World stock markets tumbled Thursday after the Dubai government’s flagship investment company sought a six-month reprieve on its debt payments and the U.S. dollar continued its slide against other global currencies. Wall Street was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday and most markets in the Middle East were silent because of a major Islamic feast. But in Europe, the FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the CAC-40 in France all tumbled more than 3 percent. Earlier in Asia, the Shanghai index sank 3.6 percent, in its biggest one-day fall since August. The slide spread to Asia on Friday, as Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell more than 2 percent in early trading. Investors were rattled by a statement Wednesday from Dubai World that it would ask creditors for a ‘standstill’ on paying back its $60 billion debt until at least May, a move that raised question’s about the Persian Gulf state’s reputation as a magnet for international investment. The company’s real estate arm, Nakheel shoulders the bulk of money due to banks, investment houses and outside development contractors. Dubai became the Gulf’s biggest credit crunch victim a year ago. But its ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, had continually […]
There is one fact about genetically engineered foods that there is no debate about: no one wakes up in the morning eager to buy gene-altered food. There’s good reason for this. Genetically modified foods do nothing for the ‘eating public’. They provide no extra nutrition, flavor, safety or any other trait that people actually want. Instead, these food products only offer risks, which include potential toxicity, allergenecity, and lower nutritional value. This presents a tough problem for the Monsantos of the world, who are pushing these GM foods. How can you sell something to the public that offers no benefits to them? And, because of their lobbying power, the biotech companies have ensured that their products are not labeled. So Monsanto’s real request of the public is ‘be unknowing guinea pigs for foods that make us a lot of money and offer you nothing but risk.’ Obviously this message is a PR nightmare, so Monsanto has come up with a spin that is old as public relations itself: ‘accept and buy our products because they will help the world.’ More particularly, their ads displayed in mass transit systems around the country and regularly on NPR claim that GM […]
PRINCETON, NJ — Since the start of his presidency, U.S. President Barack Obama’s approval rating has declined more among non-Hispanic whites than among nonwhites, and now, fewer than 4 in 10 whites approve of the job Obama is doing as president. Barack Obama Job Approval Rating, by Racial Group Obama last week fell below 50% approval in Gallup Daily tracking for the first time in his presidency, both in daily three-day rolling averages and in Gallup Daily tracking results aggregated weekly. ‘The only subgroup showing a greater change than whites is Republicans, down 24 points since Obama’s first full week in office.’ In his first full week in office (Jan. 26-Feb. 1), an average of 66% of Americans approved of the job Obama was doing, including 61% of non-Hispanic whites and 80% of nonwhites. In the most recent week, spanning Nov. 16-22 interviewing, his approval rating averaged 49% overall, 39% among whites, and 73% among nonwhites. Thus, since the beginning of his presidency, his support has dropped 22 points among whites, compared with a 7-point loss among nonwhites. Given the 17-point drop in his approval rating among all U.S. adults, it […]
The estimated number of new HIV infections each year has declined about 17% since 2001, but for every five people infected, only two begin treatment, according to a report from the World Health Organization and UNAIDS released Tuesday. About 2.7 million people were newly infected with the virus that causes AIDS last year, compared with about 3.3 million in 2001 — although direct comparisons are difficult because the numbers are counted differently now. The biggest gains were in sub-Saharan Africa, where there were 400,000 fewer infections, even though the region still accounts for 67% of all new infections. An estimated 33.4 million people were HIV-positive worldwide in 2008, a slight increase from 33 million in 2007. That increase occurred in large part because more people are living longer after infection because of the increased availability of antiretroviral drugs that keep the virus in check. About 4 million people were receiving AIDS drugs at the end of 2008, compared with 3 million the previous year. Nonetheless, an additional ‘5 million people need treatment and are not receiving it,’ Dr. Teguest Guerma, acting director of the WHO’s HIV/AIDS department, said at a Tuesday news conference. She said that […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
