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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Manufacturing Is Vulnerable to Blockbusting Hits

Manufacturing Is Vulnerable to Blockbusting Hits: "Manufacturing supply chains are the action stars of the business world. Everything depends on them, and they’re always ending up in tight spots. A natural catastrophe here, a geopolitical event there, and the next thing you know, your supply chain is involved in a cliffhanger.

In the wake of massive natural disasters in recent years, supply chain disruptions and risks have been in the news worldwide. “Manufacturing leads the way in the globalization of business,” says Erika Melander, Manufacturing Practice Leader at Travelers. “No other sector deals with so many components and sources in its supply chain, where a disruption to any single piece could derail the whole process—and the daily life of millions of people along with it.”"



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Saturday, November 29, 2014

No end to victims' sufferings even after 30 years of Bhopal gas tragedy : North, News - India Today

No end to victims' sufferings even after 30 years of Bhopal gas tragedy : North, News - India Today: "Thirty years later, the tragedy of that industrial disaster lingers like in the case of Alfez. The victims have become the unmistakable scars of the tragedy. It is not just the old but the young also bear the scourge of the toxic leak even today.

Cases of babies born with severe birth defects are on rise, doctors and activists claim. According to the activists and organisations working for the welfare of the Bhopal gas tragedy victims, the reason behind the birth of children with defects is due to their families' exposure to toxic chemicals that poisoned the entire area and contaminated groundwater.

"There are at least 1,000 of these cases where children have been born with severe birth defects since the gas tragedy. The cases of second and third generation gas victims are rising by each day," Convenor of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, Abdul Jabbar alleges."



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Friday, November 28, 2014

Animal Extinctions From Climate Rival End of Dinosaurs - Bloomberg

Animal Extinctions From Climate Rival End of Dinosaurs - Bloomberg: "Animals are dying off in the wild at a pace as great as the extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago because of human activity and climate change.

Current extinction rates are at least 12 times faster than normal because people kill them for food, money or destroy their habitat, said Anthony Barnosky, a biology professor at the University of California-Berkeley.

“If that rate continues unchanged, the Earth’s sixth mass extinction is a certainty,” Barnosky said in a phone interview. “Within about 200 to 300 years, three out of every four species we’re familiar with would be gone.”

The findings, due to air in a documentary on the Smithsonian Channel on Nov. 30, add to pressure on envoys from some 190 countries gathering next week at a United Nations conference in Peru to discuss limits on the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

“We might do as much damage in 400 years as an asteroid did to the dinosaurs,” Sean Carroll, a biologist who leads the Department of Science Education at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, said in an interview. He was also interviewed for the documentary."



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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Scottish parliament to get control over income tax and welfare spending | UK news | The Guardian

Scottish parliament to get control over income tax and welfare spending | UK news | The Guardian: "The Scottish parliament is to be handed direct control over billions of pounds of income tax and welfare benefits after an £11bn cross-party deal which will lead to the biggest shakeup to Britain’s taxation system in the modern era.

The historic move, which had been resisted by the Labour leadership in London, means powers to set income tax rates and bands are to be wholly devolved to Holyrood as the pro-UK parties move to outflank the Scottish National party, which has surged in popularity since the referendum on Scottish independence.

High-level talks to agree the full package of new powers continued late into Wednesday as negotiators from all the main parties at Holyrood thrashed out the details of a deal due to be revealed in Edinburgh on Thursday morning."



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Grossly United in Gobbling up SIckening amount of money, for delivering poor performance and leaving

United Technologies’ CEO Leaves With $172 Million Pay Package - Bloomberg: "Louis Chenevert, who retired as chief executive officer of United Technologies Corp. (UTX) in a surprise move three days ago, will leave with a nest egg of about $172 million.

That sum includes $109 million of vesting option awards and $32 million of vesting performance-based restricted-stock awards, based on the Nov. 25 closing price, and a pension worth $31 million as of Dec. 31, according to data from the company’s proxy filing released earlier this year.

The reasons behind Chenevert’s abrupt departure remain unknown and it came as a surprise to the investment community, which had been anticipating his appearance at an investor meeting on Dec. 11. A company spokesman said Chenevert’s leaving wasn’t related to financial performance. His corporate bio was already expunged from United Technologies’ website on Nov. 24, just hours after the company announced the management change, and the list of board members also disappeared."



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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Rape Raises Question: Who Are Those College Boys? - Bloomberg

Rape Raises Question: Who Are Those College Boys? - Bloomberg: "Facebook
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Photographer: Lance King/Getty Images
The University of Virginia suspended its fraternities and related social activities... Read More
Whoever said the line is lost in our memory -- someone we knew? some public persona? -- but the line about parenthood, about why you’d rather have a boy than a girl, managed to stick.

It was something to the effect of, “When your son turns 16, you have a 16-year-old boy on your hands, but when your daughter turns 16, you have every 16-year-old boy on your hands.”

Now that Rolling Stone has blown open the issue of campus rape with its expose of the University of Virginia -- as if the scores and scores of other reports weren’t enough -- the line’s not as clever as it used to be.

Here’s a question for you: Would you rather your kid return from college as a rape victim or a rapist? Because while the young women in these circumstances are coming home shattered, the young men in them are returning as something worse.

In the aftermath of the UVA story -- and, just as an aside, when did Rolling Stone turn into an investigative outfit? -- we learned yesterday that the UVA administrator overseeing matters of sexual misconduct at school has never moved for the expulsion of a student nor, she says, ever even seen one expelled for sexual misconduct, even those who have confessed to it.

Nicole Eramo, the associate dean of students at UVA, is both lionized in the article by students for her dexterity in handling victims and undercut by the reporting, which shows the policies, and Eramo’s wielding of them, contribute to inaction and are complicit in keeping, well, rapists on campus.

We spoke to a recent female graduate of UVA, and guess what? Same thing happened to her. Not on the level of violence as described in the Rolling Stone article, but it was a sexual assault, occurring at the end of her sophomore year.

Which is to say, it wasn’t even at all difficult to find yet another story. Make a couple phone calls, and voila.

Yes, she told friends, but no one else, no one in a position of authority. She explained that, as unfortunate as the assault was, she didn’t feel like anything could be done about it. She said it’s difficult to have that kind of conversation with an administrator, and she just felt like she could deal with it better on her own, accept it and go on. In other words, she felt powerless."



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How does Scotland's equal gender cabinet compare with its UK equivalent? | News | The Guardian

How does Scotland's equal gender cabinet compare with its UK equivalent? | News | The Guardian: "As well as getting its first female leader, the Scottish government now has a cabinet on which both genders are equally represented.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her cabinet was:

A clear demonstration that this government will work hard in all areas to promote women, to create gender equality and it sends out a strong message that the business of redressing the gender balance in public life starts right here in government

It certainly contrasts with the headlines bemoaning the poor gender split on the UK’s cabinet whenever there is a reshuffle. As the chart below shows Westminster has quite a way to go to catch up."



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Sunday, November 23, 2014

World’s Oldest Spice Bears Vietnam Modern Riches: Southeast Asia - Bloomberg

World’s Oldest Spice Bears Vietnam Modern Riches: Southeast Asia - Bloomberg: "At a time when commodity producers are enduring a slump in prices for everything from crude oil to iron ore to soybeans, Vietnam’s pepper farmers are prospering.

Black pepper trades at about $9 a kilogram (2.2 pounds), from $2 a decade ago, while white pepper costs as much as $13, a threefold gain, according to the International Pepper Community, a producer group in Jakarta. Consumption has exceeded supply for about eight years, boosted by demand for seasoning as Asia eats more meat, said Greg Estep, the global head of spices and vegetable ingredients at Singapore-based Olam International Ltd.

The surge in the $2.5 billion pepper export market contrasts with a fourth consecutive year of declining commodity prices as supply gluts emerge. Vietnam’s crop expanded 15-fold over two decades, displacing India as the biggest supplier, the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization says."



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Will A Gluten-Free Diet Really Make You Healthier? - Consumer Reports

Will A Gluten-Free Diet Really Make You Healthier? - Consumer Reports: "Just as fat was vilified in the 1990s and carbs have been scorned more recently, gluten—a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye—has become the latest dietary villain, blamed for everything from forgetfulness to joint pain to weight gain. "Gluten free" is a claim you see on everything from potato chips to bread to hummus—and even on cosmetics and laundry detergent.  Some people must avoid the protein because they have celiac disease—an autoimmune condition in which gluten causes potentially life-threatening intestinal damage—or gluten sensitivity. But less than 7 percent of Americans have those conditions.

According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 Americans by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 63 percent thought that following a gluten-free diet would improve physical or mental health. About a third said they buy gluten-free products or try to avoid gluten. Among the top benefits they cited were better digestion and gastrointestinal function, healthy weight loss, increased energy, lower cholesterol, and a stronger immune system.

Yet there’s very limited research to substantiate any of those beliefs, notes Alessio Fasano, M.D., director of the Center for Celiac Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Unless you have celiac disease or a true gluten sensitivity, there’s no clear medical reason to eliminate it, Fasano says. In fact, you might be doing your health a disservice. “When you cut out gluten completely, you can cut out foods that have valuable nutrients,” he says, “and you may end up adding more calories and fat into your diet.” Before you decide to ride the wave of this dietary trend, consider why it might not be a good idea."



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Friday, November 21, 2014

Top 400 U.S. Households Paid 18% Average Tax Rate in 2010 - Bloomberg

Top 400 U.S. Households Paid 18% Average Tax Rate in 2010 - Bloomberg: "The top 400 taxpayers in the U.S. paid an average tax rate of 18 percent in 2010, the lowest since 2007, according to Internal Revenue Service data released today.

The wealthiest taxpayers earn a majority of their money from capital gains, which are taxed at preferential rates, letting them pay effective rates far below the 35 percent marginal income tax rate that year.

People who earn all of their income from wages often pay a higher tax rate than the very wealthiest Americans, said Leonard Burman, director of the Tax Policy Center in Washington. The comparable rate for all taxpayers in 2010 was 11.8 percent, and that includes more than 40 percent of households that paid no income taxes that year."



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Thursday, November 20, 2014

Elephants are being wiped out, but not enough people seem to care | Bibi van der Zee | Comment is free | The Guardian

Elephants are being wiped out, but not enough people seem to care | Bibi van der Zee | Comment is free | The Guardian: "I asked a senior environmental journalist the other week what he thought was the single most under-reported environmental issue. He replied, unhesitatingly, wildlife poaching. “It’s as if the wildlife is just being hoovered out of Africa,” he said. “In the 1960s people campaigned around whales and wildlife. The Daily Mail actually put rhino poaching on their front page. But now there just doesn’t seem to be the same level of interest.” Dr Paula Kahumbu, a wildlife campaigner based in Kenya, echoes his sentiment, but adds that the UK public is still more active than most areas of the world. “Not a single African leader has spoken out on this,” says Kahumbu. “The silence is deafening.”

The scale of the “hoovering” is hard to comprehend. Take elephants, for example. In Africa, where some but not all of the poaching is concentrated, elephants are being slaughtered at a rate of 20,000-25,000 a year, from a population of just 420,000-650,000. The forest elephant population has dropped by 62% since 2002. There is a word for the killing of elephants (elephanticide) and a word for destruction of the natural world (ecocide) but oddly enough – given our magnificent form in this area – there doesn’t seem to be a word for killing off a whole species. We probably need one."



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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Elephants are being wiped out, but not enough people seem to care | Bibi van der Zee | Comment is free | The Guardian

Elephants are being wiped out, but not enough people seem to care | Bibi van der Zee | Comment is free | The Guardian: "I asked a senior environmental journalist the other week what he thought was the single most under-reported environmental issue. He replied, unhesitatingly, wildlife poaching. “It’s as if the wildlife is just being hoovered out of Africa,” he said. “In the 1960s people campaigned around whales and wildlife. The Daily Mail actually put rhino poaching on their front page. But now there just doesn’t seem to be the same level of interest.” Dr Paula Kahumbu, a wildlife campaigner based in Kenya, echoes his sentiment, but adds that the UK public is still more active than most areas of the world. “Not a single African leader has spoken out on this,” says Kahumbu. “The silence is deafening.”"



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Elephants are being wiped out, but not enough people seem to care | Bibi van der Zee | Comment is free | The Guardian

Elephants are being wiped out, but not enough people seem to care | Bibi van der Zee | Comment is free | The Guardian: "I asked a senior environmental journalist the other week what he thought was the single most under-reported environmental issue. He replied, unhesitatingly, wildlife poaching. “It’s as if the wildlife is just being hoovered out of Africa,” he said. “In the 1960s people campaigned around whales and wildlife. The Daily Mail actually put rhino poaching on their front page. But now there just doesn’t seem to be the same level of interest.” Dr Paula Kahumbu, a wildlife campaigner based in Kenya, echoes his sentiment, but adds that the UK public is still more active than most areas of the world. “Not a single African leader has spoken out on this,” says Kahumbu. “The silence is deafening.”"



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Monday, November 17, 2014

NUI Galway ordered to promote lecturer overlooked over gender

NUI Galway ordered to promote lecturer overlooked over gender: "A botanist at NUI Galway has said she has “struck a blow for all female academics” after the Equality Tribunal found she was discriminated against on gender grounds when she was overlooked for a senior lectureship.
The tribunal has instructed NUI Galway to promote Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, a long-serving and widely published lecturer who missed out on promotion in 2009 after a process described by the tribunal as “ramshackle”. The university must also pay her €70,000 and review its appointments system.
In her complaint, Dr Sheehy Skeffington – granddaughter of the suffragette Hanna Sheehy Skeffington – had claimed the application process for the post of senior lecturer was weighted against women.
The tribunal found that while on paper the promotion appeared to be a fair process based on definitive criteria, in practice it fell short. There was only one woman on the seven-person interview board. Of 17 promoted to senior lecturer for the whole university, only one was a woman."



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Sunday, November 16, 2014

Ireland fighting fit as they rise to third in world

Ireland fighting fit as they rise to third in world: "Things are getting giddy again. Eventually subduing the team ranked 15th in the world 49-7 after labouring a tad to a 9-0 lead at half-time wouldn’t normally be the springboard for world supremacy, but defeats for England and Australia over the weekend contrived to leave Ireland third in the IRB world rankings behind New Zealand and South Africa.
Having also emerged unscathed from a six tries to one win over Georgia, Joe Schmidt can now recall ten players from the win over South Africa who were excused duty yesterday. He can also call on an 11th in Jack McGrath who remained in his tracksuit, two more who were limited to replacement cameos and another in Mike Ross who was hauled off after 45 minutes."



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Lightning Joins the List of Things Climate Change Is Making Worse - Bloomberg

Lightning Joins the List of Things Climate Change Is Making Worse - Bloomberg: "Lightning puts the fear of god in people, always has. Zeus throws bolts like footballs. Thor conjures it up with his hammer. People make it likelier with all their carbon dioxide pollution.

Wait, what?

A new study in the journal Science reports all that extra energy and moisture in the atmosphere these days may mean more lightning. Every rise in global average surface temperatures of one degree Celsius (about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) could bring with it 12 percent more lightning -- on top of the sea-level rise, warmer winters, hotter summers and other projected threats from climate change. Previous attempts to figure out the relationship between warming and lighting, the authors say, have varied wildly.

The scientists, who are based in California and New York, came up with a new way to estimate the frequency of bolts, or "lightning flash rate." They suggest that the answer is a combination of the amount of energy in the air -- heat -- and the amount of precipitation."



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Saturday, November 15, 2014

Scots Nationalists Ready for New Battle as Support Surges - Bloomberg

Scots Nationalists Ready for New Battle as Support Surges - Bloomberg: "Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said her country could end up being kingmaker in the U.K. after the general election next year.

Ruling out any coalition with the governing Conservative Party, Sturgeon told her party’s conference in Perth today that Scotland would wield more power over its affairs if a Labour Party government needed its support.

“Scotland could well hold the balance of power in a Westminster parliament with no overall majority,” Sturgeon said in her maiden address as leader after formally succeeding Alex Salmond yesterday. “Think about how much more we could win for Scotland from a Labour government if they had to depend on SNP votes. They’d have to deliver real powers for our parliament.”

Sturgeon, 44, will take over as Scotland’s first minister next week following Salmond’s decision to step down in the wake of the unsuccessful campaign for independence in a referendum two months ago. She is buoyed by a surge in support for the SNP, with membership more than tripling since the vote.

She paid tribute to Salmond, 59, who will now consider his next move and whether to stand for a seat in the U.K. Parliament in the May election, calling him a “hero of our movement.”"



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Thursday, November 13, 2014

Obama to pledge at least $2.5bn to help poor states fight climate change | Environment | The Guardian

Obama to pledge at least $2.5bn to help poor states fight climate change | Environment | The Guardian: "Barack Obama will make a substantial pledge to a fund to help poor countries fight climate change, only days after his historic carbon pollution deal with China.

In a one-two punch, America plans to pledge at least $2.5bn and as much as $3bn over the next four years to help poor countries invest in clean energy and cope with rising seas and extreme weather, according to those briefed by administration officials.

The financial commitment will be unveiled as world leaders gather for the G20 summit in Brisbane, sending a powerful signal of Obama’s determination to act on climate change despite the Republican takeover of Congress in mid-term elections.

The pledge to the Green Climate Fund was seen as critical to UN negotiations for a global climate deal. Developing countries have said they cannot sign on to emissions cuts at climate talks in Lima later this month without the funds.

Analysts said the $2.5bn figure under discussion before the Brisbane summit was just about enough to demonstrate that the US was willing to put up the cash."



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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Climate Change - QuickTake - Bloomberg

Climate Change - QuickTake - Bloomberg: "Climate scientists have pretty much stopped arguing about whether humans are warming the planet. A United Nations panel confirmed that rapid industrialization has put the globe on a path to exceed the goal of limiting the temperature gain to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and that the world is ill-prepared to face the impacts of climate change. Yet the only international treaty to control greenhouse gases has been rendered nearly useless by a lack of targets for the biggest emitters. The latest findings add urgency to UN talks for a new global agreement. Poor countries argue that they need cheap fuel to power development and small island nations clamor that their existence is threatened by melting glaciers and rising seas."



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Sunday, November 09, 2014

SABMiller Challenge: Convincing People There’s a Water ‘Problem’ - Bloomberg

SABMiller Challenge: Convincing People There’s a Water ‘Problem’ - Bloomberg: "The SABMiller executive later addressed The Economist water summit in London on Nov. 6, calling for greater private sector involvement in tackling shared resource risks such as water scarcity.

“Water needs to be seen by both businesses and policymakers as far more than simply an environmental issue. It is a social issue, a health issue, a development issue, a business issue and an economic issue,” Lippert said."



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Friday, November 07, 2014

The campaign for death relief

The campaign for death relief: "When I visited the Web Summit for the first time, this week, I was struck by how much the tech start-ups pitching for business looked like on-course bookmakers at a racetrack. They had the same narrow stands, with just enough room for a display board including names and logos. They also had satchels – at least metaphorically – in which to stuff the money of anyone who wanted to place a bet with them.
The big difference from actual bookmakers is that each of them was itself a horse. And the trick for investors was to guess which of these horses – some very dark – might emerge from this year’s field of 2,160 and become the next Google.
I didn’t notice any start-up offering the prospect of eternal life. Yet that is, generally speaking, one of the big potential growth areas for entrepreneurs – at least according to Peter Thiel, a star speaker at the summit. And he should know.
Thiel has backed many of the most successful horses of recent times. He set up Paypal, took an early share in Facebook, and presides over an investment company with $2 billion assets. But as well being very rich, and having a talent for identifying businesses that will make him even richer, he is also a philanthropist, contrarian, and deep thinker, who expects more from investments than mere money."



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Thursday, November 06, 2014

ECB says Irish policymakers to blame for economic crash

ECB says Irish policymakers to blame for economic crash: "The European Central Bank (ECB) has issued a forthright defence of its actions in the course of Ireland’s bailout, saying domestic figures were responsible for the unsound policies which led to the crash.
In a six-page paper published as the ECB released key correspondence from 2010 with the late Brian Lenihan, the Frankfurt-based institution said Ireland was not “pushed” into the bailout programme by a letter from its then chief Jean-Claude Trichet.
Citing the 2008 banking guarantee and other Irish decisions, the ECB said it was the very scale of the domestic crisis that made it necessary for Ireland to apply for an EU-IMF adjustment programme.
‘Inadequate policies’
“While it is understandable that Irish citizens feel acutely aggrieved by the legacy of the crisis, it was domestic policymakers who were responsible for the inadequate policies relating to banking supervision, public finances and the loss of competitiveness.”"



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CBS at 87 Plunges Into Web-TV With Sony, 24-Hour News - Bloomberg

CBS at 87 Plunges Into Web-TV With Sony, 24-Hour News - Bloomberg: "CBS Corp. (CBS), the 87-year-old broadcaster, is embracing online television with the gusto of a tween.

Today, the company started a 24-hour online news channel, CBSN. Yesterday, Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said he’ll supply Sony Corp. (6758) with programs for a Web-only TV service. And last month CBS All Access made its debut, offering the most-watched television network online for $5.99 a month.

With these moves, Moonves has leapfrogged his peers, going straight to consumers to make virtually all of CBS’s programs available on the Web at the same time as they are on TV. The company wants to deliver news and hit series like “NCIS” to the growing market of young people who watch video on phones and tablets, without undermining the $104 billion TV industry."



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Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Good economic news dampened by water issues

Good economic news dampened by water issues: "The Irish Water debacle has left Ministers on the defensive as they struggle to bed down the contentious new regime. For all the complaints of political incompetence, a fresh batch of positive economic news yesterday provides further evidence that economic recovery is taking hold.
The National Treasury Management Agency sold 15-year debt for the first time since 2009; new exchequer returns indicate tax revenues will come in well ahead of target by the end of the year; and the European Commission pinpointed Ireland as virtually the only bright spot on an arid euro zone landscape in a new forecast.
If the Government’s prime difficulty these days is that many people see little evidence of a turnaround in their daily lives, a drop in consumer sentiment last month points to a sense of caution on the street. Even with a modest tax cut to come in January, such data suggests uncertainty over the extent of the water charge still weighs heavily on consumers."



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Australia Loses 24,400 Jobs as Bureau Revises Employment Data - Bloomberg

Australia Loses 24,400 Jobs as Bureau Revises Employment Data - Bloomberg: "Australia’s labor market is weaker than previously reported, the nation’s statistics bureau said in a review released today, sending the currency lower as traders bet on an extended interest-rate pause.

The total number of Australians employed in September was 24,400 fewer than previously reported and the jobless rate was 6.2 percent, compared with the prior 6.1 percent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in a statement today.

The ABS said last month, when it ordered the review, that it was unable to explain a sudden bout of volatility in labor figures. It said anything from new survey questions to a waning mining boom prompted the seasonal adjustment of raw data to show a record 121,000 jobs gain in August, and if applied in September, a 172,000 loss."



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Sunday, November 02, 2014

IPCC: rapid carbon emission cuts vital to stop severe impact of climate change | Environment | The Guardian

IPCC: rapid carbon emission cuts vital to stop severe impact of climate change | Environment | The Guardian: "Climate change is set to inflict “severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts” on people and the natural world unless carbon emissions are cut sharply and rapidly, according to the most important assessment of global warming yet published.

The stark report states that climate change has already increased the risk of severe heatwaves and other extreme weather and warns of worse to come, including food shortages and violent conflicts. But it also found that ways to avoid dangerous global warming are both available and affordable.

“Science has spoken. There is no ambiguity in the message,” said the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, attending what he described as the “historic” report launch. “Leaders must act. Time is not on our side.” He said that quick, decisive action would build a better and sustainable future, while inaction would be costly.

Ban added a message to investors, such as pension fund managers: “Please reduce your investments in the coal- and fossil fuel-based economy and [move] to renewable energy.”

The report, released in Copenhagen on Sunday by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is the work of thousands of scientists and was agreed after negotiations by the world’s governments. It is the first IPCC report since 2007 to bring together all aspects of tackling climate change and for the first time states: that it is economically affordable; that carbon emissions will ultimately have to fall to zero; and that global poverty can only be reduced by halting global warming. The report also makes clear that carbon emissions, mainly from burning coal, oil and gas, are currently rising to record levels, not falling."



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Saturday, November 01, 2014

Generation Rent: ignored, insecure – and on the rise | Barbara Ellen | Comment is free | The Guardian

Generation Rent: ignored, insecure – and on the rise | Barbara Ellen | Comment is free | The Guardian: "Interesting to see the predicted figures from campaign group Generation Rent, saying that renters could outnumber homeowners in 104 out of the 650 UK constituencies by the year 2021. Forty-nine of the predicted renter-heavy constituencies would be in London – northern cities are already more likely to be renter dominated. This trend is already established: the number of constituencies where those who rent are in the majority has grown from 38 in 2001 to 65 in 2011.

Through pure dumb luck, I have never consistently rented. In the years when I first moved to London, I went from a series of squats, to housing co-ops, to a mortgage. These days, I reserve the right to roll my eyes at younger people, who seem to expect to be homeowners, or at least living in salubrious abodes, basically achieving the lifestyles of their parents, by their early 20s.

Once again, nation’s yoof, be reasonable! “Generation rent” or not, most people have to rough it for a bit. When I squatted, it may have been free, but usually it was in rough areas, with vermin and frightening gas smells aplenty and, at one low point, only a couple of bin-liners taped over a gaping hole separated what I laughingly called “my bedroom” from the street. Is this what you mean by people like myself screwing your generation over?"



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