Archive

Archive for April 25, 2011

Man Arrested For Not Giving Cops His Cell Phone (Video)

April 25, 2011 Comments off
Categories: California, United States Tags: , , , , , ,

IMF bombshell: Age of America nears end: China’s economy will surpass the U.S. in 2016

April 25, 2011 Comments off

marketwatch

For the first time, the international organization has set a date for the moment when the “Age of America” will end and the U.S. economy will be overtaken by that of China.

The Obama deficit tour

The Wall Street Journal editorial page’s Steve Moore critiques the president’s speeches attacking Republican budget plans.

And it’s a lot closer than you may think.

According to the latest IMF official forecasts, China’s economy will surpass that of America in real terms in 2016 — just five years from now.

Put that in your calendar.

It provides a painful context for the budget wrangling taking place in Washington, D.C., right now. It raises enormous questions about what the international security system is going to look like in just a handful of years. And it casts a deepening cloud over both the U.S. dollar and the giant Treasury market, which have been propped up for decades by their privileged status as the liabilities of the world’s hegemonic power.

According to the IMF forecast, whomever is elected U.S. president next year — Obama? Mitt Romney? Donald Trump? — will be the last to preside over the world’s largest economy.

Most people aren’t prepared for this. They aren’t even aware it’s that close. Listen to experts of various stripes, and they will tell you Read more…

Categories: China, Economy, IMF, United States Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Rogue wave frequency increases

April 25, 2011 Comments off

santacruzsentinel

The Norwegian tanker Wilstar after being struck by a large wave in 1974. (Contributed photo)

The German container ship MS München left Bremerhaven, Germany, on a cold day in late 1978 headed for Savannah, Ga. On Dec. 12, the ship, two and a half football fields long and described as unsinkable, vanished after one unintelligible distress call.

All that was found in a wide search of the general area was some scattered debris and an unlaunched lifeboat that was originally secured on the deck 65 feet above the water line. Its attachment pins had been “twisted as though hit by an extreme force.” The best guess at the time was that the ship had been struck by a very large wave.

While seaman for many years have described huge waves or walls of water at sea, they weren’t usually given much credence until recently. Encounters with such large waves have become more frequent over the past 15 years or so, however, indicating that perhaps these weren’t all just sailor’s exaggerations or nightmares.

In February 1995, the Queen Elizabeth II encountered what was described as a 95-foot wall of water in the North Atlantic. The ship’s captain said it “came out of the darkness” and “looked like the White Cliffs of Dover.” He was able to determine the wave’s height because the crest was level with the ship’s bridge. The wave broke over the bow with explosive force and smashed many of the windows and part of its forward deck. That same year, an oil platform in the North Sea with a wave gauge measured a single rogue Read more…

Categories: Strange Events Tags: , , , , ,

Massive Severe Outbreak Coming Next Week

April 25, 2011 Comments off

accuweather

It appears the onslaught of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that have claimed dozens of lives and left communities in ruins from the Plains into the East over the past few weeks is going to continue right into next week.

Next up is another severe outbreak set to hit areas from Oklahoma to Ohio Friday afternoon and night.

After that, AccuWeather.com severe weather experts are already greatly concerned about the tornado potential with a series of storm systems set to track across the hard-hit Plains, Midwest and Southeast throughout next week.

“This could be more widespread than anything we’ve seen this season,” said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski.

“We’re going to see multiple outbreaks of severe weather Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week from the Ohio Valley to the southern Plains and into the southeastern U.S.,” Kottlowski explained. “The orientation of upper-level winds with this setup look to favor a high risk of tornado development.”

“People should review tornado safety guidelines and take any [severe thunderstorm or tornado] watches and warnings very seriously,” Kottlowski stressed.

While severe thunderstorms with this outbreak could get under way as early as late Sunday, the main threat will evolve Monday Read more…

Categories: United States, Weather Tags: , , , , ,

Yemen crisis: Protesters keep up pressure on Saleh

April 25, 2011 Comments off

bbc

Thousands of anti-government protesters are standing their ground in the capital of Yemen, despite a deal that would see the president step down.

Protesters occupying a permanent camp in Sanaa say they don’t trust President Ali Abdullah Saleh to keep his promise to leave office.

Mr Saleh agreed on Saturday to hand over power to his deputy within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Protesters say he must go immediately.

There were fresh demonstrations in Sanaa and in other parts of the country on Sunday.

Witnesses say the protesters in Sanaa are ringed by army units that defected to join and protect them. Uniformed soldiers were seen chanting alongside the demonstrators and flashing victory signs.

At least 130 people have died during two months of protests inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world.

Despite the protesters concerns, a coalition of seven opposition parties has generally accepted the deal, brokered by the Gulf Read more…

Categories: Protests, Yemen Tags: , , , ,

Gold and silver: through the roof

April 25, 2011 Comments off

ft.com

All that glitters is gold, and silver… at least that’s what the market thinks. The price of spot silver jumped 5 per cent to hit $49 a troy ounce, and gold hit a record high for the seventh consecutive session, at $1,517.71 a troy ounce in early trading on Monday. Meanwhile, the US dollar fell to a three-year low.

According to reports from Reuters, much of the interest looks to be coming from India and China.

“Everyone is buying… there is stop-loss buying, as well as a good buying interest from China,” Reuters reported, citing a trader in Hong Kong.

Gold has been at all time highs since the start of the year when oil prices jumped and geo-political concerns in the Middle East began to shake confidence in a global economic recovery. According to the FT’s Jack Farchy, investor holdings in gold through exchange traded funds have risen 1.38 per cent in April this year – the strongest monthly gain since August 2010.

But it’s not just gold that has generated interest in recent months. Holdings in iShares Silver trust, the Read more…

Categories: GOLD, Silver Tags: , , , , , ,

At least 500 dead in Nigeria election riots

April 25, 2011 Comments off

AP

BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) — At least 500 people died in religious rioting that followed Nigeria’s presidential election, a civil rights group said Sunday, as volatile state gubernatorial elections loom this week.

Meanwhile, police in the northern state of Bauchi said at least 11 recent college graduates who helped run polling stations as part of the country’s national youth service corps have been killed in postelection violence, while other female poll workers have been raped.

The Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria said that the worst hit area was Zonkwa, a town in rural Kaduna state, where more than 300 people died in rioting.

The Civil Rights Congress, led by a Muslim activist, said killings also took place in the towns of Kafanchan and Zangon Kataf, as well as the state capital of Kaduna.

Muslim opposition supporters began riots as results from the April 16 election showed Christian President Goodluck Jonathan had won the vote. Many here in predominantly Muslim north of Africa’s most populous nation felt the next president should have been from their region because a Muslim president died last year before he could complete his term.

Retaliatory violence by Christians soon followed, and officials say more than 40,000 people have now fled their homes. Authorities are fearful that releasing any official death toll will only prompt more fighting, but witnesses believe hundreds have been killed across the north.

The violence also took a toll on Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps. Authorities are trying to assure members they will be safe for them to take part in Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections being held in 29 states, though some have already fled their posts.

In Bauchi state, police have arrested 68 suspects in connection with the deadly riots that were sparked by the presidential election, Police Read more…

Categories: Nigeria, Riots Tags: , , ,

Thousands of protesters demand “A New Morocco”

April 25, 2011 Comments off

newsdaily

CASABLANCA, Morocco, Apr. 24, 2011 (Reuters) — Thousands took to the streets of Morocco on Sunday in peaceful demonstrations to demand sweeping reforms and an end to political detention, the third day of mass protests since they began in February.

People gather for a protest in Casablanca April 24, 2011. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Desperate to avoid the turmoil that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, authorities have already announced some changes to placate demands that King Mohammed cede more powers and limit the monarchy’s extensive business influence.

Some 10,000 people joined the protest in Casablanca, the largest city in one of the West’s staunchest Arab allies. Marchers in the capital Rabat also denounced corruption and torture as well as unemployment, very high among youths.

Policing has been low-key for protests by the February 20 Movement, named after the date of its first march, particularly compared to the turmoil elsewhere in North Africa.

“This is more about the young ones than it is about us,” said Redouane Mellouk, who had brought his 8 year-old son Mohamed Amine, carrying a placard demanding “A New Morocco.”

“Our parents could not talk to us about political issues. They were too afraid. This must change,” said Mellouk.

Although levels of popular anger have risen, ratings agencies assess Morocco as the country in the region least likely to become embroiled in the type of unrest that toppled Tunisian and Egyptian regimes and led to the conflict in Libya.

In Rabat, several thousand people marched through poor districts with high levels of unemployment and away from the center, where the previous monthly demonstrations have been held. There was no sign of trouble.

DISAFFECTED YOUTH

A 74 year-old man in Casablanca who gave his name only as Ahmed said Morocco’s youths were right to protest. Read more…

Categories: Morocco, Protests Tags: , , , , , ,