Friday News Bucket

18 Comments

1. 

   CabinGirl on February 1, 2008 at 8:36 am

   just guess:  NYT

   China’s latest export is inflation. After falling for years, prices of Chinese goods sold in the United States have risen for the last eight months.

   Soaring energy and raw material costs, a falling dollar and new business rules here are forcing Chinese factories to increase the prices of their exports, according to analysts and Western companies doing business here.

   The rise was a modest 2.4 percent over the last year. But even that small amount, combined with higher energy and food costs that also reflect China’s growing demands on global resources, contributed to a rise in inflation in the United States. Inflation in the United States was 4.1 percent in 2007, up from 2.5 percent in 2006.

   Because of new cost pressures here, American consumers could see prices increase by as much as 10 percent this year on specific products — including toys, clothing, footwear and other consumer goods — just as the United States faces a possible recession.

   • 

     katiebird on February 1, 2008 at 8:37 am

     I think there’s something wrong with the Cafe?

     • 

       katiebird on February 1, 2008 at 8:39 am
     • 

       CabinGirl on February 1, 2008 at 8:47 am

       What happened?

       • 

         katiebird on February 1, 2008 at 8:58 am

         I got a crazy database error or about 3 minutes.  Then it cleared up.

   • 

     idredit on February 1, 2008 at 9:32 am

     “Because of new cost pressures here, American consumers could see prices increase by as much as 10 percent this year on specific products — including toys, clothing, footwear and other consumer goods — just as the United States faces a possible recession.”

     my pea brain asks: if the annual rate of inflation is equal in both countries, how do exports from one to the other raises the receiving country’s rate of inflation?

     Blame is the fall of the $USD; the world’s reserve currency –  in which goods for exports, commodities are sold. The NYT’s article appears to avoid the decline of the dollar.

     from my read of financial analysts and economists, it has been positioned one contributing factor to higher prices of Chinese and other imported goods (inflation)is the fall in value of U.S. dollar.

     the same goes for price of oil. The Gulf States are reconsidering (Qatar heads the list) being pegged to the US dollar, as it remains in free fall

2. 

   CabinGirl on February 1, 2008 at 8:39 am

   has a significant effect on people’s willingness to buy a $4 cup of coffee: NYT

   At the very least, Starbucks will smell like coffee again.

   As part of a turnaround plan, the beleaguered coffee giant said Wednesday that it would discontinue warm breakfast sandwiches at its stores and focus instead on healthy breakfast options and high-quality baked goods.

   “In short, the scent of the warm sandwiches interferes with the coffee aroma in our stores,” said Howard D. Schultz, the company’s chairman and chief executive.

   Mr. Schultz also announced that his company would close 100 underperforming locations in the United States while scaling back the rate of store openings domestically. At the same time, Starbucks will move more aggressively to open stores overseas, where business remains robust. He did not identify the locations that will be closed.

   Dude, the sandwich smell has nothing to do with it…it’s the sky-high pricing.

   • 

     katiebird on February 1, 2008 at 8:40 am

     It’s crazy.

3. 

   CabinGirl on February 1, 2008 at 8:46 am

   selling his story to the highest bidder: Reuters/Yahoo

   Australian David Hicks, the only Guantanamo Bay detainee convicted of terrorism charges, is at the centre of a worldwide media bidding war for his story, with a possible price tag of A$1 million (US$892,000), local media said.

   Hicks, 32, has had 30 offers from television and publishing firms in Australia, the United States and Italy, his lawyer told The Australian newspaper.

   Media analysts say Hicks’ story could fetch A$1 million, the newspaper said on Friday, but Australian laws preventing people profiting from their crimes may deny Hicks any money.

   Hicks’ father, Terry, told The Australian that most of the money paid for his son’s story would be donated to charity, but that he should keep some to compensate for his six years in prison.

   Hicks is currently prevented from talking to the media until a U.S.-gag order expires on March 26.

   Wonder how quickly the US government will get another gag order in place…I can’t see how they can let him talk about what went on there.

4. 

   Oui on February 1, 2008 at 9:42 am

   .
   The Caribean island of Aruba is part of the kingdom of the Netherlands. After three years, there appears to be a breakthrough in the murder and disappearance of Natalee Holloway. A private crime reporter has gained access to murder suspect Jorien van der Sloot via a hidden camera conversation.

   Yesterday’s Breaking News story:
   Mystery of Natalee’s Disappearance Solved

   "But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

   • 

     Oui on February 2, 2008 at 9:18 am

     .

     Aruba reopening Natalee Holloway case

     Aruban prosecutors said Friday, Feb. 1, 2008, that they are reopening their investigation into the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway after seeing secretly taped material from a Dutch journalist. Dutch reporter Peter R. de Vries has promised to broadcast on Sunday a secretly taped ‘confession’ by one of the suspects in Holloway’s May 2005 disappearance.

     
     Poster prepared and released by the Holloway family after their daughter Natalee went missing. (AP photo - Holloway Family  

     "But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

     • 

       Oui on February 2, 2008 at 9:18 am

       .
       Direct from the Netherlands:
       Suspect Jorien van der Sloot has gone into hiding.

       Source: Prosecutor seeks arrest in Holloway case

       (CNN) — Aruba’s chief public prosecutor has requested that a suspect in the Natalee Holloway case be arrested for a third time based on new evidence, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

       Hans Mos expects to hear a ruling from a judge as soon as Saturday or Sunday on the request regarding Joran van der Sloot, the source said. If the judge rules in favor of the request, van der Sloot — who is attending college in the Netherlands — would be brought back to Aruba for further questioning and investigation.

       CNN Video – Latest Report

       "But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

5. 

   idredit on February 1, 2008 at 10:08 am

   Flying while nude is the new trend, craze?

   No Groping or Hot Drinks Allowed on Naked Flight

   “One day he thought up a clothes-optional flight, and the next day he was famous. Enrico Hess, the founder of the OssiUrlaub.de travel company, spoke to SPIEGEL ONLINE about the huge interest in his naked travel service, the special in-flight rules and his future offers for Germany’s touring nudists.”

   my spouse gave me this hint: “ya know you may not need to pack so much clothes and I won’t need to lease the Queen E ocean liner to follow us everywhere and when we travel…maybe? “

   I’m not biting.

6. 

   ejmw on February 1, 2008 at 10:42 am

   At least 64 killed in 2 suicide attacks in Baghdad.

   AP via MSNBC:

   BAGHDAD – A female suicide bomber blew herself up at the main pet market in central Baghdad, killing at least 46 people and wounding dozens, police said, the deadliest bombing to strike the capital since 30,000 more American forces flooded into central Iraq last spring.

   About 20 minutes later, a second female suicide bomber struck another bird market in a predominantly Shiite area in southeastern Baghdad. That blast killed at least 18 people and wounded 25, police said.

   • 

     Oui on February 2, 2008 at 1:06 am

     .

     Mentally impaired female bombers kill 64 in Baghdad pet markets

     BAGHDAD (AFP) – Explosives strapped to two mentally impaired women were triggered by remote control in co-ordinated attacks that devastated two Baghdad pet markets on Friday and killed at least 64 people, an Iraqi official said.

     “Both women were mentally impaired, they were wearing belts containing 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds) of explosives,” said Major General Qasim Ata, spokesman for the Baghdad security plan.

     Interior and defence ministry officials put the toll from the two bombings at 64 killed and 107 wounded, while President Jalal Talabani said as many as 70 had died in “brutal attacks carried out by terrorists.”

     The bombings were the deadliest in Baghdad since August 1, when three car bombs killed more than 80 people.

     "But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

7. 

   idredit on February 1, 2008 at 10:50 am

   The Crazy File Folder:

   Yes she will. Watch the Video:  pleaase!

   via Huffpost

   Ann Coulter will campaign for Hillary if McCain is the nominee

   Ouch, poor Hillary.

   and

   go figure this new racial slur word

   to be called a ‘Canadian’ is the new racial slur?

   It was a routine e-mail from the boss sent to congratulate a junior prosecutor in Houston, Tex., who had won manslaughter convictions against an intoxicated driver.

   “He convicted Mr. Sosa of a double intoxication manslaughter, got a weak jury to give him 12 years in each, and then convinced Judge Wallace to stack the sentences,” Harris County assistant district attorney Mike Trent wrote in an office-wide memo. Then came the odd part: “He overcame a subversively good defence by Matt Hennessey that had some Canadians on the jury feeling sorry for the defendant and forced them to do the right thing.”

   The e-mail was sent in 2003 but came to light only this month as part of an unrelated controversy with his office, forcing Mr. Trent to defend himself against accusations of bigotry — not because he offended the people of Canada, but because “Canadian” has apparently become a code word for blacks among American racists.”

   as Canadians say: “go be careful there, or else we could turn off the lights, the gas, the oil and water”  Hey, Remember too, way back when in 1979, we did rescue American hostages in Iran.  Oh short, the memories.

   Barack had better watch out. He could be called the Canadian Muslim.

8. 

   dada on February 1, 2008 at 1:16 pm

   three undersea cables carrying internet and telephone communications from europe to the ME have been ‘cut’ in the past three days:

   Third undersea Internet cable cut in Mideast

   …Schoonover said the two cables damaged Wednesday collectively account for as much as three-quarters of the international communications between Europe and the Middle East, so their loss had a much bigger effect.

   Without the use of the FLAG Europe-Asia cable and SeaMeWe-4, some carriers were forced to reroute their European traffic around the globe, which could cause delays, Beckert said.

   Other carriers could use SeaMeWe-3, an older cable that remained the only direct connection from Europe to the Middle East and Asia. Because this cable is older, it has a smaller capacity than the two damaged cables, Beckert said…

   cnn

   apparently, the first two were dispatched by a ships anchor as it was attempting to moor off the coast of egypt:

   …According to reports, the internet blackout, which has left 75 million people with only limited access, was caused by a ship that tried to moor off the coast of Egypt in bad weather on Wednesday. Since then phone and internet traffic has been severely reduced across a huge swath of the region, slashed by as much as 70% in countries including India, Egypt and Dubai.

   While tens of millions have been directly affected, the impact of the blackout has spread far wider, with economies across Asia and the Middle East struggling to cope. Governments have also become directly involved, with the Egyptian communications ministry imploring surfers to stay offline so business traffic can take priority. “People who download music and films are going to affect businesses who have more important things to do,” said ministry spokesman Mohammed Taymur.

   But as backroom staff at businesses across the globe scrambled to reroute their traffic or switch on backup satellite systems, experts said the incident highlighted the fragility of a global communications network we take for granted…

   guardian uk

   what’s the old saying about bad things coming in threes…

   lTMF’sA

9. 

   dada on February 1, 2008 at 1:50 pm

   the minimum bid required in the ongoing fcc bandwith auction, he threshold for block c, which mandates an open access provision has been offered:

   FCC Auction Opens Door to Open Access

   With a burst of bids, the FCC’s latest wireless auction will be its most profitable ever–and a mobile network open to any device or service is a virtual certainty

   A sudden spurt of bidding has turned what was shaping up as a bust into the most robust auction of wireless spectrum the federal government has ever conducted, salvaging hopes for a new generation of mobile networks that are open to any device and any service.

   The weeklong auction cleared a crucial stage on Jan. 31 as the combined bids for the five swaths of spectrum being sold reached $15.64 billion, which is 14% more than the record $13.7 billion raised in 29 days of bidding during the Federal Communications Commission’s last auction a year and a half ago. Most of the blocks, each of them broken into multiple biddable chunks, have now drawn the minimum bids set by the FCC, including one of the two blocks being sold with unprecedented requirements that their eventual owners open their networks to devices and services from other companies.

   Business Week

   and more at yahoo: $4.7 Billion Bid on Prime Public Airwaves Opens Access to Cell Phone, Wireless Consumers.

   one more reason to support an open internet.

   there’s a revolution in wifi coming and it’s going to be very interesting to see who the players are and how it’ll shake out.

   lTMF’sA