Category: News

Can we please stop worrying about inflation—at least for a few months? Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, there has been serious concern that the massive expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet, the central bank’s policy of zero interest rates, and the large stimulus (and ensuing deficits) would, by some iron law of economics, debase the currency, boost the government’s long-term borrowing costs, and ignite inflation. (Last year, I wrote about the debate over this topic between inflation-fretting historian Niall Ferguson and inflation-downplaying economist Paul Krugman.)

By almost every measure—the price of gold being a notable exception—observed inflation and inflation expectations have remained remarkably contained since the fall of 2008. They have done so even as growth has reignited in the United States. And the evidence weighing in favor of deflation—or at least a serious lack of inflation—continues to mount. Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, fell 0.1 percent in April. Over the last year, it has risen a tame 2.2 percent. Factor out volatile food and energy prices and the long-term trend was more heartening. In the last 12 months, the core index has risen just 0.9 percent, “the smallest 12-month increase since January 1966.” (Check out this inflation chart Krugman posted on his blog on May 19.)

Keep reading at Slate >

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See Also:

• 10 Reasons To Buy Bonds NOW
• POLL OF THE DAY: Inflation Or Deflation?
• Roubini: America Faces Inflation Or Default, But What’s Really Scary Is That The GOP Could Soon Win Congress

Actress Renee Zellweger who has been dating actor Bradley Cooper since last year made his dog sick by bringing her to the sets of Cooper’s new movie “Dark Fields”. According to the reports, she brought the dog Charlotte on the sets of the movie to surprise her boyfriend Cooper, but the dog started vomiting everywhere on the set.

According to some sources, Charlotte had eaten stake sandwiches which upset her stomach. Dog became so sick not only on the set but it started vomiting even on Renee’s rented car, but Renee was calm she cleaned up the mess by herself. And she took the dog for long walk until the dog felt better.

This is not the first time for Bradley to be interrupted on the sets, he has been interrupted recently on the sets of recent movie by school girls. The girls were successful to break into his private dressing room and they stole his belongings. When Bradley was told about this he just laughed and he was not upset.

So, when he did not get made on those school girls, he dare not get upset or mad on his girlfriend for bringing his dog on the set.

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Look for Voodoo Dice this Wednesday on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 points.

 

Edit: I have just learned that DOOM 2 will be released this Wednesday as well.

 

According to the insiders from Paramount Pictures, the most sexiest girl of Hollywood, Megan Fox will not be casted in “Transformers 3”. The whole crew of “Transformers” is not happy with Megan and her behavior.

The crew did so many efforts for making her looks better in all the possible way but everything was unappreciated and dishonored by Megan, she even had disputes with director Bay. According to some sources director Bay fired Megan out of his movie. And some even say, she was not casted because she is too lean and she has a thin look.

Director Bay said, Megan will look ungraceful due to her weight loss and the character is not asking for such a look in the movie. But statement given by Megan is completely different than this. She said, she had spoken to the people involved in the movie and she is very lucky to be involved in this amazing project, she is looking forward for “Transformers 3”.

Now the question is who will be playing the love interest of Mikaela Banes in the movie instead of Megan Fox?

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Late actress Brittany Murphy’s husband Simon Monjack has been found dead in his home in L.A, he died exactly after 5 months of Brittany’s death. Brittany’s mother found him unconscious around 9.30 at night in his bedroom and she immediately called 911.

The help came within no time, and medical services were provided immediately but Simon was pronounced death by a police sergeant. The cause of death in unknown so far, but the police official said, as soon as they get any information by the investigators they will provide it to the media.

Only five months back, actress Brittany Murphy, his wife died by overdose of drugs. Officials said, Brittany had a cardiac arrest due to intake of drug. Brittany was pronounced dead on 20^th of December and cause of the death was declared as an accident. This was a terrible loss for her husband Simon Monjack, a screen writer. In an interview, he mentioned he loved Brittany so much and he denied all the rumors which said, Brittany used too much of prescription drugs. He said, “my wife never used drugs in her life”.

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In an interview with Fox News today Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, also Minister of Intelligence, hinted if a full peace agreement can’t be reached in current American mediated talks with the Palestinian’s, a series of partial agreements could be negotiated.

The suggestion of partial agreements was floated by Meridor when I asked him “you said if the current talk’s don’t go anywhere it will be ‘hard for Israel’. What is on the hard menu, what do you worry about at the end of the four months”?

(The current so called Proximity talks, where Palestinians and Israeli’s don’t sit together but negotiate through American envoy George Mitchell we’re designed to unfold over a period of four months.)

Meridor replied “first of all it’s not four months, I don’t know the time limit. I think we need to get an agreement. If we can’t get a final agreement immediately we should at least proceed towards the agreement and have partial steps, one after the other building more and more of that Palestinian State, even if we can’t resolve final issues like the delineation of the border, the situation of Jerusalem, or refugees”.

Partial agreements are something unlikely to be accepted by the Palestinians who want an encompassing peace agreement that will lead them to a Palestinian State within two years from now.

But Meridor stated in my interview with him in Jerusalem, “Why I think it is important we move ahead? I’ll tell you. We have a relatively quiet situation regarding terror, I don’t want it to collapse, as we have seen other times”.   And he added the Palestinian economy is doing much better and people in the West Bank see more jobs and see hope.  He warned “I don’t want this to go down the drain with some outburst of violence.”

Many observers say the clock is talking on peace talks, and that if they fail there could be another intifada or Palestinian uprising.   Over the weekend a member of the PLO Executive was quoted in a Jordanian Newspaper as saying Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,  does not rule out the possibility of resuming an “armed struggle” against Israel if U.S. sponsored talks fail.

Meridor also discussed the growing threat to Israel from the Hezbollah, the Iranian sponsored organisation in Lebanon, now said to have some 14000 rockets in its war chest.

Recently Israel’s President Shimon Peres alleged the Syrians had passed scud missiles to the Hezbollah.  When I pressed Meridor today on the question if Israel has hard evidence of scud transfers he said “I don’t want to speak in specific about it, but when people speak of it, they know what they base their talk on” adding “I think that people understand the danger in this development, I can not say any more  details about this”.

“Shrek Forever After” did not make a good opening by just opening up to $71.3 million. “Shrek Forever After” is the last and fourth chapter of Shrek series and it is one of the most successful animated series. According to the distributor of Paramount Pictures, the movie opened to $71.3 million which is less than the “Shrek the Third”.

“Shrek” was the total disappointment of this week and the reason is unknown. Distributors are saying, may be it is because of the increase in ticket prices, especially for 3D movies. People who saw “Shrek” gave it an average A grade and people even said, they liked the first 3 parts better than this.

The chief of DreamWorks animation said, they are positive about the “Shrek Forever After” is on its way to becoming worldwide hit. So overall “Shrek” did not get a good response from audience worldwide as it was expected by the producers and distributors. It could have been better according to the fans, but the production costs were minimal according to the marketing president.

Not only Shrek, but other movies which were released this week were also a part of disappointment said the distributors but they had a hope on “Shrek”.

Related posts:

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Existing homes sales for April came in better than expected this morning, but here’s the bad news: the backlog of existing homes continues its upward trend.

As this chart from Calculated Risk shows, after supply briefly touched about 6 month, it’s above 8 months again, for the third month straight.

And now that the tax credit is expiring…

Join the conversation about this story »

After so many complications relating to health, rocker Bret Michaels made it to the finish line of “The Celebrity Apprentice” and was announced the winner of the show. He was also given $250,000 for charity.

Donald Trump said, Bret has done an amazing job in all the ways. He said, he appreciates Bret’s bravery to come out of such pains. Holly Robinson Peete was another finagling along with Bret. “Holly, I have to tell you, we all love you. And Brett, I have to tell you — you’re hired,” Trump pronounced, drawing a lusty “whoop” from Michaels.

The final challenge of the show was to prepare a new flavor of Snapple and marketing for the product. And it was successful to some extent, the products are being sold for limited period in the market. Holly cried when she took the stage with Bret, to which Donald said, he would have never cried for his opponent. Holly said, everyone in America would have cried for Bret. Holly said her 5 year old son told her that he is having a feeling that Bret has every chance of winning. So finally Bret was announced the winner of the show along with the rewards.

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London, Shaw Energy Recruitment Ltd

Engineering Manager – Marine Renewables, based in London. Ref 1005-22

Location: London
Remuneration: Negotiable

Description:
An exciting opportunity exists to join a small, dynamic, and growing engineering consultancy delivering innovative enabling technology solutions to the marine renewable energy sector. This is a chance to become a key player in a successful, vibrant, company active in a rapidly growing, challenging and stimulating sector.

Current projects are focused on developing offshore installation and maintenance access solutions for marine renewable energy device developers from concept stage through to detailed design and implementation. As the Engineering Manager, you will be responsible for delivering the engineering content within this process and supervising a small team of Naval Architects and Engineers.

A background in marine/offshore technology development, suitable academic qualifications, chartered engineer status and real experience in running live design projects is essential. You must possess a thorough understanding of the challenges and subsequent dynamics involved in deploying technology in energetic marine environments. The ability to understand the clients’ requirements, a comprehensive understanding of existing technologies and their limitations, and the ability to develop innovative but practical solutions is essential.

Reporting to the Managing Director, you will be responsible for:
• Selecting, developing and motivating engineering staff to ensure that resources are available to provide quality services and on-time performance.
• Organising and managing the engineering activities to ensure that all work is accomplished consistent with recognised and applicable standards.
• Developing and conducting a specific work programme to deliver engineering content on-time and within budget constraints, and be able to manage and prioritise multiple projects.
• Managing technical interfaces with clients, sub-contractors and suppliers, including version control.
• Presenting engineering output to clients.
• Overseeing consulting engineers’ contracts and providing technical oversight.
• Developing and managing budgets for the engineering department including hardware and software requirements.

In return you will be provided with:
• An attractive remuneration scheme, including performance related bonus and share options.
• A dynamic, informal and fun working environment.
• Opportunities for travel, both within the UK and Europe, and worldwide.
• Autonomy and freedom to develop creative and innovative concepts.
• A wide variety of interesting engineering challenges whilst making a significant contribution within a worthwhile sector.
• The opportunity to grow with the company and become a key contributor to its development.

Please send a covering letter and CV to Andy Shaw. Applications close June 3rd, 2010.
 

The client:
The company specialises in developing innovative solutions for interacting with the marine environment in a sustainable manner offering a wide range of services for the marine renewable energy sector.
These include: concept design, development, and evaluation of offshore installation and maintenance systems whether device-integrated or stand-alone.
They also offer naval architecture, engineering support, and project management services.
By creating understanding and driving innovation in the way we use our oceans we can ensure that we continue to benefit from them whilst ensuring their preservation for future generations.
Currently we utilise the seas for the production of energy, transport, recreation, food harvesting, mining and mineral extraction and as a waste depository. As our oceans are a global commons, the responsibility to look after and maintain them falls to those who use them. The company works with these users, policy makers and academic bodies to develop technical solutions to fulfil this obligation.
As experienced professionals we are used to working in locations all around the world to bring about successful projects.
With the need for renewable energy technologies firmly established, we believe that offshore renewable energy sources can make a large contribution.
Installation and offshore maintenance access make up a substantial proportion of the cost involved in the deployment of off shore renewable technologies. The company is dedicated to working with device developers and other stakeholders to develop systems that will enable successful commercial deployment, and reduce the costs involved.

 

 

 

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will head the conference committee charged with reconciling the House and Senate versions of financial regulatory reform. The committee is comprised of legislators who worked on the initial bills, from the Senate Banking Committee, House Financial Services Committee and Senate Agriculture committee. The Senate might name its members as soon as today, and the House is expected to name its members next week.

At 5:30 p.m. today, the Senate is voting on whether to recommend its representatives on the conference committee push for provisions in two amendments that did not receive votes. (The “will of the Senate” measures are not binding.) They are Sen. Sam Brownback’s (R-Kans.) amendment exempting auto lenders from Consumer Financial Protection Agency rules (identified by consumer advocates as a highly problematic measure) and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s (R-Texas) amendment weakening restrictions on proprietary trading.

A U.S. Woman needed to have a breast amputed this week on account of a spider bite.  However the woman, Victoria Franklin of Atlanta Georgia, seemed more upset over the circumstances of the breast removal more than the removal itself: “It’s really hard for me because I have been an independent lady for so long, and to think this was nearly taken away from me by a spider.

That’s what scares me — not losing a breast, but the fact that a spider did me in. I have to learn to do everything all over again.”  According to her sister Valerie Dapaa who took her to the hospital, Franklin’s breast “was three times the size, black as tar and had a horrible smell.”

The spider culprit is suspected to be a brown recluse spider, and Franklin’s condition is known as necrotic arachnidism.  The brown recluse spider is found for the most part in the south central part of the U.S.

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Capital city of Jamaica, Kingston has been announced as the state of emergency by the authorities in Jamaica after the supporters of gang leaned who is wanted in United States on gun attacked three police stations. The main reason for the attack is an attempt to pressurize the government to let the leader free.

United States issued travel alert for US citizens who are traveling to Jamaica. According to this alert, there is a possibility of violence in Kingston metropolitan area. If the situation goes out of hand, then there is a possibility of blocking the roads to the airport.

Extra precautions are being taken by the U.S Embassy in Kingston. Alert issued by United States also mentioned, American citizens should consider the risks involved in traveling to Kingston and surrounding areas and U.S citizens who are in Jamaica are suggested to watch the news reports and determine the security level outside before stepping out of hotel or homes. The possibility of street violence is very high in Kingston right now.

The government and authorities are trying their best to provide security for the innocent citizens and control the situation as much as possible.

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Twitter said today that it will no longer allow third-party ads to be injected into users’ Twitter timelines. The ban is particularly interesting given it’s almost exactly what the company’s own recently announced advertising platform, Promoted Tweets, does — insert paid and relevant tweets into timelines (as well as search results pages). Fresh off the heels of developer anger and confusion over Twitter’s unexpected efforts to launch and acquire mobile clients last months, the news was carefully laid out in a long blog post by Twitter COO Dick Costolo.

To be clear, Twitter will continue to allow developers to display ads around user timelines. And further, many developers already don’t include ads within streams, knowing that Twitter monetization is a touchy and evolving topic, even if the company had not previously formally clarified its stance. Costolo said he expected today’s API terms of service changes to negatively impact “a few” companies. One seeming target: Ad.ly, which bills itself as “an in-stream advertising platform that matches top-tier Twitter publishers with top-tier brands.”

Costolo explained in the blog post that Twitter’s decision hinges on the concept of near-term vs. long-term monetization opportunities (he used some variation of those terms at least nine times). Costolo said Twitter wants to protect user value and the health of its platform, while “Third party ad networks may be optimized for near-term monetization at the expense of innovating or creating the best user experience.”

Twitter’s Promoted Tweets, meanwhile, are displayed “in a manner that preserves the integrity and relevance of the timeline,” Costolo said.

Twitter shares half of the revenue collected for Promoted Tweets with developers who display them. Costolo justified that share by saying Twitter pays for maintaining its network, fighting spam, scaling the service, supporting users and paying its staff of 200 (and growing). He said there continue to be opportunities to build on top of Twitter, including “third-party monetization engines,” as well as metadata around tweets, vertical clients, and analytics.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Social Advertising Models Go Back to the Future

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Monica Bellucci and husband Vincent Cassel have welcomed their second child. According to PEOPLE, the Academy Award-winning Italian star, 45, gave birth to daughter Leonie in Rome on Friday.

Bellucci and Cassel are already parents to 5-year-old daughter Deva.

Bellucci will next share the silver screen with cash-strapped star Nic Cage in the upcoming period drama The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

One of my favorite topics, as many of you know, is epigenetics. It’s the burgeoning area of science that has blown apart the traditional nature-nurture dichotomy by examining the lifestyle-induced activation or dampening of genes. Epigenetics is increasingly filling in the gaps for understanding and monitoring degenerative disease risk. If you’re relatively new to MDA, take a look-see at my past articles (Gene Expression, What I Mean By “Reprogramming Your Genes”, Gene Expression: Location, Location, Location, Environmental Toxins and Gene Expression, Epigenetics and Depression) for a good Primal introduction to the concept. That said, when it comes to science there’s always more to read and know. New discoveries. Bold initiatives. Elegant correlations. Confirmed expectations and unexpected wrinkles. It’s what gets me up and roaring in the morning. Gladly, I’m not the only one….

Mark,

I’m fascinated by the idea that all the signals I send my body through diet and exercise and other environmental conditions can, as you say, literally reprogram my genes. I’m always on the lookout now for research that shows how lifestyle factors are related to gene expression. Have you seen anything new in your studies?

Stephanie

Thanks to Stephanie for the shared enthusiasm and question for today. In the last several years, research into gene expression has garnered increasing attention and dollars. Popular media outlets like the Los Angeles Times, PBS and Time Magazine have devoted features to the field. I was even quoted (although quite out of context) in a recent LA Times piece on epigenetics. Foundations and government granting agencies have increasingly supported the expansion of epigenetic research, including a mapping of the human epigenome. (So far, Europe is ahead of the game.) Among the organizations doing amazing work in epigenetics is the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

Much of recent epigenetic research delves into prenatal exposure and subsequent gene expression. Here are some highlights of the latest studies.

• The placenta displays different epigenetic markings throughout pregnancy, which can alert physicians to developing complications like poor fetal growth or preeclampsia.

• Researchers recently compared intestinal gene expression in breastfed and formula fed infants. The intestinal tract acts as a primary site for immune response, particularly in infants whose bodies must quickly learn to adapt to foreign foods outside the sterile womb environment. Glitches in intestinal (and related immune) development can cause food allergies, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. Of particular note, gene expression that regulated cellular response to oxygen deprivation was more pronounced in breastfed babies, suggesting a possible cause for why breastfed infants have a lower SIDS risk.

• Prenatal exposure to common environmental toxins can induce epigenetic changes that put a child at more risk for later cancer than post-birth exposure does. The study focused particularly on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are associated with oil and coal burning.

• Scientists have found that the memory ability of offspring may be impacted by their mother’s early learning environment. Mice with genetic memory impairment that were offered a sensory rich environment (toys, activity and attention) had offspring that showed enhanced memory ability even when the pups themselves received none of the environmental benefits their mothers had.

• Gene expression related to longevity and cancer was negatively impacted by alcohol and typical Western diet consumption.

• Researchers have identified food compounds that inhibit epigenetic dysfunction. Sulforaphane (broccoli), indole-3-carbinol (cruciferous vegetables) and organosulfur (garlic and onions) compounds are among the most protective food related substances discovered so far.

The take home message here is that you can literally reprogram your genes to live a long, healthy, productive, happy and energetic life. You can either sit idly by and end up a victim of poor gene expression, or you can take control of the signals you send your body (through diet, movement, stress management and many other lifestyle behaviors) and become the best version of you possible.

I’ll be sure to keep covering the latest epigenetic updates. Fascinating stuff to be sure. I hope these updates have offered some food for thought. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again for the great comments and questions, and keep ‘em coming!

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Related posts:

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There is a mixture of sympathy and horror here in Great Britain for the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, whose financial situation, in her own words, “is under stress.”  She was caught on camera by an undercover reporter for the News of the World offering to sell access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, for £500,000, which would be approximately $750,000.   The reporter who did the sting posed as a businessman.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has a lot of business connections.  He is the UK’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment.  He travels the world meeting royalty, heads of state and businessmen, greasing the wheels for business deals to be done by British companies all over the world, and courting investment here.  We followed Prince Andrew on one such trip to North Africa.  His position as a member of the royal family does afford him incredible access, which he uses, not for his own enrichment, but to help British business.  It is a job, from what we could tell from our contact with the Duke, he takes very seriously.

So this scandal is about Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, trying to make money off the connections Prince Andrew makes.  In the exchange filmed by the undercover reporter, Ferguson goes out of her way to explain that the Prince knew nothing of her plans.  That he is totally clean and above board in his work at the UK’s trade ambassador.  And his spokespeople have insisted he was completely unaware of this.  A lot of people will believe that here.  But others will be skeptical, as Prince Andrew has been called “Air Miles Andy” in the past by the tabloid media here for his liberal use of air travel, which is not connected to this at all, but is one example of some of the bad press he has gotten here over the years.

But for now, Ferguson is the one caught trying to cash in on royal connections, officially severed after her divorce from Prince Andrew, but still very real in terms of her close relationship to Prince Andrew.   She has been said to have commented that they are “the happiest divorced couple.”

Ferguson and Prince Andrew still vacation together with their two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie.  And she lives on his royal estate, as she has had serious financial problems.

And that is why she said she tried to cash in on connections.  Despite the fact that she at one point had a lucrative contract with Weight Watchers and has taken on numerous projects and speaking engagements over the years, she has been in and out of debt.

Said to be extremely generous with friends, she is also seen to live beyond her means.      Sarah Ferguson has done a lot of work for charities.   Many here believe her heart is in the right place.  But her judgment skills are not—even the Duchess herself admitted “a serious lapse in judgment.”

In this TV interview, WATE’s Kristen Farley sits down with UT Knoxville Professor Larry McKay about a recent study that found viruses and bacteria in East Tennessee drinking water.

Kirsten Gillibrand, a senator from New York, is apparently unsatisfied with the CPSC’s pledge to implement a voluntary ban of drop-side cribs. Gillibrand plans to introduce legislation this week that would outlaw the sale of drop-side cribs and ban them from daycare centers and hotels. Earlier this month, the CPSC said that this crib design has killed at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000, that over 7 million drop-side cribs have been recalled since 2005.

 

“Drop-side cribs could get banned” [WGN TV Chicago]

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“32 Fatalities in Drop-Side Cribs in Last 9 Years” [CPSC]