Sex worker rights debated at UNH conference

Sex worker rights debated at UNH conference

John Huff/Staff photographer University of New Hampshire students of the Woman's Studies program listen as Program Coordinator for the Red Umbrella Project in New York City Emma Caterine talks about her organizations campaigns to end the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution in the state of New York.

DURHAM — All Kitty Stryker wants is to not be arrested, beaten or raped.

“I think that sums it up,” she said. “Precisely.”

Stryker was speaking to a room full of University of New Hampshire students participating in a mini-conference on sex workers sponsored through the school's Women's Studies program on Tuesday.

She, along with two advocates for sex workers' rights from New York City participated in a discussion, “No bad women: Just bad laws,” after students watched the movie Scarlet Road. The film is a documentary on an Australian sex worker who works with people with disabilities.

People in this business are looking for rights, whether that means their work is legalized, decriminalized or just to be shed in a better light.

Stryker is a sex worker living in San Francisco. She has also worked with clients in Boston and London, England. After becoming somewhat of an expert at social media when having to market herself, she became a lover of the Internet and now does community management for two television stations as a day job — and pornography on the side.

John Huff/Staff photographer University of New Hampshire students of the Woman’s Studies program listen to Kitty Stryker, a sex worker, adult entertainment performer and sex worker rights activist from San Francisco, Calif., talks about legalizing and/or decriminalizing professional sex services.

“Porn is legal,” she said. “I don't have to worry about it.”

When she was providing sex to clients, which she still does, but not full-time, she said she would always make sure to receive two references before seeing the client.

She is not worried about getting arrested through advertisements she posts online, but is nervous that undercover police will try to book a session with her.

“They definitely can do that. They don't have to tell you they are a cop,” she said.

She said it is just a “matter of time” until she could possibly be taken to jail.

“I waive my privilege every day with every speaking engagement and activism that I do,” she said. “How much can I push my privilege and get away with things?”

Although prostitution laws differ from state to state, she said that generally states will arrest people who are willing to do certain acts for money and have that money exchanged.

In New Hampshire, a person is guilty of a misdemeanor if they solicit or agree to perform a sex act according to RSA 632-A: 1.

John Huff/Staff photographer University of New Hampshire students of the Woman’s Studies program watch the movie “Scarlet Road” a documentary that follows Australian sex worker Rachel Wotton who specializes in clientele with disabilities at the Hamilton Smith Hall in Durham Tuesday.

Stryker was not forced into this work. Neither were any of the people on the panel during the conference at UNH.

Stryker said she enjoys watching her clients grow and become people who have the confidence to stop paying for sex and start engaging with women and eventually have girlfriends. She said this work has taught her to love her body, how to set boundaries and gain a closer relationship with her family.

“Having my parents accept my sex work was really valuable,” she said during a panel discussion Tuesday night.

Jordan Rondinone, a UNH student who also dances at TENS in Salisbury, Mass., said her family knows about her work in the sex industry, as well.

She said the “umbrella term” of sex work encompasses anyone working within the sex industry and that because she dances sexually she is categorized under it.

Rondinone has also danced in Massachusetts at the Gold Club, Golden Banana and Centerfold.

“I have also done prostitution,” she said.

While she, too, has seen positives in her work. She included the feeling of empowerment, the compliments, the control of those watching and the ability to make fast cash. But she said she also feels vulnerable, is at a higher risk for sexual harassment and is in an industry that does live “a very different lifestyle.”


She said forming friendships has been difficult and she has not been in an intimate relationship since she started dancing.

“I don't think people completely understand,” she said of her work. “Maybe it is almost a jealousy thing?”

Because it has been hard finding a social group, she found another outlet.

“I was in rehab, I'm a lot better now,” she said. “But this industry gets you so open to that and for a long time, I didn't have anyone close and that was what was close to me and still can be,” she said.

Isabella Beaulieu, who also sat on the panel at UNH as a former student who dropped out and moved to Seattle, said she too had a hard time making friends in the sex industry.

When she got to the west coast, she had difficulty finding a job. She decided to start dancing and really enjoyed the profession.

“There are so many stereotypes of sex workers being victims of being forced, but everyone's experience is so unique and so amazing,” she said.

Stryker said most of the time her job is “nice” and that she enjoys it.


“But sometimes it's crappy and I don't want to get up and I don't want to get dressed in some fancy femme drag. I don't want to deal with it,” she said. “Sometimes I have clients who are really annoying or they are really boring, like, that happens.”

She said because she is a sex worker advocate, though, and because she is vocal, she is not allowed to say she had a bad day.

“Ever,” she said. “Because if I have a bad day, then I'm proof that sex work is evil.”

Stryker said there is a war on the sex worker community, but that it is not just on them.

“It starts with us, it starts with me, but it is going to come to you,” she said to the crowd at UNH. “This is a war on all of us.”

She said the United States is too big, with too many different state laws, to try to think of a solution that would work to give rights to sex workers across the board. But, she said, certain laws, such as No Condoms As Evidence, need to be passed to protect everyone, not just people in her field of work.

Emma Caterine, the program coordinator for the Red Umbrella Project in New York City, said No Condoms As Evidence, a New York state bill, will stop police and prosecutors from being able to use the possession of condoms as evidence of prostitution. Right now, they are able to use that as a fact that a person is involved in sex work, which can lead them to being arrested.


“It's not illegal to carry condoms anywhere in the United States,” she said. “When you bring these sort of cases forward ... They'll be found not guilty. It's going to happen.”

Caterine said that laws like this are preventing some people to even carry condoms, which means they are not using them.

“I hope this is passed soon,” Jared Ringer, coordinator for the Hate Violence and Sexual Violence Programs at the New York City Anti-Violence Project said. “I wish it was passed years ago.”

Maureen Bradley, a University of New Hampshire student in the Women's Studies program, helped bring the panel to the school on Tuesday. She said the reason for the mini-conference was to bring awareness to the issues the sex workers face and give them attention while teaching students about the lack of rights the workers have worldwide.    

Costs of an International Lunar Base | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Costs of an International Lunar Base | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Costs of an International Lunar Base

Following the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a presidentially appointed committee is preparing its final report reviewing U.S. plans for future space exploration. In its summary report, the commission has suggested an exploration option that drops the goal of returning to the moon and building a base there, something that has been a centerpiece of U.S. exploration plans for the past five years or more. The suggestion to drop a return to the moon is based in large part on budget projections that forecast just how much and how long it will take the United States to carry out its space exploration plans on its own. These scenarios do not factor in international collaboration. The development of a lunar base has been identified by the Beijing Declaration as the ideal next project for international collaboration on space exploration. CSIS Space Initiatives has made an estimate, based on available literature, that the likely costs of developing such a base would be about $35 billion, and operating the base would run about $7.35 billion per year. By comparison, the development cost for all but the Russian section of the International Space Station (ISS) is estimated at around $85 billion, including $35 billion for Space Shuttle missions. In the years after the Shuttle retires, the annual operation costs of the ISS will be $4.5 billion per year.1 The estimated operating costs for the lunar base assume no in-situ resource utilization. All supplies (O2, H2, food, etc.) would be supplied from Earth and recycled to the maximum extent possible. If useable water ice is found near the base, or oxygen-rich minerals can be utilized, operating costs will decrease significantly.

Development of the Base

Development of the lunar base is estimated at $35 billion for a base that can host a four-person crew and remain unmanned between missions. Our estimates for both development and operation of the lunar base assume that it is located at the south pole. This location offers areas of scientific interest—for example, craters with possible water ice deposits—and quasi-permanent sun exposure, as well as the most conservative assessment for transportation to the lunar surface. The costs do not include development of the heavy-lift Ares V or the Orion crew capsule. Although an Ares V or equivalent will be needed to transfer the lunar base from Earth to the Moon, it is capable of other exploration and scientific missions, including deploying third-generation space telescopes, robotic and human missions to near-Earth objects, as well as missions to the Lagrange Points and eventually to Mars. It will serve as the workhorse for the future exploration of the solar system and beyond. The four-person crew capsule, Orion, is developed for the Moon but will first be used to transport crew to the ISS in replacement of the Space Shuttle. Therefore, Orion development costs are not included in the lunar base project. However, a margin of $2 billion is calculated to account for unforeseen technological and budgetary problems. The development costs of the Altair lander flying aboard the Ares V or an equivalent, estimated to be about $12 billion, are part of the lunar base project. Furthermore, a universal lander, needed to deliver cargo to the lunar base using the medium launchers, has estimated development costs of $2 billion.

Although these cost estimates include some margins, NASA projects have typically run 50 percent over budget, according to recent estimates. With a goal of a first landing on the Moon 10 years from now, at the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, the development costs for the lunar base would average $3.5 billion per year, the equivalent of what is currently spent operating the Shuttle. The lunar base by itself is quite affordable; however, significant funding will also be needed during this time for the transformation to a post-Shuttle launch system and utilization of the ISS until 2020.

Operating Costs

Operating costs for the lunar base are estimated at about $7.35 billion per year, assuming year-round occupancy. Designing the lunar base to be left uninhabited between missions would offer the possibility of fewer or shorter missions and therefore reduced annual costs. In support of the lunar project, there will be three to four international medium-launch systems, for example Ares I, Ariane 5, Delta IV Heavy, Long March 5, and the H-IIC. These launchers will be interoperable to launch cargo to the lunar south pole and a four-person Orion capsule to low Earth orbit. Once in orbit, that capsule will meet up with the Earth Departure Stage and Altair lunar lander, which are launched by Ares V or an equivalent. Operating costs are based on two four-person crew rotations per year. The two Orion launches are estimated at $0.6 billion per year, with the corresponding Ares V launches costing $2 billion per year. Cargo needs are estimated at 17.6 metric tons (mt) per year—that is, 2.2 mt of supplies per person for a 180-day mission. An estimated 15 cargo launches (1.2 mt of cargo with a 0.5-mt lander) will be needed per year, at an annual cost of $3.75 billion.

Harvard Law School Offers 'Tax Planning For Marijuana Dealers'---No Joke

Harvard Law School Offers 'Tax Planning For Marijuana Dealers'---No Joke

I’m the last one to say this is a silly topic, because it is not. But you have to admit is sounds a little funny. Bizarrely–and there’s much in our tax law that’s downright bizarre–there’s actually a need for this kind of, er, down and dirty tax planning session. And someone should bring the Cheetos.

Perhaps Harvard’s Board of Trustees will get wind of it and get upset. But the ire should be directed at tax rules that need fixing. Now that we have legalized medical marijuana in 18 states and the District of Columbia can these businesses be run like businesses? Not really. Massachusetts was the most recent entrant, and its marijuana businesses, like those in all the other states, face legal and tax problems.

For that matter, Colorado and Washington have even legalized recreational use. Again, tax problems there too. Why? Because even legal dispensaries are drug traffickers to the feds. Section 280E of the tax code denies them tax deductions, even for legitimate business costs. Of all the federal enforcement efforts, taxes hurt most. “The federal tax situation is the biggest threat to businesses and could push the entire industry underground,” the leading trade publication for the marijuana industry reports.

One answer is for dispensaries to deduct other expenses distinct from dispensing marijuana. If a dispensary sells marijuana and is in the separate business of care-giving, the care-giving expenses are deductible. If only 10% of the premises are used to dispense marijuana, most of the rent is deductible. Good record-keeping is essential. See Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Persist Despite Tax Obstacles.

Another idea was presented April 24 at Harvard by Professor Benjamin Leff of American University’s Law School. Professor Leff’s paper carried an unvarnished title: Tax Planning for Marijuana Dealers. It was part of Harvard’s Tax Policy Seminar hosted by Harvard Prof. Stephen Shay. Mr. Leff correctly pointed out the 280E Catch 22 and came up with another end run.

Marijuana sellers could operate as nonprofit social welfare organizations, he suggested. See Growing the Business: How Legal Marijuana Sellers Can Beat a Draconian Tax. That way Section 280E shouldn’t apply. A social welfare organization must promote the common good and general welfare of people in its neighborhood or community. Operating businesses in distressed neighborhoods to provide jobs and job-training for residents? That could fit a dispensary nicely.

You don’t need a Harvard education to see that there’s something wrong with this picture. Meanwhile, Congressmen Jared Polis (D-CO) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have introduced a bill to end the federal prohibition on marijuana and allow it to be taxed. This legislation would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.

That way growers, sellers and users could no longer fear violating federal law. Their Marijuana Tax Equity Act would also impose an excise tax on cannabis sales and an annual occupational tax on workers dealing in the growing field of legal marijuana. Whatever happens, it’s at least good that someone is paying attention to this mess.

Robert W. Wood practices law with Wood LLP, in San Francisco. The author of more than 30 books, including Taxation of Damage Awards & Settlement Payments (4th Ed. 2009 with 2012 Supplement, Tax Institute), he can be reached at Wood@WoodLLP.com. This discussion is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.

About Operation Tinker Bell

it's a game, check it..

About Operation Tinker Bell

1964. The Cold War raged during the past decade. There's still no peace agreement in Korea, Soviet troops occupied Hungary, the U.S. invasion of Cuba ended in disaster, the newly built Berlin Wall splits Germany in half, the Cuban missile crisis almost resulted in nuclear war, John F. Kennedy has been assassinated last year, there's political unrest in Czechoslovakia and President Lyndon B. Johnson is preparing to enter the Vietnam conflict.

March 17, 1964. KGB Colonel Alexander Rogozin contacts the U.S. Embassy to Turkey. CIA officer Robert Novak from the Soviet and Eastern Europe Division is sent to Ankara to meet Rogozin. Novak’s assessment: Rogozin is disillusioned in the Soviet political system, his military carrier and his marriage. He wants to defect to the United States and his knowledge of communications technology and cryptology can be a valuable asset to U.S. intelligence.

Both CIA’s new Science & Technology Directorate and the National Security Agency (NSA) are most interested. Novak is assigned to Colonel Rogozin as his case officer and CIA Headquarter in Langley designates codename GYMNAST to the defector.

Novak persuades Rogozin to return to Moscow, assume his normal duties and collect additional intelligence before defecting in the near future. Rogozin’s contact person in Moscow is Roman Danilov, a CIA operative under the cover of UP journalist, attached to the U.S Embassy to Moscow. A first secret meeting between Danilov and Colonel Rogozin is scheduled on April 5.

On the day of the meeting, Danilov leaves his apartment at Povarskaya street at 1135 hours Moscow time. The next morning at 0815 hours (0015 hours in Langley) CIA station Moscow reports to its Headquarters in Langley over secure channels: Danilov failed to report after his meeting with Rogozin.

The subsequent investigation confirms that Roman Danilov has gone missing. There’s no word of KGB Colonel Rogozin. The defector turns out to be either a bait to identify CIA agents in Moscow or a false recruitment that went horrible wrong. The same morning, Danilov is officially reported missing.

Bill Hensley, Chief of CIA’s Soviet Division is furious about the loss of his operative. Robert Novak is ordered to track down Rogozin with all available means. Operation TINKER BELL, the search for the false KGB defector, has begun.

Your Task

You are assigned to OPERATION TINKER BELL as COMSEC Officer. It is your task to decrypt all message traffic, sent between Langley, it's stations abroad and agents in the field. This sounds harder than it actually is. All required crypto tools and keys are provided. If you can type on a keyboard, you can decrypt the messages. We advise you to keep a record of all decrypted messages in order to get a good view on the situation of the operation.

Start by reading the personal files to familiarized yourself with all persons involved. It is important to know their code names and agent ID's, which will be used in all communications. Next, you should visit the Communications Center (COMCEN) to update your knowledge about how Langley and it's stations abroad communicate with each other and with agents in the field, both by cable and radio. You will lean to work with 1960s state-of-the-art crypto equipment and use one-time pads to decrypt messages. Finally, you must visit the crypto room to retrieve the appropriate keys and one-time pads.

Heavy use of herbicide Roundup linked to health dangers-U.S. study

Heavy use of herbicide Roundup linked to health dangers-U.S. study

Heavy use of the world's most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.

The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of "glyphosate," the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.

Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc. Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body," the study says.

We "have hit upon something very important that needs to be taken seriously and further investigated," Seneff said.

Environmentalists, consumer groups and plant scientists from several countries have warned that heavy use of glyphosate is causing problems for plants, people and animals.
The EPA is conducting a standard registration review of glyphosate and has set a deadline of 2015 for determining if glyphosate use should be limited. The study is among many comments submitted to the agency.

Monsanto is the developer of both Roundup herbicide and a suite of crops that are genetically altered to withstand being sprayed with the Roundup weed killer.

These biotech crops, including corn, soybeans, canola and sugarbeets, are planted on millions of acres in the United States annually. Farmers like them because they can spray Roundup weed killer directly on the crops to kill weeds in the fields without harming the crops.

Roundup is also popularly used on lawns, gardens and golf courses.

Monsanto and other leading industry experts have said for years that glyphosate is proven safe, and has a less damaging impact on the environment than other commonly used chemicals.

Jerry Steiner, Monsanto's executive vice president of sustainability, reiterated that in a recent interview when questioned about the study.

"We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied," he said.

Of the more than two dozen top herbicides on the market, glyphosate is the most popular. In 2007, as much as 185 million pounds of glyphosate was used by U.S. farmers, double the amount used six years ago, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.

Sarah Palin Calls for Invasion of Czech Republic

illiterate, only good for a bukkake..



Sarah Palin Calls for Invasion of Czech Republic



Sarah Palin called for the invasion of the Czech Republic today in response to the recent terrorist attacks in Boston.

In an interview with Fox News, the former governor of Alaska said that although federal investigators have yet to complete their work, the time for action is now.

"We don't know everything about these suspects yet," Palin told Fox and Friends this morning, referring to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who allegedly carried out the Boston Marathon attacks. "But we know they were Muslims from the Czech Republic.

"I betcha I speak for a lot of Americans when I say I want to go over there right now and start teaching those folks a lesson. And let's not stop at the Czech Republic, let's go after all Arab countries.

"The Arabians need to learn that they can't keep comin' over here and blowing stuff up. Let's set off a couple of nukes in Islamabad, burn down Prague, then bomb the heck out of Tehran. We need to show them that we mean business."

Can't See Russia...

Although hosts Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson applauded Palin's jingoism, they immediately attempted to rectify her multiple geographic errors.

"Well Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, which isn't Arab," Carlson corrected, "and Tehran is the capital of Iran, which is predominantly Persian. But I do see your point."

"Also Czech Republic isn't really an Arab or even Muslim country, I don't think," Doocy added, "but otherwise what you're saying makes a lot of sense. I think most Americans wish Obama would step up and lead on this one."

Palin, however, didn't take kindly to being corrected and defended her analysis.

"Steve, that's probably one of the most ignorant things I've ever heard. How is Czech Republic not a Muslim country? You saw those brothers, they were Islamic and they were Chechen!"

"Yes there were Muslim and they were ethnic Chechens," Doocy started, "but they grew up mostly in Kyrgyzstan and the United States. And more importantly, Chechens don't come from the Czech Republic, they come from Chechnya, which is part of Russia. "

"What's the difference?" Palin responded. "Isn't Russia part of the Czech Republic?"

"No, the Czech Republic is a separate country. It's part of the European Union and a strong NATO ally," Doocy noted. "But heck, why not? Let's invade. What could go wrong?"

"Yeah and while we're at it," Carlson added, "let's call the Queen of England and see if the U.K. will join us."

In a statement released after the interview, Palin attacked Fox News and its "pro-Islamic" and "pro-geography" bias.

"This is just another case of the politically correct liberal media refusing to tell the truth about radical Islam," she said.

Before Housing Bubbles, There Was Land Fever

Before Housing Bubbles, There Was Land Fever

SINCE 1997, we have lived through the biggest real estate bubble in United States history — followed by the most calamitous decline in housing prices that the country has ever seen.

Fundamental factors like inflation and construction costs affect home prices, of course. But the radical shifts in housing prices in recent years were caused mainly by investor-induced speculation.

Anyone contemplating the purchase of a home wants an idea of where prices will be when it is eventually time to sell, perhaps many years later. For that kind of long-term forecasting, we need to understand the reasons for the recent, violent price cycle, and whether it is likely to repeat itself.

History has much to teach us about real estate bubbles, and some of it is reassuring. The land booms of New York State in the 1790s, Kansas in the 1850s, California in the 1880s and Florida in the 1920s all appear to have been relatively isolated events. And the cycle was not repeated in short order.

But those events were fundamentally different from the recent housing bubble. As relatively local phenomena, involving a fairly small number of adventurers, they did not consume most people’s attention. And a major cause can be easily identified: they developed from the promotion of supposedly valuable lots of land.

In fact, outside of New York City and a few urban centers, most speculators in past decades didn’t focus much on home prices. The term “housing bubble” was not even in their vocabulary. Land, not houses, was the object of their desires. They had “land mania” or “land fever.”

In a 1932 book, “The Great American Land Bubble,” Aaron M. Sakolski offers a vivid history of these manias, going back hundreds of years. There were repeated examples of promoters creating land subdivisions with vaunted plans for development, and advertising campaigns to sell them to investors.

As president in the 1790s, George Washington helped promote the sale of lots in his namesake capital city, and even bought some himself. Earlier in his life, he was a surveyor, and in 1763, he was a founder of the Mississippi Land Company, which was to acquire land, survey and subdivide it, and sell off individual farm and town plots to settlers. While his involvement in the development of Washington, D.C., was ultimately successful, his earlier company failed.

Land fevers tend to have a definite starting point and vector of contagion: they begin when a promoter subdivides land into lots small enough for many investors, and are usually accompanied by an advertising blitz with glowing descriptions of the future town and country, setting off a buzz and speculative excitement.

The Florida land bubble of the 1920s provided a turning point in public opinion, thanks to newspaper reporting around the country that made it clear that a mania was being artfully promoted. Anne O’Hare McCormick wrote in The New York Times in 1925: “What impressed me most was that every jungle and swamp and palmetto hummock from Lake City to Key West is staked out in city lots and offered for sale as building sites.” Such colorful writing can have a lasting impact. Many people now remember the image of the trusting Northerner unwittingly buying a lot in a Florida swamp. And the whole enterprise of subdivision, advertising and promotion of empty lots for sale, which made the manias possible, faded.

Shady operators were called purveyors of “premature subdivisions” and “defunct subdivisions.” Local regulators came to demand that development plans were at least intended to produce homes that people would actually live in, not sham operations to defraud ignorant investors.

The first widely documented, nationwide speculative fever attached to single-family homes, as opposed to lots, was in the housing boom of 1943 to 1950. But home prices remained relatively quiet for many years thereafter. Starting in the 1970s, home price bubbles became more frequent and severe. By the end of the 20th century, housing speculation became at least a pastime for many Americans.

THE great housing bubble of the 2000s was diffused widely through the population and didn’t owe its beginnings to any single promotional scheme. The bubble became so big apparently because of a number of kinds of financial promotion — of subprime mortgages, no-down-payment mortgages, securitized mortgages and other innovations.

It was also driven by confusion about supply: people without much experience with housing bubbles seemed to accept the old real estate argument that because land is finite, its price must rise. And they may have thought that when they bought a home, they were primarily investing in land.

If so, they were wrong, but not by as much as they would have been in previous decades. According to a 2007 study by Morris Davis of the University of Wisconsin and Jonathan Heathcote of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the share of nonfarm home value accounted for by land rose to 36.4 percent in 2000 from 15.3 percent in 1930. In an update, they put the percentage at 23.7 percent in the third quarter of 2012.

In fact, except in some densely populated areas, the value of a home has always been mostly in the structure, not the land. But because land’s fraction was rising until recently, people may have been deluded into thinking that investments in housing and land were one and the same.

By 2000, many people appeared to have forgotten that when home prices rise sharply, builders are likely to increase the supply, which tends to bring prices back down. We had such a supply response in the 2000s, and with a vengeance. In the near future, at least, while a speculative investing culture may re-emerge among homeowners, it is likely to be tempered by the memory of crashing prices.

Housing prices themselves aren’t the only speculative factors relevant to the housing market. Speculation in the bond or mortgage market counts as well.

Interest rates have been declining for decades now. Clearly, that cannot continue on the same track for another 10 years, because rates would have to turn negative.

But, of course, inflation can rise — and it’s easy to imagine that both it and interest rates will rise substantially, creating a bonanza for home buyers who have already locked in low rates. And because rates are so low now, they could climb a lot once they turn.

In short, it’s quite possible that the next decade might bear a resemblance to the 1960s or ’70s, when inflation and interest rates kept surprising people on the upside, culminating in 18 percent rates on 30-year mortgages in 1981, and inflation that was almost as high.

Homeowners did very well if they bought in 1960 or 1970, locked in low fixed-rate mortgages and saw the nominal values of their homes soar while their real mortgage balances declined. (Buyers since then have generally not fared as spectacularly.)

A more moderate path is also possible: without going back to the extremes of the ’60s or ’70s, higher fixed-rate mortgage rates might return.

With rates now relatively low, this could be an auspicious time to buy a house with a fixed-rate mortgage. That could make good sense for people who aren’t out to bet on the housing or mortgage markets but are instead focused on settling into a home for the long term.

Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

A massive explosion has rocked a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas. Dozens are feared dead and at least 172 were injured in the disaster. Rescuers have to deal with toxic fumes contaminating the neighborhood.

The explosion occurred Wednesday around 7:50pm local time [00:50 GMT Thursday] in the town of West, north of Waco. A fireball of nearly 30 meters high has been reported along with a massive power outage.
The US Geological Survey registered the explosion as a 2.1 magnitude quake, adding that “the magnitude measures only the ground motion, not the air wave, so is substantially less than the true size of the event.”

The blast followed a fire at the plant, which is thought to have started in an anhydrous ammonia tank before spreading to the buildings at the plant.
There is no official fatality count, but dozens are feared to have died in the disaster. The Department of Public Safety reported that 50 to 75 residences have been damaged in West.

Rescuers are doing house-to-house search in the area. Among those missing are the four to five firefighters, who responded to the initial fire at the plant.
The number of casualties may rise as the rescue operation continues. West's EMS director told local KTVT late Wednesday night that he, a doctor, and Justice of the Peace are getting set to"pronounce many people dead" at the scene.
DPS spokesman DL Wilson compared the scale of destruction to the wartime Iraq and the 1995 bombing of the Albert P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Unconfirmed reports say a helicopter was damaged in the disaster area, with Waco police trying to validate this information.

The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013 (Reuters / Mike Stone)

The authorities have evacuated the northern part of the town, which had a population of 2,674 at the 2010 census. The town is located 30 km north of Waco, Texas, and 110 km south of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Roughly 150 survivors from a damaged nursing home, who were feared dead in the first hours after the explosion, were sent to a community center outside of town.
The football field that was being used as an emergency command center and helicopter landing pad has been evacuated due to fears of a second explosion.

As many as 172 people have been confirmed to be taken to hospitals as of early Thursday morning, with 23 others en route, according to an ABC report. Of those, 24 patients are said to be in a critical condition and some 40 others are in serious.
Most of the injuries were from cuts, bruises and broken bones from the debris, authorities said. The blast wave shattered glass and sent objects and people flying. There are also patients with respiratory problems.
Medical officials say high winds in the area made the use emergency helicopters to transport patients difficult.

First responders requested a bomb squad to investigate a pervasive scent of flammable chemicals. Multiple barns in the area were engulfed in flames. One witness told the Waco Tribune "every house within about four blocks is blown apart." The local middle school was also on fire, but luckily it was not in session at the time.
Firefighters are being kept away from the still-smoldering plant to extinguish the remaining fires due to safety concerns, the DPS reports. Toxic fumes are rising from the site.
West Mayor Tommy Muska told residents to stay in inside because of the hydrous gas still in the air.
Police say their evacuation plans may be altered or broadened depending on the weather conditions and the severity of the chemical threat.

A disaster of this scale at a chemical plant poses serious contamination danger, although without radiation, nuclear safety expert Robert Jacobs told RT.
“Obviously with the kinds of winds that blow in such big and intense fires there will be airborne distribution. There is nothing that can be done while the event is happening,” he explained. “What will be done is assessment and clean-up in the aftermath. Currently people are being evacuated because of the dangers for further explosions, for fire to spread and also for ‘spread-around’ of some of the chemicals from the plant.”
The US Chemical Safety Board said it is deploying "a large investigation team" headed by a regional office director to investigate the causes of the blast.
Among other chemicals, the plant was using ammonia, a colorless toxic gas, which is liquid under pressure. When concentrated it is corrosive to tissues upon contact. Its safety service guide reads that exposure to ammonia in sufficient quantities can be fatal.
Ammonia becomes highly explosive when mixed with gas and/or air. Containers with ammonia are prone to explosions when heated, while ruptured cylinders may rocket.
The plant reportedly stored about 25 tons of the chemical.

West Intermediate School, which is located near the fertilizer plant, had to evacuate the students and personnel in February after a fire was spotted at the plant. Later it was established that the alarm was due to controlled burning of pallets and brush at the plant, of which the school had not been notified.
The factory was also investigated in 2006 after a complaint over strong ammonia smell coming from it, according to records.

China local authority debt ‘out of control’

China local authority debt ‘out of control’

It is already out of control,” Mr Zhang said. “A crisis is possible. But since the debt is being rolled over and is long-term, the timing of its explosion is uncertain.”

Local government debts soared after 2008, when Beijing loosened borrowing constraints to soften the impact of the global financial crisis. Provinces, cities, counties and villages across China are now estimated to owe between Rmb10tn and Rmb20tn ($1.6tn and $3.2tn), equivalent to 20-40 per cent of the size of the economy.

Last week, Fitch cut China’s sovereign credit rating, in the first such move by an international agency since 1999. On Tuesday, Moody’s cut its outlook for China’s rating from positive to stable.

Local governments are prohibited from directly raising debt, so they have used special purpose vehicles to circumvent these rules, issuing bonds under the vehicles’ names to fund infrastructure projects.

Can you believe these are actually apartments? The stunning images of Hong Kong ‘living cubicles’ that look just like Borg cubes

more on link.. enjoy..


Can you believe these are actually apartments? The stunning images of Hong Kong ‘living cubicles’ that look just like Borg cubes

Boston marathon bombing happened on same day as 'controlled explosion' drill by Boston bomb squad

Boston marathon bombing happened on same day as 'controlled explosion' drill by Boston bomb squad


Boston marathon bombing happened on same day as 'controlled explosion' drill by Boston bomb squad

Two bombs have rocked the streets of Boston and reportedly injured 22 marathon runners (two have reportedly died). It's too early to know the cause of these explosions, but you can rest assured both the state and federal government will try to use this tragic event to blame whatever convenient enemies are most advantageous for the government.

No one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for the bombs, and the fact that no firearms were used in the attack may indicate this was NOT part of a false flag effort by the government to try to blame gun owners. (But it's still way too early to tell...)

Here at Natural News, we are horrified at this loss of innocent life, and we are praying for the victims of this bombing as well as their families.

Bomb squad was running "controlled explosion" on the same day

What's not yet being reported by the mainstream media is that a "controlled explosion" was under way on the same day as the marathon explosion.

As the Boston Globe tweeted today, "Officials: There will be a controlled explosion opposite the library within one minute as part of bomb squad activities."

Some people believe this explosion might have been part of the demolition of another bomb. It seems unlikely, however, that a bomb at the library, one mile away, could be so quickly located and rigged to be exploded by the bomb squad in less than one hour following the initial explosions at the marathon.

Furthermore, according to Local15TV.com, a University of Mobile's Cross Country Coach said there were bomb-sniffing dogs at both the start and finish lines, long before any explosions went off. He said:

"They kept making announcements on the loud speaker that it was just a drill and there was nothing to worry about. It seemed like there was some sort of threat, but they kept telling us it was just a drill.

Bloomberg news is now saying, "This is very likely a terrorist attack."

The question is: Who are the terrorists? It's far too early to take an informed guess on all this. However, it is indisputable that the FBI is actively engaged in carrying out bomb plots in the United States, then halting them at the last minute to "catch the terrorists." This fact has been covered by the New York Times, among other publications.

Also read
FBI 'entrapment' tactics questioned in web of phony terror plots and paid informants.

Keep in mind I am in no way blaming the FBI for this. Most men and women who work with the FBI are upstanding citizens who would be appalled at such acts. But it is theoretically possible that one of the FBI's many "terror plots" went too far and turned into a live bomb instead of a dud followed by an arrest for "domestic terrorism."

For the record, the explosions seemed relatively small for a false flag, and most false flags target children in order to maximize the emotional leverage after the event. That these explosions did not target children is yet more evidence that it may not have been a false flag at all.

Either way, terrorism always works in the favor of the state. It makes presidents look presidential, and it gives the government an excuse to crack down on civil liberties all across the country.

Be wary of who ultimately gets blamed for this, especially if it's a veteran or patriot.

Additional information:
http://www.heavy.com/news/2013/04/boston-marathon-bomb-explosion/

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039926_Boston_marathon_bombing_terrorism.html#ixzz2QbByjZCK

Terrorist Plots, Hatched by the F.B.I.

Terrorist Plots, Hatched by the F.B.I.

THE United States has been narrowly saved from lethal terrorist plots in recent years — or so it has seemed. A would-be suicide bomber was intercepted on his way to the Capitol; a scheme to bomb synagogues and shoot Stinger missiles at military aircraft was developed by men in Newburgh, N.Y.; and a fanciful idea to fly explosive-laden model planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol was hatched in Massachusetts.

But all these dramas were facilitated by the F.B.I., whose undercover agents and informers posed as terrorists offering a dummy missile, fake C-4 explosives, a disarmed suicide vest and rudimentary training. Suspects naïvely played their parts until they were arrested.

When an Oregon college student, Mohamed Osman Mohamud, thought of using a car bomb to attack a festive Christmas-tree lighting ceremony in Portland, the F.B.I. provided a van loaded with six 55-gallon drums of “inert material,” harmless blasting caps, a detonator cord and a gallon of diesel fuel to make the van smell flammable. An undercover F.B.I. agent even did the driving, with Mr. Mohamud in the passenger seat. To trigger the bomb the student punched a number into a cellphone and got no boom, only a bust.

This is legal, but is it legitimate? Without the F.B.I., would the culprits commit violence on their own? Is cultivating potential terrorists the best use of the manpower designed to find the real ones? Judging by their official answers, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department are sure of themselves — too sure, perhaps.

Carefully orchestrated sting operations usually hold up in court. Defendants invariably claim entrapment and almost always lose, because the law requires that they show no predisposition to commit the crime, even when induced by government agents. To underscore their predisposition, many suspects are “warned about the seriousness of their plots and given opportunities to back out,” said Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman. But not always, recorded conversations show. Sometimes they are coaxed to continue.

Undercover operations, long practiced by the F.B.I., have become a mainstay of counterterrorism, and they have changed in response to the post-9/11 focus on prevention. “Prior to 9/11 it would be very unusual for the F.B.I. to present a crime opportunity that wasn’t in the scope of the activities that a person was already involved in,” said Mike German of the American Civil Liberties Union, a lawyer and former F.B.I. agent who infiltrated white supremacist groups. An alleged drug dealer would be set up to sell drugs to an undercover agent, an arms trafficker to sell weapons. That still happens routinely, but less so in counterterrorism, and for good reason.

“There isn’t a business of terrorism in the United States, thank God,” a former federal prosecutor, David Raskin, explained.

“You’re not going to be able to go to a street corner and find somebody who’s already blown something up,” he said. Therefore, the usual goal is not “to find somebody who’s already engaged in terrorism but find somebody who would jump at the opportunity if a real terrorist showed up in town.”

And that’s the gray area. Who is susceptible? Anyone who plays along with the agents, apparently. Once the snare is set, law enforcement sees no choice. “Ignoring such threats is not an option,” Mr. Boyd argued, “given the possibility that the suspect could act alone at any time or find someone else willing to help him.”

Typically, the stings initially target suspects for pure speech — comments to an informer outside a mosque, angry postings on Web sites, e-mails with radicals overseas — then woo them into relationships with informers, who are often convicted felons working in exchange for leniency, or with F.B.I. agents posing as members of Al Qaeda or other groups.

Some targets have previous involvement in more than idle talk: for example, Waad Ramadan Alwan, an Iraqi in Kentucky, whose fingerprints were found on an unexploded roadside bomb near Bayji, Iraq, and Raja Khan of Chicago, who had sent funds to an Al Qaeda leader in Pakistan.

But others seem ambivalent, incompetent and adrift, like hapless wannabes looking for a cause that the informer or undercover agent skillfully helps them find. Take the Stinger missile defendant James Cromitie, a low-level drug dealer with a criminal record that included no violence or hate crime, despite his rants against Jews. “He was searching for answers within his Islamic faith,” said his lawyer, Clinton W. Calhoun III, who has appealed his conviction. “And this informant, I think, twisted that search in a really pretty awful way, sort of misdirected Cromitie in his search and turned him towards violence.”

THE informer, Shahed Hussain, had been charged with fraud, but avoided prison and deportation by working undercover in another investigation. He was being paid by the F.B.I. to pose as a wealthy Pakistani with ties to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist group that Mr. Cromitie apparently had never heard of before they met by chance in the parking lot of a mosque.

“Brother, did you ever try to do anything for the cause of Islam?” Mr. Hussain asked at one point.

“O.K., brother,” Mr. Cromitie replied warily, “where you going with this, brother?”

Two days later, the informer told him, “Allah has more work for you to do,” and added, “Revelation is going to come in your dreams that you have to do this thing, O.K.?” About 15 minutes later, Mr. Hussain proposed the idea of using missiles, saying he could get them in a container from China. Mr. Cromitie laughed.

Reading hundreds of pages of transcripts of the recorded conversations is like looking at the inkblots of a Rorschach test. Patterns of willingness and hesitation overlap and merge. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” Mr. Cromitie said, and then explained that he meant women and children. “I don’t care if it’s a whole synagogue of men.” It took 11 months of meandering discussion and a promise of $250,000 to lead him, with three co-conspirators he recruited, to plant fake bombs at two Riverdale synagogues.

“Only the government could have made a ‘terrorist’ out of Mr. Cromitie, whose buffoonery is positively Shakespearean in its scope,” said Judge Colleen McMahon, sentencing him to 25 years. She branded it a “fantasy terror operation” but called his attempt “beyond despicable” and rejected his claim of entrapment.

The judge’s statement was unusual, but Mr. Cromitie’s characteristics were not. His incompetence and ambivalence could be found among other aspiring terrorists whose grandiose plans were nurtured by law enforcement. They included men who wanted to attack fuel lines at Kennedy International Airport; destroy the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in Chicago; carry out a suicide bombing near Tampa Bay, Fla., and bomb subways in New York and Washington. Of the 22 most frightening plans for attacks since 9/11 on American soil, 14 were developed in sting operations.

Another New York City subway plot, which recently went to trial, needed no help from government. Nor did a bombing attempt in Times Square, the abortive underwear bombing in a jetliner over Detroit, a planned attack on Fort Dix, N.J., and several smaller efforts. Some threats are real, others less so. In terrorism, it’s not easy to tell the difference.

David K. Shipler is the author of “Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America.”

Large Explosions Reported At Boston Marathon

Large Explosions Reported At Boston Marathon - Photos Released | Zero Hedge



First picture of the explosion:

Norway: 1 non-Western immigrant costs taxpayers 550.000 euros netto. Norway spent 8.5 billion euros on non-Western immigrants i 2012!

Norway: 1 non-Western immigrant costs taxpayers 550.000 euros netto. Norway spent 8.5 billion euros on non-Western immigrants i 2012!

16:38 | Posted by Nicolai Sennels

Would Europe have an economic crisis without Muslim immigration?

"When one non-Western immigrant arrives, the Norwegian government accepts expenses amounting to 4.1 million Norwegian kroner (550,000 euros)​​. The figures shatter the myth that immigration is profitable, writes Financial newspaper.

'- The amount includes all tax revenue and all public spending,' says senior manager in SSB, Erlend Holmøy.
The approximately 15,400 non-Western immigrants who arrived in 2012 cost 63 billion kroner (8.5 billion euros). This is equivalent to double the foreign aid budget, or about half of the 125 billion kroner that the government plans to spend of oil revenues this year.
'- The cost will paid by the average Norwegian taxes, or in the form of lower capacity or quality of various welfare services,' says Holmøy to financial newspaper.
If the non-Western immigration continues as in 2012, the budgetary burden thus adds up to nearly 2.900 billion kroner (387 billion euros) for the period 2015-2100."

Source: Hegnar Online - Loses 4.1 million per non-Western immigrant

A complete list of things caused by global warming

A complete list of things caused by global warming

Apologies for a temporary delay in updating the dead link list

AIDS, Afghan poppies destroyed, African holocaust, aged deaths, poppies more potent, Africa devastated, Africa in conflict, African aid threatened, aggressive weeds, Air France crash, air pockets, air pressure changes, airport farewells virtual, airport malaria, Agulhas current, Alaskan towns slowly destroyed, Al Qaeda and Taliban Being Helped, allergy increase, allergy season longer, alligators in the Thames, Alps melting, Amazon a desert, American dream end, amphibians breeding earlier (or not), anaphylactic reactions to bee stings, ancient forests dramatically changed, animals head for the hills, animals shrink, Antarctic grass flourishes, Antarctic ice grows, Antarctic ice shrinks, Antarctic sea life at risk, anxiety treatment, algal blooms, archaeological sites threatened, Arctic bogs melt, Arctic in bloom, Arctic ice free, Arctic ice melt faster, Arctic lakes disappear, Arctic tundra lost, Arctic warming (not), a rose by any other name smells of nothing, asteroid strike risk, asthma, Atlantic less salty, Atlantic more salty, atmospheric circulation modified, attack of the killer jellyfish, avalanches reduced, avalanches increased, Baghdad snow, Bahrain under water, bananas grow, barbarisation, bats decline, beer and bread prices to soar, beer better, beer worse, beetle infestation, beef shortage, bet for $10,000, big melt faster, billion dollar research projects, billion homeless, billions face risk, billions of deaths, bird loss accelerating, bird populations dying, bird strikes, bird visitors drop, birds confused, birds decline (Wales), birds driven north, birds face longer migrations, birds on long migrations threatened, birds return early, birds shrink(Aus), birds shrink (USA), bittern boom ends, blackbirds stop singing, blackbirds threatened, Black Hawk down, blizzards, blood contaminated, blue mussels return, borders redrawn, bluetongue, brains shrink, brewers droop, bridge collapse (Minneapolis), Britain one big city, Britain Siberian, Britain's bananas, British monsoon, brothels struggle, brown Ireland, bubonic plague, Buddhist temple threatened, building collapse, building season extension, bushfires, butterflies move north, butterflies reeling, butterfly saved, carbon crimes, caribou decline, Cambodian sex trade fuelled, camel deaths, cancer, cancer deaths in England, cannibalism, cataracts, cats more amorous, caterpillar biomass shift, cave paintings threatened, chagas disease, childhood insomnia, children's mental health, chocolate shortage, Cholera, circumcision in decline, cirrus disappearance, civil unrest, cloud increase, clownfish get lost, coast beauty spots lost, cockroach migration, cod go south, coffee threatened, coffee berry borer, coffee berry disease, cold climate creatures survive, cold spells, cold spells (Australia), colder waters (Long Island), cold wave (India), cold weather (world), cold winters, computer models, conferences, conflict, conflict with Russia, consumers foot the bill, coral bleaching, coral fish suffer, coral reefs dying, coral reefs grow, coral reefs shrink, coral reefs twilight, cost of trillions, cougar attacks, crabgrass menace, cradle of civilisation threatened, creatures move uphill, crime increase, crocodile sex, crocodiles driven from water, crops devastated, crop failures increase, cross-breeding, crumbling roads, buildings and sewage systems, cryptococcal disease, curriculum change, cyclones (Australia), damselflies forced back to UK, danger to kid's health, Darfur, Dartford Warbler plague, daylight increase, deadly virus outbreaks, death rate increase (US), death rate drop, deaths to reach 6 million, decades of progress at risk, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, depression, desert advance, desert retreat, destruction of the environment, dig sites threatened, disasters, diseases move north, diving reefs closed, dog disease, dozen deadly diseases - or not, drought, ducks and geese decline, dust bowl in the corn belt, dust doubles, earlier pollen season, Earth axis tilt, Earth biodiversity crisis, Earth crumbling, Earth dying, Earth even hotter, Earth light dimming, Earth lopsided, Earth melting, Earth morbid fever, Earth on fast track, Earth past point of no return, Earth slowing down, Earth spins faster, Earth to explode, earth upside down, earthquakes, earthquakes redux, El Niño intensification, end of the world as we know it, erosion, emerging infections, encephalitis, English villages lost, equality threatened, Europe simultaneously baking and freezing, eutrophication, everyplace hit hardest, expansion of university climate groups, extinctions (apes, human, civilisation, koalas, lizards, logic, Inuit, smallest butterfly, cod, penguins, pikas, polar bears, possums, walrus, tigers, toads, turtles, pandas, penguins, plants, ladybirds, rhinoceros, salmon, trout, wild flowers, woodlice, a million species, half of all animal and plant species, mountain species, not polar bears, barrier reef, leaches, salamanders, tropical insects, flowers) experts muzzled, extreme changes to California, fading fall foliage, famine, farmers benefit, farmers go under, farm output boost, farming soil decline, fashion disaster, fever, figurehead sacked, fir cone bonanza, fires fanned in Nepal, fish bigger, fish catches drop, fish downsize, fish deaf, fish feminised, fish get lost, fish head north, fish lopsided, fish shrinking, fish stocks at risk, fish stocks decline, five million illnesses, flesh eating disease, flies on Everest, flood patterns change, floods, floods of beaches and cities, flood of migrants, flood preparation for crisis, flora dispersed, Florida economic decline, flowers in peril, flowers wilt, flying squirrels move up, fog increase in San Francisco, fog decrease in San Francisco, food poisoning, food prices rise, food prices soar, food production increased, food safety affected, food security threat (SA), football team migration, forest decline, forest expansion, foundations threatened, foundations increase grants, frog with extra heads, frosts, frostbite, frost damage increased, fungi fruitful, fungi invasion, fungi rot the world, games change, Garden of Eden wilts, geese decline in Hampshire, genetic changes, genetic diversity decline, gene pools slashed, geysers imperiled, giant icebergs (Australia), giant icebergs (Arctic), giant oysters invade, giant pythons invade, giant squid migrate, gingerbread houses collapse, glacial earthquakes, glacial retreat, glacier grows (California), glaciers on Snowden, glacier wrapped, glass melts, global cooling, glowing clouds, golf course to drown, golf Masters wrecked, grain output drop (China), grain output stagnating (India), grandstanding, grasslands wetter, gravity shift, Great Barrier Reef 95% dead, great tits cope, greening of the North, Grey whales lose weight, Gulf Stream failure, habitat loss, haggis threatened, Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, harvest increase, harvest shrinkage, hay fever epidemic, health affected, health of children harmed, health risks, health risks (even more), heart deaths, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes (Australia), heat waves, hedgehogs bald, hibernation affected, hibernation ends too soon, hibernation ends too late, homeless 50 million, home runs, hornets, human development faces unprecedented reversal, human fertility reduced, human health risk, human race oblivion, human rights violations, hurricanes, hurricane reduction, hurricanes fewer, hurricanes more intense, hurricanes not, hydropower problems, hyperthermia deaths, hyphthermia deaths, ice age, ice hockey extinct, ice sheet growth, ice sheet shrinkage, icebergs, ice sheet tipping point, illegal immigration, illness and death, inclement weather, India drowning, infrastructure failure (Canada), indigestion, industry threatened, infectious diseases, inflation in China, insect explosion, insect invasion, insurance premium rises, Inuit displacement, Inuit poisoned, Inuit suing, invasion of alien worms, invasion of Antarctic aliens, invasion of Asian carp, invasion of cane toads, invasion of caterpillars, invasion of cats, invasion of crabgrass, invasion of herons, invasion of jellyfish, invasion of king crabs, invasion of lampreys, invasion of midges, invasion of pine beetles, invasion of rats (China), invasion of slugs, island disappears, islands sinking, Italy robbed of pasta, itchier poison ivy, Japan's cherry blossom threatened, jellyfish explosion, jets fall from sky, Kew Gardens taxed, kidney stones, killer cornflakes, killing us, kitten boom, koalas leaves inedible, koalas under threat, krill decline, lake empties, lake shrinking and growing, landslides, landslides of ice at 140 mph, large trees decline, lawsuits increase, lawsuit successful, lawyers' income increased (surprise surprise!), lawyers want more, legionnaires' surge, lives lost, lizards super intelligent, lives saved, lobsters grow, Loch Ness monster dead, locust plagues suppressed, low oxygen zones threaten sea life, lush growth in rain forests, Lyme disease, Major vegetation shifts, Malaria, Malaria decline, malnutrition, mammoth dung melt, mammoth ivory bonanza, manatees battle, mango harvest fails, Maple production advanced, Maple syrup shortage, marmots fatter, marine diseases, marine food chain decimated, Meaching (end of the world), Meat eating to stop, Mediterranean rises, megacryometeors, Melanoma, Melanoma decline, mental health decline, mental illness, methane emissions from plants, methane burps, methane runaway, melting permafrost, Mexican climate migrant flood, Middle Kingdom convulses, migration, migratory birds huge losses, microbes to decompose soil carbon more rapidly, milk production lost, minorities hit, monkeys at risk, monkeys on the move, Mont Blanc grows, monuments imperiled, moose dying, more bad air days, more research needed, mortality increased, mosquitoes adapting, mountain (Everest) shrinking, mountaineers fears, mountains break up, mountains green and flowering, mountains taller, mortality lower, Mubarak fall, murder rate increase, musk ox decline, Myanmar cyclone, narwhals at risk, narwhals suffocate, National Parks damaged, National security implications, native wildlife overwhelmed, natural disasters quadruple, neurological diseases, new islands, next ice age, NFL threatened, Nile delta damaged, noctilucent clouds, no effect in India, Northwest Passage opened, nuclear plants bloom, oaks dying, oaks move north, obesity, oblivion, ocean acidification, ocean acidification faster, ocean dead spots, ocean dead zones unleashed, ocean deserts expand, ocean salt extremes, ocean oxygen crisis, ocean waves speed up, Olympic Games to end, opera house to be destroyed, outdoor hockey threatened, owls turn brown, oxygen depletion zones, oyster herpes, ozone repair slowed, ozone rise, peat bogs problem, peat bogs no problem, penguin chicks frozen, penguin chicks smaller, penguins in the dark, penguin populations devastated, penguins replaced by jellyfish, penguins sex lives affected, personal carbon rationing, pest outbreaks, pests increase, pets in danger, phenology shifts, pines decline, pirate population decrease, pirates run rampant, plankton blooms, plankton plummeting, plankton wiped out, plants lose protein, plants march north, plants move uphill, polar bears aggressive, polar bears cannibalistic, polar bears deaf, polar bears drowning, polar bears fewer cubs, polar tours scrapped, pollination halved, porpoise astray, profits collapse, psychiatric illness, psychological effects, puffin decline, pushes poor women into prostitution, rabid bats, radars taken out, rail network threatened, railroad tracks deformed, rainfall increase, rainforest destruction, rape wave, refugees, reindeer endangered, reindeer larger, release of ancient frozen viruses, resorts disappear, respiratory diseases worsen, rice less fragrant, rice production fall, rice threatened, rice yields crash, rift on Capitol Hill, rioting and nuclear war, river flow impacted, river rerouted, rivers raised, road accidents, roads wear out, robins rampant, rocky peaks crack apart, roof of the world a desert, rooftop bars, Ross river disease, Russia under pressure, salinity reduction, salinity increase, Salmonella, salmon stronger, sardine run unpredictable, satellites accelerate, Schmallenberg virus, school closures, sea level rise, sea level rise faster, sea snot, seals mating more, seismic activity, sewer bills rise, severe thunderstorms, sex change, sexual dysfunction, sexual promiscuity, shark attacks, sharks booming, sharks hybridise, sharks moving north, sheep change colour, sheep shrink, shop closures, short-nosed dogs endangered, shrimp sex problems, shrinking ponds, shrinking sheep, shrinking shrine, Sidney Opera House wiped out, ski resorts threatened, slavery, skinks impacted, slow death, smaller brains, smog, snowfall decrease, snowfall increase, snowfall heavy, snow thicker, soaring food prices, societal collapse, soil change, soil subsidence, songbirds change eating habits, sour grapes, soybean crop to drop, space junk increase, space problem, spectacular orchids, spider danger in UK, spider bites to increase, spiders getting bigger, spiders invade Scotland, squid aggressive giants, squid larger, squid population explosion, squid tamed, squirrels reproduce earlier, starfish sperm eaten by parasites, stingray invasion, storm damage costs rise, storms wetter, stratospheric cooling, street crime to increase, subsidence, suicide, sunset displaced, swordfish in the Baltic, Tabasco tragedy, taxes, tea flavour change, tectonic plate movement, teenage prostitution, terrorists (India), thatched cottages at risk, threat to peace, ticks move northward (Sweden), tides rise, tigers eat people, tigers drown, tomatoes rot, tornado outbreak, tourism increase, toxic bacteria, toxic seaweed, trade barriers, trade winds weakened, traffic jams, transport snarl, transportation threatened, tree foliage increase (UK), tree growth slowed, tree growth faster, trees grow too fast, trees in trouble, trees less colourful, trees more colourful, trees lush, trees on Antarctica, treelines change, tropics expansion, tropopause raised, truffle shortage, truffles down, truffles increase, turtles crash, turtle feminised, turtles lay earlier, UFO sightings, UK coastal impact, UK Katrina, vampire bats, Venice flooded, volcanic eruptions, volcanoes awakened in Iceland, walnuts threatened, walrus pups orphaned, walrus stampede, walruses come ashore, wars over water, wars sparked, wars threaten billions, wasps, water bills double, water shortage to increase vegetarianism, wave of natural disasters, waves bigger, weather out of its mind, weather patterns awry, weather patterns last longer, Western aid cancelled out, West Nile fever, whale beachings, whales lose weight, whales move north, whales wiped out, wheat rust in Syria, wheat yields crushed in Australia, wild boars thrive, wildfires, wind shift, wind reduced, winds stronger, winds weaker, wine - Australian baked, , wine industry damage (California), wine industry disaster (US), wine - more English, wine - no more French , wine - England too hot, wine -German boon, wine passé (Napa), wine - Scotland best, wine stronger, winters in Britain colder, winter in Britain dead, witchcraft executions, wolverine decline, wolverines vanish, wolves eat more moose, wolves eat less, women cheat on vacation, workers laid off, World at war, World War 4, Yellow fever, zebra mussel threat, zoonotic diseases.

and all on 0.006 deg C per year!

Advice of any omissions (with sources) or broken links is welcome at warmlist@numberwatch.co.uk

Note: All links were live at time of posting. Inevitably some will disappear, particularly from Yahoo News.

Thanks to correspondents for additional entries; especially, as always, Our Man in Puerto Rico. Also, thanks to "Scraperguy" for the script to form the following:

The dead link collection

Acne, Africa hit hardest, African summer frost, agricultural land increase, Alaska reshaped, anxiety, Arctic tundra to burn, atmospheric defiance, bananas destroyed, beer shortage, bird distributions change, blizzards, boredom, brain eating amoebae, business opportunities, business risks, British gardens change, budget increases, cardiac arrest, cataracts, challenges and opportunities, cloud stripping, cremation to end, damages equivalent to $200 billion, dermatitis, desert life threatened, diarrhoea, disappearance of coastal cities, Dolomites collapse, drought in distant regions, drowning people, early marriages, early spring, Earth spinning out of control, Earth wobbling, evolution accelerating, extinctions (bats, pigmy possums, koalas, turtles, orang-utan, elephants, tigers, gorillas, whales, frogs,) fainting, fish catches rise, flames stoked, footpath erosion, glacial growth, global dimming, god melts, Gore omnipresence, Great Lakes drop, harmful algae, hazardous waste sites breached, high court debates, HIV epidemic, human health improvement, ice shelf collapse, jet stream drifts north, lake and stream productivity decline, lightning related insurance claims, little response in the atmosphere, lost $350 billion, Lyme disease, marine dead zone, Maple production advanced, mental illness (Alberta), migration difficult (birds), mountains melting, mudslides, oceans noisier, oyster diseases, ozone loss, Pacific dead zone, plankton destabilised, plankton loss, plant viruses, polar bears starve, psychosocial disturbances, popcorn rise, rainfall reduction, riches, rivers dry up, rockfalls, ruins ruined, skin cancer, smelt down, snowfall reduction, stick insects, stormwater drains stressed, teenage drinking, terrorism, tree beetle attacks, trees could return to Antarctic, tree growth increased, tsunamis, tundra plant life boost, uprooted - 6 million, Vampire moths, violin decline, walrus displaced, war, war between US and Canada, water scarcity (20% of increase), water stress, water supply unreliability, weeds, white Christmas dream ends, wine - harm to Australian industry, World bankruptcy, World-famous places threatened, World in crisis, World in flames,

Suggestions for replacement links are welcome.

Total (dead and alive) 883

Last updated 05/03/12

warmlist

Spanish bankruptcies hit record in first quarter of 2013

Spanish bankruptcies hit record in first quarter of 2013


A record number of Spanish companies went bust in the first quarter of 2013 as companies remained under intense pressure from tight credit conditions and meager demand, a study showed on Monday.

The 2,564 firms filing for insolvency proceedings in first three months of the year was a 10 percent rise from the previous quarter and a 45 percent increase on the same period in 2012, the survey by credit rating agency Axesor said.

"Most Spanish businesses did not prepare for a crisis this big or this long, which could be a determining factor," said Javier Ramos-Juste, head of economic studies at Axesor.
Spain has been in its second recession in five years for the past 18 months and unemployment is more than 25 percent.

A credit freeze, liquidity problems, late payments and poor risk management contributed to the record number of bankruptcies since Spain's insolvency law changed in 2004, Axesor said.

Almost 28,000 companies have filed for bankruptcy since Spain's economic crisis set in five years ago, Axesor estimates.

Banks have tightened lending after a property boom turned to bust in 2008 and face stricter regulation since Spain received a bailout of about 41 billion euros ($52 billion) from international creditors last year.

(Reporting by Tomas Cobos and Clare Kane; Editing by Louise Ireland)

femen - Fire of revolution

FIRE OF REVOLUTION! por femen_org

Update 5: Attack on Cairo cathedral mourners leaves one dead

Update 5: Attack on Cairo cathedral mourners leaves one dead

At least one person is killed outside Cairo's main Coptic Cathedral on Sunday night following attack by unknown assailants during funeral for victims of Saturday's sectarian bloodletting


A tear gas canister is fired by Egyptian riot police into the compound of the
Coptic Orthodox Cathedral after the funeral of four Christians killed in sectarian clashes near Cairo over the weekend in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, April 7, 2013 (Photo: AP)

Unknown assailants attacked the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district on Sunday as hundreds of mourners held a funeral for victims of Saturday's sectarian
clashes in the capital's Qalioubiya governorate. At least one was killed in the melee.

The Head of the Egyptian Ambulance Organisation, Mohamed Sultan, announced that one person had been killed after having been struck by birdshot outside Cairo's main Coptic cathedral. The identity of the deceased is yet to be revealed.

As of 6pm, the health ministry said that the injury toll had reached 29, at least two of which were in critical condition.

Moheb Fanous, director of a nearby Coptic hospital in which the injured are being treated, told Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website that Beshoy Wasfy, a 20-year-old journalist for independent daily Al-Shorouk, had sustained "critical injuries" to his neck after having been hit with birdshot.

Wasfy is currently in intensive care, said Fanous, who added that university student Nader Samy was also in critical condition after having been shot through the lungs.

After being pelted with stones, mourners at the cathedral responded by throwing stones back. Gunshots were heard during the subsequent clashes; some eyewitnesses confirmed that assailants used firearms.

Witnesses at the scene confirmed that teargas canisters had landed inside the cathedral's precincts. Other eyewitnesses said that unknown assailants dressed in plainclothes were hurling Molotov cocktails towards the cathedral.

A host of young assailants were seen on top of a nearby building throwing rocks at the cathedral.

Security forces, meanwhile, attempted to form a human shield across the street leading to the cathedral.

The precincts of the cathedral were completely emptied of people, excluding police forces, after nearly six hours of clashes.

Hundreds of mourners had turned out for the funeral on Sunday for those killed in Saturday's sectarian clashes in Qalioubiya governorate.

On Saturday, five people were shot to death – and at least eight injured – in Qalioubiya's Al-Khosous town. Four Christians and one Muslim were killed in the violence, Egypt's health ministry reported.

A Coptic priest, however, told the private CBC satellite channel on Sunday that six Copts had died and many more had been injured.

In Sunday’s funeral mass at the cathedral before violence erupted, coffins were surrounded by crosses and roses. Coptic Bishop Rafael performed prayers over the bodies of the slain.

Sobbing could be heard during the prayers, one Ahram Online journalist reported.

Soon after the prayers ended, funeral attendees began chanting angrily: "Leave, leave!" in reference to President Mohamed Morsi, and "Down with the rule of the [Muslim Brotherhood] supreme guide."

Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, became Egypt's first-ever democratically elected president last summer. Critics argue the Brotherhood is the actual ruling body.

A protest march was scheduled to set off at noon from Saint Mark's Cathedral in Abassiya, following the Sunday mass.

Saturday's sectarian clashes in Qalioubiya broke out after a group of Christian teenagers reportedly painted offensive drawings on the gates of Egypt's Al-Azhar building, state news agency MENA reported.

The situation escalated further when someone fired a gun into the air, killing a young boy with a stray bullet, Reuters reported.

In the aftermath of the violence, 15 people were arrested and the area was cordoned off by police forces.

A number of Christian-owned shops were reportedly smashed by angry protesters. Reuters stated that some Christian and Muslim properties had been torched.

The violent attacks have sparked widespread condemnation by rights groups and politicians.

Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb called for the adoption of measures to prevent the situation from escalating further and to "preserve the national character of the Egyptian people, Muslims and Christians alike," MENA reported.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party on Saturday declared in a statement that the party was "sorry for the victims of these unfortunate clashes, regardless of their religion."

It called on authorities to "reveal the plots [aimed at sowing strife between different Egyptian groups], punish the perpetrators and curtail the threat."

The 25 Best-Paying Companies For Software Engineers

The 25 Best-Paying Companies For Software Engineers

Tech companies have a reputation for treating their employees well – especially their engineers.
Engineering talent is scarce, so companies are willing to pay big bucks to keep them happy.
Which companies pays their engineers the most?
Jobs review site Glassdoor helped us pull the top 25 companies around the world that pay their US-based software engineers the most.
The highest paying company isn't your typical Apple, Google, or Facebook either.

25. Citrix Systems pays its software engineers an average base salary of $91,844

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Citrix has a throbbing start up culture, which is preserved even amidst a host of new acquisitions in the Silicon Valley. The company has an excellent forecast to dominate in Desktop, Server Virtualization and Enterprise Application delivery segments. It has decent employee benefits and offers tremendous growth potential as the company expands."
Cons: "Affable work culture is not homogeneous through out the organization. Striking work life balance is highly dependent on geography, divisions within Citrix."

24. Texas Instruments pays its software engineers an average base salary of $92,870

midnightcomm / flickr

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Very good work and life balance. Employees can choose how much effort to put in. Salary is also above average."
Cons: "Texas Instruments seems to be a conservative company. Company is moving out of some businesses. Too many layoffs in the last few years."

23. QUALCOMM pays its software engineers an average base salary of $94,097

Intel CES 2008 via flickr

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Great perks, people, work environment. Management encourages a great work life balance. Extra benefits like dental, medical etc. are amazing. People are friendly, happy, and helpful."
Cons: "None - this is a great place to work. You can grow your career here, and hard work will always pay off. You can come in and leave whenever you want. On site facilities such as multiple gyms, pool etc make coming to work fun!"

22. Hewlett-Packard pays its software engineers an average base salary of $96,893

HP CEO Meg Whitman

LinkedIn/HP

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Have been working for about 15 years, great company to work for."
Cons: "Benefits are on par with the industry, however base salaries seem slightly under."

21. Expedia pays its software engineers an average base salary of $98,672

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Expedia

Expedia

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Decent work-life balance. Open and candid atmosphere; smart and fun co-workers. Good culture, although it depends on the team. Good location."
Cons: "Decent pay but not as competitive as MS or Amazon. Career advancement is hard. Work can be interesting depending on the team but it's easy to get stuck doing the same thing for many years."

20. Intel pays its software engineers an average base salary of $98,804

statigr.am/sreefu

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "You don't have to work your a*s off all the time, easy peaceful life (again this is strictly base on my personal experience, it varies with team to team) lots of perks. The proud feeling whenever the intel adds run on the TV 'ta da da daaa.'"
Cons: "Salaries bit below market, lot of competition, so difficult to climb up the ladder. Its a huge company, difficult to get yourself heard and work independently if that's the kind of think you are into. They call it a slow moving giant elephant."

19. Yahoo pays its software engineers an average base salary of $100,998

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and cofounder David Filo

Marissa Mayer's Flickr

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "The culture is something many other companies could learn from!"
Cons: "I don't have really nothing to say here."

18. Cisco Systems pays its software engineers an average base salary of $101,991

Getty Images/Ethan Miller

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "You meet some brilliant people, and sometimes there are a few cool projects you can come across. Also, great flexibility in terms of work-life balance."
Cons: "A lot of hot air, and it can take LOT of time to get anything done. Some areas are pretty bureaucratic in nature and it can bog down your interest."

17. Intuit pays its software engineers an average base salary of $102,209

Owen Thomas, Business Insider

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Great benefits, products and Technology."
Cons: "Too less opportunities for personal growth."

16. Amazon pays its software engineers an average base salary of $102,831

Associated Press

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Good benefits, high salary, nice work environment, learning opportunities, nice seniors supporting staff, appreciable perks, nice location (Seattle), amazing experience, amazing campus
Cons: "Can't think of any; work schedule little hectic."

15. Microsoft pays its software engineers an average base salary of $103,563

REUTERS/Rick Wilking

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Overall it is good to be part of Microsoft. They pay well, benefits are good. Bonus and stock options are also good."
Cons: "Responsibility expectation is huge. Recently, they removed the no-cast medical benefits which make all of employees likely take a big cut in their take home salary. 401K match is only 50% where most of the big companies match 100%. Work-balance is always hard to maintain."

14. NVIDIA pays its software engineers an average base salary of $104,717

Flickr nvidia.corporation

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Management has the abilities to create excitements in the job. Not much politics in lower level management."
Cons: "Too aggressive schedules promotes politics. Bad life/work balance. Bad benefits."

13. Oracle pays its software engineers an average base salary of $105,660

AP

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "If you are placed in good project, it can be good learning experience, benefits are good."
Cons: "Best of world work place."

12. VMware pays its software engineers an average base salary of $106,568

Ben Gertzfield

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Awesome campus. Nimble. Engaging workforce."
Cons: "Some politics as in any place. Currently lacks direction."

11. PayPal pays its software engineers an average base salary of $106,920

Matt Rosoff Business Insider

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Agile environment. Stress on Innovation. Development is fast. Concentration on mobile."
Cons: "Legacy products can cause issues with new development. Need consolidation of products."

10. Zynga pays its software engineers an average base salary of $107,242

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Competitive Salary, Located in San Francisco, good perks. Good career opportunities if you join the right team."
Cons: "Tough HR policies. Certain teams have poor working conditions and little concern for their employees."

9. Bloomberg L.P. pays its software engineers an average base salary of $108,430

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Good pay, opportunity to take ownership of products, good benefits and nice building, depending on the team there could be some very interesting work. Good people to work with and lots of opportunities to work with very smart people."
Cons: "Old technology, can be very stressful, steep learning curve.

8. eBay pays its software engineers an average base salary of $108,461

eBay

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Good work environment. Great opportunity for growth and work with great people who are friendly and are willing to help. I am able to learn a lot of new things while on the job. It's a good learning experience for me."
Cons: "I don't have any views for cons except for the cafeteria. I bring my own food."

7. Brocade Communications pays its software engineers an average base salary of $111,858

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Very active development with potential to work on many areas. Top performers are rewarded for their efforts. Overall, the work environment is good."
Cons: "Need to streamline development environment to make things easier to do your job. Everyone wants to be a manager, but many do not have the skills to be an effective manager."

6. LinkedIn pays its software engineers an average base salary of $116,375

Stephen Lam/Getty Images

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "1. Excellent engineering culture 2. Daily work is very challenging and fun. A lot of new technologies and you can not even know all of their names. There are always things you can learn. 3. LinkedIn has a good business model. 4. People with different types of expertise (Engineering, Sales, Business, Analytics) can all have interesting things to work on."
Cons: "Don't have decent free breakfast and dinner. Only free lunch is included."

5. Apple pays its software engineers an average base salary of $118,192

AP

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Low stress level, offices with doors, good pay, everyone says 'wow' when you tell them where you work."
Cons: "There are no downsides working at Apple. It's a great place to work."

4. Facebook pays its software engineers an average base salary of $118,857

Flickr/Robert Scoble

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "It is good to work here with the smartest people in San Francisco bay area. The company is always moving fast."
Cons: "Sometimes it is moving too fast. The food in cafe can be better, but the snacks in micro-kitten are really good."

3. Twitter pays its software engineers an average base salary of $120,768

AP

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Good perks. Very smart people (being pre-ipo, twitter attracted a lot of super smart people). Lots of interesting work to do."
Cons: "Surprisingly large number of 'engineering managers,' senior managers, directors and VPs for a company of this size. Slow moving."

2. Google pays its software engineers an average base salary of $124,520

zweroboi

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "A great company with a great history that still allows you to make contributions that can have significant impact. Awesome work culture."
Cons: "I used to love this company and thought we contributed a great deal to help the industry and society, and that we could do no harm. Unfortunately, I don't believe this about the company anymore, and I have recently lost a great deal of confidence in the current leadership team. The company has recently become run much more top down than the bottoms up nature of the years past."

1. Juniper Networks pays its software engineers an average base salary of $128,378

GlassDoor

A current software engineer there says:
Pros: "Great talent. Good possibilities to make a difference in a competitive market."
Cons: "Too much bureaucracy on managerial level."

Now find out who pays their lowest people tons of cash:

YouTube

20 Tech Companies That Pay Interns Boatloads Of Money >