Author: Serkadis

  • Dacia Duster to be Launched in May

    The Dacia Duster light SUV will, most probably, be launched in May as Jack Chauvet, Executive Council President of the automaker revealed in a statement for Mediafax.

    He added that the car’s production version will almost certainly be reveled to the media one month earlier.

    According to Chauvet, we will have to wait until the Geneva Auto Show to get some information about the all-important price of the car. The Duster will offer excellent value for money,, Chauvet was quoted as saying by M… (read more)

  • Rumor Has It: iPhone OS 4.0 Details Leaked Early

    I’m pretty sure that late January is traditionally that time of the year when the Apple rumor mill starts heating-up in anticipation of the impending iPhone OS update. A young tradition, to be sure, but a tradition nonetheless.

    This year, however, the media frenzy around the mythical-but-completely-certainly-probably-real Tablet seems to be getting all the attention — rather like a new born baby stealing the limelight from its three year old sibling.

    At least BoyGeniusReport — in the past a reasonably accurate source of information on upcoming iPhone OS updates — hasn’t forgotten the tradition and, even though no one is paying the least bit of attention, they resolutely committed to web-page what they think they now know about iPhone 4.0.

    So what’s the latest? From BGR:

    “There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense […] as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)

    I’m not sure I understand what this means if I’m honest with you. I mean, the few multi-touch gestures we get now in apps like Photos and Safari are sensible enough, (double-tap and pinch zooming are useful in those apps) but do we need multi-touch everywhere? How will the addition of OS-wide gestures make the OS more elegant, more intuitive and easier to use? Now, I’m not suggesting any sort of major calamity; I’m just experiencing something of an imagination-failure here.

    “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.”

    So, the elusive Multitasking is coming to iPhone? I’m not convinced. Speaking from my many years of experience using Windows Mobile, it seems to me that Apple’s approach to memory management on the iPhone is pretty much perfect. Sure, it doesn’t multitask — but in almost three years of iPhone ownership, that has never presented an insurmountable problem for me. And the (ahem- late) introduction of Push Notification Services was a very welcome compromise.

    I have since discovered, however, that I don’t need Facebook to notify me about every poke or thrown sheep, and I especially don’t want to be notified of every tweet from my Twitter stream. No thank you.

    Perhaps the “few new ways” refers to a sandboxed memory “space” that runs in the background, sort of like an app for keeping-alive portions of other apps, even when they’re not currently front-and-center. Maybe. Whatever it is, you can be sure there won’t be a task manager.

    “Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.”

    What do you think? A new, refreshed UI style, perhaps? Or an iPhone version of Exposé? The latter sounds horrid, but still, Soptlight can’t be the only solution to quickly navigating through 10 pages of apps.

    “The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”

    Makes sense. The 3G and 3GS have more memory than the venerable first generation iPhone. Consider how sluggish the latest build of the iPhone OS (3.1.2) can be on first generation iPhones. Apple is so concerned with guaranteeing a consistent, elegant user experience they kept cut & paste out of the OS for years before they felt the solution was good-enough to publish. So they’re hardly going to support their latest and greatest OS on the ageing first-generation iPhone because the experience will be terrible.

    I would wager, too, that core location services have been greatly expanded and even more tightly integrated with the entire OS, making the original location-ignorant iPhone a bit of a silly platform for 4.0. (Don’t forget that patent for a location-aware home screen…)

    “The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.”

    Since I’m one of the five or six people in this world who pays for a MobileMe subscription I never really think about contacts/calendar syncing. It just happens for me, quietly, no fuss. I’ve never synced any other way, so I have no experience of the perils and pitfalls of syncing via different methods. I’ll leave you to tell me what you think this means and why I should care.

    And Then There’s That Tablet (Again)

    Don’t forget that the established wisdom of the Rumor Mill has it that iPhone OS 4.0 and the Tablet’s operating system are pretty much built upon the same core code — hence the reason for Apple’s delay in seeding the 4.0 build to developers. (Since the code is so similar it’s pretty likely that tablet functionality will be easily discovered by a few minutes spent digging through iPhone OS 4.0’s bundled APIs. Apple has held-back on seeding the next major iPhone OS build for this very reason — they don’t want to give away clues as to what’s in store with the Tablet — that sort of information will leak fast.)

    So while the world’s press salivates over the upcoming tablet and forgets completely about Apple’s other major products, spare a thought for iPhone OS 4.0. It’s likely to be the most important — and impressive — update in the iPhone’s history. And, unless you have your money ready to splash on the Tablet, iPhone OS 4.0 is the most likely next “new thing” you’re going to get from Cupertino.

  • The Smaller and Cheaper Garmin zumo 220 GPS for Bikers

    Garmin announced a new addition to its GPS range, namely the zumo 200, which is reportedly designed to help motorcyclists. The much smaller and affordable motorcycle navigator includes text-to-speech guidance, lane assist, Bluetooth headset compatibility and on-road/off-road travel options.

    The zumo 220 is expected to become available in March 2010 for a suggested retail price of $599.99, including with a motorcycle mount and an automotive mount for an easy transition between bike and car or … (read more)

  • Microsoft Sorta Apologizes For Points System, May Be Moving to Real Money [XBox360]

    One of the most annoying aspects of the Xbox 360 Marketplace is Microsoft Points, a fake currency used to buy games and add-ons that obscures how much real money you’re spending. But that may be on the way out.

    In an interview with G4, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg had this to say about the Points system.

    We never intended to ever mislead people. I think we want to be transparent about it, and so it is something that we’re looking at. How can we be more transparent and let people see it in actual dollars?

    This is good news! The Points system is transparently sleazy, with it set up so you can only buy points in chunks that are not easily divided into the amount games and such are sold for. Basically, products are all sold in numbers divisible by 200 (200, 400, 1200 point prices are standard) while you can only buy points in chunks divisible by 500 (500, 1000, 2000 or 5000 points are your only options). This almost always leaves you with an awkward number of points left over that you’re forced to pay for. You then need to add more points to that awkward remainder to buy more, which will probably give you another awkward remainder, and so on and so forth. This is absolutely the only reason Microsoft has for not allowing you to just buy chunks of 400 or 800 points at a time.

    Combine this with the fact that putting a different number value between a product and it’s true dollar value is designed to make you forget you’re spending real money (it’s easier to justify spending 5000 points than $62.50), and you see why this is a pretty anti-consumer system. So it’s good news that Microsoft is considering changing it!

    But don’t think they’re just doing it because they’ve suddenly acquired a conscience. In all likelihood, if Microsoft moves away from the Points system on Xbox Live, it’s because they’re planning on expanding the Zune Marketplace and integrating it more with the Xbox 360. The Zune Marketplace is in dollars (or whatever local currency you’re using), and it’d be much easier to unify the two systems by switching it all to currency than cramming the points system into the Zune Marketplace.

    But whatever motivation Microsoft has, moving away from the points system and into real currency is definitely a good thing. Allowing people to pay for only what they want using the normal currency they use every day is just more honest all around, and you can’t argue with honesty. [G4 via Kotaku]






  • It looked like hypoglycemia, left like hypoglycemia, but it wasn’t

    I take sylmin before meals. Last night I had for dinner an average size salad consisting of lettuce, cucumbers, peppers and onion. The dressing was low fat and low sugar. Before I go to bed, I take my diabetic medication. At night I take 1 ea Glyb/Metform 2.5/500mg and 2 ea Glumetza 500 mg. I have been on this maintenance for a few years and it works for me. Went to bed at approximately 10:30 PM. Lying in bed I started with what I thought was hypoglycemia. The symptoms were as follows:shakiness, nervousness, dizziness or light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion , anxiety, and weakness. OK I have had it before, I’ll just go out and take my count see it’s in the 70’s and take some soda with sugar and maybe some tablets. Then I’ll calm down, and get some sleep. Took the meter pricked my finger and my count was 235. WOW 45 minutes after take my medication, tried again it was 237. Went back to bed and tried to get to sleep, but my mind was swimming with all kinds of things, from should I go to the emergency room, to what the heck is wrong with me. Got up again in a half hour, after eating a apple, and my count on a different meter, it was 250. OK now I’m freaking out. Finally at a little after 2:00 AM I feel to sleep. I get up at 5:15 AM, so when I awoke this morning I felt better but I was of course tired. This episode scared me to death. Was it something else or did my diabetes have anything to do with it. I am a person that when I get ill, my sugar shoots up to about this stage 225 to 250. I took my sugar this morning and it was 134. A bit high, but the apple didn’t help. Does anyone have any idea what might have happened. Thanks in advance.
  • La Paloma | Complejo de Atijas Weiss | 4p | Pro

    El centro de La Paloma será testigo en este semestre de la construcción de un edificio de cuatro pisos y 36 apartamentos, a cargo del estudio Atijas Weiss. A este emprendimiento se le suman las 400 viviendas que tendrán las dos nuevas urbanizaciones en la laguna de Rocha y su principal balneario. Vito Atijas, director del estudio que ha promovido inversiones en Punta del Este y Montevideo, afirmó a En Perspectiva que la oferta inmobiliaria en La Paloma está algo atrasada y señaló que en Rocha hay “mucho espacio ambiental” para un desarrollo ordenado del terreno. En tanto, sostuvo que en Punta del Este hay una notoria “saturación en el tráfico y en los servicios” y manifestó: “La presencia cada vez más imponente del cemento y los edificios modifica el panorama visual que hasta hace no tantos años se tenía”.

    JUAN ANDRÉS ELHORDOY (JAE):
    El turno de las grandes inversiones inmobiliarias llega a Rocha.

    Al millonario y conversado proyecto Las Garzas, del argentino Alejandro Constantini, se sumarán próximamente costosos emprendimientos.

    Por un lado, dos nuevas urbanizaciones de 1.000 y 900 hectáreas, que se ubicarán entre la laguna de Rocha y La Paloma, harán lugar a 400 viviendas. Y, por otro, un conjunto de hotel y edificio residencial, ambos de cuatro pisos, que se va a localizar muy cerca del centro del principal balneario rochense.

    ¿La ola expansiva de Punta del Este llega indefectiblemente a La Paloma y su zona de influencia? ¿La Paloma está en las puertas del despegue de inversiones inmobiliarias de gran valor?

    Vamos a conversar de estos y otros temas con uno de los promotores que protagonizan de esta movida.

    ***

    JAE – El diálogo será con el arquitecto Vito Atijas, director del estudio Atijas Weiss, que es uno de los promotores de inversiones de envergadura que van a comenzar en muy poco tiempo.

    Atijas Weiss tiene una larga historia de inversiones en Montevideo y Punta del Este. ¿Qué los llevó a dar este primer paso en Rocha, concretamente en La Paloma?

    VITO ATIJAS (VA):
    Seguramente ha influido un largo afecto que yo, personalmente, siento por Rocha, adonde no dejo de ir todos los veranos, aunque sea unos días, para reencontrarme con un tipo de veraneo distinto, con una cercanía más agreste, más presente del océano, y dentro de Rocha la posibilidad de, aun en uno de los lugares más conocidos, el que presenta mayor infraestructura como es La Paloma, recorrer los múltiples balnearios, algunos de mayor y otros de menor trascendencia pero todos ellos con el encanto particular de ese océano, que adquiere un protagonismo difícil de encontrar en otros lugares.

    EMILIANO COTELO (EC):
    Por ahí hay razones de tipo personal, sus propios gustos. Pero supongo que un negocio como este no se resuelve simplemente por ese tipo de motivo.

    VA – Algunas veces es el motor. Francamente, uniendo eso a mi profesión de arquitecto y habiendo encontrado un terreno que tiene características muy particulares, porque encontrándose sobre el eje de la calle principal, Avenida Solari, prácticamente se acerca al océano en forma inmediata; con la presencia del faro, que es protagonista, y uno de los puntos emblemáticos de Rocha, un excelente frente, parecía cantado que ahí se podía desarrollar un edificio que tuviera las características que se ofrecen en otro tipo de lugares, donde generalmente el público exige más cosas, en las que la oferta inmobiliaria de La Paloma quizá esté algo atrasada. Entonces hemos decidido, con el impulso de esa impronta personal, desarrollar este proyecto que lanzamos este verano a la consideración del mercado inmobiliario rochense, y en particular en La Paloma, que tiene su público desde hace muchísimo tiempo, no es que nosotros lo hayamos descubierto.

    JAE – Siguiendo con la estrategia que empieza a desplegar el estudio Atijas Weiss, cabe preguntar si esta no es una señal de posible saturación de Punta del Este y de necesidad de buscar alternativas a las que actualmente presenta el principal balneario.

    VA – Con toda honestidad puedo llegar a coincidir en el tema de al menos una luz amarilla que se prende en cuanto a saturación. Los que hemos venido a Punta del Este por razones primero de vacaciones y después laborales durante mucho tiempo notamos que el crecimiento edilicio trae consigo cosas buenas pero de las otras también. Una saturación que se produce en el tráfico, en los servicios, el embotellamiento que se produce en las horas pico para ir y volver de determinados lugares adonde parece que masivamente todo el mundo quiere ir y llegar a la misma hora. Con lo cual la presencia cada vez más imponente del cemento y los edificios modifican el panorama visual que hasta hace no tantos años se tenía en Punta del Este. Todo eso hace pensar que un determinado tipo de público puede llegar a buscar otras cosas. De ahí el crecimiento visual y efectivo hacia el este.

    EC – ¿Hay algo de autocrítica en ese análisis? Porque ustedes han sido protagonistas del empuje de las torres, por ejemplo.

    VA – Sí, le cuento una anécdota personal. Hace muy poquito asistí al concierto de Charly García en la playa de estacionamiento del Conrad. Ubicado ahí, entre el público mientras disfrutaba el espectáculo, empecé a mirar alrededor y a comparar lo que se veía y lo que se ve ahora simplemente levantando la vista. Y encontré un contraste tan grande entre lo que había visto hacía un tiempo, mirando campeonatos de tenis ahí o la actuación de artistas, y lo que actualmente se ve, que se lo comenté a varios amigos: cómo casi sin darse cuenta uno se enfrenta de repente a un marco totalmente diferente del que toda la vida disfrutó. Y pienso que eso que me ocurre a mí le puede ocurrir a mucha gente. No digo que a todos, porque hay muchos que disfrutan de ese tipo de vacaciones, con una variedad enorme de ofertas, de espectáculos, que no se siente demasiado molesta por todo lo que le dije. A toda esa gente Punta del Este le seguirá dando la respuesta esperada. Pero creo honestamente que hay una saturación, y se lo digo con la cuota de autocrítica que me pueda corresponder.

    JAE – ¿En ese sentido Rocha y La Paloma, en particular, aparece como opción? Además, ¿cuánto pesa en la decisión de invertir allí el eventual puente sobre la Laguna Garzón, que todavía está en trámite en la Dirección Nacional de Medioambiente? Por lo que se anuncia, en estas horas se presentaría un informe sobre el impacto ambiental del puente. ¿Qué importancia tiene?

    VA – En el caso personal de este emprendimiento le diría que ninguna, lo haría con o sin el puente sobre la Laguna Garzón. Naturalmente, bienvenida sea cualquier ayuda para que la gente se acerque más fácilmente a la zona. Pero uno de los encantos de la costa rochense es recorrerla quizá no en su recorrido más corto, sino adentrándose hasta los puntos que vinculan directamente a los pequeños balnearios, algunos de una enorme belleza, que sería una pena que se perdieran por una saturación edilicia, que al menos por ahora no se vislumbra. Créame que en este edificio, Vista Oceánica, no ha pesado para nada el tema del puente.

    JAE – Y viendo esto en perspectiva, ¿no se corre el riesgo de convertir a La Paloma, en particular, y Rocha, en general, en un departamento como Maldonado? Usted decía que le gusta La Paloma porque es agreste; es una característica, la rusticidad, el ambiente más familiar. ¿No se corre el riesgo, con las nuevas inversiones que están llegando al departamento, de perder esa mística o ese diferencial?

    VA – No creo. Hay mucho espacio ambiental como para que el desarrollo ordenadamente previsto de Rocha pueda tener todavía un futuro muy largo en el tiempo. Además, la extensión misma de la costa permite que eso ocurra. La Paloma, en particular, que es el que tiene mayor infraestructura turística, admite algún crecimiento todavía sin que se corran riesgos en lo que tiene que ver con su particularidad. Lo que tiene de lindo La Paloma es, como le decía a la gente de la televisión y la prensa de Rocha, que uno da vuelta la esquina y se encuentra con el océano que prácticamente golpea la vista. Y eso no se va a perder porque hay zonas enteras donde la altura está limitada y debe seguir así.

    JAE – Hay un solo edificio en La Paloma.

    VA – Sí, un viejo edificio, muy visible desde largas distancias, que hizo tiempo atrás un amigo mío…

    EC – …Un edificio que desentona, que desafina en La Paloma, que queda raro.

    VA – Sí, queda raro, pero de todas maneras, no me molesta. He tenido la suerte, gracias a su constructor, que es amigo mío, el señor Niver Benencio, de haber ocupado un apartamento. La vista es realmente espectacular. Sería muy malo que se saturara y hubiera más edificios de esa altura y de esas características…

    EC – …Ahora está regulada la altura en La Paloma.

    VA – Está regulada, se está estudiando la posibilidad de aumentar la altura en algunos tramos de la calle Solari, que puede ser el eje vertebrador hacia un lado y otro de La Paloma, que tiene construcciones que se caracterizan por ser bajas, con niveles que en general no superan los dos pisos, máximo tres o cuatro.

    JAE – ¿Habría mercado para la construcción de edificios más altos?

    VA – No le sé decir. Honestamente, no he pensado tanto en si el mercado va a responder o no; naturalmente que espero que lo haga. Estoy decidido a impulsar este proyecto para que La Paloma cuente con un edificio, que, sin desentonar y totalmente adaptado a la reglamentación edilicia, ofrezca una serie de servicios que mejoren la calidad de vida del turista, que, por el tiempo que sea, haga su presencia allí. En ese sentido, tampoco es exagerado lo que ofrecemos: es una piscina cerrada, una piscina abierta, gimnasio, barbacoa, salas de reuniones, y un diseño muy atento a los espacios interiores, que en general apuntan a atender a las familias chicas, con no más de dos hijos. Son apartamentos básicamente de uno y dos dormitorios, todos con cocina, baño y de dimensiones adaptadas a un tipo de arquitectura que queremos que se integre naturalmente al balneario.

    JAE – ¿A quiénes está dirigido el emprendimiento?

    VA – Está dirigido a aquellos que aman la costa de Rocha, que vienen a veces y se encuentran con amplias posibilidades en materia de alquilar casas, pero no apartamentos. Les ofrecemos las ventajas de un edificio atractivo, muy bien ubicado, y que además, brinda una cantidad de servicios compartidos con el resto de los propietarios o de los usuarios, que va a tener el funcionamiento de una posada integrada al conjunto…

    JAE – …¿Piensan en un público uruguayo, en un público brasileño, en un público argentino?

    VA – Por lo que hemos hablado con las principales inmobiliarias de Rocha, el público está integrado por argentinos, brasileños cada vez más, pero también por uruguayos que a lo mejor encuentran en esa oferta una respuesta a inquietudes para las que hoy no tienen respuesta inmobiliaria.

    EC – Desde la audiencia le preguntan si este proyecto tiene algo que ver con el proyecto del puerto de aguas profundas, que eventualmente estaría ubicado en La Paloma.

    VA – Sí, tiene algo que ver porque está muy cerca; es todo lo que le puedo decir. Todo lo que haga que La Paloma crezca, pero crezca bien, dentro de sus posibilidades naturales; ahora no vamos a descubrir el puerto de La Paloma, por supuesto. Todo ayuda, en la medida que agrega atractivos o da respuesta a necesidades que el balneario o ese pequeño enclave urbano que es La Paloma tiene. Pero no más allá de eso…

    EC – …¿Ustedes preveían el movimiento del nuevo puerto como parte del negocio?

    VA – Lógico, sí, por eso le decía que el complejo está integrado básicamente por un bloque que da a la calle del Sol, que es la primera paralela a Solari, y al faro. Ahí va a haber una pequeña posada con 16 ó 20 habitaciones, que va a prestar servicios básicamente hoteleros o parahoteleros. El uso de eso se puede extender a los apartamentos que dan a la calle Solari, cuyos propietarios tendrán la oportunidad, en los períodos en que no usen la unidad, de darla a la administración de la posada que se encargará de tratar de agregarle rentabilidad a la inversión. En su inmensa mayoría son unidades de dos ambientes con cocina, un dormitorio y un estar que puede servir como dormitorio agregado. Todo con los servicios que mencioné, y servicio de mucama opcional incluido: todo lo que el turista medio puede desear para pasar sus vacaciones sin complicarse demasiado la vida.

    EC – ¿Cuál es el límite de altura?

    VA – Son cuatro niveles, planta baja y cuatro pisos, para no exceder lo que permite la ordenanza, y a eso nos hemos atenido con absoluta certeza.

    JAE – Pero usted decía que eso está en revisión.

    VA – Tengo entendido que está en revisión en alguna zona de la calle Solari, no precisamente en las más cercanas al océano, lo cual está muy bien. Pero para darle un cierto impulso edilicio, porque la gente que decide invertir en un determinado lugar tiene que tener incentivos para hacerlo, que pasan por lo económico.

    Pensamos que es una medida acertada en la medida que no cambie la fisonomía básica del balneario, que es lo que le da su atractivo, que se extiende a algo que está a siete kilómetros, La Pedrera, otro lugar excepcional. Y a partir de ahí, La Aguada, Aguas Dulces, toda la costa rochense, que es de un enorme atractivo.

    EC – La inversión es de dos millones de dólares.

    VA – La inversión va a estar en ese orden, quizás un poquito más si se toma en cuenta el equipamiento de la parte hotelera y algunos servicios que se van a brindar. Pero puede estar en ese orden, incluido el valor del terreno.

    EC – Las obras empiezan ahora nomás; ¿cuándo terminan?

    VA – Estimamos que la ejecución global de la obra no debería llevar más de 18 meses a partir de su comienzo efectivo, que esperemos que sea en el primer semestre de este año.

    ***

    EC – De la audiencia llega una cantidad de mensajes y buena parte de ellos con una advertencia, con un reclamo de que no se construya más en el caso concreto de La Paloma: “Por favor, así está bien, dejen en paz al departamento”, señala por ejemplo Francisco, de Ciudad Vieja.

    VA – No estamos, para nada, alterando la paz. Nos ajustamos estrictamente a lo que la ordenanza permite, no hemos pedido absolutamente nada que se salga de esa norma; somos más que respetuosos. Y además, coincido totalmente con lo que puedan escribir en cuanto a la defensa del valor natural de La Paloma y los demás balnearios rochenses. Estoy plenamente convencido de que hay una gran posibilidad de que se pierda ese atractivo en la medida en que se abran las compuertas en forma indiscriminada, en lo que tiene que ver con un desarrollo de construcciones que lo alteren. Créanme todos que no es mi intención, todo lo contrario. Estamos seguros de que este edificio, que se ubicaría donde hoy hay una pequeña casa, pegado al Banco de la República, frente al hotel Cabo Santa María, prácticamente al lado del faro, en nada va alterar la fisonomía actual de La Paloma.

    ***

    JAE – A este emprendimiento que se va a iniciar con la construcción de este edificio de lujo de cuatro pisos se suman dos nuevas urbanizaciones de 1.000 y 900 hectáreas que se van a ubicar entre la laguna de Rocha y La Paloma.

    A su vez, según se anuncia, por ejemplo en una nota en El Observador de estos días, estos proyectos se van a sumar a otro, al millonario, al conversado proyecto Las Garzas, del argentino Alejandro Constantini.

    ¿Hay otras zonas del departamento de Rocha que revisten interés para un desarrollador inmobiliario como su empresa?

    VA – Sí, tenemos la posibilidad de ampliar, siempre dentro de las condicionantes que mencionamos, a algún balneario vecino. En ese sentido, todavía sin una cosa fija o predeterminada, estamos analizando algunas propuestas que nos han llegado, y una vez analizadas veremos si se pueden concretar. Pero respondo afirmativamente a su pregunta en cuanto a que quizá no nos limitemos a esta iniciativa, sino que quizá encontremos en algunos otros lugares de la costa rochense algún punto de interés para el desarrollo turístico.

    JAE – Esto da pie a una afirmación contundente en cuanto a que su estudio abre como una alternativa el departamento de Rocha, este caso particular no es un hecho aislado.

    VA – Sí, abre una perspectiva, pero le aclaro que si nos tuviéramos que quedar en esta única iniciativa, no vamos a dejar de cumplirla y honrarla con todo el cuidado y el respeto que nos merecen el departamento y la costa rochenses. Insisto en que en este caso ha habido un fuerte impulso personal, una impronta personal; yo hace muchísimo tiempo que voy por lo menos dos o tres días a Rocha, y en general me quedo en La Paloma en lugares muy próximos a donde vamos a construir ahora. Por lo tanto, hay una carga personal, compartida por mi socio pero básicamente personal.

    JAE – ¿Estos planes implican ir por el lado de viviendas de lujo como las que van a ofrecer a partir de ahora?

    VA – No sé a qué apuntan cuando dicen “de lujo”. Parece que se entiende por lujo que el usuario o el propietario de esos pequeños apartamentos –que básicamente son del orden de 50 a 55 metros cuadrados, siendo los de dos dormitorios, los mayores, de menos de 80– tenga algunas comodidades básicas compartidas –que no constituyen algo desequilibrante– por todo el edificio…

    JAE – …Básicamente el servicio, la piscina externa, la piscina interna; eso no es común en Rocha.

    VA – Estoy de acuerdo, pero en la azotea, por ejemplo, que es un nivel generalmente no aprovechable de una vivienda, hemos decidido implantar, para uso de todos los propietarios, una barbacoa con una piscina, un deck y un solarium para aprovechar la mejor vista que tiene el edificio. Los 36 apartamentos que entre los dos bloques va a tener el Vista Oceánica van a aprovechar esa hermosa vista desde el punto donde la mejor se la aprecia, que es el nivel más alto del edificio, donde hay una barbacoa muy abierta pero techada para que se pueda usar todo el año, con una piscina que será aprovechada solamente cuando el clima lo permita. Y además, tenemos en planta baja servicios que tampoco son desequilibrantes, pero que son importantes. Por ejemplo, si usted va en invierno a La Paloma y se quiere dar un bañito en agua climatizada, tendrá su piscina; hay un gimnasio –hoy se brinda mucha atención a la parte física–, una sala para que los chicos jueguen, un lugar donde mirar televisión en un plasma y jugar a las cartas. Todo eso, en áreas que de cualquier manera, por estar techadas por debajo del nivel del primer piso, se tiene igual; el asunto es aprovecharlas de la mejor manera para que el edificio goce de ese confort que tiene que tener.

    JAE – Quiero preguntarle por las inversiones en Uruguay y el ciclo económico global que se está registrando en materia de viviendas.

    Por ejemplo, JP Morgan tiene un fondo de inversión en Real Estate, Estados Unidos, y hay grandes fondos internacionales que están recomendando, como forma de aprovechar el nuevo ciclo alcista de los inmuebles en Estados Unidos, volcarse a adquirir baratas las propiedades en ese país para luego venderlas caras. Esto sería un cambio con respecto al desplome que sufrieron Estados Unidos, España y otros países europeos. ¿Cómo se ubica esto? ¿Esto no afecta las perspectivas para el negocio en Uruguay?

    VA – Evidentemente, el que piensa que comprando hoy propiedades que han tenido precios muy importantes hace un tiempo y que hoy no los tienen, hace un buen negocio y está en condiciones de hacerlo, puede especular con que eso va a ocurrir y es legítimo que lo haga. En ese sentido, hay gente notoria que está comprando propiedades en la Florida, no sé si en España todavía, para aprovechar el ciclo bajista y después una eventual una suba…

    EC – …¿Esto no puede afectar las perspectivas para el desarrollo inmobiliario en Uruguay?

    VA – En general, el que compra en Uruguay no lo hace tanto con fines especulativos, sino con otro tipo de fines. No desdeña lo que puede ser una rentabilidad con un alquiler, básicamente compra para un destino prácticamente personal.

    Pienso que en ese sentido no afecta. Los que compran en Punta del Este y los que ahora muestran preferencia por lugares un poco más agrestes hacen pesar otros factores en la decisión de comprar una vivienda.

    Por otro lado, aun dentro de esa tendencia bajista, los precios siguen siendo superiores en esos mercados que usted menciona, tienen costos muy elevados de mantenimiento que cuando el mercado está difícil no permiten que uno se quede muy tranquilo y muy quieto esperando. Solamente lo puede hacer el que está sentado arriba de una fortuna y no le hace demasiado volcar una parte de su capital a ese tipo de inversiones especulativas.

    En el caso de Punta del Este creo que inciden otros factores, que tienen mucho que ver con que sin duda es el balneario regional más importante, y eso atrae a gente que lo quiere utilizar por sí misma y no con carácter meramente especulativo.

    http://espectador.com/1v4_contenido.php?id=171990&sts=1

  • Did We Only Include Australia In The MAVINS Because We Needed An “A”?

     

    Joe Weisenthal, Deputy Editor, The Business Insider

    Your Questions

    • Why is Australia the “A” in MAVINS? Is that really a country on the verge of a breakout? Aren’t they developed already?
      • 2020 potential GDP in today’s dollars: $1.5 trillion (10% of an America)
      • 2050 potential GDP in today’s dollars: $5.8 trillion (40% of an America)
    • Which of the MAVINS will be the best place to put money on a going forward basis?
      • Mexico
        • Invest in the iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index ETF (Ticker: EWW)
        • Buy Mexican American ADRs on the NYSE
      • Australia
        • Invest in the iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund (Ticker: EWA)
        • Direct investment into commodity producers
      • Vietnam
        • Invest in the Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (Ticker: VNM)
        • Buy stocks or private equity funds
      • Indonesia
        • Invest in the Market Vectors Indonesia ETF (Ticker: IDX)
        • Buy stocks of larger cap companies
      • Nigeria
        • Invest in the Market Vectors Africa Index ETF (Ticker: AFK)
        • Buy Nigerian GDRs
      • South Africa
        • Invest in the iShares South Africa ETF (Ticker: EZA)
        • Invest in natural resource companies via ADRs
    • Was the Kraft/Cadbury deal a bad one?
    • Why is TBI so enamored with one day market moves?

    Produced By: Kamelia Angelova & William Wei

    More Video: Click HERE >

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • Jim Bianco: Don’t Congratulate ‘Arsonist Bernanke’ For Putting Out His Own Fire

    (This post originally appeared at TechTicker)

    Keeping Ben Bernanke as Fed chairman is like rewarding “the arsonist [who] put out his own fire,” says Jim Bianco, president of Bianco Research.

    Bianco is harshly critical of Bernanke for his failures both as a regulator, which the Fed chairman has conceded, and for his easy money policies, which Bernanke denies were a major cause of the housing boom and subsequent bust.

    Many Fed watchers share this view yet Congress is likely to approve Bernanke’s reappointment, perhaps as early as this week. But critics of the Fed have been holding up the process and may resist voting on Bernanke’s reappointment until a bill to audit the Fed comes up for a vote first.

    Against that backdrop, Bernanke supported a “full review” of the Fed’s role in the AIG bailout earlier this week. The move was hardly magnanimous, Bianco says, suggesting the Fed chairman was trying appear conciliatory so Congress will vote on his reappointment before Jan. 31, when Bernanke’s current term as chairman expires.

    “What Bernanke is doing is holding out a partial carrot – he’s hoping that’ll be enough to get his nomination through the Senate,” Bianco says. “It’s completely political.”

    Whether the ploy works remains to be seen but Bianco supports the effort to audit the Fed, even as he’s sensitive to concerns it will restrain the central bank’s ability to conduct monetary policy without political influence.

    The audit the Fed movement is gaining moment “because of their secrecy [and] fear of their abuse of the Federal Reserve Act,” Bianco says, comparing the Fed’s opposition to a guy who speeds all the time, get tickets and then complains about losing his license.

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • One Tablet for All: Apple’s Slate as a Shared Media Device

    The Apple tablet, when (and if) released, will be a multimedia device. There’s little to no question about that. It’ll play video and music, allow you to browse photos and web content, and play games. But that simplistic definition of what it does doesn’t actually capture the significance of the tablet, according to a new report at the Wall Street Journal.

    In the report, the WSJ talks about how during development, the focus with the tablet was on what its role would be in homes and classrooms, rather than on how it could be used by individuals alone. Apple set out to create a device that would be perfectly suited to a shared use environment, which strikes me as a fairly novel way of designing personal electronics.

    Here’s how the device is tailored to household or group use:

    One person familiar with the matter said Apple has put significant resources into designing and programming the device so that it is intuitive to share. This person said Apple has experimented with the ability to leave virtual sticky notes on the device and for the gadget to automatically recognize individuals via a built-in camera. It’s unclear whether these features will be included at launch.

    Even with only that little information, I begin to see the marketing wisdom in such a design. Let’s face it, the tablet will be entering a market that is already fairly computer-rich, especially among the Apple faithful. If every member of a household has their own computer, how best to sell them another device that really has the same capabilities in a different form factor?

    The answer: Sell them one that everybody can use as easily as if it were an extension of their own computer, without the bulk, startup/shutdown hassle and other inconveniences associated with a proper desktop or laptop. The idea probably came naturally enough as an extension of what families were already doing with iPhones and iPod touches in the household belonging to one member. To then take that natural inclination and make it the actual focus of a new hardware platform is a stroke of marketing genius.

    If this is true and the development of the tablet really did focus along these lines, then think of what it might be able to do. You could pause a movie you were watching and go out for a run, then your wife could pick it up and instantly be taken to the email she was composing before you started using it, thanks to facial recognition tech. When you got back, if it was available, you could pick it up and the camera would see your face and resume the movie at the point where you left off, seamlessly.

    Apple is also looking at pitching the device to the education market, according to the WSJ report. It should be much more appealing to education users than the Kindle DX, which currently represents its main competition, since it will be able to support interactive applications and color display, which Amazon’s 9.7-inch reader cannot, though apps are reportedly in the works. Price will probably be the biggest factor. Both students and schools will be wary of something with a high per-unit price tag, unless Apple can make up the difference by offering significant discounts on the content side.

    Marketing the tablet as a household or shared device has the additional benefit of breaking up the cost in the mind of the consumer. A $1,000 price tag won’t look nearly as daunting if you start thinking about it as a shared community resource like a television. As a single guy living on my own, though, that consideration wouldn’t enter into my decision. Would it help you justify the cost?

    Related GigaOM Pro Research: Rumored Apple Tablet: Opportunities Too Big to Ignore

  • Chicago’s Michigan Avenue crackles with excitement throughout February during “Toast on the Magnificent Mile”

    Celebrate life’s moments every day of February with the luxury retail shops, hotels, dining and nightlife destinations that call The Magnificent Mile® in Chicago “home.”

    The 3rd annual TOAST on The Magnificent Mile offers overnight hotel packages from $139, “Shop, Sip and Save” retail events, special dining and nightlife offers featuring delicious Moet & Chandon champagne, and family-friendly fireworks every Saturday.

    The only winter fireworks show in Chicago provides a colorful crescendo highlighting The Magnificent Mile skyline near the Chicago River and Michigan Avenue on February Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Feb. 6.

    Each week, the first 750 guests arriving to the viewing area at 401 N. Michigan Avenue receive complimentary holographic viewing glasses.

    “Whether it’s a birthday, a new job, or simply a new look that guests want to celebrate, this entire month is about toasting everyday successes and joys in life,” said Angela Roman, the TOAST event chair who also serves as the wine director and director of operations for The Signature Room at the 95th by day.

    Roman went on to explain that her restaurant venue, located at 875 N. Michigan Avenue atop the John Hancock Center, will mark the month-long event by offering a Champagne Cooking Class for Couples on Feb. 15 that includes dinner and plenty of bubbly for participants.

    Events continue throughout the month on One of the Great Avenues of the World…North Michigan Avenue…and there’s even an enter-to-win opportunity to win a Magnificent Mile Weekend!

    Visit themagnificentmile.com for complete sweepstakes details.

    “The entire month is filled with ways to turn winter blahs into winter ahhhs,” said John Chikow, president and CEO of the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, the business organization that presents TOAST on The Magnificent Mile along with Moët & Chandon.

    “Our member businesses offer spirited specials and events that give us all plenty of reason to celebrate throughout February,” the leader of the 700-member association added.

    Become a fan of The Magnificent Mile on Facebook and follow real-time event updates and special deals on Twitter at FeelMagnificent.

    For complete details for over 60 key events happening during TOAST on The Magnificent Mile, visit themagnificentmile.com, or call the special events hotline at (312) 409-5560.


  • Google Q4 Earnings Preview: Better Be Big To Drown Out The China Problem (GOOG)

    Google cofounders in 1998

    Google (GOOG) reports Q409 earnings after the close today.  The call will be at 4:30 PM EST.  We’ll be analyzing the earnings live here, starting at 4pm.

    The Bottom Line: Google’s stock has been hit in the past week on the company’s ultimatum to China (in which the company clumsily backed itself into a corner).  The core business, however, appears to be recovering strongly, and the market is  counting on strong results. 

    Specifically, the market expects the company to beat consensus estimates of $4.9 billion in revenue and $6.45 in EPS.

    Most investors are expecting sequential revenue growth in the 10%-11% range.  Anything below that will probably hammer the stock.  

    Background: At $575, the stock is priced at about 22X 2010 earnings, which is below historical levels of about 30-times, but still pretty rich for a company this huge. 

    Key Consensus Estimates:

    • Net Revenue $4.9 Billion
    • Non-GAAP EPS $6.45
    • Non-GAAP Operating Income $2.68 Billion  

    Here’s a quick outlook from JP Morgan’s Imran Khan:

     

    • *  We see net revenue of $5.11B. This implies Q/Q revenue growth of 16.6%. We see the US market growing 10% Q/Q.

    • *  We expect aggregate paid click growth of 12% Q/Q or 16% Y/Y. This is a slight acceleration from the 3Q growth rate of 14% Y/Y and roughly in line with 2Q’s 15% growth and 1Q’s 17% Y/Y growth.

    • *  We see EBITDA margins declining. We are modeling an EBITDA margin of 61.9%, down 130 bps sequentially but up 190 bps Y/Y. During the call, we will be looking for color on our expectations for an increased cost structure in 2010 due to acquisitions, increases in headcount, and product and infrastructure investments.

    • *  We are modeling a pro forma EPS of $6.85. This implies 34% Y/Y growth which is an acceleration from 20% growth in 3Q. We think this is reasonable given our expectations for 21% Y/Y net revenue growth and Y/Y costs increases of less than $300M. We are modeling CapEx of $400M, compared to $368M in 4Q’08 and $186M last quarter.

    • *  Commentary to watch for. We will be listening for insight into ad budget trends, CPC levels, strategic investment and infrastructure needs, an update on the China operations, and insight into the mobile device strategy.

    Here is a snapshot from Citi analyst Mark Mahaney:

    Google Earnings Cheat Sheet

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • God of War III and Heavy Rain PS3 bundles coming to Europe

    Apart from being big PS3 exclusives, God of War III and Heavy Rain are getting two more things in common: both will be bundled with a 250GB PS3, and both are set for Europe.
     
     
     

  • David Rosenberg: The Market Is Becoming Discriminating, A Rising Tide Will Not Lift All Boats

    rosenberg

    The big decline yesterday (and today) are clear signs that the market is no longer in a “rising tide lift all boats” mood, says David Rosenberg. The market will actually need to see good news in order to rally.:

    Once again, the fact the stock market finished the day lower – including below
    Friday’s close – despite the GOP Senate victory in the Massachusetts election,
    and that the decline would be on higher volume (+1.9% on the NYSE), attests to
    the view that equities have a whole lot of good news already priced in; probably
    too much.  This is a stark contrast to a year ago when it only took “less negative”
    sequential data and earnings performances to take the market higher.  Those
    days are gone.  
    Mr. Market has sent out an early message this year that he is going to be far
    more discriminating – this will not be another year when the rising tide lifts all
    the boats.  The shorts have long been covered, the hedge funds have reached
    their high-water marks, mutual fund manager cash ratios are back at the lows,
    and the VIX index is half the level it was a year ago in a show of how the market
    has shifted from being completely catatonic to completely complacent.  
    While there have been some upside surprises in the likes of Intel and Starbucks,
    as we saw yesterday in Morgan Stanley’s results, it remains a tough slog for the
    financials, which have generated very disappointing results when it comes to
    top-line performance – evidence that a new credit cycle is somewhere off in the
    distance but certainly not a present-day reality.  The Fed has a tough choice
    ahead and it’s not about raising rates – it’s about whether it will have to end up
    expanding its Quantitative Easing program and to do so, would be a gross
    acknowledgment to the prevailing bullish consensus that organic economic
    growth is just around the corner (if not here already based on the plethora of
    economic commentaries that come across our desk). 
    As for the bond market, we continue to see an overwhelming consensus that
    interest rates must move higher because of large-scale fiscal deficits. Yet, here
    we are, and the 10-year note has made numerous attempts to take out the 4%
    threshold in the past year and each attempt failed – despite a surging stock
    market, surging credit market, surging commodities and green shoots galore.  
    This may sound a touch heretical, but the reality is that there is a very loose
    connection between fiscal deficits and the direction of bond yields.  In 1999, the
    U.S. government ran an unprecedented budgetary surplus of $155 billion.  What
    did the yield on the 10-year note yield do that year?  It surged from 4.65% to
    6.45%.  Why?  Because the economy was humming, unemployment was
    dwindling, capacity was being used up at a rapid rate, private sector credit
    demands were surging, consumer confidence was high and rising, and inflation
    pressures were brewing.  
    Fast forward to 2002, and all of a sudden we have the fiscal situation swinging
    to a deficit of $230 billion.  What did the bond market have the absolute
    temerity to do that year?  It posted a huge drop in 10-year yields to 3.8% from
    5.1%.  So the yield at the end of the 2002 was actually 265bps lower than it was
    at the beginning of 2000 despite a massive $385 billion swing in the fiscal
    backdrop from surplus to deficit.  

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • “American Idol” Reject Donald Jarrod Norrell Hauled Away In Handcuffs

    Donald “Jarrod” Norrell, an American Idol reject whose rendition of “Amazing Grace” drew comparisions to the crank of a roaring lawnmower, was taken away from the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando in handcuffs after Simon, Randy, and Kara refused to grant him a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.

    The 28-year-old from Marietta, Georgia refused to leave the stage when they told him he would not be advancing to the next round after his lackluster August 29 audition in the Sunshine State — which premiered on FOX Wednesday night. Norrell resisted an Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy and security guard and was “taken to the ground by security personnel after he tightened his legs and attempted to elbow one of the security officers,” according to the police report obtained by FOX 35 News this week.

    The aspiring singing star was cited with a citation for trespassing.


  • Selloff Intensifies, Dow Down Triple Digits For A Second Day

    suicide shoes bridge

    Whoosh, this is getting ugly. The Dow is down 150 points, marking the second straight down triple digits day and the fourth straight triple digits move.

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • Goldman Slashes Bonuses as Obama Plan Looms

    Goldman Sachs has throttled back its bonus pool in the face of political pressure, setting aside a record low of 36 percent of company revenues for compensation. Employees will receive an average of $498,000 for 2009, well above the $317,000 they received in 2008 during the depths of the financial crisis, but the total compensation pool of $16.2 billion is well below the record $20.2 billion from 2007.

    The move is the latest in a series of steps that Goldman has taken to improve its public image, from a $500 million fund for small businesses to restricting its top 30 executives to stock-based bonuses with a five-year lockup. Such moves — while understandable in a year when your company has been likened to a vampire squid — won’t slake public anger
    at the bank’s outsize  profits, which totaled $4.95 billion in the fourth quarter. A protest is scheduled for the company’s headquarters on Thursday, smaller bonus pool notwithstanding.

    “Goldman Sachs is not a
    banking or financial story now, it’s a political story,”
    portfolio manager Matt McCormick told Reuters.

    That’s especially true as President Obama prepares to announce a Wall Street crackdown,
    especially on Goldman’s specialty, proprietary trading — that is,
    trading for your own accounts rather than your clients’. Goldman will
    almost certainly be forced to make changes due to Obama’s proposal,
    either by ramping down the risks it takes, firewalling its own trading
    activities from those of its clients, or shedding its newly acquired commercial bank status.

    Goldman
    watchers will have to wait a bit longer to see how the bank adjusts —
    and also to find out how much CEO Lloyd Blankfein will get. He got a
    record $68 million in total compensation in 2007, and took no bonus in
    2008. His 2009 bonus will come all in stock, but it will still be an
    eye-popping number.




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  • Yasuní, un sitio importante para la naturaleza

    El proyecto ‘Yasuní ITT’ impulsado por el Gobierno ecuatoriano ha levantado gran controversia en la opinión pública durante los últimos días, sin embargo, como meollo de esta iniciativa está un Parque Nacional, el cual “está en el centro de una pequeña zona.

    Allí, los anfibios, los pájaros, los mamíferos y las plantas vasculares alcanzan una diversidad máxima en Sudamérica,” según las expresiones de Clinton Jenkins, de la Universidad de Maryland, proporcionadas por la organización Finding Species.

    Esta institución ha liderado desde 2004 un trabajo de investigación del Parque, con expertos de Ecuador y Estados Unidos, por lo que exaltan la amplia riqueza con la que se han encontrado en dicho lugar de la Amazonia.

    Inmensa biodiversidad
    Uno de los elementos que más ha llamado la atención a los científicos es la gran cantidad de anfibios documentados en el sitio.
    Son 150 especies de este tipo de animales, por lo que Diego Cisneros, experto de la Universidad San Francisco de Quito, considera que “es un record mundial para un área de este tamaño”.

    Otro dato relevante es que en una hectárea del bosque de este lugar se estima que hay 100 mil especies de insectos, lo cual es la diversidad más alta estimada por área de unidad en el mundo, según Ferry Erwin, entomólogo.

    En el comunicado, Margot Bass, presidenta de Finding Species, recalcó que “uno de nuestros resultados más importantes que encontramos sobre Yasuní es que pequeñas áreas del bosque abrigan cantidades extremadamente altas de especies de animales y de plantas”.

    En cuanto a la vegetación, este rincón amazónico aumenta el número de ejemplares por encima de los 1.100 en 25 hectáreas, por lo que se considera que tiene más variedad que Estados Unidos y Canadá.

    Su valor
    En este Parque Nacional existen, según Finding Species, cientos de especies que no hay en otros lugares del planeta, y cita como ejemplo a 20 tipos de anfibios, 19 de aves y cuatro de mamíferos. Pero a pesar de su extraordinario valor, también cuenta con 28 vertebrados en peligro de extinción, según la Lista Roja de Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza.

    Matt Finer de la organización Save America’s Forests, expresa que “lo que hace a Yasuní especialmente significativo es su potencial para sostener esta extraordinaria biodiversidad a largo plazo”. Y agrega que “por ejemplo, se predice que mantendrá sus condiciones de bosques húmedos, a pesar de que el clima cambie y se intensifique la sequía en el este de la Amazonia en Brasil.”

    Una parte de su riqueza
    Finding Species destaca que “la extraordinaria diversidad de Yasuní se ejemplifica mejor en los 6,5 km2 de la Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, situada en el borde norteño del parque”. Este sitio acoge a 247 especies de anfibios y reptiles, 550 de aves, y alrededor de 200 de mamíferos.

    “Además, la estación es el sitio más rico del planeta en especies de murciélagos (más de 100)”, agregó Thomas Kunz, investigador de la Universidad de Boston.

    Conozca
    Fauna infinita

    • 121 especies de reptiles.
    • 596 especies de pájaros.
    • 382 especies de peces.
    • 204 especies de mamíferos.

    FRASE“Yasuní probablemente es incomparable con ningún otro parque en el mundo por la cantidad total de especies.” Margot Bass, presidenta de Finding Species.

    Fuente Bibliográfica

  • UFC’s Brock Lesnar set to return after intestinal illness

    brocklesnar.JPGBrock Lesnar is ready to resume training to defend his UFC heavyweight title after a serious intestinal problem derailed his career and endangered his life.

    Lesnar hasn’t been in the octagon since UFC 100 last July, when he beat Frank Mir in the biggest event in mixed martial arts history. He struggled through several months of pain and confusion with an illness eventually diagnosed as diverticulitis.

    UFC president Dana White expects Lesnar to return this summer, likely fighting the winner of Mir’s March 27 bout against Shane Carwin in Newark, N.J.

    “Everybody has got life-changing experiences, and this is one of them for me,” Lesnar said in a phone interview Wednesday.

    “I believe things happen for a reason. It gave me a different perspective on life and my family. I considered myself a healthy human being, and for something like this to happen to me, I need to re-evaluate. I have to make some changes.”

    After just four fights over less than two years with UFC, Lesnar is considered the league’s top pay-per-view draw. The former NCAA wrestling champion and WWE professional wrestler is thrilled to resume his MMA career after thinking he might be forced to retire by major abdominal surgery.

    “The heavyweight division should be back on their toes again,” Lesnar said.

    He spent several months struggling with diverticulitis, a swelling of pouches in the intestinal wall. Lesnar said he had abscesses in his intestines that became infected — and he also apparently tested positive last fall for mononucleosis, which might have delayed getting the proper diagnosis of his intestinal woes.

    Lesnar withdrew from his scheduled fight against Carwin at UFC 106 last November, but didn’t yet know why he was exhausted and losing weight. Although Lesnar is vague about the dates and locations of his health woes’ progression, he lost 40 pounds and eventually had a major scare while at a hunting lodge in Canada, when he became delirious and
    passed out from pain while at least three hours from medical treatment.

    After a stint in a Canadian hospital that left him criticizing the entire Canadian medical system and railing against U.S. health reform Wednesday, he returned to North Dakota and was diagnosed with diverticulitis after a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

    But after originally being told he would need surgery, a colonoscopy on Jan. 5 revealed the problems apparently had healed with the help of antibiotics.

    “The Mayo Clinic said, ‘You’ve got a winning lottery ticket,”‘ Lesnar said.

    White said Lesnar will return in the summer, giving a boost to the ever-growing company after a series of injury postponements and cancellations over the past several months.

    If an injury prevents the winner of Mir’s bout with Carwin from being ready, Lesnar is likely to fight the winner of a Feb. 21 bout in Australia between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

    Lesnar has altered his diet, moving away from an “all-protein” approach befitting his weightlifting program and adding more fiber and greens. He’ll return to his gym for training on Thursday morning after raising his weight from a low of 248 — which he hadn’t weighed “since second grade” — to 273.

    “I think it’s raised my conditioning level, because I was really at the bottom,” Lesnar said. “Now I’m back in the gym, and I feel great. I feel like my old self again.”

    Read the original article from Tribune News Services.


  • Portable Radios for U. S. Cavalry (Sep, 1931)

    Portable Radios for U. S. Cavalry
    THE latest in portable radio receivers and transmitters has been developed by Signal Corps engineers for use by the U. S. Cavalry. The antenna is strung on a short mast, while the instruments are carried on the saddle, as illustrated below.


  • Keep your eye on the D-500 . . . IT’S A REAL BOMB! (Sep, 1956)

    Keep your eye on the D-500 . . . IT’S A REAL BOMB!

    These days, more and more of you guys who know and love cars are “talking up” the fabulous Dodge D-500. And no wonder! This D-500 is a real bomb!

    In official NASCAR acceleration tests at Daytona Beach, the Dodge D-500 licked all cars—regardless of size, price or horsepower.

    This D-500 gets out of the chute like a jackrabbit. Hugs the road like a dirt track special. Hits the turns without any squeal. Handles like a gem.

    Though it performs like an expensive custom job, this D-500 is actually the slickest-looking production car to come up Main Street. Under the hood is a 260 hp. mill rarin’ to go (with big 12-inch center-plane brakes to stop it)!

    You can buy a D-500 at any Dodge dealership in the country in any body style you like. (Costs only slightly more than $100.00 over standard models.) And it needs only regular Dodge service to keep it in razor-sharp condition.

    So get behind the wheel and drive a D-500 today. See your Dodge dealer.

    Dodge D-500

    AMERICA’S ACCELERATION CHAMPION