarter ended in January, Toll Brothers lost $89 million, or 55 cents per share, compared with a year-ago loss of $96 million, or 61 cents per share.
Pretax write-downs totaled $156.6 million in the most recent quarter, down from $245.5 million the prior year.
Excluding the write-downs, earnings fell to $9.6 million, or 6 cents per share, from $57.3 million, or 35 cents per share, a year ago.
Revenue declined 51 percent to $409 million from $842.3 million.
Cost of revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses both declined year over year.
Analysts on average expected a loss of 52 cents per share on revenue of $425.3 million.
Cash at quarter-end amounted to $1.53 billion, Toll Brothers said, up from $956.6 million at the same time a year ago.
"Faced with a plunging stock market, weak consumer confidence, growing job losses, challenging credit markets and a hobbled economy, we continue to focus on maintaining a strong balance sheet and significant liquidity," Robert I. Toll, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. "With this capital, we hope to take advantage of opportunities we believe will arise from the current downturn."
The company says it expects to deliver 2,000 to 3,000 homes this year, based on its quarter-end backlog of $1.04 billion. Toll Brothers declined to provide more specific earnings guidance
For the quarter ended in January, Toll Brothers lost $89 million, or 55 cents per share, compared with a year-ago loss of $96 million, or 61 cents per share.
Pretax write-downs totaled $156.6 million in the most recent quarter, down from $245.5 million the prior year.
Excluding the write-downs, earnings fell to $9.6 million, or 6 cents per share, from $57.3 million, or 35 cents per share, a year ago.
Revenue declined 51 percent to $409 million from $842.3 million.
Cost of revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses both declined year over year.
Analysts on average expected a loss of 52 cents per share on revenue of $425.3 million.
Cash at quarter-end amounted to $1.53 billion, Toll Brothers said, up from $956.6 million at the same time a year ago.
"Faced with a plunging stock market, weak consumer confidence, growing job losses, challenging credit markets and a hobbled economy, we continue to focus on maintaining a strong balance sheet and significant liquidity," Robert I. Toll, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. "With this capital, we hope to take advantage of opportunities we believe will arise from the current downturn."
The company says it expects to deliver 2,000 to 3,000 homes this year, based on its quarter-end backlog of $1.04 billion. Toll Brothers declined to provide more specific earnings guidance
World stocks rebound on China stimulus hopes
World stocks rebound on China stimulus hopes
Slideshow:Stock Markets Play Video Barack Obama Video:President Obama Promoting Long Term Recovery CBS 2 New York Related Quotes Symbol Price Change
AIG 0.43 0.00
HBC 27.95 0.00
^GSPC 696.33 0.00
LONDON – Stock markets in Europe and Asia rebounded Wednesday amid mounting hopes that China will soon announce a big stimulus package that could help limit the length and depth of the recession in the industrialized world.
A legislative meeting starts Thursday in China and top of the agenda is what the government can do to lift growth rates, which have fallen in the wake of the global economic downturn. As one of the few major economies still expanding, China is being closely watched amid hopes its demand and trade can help the world weather the most severe global slowdown in decades.
Chinese shares led Wednesday's advance, with Shanghai's index jumping more than 6 percent to close at 2,198.11.
"Obviously, this unusual rally suggests that investors are overly optimistic about what to expect from the legislature. They think the government will do more to boost spending to stimulate the economy," said Peng Yunliang, an analyst with Shanghai Securities in Shanghai.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average was up 61.24 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,290.96, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 297.27, or 2.5 percent, to 12,331.15. South Korea's Kospi climbed 3.3 percent to 1,059.26.
Markets in Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand also gained. Australia's index shed 1.6 percent.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares recovered from six-year lows to rise 66.42 points, or 1.9 percent, to 3,578.51, while Germany's DAX was up 99.38 points, or 2.7 percent, at 3,790.10. The CAC-40 in France was 54.05 points, or 2.1 percent, higher at 2,608.60.
U.S. futures pointed to a higher open for Wall Street on Wednesday. Dow futures rose 119, or 1.8 percent, to 6,788 and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures gained 14.3, or 2.1 percent, to 704. After a choppy session, the Dow closed Tuesday at 6,726.02, its lowest close since April 1997, while the S&P closed at 696.33, 52 percent below its peak of October 2007.
Despite Wednesday's rebound around the world, the markets remain in a jittery mood ahead of Thursday's interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England and Friday's closely-watched U.S. jobs report for February.
"The mood in equity markets is still bleak but we need to be aware that sentiment-emotion is looking rather extreme, not that fundamentals look in any way supportive," said Neil Mackinnon, chief economist at ECU Group.
Sentiment around the world was ravaged this week with the news that American International Group Inc. posted the biggest quarterly loss in corporate history, and HSBC Holdings PLC slashed its dividend and revealed it needed to raise nearly $18 billion from shareholders. And the warning from Ben Bernanke, the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, that U.S. banks may need more government cash injections to stay afloat did not help matters either.
Oil prices rose, with benchmark crude for April delivery up $1.62 to $43.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $1.50 to settle at $41.65 overnight.
In currencies, the dollar fell rose 1.4 percent to 99.35 yen while the euro fell 0.4 percent to $1.2504.
___
AP Business Writer Jeremiah Marquez in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Slideshow:Stock Markets Play Video Barack Obama Video:President Obama Promoting Long Term Recovery CBS 2 New York Related Quotes Symbol Price Change
AIG 0.43 0.00
HBC 27.95 0.00
^GSPC 696.33 0.00
LONDON – Stock markets in Europe and Asia rebounded Wednesday amid mounting hopes that China will soon announce a big stimulus package that could help limit the length and depth of the recession in the industrialized world.
A legislative meeting starts Thursday in China and top of the agenda is what the government can do to lift growth rates, which have fallen in the wake of the global economic downturn. As one of the few major economies still expanding, China is being closely watched amid hopes its demand and trade can help the world weather the most severe global slowdown in decades.
Chinese shares led Wednesday's advance, with Shanghai's index jumping more than 6 percent to close at 2,198.11.
"Obviously, this unusual rally suggests that investors are overly optimistic about what to expect from the legislature. They think the government will do more to boost spending to stimulate the economy," said Peng Yunliang, an analyst with Shanghai Securities in Shanghai.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average was up 61.24 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,290.96, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 297.27, or 2.5 percent, to 12,331.15. South Korea's Kospi climbed 3.3 percent to 1,059.26.
Markets in Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand also gained. Australia's index shed 1.6 percent.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares recovered from six-year lows to rise 66.42 points, or 1.9 percent, to 3,578.51, while Germany's DAX was up 99.38 points, or 2.7 percent, at 3,790.10. The CAC-40 in France was 54.05 points, or 2.1 percent, higher at 2,608.60.
U.S. futures pointed to a higher open for Wall Street on Wednesday. Dow futures rose 119, or 1.8 percent, to 6,788 and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures gained 14.3, or 2.1 percent, to 704. After a choppy session, the Dow closed Tuesday at 6,726.02, its lowest close since April 1997, while the S&P closed at 696.33, 52 percent below its peak of October 2007.
Despite Wednesday's rebound around the world, the markets remain in a jittery mood ahead of Thursday's interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England and Friday's closely-watched U.S. jobs report for February.
"The mood in equity markets is still bleak but we need to be aware that sentiment-emotion is looking rather extreme, not that fundamentals look in any way supportive," said Neil Mackinnon, chief economist at ECU Group.
Sentiment around the world was ravaged this week with the news that American International Group Inc. posted the biggest quarterly loss in corporate history, and HSBC Holdings PLC slashed its dividend and revealed it needed to raise nearly $18 billion from shareholders. And the warning from Ben Bernanke, the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, that U.S. banks may need more government cash injections to stay afloat did not help matters either.
Oil prices rose, with benchmark crude for April delivery up $1.62 to $43.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $1.50 to settle at $41.65 overnight.
In currencies, the dollar fell rose 1.4 percent to 99.35 yen while the euro fell 0.4 percent to $1.2504.
___
AP Business Writer Jeremiah Marquez in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Guatemalan inmates kill, mutilate teacher
GUATEMALA CITY – Police say inmates at a Guatemalan juvenile prison killed one of their teachers during a riot and mutilated him.
Police spokesman Donald Gonzalez says the prisoners took three of their teachers hostage to protest the transfer of several of their fellow inmates to another detention center.
He says they killed one of the teachers, Winter Vidaurre, before police regained control of the prison using tear gas. Gonzalez said prisoners removed Vidaurre's heart.
The violence erupted Tuesday at the Stage 2 detention center. It was unclear how old the rioters were. Of the 62 prisoners, 32 reached adulthood while incarcerated
Police spokesman Donald Gonzalez says the prisoners took three of their teachers hostage to protest the transfer of several of their fellow inmates to another detention center.
He says they killed one of the teachers, Winter Vidaurre, before police regained control of the prison using tear gas. Gonzalez said prisoners removed Vidaurre's heart.
The violence erupted Tuesday at the Stage 2 detention center. It was unclear how old the rioters were. Of the 62 prisoners, 32 reached adulthood while incarcerated
Clinton meets Palestinian leaders in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks on Wednesday with Palestinian leaders concerned over whether Israel's next government will commit to a U.S.-backed peace process leading to a Palestinian state.
A day after pledging the new Obama administration would always protect Israel's security, Clinton visited the Israeli-occupied West Bank to deliver a message of support for President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority.
"We are very committed to your efforts in this leadership of President Abbas," Clinton told Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, pointman in Western-backed reconstruction plans for the Gaza Strip that freeze out the territory's Hamas Islamist rulers.
A day after pledging the new Obama administration would always protect Israel's security, Clinton visited the Israeli-occupied West Bank to deliver a message of support for President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority.
"We are very committed to your efforts in this leadership of President Abbas," Clinton told Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, pointman in Western-backed reconstruction plans for the Gaza Strip that freeze out the territory's Hamas Islamist rulers.
No iPhones, iPods at Bill Gates's house
Tue Mar 3, 2009 2:39PM EST
See Comments (1773)
Buzz up!on Yahoo!Bill Gates's sprawling Washington state compound is, as you might expect, packed to the gills with bleeding-edge gear, from the heated floors and 20-seat home theater to the X-ray machine (for screening the mail, of course) and miles of fiber-optic cabling. But here's what you definitely won't find at chez Gates: an iPhone.
In the latest issue of Vogue, Bill's wife, Melinda Gates, reveals that among the "very few things" on "the banned list in our household" are—you guessed it—iPods and iPhones.
Brutal, yes—especially for Bill and Melinda's three kids (two daughters and a son, aged 12, six, and nine, respectively), who'll just have to grin and bear it as their little pals make merry with the latest and greatest iPod.
And even Melinda herself admits to an occasional pang of Apple envy: "Every now and then I look at my friends and say, 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone.'" (Ouch!)
Then again, what else did we expect from Microsoft founder Bill Gates? The man has his pride, not to mention scores of Windows Mobile and Zune team members who'd probably feel a tad bit hurt if Bill Jr. was running around with an iPhone.
So, which phones and MP3 players are on the Gates's "good-to-go" list? Well, there's always the Zune for music and video—not the sexiest MP3 player out there, mind you, but at least it's got Wi-Fi and a snazzy interface.
And of course, there are plenty of Windows Mobile handsets to choose from; personally, I'd go for the Palm Treo Pro (if I had to get a Windows Mobile phone, that is), although it's not exactly a barrel of fun for the teens. Or how about the HTC Touch Pro? That's a pretty cool phone … I guess (as I pat the iPhone 3G in my jeans pocket).
Related:
Gates of Heaven [Vogue]
See Comments (1773)
Buzz up!on Yahoo!Bill Gates's sprawling Washington state compound is, as you might expect, packed to the gills with bleeding-edge gear, from the heated floors and 20-seat home theater to the X-ray machine (for screening the mail, of course) and miles of fiber-optic cabling. But here's what you definitely won't find at chez Gates: an iPhone.
In the latest issue of Vogue, Bill's wife, Melinda Gates, reveals that among the "very few things" on "the banned list in our household" are—you guessed it—iPods and iPhones.
Brutal, yes—especially for Bill and Melinda's three kids (two daughters and a son, aged 12, six, and nine, respectively), who'll just have to grin and bear it as their little pals make merry with the latest and greatest iPod.
And even Melinda herself admits to an occasional pang of Apple envy: "Every now and then I look at my friends and say, 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone.'" (Ouch!)
Then again, what else did we expect from Microsoft founder Bill Gates? The man has his pride, not to mention scores of Windows Mobile and Zune team members who'd probably feel a tad bit hurt if Bill Jr. was running around with an iPhone.
So, which phones and MP3 players are on the Gates's "good-to-go" list? Well, there's always the Zune for music and video—not the sexiest MP3 player out there, mind you, but at least it's got Wi-Fi and a snazzy interface.
And of course, there are plenty of Windows Mobile handsets to choose from; personally, I'd go for the Palm Treo Pro (if I had to get a Windows Mobile phone, that is), although it's not exactly a barrel of fun for the teens. Or how about the HTC Touch Pro? That's a pretty cool phone … I guess (as I pat the iPhone 3G in my jeans pocket).
Related:
Gates of Heaven [Vogue]
3/03/2009
外汇交易相关术语
* 外汇交易相关术语（均按字母A-Z顺序排列）*
保证金-- 以比较少的资金总量来控制大量商品交易金额的能力。 亦被称作"杠杆"。
保证金交易 -- 一种购买选择权，给予选择购买者以规定汇率购买特殊配对货币的权利。
报价 -- 指配对货币中的第二种货币的报价。例如，在美元和日圆配对货币中，日圆就是报价货币。也指第二方货币或对方货币。
价差 -- 即配对货币买进与卖出的差额。
点 -- 外汇交易价格中最小的交易单位。
个体交易者 -- 商品交易法案中所规定的进入外汇交易的任何一方，不具备参与合同的资格。这包括资产量少于1，000万美元的个体以及多数小商行。
回购 -- 一未结头寸上的交易日期被放至另一远期交易日期的过程。
即期市场 -- 用于支付产品的货币在移交时的即时市场，即是即期货币。
基础货币 -- 用于外汇交易，比照配对货币做出报价的货币。配对货币中的第一种货币为基础货币。例如，在美元和日圆配对货币中，美元就是基础货币。与原始货币表意相同。
即期交易 -- 要求用货币进行的即时、全额真实交易。在银行间市场上，即期交易通常指的是交易日后的第二个营业日。这一术语也指交易双方约定在两个工作日内进行交割，但这些交易并非是真正的即期交易，此种交易也受联邦商品交易法案的保护。
交易员 -- 在外汇货币交易中充当交易对手与另一方进行交易的公司。
交易对手 -- 交易对手是指在柜台交易中的另一方。对于个体交易者来说，交易商是永远的交易对手。
交叉汇率 -- 外汇交易两种货币间的交易汇率，在此处的两种货币均非美元。
履约价格 -- 选择权的买卖双方所议定，当选择权买方要求履约时，买进或卖出的特殊配对货币的价格。也即人们所称的"履行价格"。
卖出选择权 -- 一种卖出选择权，给予选择购买者以规定汇率出卖特殊配对货币的权利。
美式期权 -- 美式期权的持有人有权在期权期限内的任何时候执行期权，包括到期前和到期日。
卖出价 -- 交易者可以买入配对货币的报价 与"买入价""卖出价"或"汇率价"意同。
买入价 -- 交易者在卖出配对货币地方的报价。 与"买入价格"或"买入汇率"表意相同。
欧元 -- 11个欧洲国家（也就是比利时、芬兰、法国、德国、爱尔兰、意大利、卢森堡、荷兰、葡萄牙和西班牙）在1999年1月1日所使用的现行货币。
欧式选择权 -- 选择权买方于到期日之前，不得要求选择权卖方履约，仅能于到期日要求选择权卖方履约。
配对货币 -- 两种货币级成的外汇交易汇率。 例如，美元/日圆就是一对货币。
清算结算 -- 用于交易到期日交付的实际货币量。
升水 -- 选择权购买人为购买选择权而支出的价格，不包括商品的价格。
未结头寸 -- 尚未撤销或者清算的任何交易。
选择权合约到期日 -- 选择权买方有权向选择权卖方要求履约的最后一日。
远期外汇交易 -- 是指交易双方在成交后并不立即办理交割，而是事先约定币种、金额、汇率、交割时间等交易条件，到期才进行实际交割的外汇交易。这一术语也指交易双方约定在未来某个时间进行交割，但这些交易并非是真正的远期交易，此种交易也受联邦商品交易法案的保护。
银行间市场 -- 金融机构和其他大公司之间存在的货币交易宽松网络。
英磅 -- 表示英国货币--磅的另一术语。
保证金-- 以比较少的资金总量来控制大量商品交易金额的能力。 亦被称作"杠杆"。
保证金交易 -- 一种购买选择权，给予选择购买者以规定汇率购买特殊配对货币的权利。
报价 -- 指配对货币中的第二种货币的报价。例如，在美元和日圆配对货币中，日圆就是报价货币。也指第二方货币或对方货币。
价差 -- 即配对货币买进与卖出的差额。
点 -- 外汇交易价格中最小的交易单位。
个体交易者 -- 商品交易法案中所规定的进入外汇交易的任何一方，不具备参与合同的资格。这包括资产量少于1，000万美元的个体以及多数小商行。
回购 -- 一未结头寸上的交易日期被放至另一远期交易日期的过程。
即期市场 -- 用于支付产品的货币在移交时的即时市场，即是即期货币。
基础货币 -- 用于外汇交易，比照配对货币做出报价的货币。配对货币中的第一种货币为基础货币。例如，在美元和日圆配对货币中，美元就是基础货币。与原始货币表意相同。
即期交易 -- 要求用货币进行的即时、全额真实交易。在银行间市场上，即期交易通常指的是交易日后的第二个营业日。这一术语也指交易双方约定在两个工作日内进行交割，但这些交易并非是真正的即期交易，此种交易也受联邦商品交易法案的保护。
交易员 -- 在外汇货币交易中充当交易对手与另一方进行交易的公司。
交易对手 -- 交易对手是指在柜台交易中的另一方。对于个体交易者来说，交易商是永远的交易对手。
交叉汇率 -- 外汇交易两种货币间的交易汇率，在此处的两种货币均非美元。
履约价格 -- 选择权的买卖双方所议定，当选择权买方要求履约时，买进或卖出的特殊配对货币的价格。也即人们所称的"履行价格"。
卖出选择权 -- 一种卖出选择权，给予选择购买者以规定汇率出卖特殊配对货币的权利。
美式期权 -- 美式期权的持有人有权在期权期限内的任何时候执行期权，包括到期前和到期日。
卖出价 -- 交易者可以买入配对货币的报价 与"买入价""卖出价"或"汇率价"意同。
买入价 -- 交易者在卖出配对货币地方的报价。 与"买入价格"或"买入汇率"表意相同。
欧元 -- 11个欧洲国家（也就是比利时、芬兰、法国、德国、爱尔兰、意大利、卢森堡、荷兰、葡萄牙和西班牙）在1999年1月1日所使用的现行货币。
欧式选择权 -- 选择权买方于到期日之前，不得要求选择权卖方履约，仅能于到期日要求选择权卖方履约。
配对货币 -- 两种货币级成的外汇交易汇率。 例如，美元/日圆就是一对货币。
清算结算 -- 用于交易到期日交付的实际货币量。
升水 -- 选择权购买人为购买选择权而支出的价格，不包括商品的价格。
未结头寸 -- 尚未撤销或者清算的任何交易。
选择权合约到期日 -- 选择权买方有权向选择权卖方要求履约的最后一日。
远期外汇交易 -- 是指交易双方在成交后并不立即办理交割，而是事先约定币种、金额、汇率、交割时间等交易条件，到期才进行实际交割的外汇交易。这一术语也指交易双方约定在未来某个时间进行交割，但这些交易并非是真正的远期交易，此种交易也受联邦商品交易法案的保护。
银行间市场 -- 金融机构和其他大公司之间存在的货币交易宽松网络。
英磅 -- 表示英国货币--磅的另一术语。
3/02/2009
Rio Carbon 6GB Player
Rio Carbon 6GB Player
larger image
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Carbon Pearl 6GB brings 17% more storage to the award winning ultra-slim design for even more digital music pleasure.
KEY FEATURES
6GB of memory stores up to 1500 songs**
Built-in mic for voice record
Drag & drop data and music files
Rechargeable battery - up to 20 hours
USB 2.0 for faster downloads
Charge from USB or Power Adapter
Plays MP3, WMA & Audible®
FEATURED REVIEW
PC World awards Carbon 6GB and 5GB 'PC World World Class Award Read the "RIO Carbon Wins 2005 World Class Award From PC World" press release.
Read the full “PC World World Class Award” article from PCWorld
Sporting a tapered, award winning ultra-thin design, this tiny MP3 player, about the size of a business card, will slide into any pocket virtually unnoticeable. The Rio Carbon 6GB is capable of holding up to 96 hours of MP3 (192 hours WMA) music**, and with up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, music lovers need not worry about running out of juice. Supporting USB 2.0 and a host of file formats; users can download music efficiently and easily from most of their favorite online music sites. The Rio Carbon 6GB also includes voice recording and provides seamless integration and support of the Microsoft Windows® platform.
Rio Carbon Pearl Dimensions: 2.5”W x 3.3”H x 0.6” D
Rio Carbon Pearl Weight: 3.2 oz.
System Requirements:
Windows® 2000, XP. Intel Pentium II 233 mhz or higher. 64MB RAM. 35MB available hard drive space. USB Port. CD-ROM drive
*1GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes
**At 128kbps MP3, 64kbps WMA.
larger image
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Carbon Pearl 6GB brings 17% more storage to the award winning ultra-slim design for even more digital music pleasure.
KEY FEATURES
6GB of memory stores up to 1500 songs**
Built-in mic for voice record
Drag & drop data and music files
Rechargeable battery - up to 20 hours
USB 2.0 for faster downloads
Charge from USB or Power Adapter
Plays MP3, WMA & Audible®
FEATURED REVIEW
PC World awards Carbon 6GB and 5GB 'PC World World Class Award Read the "RIO Carbon Wins 2005 World Class Award From PC World" press release.
Read the full “PC World World Class Award” article from PCWorld
Sporting a tapered, award winning ultra-thin design, this tiny MP3 player, about the size of a business card, will slide into any pocket virtually unnoticeable. The Rio Carbon 6GB is capable of holding up to 96 hours of MP3 (192 hours WMA) music**, and with up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, music lovers need not worry about running out of juice. Supporting USB 2.0 and a host of file formats; users can download music efficiently and easily from most of their favorite online music sites. The Rio Carbon 6GB also includes voice recording and provides seamless integration and support of the Microsoft Windows® platform.
Rio Carbon Pearl Dimensions: 2.5”W x 3.3”H x 0.6” D
Rio Carbon Pearl Weight: 3.2 oz.
System Requirements:
Windows® 2000, XP. Intel Pentium II 233 mhz or higher. 64MB RAM. 35MB available hard drive space. USB Port. CD-ROM drive
*1GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes
**At 128kbps MP3, 64kbps WMA.
Calligraphy Pens
Calligraphy Pens
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Panache Cartridge Calligraphy Pen
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Panache
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Scheaffer Cartridge Ink
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Calligraphy has been an art for centuries. Save the written word and learn Calligraphy today...
Calligraphy Pens, Refill Ink, Parchment Calligraphy Paper...
Panache Cartridge Calligraphy Pen
Click above for details
Panache Ink Cartridges
10/pkg
Click above for colors
Panache
Parchment
Calligraphy Paper
Click above for colors
Scheaffer Calligraphy Pens
Click above for details
Scheaffer Cartridge Ink
Click above for color list
5 Cartridges per package.
Calligraphy Sets
$12.99
SB3059
Bamboo Sketch Pens
YA236
Click above for sizes
Lettershop Calligraphy Project
$19.99
SB28012
Elegant Writer Sets
Click above for sizes
Rotring Sketching Art Pens PCK2500
Click above for sizes
Rotring Calligraphy Art Pen PCK2502
Click above for sizes
Calligraphy has been an art for centuries. Save the written word and learn Calligraphy today...
heater
Selling Leads » home solar water heater
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We are professional solar and recycling energy manufacturer and supplier in china, our product line including non-pressure series solar water heater (one pipe inlet-outlet/two pipe... Send Inquiry Now
solar water heater for home
1. Vacuum tubes: 47*1500mm, 58*1800mm, Borosilicate glass 3.3 2. Absorbing rate >91%-93% 3. Out tank shell: Stainless steel 4. Inner tank: 304 2B food grade stainless stee... Send Inquiry Now
Sell All Glass Vacumm Tube Solar Water Heater (non-pressure)
1. Material of Inner tank�SUS304-2B stainless steel with 0.4mm thickness 2. Material of Outer tank�SUS304-2B stainless steel with 0.31mm thickness ... Send Inquiry Now
Sell solar water heater
Non-pressure Solar Water Heater Features: 1) Inner water tank shell is made of SUS304-2B food grade stainless steel plates, and outer tank shell is made of SUS304-2B food grad... Send Inquiry Now
Sell solar water heater (home use)
xxxxx part: vacuum tube 2. inner water tank: 304-2B 3. outer water tank: SS 4. attemperator: polyurethane 5. airproof circle: si 6. tank cover: SS 7. plank: SS( 1.0mm pr... Send Inquiry Now
1/28/2009
Advance
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1/21/2009
Carbon
Carbon (pronounced /kɑrbən/) is a chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. There are three naturally occurring isotopes, with 12C and 13C being stable, while 14C is radioactive, decaying with a half-life of about 5730 years.[7] Carbon is one of the few elements known to man since antiquity.[8][9] The name "carbon" comes from Latin language carbo, coal, and, in some Romance and Slavic languages, the word carbon can refer both to the element and to coal.
There are several allotropes of carbon of which the best known are graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon.[10] The physical properties of carbon vary widely with the allotropic form. For example, diamond is highly transparent, while graphite is opaque and black. Diamond is among the hardest materials known, while graphite is soft enough to form a streak on paper. Diamond has a very low electrical conductivity, while graphite is a very good conductor. Under normal conditions, diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of all known materials. All the allotropic forms are solids under normal conditions but graphite is the most thermodynamically stable.
All forms of carbon are highly stable, requiring high temperature to react even with oxygen. The most common oxidation state of carbon in inorganic compounds is +4, while +2 is found in carbon monoxide and other transition metal carbonyl complexes. The largest sources of inorganic carbon are limestones, dolomites and carbon dioxide, but significant quantities occur in organic deposits of coal, peat, oil and methane clathrates. Carbon forms more compounds than any other element, with almost ten million pure organic compounds described to date, which in turn are a tiny fraction of such compounds that are theoretically possible under standard conditions.[11]
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. It is present in all known lifeforms, and in the human body, carbon is the second most abundant element by mass (about 18.5%) after oxygen.[12] This abundance, together with the unique diversity of organic compounds and their unusual polymer-forming ability at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth, make this element the chemical basis of all known life.
カーボンとは炭素のことで元素記号はCで表す。炭素は地球上に１４番目に多く存在する原子で、 空や海には主に炭酸ガスとして、地中には主に岩石、石炭、石油として、そして生物の中には いろいろな有機物の形で存在している。単体（主に炭素原子だけが集まったもの）では 地中に天然黒鉛やダイヤモンドなどとして存在する。
我々カーボン業界で炭素とかカーボンというときは炭素の単体をさし、天然黒鉛や主にコークスから工業生産される 人造黒鉛や無定形炭素（炭素質カーボン）などがある。この他に炭素単体からなる製品としてはコークス、活性炭、 カーボンブラック、そして最近では炭素繊維などがある。
カーボンは熱的にも化学的にも極めて安定な物質で古くから使われてきたが、特に導電性があることが判ってから 様々な分野に用途が広がった。特に近年半導体、エレクトロニクス分野などで需要が高まっている。
There are several allotropes of carbon of which the best known are graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon.[10] The physical properties of carbon vary widely with the allotropic form. For example, diamond is highly transparent, while graphite is opaque and black. Diamond is among the hardest materials known, while graphite is soft enough to form a streak on paper. Diamond has a very low electrical conductivity, while graphite is a very good conductor. Under normal conditions, diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of all known materials. All the allotropic forms are solids under normal conditions but graphite is the most thermodynamically stable.
All forms of carbon are highly stable, requiring high temperature to react even with oxygen. The most common oxidation state of carbon in inorganic compounds is +4, while +2 is found in carbon monoxide and other transition metal carbonyl complexes. The largest sources of inorganic carbon are limestones, dolomites and carbon dioxide, but significant quantities occur in organic deposits of coal, peat, oil and methane clathrates. Carbon forms more compounds than any other element, with almost ten million pure organic compounds described to date, which in turn are a tiny fraction of such compounds that are theoretically possible under standard conditions.[11]
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. It is present in all known lifeforms, and in the human body, carbon is the second most abundant element by mass (about 18.5%) after oxygen.[12] This abundance, together with the unique diversity of organic compounds and their unusual polymer-forming ability at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth, make this element the chemical basis of all known life.
カーボンとは炭素のことで元素記号はCで表す。炭素は地球上に１４番目に多く存在する原子で、 空や海には主に炭酸ガスとして、地中には主に岩石、石炭、石油として、そして生物の中には いろいろな有機物の形で存在している。単体（主に炭素原子だけが集まったもの）では 地中に天然黒鉛やダイヤモンドなどとして存在する。
我々カーボン業界で炭素とかカーボンというときは炭素の単体をさし、天然黒鉛や主にコークスから工業生産される 人造黒鉛や無定形炭素（炭素質カーボン）などがある。この他に炭素単体からなる製品としてはコークス、活性炭、 カーボンブラック、そして最近では炭素繊維などがある。
カーボンは熱的にも化学的にも極めて安定な物質で古くから使われてきたが、特に導電性があることが判ってから 様々な分野に用途が広がった。特に近年半導体、エレクトロニクス分野などで需要が高まっている。
미국, 땅콩버터 살모넬라균 파문 확산
미국, 땅콩버터 살모넬라균 파문 확산
식품회사들이 땅콩버터가 포함된 제품들에 대해 잇따라 리콜 조치에 나서는 등 미국의 살모넬라균땅콩 버터 파문이 확산되고 있다.
테네시주 컬리지데일에 소재한 식품회사 맥키(McKee)는 18일 자사의 땅콩버터 크래커인 '리틀 데비' 2종을 리콜한다고 밝혔다.
이 같은 리콜 발표는 미 식품의약국(FDA)의 가이드라인에 따른 것으로, FDA는 17일 소비자들에게 살모넬라균 감염 가능성이 제기되고 있는 모든 땅콩 버터를 먹지 말라고 촉구한 바 있다.
맥키 측은 그러나 제품을 구입한 소비자들로부터 어떤 특이 사항도 신고받은 바는 없다고 밝히고, 6월 1일 이후 생산된 땅콩 버터 크래커에 한해 리콜한다고 덧붙였다.
인디애나주의 사우스밴드초콜릿사도 이날 조지아주에 소재한 피넛코프(Peanut Corp)사가 만든 땅콩 버터를 포함한 사탕류를 리콜한다고 밝혔고 시카고 근교의 냉동식품회사 랠코프(Ralcorp)도 월마트 등 대형 할인매장에 공급하는 땅콩버터 쿠키류를 리콜했다.
또한 살모넬라균에 오염된 땅콩버터가 확인된 피넛코프사도 18일 리콜 규모를 조지아주 블레이클리 공장에서 생산하는 모든 땅콩버터와 땅콩 페이스트로 확대했다.
앞서 지난 16일 살모넬라균 감염 가능성에 대한 우려로 땅콩버터가 포함된 16개 제품에 대한 자발적인 리콜을 시행한다고 밝힌 바 있는 켈로그는 19일 자사의 피넛버터크래커에서 살모렐라균이 발견됐다는 것을 FDA로부터 확인했다고 밝혔다. 살로멜라균 발견이 확인된 제품은 'Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter'다.
미국에서는 이번 살모넬라균에 오염된 땅콩버터로 인해 지금까지 43개주에서 470명이 감염, 최소 90명이 병원에 입원했다. 이중 적어도 6명이 숨진 것으로 당국은 파악하고 있다.
<켈로그가 리콜한 16개 품목>
Austin Quality Foods Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods PB & J Cracker Sandwiches - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Super Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Cookie/Cracker Pack
Austin Quality Foods Variety Pack
Keebler Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Keebler Toast & PB'n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Keebler Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies (2- and 3-ounce)
Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies (2.5-ounce)
식품회사들이 땅콩버터가 포함된 제품들에 대해 잇따라 리콜 조치에 나서는 등 미국의 살모넬라균땅콩 버터 파문이 확산되고 있다.
테네시주 컬리지데일에 소재한 식품회사 맥키(McKee)는 18일 자사의 땅콩버터 크래커인 '리틀 데비' 2종을 리콜한다고 밝혔다.
이 같은 리콜 발표는 미 식품의약국(FDA)의 가이드라인에 따른 것으로, FDA는 17일 소비자들에게 살모넬라균 감염 가능성이 제기되고 있는 모든 땅콩 버터를 먹지 말라고 촉구한 바 있다.
맥키 측은 그러나 제품을 구입한 소비자들로부터 어떤 특이 사항도 신고받은 바는 없다고 밝히고, 6월 1일 이후 생산된 땅콩 버터 크래커에 한해 리콜한다고 덧붙였다.
인디애나주의 사우스밴드초콜릿사도 이날 조지아주에 소재한 피넛코프(Peanut Corp)사가 만든 땅콩 버터를 포함한 사탕류를 리콜한다고 밝혔고 시카고 근교의 냉동식품회사 랠코프(Ralcorp)도 월마트 등 대형 할인매장에 공급하는 땅콩버터 쿠키류를 리콜했다.
또한 살모넬라균에 오염된 땅콩버터가 확인된 피넛코프사도 18일 리콜 규모를 조지아주 블레이클리 공장에서 생산하는 모든 땅콩버터와 땅콩 페이스트로 확대했다.
앞서 지난 16일 살모넬라균 감염 가능성에 대한 우려로 땅콩버터가 포함된 16개 제품에 대한 자발적인 리콜을 시행한다고 밝힌 바 있는 켈로그는 19일 자사의 피넛버터크래커에서 살모렐라균이 발견됐다는 것을 FDA로부터 확인했다고 밝혔다. 살로멜라균 발견이 확인된 제품은 'Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter'다.
미국에서는 이번 살모넬라균에 오염된 땅콩버터로 인해 지금까지 43개주에서 470명이 감염, 최소 90명이 병원에 입원했다. 이중 적어도 6명이 숨진 것으로 당국은 파악하고 있다.
<켈로그가 리콜한 16개 품목>
Austin Quality Foods Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods PB & J Cracker Sandwiches - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Super Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Cookie/Cracker Pack
Austin Quality Foods Variety Pack
Keebler Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Keebler Toast & PB'n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Keebler Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes
Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies (2- and 3-ounce)
Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies (2.5-ounce)
(일본) 딸기, 「아마오」 홍콩 상륙
(일본) 딸기, 「아마오」 홍콩 상륙
JA그룹과 후쿠오카현이 전국에서 처음으로 설립한 무역회사･후쿠오카 농산물통상은 20일, 수출 제1호의 현산지 딸기인 ｢아마오｣ 1,000팩을 홍콩에 수출했다. 우송된 딸기는 오후에 홍콩 백화점의 판매장에 진열되어 지역의 이점을 살린 해외에서의 현산 농산물 판매개척이 시작되었다.
홍콩에서 인기가 정착된 ｢아마오｣를 수요가 큰 구정에 맞추어 당초 예정인 2월 보다 빠른 시기에 수출. 4월까지 주2･3편을 보낸다. 2월은 대만에서 열리는 이벤트에 맞추어 수출을 예정하고 있다.
동사는 오차와 과일 등 현의 특산품의 수출품목을 넓혀 아시아나 미국, 구주, 러시아 등의 판로개척에 힘을 기울인다. 2009년도는 농산물의 수출판매고 1억엔, 3년 후에는 3억엔을 계획. 가공품과 선물용 판매나 현내 JA의 지역특산품도 취급할 예정이다.
JA그룹과 후쿠오카현이 전국에서 처음으로 설립한 무역회사･후쿠오카 농산물통상은 20일, 수출 제1호의 현산지 딸기인 ｢아마오｣ 1,000팩을 홍콩에 수출했다. 우송된 딸기는 오후에 홍콩 백화점의 판매장에 진열되어 지역의 이점을 살린 해외에서의 현산 농산물 판매개척이 시작되었다.
홍콩에서 인기가 정착된 ｢아마오｣를 수요가 큰 구정에 맞추어 당초 예정인 2월 보다 빠른 시기에 수출. 4월까지 주2･3편을 보낸다. 2월은 대만에서 열리는 이벤트에 맞추어 수출을 예정하고 있다.
동사는 오차와 과일 등 현의 특산품의 수출품목을 넓혀 아시아나 미국, 구주, 러시아 등의 판로개척에 힘을 기울인다. 2009년도는 농산물의 수출판매고 1억엔, 3년 후에는 3억엔을 계획. 가공품과 선물용 판매나 현내 JA의 지역특산품도 취급할 예정이다.
일본, 식품위장 적발 강화
일본, 식품위장 적발 강화
식품위장을 집중적으로 조사하는 “식품표시특별G-Man"에 의한 적발이 급증하고 있다. 농림수산성이 경찰과 연계하여 적발한 사건은 지금까지 연간 한 두건이었으나 이 ”정예부대“가 발족한 작년 4월 이후에는 모두 12건에 달했다. 전국에 네트워크를갖고 있는 기동성이 성과를 내고 있는 것이다. 은폐공작 등의 수법이 날로 교묘해지는 가운데 지역 업자를 육성하는 입장의 지자체와의 연계 등이 과제가 되고 있다. 작년 9월, 오사카에 본사를 두고 있는 농산물 판매업자의 동경영업소장은 회사를 방문한 동경 농정사무소의 G-Man 두사람 앞에서 무거운 입을 열었다. 지금까지 “우리는 위장 등을 하고 있지 않다”고 갑작스럽게 소장이 진술하였다. 농수성은 소장에 대한 최초의 청취 후 각 지에 흩어져 있는 G-Man을 움직이게 하여 관동지구의 제조 위탁처 등을 일제히 조사하였다. 중국산 죽순을 국산으로 위장한 의심이 강하다는 정보를 입수하여 모순점을 뚫었다. 특별 G-Man인 오오미즈씨는 “주위부터 조사해 나가면 반드시 증언에 차이가 생긴다”고 자신감을 보였다.
연이은 악질적인 식품위장을 접한 농수성은 작년 4월, 조사에 정통한 전국 20명의 직원을 특별 G-Man으로 임명하였다. 종래의 G-Man은 관할마다 조사가 주였지만 각지의 거래처 등을 사용한 위장에 대응하여 전국을 기동적으로 조사할 수 있는 권한을 부여한 것이 특징이다.
특별 G-Man설치에 앞선 2007년 11월에 농림수산성과 경찰청이 연계협정을 체결한 이후 G-Man의 조사를 근기로 업자의 가택수사나 관계자를 체포한 경우는 16건이었다.(08년도는 12건) 농림수산성은 “식품위장의 적발은 매년 셀 수 없을 정도였다. 조사강화의 성과가 나타나고 있다”고 말한다. 적발건수가 증가하는 한편 가공회사를 사용한 악질적인 수법의 위장이나 은폐공장도 횡행한다. 이중장부의 작성, 서류의 바꿔치기, 파기는 수도 없다. G-Man의 청취를 듣고 부하에게 “그 이상 말하지 말라” 등 압력을 가하는 간부도 있어 조사는 어려움이 가중되고 있다. 또한 위반행위에 대한 지도로 도도부현과 호흡이 맞지 않는 경우도 있다. 농림수산성은 작년 10월, 말고기의 산지위장으로 구마모토, 사가에 영업거점을 두고 있는 2개사에 개선지시를 내리고 사명을 공표하였다. 그러나 위장에 관여하면서 영업영역을 구마모토현내로 한정하고 있는 1개 업자에 대해서 현은 지도에 그쳐 회사명 공표를 미루었다. 동 현은 “정부로부터 사명을 공표해야만 한다는 문서를 받았지만 현으로서 지도가 적당하다고 판단했다”고 설명하였다. 농림수산성 표시․규격과의 담당자는 “지역브랜드의 평판을 떨어뜨리고 싶지 않기 때문이 아니겠는가”하고 추측한다.
식품의 안전을 지키는 국가의 체제 구축을 둘러싸고서는 조사권한의 강화를 목적으로 한 소비자청의 행방이 불투명하다. 정부의 출장소의 재점검과 관련 있는 약 1,800명의 G-Man이 소속되어 있는 지방농정사무소의 폐지론도 부상하고 있다. 조사체제의 강화가 어려운 상황이 되고 있지만 소비자문제연구소장은 “처분이 약한 일본농림규격법(JAS)의 벌칙강화도 필요하다”고 지적한다.
식품위장을 집중적으로 조사하는 “식품표시특별G-Man"에 의한 적발이 급증하고 있다. 농림수산성이 경찰과 연계하여 적발한 사건은 지금까지 연간 한 두건이었으나 이 ”정예부대“가 발족한 작년 4월 이후에는 모두 12건에 달했다. 전국에 네트워크를갖고 있는 기동성이 성과를 내고 있는 것이다. 은폐공작 등의 수법이 날로 교묘해지는 가운데 지역 업자를 육성하는 입장의 지자체와의 연계 등이 과제가 되고 있다. 작년 9월, 오사카에 본사를 두고 있는 농산물 판매업자의 동경영업소장은 회사를 방문한 동경 농정사무소의 G-Man 두사람 앞에서 무거운 입을 열었다. 지금까지 “우리는 위장 등을 하고 있지 않다”고 갑작스럽게 소장이 진술하였다. 농수성은 소장에 대한 최초의 청취 후 각 지에 흩어져 있는 G-Man을 움직이게 하여 관동지구의 제조 위탁처 등을 일제히 조사하였다. 중국산 죽순을 국산으로 위장한 의심이 강하다는 정보를 입수하여 모순점을 뚫었다. 특별 G-Man인 오오미즈씨는 “주위부터 조사해 나가면 반드시 증언에 차이가 생긴다”고 자신감을 보였다.
연이은 악질적인 식품위장을 접한 농수성은 작년 4월, 조사에 정통한 전국 20명의 직원을 특별 G-Man으로 임명하였다. 종래의 G-Man은 관할마다 조사가 주였지만 각지의 거래처 등을 사용한 위장에 대응하여 전국을 기동적으로 조사할 수 있는 권한을 부여한 것이 특징이다.
특별 G-Man설치에 앞선 2007년 11월에 농림수산성과 경찰청이 연계협정을 체결한 이후 G-Man의 조사를 근기로 업자의 가택수사나 관계자를 체포한 경우는 16건이었다.(08년도는 12건) 농림수산성은 “식품위장의 적발은 매년 셀 수 없을 정도였다. 조사강화의 성과가 나타나고 있다”고 말한다. 적발건수가 증가하는 한편 가공회사를 사용한 악질적인 수법의 위장이나 은폐공장도 횡행한다. 이중장부의 작성, 서류의 바꿔치기, 파기는 수도 없다. G-Man의 청취를 듣고 부하에게 “그 이상 말하지 말라” 등 압력을 가하는 간부도 있어 조사는 어려움이 가중되고 있다. 또한 위반행위에 대한 지도로 도도부현과 호흡이 맞지 않는 경우도 있다. 농림수산성은 작년 10월, 말고기의 산지위장으로 구마모토, 사가에 영업거점을 두고 있는 2개사에 개선지시를 내리고 사명을 공표하였다. 그러나 위장에 관여하면서 영업영역을 구마모토현내로 한정하고 있는 1개 업자에 대해서 현은 지도에 그쳐 회사명 공표를 미루었다. 동 현은 “정부로부터 사명을 공표해야만 한다는 문서를 받았지만 현으로서 지도가 적당하다고 판단했다”고 설명하였다. 농림수산성 표시․규격과의 담당자는 “지역브랜드의 평판을 떨어뜨리고 싶지 않기 때문이 아니겠는가”하고 추측한다.
식품의 안전을 지키는 국가의 체제 구축을 둘러싸고서는 조사권한의 강화를 목적으로 한 소비자청의 행방이 불투명하다. 정부의 출장소의 재점검과 관련 있는 약 1,800명의 G-Man이 소속되어 있는 지방농정사무소의 폐지론도 부상하고 있다. 조사체제의 강화가 어려운 상황이 되고 있지만 소비자문제연구소장은 “처분이 약한 일본농림규격법(JAS)의 벌칙강화도 필요하다”고 지적한다.
1/20/2009
Adult Education: Is A College Degree Right For You?
Adult Education: Is A College Degree Right For You?
Adults who are considering pursuing continuing education have a variety of choices when it comes to earning a degree or certificate. They can pursue college degrees through a community college or four-year institution, receive training and certification through vocational or trade programs, or simply expand their knowledge and skills through basic adult education classes. The avenue that you choose very much depends on your individual goals and needs.
If you are interested in pursuing a specific career path then the degree or certification and training you need for that career will certainly play a large role in determining what type of school and program you choose. Spend time studying the programs available at the schools in your area. The point of this exercise is not to choose a school but rather to look at the options open to you. What interests you? Can you picture yourself working in that field?
If you have been out of school for a long time then you may want to test the waters with a basic adult education class first. Adult education classes can help you brush up on basic skills, such as writing or computer use, as well as help you get back into the swing of being a student. The classes are also often much more affordable than a class you would take at a college or institute and often involve less time commitment as well.
If you are unsure what career path you would like to take then you should consider earning a general diploma from a local community college. Perhaps while working toward that degree you will discover interests and talents you had not suspected previously. Then you will be able to apply your classes to your new degree without difficulty. Even if you do not find a vocation that interests you, that general studies diploma will still help you further your professional life.
Furthering your education and training whether in your existing field or a new profession is always beneficial. While pursuing a college degree might be the best option you owe it to yourself to check out adult basic education classes as well as community college programs and technical and training schools.
Adults who are considering pursuing continuing education have a variety of choices when it comes to earning a degree or certificate. They can pursue college degrees through a community college or four-year institution, receive training and certification through vocational or trade programs, or simply expand their knowledge and skills through basic adult education classes. The avenue that you choose very much depends on your individual goals and needs.
If you are interested in pursuing a specific career path then the degree or certification and training you need for that career will certainly play a large role in determining what type of school and program you choose. Spend time studying the programs available at the schools in your area. The point of this exercise is not to choose a school but rather to look at the options open to you. What interests you? Can you picture yourself working in that field?
If you have been out of school for a long time then you may want to test the waters with a basic adult education class first. Adult education classes can help you brush up on basic skills, such as writing or computer use, as well as help you get back into the swing of being a student. The classes are also often much more affordable than a class you would take at a college or institute and often involve less time commitment as well.
If you are unsure what career path you would like to take then you should consider earning a general diploma from a local community college. Perhaps while working toward that degree you will discover interests and talents you had not suspected previously. Then you will be able to apply your classes to your new degree without difficulty. Even if you do not find a vocation that interests you, that general studies diploma will still help you further your professional life.
Furthering your education and training whether in your existing field or a new profession is always beneficial. While pursuing a college degree might be the best option you owe it to yourself to check out adult basic education classes as well as community college programs and technical and training schools.
UK Business Accounting Software
UK Business Accounting Software
How businesses operate all depends on where they are located. Each locality has a unique sense and style of running things with regards to business. Of course, the differences are all due to the laws that govern each of these locales. A product or service could be offered legally in one country, but not in another.
In the United Kingdom, there are various laws and legal matters regarding business that are unique to that country. However, if you take a closer, more in-depth look at how a UK business is run, the concept is more or less the same as in any place on the globe. On the average, a business establishment entertains hundreds of customers per day. Every purchase of a product or service is accounted for.. The company keeps track of all such figures to see how much profit it is reaping or even how much it may be losing. In taking these figures into consideration, the company then needs to allocate their expenses to overhead, labor, tax and the like.
To assist companies in the UK in this part of the business, computer programmers, mathematicians and business professionals have all worked together to create UK-specific business accounting software.
What is UK business accounting software? It is a program that is installed in the computer system of a business or company operating in the UK. This program assists business owners and accountants in different types of computations. There will be no need for people to go through data tabulations or do exhausting, confusing computations manually. All one has to do is key in the right figures, and the software does all the necessary computing itself. With such software, the whole process of computing is completed quickly and efficiently.
Business Accounting Software provides detailed information on Business Accounting Software, Best Business Accounting Software, Free Small Business Accounting Software, Small Business Accounting Software Reviews and more. Business Accounting Software is affiliated with Small Business Accounting Software.
How businesses operate all depends on where they are located. Each locality has a unique sense and style of running things with regards to business. Of course, the differences are all due to the laws that govern each of these locales. A product or service could be offered legally in one country, but not in another.
In the United Kingdom, there are various laws and legal matters regarding business that are unique to that country. However, if you take a closer, more in-depth look at how a UK business is run, the concept is more or less the same as in any place on the globe. On the average, a business establishment entertains hundreds of customers per day. Every purchase of a product or service is accounted for.. The company keeps track of all such figures to see how much profit it is reaping or even how much it may be losing. In taking these figures into consideration, the company then needs to allocate their expenses to overhead, labor, tax and the like.
To assist companies in the UK in this part of the business, computer programmers, mathematicians and business professionals have all worked together to create UK-specific business accounting software.
What is UK business accounting software? It is a program that is installed in the computer system of a business or company operating in the UK. This program assists business owners and accountants in different types of computations. There will be no need for people to go through data tabulations or do exhausting, confusing computations manually. All one has to do is key in the right figures, and the software does all the necessary computing itself. With such software, the whole process of computing is completed quickly and efficiently.
Business Accounting Software provides detailed information on Business Accounting Software, Best Business Accounting Software, Free Small Business Accounting Software, Small Business Accounting Software Reviews and more. Business Accounting Software is affiliated with Small Business Accounting Software.
How Do I Apply To An Online Accounting Degree Program?
Earning a degree online has many benefits. It is convenient, popular and affordable. It allows an adult the opportunity to earn a college degree while continuing to work, spend time with family and friends, or take care of important commitments. It also allows a worker to advance in the job, often before the degree is even completed.
An accounting degree is one degree that can be earned online that has all of these advantages. An associate degree in accounting is available for those who are just beginning their academic or workplace careers. Those with an accounting background and some college experience can choose to earn their bachelor’s degree in accounting. Professionals can choose to further their careers by earning an MBA in accounting.
Before earning any degree in accounting, you need to apply and be accepted into a program. Like traditional degree programs, there is an application process that prospective students must go through before becoming a matriculated student.
While each online institution will have its own application process, there are common procedures that need to be followed when applying for an online accounting degree program.
Choosing the right degree program is often the most difficult part of the application process. Fortunately, all of the research can be done from your computer. Use a reliable search engine to find the type of program you are interested in, e.g. “associate degree in accounting” or “MBA in Accounting.”
Once you have found some programs that interest you, spend time reading the information that the programs offer. Pay close attention to the details each gives about the application process.
Choose the school that best fits your needs, both academically and economically. Make a checklist for yourself of all of the requirements for applying to the school. Usually there will be an online application, a required essay, and a list of documents (such as past transcripts, test scores, etc.) that need to be sent.
As you complete each application step, check it off on your list. Complete the entire application process carefully and meticulously. Incomplete or careless applications can be rejected.
Once you have applied, the program will contact you regarding your application’s status. If any additional information is requested, submit it to the program as soon as possible.
By carefully providing all of the requested information in the application process, you have started on the path to earning an online degree in accounting.
An accounting degree is one degree that can be earned online that has all of these advantages. An associate degree in accounting is available for those who are just beginning their academic or workplace careers. Those with an accounting background and some college experience can choose to earn their bachelor’s degree in accounting. Professionals can choose to further their careers by earning an MBA in accounting.
Before earning any degree in accounting, you need to apply and be accepted into a program. Like traditional degree programs, there is an application process that prospective students must go through before becoming a matriculated student.
While each online institution will have its own application process, there are common procedures that need to be followed when applying for an online accounting degree program.
Choosing the right degree program is often the most difficult part of the application process. Fortunately, all of the research can be done from your computer. Use a reliable search engine to find the type of program you are interested in, e.g. “associate degree in accounting” or “MBA in Accounting.”
Once you have found some programs that interest you, spend time reading the information that the programs offer. Pay close attention to the details each gives about the application process.
Choose the school that best fits your needs, both academically and economically. Make a checklist for yourself of all of the requirements for applying to the school. Usually there will be an online application, a required essay, and a list of documents (such as past transcripts, test scores, etc.) that need to be sent.
As you complete each application step, check it off on your list. Complete the entire application process carefully and meticulously. Incomplete or careless applications can be rejected.
Once you have applied, the program will contact you regarding your application’s status. If any additional information is requested, submit it to the program as soon as possible.
By carefully providing all of the requested information in the application process, you have started on the path to earning an online degree in accounting.
Google搜索消耗的能量相当于烧一壶茶？
Can two Google searches really produce as much carbon dioxide as boiling enough water in an electric kettle for a cup of tea? That's what Alex Wissner-Gross, an environmental fellow at Harvard University, is claiming. "Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power," says Wissner-Gross in forthcoming research about the environmental impact of computing, which calculates that every Google search produces 7g of CO2. "Google are very efficient, but their primary concern is to make searches fast and that means they have a lot of extra capacity that burns energy."
It should probably be noted at this point that Wissner-Gross is also the co-founder of Enernetics, and its associated website www.CO2stats.com, which, according to the Boston Business Journal, allows "websites to get analysis of how energy-efficient they are and sells carbon offsets to help them reach a neutral status". So let's first congratulate Wissner-Gross on getting himself and his company talked about all over the internet, including here. But does his claim stack up?
Without any published data to hand it's hard to tell. All Google is saying is that it is takes the issue seriously, but that "the energy used per Google search is minimal". It adds: ""In the time it takes to do a Google search, your own personal computer will use more energy than we will use to answer your query." (If this is true, it surely makes a mockery of Wissner-Gross's claims as there's no way an average computer uses as much power as an electric kettle when it's boiling water.)
So let's do some crude sums based on what we know and what is being claimed. Google receives millions of search queries every day from all over the world. Estimates vary about quite how many queries it receives, but they seem to range from 200m up to 500m. Let's, for the sake of argument, take the top figure as a worst-case scenario.
If Wissner-Gross is correct then 3,500 tonnes of CO2 (500m x 0.000007 tonnes) are emitted every day through all of us performing Google searches. Or put another way, 1.28m tonnes a year. That's about the same as Laos emits each year, the 151st biggest emitting country in the world.
I'm torn between thinking that this sounds like an awful lot – "Shock: Google emits as much as a country!" – or whether it doesn't sound too bad, given, for right or wrong, how integral Google now is to many of our lives. What is certain is that the environmental impact of information technology as a whole is considerable and ever rising.
A widely quoted figure is that the global ICT sector produces as much CO2 each year as the global aviation industry – about 2-3% of total global emissions. It is helpful, therefore, that Wissner-Gross's claim is at least providing a needed spur to debating the ICT sector's impact, and how best to reduce it.
Ultimately, though, I suspect this particularly quotable nugget will have little impact on the searching habits of internet users. Nor should it, really. We can each monitor how much electricity our own computers use – and aim to keep it at a minimum – but it can only ever be Google's responsibility about how much power its servers and related hardware use. Perhaps there's even an argument for saying that internet searches have helped to reduce net emissions by greatly reducing the need to make physical journeys in search of information, say, a trip to the local library or bookshop?
两条Google搜索真的能产生用电水壶烧一壶茶所产生的二氧化碳？那正是Alex Wissner-Gross——一名哈佛大学环境研究员所断言的。“Google操作全球巨大的数据中心，这些数据中心消耗了大量能量。”Wissner-Gross在即将展开的关于电脑使用对环境所产生的影响的研究中说道，该研究计算出每条Google搜索产生7克的二氧化碳。“Google非常高效，但是他们最担心的是：搜索快捷了，而那就意味着他们有许多额外的精力去消耗能量了。
或许这时应注明一下，Wissner-Gross还是“能量机构”的共同创始人之一。该学会的相关网站：www.co2stats.com被波士顿商业新闻认可道：“可通过该网站得到节能水平的分析，出售碳抵消以帮助其达到平衡状态。”所以先让我们祝贺Wissner-Gross使自己和他的机构在网络上被大家谈的轰轰烈烈，包括现在这篇文章。但是他的学说真的正确吗？
没有发布任何手头的数据，这很难说它真实与否。Google只是说这学说把问题搞严重了，“每条Google搜索所消耗的能量是最小的”。它补充道：“在你搜索时候，你自己的电脑所消耗的能量要比我们回复你的答案所消耗的能量高多了。”（如果这是真的，这当然就使Wissner-Gross的学说变成了笑料，因为一台普通的电脑根本不可能消耗用电水壶烧开水所消耗的能量。）
所以让我们据我们所知的和他所声称的学说，做一些粗劣的计算。Google每天都从世界各地受到成千上万条搜索问题，虽然对于Google每天到底收到多少条问题还有分歧，但是似乎都在200万条至500万条之间。为了便于讨论，让我们取最坏的那个数据。
如果Wissner-Gross是正确的，那么每天都有3500吨（500万*0.000007吨）的CO2随着我们进行Google搜素释放出来。换言之，每年1.28万吨。那和老挝每年释放的一样——世界上第151名释放CO2最多的国家。
在这两种想法中我很难抉择：是认为这听上去真够坏的——“震撼：Google消耗的能量和一个国家一样多！”；还是觉得这听起来也不很坏，Google给我们的生活带来了许多，不论这是好是坏。但可以确定的是,信息技术所带来的环境影响是相当可观的,并且呈上升趋势.
一个广为引用的数据是全球的信息通讯技术部门每年产生的CO2和航空工业一样多——是全球放射物的2%到3%。因此，Wissner-Gross还是有帮助的，至少它产生了必要的刺激，让大家去争论信息通讯技术部门所产生的影响，使大家注意到降低这种影响有多么重要。
最后，虽然我怀疑这“可供人引用的至理名言”大概只会在网络用户的生活中产生极小的影响。当然，也不该产生什么影响。但至少我们每个人都注意到我们的电脑消耗了多少能量——并且试着使它降到最低——不过Google的用户和硬件所消耗的能量只是Google自己的责任。或许还有争论说相比真的到处去寻找信息，网络搜索还能帮助减少能量消耗呢，比如说减少了去一趟当地的图书馆或书店所消耗的能量。
It should probably be noted at this point that Wissner-Gross is also the co-founder of Enernetics, and its associated website www.CO2stats.com, which, according to the Boston Business Journal, allows "websites to get analysis of how energy-efficient they are and sells carbon offsets to help them reach a neutral status". So let's first congratulate Wissner-Gross on getting himself and his company talked about all over the internet, including here. But does his claim stack up?
Without any published data to hand it's hard to tell. All Google is saying is that it is takes the issue seriously, but that "the energy used per Google search is minimal". It adds: ""In the time it takes to do a Google search, your own personal computer will use more energy than we will use to answer your query." (If this is true, it surely makes a mockery of Wissner-Gross's claims as there's no way an average computer uses as much power as an electric kettle when it's boiling water.)
So let's do some crude sums based on what we know and what is being claimed. Google receives millions of search queries every day from all over the world. Estimates vary about quite how many queries it receives, but they seem to range from 200m up to 500m. Let's, for the sake of argument, take the top figure as a worst-case scenario.
If Wissner-Gross is correct then 3,500 tonnes of CO2 (500m x 0.000007 tonnes) are emitted every day through all of us performing Google searches. Or put another way, 1.28m tonnes a year. That's about the same as Laos emits each year, the 151st biggest emitting country in the world.
I'm torn between thinking that this sounds like an awful lot – "Shock: Google emits as much as a country!" – or whether it doesn't sound too bad, given, for right or wrong, how integral Google now is to many of our lives. What is certain is that the environmental impact of information technology as a whole is considerable and ever rising.
A widely quoted figure is that the global ICT sector produces as much CO2 each year as the global aviation industry – about 2-3% of total global emissions. It is helpful, therefore, that Wissner-Gross's claim is at least providing a needed spur to debating the ICT sector's impact, and how best to reduce it.
Ultimately, though, I suspect this particularly quotable nugget will have little impact on the searching habits of internet users. Nor should it, really. We can each monitor how much electricity our own computers use – and aim to keep it at a minimum – but it can only ever be Google's responsibility about how much power its servers and related hardware use. Perhaps there's even an argument for saying that internet searches have helped to reduce net emissions by greatly reducing the need to make physical journeys in search of information, say, a trip to the local library or bookshop?
两条Google搜索真的能产生用电水壶烧一壶茶所产生的二氧化碳？那正是Alex Wissner-Gross——一名哈佛大学环境研究员所断言的。“Google操作全球巨大的数据中心，这些数据中心消耗了大量能量。”Wissner-Gross在即将展开的关于电脑使用对环境所产生的影响的研究中说道，该研究计算出每条Google搜索产生7克的二氧化碳。“Google非常高效，但是他们最担心的是：搜索快捷了，而那就意味着他们有许多额外的精力去消耗能量了。
或许这时应注明一下，Wissner-Gross还是“能量机构”的共同创始人之一。该学会的相关网站：www.co2stats.com被波士顿商业新闻认可道：“可通过该网站得到节能水平的分析，出售碳抵消以帮助其达到平衡状态。”所以先让我们祝贺Wissner-Gross使自己和他的机构在网络上被大家谈的轰轰烈烈，包括现在这篇文章。但是他的学说真的正确吗？
没有发布任何手头的数据，这很难说它真实与否。Google只是说这学说把问题搞严重了，“每条Google搜索所消耗的能量是最小的”。它补充道：“在你搜索时候，你自己的电脑所消耗的能量要比我们回复你的答案所消耗的能量高多了。”（如果这是真的，这当然就使Wissner-Gross的学说变成了笑料，因为一台普通的电脑根本不可能消耗用电水壶烧开水所消耗的能量。）
所以让我们据我们所知的和他所声称的学说，做一些粗劣的计算。Google每天都从世界各地受到成千上万条搜索问题，虽然对于Google每天到底收到多少条问题还有分歧，但是似乎都在200万条至500万条之间。为了便于讨论，让我们取最坏的那个数据。
如果Wissner-Gross是正确的，那么每天都有3500吨（500万*0.000007吨）的CO2随着我们进行Google搜素释放出来。换言之，每年1.28万吨。那和老挝每年释放的一样——世界上第151名释放CO2最多的国家。
在这两种想法中我很难抉择：是认为这听上去真够坏的——“震撼：Google消耗的能量和一个国家一样多！”；还是觉得这听起来也不很坏，Google给我们的生活带来了许多，不论这是好是坏。但可以确定的是,信息技术所带来的环境影响是相当可观的,并且呈上升趋势.
一个广为引用的数据是全球的信息通讯技术部门每年产生的CO2和航空工业一样多——是全球放射物的2%到3%。因此，Wissner-Gross还是有帮助的，至少它产生了必要的刺激，让大家去争论信息通讯技术部门所产生的影响，使大家注意到降低这种影响有多么重要。
最后，虽然我怀疑这“可供人引用的至理名言”大概只会在网络用户的生活中产生极小的影响。当然，也不该产生什么影响。但至少我们每个人都注意到我们的电脑消耗了多少能量——并且试着使它降到最低——不过Google的用户和硬件所消耗的能量只是Google自己的责任。或许还有争论说相比真的到处去寻找信息，网络搜索还能帮助减少能量消耗呢，比如说减少了去一趟当地的图书馆或书店所消耗的能量。
为什么美国人永远不该出远门？
I had someone ask for an aisle seats so that his or her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window.
A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?"
I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts. "Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, "Capecod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa." Her response ... click.
A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state."
I got a call from a man who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." He said "But they look so close on the map."
Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour lay over in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, "I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time."
A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of llinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!
A woman called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know who's luggage belongs to who?" I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I'm overweight, is there any connection?" After putting her on hold for a minute while I "looked into it" (I was actually laughing) I came back and explained the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.
I just got off the phone with a man who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them."
A woman called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes." I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever."
A businessman called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don't, I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express."
A woman called to make reservations, "I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York" The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent: "Are you sure that's the name of the town?" "Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a Hippopotamus anywhere." The customer retorted, "Oh don't be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!" The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don't mean Buffalo, do you?" "That's it! I knew it was a big animal!"
A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?"
I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts. "Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, "Capecod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa." Her response ... click.
A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state."
I got a call from a man who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." He said "But they look so close on the map."
Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour lay over in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, "I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time."
A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of llinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!
A woman called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know who's luggage belongs to who?" I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I'm overweight, is there any connection?" After putting her on hold for a minute while I "looked into it" (I was actually laughing) I came back and explained the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.
I just got off the phone with a man who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them."
A woman called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes." I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever."
A businessman called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don't, I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express."
A woman called to make reservations, "I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York" The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent: "Are you sure that's the name of the town?" "Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a Hippopotamus anywhere." The customer retorted, "Oh don't be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!" The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don't mean Buffalo, do you?" "That's it! I knew it was a big animal!"
经济萧条期必将死掉的10大事物
The government says we've been in a recession for the past year. Experts say it'll be at least another year before it's over. And everybody says it's the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
Nice sound bite. What does that mean?
Who knows? We can be sure that this downturn will be totally differerent from the Depression, and that it will be different from the many recessions we've suffered every decade or every other decade since the '30s. I'm not an economist or a historian, but it seems to me that this recession will be something unprecedented.
One reason is that that there was no Internet or mobile technology in the 1930s. That means individual people and companies today have very-low-cost, high-efficiency alternatives for doing a wide range of activities. That will accelerate the demise of those things fated to be replaced anyway.
Here are 10 things that I believe won't survive the recession:
1. Free tech support
The practice still employed by some companies of paying humans to answer phones and solve consumers' problems with hardware or software will become a thing of the past. PCs, laptops and hardware peripherals, as well as application software will be purchased like airline tickets, with price becoming the sole criteria for many buyers. In order to compete on price, companies that now offer real tech support will replace it with message boards (users helping users), wikis, wizards, software-based troubleshooting tools and other unsatisfying alternatives.
2. Wi-Fi you have to pay for
Everyone is going to share the cost of public Wi-Fi because the penny-pinching public will gravitate to places that offer "free" Wi-Fi. Companies that charge extra for Wi-Fi will see their iPhone, BlackBerry and netbook-toting customers -- i.e., everybody -- taking their business elsewhere. The only place you'll pay for Wi-Fi will be on an airplane.
3. Landline phones
Digital phone bundles for homes (where TV service, Internet connections and landline phone service are offered in a total package) will keep the landline idea alive for a while, but as millions of households drop their cable TV service and as consumers look to cut all needless costs, the trend toward dropping landline service in favor of cell phone service only will accelerate until it's totally mainstream, and only grandma still has a landline phone.
4. Movie rental stores
The idea of retail operations where you drive to a store, pick a movie, stand in line and then drive home with the movie will become a quaint relic of the new fin de siècle (look it up!). The new old way to get movies will be discs by mail, and the new, new way will be downloading.
5. Web 2.0 companies without a business plan
The era when Web-based companies could emerge and grow on venture capital, collecting eyeballs and members at a rapid clip and deferring the business plan until later are dead and gone. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Twitter. Sand Hill Road-style venture capital is shrinking toward nothing, and investors in general will be hard to come by. Those few remaining investors will want to see real, solid business plans before the first dollar is wired to any start-up's bank.
6. Most companies in Silicon Valley
Tech company failures and mergers will leave the industry with a low two-digit percentage (maybe 25%) of the total number of companies now in existence. Like the automobile industry, which had more than 200 car makers in the 1920s and emerged from the Depression with just a few, Silicon Valley is in for some serious contraction. The difference is that the auto industry ended up with the Big Three, whereas the number of tech companies will grow dramatically again during the next boom.
7. Palm Inc.
Elevation Partners, which has among its principals U2's Bono, pumped a whopping $100 million into the failing Palm Inc. this week.
The idea is to give the company time to release its forthcoming Nova operating system, which will take the cell-phone world by storm and give Apple a run for its money. It would have been far more efficient, however, to just flush that money down the toilet. With the iPhone setting the handset interface agenda, BlackBerry-maker RIM kicking butt in the businesses market, and Google stirring up trouble with its Android platform, this is no time for a clueless company like Palm to be introducing a new operating system. By this time next year, Palm will be gone. And so might Elevation Partners.
8. Yahoo
Yahoo Inc. is another company that can't seem to do anything right. Or, at least, can't compete with Google. Yahoo will be acquired by someone, and its brand will become an empty shell -- used for some inane set of services but appreciated only by armchair historians (joining the ranks of Netscape, Napster and Commodore).
9. Half of all retail stores
Many retail stores are obsolete and will be replaced by online competitors. Entire malls will become ghost towns. By this time next year, most video game stores, book stores and toy stores -- as well as brick-and-mortar shops in many other categories -- will simply vanish. Amazon.com will grow and grow.
10. Satellite Radio
I'm sorry, Howard Stern. It's over. The newly merged Sirius XM Radio simply cannot sustain its losses. The company is already deeply in debt and would need to dramatically increase subscribers over the next six months in order to meet its debt obligations. Unfortunately, new car sales, which account for a huge percentage of satellite radio sales, are in the gutter and stand-alone subscriptions are way down.
Change is hard. But efficiency is good. While boom years gives us radical innovation and improve consumer choice, recessions help us focus on what's really important and accelerate the demise of technologies and companies that are already obsolete.
So say good-bye to these 10 things, and say hello (eventually) to a new economy, a new boom and a new way of doing things.
Nice sound bite. What does that mean?
Who knows? We can be sure that this downturn will be totally differerent from the Depression, and that it will be different from the many recessions we've suffered every decade or every other decade since the '30s. I'm not an economist or a historian, but it seems to me that this recession will be something unprecedented.
One reason is that that there was no Internet or mobile technology in the 1930s. That means individual people and companies today have very-low-cost, high-efficiency alternatives for doing a wide range of activities. That will accelerate the demise of those things fated to be replaced anyway.
Here are 10 things that I believe won't survive the recession:
1. Free tech support
The practice still employed by some companies of paying humans to answer phones and solve consumers' problems with hardware or software will become a thing of the past. PCs, laptops and hardware peripherals, as well as application software will be purchased like airline tickets, with price becoming the sole criteria for many buyers. In order to compete on price, companies that now offer real tech support will replace it with message boards (users helping users), wikis, wizards, software-based troubleshooting tools and other unsatisfying alternatives.
2. Wi-Fi you have to pay for
Everyone is going to share the cost of public Wi-Fi because the penny-pinching public will gravitate to places that offer "free" Wi-Fi. Companies that charge extra for Wi-Fi will see their iPhone, BlackBerry and netbook-toting customers -- i.e., everybody -- taking their business elsewhere. The only place you'll pay for Wi-Fi will be on an airplane.
3. Landline phones
Digital phone bundles for homes (where TV service, Internet connections and landline phone service are offered in a total package) will keep the landline idea alive for a while, but as millions of households drop their cable TV service and as consumers look to cut all needless costs, the trend toward dropping landline service in favor of cell phone service only will accelerate until it's totally mainstream, and only grandma still has a landline phone.
4. Movie rental stores
The idea of retail operations where you drive to a store, pick a movie, stand in line and then drive home with the movie will become a quaint relic of the new fin de siècle (look it up!). The new old way to get movies will be discs by mail, and the new, new way will be downloading.
5. Web 2.0 companies without a business plan
The era when Web-based companies could emerge and grow on venture capital, collecting eyeballs and members at a rapid clip and deferring the business plan until later are dead and gone. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Twitter. Sand Hill Road-style venture capital is shrinking toward nothing, and investors in general will be hard to come by. Those few remaining investors will want to see real, solid business plans before the first dollar is wired to any start-up's bank.
6. Most companies in Silicon Valley
Tech company failures and mergers will leave the industry with a low two-digit percentage (maybe 25%) of the total number of companies now in existence. Like the automobile industry, which had more than 200 car makers in the 1920s and emerged from the Depression with just a few, Silicon Valley is in for some serious contraction. The difference is that the auto industry ended up with the Big Three, whereas the number of tech companies will grow dramatically again during the next boom.
7. Palm Inc.
Elevation Partners, which has among its principals U2's Bono, pumped a whopping $100 million into the failing Palm Inc. this week.
The idea is to give the company time to release its forthcoming Nova operating system, which will take the cell-phone world by storm and give Apple a run for its money. It would have been far more efficient, however, to just flush that money down the toilet. With the iPhone setting the handset interface agenda, BlackBerry-maker RIM kicking butt in the businesses market, and Google stirring up trouble with its Android platform, this is no time for a clueless company like Palm to be introducing a new operating system. By this time next year, Palm will be gone. And so might Elevation Partners.
8. Yahoo
Yahoo Inc. is another company that can't seem to do anything right. Or, at least, can't compete with Google. Yahoo will be acquired by someone, and its brand will become an empty shell -- used for some inane set of services but appreciated only by armchair historians (joining the ranks of Netscape, Napster and Commodore).
9. Half of all retail stores
Many retail stores are obsolete and will be replaced by online competitors. Entire malls will become ghost towns. By this time next year, most video game stores, book stores and toy stores -- as well as brick-and-mortar shops in many other categories -- will simply vanish. Amazon.com will grow and grow.
10. Satellite Radio
I'm sorry, Howard Stern. It's over. The newly merged Sirius XM Radio simply cannot sustain its losses. The company is already deeply in debt and would need to dramatically increase subscribers over the next six months in order to meet its debt obligations. Unfortunately, new car sales, which account for a huge percentage of satellite radio sales, are in the gutter and stand-alone subscriptions are way down.
Change is hard. But efficiency is good. While boom years gives us radical innovation and improve consumer choice, recessions help us focus on what's really important and accelerate the demise of technologies and companies that are already obsolete.
So say good-bye to these 10 things, and say hello (eventually) to a new economy, a new boom and a new way of doing things.
China’s Game Investment and Financing
Shanghai---The report on China Game Investment and Financing was released at China Game Investment and Development Forum, which was jointly organized by ChinaVenture, a market search company, and the organization Committee of ChinaJoy in Shanghai on July 14. The report shows that China Game has attracted venture capital of US$300 million totally which is invested in nearly 50 projects since 2000. It also estimates that another upsurge of venture capital and the second tide of overseas IPO are coming from 2007 to 2009, with the game industrial chain becoming perfect little by little.
According to this report, the online game players will amount to 60 million this year (32.6 million in 2006, according to the Publishers Association of China), being nearly 40% of total netiens in China. The market scale of online game is estimated to exceed RMB10 billion (US$1.32 billion) this year, which will also exceed the whole market scale of South Korean, a strong country in the game industry. The statistics shows the role-playing game (RPG) income increases to RMB5.65 billion (US$747 million) in 2006 from RMB1.76 billion (US$233 million) in 2003. This report estimates that RPG income will reach RMB9.4 billion (US$1.24 billion) in 2011. The statistic data also shows the leisure game income increases to RMB1.77 billion (US$234 million) in 2006 from RMB240 million (US$31.74 million) in 2003, which is estimated to catch up with that of RPG in 2011. The report points out that RPG has entered the mature and stable period, while the leisure game still has an fast increasing trend.
The report also points out that the mobile game will have a breakthrough, with mobile phone subscribers totaling 400 million and the 3G times coming this year, though the mobile game market is small at present. It estimates that mobile online game income will reach RMB5100 in the 4th quarter this year.
Finally, the report concludes the inexorable trend of online game is free to players, while inserted advertisements will be the important sources of income. The mobile online game will be the new increasing point of the game industry. Simultaneously, venture capitals will continue paying high attention to the game industry, and the withdrawal channels of venture capital will be richer fatherly, featuring company’s being listed, strategic investment and purchase.
According to this report, the online game players will amount to 60 million this year (32.6 million in 2006, according to the Publishers Association of China), being nearly 40% of total netiens in China. The market scale of online game is estimated to exceed RMB10 billion (US$1.32 billion) this year, which will also exceed the whole market scale of South Korean, a strong country in the game industry. The statistics shows the role-playing game (RPG) income increases to RMB5.65 billion (US$747 million) in 2006 from RMB1.76 billion (US$233 million) in 2003. This report estimates that RPG income will reach RMB9.4 billion (US$1.24 billion) in 2011. The statistic data also shows the leisure game income increases to RMB1.77 billion (US$234 million) in 2006 from RMB240 million (US$31.74 million) in 2003, which is estimated to catch up with that of RPG in 2011. The report points out that RPG has entered the mature and stable period, while the leisure game still has an fast increasing trend.
The report also points out that the mobile game will have a breakthrough, with mobile phone subscribers totaling 400 million and the 3G times coming this year, though the mobile game market is small at present. It estimates that mobile online game income will reach RMB5100 in the 4th quarter this year.
Finally, the report concludes the inexorable trend of online game is free to players, while inserted advertisements will be the important sources of income. The mobile online game will be the new increasing point of the game industry. Simultaneously, venture capitals will continue paying high attention to the game industry, and the withdrawal channels of venture capital will be richer fatherly, featuring company’s being listed, strategic investment and purchase.
1/19/2009
What is Chinese Medicine?
What is Chinese Medicine?
Chinese Medicine, the official journal of the International Society for Chinese Medicine, is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of research on Chinese medicine, provided the material, methods, results, and conclusions are evidence-based, scientifically justified, and ethical.
Areas of interest include herbal medicine, health food, clinical nutrition, acupuncture, Tui-na, Qi-qong, Tai Chi Quan, energy research, medical education, cultural exchange, and technical translation.
Chinese Medicine is a credible channel to disseminate unbiased scientific data, information, and knowledge in Chinese medicine to researchers, clinicians, academics, and students in Chinese medicine, integrative Chinese-Western medicine, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and related biomedical fields.
Content overview
Chinese Medicine considers the following types of articles:
Commentaries: short, focused and opinionated articles on any subject within the journal's scope. These articles are usually related to a contemporary issue, such as recent research findings, and are often written by opinion leaders invited by the Editorial Board.
Research: reports of data from original research.
Reviews: comprehensive, authoritative, descriptions of any subject within the journal's scope. They should have an educational aim and be between 2000-3000 words. Reviews can cover any topical themes such as basic science and clinical reviews, ethics, pro/con debates, equipment reviews and thematic series to highlight specific topics in the field.
Peer review policies
Only manuscripts of high relevance and suitability will enter into the peer review process, which will be conducted by at least two internationally known experts in the field, and will aim to ensure that all published manuscripts provide new scientific knowledge.
Edited by Hin Wing Yeung, Chinese Medicine is supported by an international Editorial Board.
Publishing in Chinese Medicine
All articles will be listed in PubMed immediately upon acceptance (after peer review), and will be covered by PubMed Central, CAS, CABI and Scopus.
Articles in Chinese Medicine should be cited in the same way as articles in a traditional journal. However, because articles in this journal are not printed, they do not have page numbers. Instead, they have a unique article number.
The following citation:
Chin Med 2004, 2:1
refers to article 1 from volume 2 of the journal.
As an online journal, Chinese Medicine does not have issue numbers. Each volume corresponds to a calendar year.
To keep up to date with the latest articles from Chinese Medicine, why not register to receive alerts? Registration also enables you to customise your subject areas of interest, store your searches, and submit your manuscripts.
Submission of manuscripts
Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to Chinese Medicine using the online submission system. Full details of how to submit a manuscript are given in the instructions for authors.
General journal policies
Chinese Medicine is published by BioMed Central, an independent publisher committed to ensuring peer-reviewed biomedical research is Open Access. That means it is freely and universally accessible online, it is archived in at least one internationally recognised free access repository, and its authors retain copyright, allowing anyone to reproduce or disseminate articles, according to the BioMed Central copyright and licence agreement. Chinese Medicine however, has taken this further by making all its content Open Access.
Chinese Medicine's articles are archived in PubMed Central, the US National Library of Medicine's full-text repository of life science literature, and also at INIST in France and in e-Depot, the National Library of the Netherlands' digital archive of all electronic publications. The journal is also participating in the British Library's e-journals pilot project, and plans to deposit copies of all articles with the British Library.
BioMed Central is working closely with the Thomson Reuters (ISI) to ensure that citation analysis of articles published in Chinese Medicine will be available.
Chinese Medicine is able to deliver summaries of frequently updated content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. These are accessible via the orange "XML" button at the top of the list of recent articles or the list of most accessed articles. For more information about RSS feeds see our publisher's website.
If you would like to help raise awareness of Chinese Medicine, why not download the journal's leaflet and poster? You will need Acrobat Reader to open them.
For further information about general policies please see the instructions for authors.
Chinese Medicine, the official journal of the International Society for Chinese Medicine, is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of research on Chinese medicine, provided the material, methods, results, and conclusions are evidence-based, scientifically justified, and ethical.
Areas of interest include herbal medicine, health food, clinical nutrition, acupuncture, Tui-na, Qi-qong, Tai Chi Quan, energy research, medical education, cultural exchange, and technical translation.
Chinese Medicine is a credible channel to disseminate unbiased scientific data, information, and knowledge in Chinese medicine to researchers, clinicians, academics, and students in Chinese medicine, integrative Chinese-Western medicine, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and related biomedical fields.
Content overview
Chinese Medicine considers the following types of articles:
Commentaries: short, focused and opinionated articles on any subject within the journal's scope. These articles are usually related to a contemporary issue, such as recent research findings, and are often written by opinion leaders invited by the Editorial Board.
Research: reports of data from original research.
Reviews: comprehensive, authoritative, descriptions of any subject within the journal's scope. They should have an educational aim and be between 2000-3000 words. Reviews can cover any topical themes such as basic science and clinical reviews, ethics, pro/con debates, equipment reviews and thematic series to highlight specific topics in the field.
Peer review policies
Only manuscripts of high relevance and suitability will enter into the peer review process, which will be conducted by at least two internationally known experts in the field, and will aim to ensure that all published manuscripts provide new scientific knowledge.
Edited by Hin Wing Yeung, Chinese Medicine is supported by an international Editorial Board.
Publishing in Chinese Medicine
All articles will be listed in PubMed immediately upon acceptance (after peer review), and will be covered by PubMed Central, CAS, CABI and Scopus.
Articles in Chinese Medicine should be cited in the same way as articles in a traditional journal. However, because articles in this journal are not printed, they do not have page numbers. Instead, they have a unique article number.
The following citation:
Chin Med 2004, 2:1
refers to article 1 from volume 2 of the journal.
As an online journal, Chinese Medicine does not have issue numbers. Each volume corresponds to a calendar year.
To keep up to date with the latest articles from Chinese Medicine, why not register to receive alerts? Registration also enables you to customise your subject areas of interest, store your searches, and submit your manuscripts.
Submission of manuscripts
Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to Chinese Medicine using the online submission system. Full details of how to submit a manuscript are given in the instructions for authors.
General journal policies
Chinese Medicine is published by BioMed Central, an independent publisher committed to ensuring peer-reviewed biomedical research is Open Access. That means it is freely and universally accessible online, it is archived in at least one internationally recognised free access repository, and its authors retain copyright, allowing anyone to reproduce or disseminate articles, according to the BioMed Central copyright and licence agreement. Chinese Medicine however, has taken this further by making all its content Open Access.
Chinese Medicine's articles are archived in PubMed Central, the US National Library of Medicine's full-text repository of life science literature, and also at INIST in France and in e-Depot, the National Library of the Netherlands' digital archive of all electronic publications. The journal is also participating in the British Library's e-journals pilot project, and plans to deposit copies of all articles with the British Library.
BioMed Central is working closely with the Thomson Reuters (ISI) to ensure that citation analysis of articles published in Chinese Medicine will be available.
Chinese Medicine is able to deliver summaries of frequently updated content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. These are accessible via the orange "XML" button at the top of the list of recent articles or the list of most accessed articles. For more information about RSS feeds see our publisher's website.
If you would like to help raise awareness of Chinese Medicine, why not download the journal's leaflet and poster? You will need Acrobat Reader to open them.
For further information about general policies please see the instructions for authors.
How credit cards work
Credit card
An example of the front in a typical credit card:
Issuing bank logo EMV chip Hologram Credit card number Card brand logo Expiry Date Cardholder's name
An example of the reverse side of a typical credit card:
Magnetic Stripe Signature Strip Card Security Code
Credit cards are issued after an account has been approved by the credit provider, after which cardholders can use it to make purchases at merchants accepting that card.
When a purchase is made, the credit card user agrees to pay the card issuer. The cardholder indicates his/her consent to pay, by signing a receipt with a record of the card details and indicating the amount to be paid or by entering a Personal identification number (PIN). Also, many merchants now accept verbal authorizations via telephone and electronic authorization using the Internet, known as a 'Card/Cardholder Not Present' (CNP) transaction.
Electronic verification systems allow merchants to verify that the card is valid and the credit card customer has sufficient credit to cover the purchase in a few seconds, allowing the verification to happen at time of purchase. The verification is performed using a credit card payment terminal or Point of Sale (POS) system with a communications link to the merchant's acquiring bank. Data from the card is obtained from a magnetic stripe or chip on the card; the latter system is in the United Kingdom and Ireland commonly known as Chip and PIN, but is more technically an EMV card.
Other variations of verification systems are used by eCommerce merchants to determine if the user's account is valid and able to accept the charge. These will typically involve the cardholder providing additional information, such as the security code printed on the back of the card, or the address of the cardholder.
Each month, the credit card user is sent a statement indicating the purchases undertaken with the card, any outstanding fees, and the total amount owed. After receiving the statement, the cardholder may dispute any charges that he or she thinks are incorrect (see Fair Credit Billing Act for details of the US regulations). Otherwise, the cardholder must pay a defined minimum proportion of the bill by a due date, or may choose to pay a higher amount up to the entire amount owed. The credit provider charges interest on the amount owed if the balance is not paid in full (typically at a much higher rate than most other forms of debt). Some financial institutions can arrange for automatic payments to be deducted from the user's bank accounts, thus avoiding late payment altogether as long as the cardholder has sufficient funds.
An example of the front in a typical credit card:
Issuing bank logo EMV chip Hologram Credit card number Card brand logo Expiry Date Cardholder's name
An example of the reverse side of a typical credit card:
Magnetic Stripe Signature Strip Card Security Code
Credit cards are issued after an account has been approved by the credit provider, after which cardholders can use it to make purchases at merchants accepting that card.
When a purchase is made, the credit card user agrees to pay the card issuer. The cardholder indicates his/her consent to pay, by signing a receipt with a record of the card details and indicating the amount to be paid or by entering a Personal identification number (PIN). Also, many merchants now accept verbal authorizations via telephone and electronic authorization using the Internet, known as a 'Card/Cardholder Not Present' (CNP) transaction.
Electronic verification systems allow merchants to verify that the card is valid and the credit card customer has sufficient credit to cover the purchase in a few seconds, allowing the verification to happen at time of purchase. The verification is performed using a credit card payment terminal or Point of Sale (POS) system with a communications link to the merchant's acquiring bank. Data from the card is obtained from a magnetic stripe or chip on the card; the latter system is in the United Kingdom and Ireland commonly known as Chip and PIN, but is more technically an EMV card.
Other variations of verification systems are used by eCommerce merchants to determine if the user's account is valid and able to accept the charge. These will typically involve the cardholder providing additional information, such as the security code printed on the back of the card, or the address of the cardholder.
Each month, the credit card user is sent a statement indicating the purchases undertaken with the card, any outstanding fees, and the total amount owed. After receiving the statement, the cardholder may dispute any charges that he or she thinks are incorrect (see Fair Credit Billing Act for details of the US regulations). Otherwise, the cardholder must pay a defined minimum proportion of the bill by a due date, or may choose to pay a higher amount up to the entire amount owed. The credit provider charges interest on the amount owed if the balance is not paid in full (typically at a much higher rate than most other forms of debt). Some financial institutions can arrange for automatic payments to be deducted from the user's bank accounts, thus avoiding late payment altogether as long as the cardholder has sufficient funds.
Credit Card FAQ
Credit Card FAQ
Q: How can I get started?
A: At Your Credit Network, we have made credit card selection easy as A, B, C. Simply begin by narrowing in on some of the requirements you have for your credit card. Whether it be low interest rates, cash-back on every purchase, airline miles, etc. Once you have made a decision about your credit card type, you can then visit the Your Credit Network Home Page or you can click from the navigation bar on the left side of the screen. The next page will contain several credit card offers – just compare the different features until you find the card that is suited for your needs. Finally, just click the Apply Now button, fill out the application, and you are on your way to a new credit card!
Q: What is the application process like?
A: After making a decision on a credit card(s) that is right for you, simply click the Apply Now button located just under the picture of the credit card you’re applying for. Be sure to review the terms and conditions of each credit card offer to ensure that it fits your exact needs. If these terms seem reasonable, fill out the application as thoroughly and accurately as possible. Easy right?
Q: At what point will I find out if I am approved?
A: Approval for a specific credit card will vary depending on the nature of the offer, the policies of the issuing bank, and the information obtained from your credit report. There are some credit cards that offer instant approval (visit our instant approval credit cards page) while others may require a few weeks. To speed up the application process, make sure all your information provided is up-to-date.
Q: How important is my credit score?
A: Credit scores play a large role in how fast you get approved. Customers with higher credit scores tend to receive faster approvals, higher limits and lower annual percentage rate (APR). Even with average or below average credit, you can still get approved!
Q: Where can I find my credit score?
A: There are many ways to get your credit score. Simply search online for credit scores and your will find various offers on getting your credit score. We recommend Credit Report Professionals for a free copy of your credit report from all the major bureaus.
Q: If I am not a U.S. citizen, can I still apply?
A: Your Credit Network only offers U.S. citizens credit card offers, but if you are not a citizen of the U.S. then simply contact the issuing bank at the number found in the terms and conditions document associated with your credit card offer.
Q: What kind of information needs to be provided in the application?
A: Only basic information is needed. Have your social security number, driver’s license number, and your current mailing address in front of you.
Q: What if I am not a member of the bank for the credit card I want to apply for?
A: There is no need to be a member of the bank for the card which you are interested in. Select the credit card you want, click the Apply Now button, fill out the application, and your work is done.
Q: Can I apply for more than one card at a time?
A: Yes. It is quite common for a person to apply for two or three credit cards at once. Just remember that the issuing banks do review your credit information each time you submit an application (this includes how many applications you’ve submitted in the past) and at some point they may decide that you have the maximum amount of credit extended to you relative to your income.
Q: How safe is it to apply for a credit card online?
A: Your Credit Network utilizes the latest 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the information sent from your computer. This means the data transmitted is safe from third parties. Rest assured, your personal information is protected!
Q: Who do I contact regarding payments or account information?
A: The customer service center of the bank that issued your card will be able to assist you. The contact information is usually listed on the back of your credit card as either a toll-free number or a web address.
Q: What if I have other questions besides the ones from above?
A: The customer service will also be able to assist you with any further questions you may have.
Q: How can I report a lost or stolen credit card?
A: Immediately contact the bank that issued your credit card to report a lost or stolen credit card. Visit the banks website online for a customer service number to assist you with this.
Q: How can I get started?
A: At Your Credit Network, we have made credit card selection easy as A, B, C. Simply begin by narrowing in on some of the requirements you have for your credit card. Whether it be low interest rates, cash-back on every purchase, airline miles, etc. Once you have made a decision about your credit card type, you can then visit the Your Credit Network Home Page or you can click from the navigation bar on the left side of the screen. The next page will contain several credit card offers – just compare the different features until you find the card that is suited for your needs. Finally, just click the Apply Now button, fill out the application, and you are on your way to a new credit card!
Q: What is the application process like?
A: After making a decision on a credit card(s) that is right for you, simply click the Apply Now button located just under the picture of the credit card you’re applying for. Be sure to review the terms and conditions of each credit card offer to ensure that it fits your exact needs. If these terms seem reasonable, fill out the application as thoroughly and accurately as possible. Easy right?
Q: At what point will I find out if I am approved?
A: Approval for a specific credit card will vary depending on the nature of the offer, the policies of the issuing bank, and the information obtained from your credit report. There are some credit cards that offer instant approval (visit our instant approval credit cards page) while others may require a few weeks. To speed up the application process, make sure all your information provided is up-to-date.
Q: How important is my credit score?
A: Credit scores play a large role in how fast you get approved. Customers with higher credit scores tend to receive faster approvals, higher limits and lower annual percentage rate (APR). Even with average or below average credit, you can still get approved!
Q: Where can I find my credit score?
A: There are many ways to get your credit score. Simply search online for credit scores and your will find various offers on getting your credit score. We recommend Credit Report Professionals for a free copy of your credit report from all the major bureaus.
Q: If I am not a U.S. citizen, can I still apply?
A: Your Credit Network only offers U.S. citizens credit card offers, but if you are not a citizen of the U.S. then simply contact the issuing bank at the number found in the terms and conditions document associated with your credit card offer.
Q: What kind of information needs to be provided in the application?
A: Only basic information is needed. Have your social security number, driver’s license number, and your current mailing address in front of you.
Q: What if I am not a member of the bank for the credit card I want to apply for?
A: There is no need to be a member of the bank for the card which you are interested in. Select the credit card you want, click the Apply Now button, fill out the application, and your work is done.
Q: Can I apply for more than one card at a time?
A: Yes. It is quite common for a person to apply for two or three credit cards at once. Just remember that the issuing banks do review your credit information each time you submit an application (this includes how many applications you’ve submitted in the past) and at some point they may decide that you have the maximum amount of credit extended to you relative to your income.
Q: How safe is it to apply for a credit card online?
A: Your Credit Network utilizes the latest 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the information sent from your computer. This means the data transmitted is safe from third parties. Rest assured, your personal information is protected!
Q: Who do I contact regarding payments or account information?
A: The customer service center of the bank that issued your card will be able to assist you. The contact information is usually listed on the back of your credit card as either a toll-free number or a web address.
Q: What if I have other questions besides the ones from above?
A: The customer service will also be able to assist you with any further questions you may have.
Q: How can I report a lost or stolen credit card?
A: Immediately contact the bank that issued your credit card to report a lost or stolen credit card. Visit the banks website online for a customer service number to assist you with this.
March to see battle between major 3G service providers
March to see battle between major 3G service providers
Adjust font size:
Competition between service providers (SP) has intensified since the Chinese government issued the 3G telecommunication licenses for the major SPs. China Mobile (CMCC) and China Telecom, the country's leading 3G operators, will both consider March as a critical period for their respective promotions of product and service.
At the TD-SCDMA Industry Internal Communication Conference initiated by China Mobile on January 16, China Mobile's Vice President Li Yue said his company would open base stations in 28 cities as part of their second phase project, while Dong Xin, the general director of marketing, observed that the company had modified its strategy in accordance with the company's 3G network project plan formulated last December. According to the new plan, CMCC's 3G coverage will reach the 28 target cities in June this year.
In comparison, China Telecom's Vice President Zhang Jiping told the press that the company would launch 3G service in 100 major cities before the end of March and would launch full-scale nationwide 3G services in July.
Major cities in better-developed areas will be the front line of the two companies' first round of battle. China Telecom started the trial of strength by offering 3G service in approximately 81 cities, mainly along the eastern coast, and the choice of 28 provincial capitals and a number of other key cities is the CMCC response.
In the preliminary stage of 3G service, both China Mobile and China Telecom are guaranteeing a "smooth transition" for their customers so far as there will be no need for their customers to change their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
Its established customer network is CMCC's greatest advantage, whereas China Telecom aims to highlight its CDMA network connection speed: it promises 3.1Mb/S for downloading and 1.8Mb/S for uploading, a huge increase from the present 153.6 Kb/s. A China Telecom official has gone on record stating that the company aims to be the country's number one in 3G SP. However, this ambition seems sure to meet a counter-challenge from CMCC.
According to its plan, CMCC's TD network will cover all the country's cities by 2011. Says Li Yue: "In three years, CMCC will have the largest 3G network coverage in the world."
Currently, CMCC's smooth transition policy offers no change of SIM card, no change of cell phone number, and no re-registration for its subscribers in the 10 TD covered cities. But doubts and criticism have surfaced in response to the high failure rate, the instability of terminals, and the unreliability of debugging tools, all technical problems that remain problematic.
Li Yue also points out that CMCC is making the most of its experience in 2G network operation so as to roll out the TD/2G integration, allowing TD/2G coexistence and free sharing of resources. He also notes that poor performance from component suppliers is holding back CMCC's overall progress.
CMCC, the country's largest wireless telecommunication operator, currently has 460 million subscribers, among whom 420,000 are 3G users, including 156,000 new customers, according to business data made available by the company. The data also shows 82 percent of 3G users have chosen to upgrade their SIM cards. CMCC plans to invest 58.8 billion yuan (US$8.61 billion) in their TD network, building around 60,000 base stations.
(China.org.cn by Maverick Chen, January 19, 2009)
Adjust font size:
Competition between service providers (SP) has intensified since the Chinese government issued the 3G telecommunication licenses for the major SPs. China Mobile (CMCC) and China Telecom, the country's leading 3G operators, will both consider March as a critical period for their respective promotions of product and service.
At the TD-SCDMA Industry Internal Communication Conference initiated by China Mobile on January 16, China Mobile's Vice President Li Yue said his company would open base stations in 28 cities as part of their second phase project, while Dong Xin, the general director of marketing, observed that the company had modified its strategy in accordance with the company's 3G network project plan formulated last December. According to the new plan, CMCC's 3G coverage will reach the 28 target cities in June this year.
In comparison, China Telecom's Vice President Zhang Jiping told the press that the company would launch 3G service in 100 major cities before the end of March and would launch full-scale nationwide 3G services in July.
Major cities in better-developed areas will be the front line of the two companies' first round of battle. China Telecom started the trial of strength by offering 3G service in approximately 81 cities, mainly along the eastern coast, and the choice of 28 provincial capitals and a number of other key cities is the CMCC response.
In the preliminary stage of 3G service, both China Mobile and China Telecom are guaranteeing a "smooth transition" for their customers so far as there will be no need for their customers to change their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
Its established customer network is CMCC's greatest advantage, whereas China Telecom aims to highlight its CDMA network connection speed: it promises 3.1Mb/S for downloading and 1.8Mb/S for uploading, a huge increase from the present 153.6 Kb/s. A China Telecom official has gone on record stating that the company aims to be the country's number one in 3G SP. However, this ambition seems sure to meet a counter-challenge from CMCC.
According to its plan, CMCC's TD network will cover all the country's cities by 2011. Says Li Yue: "In three years, CMCC will have the largest 3G network coverage in the world."
Currently, CMCC's smooth transition policy offers no change of SIM card, no change of cell phone number, and no re-registration for its subscribers in the 10 TD covered cities. But doubts and criticism have surfaced in response to the high failure rate, the instability of terminals, and the unreliability of debugging tools, all technical problems that remain problematic.
Li Yue also points out that CMCC is making the most of its experience in 2G network operation so as to roll out the TD/2G integration, allowing TD/2G coexistence and free sharing of resources. He also notes that poor performance from component suppliers is holding back CMCC's overall progress.
CMCC, the country's largest wireless telecommunication operator, currently has 460 million subscribers, among whom 420,000 are 3G users, including 156,000 new customers, according to business data made available by the company. The data also shows 82 percent of 3G users have chosen to upgrade their SIM cards. CMCC plans to invest 58.8 billion yuan (US$8.61 billion) in their TD network, building around 60,000 base stations.
(China.org.cn by Maverick Chen, January 19, 2009)
2009 GDP growth to hit 8.3%: think tank
China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is expected to drop to 8.3 percent in 2009, the country's major think tank said Monday.
The report, issued by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), predicted China's economy slowdown in the first half year due to the unfavorable international economic environment.
The report also said that the unprecedented stimulus package of 4 trillion yuan (US$586 billion) will poise China for an early recovery in the third quarter.
The government set the goal of 8 percent growth this year at the Central Economic Work Conference held on December 8.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) predicted last week that China's GDP growth would slow to 8.4 percent in 2009.
The CAS report also predicted that the primary, secondary and tertiary industries will expand at 5 percent, 9.8 percent and 9.5 percent, respectively.
The Chinese economy will face heavy pressure in terms of exports this year due to the recession, the report said. The growth rate of exports and imports is expected to drop to 6.5 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
Total trade for 2008 was US$2.56 trillion, up 17.8 percent from 2007. The total included US$1.43 trillion in exports, up 17.2 percent, and US$1.13 trillion in imports, up 18.5 percent, figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)
The report, issued by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), predicted China's economy slowdown in the first half year due to the unfavorable international economic environment.
The report also said that the unprecedented stimulus package of 4 trillion yuan (US$586 billion) will poise China for an early recovery in the third quarter.
The government set the goal of 8 percent growth this year at the Central Economic Work Conference held on December 8.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) predicted last week that China's GDP growth would slow to 8.4 percent in 2009.
The CAS report also predicted that the primary, secondary and tertiary industries will expand at 5 percent, 9.8 percent and 9.5 percent, respectively.
The Chinese economy will face heavy pressure in terms of exports this year due to the recession, the report said. The growth rate of exports and imports is expected to drop to 6.5 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
Total trade for 2008 was US$2.56 trillion, up 17.8 percent from 2007. The total included US$1.43 trillion in exports, up 17.2 percent, and US$1.13 trillion in imports, up 18.5 percent, figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)
Huang Guangyu resigns as Gome chairman
Huang Guangyu, China's home appliance tycoon, has resigned as a director of Gome Electrical Appliances, the company said in a notice to the Hong Kong Exchanges late Sunday.
Huang also ceased to be chairman of the group, effective on January 16, according to the notice.
Huang's resignation was a result of his "inability to perform his duties as a director of the company," it said, and the resignation would not materially affect the business and operations of the group.
According to the notice, Chen Xiao was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the group, effective from January 16. Chen was appointed as the acting chairman of the group on November 27 last year.
Huang, a self-made billionaire, was detained on November 24 on claims that he had manipulated share trading in two listed companies, Sanlian Commercial Co and Beijing Centergate Technologies Co. His company, the Hong Kong-listed Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd, has been suspended from trading since November 24.
His wife, Du Juan, was also under investigation for alleged involvement in economic crimes, Beijing police confirmed last week.
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)
Huang also ceased to be chairman of the group, effective on January 16, according to the notice.
Huang's resignation was a result of his "inability to perform his duties as a director of the company," it said, and the resignation would not materially affect the business and operations of the group.
According to the notice, Chen Xiao was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the group, effective from January 16. Chen was appointed as the acting chairman of the group on November 27 last year.
Huang, a self-made billionaire, was detained on November 24 on claims that he had manipulated share trading in two listed companies, Sanlian Commercial Co and Beijing Centergate Technologies Co. His company, the Hong Kong-listed Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd, has been suspended from trading since November 24.
His wife, Du Juan, was also under investigation for alleged involvement in economic crimes, Beijing police confirmed last week.
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)
Banker: Challenges and opportunities in 2009
Chinese commercial banks face grim challenges in 2009, as external demand weakens, the growth of the domestic economy slows and corporate profitability slackens, warned a Chinese banker.
Ma Weihua, president of China Merchants Bank, a leading midsize commercial bank, made the remarks in an article carried by the latest annual issue of the well-known business magazine "Caijing". examda.com
According to Ma, great attention should be paid to lenders’ exposure to risks made in boom times.
The risk exposures could turn nasty in an economic downturn, Ma noted.
He cited the following risks:
-- External-oriented enterprises took the blunt of the financial crisis since the third quarter of 2008, along with shrinking demand and fewer orders from abroad, leading to an exports slowdown. Still worse, some senior executives of struggling businesses had fled. This would threaten the safety of lenders’ credit assets.
-- Some major industries, including steel, coal, cement, power, oil processing and coking, chemical fibers and textiles, and shipping sectors, performed unsatisfactorily, with corporate earnings declining.
-- Liquidity of smaller enterprises remained tight, with their repayment capabilities weakening.
-- The probability of default on home loans is mounting in the real estate sector, which has suffered from sluggish sales
As Ma pointed out, between 2003 and 2007, the Chinese economy kept growing at an annual rate of 10.6 percent. And so the banking sector stayed on the fast development track.
In the first half of 2008, the 14 listed commercial banks on the Chinese mainland realized more than 230 billion yuan (33.6 billion U.S. dollars) in combined net profits, a growth of more than 60 percent on the same period of the previous year.
But the rosy picture has been blurred since the second half of last year. Ma predicted that growth in banks’ net profits would continue to slow down substantially in 2009.
However, Ma noted, opportunities existed amid challenges.
The Chinese Government has adopted a slew of measures to boost the national economy, including active fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy and strong means to expand domestic demand. All these would translate into higher demand for bank loans. examda.com
Intermediate services would grow for banks as corporate demand for cash management, financial consulting and wealth management would soar.
Banks’ awareness of the need for better management would increase.
According to Ma, it would be imperative for Chinese banks to make a shift from their traditional growth pattern, which focused on large corporate customers and interest differentials between lending and borrowing. They should pay much more attention to retail businesses, intermediate services and smaller corporate customers, Ma added.
At the end of his article, Ma stressed that the impact from the financial crisis on Chinese banks would be short lived and limited, as the support factors behind the Chinese economy and its financial industry would remain strong.
According to Ma, investment in China will maintain its path towards funding urbanization and industrialization.
As long as the process does not come to an end, the cost of "made-in-China" will continue to be lower than the world average. This will help keep China as an important target of foreign direct investment, he said.
The consumer mentality was being changed in China and consumption would grow rapidly as a result, Ma believed.
Ma Weihua, president of China Merchants Bank, a leading midsize commercial bank, made the remarks in an article carried by the latest annual issue of the well-known business magazine "Caijing". examda.com
According to Ma, great attention should be paid to lenders’ exposure to risks made in boom times.
The risk exposures could turn nasty in an economic downturn, Ma noted.
He cited the following risks:
-- External-oriented enterprises took the blunt of the financial crisis since the third quarter of 2008, along with shrinking demand and fewer orders from abroad, leading to an exports slowdown. Still worse, some senior executives of struggling businesses had fled. This would threaten the safety of lenders’ credit assets.
-- Some major industries, including steel, coal, cement, power, oil processing and coking, chemical fibers and textiles, and shipping sectors, performed unsatisfactorily, with corporate earnings declining.
-- Liquidity of smaller enterprises remained tight, with their repayment capabilities weakening.
-- The probability of default on home loans is mounting in the real estate sector, which has suffered from sluggish sales
As Ma pointed out, between 2003 and 2007, the Chinese economy kept growing at an annual rate of 10.6 percent. And so the banking sector stayed on the fast development track.
In the first half of 2008, the 14 listed commercial banks on the Chinese mainland realized more than 230 billion yuan (33.6 billion U.S. dollars) in combined net profits, a growth of more than 60 percent on the same period of the previous year.
But the rosy picture has been blurred since the second half of last year. Ma predicted that growth in banks’ net profits would continue to slow down substantially in 2009.
However, Ma noted, opportunities existed amid challenges.
The Chinese Government has adopted a slew of measures to boost the national economy, including active fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy and strong means to expand domestic demand. All these would translate into higher demand for bank loans. examda.com
Intermediate services would grow for banks as corporate demand for cash management, financial consulting and wealth management would soar.
Banks’ awareness of the need for better management would increase.
According to Ma, it would be imperative for Chinese banks to make a shift from their traditional growth pattern, which focused on large corporate customers and interest differentials between lending and borrowing. They should pay much more attention to retail businesses, intermediate services and smaller corporate customers, Ma added.
At the end of his article, Ma stressed that the impact from the financial crisis on Chinese banks would be short lived and limited, as the support factors behind the Chinese economy and its financial industry would remain strong.
According to Ma, investment in China will maintain its path towards funding urbanization and industrialization.
As long as the process does not come to an end, the cost of "made-in-China" will continue to be lower than the world average. This will help keep China as an important target of foreign direct investment, he said.
The consumer mentality was being changed in China and consumption would grow rapidly as a result, Ma believed.
Investors grow timid about 2009 market
Thrifty Shang Youjuan was still caught in the euphoria of 2007’s bull market when she took bold steps to invest most of her life savings into the Chinese stock market in January 2008.
But like countless investors in the country, the 56-year-old retiree has seen over 60 percent of her hard-earned 320,000 yuan (US$46,900) evaporate in the unexpected market mayhem now taking place.
"I’ve been tortured for an entire year, and am glad that the wretched 2008 finally ended," Shang said.
She ventured into the stock market in 1993 with 3,000 yuan. That year, urban per capita annual income was only 2,337 yuan.
Her appetite for more investment returned and started swelling when the value of the money she put into the market doubled in 2007.
Unfortunately, her dreams were shattered, after tumbling through the turbulence in the stock market and one of the biggest overall falls ever seen in the history.examda.com
The leading indicator plummeted 72 percent from an all-time high of 6,124 points in October 2007 to a low of 1,664 points a year later.
The market value shrank from 32.76 trillion yuan on Jan 2 to 9.7 trillion yuan by the end of the year, making it the worst performer in the global market meltdown.
As for the new year just begun, industry experts and investors hold diverse opinions.
"We forecast the leading indicator will hover between 1,650 points to 2,700 points, given the growth rate of corporate profit will be likely to fall to negative 10 percent," said Wu Feng, an analyst with TX Investment Consulting.
"The recovery may come in the second half next year," Wu said. He suggested that policy-driven stocks like energy and 3G sectors will see sustainable gains.
"In our view, markets with economies showing greater resilience are likely to fare better. In this regard, we have a preference for China and are overweight on both the A-shares and H-shares," said Lorraine Tan, director of equity research, Asia, at Standard & Poor’s.
However, some individual investors were more pessimistic after the market carnage in 2008, and are considering shifting their portfolios toward safer investments.
"I will liquidate my account when the index climbs to 2,500 points, as nobody knows when the financial woes will end. And will invest more into some other products with low risks, like gold and bonds," said Gong Zhou, a 32-year-old advertiser in Shanghai.
Gong made up his mind because over 70 percent of the 250,000 yuan he had in stocks shrunk in value.
He said he’d believed in the prediction of some renowned economists in 2007, who said the Chinese stock market would rise to 8,000 points or higher in 2008.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged down for the eighth straight trading day Wednesday to fall 0.66 percent, closing at 1820.81 and marking the end of the turbulent year.
The valuation of A-shares had been trimmed to 14.77 times earnings per share yesterday from as high as 49.84 times last year.
The stock market performance has left the average investor stunned.
"The drastic correction in Chinese stock market has reflected a grim economic outlook, under which corporate earnings are expected to shrink further due to slumping demands and exacerbating external economic conditions," said Mao Nan, an analyst with Shanghai-based Orient Securities.
But like countless investors in the country, the 56-year-old retiree has seen over 60 percent of her hard-earned 320,000 yuan (US$46,900) evaporate in the unexpected market mayhem now taking place.
"I’ve been tortured for an entire year, and am glad that the wretched 2008 finally ended," Shang said.
She ventured into the stock market in 1993 with 3,000 yuan. That year, urban per capita annual income was only 2,337 yuan.
Her appetite for more investment returned and started swelling when the value of the money she put into the market doubled in 2007.
Unfortunately, her dreams were shattered, after tumbling through the turbulence in the stock market and one of the biggest overall falls ever seen in the history.examda.com
The leading indicator plummeted 72 percent from an all-time high of 6,124 points in October 2007 to a low of 1,664 points a year later.
The market value shrank from 32.76 trillion yuan on Jan 2 to 9.7 trillion yuan by the end of the year, making it the worst performer in the global market meltdown.
As for the new year just begun, industry experts and investors hold diverse opinions.
"We forecast the leading indicator will hover between 1,650 points to 2,700 points, given the growth rate of corporate profit will be likely to fall to negative 10 percent," said Wu Feng, an analyst with TX Investment Consulting.
"The recovery may come in the second half next year," Wu said. He suggested that policy-driven stocks like energy and 3G sectors will see sustainable gains.
"In our view, markets with economies showing greater resilience are likely to fare better. In this regard, we have a preference for China and are overweight on both the A-shares and H-shares," said Lorraine Tan, director of equity research, Asia, at Standard & Poor’s.
However, some individual investors were more pessimistic after the market carnage in 2008, and are considering shifting their portfolios toward safer investments.
"I will liquidate my account when the index climbs to 2,500 points, as nobody knows when the financial woes will end. And will invest more into some other products with low risks, like gold and bonds," said Gong Zhou, a 32-year-old advertiser in Shanghai.
Gong made up his mind because over 70 percent of the 250,000 yuan he had in stocks shrunk in value.
He said he’d believed in the prediction of some renowned economists in 2007, who said the Chinese stock market would rise to 8,000 points or higher in 2008.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged down for the eighth straight trading day Wednesday to fall 0.66 percent, closing at 1820.81 and marking the end of the turbulent year.
The valuation of A-shares had been trimmed to 14.77 times earnings per share yesterday from as high as 49.84 times last year.
The stock market performance has left the average investor stunned.
"The drastic correction in Chinese stock market has reflected a grim economic outlook, under which corporate earnings are expected to shrink further due to slumping demands and exacerbating external economic conditions," said Mao Nan, an analyst with Shanghai-based Orient Securities.
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