Category: News

In the mood for some intense mecha action? Check out this new Another Century’s Episode: R trailer.

A tornado destroyed the Hillside Baptist Church but today its members gathered next to the rubble and gave thanks to God. It was a two story building but you wouldn’t know it by looking at it. Now it is just a pile of wood and concrete and steel. Before they started, members picked through the wreckage to find church books so they could hold their service. I heard one woman say “We don’t need a building to be a church.”

Dale Thrasher was the only one inside that church when the tornado hit yesterday. He dove under the Communion table and says “God wrapped him arms around me. ” When the storm had passed, he looked up and saw the sky. He didn’t have a scratch on him.

Today Thrasher talked to his fellow church members and told them they will build back again, bigger and better.

After the second televised prime ministerial debate
, Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats continue to run neck-and-neck in opinion polls with David Cameron’s Conservatives, with Gordon Brown and Labour in third place.

This interesting, but not entirely unexpected, turn of events has little to do with Clegg’s personal charisma or a sudden rush of popular enthusiasm for Lib Dem policies, like their strong support for Britain’s membership of the EU, their redistributionist tax schemes (among other measures, they’d raise the basic tax threshold to £10,000 per annum and slap a “mansion tax” on houses worth more than £2m), and their championing of civil liberties against New Labour’s increased use of extended detention without trial and mass surveillance. Polling suggests that most Britons are either lukewarm about the Lib Dem proposals or don’t know what they are. Their enthusiasm for Clegg, and their seeming readiness to vote Lib Dem on May 6, has another likely explanation.

Most commentators have pointed to the great parliamentary expenses scandal of last spring as the “cause” of the present mood of distrust and contempt for politicians in general. But it was not the cause so much as the convenient catalyst for a breaking wave of fury that had been building in strength from around the midpoint of Tony Blair’s second term in office (2001-2005). The huge unpopularity of the 2003 Iraq invasion (supported by the Conservatives, but opposed by the Lib Dems), followed by the bursting of the property bubble and the steep rise of unemployment and home foreclosures that came with deepening recession, had turned British voters against their political class long before the Telegraph got hold of its bootleg disk of MPs’ claims on their allowances.

When the scandal broke in April, it seemed to ratify everyone’s worst opinion of parliamentarians—that they were all in it for themselves, all had their snouts in the same trough, and none were to be trusted with running the country. Timing was everything. The story happened to come out when Britain was enduring the worst of the recession, when people were baying for a scapegoat to blame for their shuttered businesses and underwater mortgages, and MPs as a class became that useful animal, and more easily targeted than the hated bankers. On May 14, 2009, in Question Time with David Dimbleby, broadcast from Grimsby, the audience treated the politicians on stage as if they were miscreants on exhibition in the village stocks. Interestingly, the then leader of the Lib Dems, Sir Menzies Campbell, was treated with as much disrespect as his fellows.

The expenses scandal was clearly a cathartic moment for the electorate, the perfect opportunity to put MPs in their place, take them down a peg, and tell them what’s what in no uncertain terms. The May 6 election seems to present just such another opportunity. When Brown and Cameron agreed to allow Nick Clegg to make a threesome in their debates, they can’t have foreseen what now look like the inevitable consequences. For as soon as Clegg appeared at his own lectern, on an equal footing with Brown and Cameron, British voters appeared to scent a fresh catharsis in the immediate offing.

Clegg’s great attraction in the first debate was that he managed to look and sound like a disgruntled voter when he said, “Don’t let them tell you that the only choice is between two old parties that have been playing pass the parcel with your government for 65 years now, making the same old promises, breaking the same old promises,” and, of Brown and Cameron, “The more they attack each other, the more they sound exactly the same.” In the second debate, he maintained his edge by playing the part of the man of practical common sense, sandwiched (literally, for this time he stood at the center lectern) between two tiresome, warring ideologues. It’s a role at which he is surprisingly good. Though, like Cameron, he comes from a rich family and was privately educated, Clegg’s accent is mongrel-London and his pleasant face looks more fils du peuple than to-the-manor-born. His great strength is that he comes off as entirely inoffensive; decent, knowledgeable, articulate without being dangerously eloquent or witty, bright but not brilliant, telegenic but not a natural star. Eight days of national fame have led to a rash of silly comparisons with Obama, which, I think, miss the whole point of Nick Clegg, one of whose chief merits, to the skeptical British eye, is that he is no Obama.

Clegg and the Lib Dems give the electorate the chance to teach the British parliament a lesson that it won’t forget. It’s no wonder that support seems to be draining from the odious British National Party and the eccentric, noisy United Kingdom Independence Party, for protest has found a more effective way of registering its dissent—by hanging parliament, as if by the neck. On the BBC election website, there’s an interactive toy, the Election Seat Calculator, with which one can (crudely) translate votes into seats. On April 23, the day after the second debate, the “poll of polls” gave the Lib Dems 30 per cent, Conservatives 33 per cent, Labour 27 per cent, and Others (including the Scottish and Welsh nationalists) 10 per cent. According to Britain’s first past the post system—which essentially negates Lib Dem votes in Labour and Conservative strongholds, provided the incumbent party still wins those constituencies—this would work out as 261 seats for Labour, 258 for the Conservatives, 102 for the Lib Dems, and 10 for Others—a result manifestly unfair (the party with the fewest votes takes the most seats), but also pretty satisfying if you are, as Britain is now, in a plague-on-all-their-houses mood. It will give politicians of the three biggest parties a blinding headache, and by doing so it will assure an angry and cynical electorate that this time it has managed to pull off something really big at the ballot box.

PS: Over the weekend of April 24-25, half a dozen polls showed a slight decrease in support for Clegg and the Lib Dems, and a corresponding rise in support for Cameron and the Conservatives. Impossible to tell yet whether this is a blip or a serious augury. Some commentators are saying that Clegg’s moment of glory has likely peaked, others that his souffle-like rise is showing the first signs of collapse. The reliable go-to site on new polls and their interpretation is Anthony Wells’s UK Polling Report.

The “largest climate rally ever” is taking place on DC mall right now.  You can watch the live stream of everyone from James Hansen to James Cameron, from Sting to me, right here:

I’m supposed to be on around 4:50 pm for 3 minutes, though severe weather could obviously change that.

If someone can find a full schedule, please post the link.  You can get more information by clicking on the Earth Day Network website.

Sting I believe it will be on last, right before the 7 pm end.  Other speakers this afternoon include:

Climate scientists like James Hansen, and Stephen Schneider.
EPA chief (and heroine!) Lisa Jackson & CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley
Cultural leaders like James Cameron (Avatar; Titanic) and Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale; The Blind Assassin)
Top business executives from Siemens, Phillips, UL, Future Friendly & SunEdison
Top labor leaders, including the President of the AFL-CIO and Secretary of the SEIU.
Progressive activists, including Jesse Jackson, Lydia Camarillo, & Hilary Shelton
Climate policy gurus like Joe Romm, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, & Rafael Fantauzzi
Spiritual leaders, including Rev. Theresa Thames, Rev. Richard Cizik, & Rabbi Warren Stone
Athletes like Dhani Jones, Aaron Peirsol, & Billy Demong
Environmentalists like Bobby Kennedy & Phillipe Cousteau

In between the speakers we will hear from some of the most committed artists in the nation, including Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Willie Colon, Passion Pit, Bob Weir, Jimmy Cliff, Joss Stone, Booker T, The Honor Society, Mavis Staples….

vitamin b12 vegetarians

Vitamin B12 is an Essential Water Soluble Vitamin

Vitamin B12 is an essential water soluble vitamin that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as fish, shellfish, meats, and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is frequently used in combination with other B vitamins in a vitamin B complex formulation. It helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, and is also needed to make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. Vitamin B12 is bound to the protein in food. Hydrochloric acid in the stomach releases B12 from protein during digestion. Once released, B12 combines with a substance called intrinsic factor (IF) before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Studies have shown that a deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to abnormal neurologic and psychiatric symptoms. These symptoms may include: ataxia (shaky movements and unsteady gait), muscle weakness, spasticity, incontinence, hypotension, vision problems, dementia, psychoses, and mood disturbances. Researchers report that these symptoms may occur when vitamin B12 levels are just slightly lower than normal and are considerably above the levels normally associated with anemia. People at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency include strict vegetarians, elderly people, and people with increased vitamin B12 requirements associated with pregnancy, thyrotoxicosis, hemolytic anemia, hemorrhage, malignancy, liver or kidney disease.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a cause of megaloblastic anemia. In this type of anemia, red blood cells are larger than normal, and the ratio of nucleus size to cell cytoplasm is increased. There are other potential causes of megaloblastic anemia, including folate deficiency or various inborn metabolic disorders. If the cause is B12 deficiency, then treatment with B12 is the standard approach.

Pernicious anemia (blood abnormality) is a form of anemia that occurs when there is an absence of intrinsic factor, a substance normally present in the stomach. Vitamin B12 binds with intrinsic factor before it is absorbed and used by the body. An absence of intrinsic factor prevents normal absorption of B12 and may result in pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia treatment is usually lifelong supplemental vitamin B12 given either intramuscularly, intranasally, or by mouth.

There is evidence that intramuscular injections of 5mg of vitamin B12 given twice per week might improve the general well being and happiness of patients complaining of tiredness or fatigue.

Vitamin B12 Injections is important for metabolism. Metabolism within the body includes the processes of energy generation and use — including nutrition, digestion, absorption, elimination, respiration, circulation, and temperature regulation. Studies indicate that absorption of Vitamin B12 decreases with an increase in age. Hence, an increased intake of B12 Injections is extremely useful for adults above fifty.

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About the Author

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Author of this article professionally MBA.

Vitamin B12 Injectionsis important for metabolism. Metabolism within the body includes the processes of energy generation and use — including nutrition, digestion, absorption, elimination, respiration, circulation, and temperature regulation. Studies indicate that absorption of Vitamin B12 decreases with an increase in age. Hence, an increased intake of B12 Injectionsis extremely useful for adults above fifty.

I’m vegetarian so how can i get vitamin B12 if i don’t eat meat, and can i take vitamin B12 injection?

every week. and is that enough cause i know that vitamin B12 is stored in liver.

If you are not vegan, then you can get your B12 from eggs and milk products. Otherwise, many fortified breakfast cereals will provide you with the B12 you need. Injections are possible, but unless you have an extreme case, I don’t think they’re necessary. B12 could be more easily taken in pill form.

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Vitamin B12 Vegetarians is a post from the Vegetarian Vitamins Guide blog where you can find suggestions and advice from vegetarians and vegans on vegetarian diets, supplements, vitamins and overall nutrition.

by Julian Ku

I still think there is no chance of this happening, but Christopher Hitchens offers this narrative of how and why he is pushing for legal action against the Vatican, or maybe at least a deposition of the Pope himself.

I telephoned a distinguished human-rights counsel in London, Geoffrey Robertson, and asked him if the law was powerless to intervene. Not at all, was his calm reply. If His Holiness tries to travel outside his own territory—as he proposes to travel to Britain in the fall—there is no more reason for him to feel safe than there was for the once magnificently uniformed General Pinochet, who had passed a Chilean law that he thought would guarantee his own immunity, but who was visited by British bobbies all the same. As I am writing this, plaintiffs are coming forward and strategies being readied (on both sides, since the Vatican itself scents the danger). In Kentucky, a suit is before the courts seeking the testimony of the pope himself. In Britain, it is being proposed that any one of the numberless possible plaintiffs might privately serve the pope with a writ if he shows his face. Also being considered are two international approaches, one to the European Court of Human Rights and another to the International Criminal Court. The ICC—which has already this year overruled immunity and indicted the gruesome president of Sudan—can be asked to rule on “crimes against humanity”; a legal definition that happens to include any consistent pattern of rape, or exploitation of children, that has been endorsed by any government.

Obviously, there is a lot of technical legal analysis Hitchens is missing here. Pinochet was  former head of state, for instance, sought under Spain’s universal jurisdiction law, not the U.K.’s own laws.  And how would the ECtHR get involved?

But the core of his argument is that the Vatican and the Pope do not deserve immunity.  I just don’t see how he can get around this problem since the UK and the US both recognize the immunity of the Vatican and UK and U.S. courts will almost certainly enforce this recognition.

Next week is the last for oral arguments this term. Here’s a look at the four cases. The biggest cases are on Tuesday with a look at Alfalfa Seeds and on Wednesday over a dispute related to the 2009 referendum out of Washington that set aside that state’s civil union law:

Case: Rent-a-Center, West v. Jackson

Date: Monday April 26, 2010

Issue: Congress passed the Federal Arbitration Act so disputing parties could resolve their differences and without clogging the court system. An employment-employer agreement in this case called for the mandatory resolution of claims under the FAA. Antonio Jackson claims his bosses at Rent-a-Center, a national retailer that specializes in rent-to-own installment plans for furniture and electronics, subjected him to racial discrimination and retaliation. Jackson contends the employment agreement was one-sided and decided to sue in federal court. But the trial court dismissed the case ruling that Jackson’s employment contract mandated arbitration. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals set aside that decision and now the case is before the Supreme Court. The question presented to the justices: Is the district court required in all cases to determine claims that an arbitration agreement subject to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) is unconscionable, even when the parties to the contract have clearly and unmistakably assigned this “gateway” issue to the arbitrator for decision?

Case: Hardt v. Reliance Standard Life Ins.

Date: Monday April 26, 2010

Issue: This is yet another case involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, (ERISA) to come to the high court. This case involves a dispute over the payment of attorney fees and whether a prevailing party is the only side entitled to those claims. Certain language in the ERISA law suggest a trial court judge has the discretionary authority to award the payment of costs to either party in a particular case.

Case: Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms

Date: Tuesday April 27, 2010

Issue: Put simply this case is a fight between big agri-business and a family-operated farm with environmental sensitivities. But as is often the case, the underlying legal dispute is considerably more pedantic. At issue is the authority of a federal trial court judge to issue a sweeping injunction under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Monsanto is one of the world’s largest agriculture companies and has developed a genetically engineered alfalfa variety known as Roundup Ready alfalfa. Monsanto claims its product is simply another in a line of stronger seeds that have “become a mainstay of American agriculture” because of the ability to generate higher yields which means more money in farmers pockets. Its Roundup Ready alfalfa seed is believed to offer greater resistance to a common herbicide.

Geertson Seed Farm objects to the Monsanto seed believing it will contaminate organically produced alfalfa. The Idaho-based operation contends Roundup Ready alfalfa will be difficult to kill and will cross-pollinate with natural alfalfa seeds. Geertson claims this “will contaminate other feral plants and conventional alfalfa seed fields in the area. In a few years, it will be extremely difficult to avoid contamination from [genetically engineered] alfalfa to conventional alfalfa seed.”

Geertson sued and convinced a federal judge to issue a nationwide injunction preventing Monsanto from selling its alfalfa seed. The judge ruled that certain procedures weren’t followed under NEPA and that Monsanto couldn’t sell its seed until those protocols were completed.

Monsanto says Geertson’s “science fiction-like scenarios” about the fate of natural alfalfa seeds are bogus. It also objects to the judge’s decision to issue the injunction which Monsanto claims is an “extraordinary remedy” that should be granted only when necessary to prevent likely irreparable harm.”

The justices will likely decide the case on the legal merits of the injunction and stay away from the back-and-forth over the seed. The judge who issued the injunction, Charles Breyer, is the brother of Justice Stephen Breyer who has recused himself from the case. That means eight justices will decide the matter and if they split, the ruling of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals which affirmed the injunction order will be upheld.

Case: John Doe #1, #2, and Protect Marriage Washington v. Reed

Date: Wednesday April 28, 2010

Issue: This is the term’s final case set for oral arguments which means it will likely be the last one heard by retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. It concerns the names of people who signed a petition to overturn Washington’s civil union statute passed by state lawmakers. An attempt was made to obtain the petition and publish the names on the internet.

The core issue before the high court is determining what level of protected speech is given to the petition-signers. Should their identities be kept anonymous out of fear of retribution or should the names be exposed as a matter of public record?

Last May Washington lawmakers passed a law expanding the rights of same-sex partners. In response, a group called Protect Marriage Washington circulated a petition to force the issue onto the November ballot. Washington, similar to other states, allows voters to overturn state laws by referendum. The state requires a sufficient number of names on the referendum petition to place the matter before the voters. Protect Marriage Washington submitted more than 138,500 names to the Secretary of State who verified the petition and placed the issue on that November’s ballot.

During the petition gathering process, several groups supportive of the civil union measure announced their intentions to use an open records law to obtain the petition list and publish the names on the internet. Referendum supporters expressed concern that the people who signed the petition could be subject to retributive attacks. They pointed to violence associated with the contentious fight over California’s Proposition 8 and went to court to stop the names from becoming public.

A trial court judge initially enjoined the state from releasing the names but the Ninth Circuit U.S Court of Appeals ruled the names should be made public. The lower courts disagreed over the level of First Amendment protection petition signers are entitled. Referendum supporters argue an abridgement of their privacy rights violates “core political speech” which in this case requires a level of anonymity. The groups seeking access to the names argue “there is no right, fundamental or otherwise, to secrecy in the legislative process.”

In taking the case, the high court stayed the Ninth Circuit’s disclosure order pending its ruling which is expected in a couple of months. As for the November referendum, Washington voters with a 53% majority decided to overturn the civil union law.

Foi anunciado na última sexta-feira (23) pelo Procon-SP que após uma reunião entre a Toyota e a GEPAC (Grupo de Estudos Permanentes de Acidentes de Consumo), a montadora aceitou realizar o recall do tapete do Corolla em nosso país, depois de várias notícias a respeito do problema no acelerador que tem causado grandes transtornos no resto do mundo.

Há pouco tempo atrás, como medida de precaução, o Ministério Público de Minas Gerais proibiu as vendas do Corolla em todo o estado, e essa atitude poderia ser tomada por outros estados, terminando por suspender as vendas em todo o território nacional. Muito provavelmente, a Toyota decidiu a fazer o recall temendo que essa ação fosse tomada. Segundo Roberto Pfeiffer, diretor-executivo do Procon, isso foi uma vitória para o consumidor:

“O resultado da reunião foi satisfatório, pois mostrou a força da união dos órgãos de defesa do consumidor, que conseguiram garantir a preservação da segurança dos motoristas”.

Via | Carro Online

I was born and raised in Arizona and even though I moved away nearly seven years ago, I have always considered it my home. I love the beautiful sunsets, the sweeping desert landscapes, and the delicious Mexican food, and I…

You’ll have to wait a little bit longer before you can start deceiving your enemies in R.U.S.E. Ubisoft has announced that the multiplatform strategy game has been bumped back several months.

[JURIST] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday strongly criticized new attempts to impose UN sanctions on his country’s nuclear program. Ahmadinejad was in Uganda meeting with President Yoweri Museveni when he made the comments. The Iranian leader said that actions being taken by the United States and its allies in the UN Security Council are illegal and that his country will not accept any pressure. He also said that any evidence submitted by the United States and Britain for new UN sanctions amounted to “lies” similar to the claims made over nuclear weapons in Iraq which served as an impetus to the 2003 war. The UN Security Council has resumed meetings over a fourth round of sanctions against Iran, but the United States has indicated it will impose unilateral sanctions if UN sanctions are not finalized by May.
In September, Ahmadinejad denied that Iran had broken nuclear development regulations in respect to a newly-disclosed nuclear facility. The statement followed a press conference where US, British, French, and German leaders gathered for the G-20 summit said in a joint statement that Iran had violated the terms of agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by failing to disclose in a timely manner the existence of a nuclear facility. Under the terms of a 2003 protocol to Iran’s original IAEA Safeguards Agreement, Iran was obligated to disclose the existence of the plant prior to construction. In December 2006 the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran for continuing to enrich uranium and broadened them three months later. The UN had previously ordered Iran to stop expanding its nuclear program by August 31, 2006. Iran has said it will completely withdraw from the IAEA if its “nuclear rights” are taken away.

Filed under: SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Jeep, Off-Road

The Jeep Wrangler turns 71 next year, and the city of Toledo, Ohio wants to celebrate the anniversary. Well, let’s back up a bit: the first iteration of the Willys MB was penned in 1940. That would turn into the first Jeep, produced in the company’s Toledo factory, in 1941. And so next year is really considered the 70th anniversary of the Jeep Wrangler.

Not that one digit matters too much – the Jeep has been around, done its time, and deserves a proper bash. The Jeep Parkway Plant was torn down in 2006, and according to the Toledo Blade, city residents are working on a plan to create an off-road course as a birthday present and lasting playground with the requisite bogs and obstacles for the go-anywhere convertible.

A few small items still stand in the way, however – such as procuring the land, paying for the construction, and then letting the world know such a place exists. The city would like Chrysler to introduce the Wrangler’s interior refresh in Toledo to help with promotion, but no such commitment has been made yet. Nevertheless, both Toledo and the Jeep have gotten around larger impediments, so there’s still hope.

[Source: Toledo Blade]

Report: Toledo wants off-road playground on site of original Jeep plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It is important for one to get good rest and sleep during the night. However, most people find difficulty in sleeping due to the mattress condition. One of these problems could include your mattress being infected with mattress bugs without your knowledge. There is not much that you could do about it but the simplest method includes using a zippered mattress cover. The mattress cover dust mites as well.

When you use it, you are also using it to protect a bed mattress cover. These are important steps to manage bed bugs. It will help you to get enough rest as the bed bugs could cause irritation and distraction while you are sleeping.

Besides these, you will also find a lot of other products to help maintain the cleanliness and protect your mattress. Among them are the hypoallergenic mattress cover, zippered mattress covers, cotton mattress cover and even the twin waterproof mattress cover.

Although not many people take notice of their mattress but it is true that the mattress that is in good condition and without any bed bugs could give you a better sleep. Without the little irritation and annoyance at night, you will find that sleeping becomes more relaxing and fulfilling.

Besides that, with these protections, you will also be able to maintain the condition of your bed mattress. If not, you will find yourself needing to buy a new mattress in a short period of time. This could be troublesome for today’s community as people would be busy on other more important things instead.

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Hey Hollywood, why are you evaporating my youth from a solid directly to a gas?

Stop it. OK? It’s a moral imperative.

Tip o’ the green jello to Swoopy. Mmmmm, Swoopy™.

Microsoft this week rolled out its CampaignReady suite of services, which is anchored by the Windows Azure-hosted TownHall. Designed for political campaigns, the suite works by letting candidates connect with constituents via TownHall, while Microsoft’s online collaboration and advertising tools help campaign workers communicate with each other and spread their messages. Especially for local or regional campaigns without the resources to build the specialized tools President Obama’s utilized, Microsoft’s pitch — a prepackaged solution that can be set up, torn down and paid for on demand — should be appealing. But Microsoft’s SaaS-plus-PaaS business model has legs beyond politics, and beyond Redmond.

As I describe in my column this week at GigaOM Pro, the combination of cloud services designed for and hosted on cloud platforms seems like a surefire strategy to secure PaaS (or even IaaS) adoption. By creating targeted applications designed specifically for use on their platforms, cloud providers can increase the likelihood of bringing customers into the fold (and can increase their profit margins) by letting applications help sell the platform instead of relying on the platform itself.

The possibilities are perhaps best exemplified by the number of Salesforce.com customers using its flagship CRM offering, which sits atop its Force.com platform — more than 72,000, according to the company. Presumably, it was positive experiences with the SaaS application that inspired 200,000-plus developers to build more than 135,000 custom applications that run on Force.com. It’s possible that Force.com could have attracted an equally large base as a standalone offering not intrinsically connected with Salesforce.com’s SaaS business, but unlikely.

The issue for most cloud providers is figuring out how to develop an application strategy to complement their infrastructural competencies. Microsoft, on the other hand, brought its decades of software experience with it when it launched Windows Azure. It developed its Pinpoint marketplace of third-party applications ready to run on the platform, it partnered with business-friendly ISVs like Intuit, and now it’s gotten into the SaaS act itself with TownHall. Azure has garnered its fair share of praise, and if Microsoft continues down the SaaS path, Azure could garner more than its fair share of customers and dollars. Read the full post here.

For more on cloud computing, join the GigaOM Network at its annual Structure conference June 23 & 24th in San Francisco.

Image courtesy of Janet Wall via PhotoExpress

Goldman Sachs has made the claim it lost money on Abacus.

In Senior Goldman Executives Approved the Paulson Deal; Goldman’s Spin Dodges the Big Question; “Fabulous Fab” Not Feeling So Fabulous I questioned if that was the case

Goldman claims it lost money on the deal. I am very skeptical of that claim given all Goldman’s side bets with AIG and others. Besides, who can say where one deal ends and the next begins when one is hedging massive pools of garbage?

On Saturday, emails noted by the Senate Subcommittee Investigating Financial Crisis Releases Documents on Role of Investment Banks suggest Goldman did not lose money, just as I suggested.

In one of the e-mails released today, Mr. Blankfein stated that the firm came out ahead in the mortgage crisis by taking short positions. In an e-mail exchange with other top Goldman Sachs executives, Mr. Blankfein wrote: “Of course we didn’t dodge the mortgage mess. We lost money, then made more than we lost because of shorts.”

In a second e-mail, Goldman Sachs Chief Financial Officer David Viniar, who also will testify on Tuesday, responded to a report on the firm’s trading activities, showing that – in one day – the firm netted over $50 million by taking short positions that increased in valued as the mortgage market cratered. Mr. Viniar wrote: “Tells you what might be happening to people who don’t have the big short.”

In a third e-mail, Goldman employees discussed the ups and downs of securities that were underwritten and sold by Goldman and tied to mortgages issued by Washington Mutual Bank’s subprime lender, Long Beach Mortgage Company. Reporting the “wipeout” of one Long Beach security and the “imminent” collapse of another as “bad news” that would cost the firm $2.5 million, a Goldman Sachs employee then reported the “good news” – that the failure would bring the firm $5 million from a bet it had placed against the very securities it had assembled and sold.

In a fourth e-mail, a Goldman Sachs manager reacted to news that the credit rating agencies had downgraded $32 billion in mortgage related securities – causing losses for many investors – by noting that Goldman had bet against them: “Sounds like we will make some serious money.” His colleague responded: “Yes we are well positioned.”

The above document does not show the exact timing of those emails, perhaps on purpose. No doubt, timing, if appropriate, will be part of Goldman’s defense.

At best, those emails do not make Goldman look very good. At worst, Goldman will appear to be caught in a lie.

Regardless of what happens legally, I have a serious problem with a “bank” making 90% of its income trading its own portfolio, and screwing its customers in the process.

(This is a guest post from Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis.)

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Now Fabrice Tourre’s Ex-Girlfriend, Fatiha Bouktouche, Is Getting Dragged Into The Case Against Goldman
• And Here’s Goldman’s Response To The Published Emails
• Goldman Suspected Of Dumping Crappy ‘Greywolf’ Bonds Into ABACUS Too

Alex, a graduate student studying human biology and evolution, writes, “As an undergraduate at I was fortunate enough to study On Growth and Form by D’Arcy Thompson. His synthesis of mathematics, classics and biology was an inspiration to me, and drove me to pursue science as a career. Though I am now studying to be a paleoanthropologist, my tattoo of an (idealized) ammonite fossil is a reminder to me of the material and mathematical processes behind all living things. Plus extinct cephalopods are more aesthetically appealing than hominin skulls.”

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.