Author: Serkadis

It’s not very often that we see new IP at the head of the charts. Oftentimes, the games on top are the ones with numbers attached to their names. Surely, games don’t have to be sequels to

Article Tags: Andrew Montford, Book

Here is the definitive exposé of the distorted science behind the iconic global warming graph centrally responsible for the global panic about climate change.

From Steve McIntyre’s earliest attempts to reproduce the Michael Mann’s Hockey Stick graph, to the explosive publication of his work and the launch of a congressional inquiry, The Hockey Stick Illusion is a remarkable tale of scientific misconduct and amateur sleuthing. It explains the complex science of this most controversial of temperature reconstructions in layperson’s language and lays bare the remarkable extent to which climatologists have been willing to break their own rules in order to defend climate science’s most famous finding.

The book also covers the recent leak of the email archives of the Climatic Research Unit which has led to the resignation of its Director, Professor Phil Jones, and exposed the degree to which climate scientists on both sides of the Atlantic have hidden and manipulated data to support their claims.

Andrew Montford talked about his work and his views on climate change on Radio 4’s The Report on Dec 10th.

Andrew Montford – The author studied chemistry at St Andrews University. He is a respected blogger at Bishop Hill where his layperson’s explanations of the Hockey Stick debate have won wide acclaim. He lives in rural Scotland with his wife and three children.

Source: stacey-international.co.uk

Read in full with comments »   

Filed under: Motorsports

And they’re off, ladies and gentleman, at the first race of what is undoubtedly one of the most hotly anticipated seasons in Formula One racing history. And it’s already living up to its promise.

In the off-season since the culmination of last year’s championship, one former Ferrari world champion left the sport, and another returned. One major automaker acquired the reigning championship team, while another two pulled out of the sport entirely. Several new teams joined the grid, and some pivotal new technical regulations were put in place. That’s quite a build-up, and it all comes down to this, the first grand prix of the year. Follow the jump to read how it unfolded.

Continue reading 2010 Formula One season kicks off with Bahrain Grand Prix [SPOILER ALERT]

2010 Formula One season kicks off with Bahrain Grand Prix [SPOILER ALERT] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Article Tags: Amazon Rain Forests

A new study, funded by Nasa, has found that the most serious drought in the Amazon for more than a century had little impact on the rainforest’s vegetation Photo: REX

The United Nations’ climate change panel is facing fresh criticism after new research contradicted the organisation’s claims about the devastating effect climate change could have on the Amazon rainforest.

A new study, funded by Nasa, has found that the most serious drought in the Amazon for more than a century had little impact on the rainforest’s vegetation.

The findings appear to disprove claims by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that up to 40% of the Amazon rainforest could react drastically to even a small reduction in rainfall and could see the trees replaced by tropical grassland.

The IPCC has already faced intense criticism for using a report by environmental lobby group WWF as the basis for its claim, which in turn had failed to cite the original source of the research.

Click source to read FULL report from Richard Gray

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Read in full with comments »   

When it comes to the PS3, Valve has hasn’t put the best foot forward (qjnet/playstation-3/valve-we-didnt-put-our-best-foot-forward-on-the-ps3.html), would like to, but they want to make sure they’re ready and can support it the right way (qjnet/playstation-3/valve-and-ps3-somewhere-down-the-road.html). In short, Valve

Article Tags: Law/Policy

The Environmental Protection Agency recently concluded that man-made greenhouse gas emissions — including carbon dioxide — are harmful pollutants and must be regulated. The lawsuit I filed challenging that finding does not address the disputed science surrounding global warming. Instead, it focuses on the indisputable fact that the EPA relied on information that has been discredited, manipulated, lost or destroyed, and sometimes evaded peer review. The lawsuit does not attempt to show that the globe is not warming. It does, however, show that the process used by the EPA in deciding to regulate greenhouse gases is riddled with errors that render its conclusion untrustworthy.

Before regulating man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the EPA was required to conduct a scientific assessment. Rather than conduct its own assessment, the EPA relied on reports by third parties. The EPA’s conclusions rest primarily on information gathered by a creation of the United Nations called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC — an organization that has become mired in scandal because the reliability, objectivity and scientific validity of its work has come under fire.

For example, the IPCC reported that glaciers in the Himalayas were rapidly melting and would disappear by 2035. However, after the EPA reached its conclusion, the IPCC had to reverse itself and acknowledge that the Himalayan glaciers claim was false. The IPCC’s chairman was informed of the problem months before the erroneous report was published, but he did nothing to correct the report. Why? Perhaps because the research institute the chairman runs was seeking millions in grant funding to study those very same not so rapidly declining Himalayan glaciers.

The IPCC also incorrectly reported the Netherlands was highly susceptible to flooding from rising seas because 55 percent of its territory was below sea level. According to the Dutch government, that figure is far off the mark. And the IPCC reported that up to 40 percent of the Amazon rain forests would disappear because of climate change. That claim, too, had to be withdrawn after the IPCC realized the source of the Amazon claim was an environmental group’s report on logging — not climate change. Additionally, the IPCC report on which the EPA relies cited a boot-cleaning manual, publications by activist groups like Greenpeace and even graduate-student theses that were not subjected to peer review — not the stuff of rigorous science.

Click source to read more

Source: chron.com

Read in full with comments »   

Article Tags: You could not make it up

Click source to read more

Source: discovermagazine.com

Read in full with comments »   

A feeling of calm and optimism is pervasive in the market right now. The economy seems to be rebounding, and there are few near-term event risks.

As such the market has been drifting higher of late — not in dramatic fashion — but it has been with ease.

The week ahead will give us some new housing numbers, as well as a new FOMC statement on Tuesday (it will likely be behind), so the biggest story is coming Thursday, when FedEx (FDX) reports earnings.

FedEx, as you know, is considered to be one of the best proxies on the global economy, and it’s managers are supposed to have an unrivaled, real-time look at what’s going on right now.

Last year, in this quarter, during the depths of the recession, FedEx earnings $.31/share on revenue of $8.14 billion.

This year, the company is expected to earn $.72/share on revenue of $8.33 billion.

During FedEx’s last conference call, management spoke to the global rebound (via SeekingAlpha):

We believe the U.S. economy reached a turning point year over year during our second fiscal quarter with the one year anniversary of the financial collapse. Several economic indicators related to industrial demand turned positive compared to the same time last year.

Other forward-looking indicators point to near-term improvement. Manufacturers of capital goods say many of their customers are buying again, as opposed to drawing down inventories, signaling an up-tick in capital spending. We believe the process of inventory clearance has bottomed and subsequent restocking is driving growth.

And yet just days ago, CEO Fred Smith said the company wasn’t quite yet sold on the recovery.

So, this is the story. Investors will be pouring over results and the call quite closely.

One more thing: as you can see, the stock has had a nice run over the last year (not surprisingly) though it’s still behind its highs seen during Christmas, and below its pre-Jan 19th highs. In fact, lately it’s showing some nascent signs of weakness.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Goldman: Here’s 3 Reasons The Consumer Rebound Is Going To Sputter Out
• Another Huge Flop: All Those Predictions Of Protectionism
• BOOM! February Retail Sales Come In Very Strong

Filed under: Motorsports

2009 ALMS Monterey Sports Car Championships – Click above for a high-res image gallery

Spring is nearly upon us, and that means it’s time for the races. Here in North America, the top rung of the sports car ladder is the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), which, as always, kicks off its season with the 12-hour enduro at Sebring. For 2010, however, ALMS organizers have made some changes to the class structure with the old LMP1 and GT1 classes falling by the wayside.

A few weeks ago we had the chance to sit down with ALMS CEO Scott Atherton and get the state of the series. Everything you need to know about ALMS and the changes for 2010 is compiled after the jump.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading American Le Mans Series 2010 season preview

American Le Mans Series 2010 season preview originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Segundo informações do Wall Street Journal, onde foi comentado a respeito do total de custos envolvidos no mega-recall que a Toyota preparou em todo o mundo para reparos de defeitos em alguns de seus modelos, que estão com falta de peças, e outras que precisam ser trocadas, é de algo entre 15 bilhões de reais.

Esse valor é somente para o mercado norte-americano, e foi resultado de um cálculo que teve envolvidos também as despesas judiciais e custos com marketing (com ações para reconquistar a confiança dos consumidores). Fora isso, também existe um valor de aproximadamente 6 bilhões de reais que serão destinados a indenizações.

Estima-se (quase certeza) que os custos sejam muito maiores do que os citados no post, uma vez que o mercado europeu não foi levado em conta pelo WSJ, e o mercado brasileiro também, já que o Ministério Público está brigando para que a fabricante japonesa faça o recall também em nosso país.

Via | Autoblog

La temporada no ha podido comenzar de mejor manera, Fernando Alonso acaba de ganador el GP de Bahrein tras una carrera sin errores y una magnifica conducción por parte del piloto asturiano. Además, por si fuera poco, Felipe Massa ha quedado en segundo lugar por lo que se convierte en el primer doblete de la escudería Ferrari de esta temporada.

La tercera posición ha recaido sobre las manos de Lewis Hamilton que ha realizado una muy buena última parte de carrera. Como todos sabemos, Sebastian Vettel consiguió la pole en el día de ayer pero se ha tenido que conformar con la cuarta posición debido a unos problemas con el motor que le impedian conseguir la velocidad punta requerida en las largas rectas del circuito.

Tras adelantar a Vettel, Alonso ha marcado un ritmo de carrera tremendo que ni Massa ha podido seguir. Por otra parte, en lo que respecta a los demás pilotos españoles, Pedro de la Rosa se vió obligado a abandonar tras sufrir unos problemas hidraulicos en su monoplaza cuando se encontraba luchando por las posiciones de puntos. Sobre Jaime Alguersuari cabe decir que ha finalizado en la decimotercero lo que le aparta de los puntos pero ha realizado una buena carrera.

En otro ámbito, debo destacar que el regreso del kaiser, Michael Schumacher no ha brillado tal y como esperaban muchos aficionados alemanes, se ha tenido que conformar con el sexto puesto por detrás de su compañero de equipo Nico Rosberg. Además, Schumacher ha admitido que aun le queda un tiempo para volver a su mejor estado de forma.

A continuación os dejo con la clasificación final del GP de Bahrain:

1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 49 Winner 3 25
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari 49 +16.0 secs 2 18
3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 49 +23.1 secs 4 15
4. Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 49 +38.7 secs 1 12
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 49 +40.2 secs 5 10
6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 49 +44.1 secs 7 8
7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 49 +45.2 secs 8 6
8. Mark Webber RBR-Renault 49 +46.3 secs 6 4
9. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 49 +53.0 secs 12 2
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 49 +62.4 secs 11 1
11. Robert Kubica Renault 49 +69.0 secs 9
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 49 +82.9 ses 10
13. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 49 +92.6 secs 18
14. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 48 +1 Lap 13
15. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 47 +2 Laps 21
16. Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 46 +3 Laps 15
17. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 46 +3 Laps 20
18. Ret Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 28 +21 Laps 14
19. Ret Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 17 +32 Laps 23
20. Ret Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 16 +33 Laps 19
21. Ret Vitaly Petrov Renault 13 +36 Laps 17
22. Ret Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 11 +38 Laps 16
23. Ret Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 2 +47 Laps 22
24. Ret Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1 +48 Laps 24

Related posts:

1. Lewis Hamilton gana el GP de Singapur, Fernando Alonso tercero
2. Sebastian Vettel ganador del GP de Japón
3. Mark Webber ganador del GP de Brasil

PlayStation Home. Feels like it was only yesterday that it was practically empty, and the only ones who logged in either danced aimlessly all over the place, or danced purposively in front of female avatars. Well, all

I never would have guessed my happy engagement to Mitch Leff would ever wind up as a salacious news story. (You can read about it here, in an article called I’LL PAY FOR YOUR IVF, NOW ABORT IT.)

Then again, if you’ve read my story, you know there’s a lot that’s transpired in the last few months I never would have guessed. Because some of what’s been reported is completely false, I’m writing this article now, to tell my story.

1. Mitchell Leff was my fiancé who I was living with when I got pregnant through IVF. In some articles, Mitchell is described as my “married boyfriend.” Totally false. Mitch told me he had been broken up with his wife in Great Neck (who he always referred to as his “ex-wife”) for about a year and a half when I first met him. Indeed, Mitchell and his ex-wife were busy working out “the last of the financials” for their divorce. Mitch even showed me letters from her lawyer to his lawyer — debating who keeps the house, who benefits from his real estate investments, etc. Although Mitch lied about having filed for divorce – he and his ex-wife were very much not a couple for a long time when he asked me to marry him.

It’s truly important to make it clear: Mitchell’s bailing on our baby had nothing to do with his exwife and their incomplete filing for divorce. Sure Mitchell lied about having filed for divorce. But Mitch did not go back to his wife – that’s not the reason he bailed on our baby. The only “reason” Mitch claimed he was bailing was because twelve days after our IVF, twelve hours after he learned I was pregnant, Mitch realized he didn’t want to start raising kids again.

2. While getting to know Mitchell, I asked all the right questions – and Mitchell not only gave all the right answers, he did all the right actions to show me he meant his answers. He said he wanted to marry me and have my baby – then did the actions of someone who wants to marry me and have my baby. He gave me an engagement ring, and we celebrated our engagment with each other’s friends and family. Everyone who knew Mitchell commented how they’d never seen him so happy. Mitchell’s mom and I wound up adoring each other. We became Facebook friends. Plus, Mitchell and I were not only talking the talk of marriage, we were moving forward — with him moving into my Manhattan apartment. He lived with me as his primary residence. My address is listed as his last residence in address searches. Because Mitchell moved into the apartment I owned, and I was paying maintenance, he suggested he pay to renovate my place, so when we had our child (which Mitchell constantly talked about enthusiastically wanting) my apartment would be workable for a family of three. To me, these family friendly home renovations Mitchell funded were yet more symbols of his longterm commitment to a family.

Its important to make it clear: We were having no problems in our relationship before the successful pregnancy. I recognize the irony, that I wrote a book called PRINCE HARMING SYNDROME. Mitchell had no Prince Harming red flags. He had all the traits for what I call a “relationship of shared virtue” – where you both empower each other to grow into your highest potential. Firstly, Mitchell wanted to grow as a person. He went to Kripalu, Omega, Menla House, therapy and read self help books – other than my own! He spoke a lot about all the lessons he learned from his failed marriage — how he recognized he wanted to become a better communicator. He also shared my same vision for a future: marriage, baby, a home full of love and laughter. Plus, he motivated me and empowered me to bloom into my best possible self. He loved how I loved to write novels and screenplays — cheered me on to write novels and screenplays. He very much appeared like a healthful, loving partner.

Indeed, Mitchell told me if I’d abort, he’d stay engaged with me. His only reason he ever expressed for wanting me to abort was that he suddenly realized he did not want to become a father again at age 51. Why he never mentioned or realized he had doubts about fatherhood before he spent $28,000 of his cash on IVF – and put my body through a hormone rampage on IVF – is completely incomprehensible (and perhaps I dare say reprehensible). People want to know – how can a self help author get conned? I’m both embarrassed and stumped. But in the end, I’m a self help book author, not a psychic, and there were truly no obvious red flags prior to our pregnancy. (Even many smart people were fooled by Madoff.)

As a self help book author, I’m right now very aware of doing what I can to bounce back from this challenge as a strong, happy, wiser, forward facing woman. I’m doing this by focusing on finding the lessons to be learned, surrounding myself with loving friends and family, being aware of having gratitude for the miracle of being pregnant in my 40’s, and trying to find forgiveness for Mitchell… and myself.

del.icio.us · Slashdot · Digg · Facebook · Technorati · Google · StumbleUpon · Yahoo

hattip to Tim Iacono and Patrick.net

  <<< CLICK TO WATCH on Youtube.

Here is the Buy vs. Rent calculator at GNMA’s website

Leading Senator Wants New Fed Governors Committed To Full Transparency, Consumer Protection (LETTER)  – … Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) expresses his concern about the two current vacancies on the Fed’s seven-member Board of Governors … With the three vacancies, President Obama can shape the direction of the Fed for years to come. .. he refers to the openings as the equivalent of openings on the U.S. Supreme Court — is pushing for nominees who will fill gaps in areas he feels have been ignored .. – Huffington Post

————

Politics, shaky economy create no rush to restructure Fannie and Freddie – By Zachary A. Goldfarb – As recently as December, the Obama administration said it expected to release a preliminary report … around Feb. 1.  But no plan was produced, … Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner clarified last month that it would be another year before the government proposes how to restructure the firms. -  Washington Post 

FHA considers down payment requirements – By Dina ElBoghdady -  … The higher down payment would have contributed a modest $500 million to the agency’s cash reserves in fiscal 2011, Stevens said. By contrast, a series of policy changes embraced by the FHA would raise an additional $4.1 billion, Stevens said.  Those changes include a newly adopted rule that will raise the upfront fee that borrowers pay from 1.75 percent of the loan value to 2.25 percent starting April 15 and a proposal that would require at least a 10 percent down payment from FHA borrowers with credit scores of less than 580. … Washington Post

————

Is the FDIC Solvent? – … What is interesting is that Sheila Bair is trying to utilize a solution that got us into the whole mess in the first place.  Instead of selling the seized assets (and risks) from the FDIC’s balance sheet at fair market values (which are quite low), she is looking to securitize the seized assets and slap on an FDIC guarantee to assure investors.  That’s right, take a pile of toxic waste and put a nice, shiny government guarantee on it. … – Surly Trader

————

Survey: Greater GSE Subsidization Won’t Help Markets – has report and summary – MortgageOrb 

————

Pimco’s El-Erian Says Public Finance Shock May Deepen – By Garfield Reynolds – Mohamed A. El-Erian, whose company runs the world’s biggest mutual fund, said deteriorating public finances may affect the global economy more than is currently realized.  “The importance of the shock to public finances in advanced economies is not yet sufficiently appreciated and understood,” … – Bloomberg

————

buying time – Geithner urges reform on housing finance market – By Glenn Somerville – (Reuters) – Geithner said that after public comment is gathered, Treasury will likely be able to present specific proposals to Congress next year for reform and said it was just too busy to do so any earlier. … – Yahoo News

————

As Budget Deficit Hits Record High, Interest On US Public Debt Hits Record Low – Submitted by Tyler Durden – … How is it possible that unprecedented debt accumulation can result in ever declining interest rates, and Treasury auctions, such as today’s 10 Year reopening, in which the Bid To Cover hit an all time high? One answer: The Federal Reserve, which through complete domination of the entire capital market courtesy of ZIRP and QE has now turned market logic upside down by 180 degrees. … – Zero Hedge
————

Sin Taxes – Cities Look For New Ways To Pick Your Pockets – by ALAN GREENBLATT – hattip Liz Coppedge – NPR 
————

FDIC Extends Securitization Safe Harbor Through September – By Michael R. Crittenden -  WSJ Business

————

S&P issues warning over America’s top-tier rating – By David Oakley in London and Michael Mackenzie in New,York – The triple A rating of the US is at risk, S&P has warned, unless the country adopts a credible medium-term plan to rein in fiscal spending. – FT.com 

————

Federal budget update – Scott Grannis – Here’s my belated update of the federal budget charts for February, with data that were released yesterday. – Calafia Beach Pundit

————

Yellen Is Spellin’ Future Inflation – Lawrence Kudlow – The new Obama Fed is going to be very dovish when it comes to fighting future inflation and defending the value of the dollar. … – Creators.com
————

A TAXING EXPERIMENT – James Picerno – this article takes a look at how high tax rates would have tor rise to pay the dificit right now – The Capital Spectator

————

Hut Hut….Hike! – regarding rate hikes by various central banks around the world; has good charts – Macro Man Blog

Goldman Sachs’ Jan Hatzius lays out three reasons the recovery will sputter out. Specifically they expect consumer spending growth to fall from a current rate of around 3.25% to 1-2%:

• The recent strength in consumer income is inconsistent with real household income. Any improvement in the labor market will be offset by the end of the stimulus.
• The savings rate still hasn’t risen to historical averages, so that represents a coming drag.
• Consumer confidence data doesn’t match the current brisk rate of spending. Instead it suggests spending growth of merely 1-2%.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• What February Los Angeles Port Traffic Is Saying About The Economy
• Goldman Shows How Europe’s Recovery Will Be A Joke
• Are Shipping Numbers Masking A Stealth Commodities Selloff?

Today’s music video is ‘Sweet Is The Night’ from the band Electric Light Orchestra.

This video was posted to You Tube by obscuremusicvids

In the mid to late 70’s, Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) was the biggest band in the UK. Formed in 1971, the idea was to introduce some classical overtones into modern popular music. Bands mostly were guitars, keyboards and drums. To this, ELO added instruments mostly associated with Classical music, mainly Cello’s, Violins, and some woodwind instruments. When the band toured, the makeup was mainly Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums, and to this ELO added 2 Cellos and a Violin. The touring outfit was 7 members, a huge light show, and a monstrous stage that included their trademark ’spaceship’, and the band was one of the first to use coloured lasers as part of the light show.

The original intent was to blend the harmonies of the instruments together, and also to blend the harmonies of the voices as well. It gave a full almost orchestral sound, different from most bands at the time.

Even though the band was formed in the UK, it was more popular in the US for the first few years where they toured extensively.

With the release of their 6th album, ‘A New World Record’, in 1976, all that changed and they became hugely popular all across the World. Three singles were lifted from that album and all of them made it into the Top Ten.

The next four albums consolidated that popularity as each album sold off the charts.

In all, from 1972 until 1986, they had 11 studio albums, and from those there were 15 Top Ten Hits, and even though only one ELO song (‘Xanadu’, from the 1980 album of the same name) made it to Number One, sales of those albums numbered in the millions.

This song today, ‘Sweet Is The Night’ is taken from the Album ‘Out Of The Blue’ their double album from 1978. Five singles were lifted from this album, and four of them made it into the Top Ten. This wasn’t one of those, and is my favourite song from the album.

The driving force of the band was Jeff Lynne. This double album (the original vinyl) has 17 songs. Jeff Lynne wrote them all in a three week period while he was in the Swiss Alps. It took a further 2 months to record the album in Munich. Such was the anticipation there were more than 4 million orders for the album, even before it was released.

Lynne considers this album to be the band’s crowning achievement and it was named Album Of The Year in the UK in 1978. The album was remastered in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary special limited edition CD with a hard bound book and included three extra tracks. When released, this re release also made it into the Top Twenty albums chart.

One song from the album that did well as a Single release from the original is this song ‘Wild West Hero’. This is the original promotional video clip for the song.

This video was posted to You Tube by Jostoc

Filed under: Music, Video Tagged: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Jeff Lynne, Music, Music Video, Video

Note: this data is not seasonally adjusted. There is a very distinct seasonal pattern for imports, but not for exports. LA area ports handle about 40% of the nation’s container port traffic.

Sometimes port traffic gives us an early hint of changes in the trade deficit. The following graph shows the loaded inbound and outbound traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in TEUs (TEUs: 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container). Although containers tell us nothing about value, container traffic does give us an idea of the volume of goods being exported and imported.

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

Loaded inbound traffic was up 33.8% compared to February 2009. (up 9.5% compared to last year using three month average).

Of course trade collapsed in February 2009, so this is a very easy comparison. Inbound traffic was still down 18.3% vs. two years ago (Feb 2008).

Loaded outbound traffic was up 32.7% from February 2009. (+33.5% using three months average) This was also an easy YoY comparison for exports, because U.S. exports fell off a cliff in near the end of 2008.

Just as with imports, exports are still off from 2 years ago (off 10.0%).

And more from Ronald White at the LA Times: Trade numbers climb sharply at Southland ports

Trade numbers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest seaport complex, rose sharply in February compared with the same month last year, lending strength to the arguments of some experts who believe that a stronger-than-anticipated recovery may be underway.

…

“Our feeling is that consumers are coming back. They are spending a bit more of their money. They are less concerned about losing their jobs than they have been in the last three months,” said Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, which tracks international trade at the nation’s busiest seaports for the National Retail Federation.

Hackett said his firm had scaled back its expectations for trade growth in 2010, “but we think we’ll be seeing a relatively strong year at a 10% to 14% increase. We should see steady improvement, minus the usual seasonal adjustments.”

The LA Times article is using the YoY numbers. However looking at the graph (red line), exports recovered in the first half of 2009, but export traffic has been mostly flat since last summer. The YoY increase for March will be much less than for February!

It is harder to tell about imports (blue line) because of the large seasonal swings.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• JPMorgan: The Uncertainty Is Over, Keep Riding This Risk Rally
• The Sentiment Indicator That’s Warning Of A Market Sell-Off
• BlackRock’s Bob Doll: This Recovery Is Real, Get On Board

By this time next week, the guests on the Sunday news shows will likely be explaining their Obamacare votes, and if it passes, they’ll be grasping for any line that will save their re-election.

In the meantime, it sounds as though The White House is growing increasingly confident that reform will pass. Press Secretary Gibbs said on CBS this morning (via @politickr) that they’ll soon have enough votes in the bag.

As such, the InTrade contract is soaring, and is now over 60%

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The Scary Truth About Healthcare Reform: If It Doesn’t Work, We’ll Be Much Worse Off
• Healthcare Crunch Time: Here’s Why The Next Few Days Are Going To Be Crazy
• Obama Delays Asia Trip, As Healthcare Has Trouble Getting Over The Finish Line