Author: Serkadis

America’s toniest address is easier to get into than a Miami nightclub!

The White House Dinner Crashers had company. A third uninvited guest made it into The Obama’s State Dinner in honour of the Indian prime minister in November, the Secret Service said on Monday.

While there is no evidence the person had contact with the President or First Lady, a second security breach did occur at the Nov. 24 event, officials say. The still-unidentified person, who was not on The White House guestlist, traveled from a Washington hotel where the Indian delegation was staying and arrived at the dinner with the group, which was under the responsibility of the U.S. Department of State.

“This individual went through all required security measures along with the rest of the official delegation at the hotel, and boarded a bus/van with the delegation guests en route to the White House,” the Secret Service said this afternoon.

Aspiring reality stars Tareq and Michaele prompted a criminal investigation and a congressional probe of White House security after they attended the event without an invitation and rubbed elbows with President Obama and a number of other dignitaries.

Think about it, in 2009 Marc Faber seems to have set himself up to be right whatever the U.S. economic outcome.

He's a well known bear and has frequently likened the dollar to toilet paper and U.S. economy to a basket case in the long term.

Yet when the U.S. defied skeptics and recovered by late 2009, stocks had one of their best years ever, and the dollar soared. Yet he at the same time was credited for the strong dollar/US market calls he adopted as a near-term view. The result? 2009 was a big win for Faber in the media and represents his genius as a professional forecaster.

That's because it's hard to imagine how it was even been possible for Mr. Faber to come out looking wrong in 2009, and his most recent apparent bullishness on gold, the dollar, and U.S. stocks underlines this. If the U.S. double-dips, he can point to his well worn long-term bearishness on the U.S. economic system. The long-term forecast is finally coming to fruition, etc. But if the U.S. economy continues to recover, likely delivering further dollar strength and stock market returns, he can blame the fed for delaying his long-term forecast while still staking claim to his nearer-term bullish call. At least that's how it appears to us.

So here's the secret to forecasting success -- maintain an extreme, polarizing long-term view. Then adopt the exact opposite view, as a short-term trading idea, and blame governments for making it happen.

January 3rd, Commodity Online: In his first New Year comment on the price of gold, dollar and commodities investing, Faber said that the most interesting currency that people should invest now is gold as the US dollar is on a bearish run.

December 30th, CNBC: "My feeling is that the US market will outperform emerging economies in the first six months of 2010,"

December 30th, ABC Australia: Marc Faber thinks the low returns for cash and rising inflation may prompt investors to keep buying equities. "We could also have for a change a strong US dollar or a rebounding dollar and, at the same time, an outperformance of the S and P [Standard and Poor's 500 share index] vis a vis emerging markets," he added.

October 30th, Gold Speculator: Regarding the dollar he says, “well, it will go to a value of exactly zero eventually.” When pressed for a timeline he explains, “Looking at Mr. Obama and his administration it should already be there, but I think it will take roughly ten years until people really realize that the fiscal position of the US is a complete disaster.”

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Marc Faber: Treasuries Are For Idiots, Watch Out For A 10-20% Correction In Stocks Before Another Rally
• Faber: Dollar Will Rally 10% More, Stocks Will Keep Running Higher
• Marc Faber: Avoid The US Disaster, Buy Wheat, Sugar, Natural Gas, And Japan In 2010

Dear Readers, have you ever cast your eyes longingly and lovingly upon those gorgeous hanging pot racks and wished with all your heart that your kitchen and / or budget could handle one? Can you just imagine how a pot rack would transform your kitchen ambiance as well as show off your cookware and to top it off, create a neat and tidy storage solution? The wait is finally is over!

Enclume, the foremost manufacturer of top of the line pot racks and kitchen furnishings sought out consumer focus groups to find out which features they would like to see in Enclume’s kitchen creations. The feedback from consumers like YOU is the motivation for the new RACK IT UP!! series. What is so amazing about this company is that they actually LISTEN to the customers out there and considered what people wanted and needed. Enclume responded with RACK IT UP!

“Now virtually everyone can enjoy the same benefits with RACK IT UP!, Enclume’s all-new value-priced pot rack collection. It was designed by consumer focus groups representing families in middle-America homes, condos, townhouses and apartments. The focus groups demanded low cost, good looks, a variety of sizes, strong construction, quick assembly, and the fastest, easiest installation possible.”

RACK IT UP! racks are made with the same attention to detail, quality materials, easy installation and long-term service that has made Enclume the most respected name in the industry over the last 35 years and why they are considered absolutely the best.

And the most exciting news YET, get ready for this… the Enclume RACK IT UP! pot racks range in price from $24.99 – $99.00! That’s an unbelievable value price for this quality product.

Choosing the right Enclume product.

Enclume has a fabulous website which highlights all their products making it easy to choose the right size, model and material for your needs. Click on each product to see the specifications and how it would fit and look in your own home.

Do you have a wide square kitchen? Perhaps one of the ceiling pot racks would work best for you. There are 5 to choose from in various sizes and styles.

Do you have a narrow galley-type kitchen? Perhaps one of the 5 wall pot racks also in several sizes and styles would fit your tastes.

Do you have a small space that you think won’t handle a pot rack? Just take a look at these beautiful, sturdy, yet lightweight racks!

Don’t forget to check out the Enclume RACK IT UP! Videos, they are very helpful and informative.

OK, you’ve looked at these fantastic products and you’ve decided on the one that will best show off your kitchen, but now you may question, “This is great, but I’d have to hire a contractor.” Nope! Think again! RACK IT UP! racks are designed to be installed quickly and easily with a minimum of effort and with no prior experience required. Hardware and tools are included with the RACK IT UP! of your choice.

Our family has decided on the Bookshelf Pot Rack because we have a narrow galley kitchen with a low ceiling. The rack assembled easily and installed just as easily. The Enclume Bookshelf Pot Rack is so sturdy that it holds all the pans we wanted, even though they are heavy cast iron. The change in the look of our kitchen is stunning! We are thrilled with having the pans accessible and stored in one place. We will update you with before and after pictures of our RACK IT UP! installation and kitchen transformation!

Enclume is offering FREE shipping on all their RACK IT UP! products!

Enclume Design Products, Inc. • 24 Colwell St. • Port Hadlock, WA • 98339
phone: (360)385-6100 • fax: (360)385-6156 • toll free (877)362-5863

Disclaimer: The product was provided for review purposes.

Bruce V. Bigelow wrote:

San Diego-based Adventrx Pharmaceuticals (AMEX: ANX), which reduced its workforce to just five executives and announced plans last March to “substantially end” its drug development and business operations, sprang back to life today. The company says it has submitted a new drug application, or NDA, to the Food and Drug Administration for ANX-530, a formulation of the anti-cancer drug vinorelbine the company has developed.

Adventrx says ANX-530 is its proprietary emulsion formulation of vinorelbine chemotherapy that is intended to reduce the incidence and severity of vein irritation and blistering associated with intravenous delivery of the approved drug Navelbine. Adventrx says it acquired ANX-530 in 2006, and its NDA includes data from a clinical bioequivalence study. The company holds exclusive worldwide rights to its formulation of the drug, except in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

In a related announcement, Adventrx says it plans to fund the commercial launch of ANX-530 at least partly from $19 million in gross proceeds raised through the private placement of convertible preferred shares of its stock with institutional investors. The offering is expected to close by Thursday.

In a statement issued by the company, Brian Culley, the principal executive officer of Adventrx, says, “ANX-530 has the potential to offer important benefits to cancer patients, and we look forward to working with FDA towards its approval. The ANX-530 NDA submission is a key step in our strategy to create valuable products that improve the performance of currently approved drugs.”

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Socialtext has announced record quarter-over-quarter bookings growth in 2009, bolstered by social computing’s growing presence in the enterprise.

It’s important to note that Socialtext is reporting record bookings, not record revenues. The company does not disclose its actual revenues. It’s hard to to give Socilatext a lot of credit without knowing how its revenues fared. Further, the year ahead may be one of the most challenging for the company as competition is only getting more fierce.

Sponsor

Socialtext is one of the most established companies in the Enterprise 2.0 space, dating back to 2002 when it got its start as a wiki provider. In recent years, the company has diversified, adding a microblogging platform and collaborative tools such as SocialCalc, its collaborative spreadsheet application. Socialtext said it now has 6,500 customers, compared to 4,000 in 2008. The company also said it set a record for the number of companies that renewed contracts.

Jive Software may be one of the biggest competitors for Socialtext. Microsoft will be pushing hard into the enterprise market this year with Sharepoint 2010. Google, Cisco, IBM and a host of new players are also fighting for the same piece of the pie.

But, overall, the Soclaltext news is more real proof that social computing did get the attention of the enterprise in 2009, and that the year ahead should be another record year for the overall market.

Discuss

We learned earlier this morning that Spyker plans on rebuilding Saab around the 9-3, 9-5, and 9-4X models if it acquires the brand from General Motors. Also waiting in the plans in the Aero X, which could be a possible production model if resources are available.

“I love that car, and it deserves to be built,” said Spyker CEO Victor Muller. “It’s got true ‘Saabishness’ in it. It’s one of the best designs of the past five years.”

GM has extended the Dec. 31 deadline to sell or shutdown Saab until Jan. 7, giving Spyker additional time to come up with financing to buy the brand. A final proposal from Spyker is expected Jan. 7.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: PistonHeads

Filed under: Technology, BMW

The Apple iPhone has a built-in accelerometer that rather accurately detects even the slightest motions. Developers have been quick to create applications that capitalize on the iPhone’s hardware, including software that helps enthusiasts obtain g-force and 0-60 times from their phone. We’ve tested a few ourselves and they work pretty well, although most of these apps come at a cost, ranging from $4.99 to $10 or more. If you like the idea of timing your vehicle with the aid of an iPhone but don’t want to pay for an app, BMW has a free solution for you.

It’s called the M Power Meter and does most things those paid apps can do, but it’s free and also very easy to use. Simply download the software from the app store [iTunes link], place your phone upright in a cup holder or flat in the direction you intend to drive, hit start, accept the terms and go. The M Power Meter defaults to timing a jaunt from 0-50 km/h, but you can change that by clicking on settings and choosing from several acceleration options up to 200 km/h or distances ranging from 100 meters to 2,000 meters. We downloaded the M Power Meter app and found it worked fairly well for being free and nearly as good as those apps we spent a few bucks on in the past.

If you have an iPhone and a car, test it out for yourself (without breaking the law or doing anything that could endanger yourself or others, natch) and tell us how well it worked by heading over to the Comments section. It’s free, so it couldn’t hurt to give it a whirl.

[Source: BMW]

BMW releases free M Power app for the iPhone originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though much of Apollo’s work is focused on systemic changes in clean energy and green-collar job policy and practices, our work also is particularly useful to people who don’t have a job or are looking for a new one. The following green-collar job information resources should help.

Recovery Act Information Center
First is our own Recovery Act Information Center, which provides up to date information on how and where federal investments in clean energy and green-collar job training from the $787 billion stimulus bill is and will be spent. The important section for job seekers is Federal Guidance and Implementation Resources, which provides a state-by-state breakdown of clean energy investment. Other features in that section provide guidance on how cities are using Recovery Act dollars for clean energy programs and projects. Much of the Recovery Act spending will be decided by and funded through state and municipal governments. The jobs developed with Recovery Act clean energy investments are and will generally be associated with existing state and local clean energy programs, and with contractors and private companies executing the energy efficiency upgrades, transit modernization, fix-it-first road and bridge construction, and the jobs to support these and other activities. You should also note that local one-stop career centers also are a good resource for find jobs generated by the Recovery Act.

Green Jobs Boards

A host of online job board resources are available for green-collar job seekers. They include the Green-Collar Blog, which hosts a jobs board with a strong list of online sites to locate and apply for jobs. Other green-collar job seeking resources include Green Dream Jobs, GreenBiz.com, EcoJobs, and  EnvironmentalCareer.com., Sustain Lane’s Green-Collar Jobs Board, and Renewable Energy Jobs. The solar energy industry association has a jobs board. Take a look at our own Apollo Alliance jobs page for opportunities, and the jobs pages of other non-profits, community groups, businesses, and government organizations working in the clean energy space.

Volunteer Service
Opportunities are available to volunteer for a clean energy program or project through Americorps, Senior Corps, the Clean Energy Service Corps or other such program.

Online Clean Energy Information
There are dozens and dozens of online sites that cover the clean energy business and industrial sector from every conceivable perspective. Greener Design, for instance, offers news on businesses incorporating clean energy and efficiency to create sustainable products and practices and is one of the truly useful such sites. The American Wind Energy Association site is here. The Investor Network on Climate Risk, a project of CERES, is here. Businesses for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, another CERES project, has good stuff. The Iowa Energy Office site is a good example of how states are promoting clean energy investment, a valuable way to understand where job development will occur. So is the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.  The Environmental Defense Fund maps green companies across the country.

Green-Collar Job Research and Reports
The Apollo Alliance defines a green-collar job as a well-paid, career-track job that contributes directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Like traditional blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs range from low-skill, entry-level positions to high-skill, higher-paid jobs, and include opportunities for advancement in both skills and wages. The Green-Collar Jobs section of our Green Room provides research, reports, and articles about the range of green-collar opportunities and where they are occurring. Last year, the Apollo Alliance published a report on the development of Green-Collar Jobs in America’s Cities. We published Greener Pathways to detail economic and workforce development opportunities in the energy efficiency, wind, and biofuels sectors. Two years ago Apollo published Community Jobs in the Green Economy that, among other things, outlines a range of green industries that exist in the U.S., and the types and number of jobs associated with each.

The Environmental Defense Fund, one of our Apollo Alliance supporters, published a useful guide to green-collar careers and how and where they will unfold in the coming years. Jim Cassio published a Green Careers Resource Guide. And our own Signature Stories page provides a national snapshot of the companies and existing jobs in the clean energy sector. Each story includes a For More Information sidebar with email, telephone, and other contact details.

Your Knowledge
You also can help. Tell us what you know in the comment section below. The Apollo Alliance Web site reaches tens of thousands of online visitors.

(more…)

As reported earlier, shares of chip-maker Rambus (RMBS) were down as much as 20%. The blame? Essentially, an erroneous error caused by fat, sausage fingers hitting a keyboard. Now, according to The Fly On The Wall, NASDAQ will cancel all RMBS trades that were made at or below the $20.73/share mark NASDAQ between 13:28:00 and 13:32:00 ET.

NASDAQ says the decision cannot be appealed and will go forward. Sorry, shorts!

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Mayor Bloomberg Parties At The NASDAQ Marketsite
• NASDAQ Evacuated
• SEC Gives Kiss Of Approval To NASDAQ Co-Location

When the Palm rep emailed to pry the Pixi out of my hands, I was bummed. I had been taking it with me everywhere — to the local farmer’s market, to the gym, on my quest to find a golf course with an available tee time the day after Thanksgiving (Is there an app for that?), etc. The Pixi had become quite the pal. But alas, I sent it back knowing that we’d meet again (perhaps in the form of the rumored Verizon Pixi Plus).

It has been a while since my initial thoughts on the Pixi appeared.  With the New Year upon us, as well as the one-year anniversary of the webOS hoopla at the Consumer Electronics Show, the time seemed right to do Part 2, where I focus on the Pixi from the perspective of a Centro owner.

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Where in the world is Artie Lange? Acid-tongued radio personality Howard Stern is speaking out about his ailing sidekick, Artie Lange, who was rushed to a New Jersey hospital after falling ill over the weekend. Lange has been absent from Sirius XM’s The Howard Stern Show since early December and cancelled a New Year’s Eve engagement along with several other stand-up performances.

Stern wouldn’t reveal why Lange has been hospitalized or why he’s been mysteriously absent from the show for several weeks, saying only that he is respecting a request for privacy from Artie’s family. Howard did, however, deny reports that Artie is leaving the show and being replaced by Jim Breuer.

“We all have our demons,” said Stern, referring to the comedian’s well-publicized battles with addiction. “Artie has given this show tremendous moments of great comedy. He’s a tremendous contributor. He is a good man. Don’t forget how great he is.”

Although some might reasonably argue that its bloated proportions cause it to lag significantly behind the competition (literally), the Dodge Challenger nevertheless continues to be a favorite amongst nostalgic muscle car enthusiasts and/or balding guys with a slight paunch. Since the part of that demographic that isn’t blowing their disposable income on alimony would gladly shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to recapture the glory days of their youth, Mopar has released yet another aftermarket package for the Challenger.

The newest offering is dubbed the “Performance Appearance” Package, which achieves the same thing for the Challenger that a hairpiece does for its driver. Available in two parts, the exterior package includes body-color hood with scoop, body-color rear “Go-Wing” spoiler and strobe stripe performance graphics, while the interior package features a Mopar-branded T-handle shifter, bright pedal kit (automatic only), bright door-sill guards, premium carpet floor mats and a full vehicle cover. Prices begin at $1,995 and $945 (respectively) and do not include the ill-fitting Ed Hardy tee or the Journey’s Greatest Hits CD.

There’s been some chatter about a recovery in large commercial bank lending… but the data says otherwise.

The latest figures out of the St. Louis Fed show that once again, for the week ending December 16, lending fell sequentially from to $664.7 billion in total lending from $665.6 billion in the previous period.

That may not look huge, but in order for a recovery to happen, we’ll presumably need to seem some evidence of an expansion in lending.

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Word on the street is that Apple’s COO Tim Cook is at the top of the list to become General Motors Company’s next Chief Executive Officer. An anonymous reader of The Business Insider’s Silicon Valley Insider told the blog that Cook, who took over when CEO Steve Jobs was on medical leave, is the first choice to replace Ed Whitacre (who is currently interim CEO).

“We have no idea whether this is true or not, but it makes sense,” wrote Senior Editor Nicholas Carlson.

“Tim would be a bold choice for GM and a clean break with the car company’s past,” Carlson says. “Cars are vastly different than gadgets, but the magic Apple has brought to consumer product design could be just what GM needs to turn itself around.

GM had no comment on the rumor.

Cook is also in line for the CEO position when Jobs decides to step down. GM recently named Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell as the Detroit automaker’s CFO.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoObserver

This is what happens when there’s no competition in an industry. Best Buy was the subject of Consumerist/Consumer Reports investigation re: “optimization.” Best Buy tries to sell computers to an unsuspecting public that have been “optimized” by the Geek Squad. And while the motives of the individual Geek Squad guy is probably on the up and up, the big bad corporation behind the guy in skinny black tie? The Almighty Dollar reigns supreme.

So Consumer Reports sent a bunch of folks to various Best Buy stores throughout the country to see what the deal was. You see, Best Buy advertised laptops for, say, $600, but you could only buy the laptop at that price provided you buy “optimization.” And what exactly is “optimization”?

Our Geek Squad Agents enable up to 100 system tweaks that improve PC performance and functionality, including optimized startup and shutdown, improved menu navigation, quick launch and taskbar cleanup and program shortcut creation.

Basically, you know how when you buy a computer from a retail store and it’s loaded with all sorts of trial applications that clutter up the desktop? Best Buy will get rid of all of that. In other words, Best Buy wants $39.99 to uninstall a couple of apps. Neat.

The investigation hots up when the detectives start asking questions like, “Can I buy a non-optimized laptop?” only to hear “Uh, we’re all out of non-optimized models, sorry.”

This is a long way to say that Best Buy loves upselling you on things you patently don’t need. Now, I’d recommend that people skip all of this nonsense by, say, also buying an OEM copy of Windows 7 with the purchase of your shiny new PC so you can install a pristine copy of the operating system. It takes maybe 20 minutes to install Windows 7, and you won’t have any annoying trial applications mucking up your system.

Happy now that Best Buy is the only game in town? Not me: the chain violated my civil rights, and I shan’t be going there ever again. I hold grudges. Plus, I just use Newegg like everyone else on the Internet in 2010.

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Let’s be honest for a moment: an awful lot of the stuff we cover here at CrunchGear isn’t really necessary. All the silly USB gadgets, geek gizmos, and other doodads are fun to own, but don’t make your life demonstrably better. So I was pretty excited when I was given the opportunity to review The Torch from Wicked Lasers. Billed as the world’s brightest flashlight at a whopping 4,100 lumens, this seemed like the kind of thing that might be worth having. I mean, who doesn’t like flashlights? They’re great for when the power goes out, and to take camping, and are a generally practical gadget that does make your life better.

The Torch costs $300. That’s a $300 flashlight, friends. It comes with a custom rechargeable battery, and a custom battery charger. My first indication that the Torch was more than I would ever need in a flashlight came when I realized that the battery charger included a heat sensor, to ensure that the battery didn’t overheat during the charging process.

The Wicked Lasers website has video of the Torch frying an egg, as well as lighting paper and matches on fire. I first thought “Wow!” and then I thought “Why on Earth would I need a flashlight to fry an egg?” I was skeptical that the Torch would actually light fires, so tested it for myself:

Yes, the Torch does, indeed, light fires. You’re probably thinking, like I was, that this would be a great addition to your camping gear: no more matches! Then, like me, you’d sit down and read the product manual and become disappointed. The big, custom battery for the Torch provides approximately fifteen minutes of actual use, suddenly making this a not-quite-as-useful flashlight as you first thought.

Making things even worse, you read that the Torch should only be used for about three minutes at a time, lest the thing become too hot to hold. Indeed, the Torch gets hot during use.

The only legitimate use I can find for the Torch is, surprisingly, home safety. I’m not a gun owner, so I’m at a disadvantage if my home were ever to be invaded. But with the Torch, I think I actually stand a fighting chance against an intruder. This thing is so bloody bright that it will cause severe damage to a person’s eyesight if shone directly at their face.

The Torch, I can safely say, is not going to make your life better. The only people who will want to buy the Torch are those people who insist on being able to say that they own the brightest flashlight in the world. And I’ll wager that these people never actually use the Torch once they buy it.

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