Indonesian police have slapped a cordon around a huge landmark Banyan tree in the capital after members of a Muslim youth group attacked it to prove it had no special mystical powers. The governor of Jakarta filed a complaint with police after youths hacked and damaged the 100-year-old banyan, on a traffic island in the capital, in a bid to dispel rumors the tree harbored special powers. "The city government tried hard not to cut the tree when we built a new bus lane. It is more than 100 years old and it is important for the environment," said Susi Marsitawati of Jakarta's park agency.
"But later rumors spread that the government was unable to fell the tree because it has supernatural powers and is sacred," the official said, adding that Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso had filed a complaint with police. Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, but a strong mystical vein runs through the culture. Whatever their faith, many display a deeply spiritual attitude and follow animist beliefs and various superstitions. Jeje Zainudin, chairman of the United Islam Youth, said the group had carried out the attack to counter superstitions surrounding the tree. "It is not a matter of chopping down the tree but this is to counter a popular belief such as if (we) touch it, (we) will get sick or your cleaver will break." Wonder how they'd feel if I can take a whack at the black rock to disprove its' magic abilities.
If you touch the tree you will have trouble with erections.
Sufficiently vague, greatly alarming ... they will spend hours secretly wondering if the curse had affected them yet and of course, in some cases, it will as a result of the worry.
#5
"It is not a matter of chopping down the tree but this is to counter a popular belief such as if (we) touch it, (we) will get sick or your cleaver will break."
Heh. Never heard that one before...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/03/2006 17:51 Comments ||
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Is that why Ward and June named him Beaver, aka the Beav?
A British tourist on honeymoon in Kenya was trampled to death by a herd of elephants as his wife looked on.
Bummer
Patrick Smith was killed when the animals he and his wife, Julie, were watching in the Masai Mara National Reserve were startled and stampeded. The couple, both aged 34 and from South London, had been married for one week. Along with their Masai guide, the couple had set off from the luxury Richards Camp lodge, where they were staying, early on Sunday morning for a bush walk.
"Honey, what would you like to do this morning?"
"How about we take a walk through the thorn bushes before the lions wake up and sneak up on some elephants?"
"Oh, Pat, how romantic!"
They had gone a short distance when the tragedy happened. Remaining downwind, they approached nine elephants. But something startled the herd and the elephants charged towards them.
You do know how to stop elephants from charging, don't you? Take away their credit cards. (rimshot) Thank you, I'll be here all week.
While Mr Smith was unable to flee the animals, his wife and their guide managed to jump out of the way.
"Air Jordans, don't fail us now!"
It is believed that Mr Smith was trampled by a lone bull.
And is now the answer to that old schoolyard question, "What's the stuff between elephants toes?"
Jake Grieves-Cook, chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board, said that the elephants had shown no signs of aggressive behaviour before they charged. This was truly a tragic accident and on behalf of the tourism fraternity in Kenya we wish to express our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to the wife and family of the visitor who died, he said.
Elephants have poor eyesight so they probably werent even aware the humans were there. This was not an attack. It was all unprovoked and all we can say is that it was a very tragic accident.
"They are good elephants, kind to their mothers, never hurt anyone."
Mrs Smith and her husbands body were later flown to the capital, Nairobi, by the countrys flying doctor service. Mrs Smith was expected to return to Britain yesterday.
Patrick will be mailed at a flat rate
The British High Commission said that officials had contacted Mr Smiths family to inform them of the death.
Connie Maina, a spokeswoman for the Kenya Wildlife Service, said: It is very unusual . . . but accidents can happen. We will try to monitor, to see if we can get any leads. If it is a rogue elephant it may do this again, but we dont have any information on whether it is or not.
Kenyan FBI is searching for a lone white elephant.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/03/2006 09:26 ||
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#4
IIRC, elephants are the animals which kill the most in africa, followed by hippopotames, and lions (needs confirmation, tidbits more or less remembered from teevee); their territories interfere with human fields, and they gorge on the cultures; when they're contraried, they charge, and they sometimes even invade villages to loot reserves... anyone recall stories of (asian, I think) elephants getting drunk with the liquor stash of villagers, and not accidentally, I mean?
#6
IIUC the rogue animal that's (slowly) killing the most is currently Bob Mugabe. I'd suggest he be put down first
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/03/2006 11:06 Comments ||
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#7
Works for me!... Capturing him and trying to mate him in a zoo to preserve the specy of Marxist African Dictators is not a priority, there's a whole new subspecy now apperaring in south america.
#10
At Richard's Camp guests have the opportunity to experience the real Africa; days of heart-stomping stopping game viewing and evenings enjoying cocktails by a camp fire and delicious 3 course meals under an awe-inspiring canopy of stars.
A truly traditional experience enhanced by modern day amenities -rarely has sleeping under canvas been made so comfortable. Each of the 6 individually decorated tents has en-suite flush loo, heated shower and 24 hour solar lighting. Choose the Lion luxury tent, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Gazelle, Jackal, or Oliphant.
Richard's Camp is small, private and exclusive offering a rare and unique opportunity to savour the Mara's riches within a very personal environment, perfect for small groups and family holidays, honeymoons.
Richard's Camp is owned and operated by Richard Roberts and his girlfriend, designer Liz Fusco who moved to Kenya in 1993. Richard was raised in the Masai Mara from the age of 3 and has developed an intimate knowledge of this area and its people. Dick is still working on his knowledge of large game habits and herd-think.
Sorry, no discounts for pre-mature, celestial departures. Hope you have a smashing good time!
#11
According to Peter Hathaway Capstick, professional hunter and writer, the biggest killer of humans in Africa is the crocodile. In his great book, Death in the Long Grass, he states;
"By the most conservative estimates of professional researchers, something approximating ten human beings are dragged off to a death horrible beyond description each day in modern Africa."
Posted by: Steve ||
10/03/2006 14:04 Comments ||
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" Patrick will be mailed at a flat rate " Deserves a Coffee Alert! dammit, now the 'Q'key probably won't work again.
Dinosaurs had to cope with dramatic swings in the climate around 120 million years ago, with ocean surface temperatures changing by as much as 6 °C. The finding suggests that natural climate variations are much more complex than previously thought.
Simon Brassell from Indiana University, Bloomington, and colleagues examined telltale carbon compounds in fossilised bacteria. The proportion of these compounds varies with water temperature, and bacteria from different rock layers revealed that the ocean surface temperature went from around 30 °C to 36 °C in the space of 10,000 years (Geology, vol 34, p 833). "The changes appear step-like, as if the climate is switching from one mode to another," Brassell says.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan ||
10/03/2006 07:58 ||
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#1
Must be why the dinosaurs died out - all caused by their SUVs powered by fossil fuels (but THEIR fossil fuel must not have come from dinosaurs.)
#2
You've stumbled upon the secret to dinosaur extinction. They ground up each other to fill gas tanks until none was left.
Posted by: ed ||
10/03/2006 9:14 Comments ||
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Oh, for goodness sake. The final age of the dinosaurs was much cooler and dryer than the ones before, and I think that's when the grasses and flowers appeared... this is not news. For that matter, I'm under the impression that the age of lizards was much drier before the dinosaurs came along, but that's a bit before my time.
#6
"The finding suggests that natural climate variations are much more complex than previously thought."
I posted this article because I think it's yet more proof of Stephen Wolframs theories ( http://www.wolframscience.com/thebook.html ) about what is called INHERANT RANDOMNESS which basically destroy any chance that computational climate change models will ever be useful.
#7
I'm not sure it's a question of inherent randomness so much as we simply do not understand enough about the processes involved in a complex system. Examples of our recently acquired understanding are the fact that the solar constant isn't really constant and the large methane contributions from natural sources like termites and cows. Bottom line: climate change is a complex chaotic process we are only beginning to understand. Until we get a grip on the science, betting the farm on ideas like the Kyoto Treaty is a complete crapshoot.
The problem is that the methods used to compute climate are likely to create inherant randomness.
i.e. You would have to simulate EVERYTHING with 100% perfect accuracy. Even if you could do that it would run slower than the universe so would be pointless.
#9
Perhaps it was the methane emissions from Brontesauri.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
10/03/2006 15:03 Comments ||
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"natural climate variations are much more complex than previously thought"
That alone deserves a "Master of the F*cking Obvious" graphic.
No matter how complex you think the earth is, you're wrong - it's moreso.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/03/2006 15:26 Comments ||
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#11
120 million years ago places the event in the lower Cretaceous nearly sixty million years before they died out. There was no major mass extinction at that time.
Posted by: Nick ||
10/03/2006 16:06 Comments ||
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#12
Does anyone remember the Gary Larson cartoon that explained why the dinosaurs died out? And then there was the Peter Davison Doctor Who serial, Earthshock.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
10/03/2006 22:59 Comments ||
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The former Playboy playmate did declare her love for Stern in a special private ceremony onboard a catamaran off Nassau in the Bahamas, but there was no official marriage certificate, it has been claimed.
"Howie said we didn't need one. Y'see, when you're at sea, the captain of the ship can marry you and then you can have a honeymoon and you don't need any silly piece of paper!"
Smith's close friend, TrimSpa CEO Alex Goen, told US magazine In Touch Weekly: "They had a quiet ceremony and declared how much they love each other in front of God. They vowed they would be there for each other. They do plan to have a proper ceremony in the future."
"Lotsa time for that after we get back from the honeymoon, eh, baby?"
The morning ceremony came just 36 hours after Howard claimed revealed that he is the father of Anna Nicole's three-week-old daughter, Danni Lynn Hope, and 18 days after the sudden death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel.
"I'm pretty sure Howie's the father. He was the one with the hat, right?"
Howard recently told US talk show host Larry King: "She is the one thing that is really keeping her going. And through it all, even with all the pain, Anna Nicole has been a great mom, a very attentive mom."
"Lotsa milk there for a newborn!"
In fact, she insisted on showing that to the press .... in the interests of journalistic accuracy, of course. (hat tip to the late Robt Heinlein)
However, Anna's ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead has demanded a DNA test to determine whether he is the biological father of her daughter.
"I was the one with the hat! All Howie had on was his hairpiece!"
Larry Birkhead's protests come a day after Howard claimed he was Dannie Lynn's dad.
Around 40 Africans tried to scale razor-wire fences separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Melilla on Monday, and five of them suffered cuts when they ended up dangling atop one of the 6-meter (20-foot) barriers, officials said. The pre-dawn rush on the twin fences between Morocco and Melilla was reminiscent of waves of hundreds of destitute Africans who tried to climb the barriers over the course of a two-week crisis in September and October of 2005 in a bid to gain a foothold in Spain and thus Europe. On some days more than 600 people rushed the Melilla fences under the cover of night, using ladders fashioned from trees and branches. That drama in which 11 Africans died in clashes with security forces here and in Ceuta, another Spanish enclave on Morocco's northern coast prompted Spain to deploy soldiers at the border and install a labyrinth-like obstacle course of thick wires on the ground in the 2.5-meter (9-foot) space between the two fences.
Those five got stuck in the razor wire of the second fence and were extricated by Spanish authorities who cut through the wire. The ones who did not make it that far waited for a while and staged a second assault that was repelled by authorities on the Moroccan side of the fences...
In Monday's attempt, the Africans climbed the outer of the two fences and five of them somehow managed to jump or use ropes to reach the second fence, said Jose Fernandez Chacon, the Interior Ministry's top representative in Melilla. Those five got stuck in the razor wire of the second fence and were extricated by Spanish authorities who cut through the wire. The ones who did not make it that far waited for a while and staged a second assault that was repelled by authorities on the Moroccan side of the fences, Chacon said.
Monday's rush was only the second known, major attempt to cross the fences in Melilla since the crisis late last year. In July, 50 to 70 Africans staged a rush and three men were killed. One was found between the two fences and two on the Moroccan side of the barriers. Spain's deputy interior minister Antonio Camacho told parliament they were killed by gunfire from Moroccan security forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Muslims prefer to hate Europeans at close range. Distance dissipates their contempt.
Zimbabwe has imported 30,400 tonnes of wheat worth $10.6 million to ease bread shortage in the crisis-hit country, the official Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday. Wheat is the countrys second staple crop after maize and Zimbabwe has over the years failed to satisfy its annual wheat consumption of between 400,000 and 450,00 tonnes.
It used to be the Breadbasket of Africa, a major agricultural exporter.
Earlier this year, Zimbabwe said that it had missed its target to raise wheat output to a record 500,000 tonnes and now expected a harvest of 218,046 tonnes this year after farmers reduced plantings due to shortages of machinery, fuel and fertiliser. On Wednesday, Zimbabwes Herald newspaper quoted central Bank governor Gideon Gono as saying that the Reserve Bank had given bakers $10.6 million to import wheat without saying from where to ease the current bread shortage. Zimbabwe has imported 30,400 tonnes... enough to last 68 days until November when the country starts harvesting its winter crop, it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The Zimbabwean parliament has approved a controversial new affirmative action law that will facilitate the jailing of farmers who remain on their land after they have been ordered to leave.
The new Land (Consequential Provisions) Bill makes it an offence to remain on farmland without authority and offenders would be sentenced to seven days' jail before being forcibly evicted by the state.
It requires all farmers whose land has been earmarked for seizure to pave the way for new black farmers.
The law validates all offer letters issued so far to new farmers and nullifies any legal challenges to these letters by white farmers. Lands Reform Minister Didymus Mutasa said the law would deal decisively with the continued occupation of gazetted land by white farmers.
Mutasa said his ministry was having problems with evicting white farmers who continued to utilise their land after the prescribed 90 days' notice had expired.
This, he said, made it difficult for new black farmers to move on to the acquired farm. "The bill also addresses the issue of unlawful fresh farm occupations," Mutasa said.
The law repeals an earlier one which protected black farm invaders against eviction by white farmers. Since most of the white farmers have been evicted, Mutasa said there was a need to protect the new black landowners from illegal occupations by other blacks.
The Commercial Farmers Union says fewer than 300 white farmers remain on their land after the eviction of most of the 4 500 farmers. Mutasa has previously said his ultimate aim would be to "shove off" all white farmers from Zimbabwe.
This article was originally published on page 8 of Cape Times on September 22, 2006
#2
What did they have to pay for (trade for) that wheat? Maybe they could sell some of that underutilized farmland to some white overseas investors? Nah, that might actually solve the hunger problem.
Nigerias southwest region of Ekiti has lost its governor over corruption. The state in southwest Nigeria has also lost its vice governor over similar accusations. Twenty-four members out of the 26 in Nigerias state House of Assembly agreed upon the sacking of the governor and his deputy. They requested them to file complaints after the notice of their sacking was sent unto them.
Nigerias Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been investigating their involvement in the embezzlement of funds meant for a poultry project in the state. The sacking of the governmr from Southwest Nigeria makes the number of Nigerias governors to be sacked over corruption charges at three since Olusengun Obasanjo took over power as president of Nigeria.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Have to get rid of the old corrupt politicians to make room for the new corrupt politicians. Or does Africa work differently than the US?
It had been an uneventful, comfortable flight. With the window shade drawn, I was relaxing in my leather seat aboard a $25 million corporate jet that was flying 37,000 feet above the vast Amazon rain forest. The 7 of us on board the 13-passenger jet were keeping to ourselves.
Without warning, I felt a terrific jolt and heard a loud bang, followed by an eerie silence, save for the hum of the engines
And then the three words I will never forget. Weve been hit, said Henry Yandle, a fellow passenger standing in the aisle near the cockpit of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet.
Hit? By what? I wondered. I lifted the shade. The sky was clear; the sun low in the sky. The rainforest went on forever. But there, at the end of the wing, was a jagged ridge, perhaps a foot high, where the five-foot-tall winglet was supposed to be.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/03/2006 16:00 Comments ||
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Did an engine of the Boeing craft ingest the Embraer's winglet? Was an engine from the Boeing shorn off by the collision? How in the hell did such a minor collision bring down a huge passenger jet liner nearly three times the smaller craft's maximum weight? On top of all of this, both craft had advanced anti-collision instrumentation. This goes beyond screwy.
I'm going to bet that both engines aren't found at the impact site.
Embraer Legacy 600 Craft Specifications
Length: 26.33 m (86 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 21.17 m (68 ft 11 in)
Height: 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in)
Empty: 16,000 kg (35,274 lb)
Maximum takeoff: 22,500 kg (49,604 lb)
Boeing 737-400 Craft Specifications
Length : 36.5 m or 119' 6"
Span : 28.9 m or 94' 8"
Height: 11.1 m or 36' 5"
Weight empty: 33,200 kg or 73,040 lbs.
Maximum take-off weight: 68,050 kg or 149,710 lbs.
#5
This just does not make sense. There is no way they could have hit and have an outcome like this. When two aircraft touch in flight more than just a wingtip would hit the other airframe. The 600 probably hit a piece of falling debris. As far fetched as this sounds it makes more sense.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/03/2006 20:18 Comments ||
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#6
This just does not make sense. There is no way they could have hit and have an outcome like this.
Sure it could, and obviously it did. 737 pilots take dramatic evasive action, depart controlled flight and enter a flat spin, possibly inverted. End of story. Pictures of the 737 wreckage tend to support this theory. Notice the picture of the 737 wing root with main gear extended.
#8
Notice the picture of the 737 wing root with main gear extended.
Really good catch, Hupese Thrineck9416, this possibly indicates some sort of air-braking maneuver, like during a pancake spiral. For sure they weren't deploying landing gear to touch down in deep dark jungle.
I read debris was spread over 20 kilometers. The 737 must have disintegrated at altitude. Hard see how a fairly minor collision caused this.
Got a link on this, phil_b? That would certainly indicate some other sort of air frame failure (explosion?) than what a minor mid-air collision might have caused.
#9
End of story?? WTF. Inverted flat spin? No doubt the 737 was in trouble, inverted when it hit the small jet, not a chance. Parts would be flying off that aircraft and the small plane would be peppered with damage. Landing gear gets set down in a number of in flight emergencies as part of the emergency procedures. That aircraft was hit by a piece of the 737 that came off it. The small aircraft was no where near the 737 or it would be destroyed by the turbulance alone.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/03/2006 23:51 Comments ||
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Some 126 million Brazilians were called to cast their ballots yesterday in a race that was likely to give a second term to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Silva da Lula, a self-styled champion of the downtrodden. Lula, 60, a former strike leader who has distanced himself from his radical past, held a commanding lead in opinion polls over his closest and far less charismatic rival, former Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin, 53. But it was unclear whether Lula would be able to win outright yesterday, after the polls out on the eve of the voting showed his support slipping, leaving him right on the brink of the 50 percent needed to avert a run-off election.
Stacks of dirty money nabbed in a botched smear campaign covered Brazil's front pages on Saturday as polls showed for the first time that Lula could be forced to a second round run-off. Two polls released on Saturday night, the last before yesterday's first round vote, showed that Lula's total share of the valid vote continues to dwindle and Alckmin is closing ground fast.
His slide in the polls coincides with the "dossier" scandal that has been gaining momentum in the media over the past two weeks, the latest of a series of scandals that have dogged Lula and his Workers' Party over past two years. In the middle of last month, two Workers' Party officials were arrested with almost US$800,000 in cash as they allegedly sought to buy documents they thought might tie Alckmin to a corrupt deal.
Another scandal, over illegal campaign financing, had forced several Cabinet ministers and Workers Party officials to resign last year. The Ibope poll showed Lula with 45 percent of the vote, down from 48 percent on Wednesday, and Alckmin with 34 percent up from 32 percent. The Datafolha poll showed Lula with 46 percent, down from 49 percent three days ago, and Alckmin with 35 percent, up from 33 percent.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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In an election shadowed by fears about immigration, voters in Austria rebuked the governing People's Party on Sunday, handing a narrow victory to the Social Democratic Party and leaving two extreme-right parties as outspoken players on the political landscape.
The conservative People's Party, led by Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, won 34.2 percent of the vote, a loss of 8 percentage points from the election in 2002. The Social Democrats won 35.7 percent, raising the prospect that their leader, Alfred Gusenbauer, could replace Schüssel as chancellor, perhaps in a grand coalition with the People's Party. While political analysts expected the People's Party to lose ground, the extent of the loss was a surprise, and a stinging reversal for a chancellor who once reaped credit for Austria's robust economy.
We all underestimated how the common people feel," said Hans Rauscher, a prominent columnist for the Vienna newspaper Der Standard. "The lesson is that arrogance doesn't pay.
"We all underestimated how the common people feel," said Hans Rauscher, a prominent columnist for the Vienna newspaper Der Standard. "The lesson is that arrogance doesn't pay."
For Jörg Haider, the flamboyant rightist leader whose party has been a partner in Schüssel's coalition government, the election was a close call with political extinction. His party, the Alliance for Austria's Future, appeared to have held on to seats in Parliament, winning 4.2 percent of the vote, just above the required 4 percent threshold. If it had fallen below 4 percent - as pollsters predicted - Haider would have lost his presence in national politics.
The Freedom Party, which Haider led for two decades before quitting last year after a power struggle to start his new party, won 11.2 percent of the vote - a result that positions it to play a strong opposition role. It campaigned on a virulent anti-foreigner platform, calling for Austria to expel illegal immigrants and close the doors to new arrivals. Placards for the Freedom Party's leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, depicted an Austrian flag over the slogan "Daham Statt Islam," a colloquialism that translates as "Home Instead of Islam."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Airbus will scale back deliveries of the A380 superjumbo for a third time and reduce as much as 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in costs by cutting jobs and shifting production, three people with knowledge of the plans said.
The Boeing rival, based in Toulouse, France, probably can deliver just four A380s next year, less than half predicted in June, because of delays in installing wiring, said the people, who asked not to be identified before an announcement.
Airbus Chief Executive Christian Streiff presented a plan Friday to the board of parent European Aeronautic, Defence (EADS), the people said. No final decisions were made.
Airbus, facing late-delivery penalties and rising costs on the A380, may eliminate jobs through early retirement and by moving production of the A320 to Hamburg, Germany, from Toulouse, the people said. "The only way Airbus can get out of its current problems is by reducing costs," said Doug McVitie, managing director at Arran Aerospace, a Dinan, France-based consultant. "If they consolidate narrow-body planes in one location and wide-body planes in another, then you have two separate cost centers. That makes sense."
So that when they kill the A380 project they can shut down Toulouse. Heh.
Delays of the A380 have angered customers and sparked the exit of two top executives. EADS shares have plunged 29 percent this year.
The latest delays may cut 1 billion euros from EADS's earnings, said Olivier Esnou, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in Paris. Slowness installing the 200 miles of wiring in each A380 already will cut 2 billion euros from EADS earnings between 2007 and 2010, the company said in June.
One would think that the wiring of the airplane, which goodness knows shouldn't see any shortcuts, is something they could have budgeted properly.
Airbus offered too many options: The reported reason for the delay in solving the wiring headache is that Airbus offered every airline a different set of features for premium seats and inflight entertainment. That problem was worsened by the peculiar way an A380 is built in two nations. Parts of the A380 hull are built in Hamburg, Germany, then the twin-deck A380 plane is assembled in Toulouse, France and flown back to Hamburg to receive its cabin interior.
Until now, Airbus has assembled the 150-seat A320 aircraft, a single-aisle plane, in Toulouse. The other aircraft in that series the 107-seat A318, the 124-seat A319 and the 185-seat A321 have been assembled in Hamburg, Germany. All Airbus wide-body planes, which include the twin-jet A330, the four-engine A340, and the A380, are assembled in Toulouse.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm wondering if just maybe France (well known for industrial espionage) tried to steal Boeing's design software but ended up with a package that included a few creative little monkey-wrenches changes.
#2
Um, I assume you guys are aware of Boeing's little fuel tank problem? (self-confessed too)
Comes with the industry, folks. Don't fly if you're squeamish. Check the airworthiness directives if ya don't believe me. Enjoy your flight!
#4
We have received a report of two occurrences of engine thrust rollback (reduction) during takeoff on Boeing Model 777-300ER series airplanes powered by GE Model GE90-115B engines. In both cases, only one engine was affected. The N1 (fan speed - the normal thrust setting parameter for this engine type) thrust level on the affected engine progressively dropped resulting in a thrust loss of 65 to 77 % due to an erroneous N1 command computed by the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). In both cases, the engine recovered to the proper N1 thrust level as the airplane climbed beyond 400 feet above ground level. In one case, the operator elected to return to the departure airport after reaching cruise. In the other case, the operator continued to its destination. There were no further anomalies reported during the remainder of the flights. No flight deck messages or maintenance indications occurred as a result of the event.
Investigation indicates that these events are the results of a software algorithm in the FADEC that was introduced in software version A.0.4.5 (GE90-100 Service Bulletin 73 0021). Investigation also indicates that a dual-engine thrust rollback could occur just after V1 (takeoff decision speed after which takeoff is to proceed even after an engine failure), which would result in the airplane not having adequate thrust to safely complete the take off. A de-rated or a reduced thrust takeoff, in combination with specific ambient conditions, can result in the FADEC commanding a progressive reduction in the engine thrust. Airplane takeoffs are often performed with engine thrust levels at less than the maximum engine thrust approved for the airplane. This is done to reduce wear on the engines, increase fuel efficiency, and maximize passenger comfort. Operators are permitted to calculate airplane takeoff performance and required engine thrust using two different methods referred to as "derated takeoff thrust" (also known as fixed de-rate) and "reduced takeoff thrust" (also known as the assumed temperature method). Full rated thrust takeoffs with the thrust levers at the full forward position are not exposed to the potential thrust rollback caused by the software anomaly described above.
A dual-engine thrust rollback, if not corrected, could result in the airplane failing to lift off before reaching the end of the runway or failing to clear obstacles below the takeoff flight path.
The FADEC software, version A.0.4.5, on certain Model 777-200LR powered by GE Model 90-110B engines is identical to that on the affected Model 777-300ER series airplanes powered by GE Model GE90-115B engines. Therefore, both of these airplane models may be subject to the same unsafe condition.
Although the software anomaly was introduced by this version of software, the affected operators have a mixed fleet of airplanes with and without the affected software version. To avoid reliance on flight crews determining which software version is installed as they operate different airplanes, we have determined that this AD should apply to all airplanes equipped with the affected engines. If operators develop an acceptable method to ensure flight crews will consistently perform the correct procedure on affected airplanes, they may request approval for an alternative method of compliance in accordance with paragraph (h) of this AD.
doesn't sound too diffult to fix compared to the major AirBus airworthy problems.
#11
I think Airbus will regret building the A380. Who wants to fly on that big target. If you are Habib the terrorist which plane would you target? The A380 with over 500 seats or the 787 Dreamliner with half the seats? Personally, a smaller, faster, more comfortable plane that can fly non-stop long distances is the way to for me. Also, the 787 will be able to go a lot more places than the A380. The bloated A380 will hardly fit anywhere. As for the SB's and AD's, they are issued for all planes all the time. You fix the stuff and move on. I get a number of them on my Cessna 182 every year and the basic design of my plane is 50 years old.
#12
The A300/310/320 are decent airplanes. The problem isn't so much the design of the airplane as the corporate structure and (mis)management. Not to mention the EUSSR's labor laws.
Frankly, I don't know about the 380. It might do a very good job of meeting its requirements, but I think it's just too yiffing huge for anyone to buy it.
#13
Wiring probelms aside: consider the infrastructure that has to be modified to handle the A380; bigger / wider taxiways, runways, the jetways, any bridges that support runways over the various access roads need beefed up, the lst goes on. These improvements are not paid for by Airbus or even the oeprating airlines, but the airports and port authorities that operate them. Since they are publicly-funded, that means that Joe Taxpayer gets the cost added to his tax bill. Add in all the various permitting and eco-crap for studying whether or not a bigger runway uses more concrete(duh), and you can see that there is not a stampede to enlarge to accomadate this albatross. I think that there are only 4 US airports doing so ( LAX, O'Hare, JFK and Atlanta). This will limit the A380's utility in the States, and i think you will see the airlines that have ordered this pig begin to rethink their position. The outrage over this latest 'wiring delay' is significantly less than previous ones so it may be a (wink, wink, nod, nod) kind of unspoken thing for both the operators and Airbus to fold up this (big) tent and go home. Notice that Boeing is being very quiet about Airbus' problems; they know the plastic 787 is under a microscope also. If I mis-stated the US airports, please chime in with updates.
Built as a matter of pride, never sold a lot of planes, never made money. Wish I vould've afforded to ride one, however....
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/03/2006 15:10 Comments ||
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#15
Just how many years it take Europe to build the Concorde? By the time it entered service, it carried too few passengers for the times, no?
Aside: How long did it take 'em similarly to build the Tornado? Reminds one historically of that British fighter, the ugly and slow Gloster Javelin and that mach 2+ English Electric Lightning. Wonder if their service life wasn't shorter than their developmental period?
You are right on the airports, but that generally is a one time capital expense (though there are some operating increases)
The Airlines are the ones who will really feel it. Increases in their operating costs(thus reoccurring cost) due to the logistics of the operating the aircraft. Logistics wise, A380 is much more to deal with.
Especially when you have 500 pissed off customers in the jet way because the flight was cancelled.
A380's utility is in crossing long distances, which is why you see only a few large hub airports accommodating. With not many planes, and not many airports, it is likely going to be a major problem.
Delays may be even more of an issue, surging that many passengers at one time. Especially true if the fleet is reduced in favor of A380s which many of the purchasers intended to do with A380. The operators may find they have to add other planes to deal with it placing them in a worse position.
This is probably driving the customers to yell as much as the delays. Reality is setting in now, as due to the delivery delay many are adding other planes they did not plan for.
Airbus, well they have been known for excellent project management in the past. This is the real story, as their image is crushed now. There are big doubts for A400M, which AirBus / EADS hoped they could make even more (a lot more!) from their A380 investment.
#17
I still wonder whether this is silent acknowledgement of claims of safety issues w/the wiring that were made a while back by an American engineer on project.
Posted by: Stephen ||
10/03/2006 22:00 Comments ||
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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico pleaded with President Bush on Monday to veto a Senate proposal to build a fence to keep illegal immigrants out, saying it could backfire by making the border less secure. "The Mexican government strongly opposes the building of walls in the border area between Mexico and the United States," President Vicente Fox's spokesman Ruben Aguilar told reporters.
"This decision hurts bilateral relations, goes against the spirit of cooperation needed to guarantee security on the common border, creates a climate of tension in border communities," he said. Aguilar said Mexico would send a diplomatic note to Washington on Monday urging Bush to veto the bill, which requires the president's signature to become law. "Partial measures focused exclusively on security ignore reality and represent ... a political answer rather than a viable solution to this problem," Aguilar said.
Asked about the fence at an international media forum in Mexico City, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon said: "We need to know who's coming across our borders and after years of not paying that much attention to the frontier ... we are now attempting to come to terms with it."
"We recognize that how this is perceived outside the United States is not positive but we would ask for patience."
Stop apologizing. Every country has a right to secure its borders appropriately.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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"We recognize that how this is perceived outside the United States is not positive .... but 235,000,000 Americans quite frankly don't give a phuech about worlkd perception!I>
#4
Although he won't, Bush should sit down privately with Fox and the President elect. After a couple minutes of silence, he should simply say "I'm the president of the United States of America. Just who the hell do you think you're dealing with? Don't ever try to interfere with US border security policy again! You got it?"
#5
The story is told about a conversational technique LBJ used to use. Following a formal introduction when the two men would find themselves alone in the Oval Office, LBJ would stand, which would cause the other fellow to stand. At that moment the president would reach across and pull his guest's sitting chair right up next to his, arm to arm. The president would then sit down once again and with his long Texas reach he would put his hand on the visitors distant shoulder, pulling the guest even closer. The president would then lean over and say in his famous Hill Country drawl ....... now listen you SOB, "here is exactly what I would like you to do, do you understand me sir."
#7
Hey Foxy, Sure. Just after you amend your own Constitution so foreigners in your country get due process before deportation and foreigners are able to purchase land just about anywhere a citizen can. Free flow of labor after a free flow of capital. You first.
#8
Notice Clinton didn't try this crap when Demi was married to Bruce Willis.
Posted by: ed ||
10/03/2006 8:45 Comments ||
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#9
WTH? Previous comment lost a long way from home.
Posted by: ed ||
10/03/2006 8:46 Comments ||
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#10
Um...no Fox. Better yet, how about you shut your fucking trap before we decide to build the fence just 10 miles north of Mexico city after we take your land like we did the first time?
#13
"This decision hurts bilateral relations, goes against the spirit of cooperation needed to guarantee security on the common border, creates a climate of tension in border communities," he said.
Yep, it's ALL Bush's fault! I mean, before this fence goes up, everything was hunky-dory along the border, right? No mention of his Army/Police incursions into our nation, not to mention the drug-runners, the illegals and their coyotes/wolves/whatever ya call 'em.
*crickets chirping*
Posted by: BA ||
10/03/2006 10:48 Comments ||
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#14
I live in Austin, Texas, and I work for Medicaid. I also pay my share of taxes. We should be sending Mexico for the free medical care we've been providing to the multitude of illegals that have crossed the border. And also bill Mexico for the cost of educating their children in our schools too.
#15
As you tally it all, don't forget the criminal and judicial system costs, the cost of detention and incarceration, as well as the cost of increased Border Patrol and law enforcement. Add in also the long term costs of drug addiction, treatment, etc, from the dope that's muled across the border.
#16
The Center for Immigration Studies found, among other things:
1- Households headed by illegal aliens impose more than $30 billion in costs on the federal government per year and pay only $16.5 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost $14 billion, or $2,800 per illegal household.
Among the largest costs are Medicaid ($2.7 billion); treatment for the uninsured ($2.4 billion); food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches ($2.1 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.9 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.7 billion).
With nearly two-thirds of illegal aliens lacking a high school degree, the primary reason they create a fiscal deficit is their low education levels and resulting low incomes and tax payments, not their legal status or heavy use of most social services.
On average, the costs that illegal households impose on federal coffers are less than half that of other households, but their tax payments are only one-fourth that of other households.
Many of the costs associated with illegals are due to their American-born children, who are awarded U.S. citizenship at birth. Thus, greater efforts at barring illegals from federal programs will not reduce costs because their citizen children can continue to access them.
If illegal aliens were given amnesty and began to pay taxes and use services like households headed by legal immigrants with the same education levels, the estimated annual net fiscal deficit would increase from $2,800 per household to nearly $7,800, for a total net cost of over $30 billion.
Costs increase dramatically because unskilled immigrants with legal status -- what most illegal aliens would become -- can access government programs, but still tend to make very modest tax payments.
Although legalization would increase average tax payments by 77 percent, average costs would rise by 118 percent.
The fact that legal immigrants with few years of schooling are a large fiscal drain does not mean that legal immigrants overall are a net drain -- many legal immigrants are highly skilled.
The vast majority of illegals hold jobs. Thus the fiscal deficit they create for the federal government is not the result of an unwillingness to work.
The results of this study are consistent with a 1997 study by the National Research Council, which also found that immigrants' education level is a key determinant of their fiscal impact.
After we tell Mexico to F*ck off, send them a bill.
#17
the remittances they send home are the 2nd largest source of income IIRC, behind only oil sales (and were projected to pass oil as no. 1, last year). Something like $20 billion in 2006 (est.)?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/03/2006 12:26 Comments ||
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#18
What Fox is REALLY upset about is that the American people have nixed his program of equalizing the economies of the US and Mexico through immigrant flushing and capital sucking.
#20
"The Mexican government strongly opposes the building of walls in the border area between Mexico and the United States,"
There is NO "border area between" Mexico and the U.S. The wall will be on the U.S. side of the border LINE. It is not some vaguely-shared area. It's a LINE. It is not to be crossed without our permission.
"This decision... goes against the spirit of cooperation needed to guarantee security on the common border"
Cooperation didn't work. You had your chance and you abused it. You chose a porous border over proper legal relations. This is the consequence of your choice.
"This decision... creates a climate of tension in border communities,"
ROTFLMAO. On your side. We already had tension on our side. Why don't you be a good chap and start planning facilities for the pile-up of illegal-wanna-be's who won't get across.
#23
With nearly two-thirds of illegal aliens lacking a high school degree, the primary reason they create a fiscal deficit is their low education levels and resulting low incomes and tax payments, not their legal status or heavy use of most social services.
So what we really want is illegals with PhDs? Doctors and engineers, accountants and English professors? The occasional Pepsico CEO?
#24
"So what we really want is illegals with PhDs? Doctors and engineers, accountants and English professors? The occasional Pepsico CEO?"
TW, I think you know the answer to that one. Those types can migrate legally because they have the money and political connections to overcome their government's corrupt immigration policies.
#25
Oh, I know, mcsegeek1. But really, if these people are going to write articles and have public opinions, they ought to be a bit more intelligent about it. I know I'm spoiled by what I read here, but sometimes I can't stand the exasperation!
In the crucial congressional elections, now about five weeks away, one of the strongest weapons in the Republican arsenal is a man running a Web site out of his apartment in Miami. His name is Matt Drudge. Drudge broke the Monica Lewinsky story and has had a tremendous influence on what you know about politics ever since. From the comfort of his apartment, Drudge can send shock waves through newsrooms and campaign headquarters nationwide with breaking news often heralded by his trademark siren. "If Drudge has a siren up, people know it's something they have to look at," said Mark Halperin, ABC News Political Director.
Democratic strategist Chris Lehane agreed. "Literally, it goes up on Drudge and the phones start ringing," he said. Mark McKinnon, one of President Bush's top campaign consultants, said he checks the site 30 to 40 times per day. "When there's a siren, that's a three-alarm news deal," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Kinda makes the MSM seem sorta wimpy, don't it?
#2
Every leftist socialist democrat I know will positively have a cow if you even mention Drudge. They scoff as if he makes everything up and is a tool of Rove. The truth is he's punched their ticket more than a couple times and he scares the kaka out of them.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"Thousands in state earn extra dollar per hour"
but the 'hidden hand' says that "Thousands not employed due to higher costs".
The minimum wage is a barrier to employment. It's much better to have NO minimum wage but create economic conditions where employers compete for employees.
Filtering immigration for high quality only would do this.
Lowering taxes that punish profits would do this.
#2
Mom and Pop shops, already struggling to compete with the efficiencies of Walmart, etc. can't afford to keep the same number of employees for the amount of resources they allocate for additional hires. Considering that these small shops employ about as many people as the big companies, you've just closed out a significant number of employment opportunities for anyone on the books. Off the books there are, of course, the illegals. Full Illegal Employment Act of 2006. Just shifts the costs of social services and safety from the employer to the community.
Maybe we could start at a real simple level. How about putting signs up in the congressional cloakrooms reading "Please do not nail the pages"?
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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So.. it wuz the "demon rum" that made him lust after teenage boys?
Posted by: john ||
10/03/2006 6:54 Comments ||
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Nah, Hastert will want to continue the buggery of the rest of America. Part of the screw you America cause its either us or the "whiny, spineless, powerhungry Democrats" stragtegy. Or in other words, if it wasn't for the Democrats, Trunks would be in a lot of trouble. Isn't America great:)
South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon will be the next United Nations Secretary General. Ban won the final informal straw poll with 14 votes, including support from all five Permanent Security Council members.
India's Shashi Tharoor came runner up again with ten 'encourage' votes, three 'discourage' votes and two no opinions. In the three negative votes, one was believed to be that of a permanent member, which would have amounted to a veto. Tharoor then gracefully conceded victory to Ban and sent him a congratulatory message. ''It is clear that he will be our next Secretary-General,'' he said in an e-mail to ToI. "It is a great honour and a huge responsibility to be Secretary-General, and I wish Mr Ban every success in that task," Tharoor wrote. "I entered the race because of my devotion to the United Nations, and for the same reason I will strongly support him as the next Secretary-General. The UN, and the world, has a stake in his success."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/03/2006 10:10 ||
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UN Banned. Film at 11:00.
Posted by: ed ||
10/03/2006 10:42 Comments ||
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South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon is on track to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations. A formal vote of the Security Council is set October 9. VOA's correspondent at the U.N. Peter Heinlein profiles the man who is set to become the world's next diplomat-in-chief.
Sixty two-year-old Ban Ki-Moon is the quintessential career diplomat. He joined South Korea's foreign service in 1970, after graduating from Seoul's prestigious National University and earning a Masters degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
He rose through the foreign ministry ranks, serving several stints in and around the United Nations during his 36-year career. Before taking the ministry's top job in January 2004, he served as chief aide to the president of the U.N. General Assembly.
Ban announced his candidacy for the secretary-general's job last February. Diplomats say he ran a smooth and efficient campaign, portraying himself as a quiet but effective administrator. In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly last month, he gave a preview of his vision for the world body.
"The United Nations was created first and foremost to forestall another world war. Not only has it achieved this cardinal goal despite four decades of Cold War, but it has also offered states multiple means of resolving their differences short of war," said Ban. "However, we cannot be sanguine about future trends. If the U.N.'s primary task in the 20th century was to curb interstate conflict, its core mandate in the new century must be to strengthen states and to preserve the interstate system in the face of new challenges."
Ban's friends and associates say his soft-spoken style is sometimes mistaken for a lack of charisma. But they say he can be a commanding presence. Jong sik Kong is the New York correspondent for South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo (East Asia) daily newspaper. He says the low-key appearance was part of Ban's campaign strategy.
"That was his strategy, including many South Korean diplomats, including Mr. Ban Ki-Moon himself kept emphasizing that," noted Jong. "They were keeping low key. I asked why they chose that strategy, their answer was like this, 'If they analyze the voting process, many candidates who are more high-profile usually fail, so that's why they chose the track of 'low key'".
Other veteran U.N. watchers say Ban is likely to focus more on managing the world body's vast bureaucracy than his predecessor, Kofi Annan. U.S. officials have made clear they want the next secretary-general to be more of an administrator. Suzanne Di Maggio, vice-president of the U.N. Association of the United States, says Ban campaigned on a "better management' platform.
"I think his intention is to make it a little different. He has stated publicly that he would like to appoint a deputy secretary-general who has the mandate and the authority to run day-to-day operations of the organization," she said. "So by virtue of that fact, it would be quite a different organization. "
U.S. diplomats hailed Ban's impending selection. Washington's U.N. Ambassador John Bolton noted that he had worked with the Korean diplomat a decade ago on the plan that eventually led to U.N. membership for both North and South Korea.
Critics have suggested that Ban's closeness to Washington might be seen as a handicap at the United Nations, given the world body's rocky relationship with Washington. The U.N. Association's Suzanne Di Maggio says Ban's relationship with Washington can be both a blessing and a curse.
"Certainly I think when he tries to call Washington, whether it's Secretary Rice or someone else, they will definitely pick up the phone," continued Di Maggio. "On the other hand, there are number of issues that are priorities on U.N agenda, that it may work to his disadvantage to be closely allied to the United States, I'm thinking of issues such as Iran nuclear program. In a case like that, it would be a disadvantage for someone like Mr. Ban."
In a recent interview, Ban himself rejected suggestions that his past association with America would hurt him. He told reporters, "that's an asset, not a liability". We shall see.
Worldwide spending on weapons is expected to reach record levels this year at a time when the arms industry is increasingly able to avoid export controls, human rights and aid agencies say in a report published yesterday.
By the end of the year, military spending is estimated to reach $1,058bn (£561bn), about 15 times the amount spent on international aid, say Amnesty, Oxfam, and the International Action Network on Small Arms (Iansa).
That's total military spending, and the US is about 40% of that. Of course Oxam and Iansa think we're immoral to defend ourselves.
They claim that last year the US, Russia, Britain, France and Germany accounted for an estimated 82% of all arms transfers. Other countries are emerging as major exporters. Brazil, India, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea have arms firms in the top 100, Amnesty says.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Arms sales record as firms duck controls with 'flat-pack' weapons
Sleep tight and don't let those AI bugs bite!
Posted by: Big Daddy War Bucks ||
10/03/2006 2:03 Comments ||
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#2
The problem is most of those parts can be "duel use" and are designed to be.
For instance, it is a hell of a lot cheaper to build an engine that fits in private jets AND a attack chopper. Companies make more money and produce more product for a cheaper cost to private buyers and governments. It is called "Free Market", you socialist asswhipes. It is what is allowing the US to kick your sorry asses economically for the last 30 years.
#4
Actually, a better example of that, Darth, is the SuperCobra. It uses the same engine as the Huey {Bell 214}, which is one of the most used civilian helicopters in the world. The 214 is also made by several companies worldwide under license, so there is a lot of parts bleed around the world. And the South Africans during apartheid developed an attack copter based on the engines and controls licensed to them by the French for production of one of the French helicopter designs.
#5
That French design was the Super Frelon and the South African derivative is the Roovalk. As a matter of fact, the French derived attack helicopter is so close in design to the South African, there is some question whether the French used industrial espionage to get the plans from the South Africans, rather than just doing an all-idependent design.
Super bug not only in hospitals (UPI) -- Once it was confined to infections that occurred in hospitals, but now a potentially lethal, multi-drug resistant bacteria is now found about as often in the general community as it is in healthcare facilities.
The bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), have been identified in 40 U.S. states, said Francoise Perdreau-Remington, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
'We found that, in a survey of hospitals in San Francisco a 6.8 percent rate of MRSA among patients and a rate of 8.6 percent of MRSA among individuals in the community,' she said recently at an infectious-disease meeting sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology.
'Community-acquired MRSA is no longer distinguishable from hospital-acquired MRSA,' she said at the 46th annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. She said there were facilities in the United States where the MRSA rate exceeds 50 percent of all S. aureus infections. Remarkably, as many as 86 percent of the infections in one hospital are connected to one strain -- called USA 300.
She said that the extension of MRSA into the community in large numbers is alarming. Even more troubling was that among those patients was a person harboring a vancomycin-intermediate resistant S. aureus. The strain`s genetic makeup gives the bug the ability to transform into true vancomycin resistance and spread those resistance factors to other bacteria.
A vancomycin-resistant strain of S. aureus could be a devastating human catastrophe, due to virulence of the bacteria, its prevalence in individuals -- an estimated 30 percent of people carry the bug -- and the lack of treatment. Vancomycin is still considered the last line of defense against MRSA, although other agents such as linezolid may be used to fight the pathogen.
Control of MRSA, however, is possible, researchers said Thursday at a news briefing. Christina Vandenbroucke-Grauls, professor of medicine at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, described how a seek-and-destroy program that involved isolating patients colonized with MRSA reduced the infection rate to less than 1 percent in hospitals in the Netherlands.
Patients were screened for the disease at admission, and patients in high-risk groups were isolated until it could be determined if they had MRSA before being released into the general hospital population. Doctors and healthcare workers were required to conduct stringent hygiene procedures whenever treating any person identified with MRSA.
The program allowed doctors to identify one group of MRSA carriers that had not been known before -- individuals who work in pig farming. 'We have found at least 100 people with MRSA who work with pigs,' Vandenbroucke-Grauls told United Press International.
The screening program identified a young child with MRSA infection and through questioning found her father was a pig farmer, which, up to then, was a group not considered to be at greater risk of contracting the disease.
When her father was tested, he turned out to be positive, said Vandenbroucke-Grauls, as did other members of his family, his co-workers and the pigs. Studies indicated that pigs are often fed with products laced with antibiotics.
Since the initial discovery of MRSA in the child, more cases have been found in people who work on farms or in slaughterhouses.
In Switzerland, Patrice Francois, head of the genomic research laboratory at University Hospital in Geneva, said the rate of MRSA has been suppressed by similar isolation and hygiene procedures that accompany use of a rapid genomic test that can determine if a person has an MRSA strain in hours, rather than the period of days that standard testing takes.
'While screening is expensive, in the end, screening people is less expensive than spreading MRSA infections,' Perdreau-Remington told UPI when asked if the European model of infection control could be exported to the United States. 'We just have to have the will to do it.'
you haven't lived until you catch a good case of hospital C-DIF. not like the dysentery i had 'o so many moons ago. stench bad, guts ache bad, color bad, hangs-in-forever, max disgusting, don't feel too good either.. God Bless nurses, and their assistants. [Drs. ehhh]
MIAMI (Reuters) - A noted U.S. hurricane forecaster said on Tuesday the milder-than-expected Atlantic season will produce just two more tropical storms and no more "major" hurricanes due to El Nino conditions in the Pacific.
Not with a "bang", but a wimper
The season has so far seen nine tropical storms, of which five reached hurricane strength. William Gray's forecast team at Colorado State University said that by November 30, the end of the official six-month season, the total will be just 11 storms, with one more hurricane.
Hurricane forecasts, including Gray's, have been wildly off target this year following last year's record-breaking season, when 28 tropical storms formed, besting the old mark of 21 set in 1933. Among the worst of last year's storms was Hurricane Katrina, which swamped New Orleans and killed 1,500 people along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
At the beginning of the 2006 season, the Colorado State team predicted there would be 17 tropical storms and said nine would turn into hurricanes with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour) or more. It said five would be "major" hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (179 kph) and capable of causing some structural damage to buildings. Only two of this year's hurricanes have reached Category 3 status and none of the five hit the United States.
The MSM is soooooo disapointed.
"We expect October to have below-average activity largely due to developing El Nino conditions in the central and eastern Pacific," Philip Klotzbach, who now leads Gray's research team, said in a statement. "November activity in El Nino years is very rare."
Bush will be blamed, somehow
The development of El Nino conditions, a warming of waters in the eastern Pacific, caught forecasters by surprise. El Nino tends to dampen Atlantic hurricane activity by increasing wind shear, a variation of winds speeds at different altitudes.
Ah, warming! Pacific warming! Global Warming! It's oppressing the hurricanes! Wait, that doesn't sound right.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/03/2006 15:16 ||
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So that BIG hurricane season was just.......NORMAL. Oh the humanity and of course it's a Rove/Bush/Cheney conspiracy to make the LLL Mo0nb@+5 look stupid.
Chevron and Los Alamos National Laboratory Launch Research Project to Unlock Hydrocarbons Trapped in Oil Shale Formations {I think China has a lot of oil shale too - presumably they still have access to Los Alamos research.}
SAN RAMON, Calif., Sep. 25, 2006 -- Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) and Los Alamos National Laboratory today announced the creation of a joint research project to improve the recovery of hydrocarbons trapped in oil shales and slow-flowing oil formations.
The goal of the Chevron-Los Alamos collaboration is to develop an environmentally responsible and commercially viable process to recover crude oil and natural gas from western U.S. oil shales. The joint research and development effort will focus on oil shale formations in the Piceance Basin in Colorado. The work will include reservoir simulation and modeling, as well as experimental validation of new recovery techniques, including a form of in-situ (in-ground) processing that has the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
Oil shales are sedimentary rocks containing a high proportion of organic matter called kerogen that can be converted into crude oil or natural gas. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the United States holds 2 trillion barrels of oil shale resources, with about 1.5 trillion barrels of those resources located in the western United States, primarily in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.
The research project will be conducted under the Strategic Alliance for Energy Solutions launched by Los Alamos and Chevron in 2004. The alliance supports Los Alamos in its mission, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States through scientific and technological innovation. It also supports Chevron's strategy to develop innovative research and educational partnerships within the energy industry.
#2
It's nice to dream that those shale oil stocks will pay off, but don't go spending your money just yet. Your grandparents waited on those, your parents waited on them and while I wish you well - just keep that in mind.
#4
I read somewhere forget were that the only thing holding the Oil Shale back was the gov EPA not allowing them a green light to use Nuclear reactors. My interpretation was that right now they use fuel to heat with rods the earth were oil shale is trapped then once liquified they suck it out. Right now the cost to heat the earth makes the resulting oil shale oil too expensive compared to standard crude wells. The Nuclear angle is that the nuclear energy is alot by a factor cheaper and efficiant at the job.
I don't know if this is the answer personally I think the Gulf, Alaska, Apalachans ect.. should be tapped full alt. We currently give billions upon billions a year to foreign UNFRIENDLY nations for oil, I think it a national catastrophy even criminal that we have oil here we could tap and send those billions to OUR people OUR economy but instead we don't. The definition of Hypocracy is to claim to be the good guy by not doing something that is a nessecary evil yourself, but in the same breath paying someone else to do that evil for you. We can't drill oil for EPA reason here but we are OK to buy oil drilled in 3rd world backwaters WTF. Sounds more like giving welfare to those 3rd world dumps to do what we can and should do ourselves benefiting from the money. It pisses me off that our leadership dont put the US population above all else in the world.
#7
Crurt,
Warning on oil shale companies is sound, but do note that this is not some penny stock outfit, nor even a middlin' Fortune 500 one. This article is, however, a corporate press release - aka propaganda piece. (I've done well with their stock over the past few decades.)
C-Low,
Oil extraction from shale is costly and has not been competitive with other energy sources, but it does have a positive energy balance (consumes less than one barrel to get one barrel out - I'm not sure ethanol does) and so could be economic at the right price. Water is the biggest issue - if the shales were in Louisiana we could probably be producing them now.
#8
This is some sort of me-too with government bells-and-whistles. Shell's been playing with oil shale for over two years now.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/03/2006 13:20 Comments ||
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chevron is also the company that had the deep (25k ft) well in the Gulf of Mx
also, I own stock in this company too; unfortunately they have had a difficult time repairing infrastructure damaged in the 05 hurricane season-- if they hadn't had this trouble the stock would probably be at least 20% higher
#10
I remember a nuke explosion, in my youth, where they were trying to convert oil shale to natural gas with a huge underground explosion. It made the oil too radioactive. Has anybody revisited the test site to see if the radiation has dropped enough to use the gas?
Three things will happen. The so-called sequestration of CO2 (not my favorite, but hey, it pays the bills and lights up the eyes of the investors). Supercritical CO2 'solvates' and makes mobile the hydrocarbons exposed, which then go into solution. The most mobile (lightest) fractions move first, allowing a sort of in ground fractionation.
Heat required is greater than 100 F, so depth is a factor. Multiple source pumps for greatest dispersion, one or more return lines for extraction. Pressure decrease causes the CO2 to unburden itself of whatever it solvated. Close the loop on the return to prevent loss of the CO2.
Pilot is being built.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/03/2006 14:00 Comments ||
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#12
Doesn't Colorado have more reserves than Saudi Arabia if they can figure out how to extract it economically?
Last data I saw (and granted this is from the Atlanta Journal-Constipation) was that Saudi had roughly 260 Trillion barrels "proven reserves" in the ground. So, 2 trillion is mere pocket change. However, on that same article (6/13/2004 AJC), Canada had some 174 trillion barrels of crude and tar sands combined (making it the 2nd largest reserve in the world, if you include tar sands). So, Canucks could very well be our saving grace (seems like I've read here at RB too, that Canada's already fired up several tar-sands wells, or are drilling them as we speak).
Posted by: BA ||
10/03/2006 16:09 Comments ||
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#14
#13 - 174 tbarrels isn't much good if 100 tbarrels have to be used up to slowly extract the oil. All the Saudis have to do is run their pumps and dump the liquid into the oil tankers offshore. I will get interested in oil from shale after I have pumped some of it into the tank of my pickup, if it doesn't rust to pieces by then. I have next to no hope there will be much of an improvement in world oil supply in my lifetime. I am holding on to my 1983 Ford diesel pickup, which can run on vegetable oil in the summer time, and can even be push-started. This Dept of Energy article gives an estimate 2-6 trillion barrels of "well-bore" oil -- that has ever existed on earth. 1 trillion barrels have already been consumed, the stuff which was the cheapest/easiest to recover. The remainder will be harder to bring out, and much of it is located in Islamistan. There are a lot of tall tales about "reserves" -- the oil producers don't want to upset the market with pessimism. Perhaps the reason they aren't building refineries is that they anticipate less stock to refine in the near future, so why waste the investment? The author James Kunstler is as much against Islamic fascism as our host is, but he posted this on his blog yesterday:
Possession of the largest reserve of the world's crucial resource, oil, has no doubt driven the people of the Middle East crazy. It has fed the resurgence of a militant Islam that seeks to punish and antagonize the Judeo-Christian West (and, call it whatever else you will, the 9/11 attack was certainly an act of antagonism). It has also caused populations to swell far beyond the carrying capacity of the region, with predictable results. [i.e., The lives of the people of the Middle East are even more dependent on oil than the lives of Americans - my note] But with most of the Middle East nations now at or past peak oil production -- including Iran and Saudi Arabia --we can expect only more dangerous behavior....Sooner or later America will lose its ability to influence the people and events in the Middle East, and at the same time we will probably lose access to the oil of the region. Yes, oil is a "fungible" resource that finds its way through markets. But the markets themselves will be badly destabilized by the economics of post-peak production. Do not expect on-time delivery....The Canadian producers have substantial contracts with China for the products of the tar sands. I have no doubt the US will invoke the Monroe Doctrine to cancel those contracts. Expect a pissed off China.... [ #9] Don't get too excited about Chevron's "Jack" discovery in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Even at its most fantastical extrapolation, it would represent about two years of US oil consumption, and it would be expensive to a laughable extreme... The bottom line is that the only meaningful project for the US now is to turn its attention and remaining resources to the job of preparing for civilized life without oil [or at least a hell of a lot less annual consumption than is currently happening - my note]. This is the topic that is absent from our political discourse on all sides and at all levels. [my emphasis]The anti-war community is itself either lost in raptures of Bush-hatred or preoccupied with fantasies for running the interstate highways on used french-fry oil. We have to talk about things beyond just running our cars by other means. We are a profoundly unserious nation, for all our pretensions.
#15
BA you're off by a whole factor, try using BILLION not trillion. The oil shale reserves in the US are considered quite possibly the largest reserve of oil ANYWHERE in the world.
#16
An article in Rantburg (about a month ago), reported that in Israel they had developed a cost effective catalyst to retrieve most of the oil from shale and the remaing oil in the shale rock was burned off in an electrical generating plant.I thought it cost $20 dollars a barrel.
"...Do you like October suprises? Is there a big bang coming to hit the markets? If you believe that those in the know use insider information before major events then you might be interested on the HUGE number of October 6th put options for the big indexes..." Numerous links follow.
#1
Historically, I thought having one party in the White House and the other in charge of the House was supposed to be good for the market. Something about gridlock in D.C. being good.
I never thought I would have thought the Democrats could win, but this Foley thing could be the proverbial straw if Hastert get tainted.
#4
Check out the concentrated puts on the Diamonds DOW Trust (DIA):
Aren't "puts" were something you do when you expect the price to fall. I'm not good at looking at this stuff - but the article seems to imply that the massive concentration of put options are on diamonds. Diamonds and Gold and Silver go UP when people think the economy or stock market is going south.
When people are nervous they buy gold and silver and diamonds. It goes back down again when they begin to feel more secure. So it wouldn't surprise me that now that the economy is strong, the DOW raging and things are looking good that those who speculated on gold silver and diamonds set their benchmarks to sell diamonds and gold when the DOW reached a new high.
Diamonds is Wall Street speak for Dow Industrial Average (DIA), SPY (spyders) for S&P 500. Puts on these would imply a negative outlook. While puts on gold would be positive, as you say.
So, if true, these indicators are quite contradictory unless they are implying the end of Western civilization.
#7
Well, I don't have an online account with Fidelity so I can't see the actual articles from here.
A put option gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to sell a stock or other asset at a given price by a given date. The buyer is betting that prices will fall lower than the strike price, by that date. The seller of the put option is betting they will not.
Therefore .... if a lot of people are buying put options, it means a bunch of others are selling them, i.e. betting that those asset prices will NOT fall lower. Why would anyone sell a Put??? Because they get a sale fee for the option and they believe this fee outweighs the risk involved.
Most options are NEVER exercised ... they are a form of insurance for the purchaser and a form of income for the seller.
#9
CP - I think the point of the post is beyond 'investing'; the possibility is that someone with knowledge of a future event that will knock the market down substantially is seeking to profit from it. Follow the money and find who is planning an 'attack' - potentially terrorist attack. If I recall correctly there was some element of this kind of thing just before 9-11.
#10
I agree, Glenmore. In fact, if you look in Fred's archives, he linked to articles about bin Ladin profitting mightily from certain investments made just before the 9/11 attacks. It's still not clear to me if this was an urban legend or real, but certainly something looked suspicious to the cynical.
#11
I think the point of the post is beyond 'investing'; the possibility is that someone with knowledge of a future event that will knock the market down substantially is seeking to profit from it.
Yup. Shouldv'e made that clear in my comment above.
Rational investors who do not have inside knowledge of events that are likely to change the market buy/sell options on the basis I described above.
#12
thanks for the easy to understand explanation of puts, lopt.
I flipped past CNBC this morning. They all had long faces and looked down so I stayed to see what the good news was. Gold, Silver, platinum are waaaay down. Oil down too. (She said, with a very disappointed look, "oil can't keep going down forever" and then they both tried to console themselves that eventually the spigot would get turned off.)
Anyway - I digress. As is obvious, I don't know the stock market - but logically, it makes sense to me that many speculators would use the DOW reaching its new heights as a benchmark to buy and sell. In addition to lopts great comments above, I think what we are seeing is the fact that by going past the old high, the people who play the market are making changes in their plays. Kind of like after the queen of spades is played in hearts.
First, every option (put or call) has two parties: buyer and seller.
To buy a put, that means someone has to be selling in the first place. Someone who is selling puts believes the market will remain flat or go up. Their bet is that they'll collect their put premium and the option expires unexercised.
Therefore, another interpretation of this is a lot of folks think the market is going up and are looking to collect some income from folks who think the exact opposite. But remember, the seller comes first.
#14
true, dreadnought. An increased number of puts means something is changing. I think the above explanation of an insurance policy seems apt. Looking at gold and oil falling. It's good for most of us, but if you speculated in it, it is risky. When do you sell? These are gamblers hedging their bets. It may be because they anticipate the stock market to go up - not down - and that just means that people start changing where they invest their money.
#15
The Dow is at a record high right now and historically October can be a bad month in the market. So people buy puts as an insurance policy to lock in some profits. I don't think there's anthing abnormal about that. Also, I don't know where the writer of the article gets the October 6th date. Options always expire on the 3rd Friday of the month. This month it will be October 20th. I know this because I have lots of calls set to expire. I write calls nearly every month. Sometimes I will buy a puts as a hedge to cover some big gains. If there was fear building people would be buying the commodities.
#16
Options always expire on the 3rd Friday of the month
The standard ones offered by the large underwriters do. But an option is simply a contract and they can be (and are) negotiated with all sorts of custom terms, including the expiration date as well as strike price.
Commodities are indeed going down right now, btw -- gold and other precious metals bought as a hedge against high oil prices / inflation will come down when that inflation (and those oil prices) don't keep rising.
#17
Back when I had money, I used to sell puts on stocks I was going to buy (and hold) anyway. Unless the stock skyrocketed, the put would help finance the purchase. I was never into the short-term buy-sell-buy stuff, mainly because I knew I'd screw it up.
#18
The standard ones offered by the large underwriters do. But an option is simply a contract and they can be (and are) negotiated with all sorts of custom terms, including the expiration date as well as strike price.
True but if you think something bad is going to happen right away would you spend the time finding a seller of puts so you can put together a custom option contract to buy? It doesn't make any sense. Also look at the data for the DIA Oct 20th Puts:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=DIA
Scroll down to Puts and notice the price on the Puts from $112 to $120. You will see a lot of red arrows. Meaning prices are dropping. Which means LESS people think the market is going down.
#19
Th market goes up in small amounts with scattered down turns, but the market goes down in one day. This is because of short selling (puts). Personally, I think short selling should be outlawed, but the market pros make money selling short. How, easy, by all selling at the same time, and causing a market collapse. Many investers use stop orders which when hit become sell at market orders,
So, lets say we buy Microsoft at $27.40, and we know that the market is high, we establish a stop order within $.15 or $27.25. Well, after the short sales, the price will spiral downward, and our stops will become sell at market, which by then may be $25.75 and so on until 4:30 PM EDT or the end of sellers is reached. At which time, Microsoft may be $18.50 or about 3 years worth of gains.
If you think this sounds like the stock market is build on a flimsy foundation, welcome to Wall Street.
The situation you described is not a put. Short selling is a completely different animal that involves borrowing shares and selling them. Buying a put/selling a call is being short in the market, but it is not short selling.
If I write a put (the seller) on Microsoft stock with a strike price $20 and someone buys it, and the price drops to $15 or $10 or $0, I have to buy MSFT at $20 if the buyer chooses to exercise the option. His profit is $20 - Current stock price (if he had to purchase the shares to sell to me) - Option Premium.
Unlike short selling, the person who buys a put is only on the hook for the initial option premium; he can't lose anything else. In short selling, you are at risk for both the shares you borrowed and any additional money if the market runs the wrong way (i.e., up, up and away).
Also, market/stop orders are not unique to options or short selling. You play in this game at your own risk.
#22
Hehe is it a North Korean investment vehicle? In the mean time the market broke a record and oil goes south big time.....Iran and Venezuela see their GDP drop by the second today......
#23
Following the links through, I think the original post that started this whole thing misread the October 2006 puts as expiring October 06. They do in fact expire on the Saturday following the 3rd Friday...last day of trading is Friday October 20, official expiration is Saturday October 21.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell 3 percent to $61 a barrel on Monday as healthy fuel inventories in top consumer the United States countered plans by OPEC members Nigeria and Venezuela to trim output. U.S. crude settled down $1.88 at $61.03 a barrel, after dipping as low as $60.90 after BP said it had restarted production at the Lisburne oil field in Alaska over the weekend. London Brent dropped $2.03 to $60.45.
BP shut the 30,000 barrel per day (bpd) field last week after discovering a gas leak in a pipeline. The oil major has been restoring output at its giant Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska after severe pipeline corrosion was found in August. The Lisburne restart added to bearish market sentiment caused by ample U.S. supplies, which have sent prices falling from records over $78 a barrel in July and prompted concern among some OPEC members.
Nigeria and Venezuela last week to pledge to cut supply by about 170,000 barrels per day, less than 1 percent of OPEC's total output, from October 1 as U.S. distillate stocks are at a seven-year high. "The fundamentals are not very rosy -- we've got very high stocks," said Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix. "The market is expecting now to have a bit less production from OPEC, but the question is how much."
Some traders said the planned cutbacks by Nigeria and Venezuela would have little impact on prices unless larger producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries also said they would join the move. "The only significant thing would be if Saudi Arabia announced they were going to cut output, which they haven't," said Christopher Bellew, a broker at Bache Financial in London. "I really don't think anyone expects much in the way of output cuts at the moment."
OPEC's second-largest producer, Iran, on Sunday backed any move by the 11-member group to bolster the market, while stopping short of saying it would trim its own output. Iran will support any OPEC move to bring oil prices back to an "acceptable and logical" level, Iran's OPEC Governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Iran's official news agency IRNA.
That would be about $15 a barrel but I don't think he meant that.
Analysts polled by Reuters said U.S. government weekly inventory data to be released on Wednesday will show distillate stocks up another 1.3 million barrels for the week ending September 29, with gasoline stocks up 900,000 barrels. Data for crude stocks was expected to show a 700,000 barrel fall.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
An "acceptable and logical" price level for oil would be that set by the market in the absence of manipulation by a cartel.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
10/03/2006 3:12 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Indonesian police have slapped a cordon around a huge landmark Banyan tree in the capital after members of a Muslim youth group attacked it to prove it had no special mystical powers. The governor of Jakarta filed a complaint with police after youths hacked and damaged the 100-year-old banyan, on a traffic island in the capital, in a bid to dispel rumors the tree harbored special powers. "The city government tried hard not to cut the tree when we built a new bus lane. It is more than 100 years old and it is important for the environment," said Susi Marsitawati of Jakarta's park agency.
Dinosaurs had to cope with dramatic swings in the climate around 120 million years ago, with ocean surface temperatures changing by as much as 6 °C. The finding suggests that natural climate variations are much more complex than previously thought.
Zimbabwe has imported 30,400 tonnes of wheat worth $10.6 million to ease bread shortage in the crisis-hit country, the official Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday. Wheat is the countrys second staple crop after maize and Zimbabwe has over the years failed to satisfy its annual wheat consumption of between 400,000 and 450,00 tonnes.
Nigerias southwest region of Ekiti has lost its governor over corruption. The state in southwest Nigeria has also lost its vice governor over similar accusations. Twenty-four members out of the 26 in Nigerias state House of Assembly agreed upon the sacking of the governor and his deputy. They requested them to file complaints after the notice of their sacking was sent unto them. 
Some 126 million Brazilians were called to cast their ballots yesterday in a race that was likely to give a second term to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Silva da Lula, a self-styled champion of the downtrodden. Lula, 60, a former strike leader who has distanced himself from his radical past, held a commanding lead in opinion polls over his closest and far less charismatic rival, former Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin, 53. But it was unclear whether Lula would be able to win outright yesterday, after the polls out on the eve of the voting showed his support slipping, leaving him right on the brink of the 50 percent needed to avert a run-off election.
Airbus will scale back deliveries of the A380 superjumbo for a third time and reduce as much as 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in costs by cutting jobs and shifting production, three people with knowledge of the plans said.
In the crucial congressional elections, now about five weeks away, one of the strongest weapons in the Republican arsenal is a man running a Web site out of his apartment in Miami. His name is Matt Drudge. Drudge broke the Monica Lewinsky story and has had a tremendous influence on what you know about politics ever since. From the comfort of his apartment, Drudge can send shock waves through newsrooms and campaign headquarters nationwide with breaking news often heralded by his trademark siren. "If Drudge has a siren up, people know it's something they have to look at," said Mark Halperin, ABC News Political Director. 
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon is on track to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations. A formal vote of the Security Council is set October 9. VOA's correspondent at the U.N. Peter Heinlein profiles the man who is set to become the world's next diplomat-in-chief.
Worldwide spending on weapons is expected to reach record levels this year at a time when the arms industry is increasingly able to avoid export controls, human rights and aid agencies say in a report published yesterday.
(UPI) -- Once it was confined to infections that occurred in hospitals, but now a potentially lethal, multi-drug resistant bacteria is now found about as often in the general community as it is in healthcare facilities.
MIAMI (Reuters) - A noted U.S. hurricane forecaster said on Tuesday the milder-than-expected Atlantic season will produce just two more tropical storms and no more "major" hurricanes due to El Nino conditions in the Pacific. 
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell 3 percent to $61 a barrel on Monday as healthy fuel inventories in top consumer the United States countered plans by OPEC members Nigeria and Venezuela to trim output. U.S. crude settled down $1.88 at $61.03 a barrel, after dipping as low as $60.90 after BP said it had restarted production at the Lisburne oil field in Alaska over the weekend. London Brent dropped $2.03 to $60.45.
