Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold you head high, look it squarely in eye and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.

via ScribeFire

Canadian Arctic nearly loses entire ice shelf

 Yahoo! News

Two ice shelves that existed before Canada was settled by Europeans diminished significantly this summer, one nearly disappearing altogether, Canadian scientists say in new research.

The loss is important as a marker of global warming, returning the Canadian Arctic to conditions that date back thousands of years, scientists say. Floating icebergs that have broken free as a result pose a risk to offshore oil facilities and potentially to shipping lanes. The breaking apart of the ice shelves also reduces the environment that supports microbial life and changes the look of Canada's coastline.

Luke Copland is an associate professor in the geography department at the University of Ottawa who co-authored the research. He said the Serson Ice Shelf shrank from 79.15 square miles (205 square kilometers) to two remnant sections three years ago, and was further diminished this past summer.

Copland said the shelf went from a 16-square-mile (42-square-kilometer) floating glacier tongue to 9.65 square miles (25 square kilometers), and the second section from 13.51 square miles (35 square kilometers) to 2 square miles (7 square kilometers), off Ellesmere Island's northern coastline.

This past summer, Ward Hunt Ice Shelf's central area disintegrated into drifting ice masses, leaving two separate ice shelves measuring 87.65 and 28.75 square miles (227 and 74 square kilometers) respectively, reduced from 131.7 square miles (340 square kilometers) the previous year.

"It has dramatically broken apart in two separate areas and there's nothing in between now but water," said Copland.

Copland said those two losses are significant, especially since the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf has always been the biggest, the farthest north and the one scientists thought might have been the most stable.

"Recent (ice shelf) loss has been very rapid, and goes hand-in-hand with the rapid sea ice decline we have seen in this decade and the increasing warmth and extensive melt in the Arctic regions," said Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, remarking on the research.

Copland, who uses satellite imagery and who has conducted field work in the Arctic every May for the past five years, said since the end of July, pieces equaling one and a half times the size of Manhattan Island have broken off. Co-researcher Derek Mueller, an assistant professor at Carleton University's geography and environmental studies department, said the loss this past summer equals up to three billion tons. Copland said their findings have not yet been peer reviewed since the research is new, but a number of scientists contacted by The Associated Press reviewed the findings, agreeing the loss in volume of ice shelves is significant.

Scambos said the loss of the Arctic shelves is significant because they are old and their rapid loss underscores the severity of the warming trend scientists see now relative to past fluctuations such as the Medieval Warm Period or the warmer times in the pre-Current Era (B.C.).

Ice shelves, which began forming at least 4,500 years ago, are much thicker than sea ice, which is typically less than a few feet (meters) thick and survives up to several years.

Canada has the most extensive ice shelves in the Arctic along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island. These floating ice masses are typically 131 feet (40 meters) thick (equivalent to a 10-story building), but can be as much as 328 feet (100 meters) thick. They thickened over time via snow and sea ice accumulation, along with glacier inflow in certain places.

The northern coast of Ellesmere Island contains the last remaining ice shelves in Canada, with an estimated area of 217 square miles (563 square kilometers), Mueller said.

Between 1906 and 1982, there has been a 90 percent reduction in the areal extent of ice shelves along the entire coastline, according to data published by W.F. Vincent at Quebec's Laval University. The former extensive "Ellesmere Island Ice Sheet" was reduced to six smaller, separate ice shelves: Serson, Petersen, Milne, Ayles, Ward Hunt and Markham. In 2005, the Ayles Ice Shelf whittled almost completely away, as did the Markham Ice Shelf in 2008 and the Serson this year.

"The impact is significant and yet only a piece of the ongoing and accelerating response to warming of the Arctic," said Dr. Robert Bindschadler, emeritus scientist at the Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Ponzi scheme's Rick Perry

Can Rick Perry Regain His Momentum? : NPR

Texas Gov. Rick Perry rocketed to the top of the field after he jumped in the race for the GOP nomination for president last month.

His early rise in the polls was based on what Republican voters thought they knew about him. But the debates gave Republicans a chance to see Perry in action — and the normally aggressive Texas governor has been forced into the uncomfortable position of defense.

"No other candidate ... has the record that I have," he said last weekend in Michigan. "Yep, there may be slicker candidates and there may be smoother debaters, but I know what I believe in."

A Wobbly Debate Performance

There were three key moments in last week's Orlando, Fla., debate where Perry undercut himself. The first came when he defended his support of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants:

"If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought there, by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," he said.

He's the only governor in this country that can actually say that he's been a job creator, his state's been a job creator during this recession. And that's a message that is resonating with voters.

- Florida Republican strategist Eric Eikenberg

Calling people who disagree with you heartless is not a great way to win their votes. And Perry has since acknowledged that was a poor choice of words.

But that wasn't Perry's only problem in the Orlando debate. He also seemed unprepared when asked a predictable foreign-policy question about what he'd do if Pakistan's nuclear weapons fell into the wrong hands:

"Well obviously, before you ever get to that point, you have to build a relationship in that region. That's one of the things that this administration has not done. Yesterday, we found out through Adm. Mullen that Haqqani has been involved with — and that's the terrorist group directly associated with the Pakistani country. So to have a relationship with India, to make sure that India knows that they are an ally of the United States."

And when he tried to attack Mitt Romney with a list of well-known flip-flops, he seemed tongue-tied:

"Is it the Mitt Romney that was on the side of, against the Second Amendment before he was for the Second Amendment? Was it — was before — he was before these social programs, from the standpoint of, he was for standing up for Roe vs. Wade before he was against, verse — Roe vs. Wade?"

A Rick Perry Problem

Perry's unsteady performance set many Republicans to wondering whether he was ready for a presidential campaign or, for that matter, the White House.

Bruce Keough is a Republican activist who had been Romney's New Hampshire state chairman in 2008. But he publicly broke with Romney earlier this year and was looking for another candidate to support. He said he was interested in Perry.

Larry Flynt is about to expose GOP hypocrisy

Porn mogul crusades to expose GOP hypocrisy - Yahoo! News

Larry Flynt is at it again, looking for the next big political sex scandal. And this time his target is Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Last Friday Flynt posted online a $1 million offer to anyone who can provide evidence of gay or straight sexual encounters with Perry. “Can you provide documented evidence of illicit sexual or intimate relations with the governor?” Flynt writes. “Larry Flynt and HUSTLER Magazine will pay you up to $1 million if we choose to publish your verified story and use your material.”
Reuters reported Friday that Larry Flynt Productions bought full-page ads in The Onion and the Austin Chronicle, and alternative Texas newspaper. Flynt told Reuters, “We’ve found running these ads were very successful in finding sources to come forward.” A representative from the pornographic magazine Hustler commented on the investigation: “We’ve gotten a lot of calls and feedback. Whenever you have a tip line, you get a lot of stuff. We thoroughly investigate everything, there is a precedent.”

In a telephone interview with The Daily Caller, Flynt said he doesn’t necessarily expect past Perry flings to come forward, but emphasized that any information is welcome. “If anyone’s got something that wants the reward, we process the information,” he told theDC. “The only difference between us and New York Times is we pay for information but that means the information is bad.”

Flynt is a veteran of tip-line scandal crowdsourcing. “I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years,” he said. “This is no different. I don’t care about exposing something sex wise, but it’s the hypocrisy I want to expose, to put it out there.”

Flynt’s motivation for fanning the flames of sex scandal is exposing hypocrisy among family-values Republicans. “Conventional wisdom in Washington is that if Democrats are, its sex; if its Republicans, its money. But that’s not true — it’s just the opposite. Republicans are scandalized by sex and with Democrats its money.”

Not that he’s only interested in skin sensationalism. “We don’t just look for sexual improprieties; we also look for financial improprieties.” Sources can even use the same hotline number.

Flynt said he began hearing chatter immediately after Rick Perry announced his presidential candidacy. “As soon as he announced, there was rumblings. There were lots of rumors, in the Austin area … Rumors that he was bisexual or having affairs.”

Are Cooking Oils Good for You?

Are Cooking Oils Good for You?

Nutritionist Joy Bauer, RD, shares all the information you need to know about fats and oils, including learning how hydrogenated fat is hidden on labels and the difference between virgin and extra-virgin olive oil. Armed with these essential tips, you'll be ready for any situation in the kitchen.

Q: Are there any oils I should avoid totally?

Yes: The worst type of oil is an ingredient in packaged foods including some stick margarines, baked goods, chips, crackers and candy. I’m talking about partially hydrogenated oils—or trans fats, which is how they’re listed on Nutrition Facts panels on labels. Partially hydrogenated oil is vegetable oil that has been chemically altered so it’s less likely to spoil. Food manufacturers often add it to their products because it can help foods stay fresh longer.

But even in very small amounts, partially hydrogenated oil can wreak havoc on your heart health. It lowers levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and it even increases your risk for diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1% of your total daily calories come from trans fat. This translates to less than 2 grams for women, who typically need fewer than 2,000 calories per day. If a food contains trans fat, it’ll be listed below Saturated Fat in the “Total Fat” column.

Q: For the record, which is better: butter or olive oil?

From a health standpoint, olive oil is the better choice. But butter still has its place. All oils are a mixture of fats including monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and saturated fatty acids (SFA)—but in each
oil (and in butter, too, which is basically a solidified oil), one type of fat dominates.

Olive oil is predominantly rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, which decreases your risk for cardiovascular disease by lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol. On the other hand, butter is mostly saturated fat, which increases LDL cholesterol and causes inflammation in your body. So generally, it’s best to use olive oil.

However, the distinctive smell, flavor and consistency of butter works best in certain baked goods—including cakes, cookies and pastries—so it’s OK to make these occasionally and enjoy the butter. Another butter-vs.-oil difference: Because butter is solid at room temperature, you have more control over how much (or how little) of it you spread on bread; with olive oil, it’s difficult to gauge how much oil is absorbed. So dip lightly!

Q: What’s the difference between regular olive oil, virgin and extra-virgin?

Simply put, olive oil is made by crushing olives to make a paste that’s then put under a press. If the oil that comes out has a low acidity and a good taste and smell, it’s labeled extra-virgin or virgin. (Virgin is slightly lower quality than extra-virgin.) These types are ideal to use for bread dunking, drizzling on veggies and other foods, and making salad dressings, since their delicate flavor and aroma will be lost when heated (some chefs still prefer to use extra-virgin for cooking). The deeper the color, the more intense the olive flavor.

If the oil is highly acidic or not great quality, it’s refined and mixed with virgin or extra-virgin oil to make “regular” olive oil; this all-purpose oil is good for cooking.

The heart-health benefits of all types of olive oil are pretty much the same, although the virgin and extra-virgin ones have extra antioxidants.

Q: How can oils be healthy if they’re so fattening?

Oils may be “fattening” in the sense that they’re pretty high in calories compared with other foods. All oils have around 120 calories per Tbsp, so you can easily gain weight if you use too much. Even butter has fewer calories than oil (100 per Tbsp of butter) because of its water content. What’s more, “whipped” butter sold in a tub has even fewer calories—about 60 to 70 per Tbsp, thanks to the air that’s been incorporated into the mix. And tub “light” margarine spreads have only 30 to 50 calories per Tbsp.

But since oils contain fats that are good for you, you’re better off getting that 120 calories from a healthy oil rather than stick or tub butter. By the way, if you’re inclined to cut out fats entirely, don’t: We do need some fat to be healthy. Without it, our bodies can’t absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K, and we miss out on fatty acids that are essential for the health of your skin, hair, heart and brain—and just about every other part of your body.

Q: How should I store oils?

Heat, light and oxygen degrade oils, which makes them turn rancid more quickly and actually promotes the formation of cancer-causing compounds called free radicals. The more polyunsaturated fats an oil contains, the more susceptible to rancidity it becomes.

Oils rich in PUFAs, such as walnut and flaxseed, are best stored in the fridge in tightly capped containers. MUFAs, such as those found in olive oil, are a bit more hardy, but you should still protect oils that contain them by keeping the lid on tightly and storing them in a dark place far from the stove or other heat source. Saturated fats, such as butter, can withstand more heat, light and oxygen, but you should still refrigerate sat-fat–rich butter, because it contains milk solids, which can go rancid. If you store oils correctly, most will last about six months to one year.

When you’re shopping for oils, reach for bottles at the back of the shelf, since that’s where they are more protected from harsh lighting that can make them go bad. Check the bottle for an expiration date (most oils have one), and every time you open a bottle, give it a whiff to make sure it doesn’t smell rancid.

Al-Qaida rejects Iran's 9/11 conspiracy theories

 - Yahoo! News

Al-Qaida has sharply criticized Iran's president over his suggestions that the United States government was behind the Sept. 11 attacks and not al-Qaida, dismissing the comments as "ridiculous."

During his trip to New York last week for the U.N. General Assembly, Ahmadinejad claimed in an interview with The Associated Press that explosive material and not planes brought down the World Trade Center. He stopped short of saying the United States staged the disaster, but said that as an engineer, he's sure New York's twin towers were not brought down by jetliners.

"A few airplanes without previous coordination known to the security forces and the intelligence community in the United States cannot become missiles and target the heart of the United States," Ahmadinejad said.

In an article posted online Wednesday in the terror network's English-language Internet magazine "Inspire," al-Qaida rejected the Iranian leader's suggestions.

"Why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?" asked the article's author, Abu Suhail. He said Iran wanted to portray itself as a country that stands up to the U.S.

For Iran, anti-Americanism is merely a game of politics. It is anti-American when its suits it and it is a collaborator with the U.S. when it suits it," Abu Suhail said.

He cited a number of examples of when Iran allegedly cooperated with the U.S., including in the invasion of Afghanistan. He also said the Shiites in Iraq, who are supported by Iran, "brought the American forces to the country and welcome them with open arms."

Abu Suhail said Iran is jealous of al-Qaida's "success" in the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that because Tehran couldn't strike at the U.S. itself, the Iranians want to "to discredit Sept. 11 and what better way to do so than conspiracy theories."

He said Iran and the Shiites opposed giving al-Qaida credit for the 9/11 attacks "because this would expose their lip-service to jihad (holy war) against the Great Satan," a term Iranian officials have used to describe the U.S.

Al-Qaida mainly embraces Sunni militants, and is bitterly hostile toward Shiites, who make up the vast majority of Iran.

Late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in his many audio and video messages praised the attacks several times and in 2004 he publicly acknowledged al-Qaida's involvement and two years later asserted his responsibility for the attacks in an audio message defending Zacarias Moussaoui, who was undergoing a trial for his participation in the attacks.

In the U.S., the National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted a probe that took six years to complete of the tower collapses; the last report found that fire caused the collapse of 7 World Trade Center, a skyscraper north of the twin towers.

In the collapses of the twin towers, the agency found that extreme heat from the jetliner crashes caused some steel beams to lose strength, causing further failures in the building until the entire structure succumbed.

When did respect turn into political correctness? : BC , AD, BCE, CE

 | Giles Fraser | Comment is free | The Guardian

The politics of being offended are complicated and subtle. In the first instance there are those who claim to be offended by (take your pick) cartoons of the prophet, by Page 3, by replacing references to "Christmas" with "winter holidays". Some are genuinely offended by these things, and some feign offence as leverage for some desired change. On the other hand, there are also those who point the finger at people who are allegedly claiming offence when they are really doing no such thing.

Take the latest nonsense. The BBC has advised that BC (as in Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) ought to be changed to BCE (Before the Christian Era) and CE (Christian Era). Familiar voices on the right – and more specifically those who have a track record of bashing the BBC (I know, this is all becoming very acronym-heavy) – have got all steamed up about it.

Predictably, London mayor Boris Johnson got the boot in early: "The BBC needs to stop spending time and money on this sort of footling political correctness. Someone needs to get out down the corridor and find the individual who passed this edict and give him or her a figurative kick in the pants."

And Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips has added her two pennies' worth: "The idea that any of us would be offended by anyone else using BC and AD would be totally ridiculous. How could we possibly take offence, since these are the commonly used and understood expressions?" "Political correctness gone mad" is a phrase they have on cut and paste to use for every occasion.

The funny thing is, she admits that she employs BCE herself: "Along with many other Jewish people I sometimes use CE and BCE, since the terms BC and AD are not appropriate to me." So why is it so hard to understand the BBC wanting to use these terms as broadcasting standard? At theological college, where I trained to be a priest, the use of BCE was pretty standard practice. And this was more years ago than I care to remember. So there is nothing new here. As far as I know, not even Richard Dawkins is suggesting we abandon the whole calendar so as to purge our culture of insidious Christian references (AD: After Dawkins? – I don't think so).

This has nothing to do with faith. As Boris admits: "My faith is like a very wonky aerial, and I sometimes find the signal pretty scratchy." No, this is all about having a go at the BBC. And no doubt these writers would like a pop at the CofE, too – after all, they are the last two nationalised industries. But actually no one is offended here. And no one is using being offended on another's behalf to drive forward some politically correct agenda. It's called simple respect for difference. And long may it continue.

Indon politicians should follow Choi Joong Kyung as a role model!

Here in Indonesia..ministers have a thick face. They are disgusting and never feel ashamed of any wrongdoings they made. Even they have corrupted people money, they will never resign...shame on them!
South Korean minister resigns to take responsibility for blackout

A top economic official in charge of energy stepped down on Tuesday to take responsibility for a rare blackout that sparked fury in South Korea.

Knowledge Economy Minister Choi Joong Kyung offered his resignation at a cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Myung Bak, Mr Choi's office said.

Mr Choi had been under pressure to step down since the Sept 15 outage hit more than 2.1 million households and other premises with rolling blackouts lasting up to one hour.

About 2,900 people were trapped in lifts, traffic lights were out in many cities and factory assembly lines came to a temporary halt when power authorities cut the supply because reserves were dangerously low.

Investasi (Saham) Jangka Panjang Belum Tentu Menguntungkan

Rudiyanto » Apakah Investasi (Saham) Jangka Panjang Pasti Menguntungkan?

Dalam pemasaran produk reksa dana, biasanya disebutkan bahwa produk reksa dana cocok untuk investor yang memiliki tujuan investasi dalam 3 atau 5 tahun ke depan. Ada juga yang menyebutkan 3 tahun terlalu pendek dan mengkategorikan reksa dana saham hanya cocok bagi investor yang memiliki tujuan investasi untuk 5 tahun mendatang atau lebih. Dari proses tersebut, secara tidak langsung terbentuk persepsi bahwa investasi di reksa dana saham dikhususkan bagi investor yang memiliki tujuan investasi di atas 5 tahun.

Meski demikian, ternyata periode 5 tahun belum tentu merupakan periode waktu investasi dimana investor pasti akan untung. Investor saham yang berinvestasi sebesar Rp 100 juta pada akhir 2002 dan menjual seluruhnya pada akhir 2007 akan mendapati bahwa dananya sudah berkembang menjadi Rp 646 juta. Sebaliknya dana Rp 100 juta yang diinvestasi pada akhir tahun 1993 dan dijual seluruhnya pada akhir 1998 hanya akan tersisa Rp 68 juta. Dengan fakta di atas, maka Probabilitas (kemungkinan) bahwa Investor akan mengalami kerugian setelah investasi 5 tahun tetap ada.

Dividen Astra Internasional (ASII)

 ASII bakal bagi-bagi dividen Rp 600 per saham - Kontan Online

cum dividen dijadwalkan berlangsung pada 26 Oktober 2011 dan pembayaran dividen interim pada 14 November 2011

The right to pray

The right to pray - 101 East - Al Jazeera English

Indonesia has long been proud of its diverse ethnicity, cultures and spiritual beliefs. But recent attacks on minority groups like the Ahmadiyah sect and on Christian churches have critics claiming that religious tolerance is on the decline.

Last month, a mob stoned and beat to death three Ahmadiyah followers in West Java, Indonesia. The Ahmadiyah are a sect who say they are Muslims but who believe their founder was the last prophet rather than Mohammed.

In 2008, the Indonesian government issued a joint ministerial decree that bans the Ahmadiyah from practising their faith in public or spreading the belief.

Critics say a lack of leadership on the issue from the president down offers tacit approval to Islamic hardliners that is fuelling a growing intolerance in parts of the country, particularly of religious minorities.

This week on 101 East we ask what freedom of religion really means in modern-day Indonesia. How is religious freedom being protected in this secular nation?

Boo the Pomeranian : The cutest dog

Boo the Pomeranian: 'World's cutest dog' has millions of Facebook fans and a book | Mail Online

Is this the cutest dog in the world? Boo the Pomeranian has millions of fans and his own book

He has nearly two million fans and a book deal. But Boo isn't a reality TV star, actor or a pop singer - he's a pet dog.

The five-year-old Pomeranian has the fame most celebrities dream of after amassing 1.79million fans on social networking site Facebook.

And Boo is also a hit with the ladies. He attracted the attention of Hollywood stars including Khloe Kardashian, who posted a picture of the dog on her blog last year and singer Ke$ha, who Tweeted that Boo was 'her new boyfriend.'

Since then, Boo's Facebook page, launched in 2009, has gone viral, receiving thousands of new fans a day.

Gold eyes biggest 3-day fall in 28 years, investors flee

- Yahoo! News

Gold was set for its biggest three-day loss in 28 years on Monday, as investors fled commodity markets in a scramble to secure cash in the face of mounting fear over the impact of a potential Greek debt default on the rest of the euro zone.

European policymakers began working on new ways to stop fallout from Greece's near-bankruptcy from inflicting more damage on the world economy after stinging criticism for failing to stem the debt crisis.

European equities fell, while industrial commodities such as crude oil and base metals bore the brunt of investor desire for cash in the face of mounting uncertainty.

In the last three days alone, gold has fallen by nearly 10 percent in its largest three-day slide since February 1983 and implied volatility has risen to a 2-1/2 year high.

Spot gold was last down 3.0 percent on the day at $1,621.49 an ounce by 0903 GMT, having fallen earlier by as much as 7.4 percent, putting the difference between the intraday high and low at $128.40, the largest daily price swing on record.

"It shows you that at times of extreme stress, there is not a suitable substitute to liquidity and although gold is liquid by metal standards, in comparison to treasuries, when you get this kind of flight to cash, then it really is cash that counts and that means U.S. dollars," said Credit Suisse analyst Tom Kendall.

"The markets are going to continue to react this week to the political situation within Europe and I don't see any quick resolution or stimulus coming to the markets."

After a weekend of being told by the United States, China and other countries that they must get more aggressive in their crisis response, European officials focused on ways to beef up their existing 440 billion-euro rescue fund.

Deep differences remained over whether the European Central Bank should commit more of its massive resources to shoring up Europe's banks and help struggling euro zone member countries.

How to buy gold made in Antam

Logam Mulia - Precious Metals Refinery | Payment Procedure

Payment Procedure

Payment can be done in three different ways of payment procedures:

1. Direct payments in place

The maximum cash payment of Rp50.000.000, 00 (fifty million rupiah) and
the rest can be done through transfers (debit ATM BCA / MANDIRI). to debit ATM
Gold MANDIRI maximum USD 10,000,000.00 and maximum ATM MANDIRI Silver
USD $ 5,000,000.00. While BCA Platinum ATM debit maximum Rp 75,000,000.00,
ATM BCA maximum Rp 25,000,000.00 Gold and Silver ATM BCA
maximum of USD 15,000,000.00.

2. Transfer payments

- Transfer between Bank
- Transfer via Internet Banking
- Transfer via ATM

For transfer payments, must be confirmed first by Section
Marketing by phone (021) 299 80 900 or (021) 475 7108. Evidence or proof of transfer
deposits, was taken immediately if the goods will be taken on the same day, if the goods will b
taken in the next day, proof of transfer or fax proof of deposit must be first to
no. 47863043 or 4750665 with the transaction information includes, among others: Name,
No. Identity, no. the customer calls and types of products purchased in order to
allows us to identify customers. Pick up 5 (five) working days from the date of the transaction.

Obtaining that exceed the time limit will be charged the amount of which will
determined later. Recommended transfer payments through Bank Mandiri or
BCA, for the acceleration of the process of entry, but when using other banks
can use the RTGS facility to our account as follows:

- Bank Mandiri Cabang Pulogadung
A/C. No.125 0079000063 A/N. PT. Antam Tbk UBPP Logam Mulia.
- Bank BCA Cabang Kelapa Gading Villa
A/C. No. 413.300.5393 A/N. PT. Aneka Tambang.

* Cost of transfers to the customer load.

3. Delivery of goods or services performed after the transfer or payment has been confirmed
credited to the account of PT Antam UBPP Logam Mulia.

Racism? : Shawn Lewis and the idea of the "Increase Diversity Bake Sale"

US students spark racism row with bake sale - Yahoo! News

A California students' group has sparked a racism and sexism row over plans for a bake sale in which people are charged according to their ethnic background and gender.

Campus Republicans at the University of California, Berkeley say critics have overreacted to their event planned for this week, which they insist is a protest over affirmative action.

The group's Facebook page lists the price of baked goods at the sale according to race: $2 for whites, $1.50 for Asians, $1 for Hispanics, $0.75 for blacks and $0.25 for Native Americans.

"$0.25 FOR ALL WOMEN!" it added.

Campus Republican President Shawn Lewis said the idea of the "Increase Diversity Bake Sale" was to highlight a legislative bill to let California public universities consider race and gender in their admissions process.

He said they planned to go ahead with the sale on Tuesday despite protests and threats. "We didn't expect the volume, the amount of response that we got," he told CNN.

"In the first few hours, hundreds of posts on our Facebook page. And the tone of some of the responses -- we expected people to be upset. We didn't expect personal threats to be made.

"They were implicit and explicit threats made to the organizers of the event, from burning down the table to throwing our baked goods at us and other kinds of physical threats."

But the famous US college's student Democrats president Anais LaVoie has asked for an apology.

"The way they made the statement, the words that they used, the fact that they humorized and mocked the struggles of people of color on this campus is very disgusting to me," LaVoie said, cited by ABC television.

Stocks may be cheap. But they can get cheaper yet

 - Yahoo! News

For months, analysts who write reports praising or panning stocks have been saying they were cheap. Investors were unconvinced, buying one day, selling the next. Last week, they mostly sold, and stocks got cheaper yet.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose slightly Friday but closed the week down 6.4 percent, its worst showing since the depths of the financial crisis three years ago. In the broader Standard & Poor's 500, the selling pushed down all variety of stocks — sexy high techs and staid utilities, risky small companies and cash-rich big ones.

Stock prices compared to expected profits are now nearly as low as they were in March 2009, a 12-year nadir that marked the beginning of one of the greatest bull markets in history.

Have investors sold too much, as they did back then?

"I'd be buying the market," says Citigroup's chief U.S. strategist Tobias Levkovitch, who warned that prices were too high in the spring. Says Harris Private Bank's Jack Ablin, who sold $6 billion or so of stock in August, "We're sharpening our pencils to figure out when to get back in."

Who's right — or who's about to play the fool — may turn on earnings, or rather, analysts' estimates of how fast they will grow.

Recently, they've been cutting them for companies in the S&P 500 as fears of another recession spread. But they're still predicting they will earn 13 percent more earnings in the three months through September than they did in the same period a year ago, according to data provider FactSet. That would mark the eighth straight quarter of double-digit gains. And for the full year, analysts say earnings will hit a record.

"You can toss (those estimates) in the garbage," says Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at brokerage Miller Tabak & Co. "Will Greece go bankrupt? What will be the extent of the global economic slowdown? I can't get that out of an analyst report."

If history is any guide, more cuts from analysts are coming.

One ominous sign: Those who changed their estimates this month chose to cut them more than six out 10 times, according to Citigroup. Early last month, raised estimates outnumbered lowered ones by nearly the same ratio.

Analysts are easy to bash. They usually tend to far too optimistic, cheering on stocks long after they've headed down. Now they want us to believe that companies can continue making record profits in the face of falling housing prices, tightfisted consumers, sputtering U.S. growth and a European debt crisis that is pushing a crucial market for U.S. exports closer to recession.

But it's worth remembering that it's been the naysayers, the investors, and not the optimistic analysts, who've mostly been wrong lately.

At the start of the bull market, investors worried that companies couldn't generate enough profits in such an anemic economy. Then companies cut expenses to the bone, and profits soared. Investors next worried that companies wouldn't be able to sell more, and that profits were bound to fall. And then companies defied expectations again with higher revenue, much of it overseas.

In fact, if anything, analysts haven't been optimistic enough. For several quarters, nearly three out four companies have posted profits greater than analysts had estimated, FactSet says.

At Friday's close, the S&P 500 was trading at 10.6 times analyst estimates for earnings over the next 12 months. That's low for this so-called earnings multiple, which could mean stocks are cheap. When stocks bottomed on March 9, 2009, they were trading at 10.4 times estimated earnings. The 10-year average is 15.

Of course, the multiple might not look so appetizing in hindsight if companies' results show the estimates were too high.

That won't be clear at least for another two weeks when companies start reporting third-quarter results. But already investors are getting a taste of might be in store.

On Thursday, FedEx Corp., the world's second-biggest package delivery company, met earnings expectations for the three months that ended in August. But it cut its target for full-year earnings, citing a slowdown in shipments from Asia. The stock fell to a two-year low.

Then, after the markets closed, some good news. Nike, the world's largest athletic shoe maker, posted surprisingly strong earnings. It cited robust sales in India and China. The stock rose 5.3 percent Friday.

"The highest growth for companies has been in the emerging markets," says John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet. "We're getting mixed signals."

The good news is that even if analysts ended up playing the fools this time, stocks could still rise.

Harris Private Bank's Ablin says analysts are "out to lunch" with their cheery projections. But he thinks investors may have overreacted, too. He says they're selling as if earnings will fall 20 percent or so next year, which he thinks won't happen.

"Investors are so dour, reality could surprise," he says.

Thaksin lectured Yingluck's ministers via Skype

Puppet PM???
Thai PM under fire after exiled brother joins ministers' meeting via webcam | World news | guardian.co.uk

The Thai prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is facing criticism for allowing her brother, the deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra, to summon government ministers for a meeting by webcam from his self-imposed exile abroad.

Thaksin, a twice-elected former prime minister deposed in a 2006 coup and convicted of graft two years later, is widely believed to be the dominant force behind the two-month-old administration of his sister, a political novice.

Recent events have erased all doubt for many, raising questions over whether the 62-year-old billionaire, who remains revered by the rural masses as much as he is reviled by the royalist elite, is making a new, overt grab for power.

On Wednesday, Thaksin joined a meeting with Thai ministers at Yingluck's party headquarters via Skype.

"Ministers squirmed uncomfortably in their chairs as Thaksin acted like a teacher, 'lecturing' some of them who failed to measure up at the tension-filled meeting, which lasted for more than two hours," the Bangkok Post newspaper reported on Friday.

Thaksin went into detail on plans for a big increase in the minimum wage and a rice intervention plan, it said, adding that he would chair similar meetings each week. Only ministers and deputy ministers from Yingluck's Puea Thai party were involved, but the party has the bulk of cabinet positions.

"It has been clearly shown who is the real prime minister," said the opposition chief whip, Jurin Laksanawisit, calling Yingluck a "puppet". "The prime minister should realise that the cabinet chief is the head of the country, not the head of the family."

The move appeared risky for Yingluck, who had no political experience before entering Thailand's general election.

"Thaksin has been pulling the strings for a while behind the scenes. Now he has decided to come out publicly," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a fellow at Singapore's Institute of South-east Asian Studies. "But he pushes too hard, moves too fast, and thus leaves too little room for Yingluck to breathe."

Yingluck, chosen by Thaksin to lead her party, galvanised supporters and won a convincing victory. But she has been unable to shake off the charge she is a lightweight proxy leader, keeping the seat warm until her brother can return.

Thaksin is at the heart of Thailand's long-running political crisis and his apparent involvement in the government is bound to antagonise his enemies in military and nationalist circles.

His populist policies were opposed by the royalist elite but won over the poor, who gave him two overwhelming election victories before he was toppled by the military in 2006. He fled into exile in 2008, shortly before being found guilty of graft.

Yingluck played down the Skype episode.

"It was a normal chat, just with Puea Thai ministers, not the whole cabinet. Thaksin called during the end of the meeting to show support to all, not to advise on anything," she said.

No one will be surprised if Thaksin wants to influence policy, but he is still, in theory, on the run from a two-year jail sentence and his presence at the meeting is provocative.

"This is the government's weak point that opposition sides will use to attack Thaksin and Puea Thai, but it won't make the government collapse," said the political analyst Kan Yuenyong at Siam Intelligence Unit.

Previous pro-Thaksin administrations have been brought down by the courts and undermined in the street by the ultra-nationalist, yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy. Pro-Thaksin "red shirts" have also held protests since 2005, including a two-month rally in Bangkok last year in which more than 90 people were killed, including civilians and troops.

Saudi king allows women to vote in local elections

 - Yahoo! News

Saudi King Abdullah announced Sunday that the nation's women will gain the right to vote and run as candidates in local elections to be held in 2015 in a major advancement for the rights of women in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

In this Nov. 11, 2010 file photo, Saudi woman with cellphones smoke
tobacco from a waterpipe as they drink coffee in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In an annual speech before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council, the Saudi monarch said he ordered the step after consulting with the nation's top religious clerics, whose advice carries great weight in the kingdom.

"We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Sharia," Abdullah said, referring to the Islamic law that governs many aspects of life in the kingdom.

The right to vote is by far the biggest change introduced by Abdullah, considered a reformer, since he became the country's de facto ruler in 1995 during the illness of King Fahd. Abdullah formally ascended to the throne upon Fahd's death in August 2005.

The kingdom's great oil wealth and generous handouts to citizens have largely insulated it from the unrest sweeping the Arab world. But the king has taken steps to quiet rumblings of discontent that largely centered on the eastern oil-producing region populated by the country's Shiite Muslim minority.

Mindful of the unrest, which reached Saudi Arabia's doorstep with street protests and a deadly crackdown in neighboring Bahrain, King Abdullah pledged roughly $93 billion in financial support to boost jobs and services for Saudis in March.

Seizing on the season of protest in the Arab world, Saudi women's groups have also staged public defiance of the kingdom's ban on female driving. Saudi authorities went relatively easy on the women, who took to the roads earlier this year and gained worldwide attention through social media.

Abdullah said the changes announced Sunday would also allow women to be appointed to the Shura Council, the advisory body selected by the king that is currently all-male.

The council, established in 1993, offers opinions on general policies in the kingdom and debates economic and social development plans and agreements signed between the kingdom and other nations.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, follows deeply conservative social traditions and adheres closely to a strict version of Islam. Despite Abdullah's attempts to push through some social reforms, women still cannot drive and the sexes are segregated in public.

Saudi Arabia held its first-ever municipal elections in 2005.

The kingdom will hold its next municipal elections on Thursday, but women will not be able to vote or run in those contests.

In announcing the reforms, Abdullah sought to ground his decision in religion.

"Muslim women in our Islamic history have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice," he said, citing examples from the era of Islam's Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century.

He said the members of Saudi Arabia's clerical council, or Ulema, praised and supported his decision.

He also acknowledged the yearning for greater social freedoms in the kingdom.

"Balanced modernization, which falls within our Islamic values, is an important demand in an era where there is no place for defeatist or hesitant people," he said.

In January, a group of female activists launched a campaign on social networking websites to push the kingdom to allow women to vote and run in the municipal elections.

Suicide bombing at Bethel Church, Solo,Indonesia

This bomber uses religion to kill other people. What a pathetic! I was wondering when this country free from those lunatic people using religion to murder?
Suicide bombing at Indonesian church injures 22 - Yahoo! News

A suicide bomber blew himself up inside an Indonesian church as hundreds of worshippers were filing out after the Sunday service, injuring at least 22 people, police said.

The bomber's mangled body lay at the entrance of the Tenth Bethel Gospel Church. Around him, screaming people were splattered in blood.

Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said the low-intensity device appeared to be attached to the man's stomach.

"We are now waiting for DNA test results to confirm his identity," Pradopo said. "We hope to reveal it soon."

A woman working at an Internet cafe near the church in the Central Java town of Solo said the man had visited her shop an hour before the explosion and browsed websites about al-Qaida and a local Islamist group.

He left a bag behind containing a copy of the Quran, a mask and a cellphone charger, Rina Ristriningsih told The Associated Press. She said all of the items had been confiscated by police.

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation of 237 million, has been hit by a string of suicide bombings blamed on the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah and its offshoots since 2002, when a strike on two Bali nightclubs killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.

Subsequent attacks targeting restaurants and hotels have been far less deadly, however, and the last occurred more than two years ago, thanks in large to a security crackdown that led to the arrests and convictions of dozens of suspects.

But bombings by solo "jihadis" targeting Christians, security officers and Islamic sects deemed blasphemous by hard-liners have continued.

Djoko Suyanto, a top security minister, told reporters that Sunday's attack should serve as a reminder that prospective suicide bombers, some without clear motives, are still out there.

It appeared that the bomber entered the church through a side door, mingled with worshippers, and then, when the service was over, headed out with them.

He detonated his device near the entrance, killing himself and wounding at least 22 people, said Pradopo, the police chief.

"Everyone was screaming," Fani, a witness, told Metro TV. Like many Indonesians she goes by only one name.

"I saw fiery sparks and, near the entrance, a man dead on the ground, his entrails spilling out. People around him were splattered with blood."

Members of the congregation said they did not recognize the bomber.

"He walked about 4 meters (yards) behind me," Abraham, who attended the service, told El Shinta radio. "I believe he was disguised as a churchgoer."

Indonesia is a secular nation with a long history of religious tolerance, but a small extremist fringe has become more vocal — and violent — in recent years.

Critics say President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who relies heavily on Islamic parties in parliament, has remained largely silent as minorities have been attacked by hard-liners or seen their houses of worship torched or closed.

However, he was quick to speak out after Sunday's attack.

"Whoever is behind such violence has to be arrested," he said, adding that neither religious nor ethnic differences can justify such actions. "Crime is crime, terrorism is terrorism."

Yudhoyono said there were indications the assailant may have been linked to a terror network in the West Java town of Cirebon that carried out a suicide attack on a mosque packed with police in April.

Thirty people were injured in that attack.

Israelis largely support calls for Palestinian state

Israelis largely support calls for Palestinian state, say protesters | World news | The Guardian

Claims backed by survey showing that 70% of Israelis believe country should accept decision if UN votes in favour of move


It is the exact spot where the new sovereign state was declared. But the year was 1948 and the state was Israel.

Now new officers in the Israeli army are brought to Independence Hall on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv as part of their education in the history of the Jewish state.

On the day before Mahmoud Abbas was expected to launch his bid for a Palestinian state, guide Amir Rimon 28, was lecturing a group of young soldiers under one of Rothschild's broad ficus trees.

"We come [here] to remind ourselves of the values on which our state was founded," he said. The Declaration of Independence, read by David Ben-Gurion 63 years ago, said Palestinians would be equals in the fledgling country.

"I think we need to recognise a Palestinian state. Many of the soldiers agree with me – it's 50-50," Rimon added. A recent poll conducted by the Hebrew University found that 70% of Israelis believe that if the UN votes in favour of a Palestinian state, Israel should accept the decision. This is not the position of the Israeli government.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists there can be no peace if the Palestinians follow a unilateral path at the UN. On Wednesday, President Obama threw his weight behind this position.

But on Rothschild Boulevard, alternative Israeli voices are being raised. More than 80 prominent Israeli intellectuals gathered outside Independence Hall on Thursday. They were led by author Sefi Rachlevski, to declare their support for a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders.

"We will have an affect because we represent the real Jewish Zionist heritage and what we're saying is obvious: Palestine, you don't need our permission to have a state. Negotiations on its borders can follow," said Rachlevski.

Israeli historian Yehuda Bauer was among signatories to the declaration. He argued that the establishment of two independent neighbouring states was the only solution, and that it is an outcome that would be supported by the majority of Israelis.

But he warned it would be met with an armed rebellion by the rightwing, nationalist orthodox minority: "The fear I have of is not so much that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will march to the 1967 borders. I am afraid of the violent orthodox who have openly established a separate entity [in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory]. They pose the real danger to Israel."

As the intellectuals launched their protest at Independence Hall, at the opposite end of Rothschild, a few dozen tents and a thriving herb garden were all that remained of Israel's summer of demos. This was the hub of a nationwide call for change that rallied thousands of Israelis.

Palestinian activists note that this unprecedented protest conspicuously ignored the occupation. It proved too divisive an issue for organisers to press upon.

Protest leader Dror Shalom, 35, insisted criticism of the occupation was implicit in their challenge to Netanyahu's rightwing government. The majority of people who protested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, he said, would extend their calls for justice to Palestinians.

Shalom said: "Palestine is a country and it has been for years. We know where the Palestinian state will be, which is where it is now. We will have to evacuate a few thousand Israelis and that's it."

Shalom believed the majority of Israelis accept a Palestinian state is inevitable, whether it is declared unilaterally or reached through negotiations. Like Bauer, he identified the obstacle as Israel's powerful, nationalist religious lobby and its disproportionate influence over Netanyahu's rightwing government.

He added: "We love Israel and are worried about the direction it is headed. It was our intention at the last big protest to revise Israel's Declaration of Independence."