Source: economistsview.typepad.com --- Thursday, July 25, 2013
Jim Hamilton says to keep your eyes on China's economy: Worries about China, by Jim Hamilton : Paul Krugman is among those starting to be concerned about an economic downturn in China. Here are my thoughts on this issue. ... What rings alarm bells for me is the recent sharp spikes in interbank lending rates..., such moves could definitely be signaling some financial fragility. ... Paul Krugman writes: Suppose that those of us now worried that China's Ponzi bicycle is hitting a brick wall (or, as some readers have suggested, a BRIC wall) are right. How much should the rest of the world worry, and why? I'd group this under three headings: 1. "Mechanical" linkages via exports, which are surprisingly small. 2. Commodity prices, which could be a bigger deal. 3. Politics and international stability, which involves some serious risks. To Paul's list, I would add a fourth: financial linkages. If there are significant disruptions to China's system for funding credit, that could have implications for anyone borrowing from or lending to Chinese entities..... I'd also like to add an observation to Paul's second point involving commodity prices. A significant economic downturn in China could well mean a collapse in oil prices. One would think that, as a net importer, this would be an overall favorable development for the United States, and certainly it would be a significant plus for many individual U.S. firms and producers. But it's worth re ...
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Hamilton: Krugman's Worries about China
Friday, July 19, 2013
Greentech Automotive EV Plant Marches On But Questions Remain ...
Greentech Automotive (GTA) is one of those electric car companies which may, or may not be, on the bubble, depending upon your perspective. They certainly seem to speak a good game, announcing yesterday that construction of a new ?Mississippi?production facility is entering Phase 2, the main building phase.? At the same time though, questions have been raised on whether or not they could be the next Coda Automotive.
First, the announcement. Greentech, known for its MyCar neighborhood electric vehicle and planned five passenger EV sedan in partnership with?Chinese automaker JAC, said that it so far has invested more than $6.6 million in its new plant to complete Phase 1 of the build out. This first step included a variety of on-site engineering and testing processes that ?were conducted in accordance with federal, state and local codes? and helped to address ?some unique geotechnical challenges due to the weak underlying soils in the Mississippi Delta.?
image via GTA
Phase 2, meanwhile, will include
the construction of GTA?s manufacturing facility, offices and meeting space in?Tunica, Mississippi. Construction is expected to continue through?December 2013. Vehicle production is expected to begin at the new facility by April 2014. GTA currently operates a pilot manufacturing facility in?Horn Lake, Mississippi, where it builds MyCar, a two-seat Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), and GTA?s new five-seat, All-Electric Sedan. Both vehicles produce zero emissions, provide a range of more than 100 miles per charge and can be recharged via a common 110V wall outlet, a 220V wall outlet or a fast-charging system.
Once completed, said?Charles Wang, chairman and CEO of GTA, the new facility is expected to have a?a production capacity of 30,000 vehicles per year. The big question here though ?- is there that much of a market for the vehicles it offers? Odds are stacked against it, especially given the high profile flame out of Coda Automotive, a once well regarded electric vehicle start up out of California which tried making a go of it with a re-engineered Chinese sedan. The end result? Recent bankruptcy.
GTA, as others have observed in green automotive media, looks as if it could be too good to be true. The market for neighborhood electric vehicles is really, really small, the company lacks any form of brand recognition and, oh yeah, Coda already tried this.
What are your thoughts on this? Is GTA pie in the sky, or does it actually have a shot at mirroring a shadow of the success the likes of Tesla Motors has seen? Leave us your comments below.
Source: http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/07/greentech-automotive-ev-plant-marches-on-but-questions-remain/
google reader carnival cruise nfl nfl wes welker Conclave tmz
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Swift approval sought for Midwest oil pipeline
Pipe extends above ground at the Enbridge Key Terminal near Salisbury, Mo., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The company hopes to begin construction of the Flanagan South pipeline in early August. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Pipe extends above ground at the Enbridge Key Terminal near Salisbury, Mo., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The company hopes to begin construction of the Flanagan South pipeline in early August. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
A valve extends above ground at the Enbridge Key Terminal near Salisbury, Mo., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The company hopes to begin construction of the Flanagan South pipeline in early August. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Workers move equipment in the yard at the Enbridge Key Terminal near Salisbury, Mo., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The company hopes to begin construction of the Flanagan South pipeline in early August. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Workers move gravel around a building at the Enbridge Key Terminal near Salisbury, Mo., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The company hopes to begin construction of the Flanagan South pipeline in early August. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
MARSHALL, Mo. (AP) ? A Canadian company's plan to build an oil pipeline that will stretch for hundreds of miles through the Midwest, including through many sensitive waterways, is quietly on the fast-track to approval ? just not the one you're thinking of.
As the Keystone XL pipeline remains mired in the national debate over environmental safety and climate change, another company, Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, is hoping to begin construction early next month on a 600-mile-long pipeline that would carry tar sands from Flanagan, Ill., about 100 miles southwest of Chicago, to the company's terminal in Cushing, Okla. From there the company could move it through existing pipeline to Gulf Coast refineries.
The company is seeking an expedited permit review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its Flanagan South pipeline, which would run parallel to another Enbridge route already in place. Unlike the Keystone project, which crosses an international border and requires State Department approval, the proposed pipeline has attracted little public attention ? including among property owners living near the planned route.
Enbridge says it wants to be a good neighbor to the communities the pipeline would pass through, and it has been touting the hundreds of short-term construction jobs it would create. The company also scheduled a series of "open houses" for this week in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois in which it invited the public to come discuss and learn about its plans.
A session Tuesday in Marshall, 90 miles east of Kansas City, drew a handful of Sierra Club protesters armed with fliers denouncing what's been called one of the country's costliest oil spills. It also attracted local politicians, concerned landowners and prospective pipefitters looking for work.
Enbridge responded with an array of free products, from tote bags and tape measures to cookies and key rings.
Wayne McReynolds, one of the 55 people who stopped by the open house in Marshall, said he hoped to learn more about the company's plans to prevent construction runoff from flooding valuable farmland. He said he left the event with only vague assurances, not specific answers.
"You never put the soil back in the trench to the same extent it was taken out," said McReynolds, a retired soil and conservation worker. "It can't be done."
Mike Diel of Macon, Mo., said he's had no luck getting Enbridge or the corps to give him specific details about the project, including a precise pipeline map and copies of emergency response plans.
"We're all worried about oil spills and the tar sands getting into the drinking water," Diel said.
"Until I know where the pipeline is going, how am I supposed to know what I'm supposed to be worried about?" he said.
Enbridge spokeswoman Katie Lange said fears about the pipeline's safety are overblown. She described routine aerial patrols of the pipeline and its seven pump stations and round-the-clock computer monitoring in Calgary that "can shut it down from just a touch of a button" if necessary.
"Once the pipeline is in the ground, there's a very rigorous and robust operations and maintenance program," Lange said.
But Sierra Club lawyer Doug Hayes said those assurances are insufficient, given recent history. A July 2010 rupture of an Enbridge pipeline in Michigan dumped an estimated 1 million gallons of the heavier diluted bitumen into the Kalamazoo River, a 35-mile portion of which remained closed to public access for two years. The U.S. Department of Transportation subsequently fined Enbridge $3.7 million.
More recently, an ExxonMobil pipeline spill in Mayflower, Ark., led to the evacuation of 22 homes and further scrutiny of the long-distance transportation of tar sands oil, a denser substance that is more difficult to clean up.
Lange confirmed that Enbridge is seeking regulatory approval under the Nationwide 12 permit process, which would mean the company wouldn't be obligated to follow more rigorous Clean Water Act requirements such as public notification or lengthy environmental reviews. Those permits are limited to utility projects in which each water crossing disrupts no more than one-half acre of wetlands. The Flanagan South pipeline would cross the Missouri and Mississippi rivers as well as hundreds of smaller tributaries.
"This is a 600-mile project that will clear everything in its path for a 100-foot right of way," Hayes said. "And they're treating it as thousands of separate, little projects."
The Sierra Club lawyer said the Army Corps rejected several Freedom of Information Act requests seeking more project details, citing an exemption for "deliberative process privilege" designed to protect internal decision-making.
TransCanada of Calgary is also seeking Nationwide 12 status for the Keystone XL project, prompting the Sierra Club to file suit alleging violations of the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Hayes declined to discuss whether the environmental group also plans a legal challenge to the Flanagan South project.
A spokeswoman in the Army Corps' Kansas City office on Tuesday referred questions about the project's permit status to a regulatory colleague who did not respond.
In western Illinois, local officials eagerly anticipate Enbridge's arrival, said Kim Pierce, executive director of the Macomb Area Economic Development Commission. The company plans to build four pumping stations in the state, including one near Quincy along the Missouri border. In addition to the temporary construction jobs, the region can also expect a purchasing boost at area restaurants, hotels and in equipment sales, she said.
"Come Saturday at quitting time, we can expect a lot of people out, relaxing and purchasing things," she said. "We truly see this as an opportunity. You don't always get that handed to you."
Count Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon among the project's supporters. The two-term Democrat said in March 2012, when Enbridge announced its plans, that the company could add "thousands of jobs" to the state while also providing "a boost to America's energy independence."
___
Follow Alan Scher Zagier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/azagier
Associated Pressjohn goodman kendall marshall whitney houston news sylvia plath whitney houston autopsy results
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Mayor, environmentalists dispute safety of Kingston creek
Engineers survey the area Monday near where a sewer main broke on Gilead Street in Kingston. The city's mayor said sewage that has poured into nearby Twaalfskill Creek has been treated and poses no risk to the public; an environmental group says tests show the creek is polluted.KELLY MARSH/for the Times Herald-Record
"; aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(870,675,window.document.location+'&Template=photos&img="+imgCounter+"')"; var match = /\/Times Herald-Record/.test('KELLY MARSH/for the Times Herald-Record'); if (match==false || 'KELLY MARSH/for the Times Herald-Record'==''){ document.getElementById('purchasePhoto').style.display = "none"; } else { document.getElementById('purchasePhoto').style.display = "inline"; } bolImages=true; "; document.getElementById('premiumMsg').innerHTML = contentStr; document.getElementById('premiumMsg').style.display = "block"; } else if (userSingleSale == "Reguser") { contentStr = "" + userStoriesViewed + " of 10 clicks used this monthUPGRADE your account for full access to RecordOnline.com"; document.getElementById('premiumMsg').innerHTML = contentStr; document.getElementById('premiumMsg').style.display = "block"; } else if (userSingleSale == "PREMIUM01") { document.getElementById('premiumMsg').style.display = "none"; }
Published: 2:00 AM - 07/16/13
KINGSTON ? Mayor Shayne Gallo and the environmental organization Riverkeeper sparred Monday over public safety in the wake of a sewer main collapse that has already spilled 500,000 gallons of sewage into Twaalfskill Creek.
The city reported the spill July 8 to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, saying it was a combination of sediment accumulation and a blockage in the pipe that collapsed the 24-inch-diameter clay pipe.
Contractors, with DEC oversight, have been working since Friday to bypass the pipe. DEC officials were unavailable for comment Monday.
Christine Elliott of Gilead Street said a sinkhole created by the collapse was about 20 feet across.
Gallo said Monday he didn't have an estimate of how much the collapse will cost to repair.
The mayor said testing was done at the creek and there was no risk to the public, and said the water was being chlorinated.
But a Riverkeeper official said Monday the agency tested the water going into the creek after chlorination had been in effect, and that samples it took from the pipe and just downstream contained bacteria indicating fecal counts more than 1,000 times the safe level for swimming and primary contact ? in spite of chlorine being added by the city.
"There's more sewage in the brook than water," said Tracy Brown, the river quality advocate for Riverkeeper.
Riverkeeper said chlorination of the sewage also poses a risk to wildlife in the stream.
Gallo said Riverkeeper has failed to contact his office before coming to its own conclusions.
"They're going to have to take that issue up with the Health Department and the DEC," said Gallo.
jnani@th-record.com
We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation. Please check our Community Rules for more information. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
Source: http://recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130716/NEWS/307160327/-1/rss01
megamillions ncaa basketball tournament 2012 megamillions winning numbers lotto winner
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sprint to utilize Clearwire 2.5GHz spectrum for LTE starting this week
New higher frequency to support current 800 and 1900MHz network
Sprint has finally completed its acquisition of Clearwire, and the carrier has announced today that it is quickly integrating the new spectrum to its expanding LTE offerings. Adding to its primarily 1900MHz-based network, Sprint has recently added 800MHz spectrum from its iDEN network shutdown and is now adding in new 2.5GHz spectrum from Clearwire to help out further. The high frequency spectrum isn't super useful for building penetration, but Sprint plans to use it in densely populated cities to support the use of 800MHz, which excels at building penetration.
As is usually the case when adding new frequencies to a network, the first devices to take advantage of the network are MiFi's and data sticks. Sprint is announcing that the Netgear Zing Mobile Hotspot, Netgear 341U USB Stick and MiFi 500 LTE will be available starting July 19th and will support all three frequencies.
Edit: While the devices that can utilize this new spectrum are available soon, the new spectrum itself isn't -- and won't be ready for a while. Apologies for any confrusion.
Now that Sprint has nailed down a generally long-term frequency plan, we should start seeing other devices hitting the carrier with support for the additional bands in short order. The end result should be more consistent LTE service in more places for Sprint customers.
Source: Sprint; Via: FierceWireless
     |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/YwatCga7ZZg/story01.htm
milwaukee bucks bear grylls us news law school rankings gael glen rice jr bars lindzi cox
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Richard Norton Smith on President Richard Nixon
Source: www.c-spanvideo.org --- Saturday, July 13, 2013
George Mason University Author & Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith discusses tape recordings of phone calls made by President Richard Nixon while he spent part of the summer of 1972 at the Camp David presidential retreat. He talks to key White House advisers about the presidential race against South Dakota Senator George McGovern-the war in Vietnam-and Watergate. We discuss the impact of the Nixon tapes; what the conversations say about the man and his presidency; and the political climate and issues of the day. ...
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Gold Cup soccer: Mexico vs. Canada
A fan screams and waves a Mexican flag to get attention from players leaving the field following the
A fan screams and waves a Mexican flag to get attention from players leaving the field following the second half of the Mexico versus Canada CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match Thursday, July 11, 2013, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Mexico led Canada 1-0 at the end of the first half and later won the game 2-0.
Photo By JORDAN STEAD/SEATTLEPI.COM
Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/sounders/slideshow/Gold-Cup-soccer-Mexico-vs-Canada-66195.php