Mereja

Author: Serkadis

  • Why Aren’t Banks Lending? Because They’re Being Rational

    obamageithnerFrom The Big Picture:

    President Obama met with a dozen small banks yesterday, urging them to keep lending.

    He did not have to tell that to this group — about 6500 mostly AAA rated, regional and community banks — who have been happily lending away. Its how they earn their money.

    The larger banks, on the other hand, are the ones who have cut back lending dramatically. This is especially true of the 10 biggest banks.

    Why?

    It’s the rational thing to do.

    These banks STILL have too much debt, too little capital. They books are festooned with bad loans, which, thanks to our corrupt Congress, they no longer have to disclose appropriately. Thanks to Mark-to-Make-Believe, they can pretend these assets are worth near what they paid for them. In reality, they cannot sell them even at 50% off.

    Lending money is a risky business; there is the possibility of loss. Under-capitalized banks cannot take that chance. By not lending, their capital base goes up. IT is the rational thing to do from their perspective.

    Rather than engage in traditional money lending, these banks have decided to simply borrow from the Fed at 0%, and make risk free loans to the Treasury at 3%.

    And, these banks are not lending because the way the Fed/Treasury bailouts were structured, they are encouraged NOT TO LEND.

    Why? They need to rebuild their capital levels after 30 years of declining safeguards and capital ratios.

    This is yet another unintended consequence of bailing reckless bankers from their folly. Their place in the economy is so distorted, as to become nearly economically meaningless . . .



     

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  • Crashing Fast?

    Around 10:00 last night my son came rushing out of his room heading for the kitchen saying that he felt like he was crashing-he’s only did this one other time since his Oct 09 diagnosis his BS then was 54 and already showed signs of a mild hypo. He is still honeymooning which has been very difficult because we dont know how much insulin he’s actually gonna push out on his own.. he has had no insulin for weeks now-He tests about 7-8 times a day averages 110 in the am typically goes to the 60-70’s mid morning and then peaks at around 150 after lunch and dinner. He was 157 before 6:00 dinner with no insulin as he was only having a 10 carb chicken/veggie burrito- as we are early in his diagnosis we were told to use a 120 average at a 40-1 carb ratio.. he usually has a snack after dinner but didnt last night; not snacking is what brought this on I’m sure.. He knows that he is supposed to treat, test and then eat- but.. he tested 1st @ 72…he was in a bit of a panic and immediately drank a bottled water.. hmm.. However, he really seemed ok; Obviously I told him that water would not help a low and gave him a bit of OJ and he ate a light wheat sugar free PBJ sandwich (a part of his daily life now), he has been at 60 before with no symptoms so I was not overly concerned at this point with a 72 but after the ate he immediately started to show classic signs of a low-confused, totally spaced out, feeling extremely heavy to the point he could’nt move, his pupils were huge and he was very pale but no sweating: I retested and he was 96.. I even set up a different meter and tested he was 116 and still just totally whacked out of it.. Then as quickly as it came on it was like magic his color came back and he was back to normal.. he did have a few small red bumps pop up on his palms… hmmm.. they are gone this morning. Any ideas as to what the heck happened here??? Now I’m totally paranoid to leave him alone.. what if he gets confused again and drinks water???:dontknow: We have a endo apt early Jan. Not sure if a pump would help at this point.. Mom would sincerely appreciate any input from you guys…

  • Look What Commodity Has Trounced Gold This Decade

    Sugar! This complete list of the top-performing commodities of the decade comes via The Oil Trader’s blog.

    commodities

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  • Hoodialyte Review

    HoodialyteHoodialyte is “the silver bullet that gives you the edge to make it through the whole day of dieting” (website). This Hoodialyte review will explore the ingredients contained in Hoodialyte as well as discuss the cost in order to help you decide if this is the right product for you.

    Hoodialyte Ingredients

    Vitamin C (1 mg) is important to good health, but it does not cause weight loss.
    Sodium (2mg) does not cause weight loss.
    Energy Blend 1750 mg
    L-Carnitine has not proven to significantly contribute to weight loss.
    L-Tyrosine has been proven to contribute to weight loss when included in doses of 500 to 1500 mg per day. Since Hoodialyte fails to list how much Tyrosine it contains, this Hoodialyte review is unable to determine if the amount of Tyrosine contained in Hoodialyte is enough to contribute to weight loss.
    Malic Acid has not been proven an effective diet pill ingredient.
    Hoodia Pure Extract (400 mg) is merely hype. There is NO scientific evidence to prove that hoodia actually contributes to weight loss.
    Green Tea (150 mg) is a proven diet pill ingredient. When taken in doses of 300 mg per day, green tea does cause weight loss.
    Pomegranate Fruit (80 mg) is an excellent antioxidant; it does not cause weight loss.
    Acai Fruit (75 mg) is another hyped-up diet pill ingredient. Although acai does contain antioxidants, it does not cause weight loss.
    Oolong Tea (75 mg) contains caffeine, which has been proven to contribute to weight loss.
    Yohimbine Bark (15 mg) .

    Hoodialyte Cost

    Hoodialyte costs $11.99 for 6 bottles (there is a discount for buying in bulk). If you follow the recommended dosage of 3 bottles per day (one before each meal), Hoodialyte will cost you nearly $200 per month. This Hoodialyte review finds this is far too expensive for this product. While Hoodialyte does contain some effective ingredients, you can get a diet pill with the same ingredients for much less money.

    Hoodialyte Website

    The Hoodialyte website contains some interesting (and amusing) statements. They claim, “Extreme weight loss may occur. Remember to eat every day” (website).

    If you are looking for some cash and prizes, enter the Hoodialyte Challenge. Just send your Before and After photos from using Hoodialyte. One male and one female will win a tropical vacation plus $1000 cash. It seems a little strange. How can they verify it is really you in the photos and that you haven’t just doctored the photos (or that you actually took Hoodialyte in the first place).

    Hoodialyte Conclusion

    The real question is whether or not Hoodialyte will cause weight loss. The answer: it probably will. However, this Hoodialyte review finds Hoodialyte is way too expensive. You can get the same weight loss results from several other diet pills that cost far less.

  • Engadget: Nexus One Will Be “Invitation Only” At First

    Engadget just scooped everyone with an exclusive look at the Nexus One specs and a few preliminary details.  First, the “bad” news.  The Nexus One (N1) be available only by “invitation” at first. Their source didn’t have any specifics on how the invitesbe be determined other than it will be Google doing the inviting.  The good news is that, down the road, T-Mobile will offer the phone directly.

    • 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED screen
    • Memory: 512MB ROM, 512MB RAM
    • 4 GB MicroSD card (expandable to 32GB)
    • 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, 2X digital zoom, LED flash
    • UMTS 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
    • HSDPA 7.5Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps up to 5.76Mbps
    • GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
    • WiFi (802.11 a,b,g,n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A2DP stereo Bluetooth
    • AGPS, compass, accelerometer
    • Weight: 130g with battery
    • Dimensions: 119mmx59.8mmx11.5mm
    • Teflon-coated back cover
    • 3.5mm headset jack
    • Second microphone for active noise cancellation
    • Proximity sensor, light sensor
    • 1400 mAH battery



    We know you have something to say about this thing… Let’s hear it!

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  • Happy Festivus!

    For the rest of us.

    And now, the airing of the grievances.

  • Bugatti Trademarks 16C Galibier Sedan

    Volkswagen Group has submitted a trademark application for the design Bugatti 16C Galibier concept, as reported by carscoop.com.

    The application was submitted to the World Intelectual Property Organization (WIPO), which offers acces to patent and trademark design in 184 countries among which China is included.

    The trademark was applied for the concept, so there is no new info available about the car. However, the simple fact that the application has been submitted m… (read more)

  • Two New Technologies May Bring Down Costs for Hydrogen Cars

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Princeton University have teamed up to improve both the cost and durability of platinum based fuel cells. And faculty and students at the University of Idaho will be using high tech X-rays to study the chemical reaction properties of rhodium and ruthenium for storing hydrogen at the nano-scale.

    In regard to the fuel cell, the wear and tear on the hydrogen passing over the platinum causes the platinum to either break off or clump. PNNL and Princeton are developing a carbon support to slow down this process and lower the cost of fuel cells.

    Sliced graphite or functionalized graphene sheets (FGS) were used and treated with a platinum catalyst. This arrangement showed more durability and surface area than previous methods.

    And in regard to the University of Idaho (and PNNL) studying new storage methods for hydrogen may reduce the size of the tanks needed for cars. They will be using a $500,000,000 X-ray machine from the Argonne National Laboratory to study the reactions of rhodium and ruthenium with hydrogen.

    According to University of Idaho professor Tom Bitterwolf, “One of the cool parts of this project is that it requires about a half-a-billion dollar light bulb. So the physics will be done with the Advanced Proton Source at Argonne. But the preparations and analytics will be done in Moscow and at PNNL.”

  • Waving Goodbye to 2009

  • Morgan Stanley: These 10 Trades Will Make You Rich In 2010

    morgan stanleyMorgan Stanley has released its top 10 trades for 2010.

    Among the themes: Keep buying stocks, keep buying large caps, but hold off on investing in banks.

    Click here to see their strategy ->

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  • Call of Duty: World at War map packs bundled for your convenience

    Here’s a gift idea: a copy of Call of Duty: World at War along with all the map packs released for the game so far. Sounds good? Here’s more good news: Activision has made buying the game’s

  • Rumour Has It: Tablet Announcement as Early as January

    Source: Piper Jaffray

    Whaddya mean, you’re skeptical about reports regarding an upcoming Tablet announcement? When did you last hear a major publisher report exciting Tablet news from unnamed sources? Oh, wait.

    Earlier in the week the Wall Street Journal reported on the rumors of Apple’s forays into television content subscription. It also made a passing reference to the tablet coming “by the end of March.” And we’d have left it at that, except that yesterday the Financial Times also chimed in with a little more on the same theme:

    Apple is preparing an announcement next month that many anticipate will be the official unveiling of its tablet, but the company has so far declined to confirm the existence of the device. Wall Street analysts expect mass production of an Apple tablet to begin as early as February.


    Of course, when it comes to reporting about Apple’s fabled Tablet device, no one ever properly cites their sources. Instead, we get fleeting, nebulous references to shady characters and nameless insiders: “Sources close to Apple told us…” or “An executive familiar with the matter revealed…” Occasionally, some enterprising analyst stares at a spreadsheet for a while and makes up some bold predictions — and then they get named as sources, their prophecies presented almost as iron-clad statements of previously super-occluded fact.

    Even worse, it’s not hard to imagine that sometimes ( just occasionally) those same analysts become the mysterious, unidentified sources of privileged insider information, referred to almost casually as “sources with intimate knowledge of Apple.” While that’s not technically incorrect, it’s still wildly misleading. And unethical, too.

    Of course, I’m not suggesting venerable publishers such as the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times get up to these shenanigans. However, it’s at least interesting to note that earlier this month, and reported by AppleInsider, Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner offered much the same predictions for a first-quarter 2010 Tablet launch;

    Reiner…revealed his latest tablet news in a note to investors issued Wednesday morning.

    “Our checks into Apple’s supply chain indicate the manufacturing cogs for the tablet are creaking into action and should begin to hit a mass market stride in February,” the note said.

    Reiner said Apple would likely need at least five or six weeks of inventory built up before it can release the product, positioning a likely launch in March or April.

    Now, I don’t know about you, but when I read that an analyst has revealed his “latest” news about Apple’s super-duper-secret-history-making-miracle-tablet, I gotta assume that doesn’t mean his latest morsels of juicy, hitherto-unknown insider information, but rather, his “latest roundup of most reasonable rumors and assumptions gathered from around the Internet.” I guess it depends on your level of cynicism, how badly you want the Tablet, and how you choose to read between the lines.

    Either way, the WSJ and the FT are in competition with one another. One mustn’t be outdone by the other — even if that means reporting “old” news that isn’t really news at all. It’s conjecture from a man who doesn’t claim to have inside knowledge, but just looked into Apple’s “supply chain” and offered some best guesses. That is, after all, what analysts do. You can do the same thing, by the way, just by gathering together a half dozen industry trade-press magazines.

    Mind you, that line which begins “Apple is preparing an announcement next month…” is pretty specific, isn’t it? Specific without actually telling us anything, but then, that’s what the rumor mill is all about these days, right?

    Frankly, I’m growing tired of all these rumors — Apple can’t release this thing soon enough, as far as I’m concerned, if only so we can finally put all this frothy prognostication behind us!

    UPDATE: Boy Genius Report is now reporting that its own inside source is reporting a 7-inch Apple tablet launch in January is a 100 percent certainty. Looks like we may not have to wait much longer to put the rumors to rest.

  • Giz Editor Plays with Nexus One, Shares Impressions

    Let’s just this right off the top.  If there is anyone in Northeastern Ohio with a Nexus One, email me.  I will drive to meet you.  I can’t take the jealousy that’s boiling up inside of me.

    Jason Chen, an editor for Gizmodo, just gloated to shared with his readers that he was able play with a Nexus One and put it through some paces.  Naturally, he wasn’t able to take any pictures.  We’ve gone through and pulled out the quotes we think you’ll enjoy the most.

    • It’s basically, from my time with it, Google’s Droid killer. It’s thin, it’s fast, it’s better in every way.
    • The phone is slightly thinner than the iPhone 3GS, and slightly lighter.  The back is definitely not cheap and plasticky, like the iPhone’s backing, and feels like some sort of rubbery material. So, not smooth like the iPhone, but not as rubbery as the Droid. It’s halfway in-between.
    • It feels long and silky and natural in your hand—even more so than the iPhone 3GS.
    • Even though the screen is the same size and same resolution as the Droid, it’s noticeably better. The colors are much more vibrant and the blacks are blacker…made the Droid seem washed out. The same feeling carries over when you compare the Nexus with the iPhone 3GS.   This is probably the best screen we’ve seen on a smartphone so far. Probably.
    • Nexus One is astonishingly faster than the Droid.
    • Even though it doesn’t have a hardware keyboard, it basically beats the hell out of the Droid in every single task that we threw at it.

    Chen does speak more in-depth about the internet experience, noting that it bests the iPhone and Droid in almost all tests.  As we’ve heard whispered, the animated backgrounds are interactive and could  make for some fun, interactive apps.  The camera and speakers are good, not great, with both about what most smart phones are offering.   As mentioned by others, the browser does not have multitouch.

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  • Carmix 5.5 XL Easy & Economic Concrete Anywhere

    Drum Capacity: 7.600 liters, Concrete output: 5,5 m3 per batch
    Maximum speed: 33 km/h, Road transfer from 0 to 30 km/h
    Transmission: Hydrostatic, Hydromatic-Rexroth. 4 wheel driving.

    Engine: Cummins Turbo-Diesel B5.9 TAA, 150 HP
    4 wheel steering, ROPS-FOPS driving seat complete with double closing door, Weighing: Electronic System.
    “Load Cells” acting on the drum, display and printer in the cab (on request).

  • NEW HIGH SPEED ELECTROSPINDLES FOR MILLING OPERATIONS

    Omlat delivers in fast times a line of electrospindles for steel working

    We list the characteristics of the electrospindles:
    – Cylindrical Shape diameter: ø=220mm L=860mm
    – Max Speed: n 16.000 min-1
    – Max Power (S1/100%): 30 kW
    – Max Torque (S1/100%): 95.5 Nm
    – Lubrication of the Bearings: Grease
    – Tool Clamping: HSK-A 63 with hydraulic clamping

  • REPORT: GM to depart with form and run certain plants around-the-clock

    Filed under: , , , , ,

    Two weeks from now, General Motors will start running its Fairfax assembly plant continuously on a permanent basis. The unprecedented around-the-clock operation, following on the heels of the temporary third shifts a few months ago, is intended to boost the plant’s production from its current 4,500 vehicles per week to 6,300 units over the same period.

    Operating around-the-clock is no simple feat. Experts point out that automotive assembly lines require a lot of scheduled maintenance, cleaning, and restocking – tasks that are usually accomplished during the down periods between shifts. Typically, car makers add second shifts on a temporary basis when the market demands more vehicles. Third shifts are common for part suppliers, but not for automakers (even Toyota Motor Corp., often cited as a benchmark in efficiency, rarely operates more than two shifts). To allow time for maintenance, GM and union officials have figured out how to “overspeed” parts of the assembly line so they can be slowed temporarily later. The three-shift assembly line will run about 21.6 hours per day (up from 14.5 hours with two shifts).

    GM is moving cautiously. The Fairfax assembly plant is the automaker’s best candidate for a permanent third shift. Located in Kansas City, it consistently ranks among the most efficient automotive factories in America. In addition, the facility is tasked with manufacturing the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Lacrosse – both vehicles are selling well, so a third shift will help satisfy demand rather than oversaturate the market. Hat tip to Sea Urchin for the tip!

    [Source: Wall Street Journal – Subs. Req’d]

    REPORT: GM to depart with form and run certain plants around-the-clock originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Searches for Google Chrome Spike in the UK

    Google is putting a lot of weight behind Chrome, now that its content with its maturity is starting to actively promote it, at least in the UK where it launched pretty big offline advertising campaign touting the browser’s strong points. And it seems to be paying off, bolstered by the recent beta releases and the Extensions Gallery on top of the advertising campaign, Chrome-related searches have almost doubled overtaking those for Internet Explorer.

    “UK Internet searches for Google Chrome have almost doubled over the last couple of weeks and are currently running at their third highest level since the browser was launched towards the end of last summer,” Robin Goad, research director, Hitwise UK, said.

    “Searches for Google Chrome overtook those for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer last week. However, as the chart below illustrates, Google still has some way to go before Chrome has the level of brand awareness associated with its main competitor in the ‘alternative browser’ world, Mozilla Firefox,” he added.

    The numbers speak for themselves and, for the most part are easily explained. The fact that there are now more searches for Chrome than Internet Explorer doesn’t really mean anything. IE comes bundled with every Windows PC, so there aren’t going to be a lot of people searching for … (read more)

  • Lecture Notes: TT28 at the Mummification Museum in Luxor

    Luxor News Blog (Jane Akshar)

    It is great to see that Jane is up and about and getting to the Mummification Museum lectures again. Here’s her latest report.

    TT28 Amenhotep – Huy Dr Francisco Martin Valentine 12/12/9

    Identified on Friederike Kampp’s catalogue Amenhotep was a vizier, Huy is a common abbreviation or nickname for someone called Amenhotep. The tomb is ahead and down from the XI dynasty tomb TT366 Dyar and next to the XVIII dynasty tomb of TT192 Kheruef. It was discovered in May 1978 by Andrew Gordon and Dieter Eigner and is from the time of Amenhotep III 1387-1348 BC.

    There is other evidence about this individual

    1) 2 jar inscriptions from Malkata mention Vizier Huy referring to first Heb Sed Year 30
    2) Steele BM138 Decree of foundation for a funerary temple for Amenhotep son of Hapu in Year 34 of Amenhotep III
    3) Chapel at Gebel Silsila year 35 Amenhotep III Le Grand discovered in 1893. It is very important as the inscriptions talk about the relationship between Amenhotep III and IV and prove that Amenhotep III was not at Amarna
    4) Remains from quarries
    5) TT55 Ramose tomb there is an unnamed vizier at the front of the tomb making offerings to Ramose. This successor is believed to be Amenhotep – Huy
    6) The Amarna letter EA11 from Prince Rib-Hadda seem to establish that he was commissioned to make inspections in Syria/Byblos
    7) Statue CG590 from Tel El Basta which has no head or hands show he was an important man in the north
    8) Statue BM1068 also with head and hands destroyed has an unusual title man, the main one of Nekten
    9) Relief in Sobeks temple which replaced one of Ramose as Vizier of the south

    See the above page for the rest of Jane’s notes.

    Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

  • Profile: Salima Ikram

    AUC Bulletin

    Plus other Faculty News.

    As the subject of our first profile we spoke with Salima Ikram, Professor of Egyptology, who has been with AUC in various capacities since 1995. Salima is a native of Lahore, Pakistan. A visit to Egypt in early childhood hooked her for life on the mysteries of the Egyptian past. She was educated primarily at Bryn Mawr College and Cambridge University, with a year in between as a Study Abroad student here at AUC. Salima is a powerhouse of productivity, with ten authored or edited scholarly books and six books for children, along with dozens of articles and conference presentations. She has also appeared in a staggering number of television specials and documentary films (since Egyptology is a beloved field around the world, after all). Among other honors, she was the 2007 winner of the AUC Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors Award. Salima is also known around campus for a friendly personality and an excellent sense of humor. For all of these reasons, she seemed like an ideal candidate to launch our new Faculty Profiles series with the following interview. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
    Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

  • Exhibition: Tutankhamun in Toronto a success

    ArtDaily

    Public response to the Canadian exclusive of King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs continues to be overwhelmingly positive, with more than 100,000 tickets sold since they became available just under three months ago.

    As a result, and to accommodate continued high demand, the Art Gallery of Ontario will continue extended evening hours through Jan. 31, 2010, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 9:30 p.m. (last entry is 8 p.m.). In addition, the King Tut exhibition as well as the Gallery will be open until 5:30 p.m. Family Day, Monday, Feb. 15.

    Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes