Category: News

Just a week after receiving a Distinguished Service Award in Japan, the Nintendo DS made news again by conquering another corner of the globe, having sold 10 million units in the UK. As for the Wii, the

So much for America getting all the oil it spent billions of dollars, and thousands of lives to “liberate.”

—–

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN (AP) – 10 hours ago

BAGHDAD — A consortium led by Russia’s private oil giant won the biggest prize of Iraq’s second oil auction this year, nabbing a field initially promised them a decade ago by Saddam Hussein while other companies Saturday showed little interest in offerings outside the secure southern part of the country.

Lukoil and Norway’s Statoil ASA won rights to develop the 12.88 billion barrel West Qurna Phase 2 field in the Basra region, beating out three other consortiums led by France’s Total SA, Malaysia’s state-run Petronas and British giant BP PLC.

The field was the crown jewel of Iraq’s second international oil auction, which has placed some of the country’s most coveted sites up for grabs compared with the riskier fields that drew little interest in the first auction in June. In all, 15 fields were offered over two days, and of the seven offered Saturday, four were awarded.

“It is a big victory for Iraq,” Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani told reporters after the final field was auctioned. “It is a big achievement for Iraq to win such contracts at the current prices.”

Al-Shahristani said that the contracts awarded over the two days, coupled with those awarded over the past few months — including the June auction — would help the country boost production to 12 million barrels per day in six years. Iraq currently struggles to produce 2.5 million barrels a day.

The aggressive interest in West Qurna 2 — the biggest of the 15 offered — reflected not only its ample reserve base and cheap development costs, but also its location in the relatively Shiite heartland in Iraq’s south.

In the opening round of the two-day auction Friday, an alliance grouping European giant Shell and Petronas was awarded the 12.5 billion barrel Majnoon field, also in the south.

But the bidding quickly tapered off as representatives from the 44 international companies participating in the auction showed little interest for fields located in the more restive eastern parts of Iraq, near Baghdad or near Mosul in the north.

“We are very happy today,” said Lukoil representative Andrey Kuzyaev.

The Lukoil-Statoil alliance will get $1.15 per barrel they produce and will work to raise output from West Qurna 2 to 1.8 million barrels per day over 13 years.

Overall, the second and final day of the event drew more interest than the first in which only two fields went on the spot.

On Friday, companies steered clear from fields in the restive eastern region, as well as near Baghdad and in the north — opting instead for offerings that were both safe and cheap to develop.

Iraq was forced to withdraw five fields Friday and announce it would develop them by itself.

Even so, officials hailed that day as a success, as much perhaps for the actual outcome as the need to make up for the dismal showing in the June international auction — the country’s first in over three decades.

At that event, only one deal field was struck on the spot, with Britain’s BP and China National Petroleum Corp. nabbing the 17.8 billion barrel Rumaila field in the south. Deals on two other southern fields were brokered later.

Analysts said that event failed as much because of Iraq’s restrictive terms as for security concerns.

In this bidding round, Iraq appeared to be more flexible, giving the companies more operational control over the fields while still focusing on heavily on the price it was willing to pay them for each barrel produced.

Companies must accept 20-year service contracts and receive a flat fee per barrel produced for their services instead of production-sharing contracts, which are much more lucrative.

Iraq, which holds the world’s third-largest proven reserves of crude, is desperate for foreign oil investment to boost production and bring in new technology to revamp an oil sector battered by decades of war and sanctions.

It was counting on this auction to help them do just that.

But with no bids submitted on over half the fields offered, it was clear that the promise of Iraq’s mother lode of oil was not enough to overcome concerns about operating in a country where bombings — while less frequent that just two years ago — are still a fact of life.

In other deals Saturday, the roughly 863 million barrel Gharraf field in the south went to Petronas and Japex, which outbid three other consortiums led by Turkey’s TPAO, Kazakhstan’s Kaz Munai and Petramania. The Petronas-Japex alliance will get $1.49 per barrel of oil they produce and are targeting boosting output to 230,000 barrels per day over 13 years.

Meanwhile, a consortium grouping Russia’s Gazprom, TPAO, Korea’s KOGAS and Petronas walked away with the Badra field in central Iraq, but only after they revised down their bid to match the $5.50 per barrel Iraq was willing to pay the companies for their efforts in the field.

The consortium had initially requested $6 per barrel and promised to raise output in the field to 170,000 barrels per day within seven years.

Three other fields on offer in central Iraq — Kifl, West Kifl and Merjan in Karbala and Najaf provinces — attracted no bids and al-Shahristani said the country would develop them by itself.

Nejma, the final field on offer, attracted interest only from Angola’s Sonangol. The firm had to revise down its request for $8.5 per barrel produced in the northern field to the $6 per barrel Iraq was willing to pay.

Sonangol also agreed Saturday to Iraq’s lower financial terms for the Qayara field near Mosul, also in the north.

On Friday, it has offered a bid that was initially rejected as too high.

AP Business Writer Tarek El-Tablawy contributed from Cairo.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Oil’s Going To $225 By 2012, Says Analyst
• Gazprom: Shale Is A Joke, And It Can’t Possibly Compete With Gas
• Analyst: Oil Is Off Its Rocker

Filed under: Classics, Convertible

For the past fourteen years, Florida’s Amelia Island has been putting on a little Concours d’Elegance. And we mean little as in quantity (about 250 cars), not quality. Take last year’s winner, for example: a 1931 Voisin C20 Demi-Berline, which, along with the Daimler Double Six 50 and Bentley 8 holds the title for most intimidating-yet-beautiful pre-war car. And to celebrate the Concours’ 15th year, Amelia Island’s got something nifty up its sleeve.

You are looking at… Well, you see, we don’t know what it is you’re looking at. However, we do know it’s a roadster from the 1940s that was “conceived and built by a widely-respected and distinguished automotive engineer.” And really, that’s all we have. Any guesses? Obviously, you’re looking at the before pics. The powers that be claim that they’ll send us the after shots, which follow a multi-zillion-dollar ground-up from the chassis plate restoration, in a couple of days. As to what it actually is, commence guessing. The press release follows after the jump.

[Source: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance]

Continue reading Can you name the mystery star of the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance?

Can you name the mystery star of the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The launch of the new line of PlayStation 3 units has been well-received and well-sold, but apparently, Sony is still losing money for every PS3 they sell. This is the report coming from applied market intel, iSuppli.

When a person describes their ideal design software, or any software for that matter, Ease-of-Use is always on the list of desirable attributes. It makes sense that in order to be productive with the software in the shortest amount of time the software must be easy to use.  All of the  CAD and CFD tools I work with strive to achieve this goal (except for one which I won’t name and it isn’t one of our products) and hit the mark most of the time.  For me, when considering CFD tools for the design engineer,  the Ease-Of-Use concept extends from the start of the conceptual design through to the report that gets the final design approved.  Factors that are important are:

1. Speed of manual geometry creation
2. Ability to integrate existing MCAD and ECAD data
3. Ability to export MCAD and ECAD data
4. Speed and robustness of mesh and solver
5. Ability to review results to steer the design
6. Ability to share results to convince management

For PCB analysis we have taken Ease-Of-Use to a new level,  a level where you don’t even need to open the software.  From a command line you can feed the solver an IDF file of the PCB (or even better, our FloEDA file) and link it to a thermal parts library to replace the critical components with a proper thermal representation.  The mesh and solve are handled automatically and when the run is complete, say 15 minutes later, an html report is created.  The report lists which components are running too hot and even provides pretty pictures of surface temperatures.  For me, this is an evolutionary step with CFD.   While I can truly appreciate all of the meshing, conservation equations, and sophisticated numerical schemes to reach conservation, I don’t always need to see it.

PCB thermal analysis lends itself to this sort of Hands Free approach, at least in the preliminary stages, because of the analysis environment and the desired output.  In the early stages of a PCB thermal design it is either going to be considered in natural convection or have some air forced over it.  The desired output is the junction temperature,  it’s always about the junction temperature.

Their is another industry that could benefit from the same type of automation, at least in the early design phases, and that is Data Centers.  At the early stages,  it is a room laid out on a 2?x2? grid with Racks, CRACS, and floor tiles.  Artistic representation below:

It seems to me that there could be a standard similar to IDF, that lays out the room.  In fact, maybe the same standard could be used.  This could be linked to a library that replaces the place holders with a proper thermal and airflow definition.  The output is well understood, at least in my mind.  What are the Rack inlet temperatures?  What are the floor tile flow rates?  What is the cooling load on each CRAC.  And give me a few contour plots to show the managers.

Product DescriptionHearty Tomato Basil broth enrobe with cavatappi pasta and red beans. They contain only 100 calories in this tasty treat and 3 g fiber and have very light sodium present. . . . More >>
Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta Soup, Light Sodium, 1.3-Ounce Cups

Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta Soup, Light Sodium, 1.3-Ounce Cups 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.

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Potato salad doesn’t have to be just mayo and potatoes, try this whole new twist on traditional potato salad. This recipe calls for whole almonds, capers, mint, basil and other wonderful ingredients. It’s a nice side dish to grilled fish or chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Image: Idaho Potato Commission

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 pound Idaho potatoes, diced Ping-Pong ball size, scrubbed but not peeled
• Salt
• 4 green onions, white parts and two thirds of the green parts, minced
• 4 teaspoons small capers, drained
• 16 large mint leaves, stacked, rolled like a cigar, and cut crosswise into thin strips
• 12 basil leaves, stacked, rolled like a cigar, and cut crosswise into thin strips
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the almonds on a small sheet pan or pie plate and toast for 17 minutes, or until browned but not too dark. Coarsely chop and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a large saucepan with 2 quarts cold water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Cut the potatoes while still warm and put into a large bowl. Add the green onions, capers, almonds, mint, and basil. In a small bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, and lemon juice with the crushed red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Pour over potato mixture and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Taste before serving, as potato mixture may absorb some of the flavors. Add more spices if necessary.
4. Serve with any grilled fish or meat or other simple entrées.

Recipe courtesy of Courtesy of COMMISSARY New York City, NY. Photo and info from the Idaho Potato Commission.

Post from: Blisstree

Almond-Caper Potato Salad

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Hatchback, Smart

Saturn general manager Jill Lajdziak spent several months this summer and fall working closely with Roger Penske and his staff, trying to iron out the details of the brand’s proposed purchase from General Motors. As we all know, that agreement fell apart when Renault’s board of directors vetoed a deal to supply cars to a Penske-owned Saturn. When GM decided to shutter Saturn, Lajdziak promptly announced that she would retire from General Motors at the end of this month.

Apparently, in spite of the Saturn deal’s collapse, Penske was impressed by Lajdziak and has now hired her to take over sales and marketing at another of his enterprises, Smart USA.

Lajdziak will become VP of Smart USA on January 1, and will have quite a challenge in front of her. Smart sales have gone into free fall of late. For the year, sales are down 38 percent, and in recent months, they’ve dipped as much as 70 percent. It seems that everyone who wanted one of the tiny two-seaters has now bought one.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Retiring Saturn chief Lajdziak to take over Smart USA sales and marketing originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I have another wreath for you today only this one is edible. It’s chocolate, too, and I don’t see how anyone can top a chocolate wreath.  Even though it is edible, you can hang it on a door or wall as a decoration. I don’t, however, think I would hang it on an outside door or it might just slowly disappear when your door is closed.

Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need to get started:

• A 12 inch styrofoam wreath
• 2 large bags of Hershey kisses (in Christmas color wrap, if possible)
• 1 Roll of aluminum foil
• A low heat glue gun
• A medium sized red bow
• <Red satin ribbon to use as a hanger

Take the 12 inch styrofoam wreath and wrap it with aluminum foil. Make sure to cover the entire wreath, it is not recommended to have food, of any type, touch the bare styrofoam. Wrap the foil around the wreath tightly so that it stays in place.

Place a small amount of glue on the foil that you have wrapped around the wreath and one by one glue the kisses on the wreath. Make sure to put a kiss everywhere you see the foil to make the wreath look full.

Let it sit and dry. When dry, take your bow (they usually have wire attached to the middle for attaching) and tie it around the wreath at the bottom. If you don’t have enough wire to attach it, use some floral wire to lengthen the wire on the bow.

Now, take the satin ribbon. Cut the ribbon about 10 inches to make sure you have enough. Put the ribbon around the top of the wreath, front to back. Try to work it between the kisses even if it doesn’t look straight it will hang straight.

Enjoy!

Post from: Blisstree

Hershey Kiss Wreath

More than 900 people are facing immediate execution in Iraq, Amnesty International reports, and observers are worried that the ruling al-Da’wa party is using the death penalty to woo public support ahead of the 2010 elections.

Iraq, which executed 34 people in 2008, has killed 120 so far this year and has sentenced more than 1,000 people to death since capital punishment was reinstated in 2004. The country’s court system is still in shambles, however, and there are real concerns that many of the prisoners on death row were tortured into making false confessions and were convicted based on less-than-solid evidence.

(more…)

Your four-legged friends don’t need to be left out of the festivities this holiday season, even when it comes to food. Though the same tips and suggestions for Thanksgiving still hold true for Christmas, you can treat your dog to a special holiday cookie made just for him!

Holiday Peanut Butter Bites

3 cups of all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp of molasses
3 tablespoons of peanut butter, unsalted
3 tablespoons of canola oil

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

~ In a bowl mix the all purpose flour and the whole wheat flour together and set it on the side. In a separate large bowl stir the molasses, peanut butter and oil together. Then add the flours mixture into the molasses mixture and whisk it until it is smooth.

~ Use your hand to break the dough into small ball size pieces and roll each one into logs about 1/2″ in diameter.

~ Cut the logs into 1/8″ thick discs. Place the discs on ungreased baking sheets and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

~ Once done allow to cool completely before serving.

~ Store in an airtight container for up to 14 days, or wrap in freezer wrap and keep them in the freezer for up to 60 days.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Holiday Peanut Butter Bites for Dogs

I came across some podcasts on psychology – MindPodcasts. The author is Arjen ter Hoeve from Holland and he has a site called Mind Podcast. Hoeve suggests that he is studying along with the audience. Perhaps this means that he is studying from a textbook. The blog is indexed and I turned to the first three podcasts which can be found here, here and here. Hoeve refers to each episode as a session. In the first session, Hoeve looks at Copernicus and his influence on changing contemporary perceptions of the place of people in the universe. He moves onto an overview of the different schools of psychology in session 2. Here I was interested to hear more about Wundt who founded structuralism using introspection to examine the components of consciousness. Hoeve also looks at functionalism, behaviourism, gestalt psychology and psychoanalysis. In session 3, I think Hoeve is outside his comfort zone as he discusses the structure and function of neurons and neurotransmitters.

The podcasts have a raw quality which I think works. Podcasts don’t always need the polished broadcasting quality production and the occasional pauses or difficulty with words convey the realistic experiences of learning a subject. Hoeve has a very natural broadcasting manner and again I thought his style worked well and that he seems relaxed throughout the presentation. The end result was that I thought Hoeve is able to deliver this material in a way which listeners would find engaging. There are some comments in the latter podcasts which suggest this is the case. In addition the episodes are bite sized and thus convenient. Although much of the material above is introductory there is a wide coverage of material and returning to basics can be argued to be useful even for those with advanced knowledge in orienting a complex field and integrating new information. The interesting point here is that Hoeve says that he is studying the material and the question arises of how valid such material is. However he is upfront about this and the listener is able to factor this in when listening to the podcasts.

In summary I thought the podcasts had a lot of effort put into them, were engaging and could be used as a starting point for further clarification and reading. The podcasts on the blog end the following year and by this stage there are 72 in the series.

Twitter

You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link

Podcast

You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast).

TAWOP Channel

You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link

Responses

If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail [email protected]

Disclaimer

The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.

Obama advisor and former Fed chief Paul Volcker has an excellent interview this weekend with Germany’s Der Spiegel.

An excerpt:

SPIEGEL: The US has not yet instituted any kind of reform policy. What we see is the government and the Federal Reserve pouring money into the economy. If one looks beyond that money, one sees that the economy is in fact still shrinking.

Volcker: What should I say? That’s right. We have not yet achieved self-reinforcing recovery. We are heavily dependent upon government support so far. We are on a government support system, both in the financial markets and in the economy.

SPIEGEL: To get the recovery to the point where it is right now has cost a lot of money. National debt will probably reach $12 trillion in 2019. Just serving the debt costs $17 billion a year — at least according to this year’s forecast. That’s difficult to sustain.

Volcker: You’ve got to deal with the deficit and you’ve got to deal with it in a timely way. Right now, with the unemployment rate still very high, excess capacity is still evident, and the economy is dependent on government money as we said. We are not going to successfully attack the deficit right now but we have got to prepare for attacking it.

Read the whole thing >>

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See Also:

• Europe, Asia, Gold, US Futures, All Powering Higher On The Great Tidal Wave Of Liquidity
• Ben Bernanke Is Completely Blowing It On Jobs
• How To Understand The Treasury’s Upcoming Liquidity Crunch