Category: News

Rising dollar commodity prices, generally from low points in the early stages of this year, are now seen by some commentators as possibly running into bubble territory, as, effectively, a one-way bet against the dollar. Dollar gold bullion, for one, has made fresh all time records within the past 24 hours, at more than US$1,200 an ounce. Commodities enjoy broader support, as reflected in the majority of world stocks exchanges trading at or close to the highest levels this year.

For speculators on the dollar commodity price train, the ceiling is yet to be reached, according to analysts at the Bank Credit Analyst, which reckon that “the dollar is not technically oversold and fundamental factors for a bottom are still not in place”. Seen over the longer term, the dollar index recorded a bull market from 1995 through 2001. It has been in a protracted bear market since, but at current levels, is above multi year lows seen in April 2008, when it measured 70.70 points, the lowest since inception in 1973.

Read the whole story at MineWeb >>

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See Also:

• Andy Xie: When The Dollar Bottoms, China Will Go Bust
• JPMorgan: Forget Dubai, Stay Long Stocks, And Keep Hammering The Dollar
• Strong Canadian Dollar Slams GDP Growth

Engadget have published another hands-on video of the Samsung Omnia 2.  The video is not much better than our last one, but does show the previously unrevealed Samsung widget store, which seem to have a lot of goodies.

See more at Engadget here.

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Toyota, Luxury

Toyota finally took the wraps off their new 2011 Sienna minivan and we have to say, it looks pretty good in person. Although Toyota sent out some teaser shots this morning, we just got back from the official unveiling at the LA Auto Show and have a whole batch of live shots and quite a few more media pics for you to browse. We were quite shocked by the size of the crowd at this press conference, perhaps showing that even though the minivan market may be shrinking, it still meets a sizable need.

We were also a bit surprised to run into Ford’s J. Mays and Mark Fields, and they reminded us that you have to stay abreast of the competition lest you die. They would neither confirm nor deny the return of the Aerostar. Besides the top-level Limited model on stage, Toyota also showed off a pre-production SE, which sits a little lower on a stiffened suspension and 19-inch alloys. It also sports a body kit, a revised grille and carbon fiber in place of wood inside.

Also make sure you check out the 2011 Sienna’s trick 16-inch LCD monitor for rear seat passengers and the reclining seats with extendable footrests, two features we’ve never seen in this segment before.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Fillipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

LA 2009: Third-Gen 2011 Toyota Sienna is a rock star originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fat and Sugar Messing with Your Genes?

Try staying away from extra fat and sugar this holiday season to avoid packing on more pounds. According to new research published in The FASEB Journal, a diet that is high in fat and sugar may switch on genes that cause us to store too much fat. (Note: The studies were performed on mice, and more research is needed on the human side.) So, foods high in fat and sugar might hit you twice as hard. It’s already difficult to convert high-fat and high-sugar foods to energy, but it can be more difficult when those foods encourage your body to store even more fat!

Migraines May Raise Your Stroke Risk

Researchers at Johns Hopkins concluded that migraine headaches are linked with a greater than twofold higher risk of the most common kind of stroke, which occurs during a sudden cut-off of blood supply to the brain due to the buildup of plaque or a blood clot. The risk is highest for women who experience migraines with aura — flashing lights, zigzag lines and blurred side vision. “Based on this data, physicians should consider addressing stroke risk factors in patients with a history or signs of light flashes and blurry vision associated with severe headaches,” said senior study investigator and cardiologist Saman Nazarian, M.D.

Can That Lonely Feeling Spread to Friends?

Being lonely may actually help you lose friends. Loneliness can spread among groups of people, say researchers at the University of Chicago, the University of California-San Diego and Harvard. They say that people move to the edge of social networks when they become lonely. When that happens, the lonely person has fewer friends, and may continue to lose friends through the spread of loneliness. Researchers found that next-door neighbors who experienced an increase of one day of loneliness a week helped prompt an increase in loneliness among close friends who were neighbors. As the neighbors spent less time together, the loneliness spread. Their work was published in the December issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

(Image via flickr/Migraine Chick)

Post from: Blisstree

Health Bits: Fat Genes, Auras, Loneliness

Yesterday it was Philly Fed’s Plossner, today it is Richmond Fed’s Jeff Lacker who joins the chorus demanding an end to Bernanke’s insane monetary policy of drowning the market with unprecedented liquidity which is not getting to consumers but merely propping Amazon stock at a bubblelicious 100x P/E.

In a speech before the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Lacker stated: “The perception of inflation risk could be particularly pertinent to the current recovery, given the massive and unprecedented expansion in bank reserves that has occurred, and the widespread market commentary expressing uncertainty over whether the Federal Reserve is willing and able to promptly reverse that expansion… If we hope to keep inflation in check, we cannot be paralyzed by patches of lingering weakness, which could persist well into the recovery. In assessing when we will need to begin taking monetary stimulus out, I will be looking for the time at which economic growth is strong enough and well-enough established, even if it is not yet especially vigorous. Although it is hard to predict when that will occur, I can confidently predict that monetary policy will remain particularly challenging for some time to come.” Then again, the stock market does not seem to share Mr. Lacker’s concerns.

Read the whole post at Zero Hedge >>

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See Also:

• How Wild Inflation Made Monopoly Prices Ridiculous
• We’re In The Final Month Before Inflation Hits
• TIPS Spread Forecasting Higher Inflation? Not Necessarily…

We had just been noting how Spanish courts seemed to be actually interpreting copyright law in a reasonable way, and slapping down industry attempts to abuse the laws. Of course, that couldn’t last. It appears that Spain is now proposing new copyright laws that would bring its existing laws down the well-lobbied path of draconian punishment, increased third party liability and other mindless ideas that have more to do with propping up an old business model than encouraging the creation of new quality content. A bunch of professional content creators in Spain are organizing to protest these new rules, but do they stand a chance against the usual onslaught of industry lobbyists?

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Mazda

2011 Mazda2 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Ford Fiesta may have been the big B-segment reveal last night, but Mazda has finally decided to bring its own compact runabout to North America, and it’s based on the same architecture as it Blue Oval sibling. Originally launched in Europe, Japan, and Australia a couple of years ago, the Mazda2 was very well-received by media and consumers alike, a warm reception that probably helped make the case for the Japanese automaker to bring it over to the United States. That time has arrived, and the Mazda2 will be available in North America as a 2011 model.

Although Mazda revealed what the North American spec version will look like, it’s still holding back additional information, including engine specifications, interior details, and pricing. We’ll get more details soon, but in the meantime, check the full release after the jump and our live pics from the floor below.

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

Continue reading LA 2009: Mazda unveils North American spec Mazda2 for 2011

LA 2009: Mazda unveils North American spec Mazda2 for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite all of our government’s recovery efforts, it still can’t get a grasp on the dampened job market.

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AP: Unemployment worsened or stayed the same in most metro areas in October, the Labor Department said Wednesday, as jobs remained scarce nationwide.

The report comes a day before the Obama administration is to hold a “jobs summit” at the White House that will gather economists, academics and corporate executives to consider how the government can spur job creation.

The jobless rate rose in 162 of the 372 metro areas tracked by the Labor Department. The rate was unchanged in 42 areas. It dropped in 168 areas.

In September, unemployment had improved in 223 areas and worsened in only 123. The deteriorating trend mirrors the U.S. unemployment rate, which jumped to 10.2 percent in October from 9.8 percent in September.

The metro unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted and is therefore volatile from month-to-month. All 372 areas reported higher unemployment rates in October compared with the previous year.

The Labor Department is scheduled to release the national unemployment report for November on Friday. Wall Street economists expect it will show the jobless rate was unchanged at 10.2 percent while employers shed 130,000 jobs, according to Thomson Reuters. There were 190,000 job cuts in October.

Fifteen areas recorded jobless rates of 15 percent or worse in October, the department said, with nine of those in California and three in Michigan. That’s up from 13 areas with rates above 15 percent the previous month.

Fresno, Calif., for example, saw its jobless rate soar to 15.8 percent from 14 percent in September. And the rate in Hanford-Corcoran, Calif., jumped to 15.5 percent from 13.9 percent.

The areas with the biggest increases were: Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa, which soared to 8 percent from 5.6 percent; Ocean City, N.J., to 10.6 percent from 8.5 percent; and Sandusky, Ohio, to 10.9 percent from 9.5 percent.

The largest improvements were in: Lawrence, Kan., where the rate fell to 4.7 percent from 5.4 percent; Ames, Iowa, to 4 percent from 4.5 percent; and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass., to 7.9 percent from 8.8 percent.

El Centro, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz. posted the nation’s highest jobless rates of 30 and 23.5 percent, respectively. The two adjacent counties are heavily agricultural and have many seasonal farm workers.

Bismarck, N.D., recorded the nation’s lowest rate, at 2.8 percent, followed by Fargo and Grand Forks, N.D., both at 3.5 percent.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Video Games Make Awesome Unemployment Gifts (BBY, ATVI, ERTS)
• Watch The Country Get Fired: Unemployment By County 2007-2009
• 10%+ Unemployment Through 2015, Says Mish

If you’re stressed about getting everything done this holiday season, have you considered skipping the decorations? I’ll admit that you probably can’t get away with that if you have young kids, but think of the extra time you’d have. No crawling into the attic or closet to drag out decorations. No worries over watering live trees or assembling manufactured ones. No carefully unpacking ornaments and putting hooks on them. No extra things to dust around the house.

Am I sounding like a Scrooge?

Even without holiday decorating, you can still enjoy Christmas music. You’ll be able to complete holiday baking. And, of course, you can continue do your Christmas shopping. You can celebrate Christmas, but without the extra stuff you have to put away at the end of December. It’s not like you can’t see a Christmas tree in nearly every shop or office you visit. Decorations are all around us for the entire month of December. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a jolly-free refuge inside your home?

For people with pets, an added bonus of not putting up a Christmas tree or other unusual decor is that you won’t have to worry with pets disturbing or breaking anything. In the past, my cat has gone bonkers with attempting to eat bows on presents, hooks on ornaments or wax in candles. Yeah, maybe he has pica?

Besides saving you time, not decorating with lights also saves energy. Yes, I know not decorating for Christmas is a very radical idea, but try it on in your mind for a few minutes to see how you like it!

(Image via stock.xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

Would You Ever Skip Holiday Decorating?

ESUC base is an option available for the celpac® 2G range.

This optional module is pluggable directly on SU / SUL Solid State Contactor and permanently measures the load current.

This is possible to make a diagnostic up to 5 heating elements in parallel.

Current range : 2-40A
Control : 8-32VDC

The current value is compared to a reference value which has been stored during initialisation by means of the “Teach “ push button or “external Teach” input.

If the operator presses the teach push button for at least 3s or if the external teach input is ON for at least 3s the device will record the value Iteach of the current and set a high current threshold at Iteach + 16% and a low current threshold at Iteach – 16%.
If the current varies outside the reference value ( +/- 16%), the module detects a fault (partial load fault or overload).
At the same time, the module monitors a network failure (no current with control) or a thyristor fault (current without control). In case of a failure, the output status indicates a problem after a small delay (100ms max).
Different configurations and status are visualised by 3 LEDs.

2 alarm limits 0,84*Iteach and 1,16*Iteach (+/-16%)

Possible detections :
-Open Load
-Open Mains
-Partial load break
-SSR Short-circuited
-Overload (partial load short-circuit)

Why choosing celduc’s current monitoring function ?
-Quick fault detections (instantaneous alarm)
-Maintenance
-To detect when a heater is broken which bring problems and is difficult to locate
-To have good quality products for plastic/rubber parts manufacturers (specially thermosetting material) where you need an accurate temperature
-22.5mm width with integrated heatsink and DIN rail adaptor

Options on request :
Micro-switches can be added to allow parameters setting (threshold,
delay, locking,alarm inhibition etc…)
Do not hesitate to contact us

Depending on the requirements imposed on the optical conductive material, we can, on our own drawing lines, produce fiber bundles of UV-conducting quartz (high OH), IR-conducting quartz (low OH) or of optical glass with different numerical apertures.

The diameters of the single fibers are normally between 30 µm and 150 µm, though we can also draw customer-specific diameters upon request.

The lengths of the fiber bundles can vary between 4, 5, 10 and 20 metres. The bundle diameters are made specifically to customer requirements. To provide optimum illumination, we can supply the fiber bundles with different angles of reflected beam of 67°, 83°, 90° and > 100° particularly for endoscopic applications.

Get to grips – temporary measurement from outside with Prosonic Flow 93T!
Are you looking for a way to verify and optimize processes efficiently? Would you like to record the flow in pipelines – wherever and whenever you want? And without interrupting the process? If so, you can rely on the Prosonic Flow 93T completely and without question. This portable ultrasonic flowmeter impresses with its sophisticated “clamp-on” technology. Flow quantities can be measured quickly and reliably, directly from the outside of the pipe. It offers the flexibility to measure flow in very large pipes up to 4 meters in diameter or small-bore pipes (DN 15 / ½”).

Daily production challenges become critical where particularly low feed rates are required. This can either be due to the high cost of ingredients, or to the significance of accurate addition of small quantity of ingredients.

The new DIW-PE-GLD87 Feeder has been designed for the requirements of minor ingredient addition. The latest weighing system technology, which is based on using electromagnetic strength compensation, put into operation in combination with the GLD87 High Accuracy Feeder, leads to extremely exact feeding results. The GLD87 is easy to clean and ideal for industrial applications. Perfect feeding results are achieved if high accuracy is required and products to be metered are very sluggish. This Small Scale Feeder is stable. In order to reduce adverse effects by external influences, the feeder can be supplied with wind shields, special connecting sleeves and vibration cushions and be combined with the fine adjustment possibilities of the Easydos Pro controller.

Our Know how:
• Interaction of feeding of small and large components. Gericke supplies feeding equipment for throughputs up to 77’000 l/h and is also the right partner for additive feeding from 0.2 l/h.
• Optimal refilling. Gericke can draw upon its own feeders, flaps, discharging elements and valves.
• Gericke is well aware of the difficulties involved in connection with starting and shutting down the system and at the same time retaining high product quality.
Special features:
• Feed rates from 0.2 to 10 l/h (approx. throughput value based on a reference product)
• Compact construction
• Quick changeover between products and feed rates
• Variety of helix configurations available to enable a single system to be used for a wide variety of products
• Available with full ATEX 95 Certification

Recommended additional equipment:
For continuous mixing, we recommend our continuous GCM250 and GCM500 mixers. Both can easily be dismantled for cleaning.

Industry Automation, a Siemens division, has developed a new generation of its sonar proximity switches Simatic PXS. The new sensors of the compact series in M30 design have a reduced blind zone and are shorter than models of the previous generation. These improvements make for better detection of objects at close range and reduce the space requirements of the components. The new programming interface lets users read out status and diagnostic information in running operation without any reaction. This means you can easily adapt the parameters to the operating environment for process optimization.

Sherborne Sensors (www.sherbornesensors.com) has announced the debut of the A320 series, a family of ultra-low range linear servo accelerometers, designed with exceptional durability, for use in a multitude of military and industrial applications, including flight test, geophysical studies, structural monitoring and low acceleration analysis applications.

Series A320 offers high precision measurements from + 0.1 to + 2 g, with full range outputs of + 5 Vdc or 4-20 mA. These gravity referenced, closed loop sensors can reliably monitor acceleration down to 20 micro g, while withstanding mechanical shock levels of up to 1,500 g. Sensors are housed in a rugged, anodized aluminum alloy case, and can be specified with a military style connector or solder pin electrical termination. They are fully self-contained, and able to be connected to a DC power source and readout or control device to form a complete measurement system.

For additional technical details, drawings and specifications, please contact Sherborne Sensors toll-free (in the US & Canada) at 1-877-486-1766 [email protected] or on +44 (0)870 444 0728 [email protected] (World Wide), or by visiting www.sherbornesensors.com.

Based in Sursee, central Switzerland, KNF Flodos develops and manufactures a wide range of high-tech products. The latest innovation is the NF25, which is the world’s most compact diaphragm liquid pump. With the dimensions of 38x26x38mm and a weight of 60 g this new product transfers liquids and liquid / gas mixtures at a flow rate of 250 ml per minute.
Efficiency at its best
Compared with other diaphragm liquid pumps, the NF 25 exhibits the highest performance to size ratio making it the best solution for equipment where space is a critical factor.
A state of the art patented valves system ensures that the flow to motor speed curve remains linear, making it an ideal alternative to bigger pumps for simple dosing applications. KNF recommends the use of a brushless motor for several years of maintenance free pumping.
Smoother pumping
The NF25 also includes an anti-cavitation chamber which is a KNF speciality.
This proven technology optimises the fluid dynamics of the pump thus reducing noise and increasing flow.
The KNF modular system contains a wide range of materials, motors, voltages and frequencies to enable the selection of an optimal solution for every application.

Varied fields of use
The new NF 25 covers a wide range of applications including medical devices, analytical instruments, fuel cells, ink jet printers, semi conductors, cleaning and disinfection devices, water treatment only to name a few.
Technology leader
KNF Flodos is part of the KNF Group and was founded in 1987. The company has since then been focusing all its efforts on research and development as well as production of liquid pumps and accessories. The company has gained a leading position in this field.

Our success exists most of all in collaborating with our customers, understanding their requirements, analysing the precise problem and creating possible solutions even the mosto unexpected or resourceful.

It is in this context that we develop our industrial project towards satisfying new requirements in mechanical automation with design and manufacture of any kind of cam and cam mechanism.

In the transmission shaft sector the increase of the production range, which took place in the last few years, allows an ample ex-stock delivery of the medium-light types.

The power increase of the heavy types, with flanges up to 1200 mm and maximum torque of 9000 kN, sets our company among the European leaders of this sector.

Our dense phase conveying systems with pressure vessels are designed for processes that require gentle conveying, low segregation, low wear, low air and energy consumption. Another advantage when using a dense phase conveying system with pressure vessels rather than a lean phase conveying systems with rotary valves is that no part rotates in the product stream. In lean phase conveying systems, the rotating rotary valve will cause fine metallic attrition when coming in contact with the housing and thereby contaminate the product. Another disadvantage is air leakage. This occurs because of the gap between the rotor and the housing. Due to wear on the rotary valves, the gap gets bigger which leads to increased leakage of air, reduced capacity, to conveying problems and pipe blockages.
We designed the dense phase conveying system mini-double vessel PTAD20 to replace rotary valves in existing conveying plants. The Gericke dense phase conveying system mini-double vessel PTAD20 has the advantages of a plug conveying system. The space-saving execution allows the installation heights of 750 mm. The system consists of two 20 l pressure vessels which guarantee continuous operation. They are delivered with a common inlet tube or they are directly connected to the upstream process. Depending on the tube diameter (DN65–DN100) and on the product to be conveyed, capacities of 4–10 m3/h are achieved.
Several systems of this type are successfully in operation in the food industry to convey products such as milk powder, whey powder, gelatine, granules and premixes. The dense phase conveying system mini-double vessel PTAD20 is also well suited for the gentle conveying of granulates.
In the Gericke Test Centers all kinds of pneumatic conveying techniques can be tested to determine the conveying parameters. Knowledge concerning product quality (attrition) and roduct build-up in pipes can be acquired. Furthermore, Gericke offers rental units to be used on site.