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American homes on the fourth Thursday in November will waft with more than the aroma of turkey and pumpkin pie. Also in the air will be the joy at the start of the holiday season running from Thanksgiving to Christmas through New Years. As temperatures turn cold outdoors, we'll warm ourselves inside and out with gatherings of friends and family, festivities, parties and presents. Inevitably this season also gives rise to queries about the "true meaning" of this or that holiday, usually with complaints about the superficiality of the season. To these critics I say, "Stop being an ugly hair...

Another day of economic data that doesn’t spell raging recovery. Industrial Production Capacity utilization increased slightly from 68.1% in June to 68.5% in July. Industrial production was up 0.5% which is the first increase in that number since December 2007. Manufacturing production was up 1% but that was almost entirely due to auto companies ramping up production after their summer shutdown which was exacerbated by the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler. Taking autos outo fo the equation, manufacturing was up 0.2%. Overall, the economy still has enormous excess capacity. Their is nothing in these numbers to suggest that new investment...

Global warming could rob the U.S. economy of $1.4 billion a year in lost corn production alone, a national environmental group estimated in a report released Thursday. The Environment America study, based on government and university data, projects that warming temperatures will reduce yields of the nation's biggest crop by 3% in the Midwest and the South compared with projected yields without further global warming. Iowa would be hit hardest, losing $259 million a year in corn revenues, followed by Illinois at $243 million. California, which leads the country in agriculture but doesn't grow much corn, would take an estimated...

Stocks of foodstuff are dangerously low Low stocks of foodstuff make the world’s falling agriculture output particularly worrisome. The combined averaged of the ending stock levels of the major trading countries of Australia, Canada, United States, and the European Union have been declining steadily in the last few years: 2002-2005: 47.4 million tons 2007: 37.6 million tons 2008: 27.4 million tons These inventory numbers are dangerously low, especially considering the horrifying possibility that China’s 60 million tons of grain reserves doesn't actually exists. Global food Catastrophe The world is heading for a drop in agricultural production of 20 to 40...

(Note: Targum permits linkage only.) A scheduled performance of "The Rocky Horror Show" has been running into quite a bit of difficulty - in the form of official demands and restrictions. I've never been privileged (???) to see this show, but understand it entails considerable,enthusiastic audience participation - something the authorities find threatening. (Transylvanian transvestites ??? An acquired taste, I suppose.)

The reason that stimulus packages cause a further loss of capital is that their starting point is the consumption of previously produced wealth. That wealth is part of the capital of the business firms that own it. The stimulus programs offer money in exchange for this wealth and capital. But the money they offer does not come from the production of any comparable wealth by the government or those to whom it gives money—wealth which has had to be produced and sold and thus put into the economic system prior to the withdrawal that now takes place. The starting point...

In their zeal to oppose the lunacy of the so-called "stimulus" plan, many radio talk show hosts and other pundits have fallen into the Keynesian trap. Rather than the politicians spending nearly a trillion dollars, they argue, it would provide much more stimulus if the government gave massive tax cuts. This would "put money back in the pockets of average Americans" and they would go to the mall and "get that money into circulation and boost the economy." Although the instincts behind such arguments are sound, they often betray an underlying Keynesian mindset. By justifying tax cuts on the grounds...

China factories cut output at record pace: CLSA PMI Fri Jan 2, 2009 3:58am EST By Jason Subler BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese factories slashed output and workers at a record pace in December and manufacturing activity overall fell for a fifth month as the global financial crisis hit export demand, a survey by brokerage CLSA showed on Friday. The figures, which CLSA said showed a sector close to recession, spell further gloom ahead for the Chinese economy and highlight the urgency with which the government is trying to cushion the country from the effects of the global crisis. "Chinese manufacturing...

The OPEC oil group has agreed to cut its real output by 520,000 barrels per day in the next 40 days, OPEC's President and Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil said Wednesday. When asked about the size of a proposed cut to OPEC's current production, Khelil replied: "I think if you do your own calculations, it is a cut of 520,000 barrels per day."

World oil production fell by 0.2 percent in 2007, the first decline since 2002, while consumption rose by 1.1 percent, BP (British Petroleum) said on Wednesday, highlighting a tight supply/demand balance that has helped push oil prices to record levels. Production fell by 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) last year to 81.53 million bpd and reserves were essentially flat at 1.24 trillion barrels, London-based BP said in its 2008 Statistical Review of World Energy. The figures compiled by BP underline the world's challenge of boosting production to meet growing demand, particularly from developing economies such as China and India.

But after decades of seemingly terminal decline, Japan's coal country is stirring again. With energy prices reaching record highs — oil rose above $135 a barrel on Thursday — Japan's high-cost mines are suddenly competitive again, and demand for their coal is booming. Production has jumped to its highest in nearly four decades, creating a sensation rarely felt in these mining communities: hope. "We are seeing a flicker of light after long darkness," said Michio Sakurai, the mayor of Bibai, on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido. "We never imagined coal would actually make a comeback." Soaring commodity prices have had...

CNN) -- Gasoline prices set a record for the 16th consecutive day Wednesday. A gallon of gas cost an average of $3.62, according to AAA, and much more in some markets. All three presidential candidates have weighed in on the issue, and President Bush on Tuesday addressed it during a news conference. John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Co., the U.S. division of Royal Dutch Shell, addressed rising gasoline prices during an interview Wednesday with John Roberts on CNN's "American Morning." ROBERTS: What do you say to people who are in this budget crunch of trying to fill up the...

Exxon's flat oil forecast was even more surprising because it came during a meeting when the company was trumpeting a big increase in capital expenditures -- to at least $25 billion a year going forward, up from $21 billion last year. The company also outlined a slew of big projects, 12 of which are starting up this year. These include the 600 million barrel Kizomba C development off the coast of Angola years. But how could oil production be flat? Peer into Exxon's historical numbers and you see the problem Tillerson faces. Since 2000, Exxon's oil output from two of...

ZHANGQIU COUNTY, China (Reuters) - When Yuan Shanchun became China's first farmer to receive a government subsidy to buy a refrigerator, he was inundated with queries from just about everyone he knew asking how they could get one too. "Who can believe it? How come the government is giving us money to buy things?" the bubbly 51-year-old asked, speaking in the thick accent of the eastern province of Shandong. "This is like free food falling from the sky!"

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — The fruits of the past month’s labor were reaped when the Al Rasheed Land Owners Association took a major step in becoming a self-sufficient entity, Dec. 17, providing for the welfare of the farmers. The organization was originally formed a few months ago, to help unionize local farmers and allow them to increase their harvests. During the event, 250 rolls of plastic were distributed, one per farmer. “They are totally in charge. We are just here to observe,” said Capt. Ken Guglielmina, Civil Affairs Team 11, currently attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd...

Cessna has become the latest airframe manufacturer to tap into China's growing aircraft production expertise, with the US airframer picking AVIC I subsidiary Shenyang Aircraft to assemble its new Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft (LSA). Under the terms of the agreement, Shenyang will be responsible for aircraft assembly and Cessna will provide on-site personnel to oversee manufacturing, quality assurance and technical design. Cessna will design the aircraft and handle American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) compliance work, and be responsible for sales, distribution, customer service and warranty administration.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2007 – Production of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles continues ahead of schedule, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. “For the month of October, we had hoped to produce 431 vehicles,” Morrell said during a news conference. “We have produced 452. That's 21 more than we had anticipated, which puts us overall, year-to-date, program-to-date, 34 ahead of schedule.” The vehicles are state-of-the-art defenses against the leading killers of American troops in Iraq – improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators. The V-shaped armored hull deflects explosive blasts from mines, IEDs and EFPs away from the crew...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he refuses to accept that improvised explosive devices are an uncontrollable challenge, and he urged private industry members today to produce Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, known as MRAPs, quickly and in greater numbers to counter this threat. “We absolutely are not accepting (IED attacks) as a challenge that can’t be defeated,” Gates said during a Pentagon news conference with Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, at his side. The secretary said he was briefed this week on how quickly MRAP vehicles, which...

Saudi Arabia plans to increase its crude oil production capacity nearly 40 per cent by 2009 and double its refining size over the next five years to keep pace with growing global demand, the country’s oil minister said on Thursday. Ali Naimi said the plans are part of a $80-billion-commitment that Saudi Arabia — the world’s biggest oil exporter — has made to increase oil supplies in the global market. Naimi blamed the sharp rise in global crude prices over the past two years mostly on “insufficient investment and rising energy demand,” especially from the booming economies of Asia. “The...

The question of counterfeit and adulterate products endangering the economic security of Russia has been discussed for quite a long time, but these are only talks. 62% of Russians apprehend to buy a counterfeit good, while going shopping. According to the results of the survey undertaken by the Public Opinion Fund, 53% of Russians purchased counterfeit goods during the past year. 44% of the respondents believe that food commodities (particularly meat and dairy products, preserves, etc.) are most frequently falsified; 31% consider medicaments to rank first. 21% of the pollees mentioned clothes, which is on the third place. Apart from...

FOB BRASSFIELD-MORA — Iraqi Army soldiers discovered multiple weapons caches during joint patrols with U.S. Army Paratroopers Oct. 21-22 in a village north of Samarra. Iraqi Army soldiers from 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, were patrolling fields outside of the village with the Company D, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers when they came across five 130mm artillery rounds hidden in a hole. The Iraqis reported the find to their Paratrooper counterparts, which lead to a second, more thorough, search of the area. They discovered one cache after another — each...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil held around $60 on Friday, as traders weighed OPEC's plans to cut production against overflowing stockpiles in top consumer the United States. U.S. crude rose 7 cents to $60.10 a barrel by 0806 GMT, after dipping to a low of $59.60 in early trade. London Brent rose 13 cents to $60.13. "The market is moving on rumors that Saudi Arabia has agreed to cut production since prices have continued to fall despite the earlier news," said Tetsu Emori, chief commodities strategist at Mitsui Bussan Futures. Officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said...

Time to Remove Barriers to Boosting Oil Refining Capacity by Ben LiebermanPosted Jul 27, 2006The high price of oil is the main reason that the price of gasoline has nearly doubled over the last three years, but it is not the only reason. The cost of turning oil into gasoline has also risen, thanks in part to costly federal regulations on refinery operations and expansions. Many in Congress are aware of this problem, and the House recently passed the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act (H.R. 5254) to address it. This very modest measure would streamline refinery-related regulations and would be...

Jack Welch gives advice on how the new graduate can succeed in American companies. It seems to be good advice to succeed in any company -- anywhere. His number one piece of advice: OVERDELIVER - This is very un-American -- and very un-student-like. In school, students learn to meet certain objectives -- answer certain questions within certain time parameters. In the workforce -- it's not that way anymore. To get an A+ in business, Welch says, a person -- 22 years old or 62 years old -- needs to: 1. Expand the organization's expectations of what you can do --...

The Committee of 100 survey that I have mentioned here in the past asked the question of American opinion leaders - What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "China?" 4. Human/religious/civil rights - 16% (This is the percentage of the US population that are treehuggers and activists.) 3. Communism - 16% (They think this means everyone eating off of the same table and sharing the car.) 2. Population - 40% (Finally someone realizes that China has something the rest of the world doesn't - the largest population in the world) and.... 1. Economic growth -...

According to this report, China is making inroads into India's domestic market. Imagine that: China can produce textile raw material and export it to India CHEAPER than India can do it on its own. The increase in imports to India from China is growing at a 33% a year rate. The reasons: 1. India has lower-scale operations. 2. India cannot fulfill large-scale orders. 3. India cannot produce specialized fabrics. Thus, India has to rely on imported fabrics. It appears that the quality of products produced in China and Taiwan is higher. These products have more uniform shades and fewer defects...

May 2006 Vol. 89, No. 5       print-friendly pdf By John A. Tirpak, Executive Editor Are We Losing Nuke Expertise?; Modernizing the Arsenal; Iran, North Korea, and Friends ....  Strategic Strike: Fund It or Lose It Unless steps are taken to create new programs and attract new expertise, US strategic missile capabilities will soon become extinct, warns a Defense Science Board task force. In a March report titled “Future Strategic Strike Skills,� the DSB task force said the Defense Department has failed to make long-term plans for strategic systems or adequately fund their modernization. This neglect, the DSB said,...

What's the role of labor in Marx's concept of individual and social existence? if labor is not the source of wealth, what is?

LONDON (Reuters) - More British workers will call in "sick" Monday than on any other day in 2006, many opting to make their excuses by text message or by phoning in with an artistic cough or splutter, research revealed Monday. Widespread dissatisfaction with holiday allowances combined with a post-Christmas comedown will contribute to thousands of Britons, who work some of the longest hours in Europe, staying at home to recharge their batteries. "Early February is a very popular time for taking a 'sickie', the first bank holiday still seems a long way off, the days are gloomy and many people...

Industrial Production Posts Solid GainBy MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics WriterWASHINGTON - The nation's industrial output posted a solid increase in December as recovery in production of Gulf Coast oil and gas wells offset a slump in auto manufacturing. The Federal Reserve reported that production at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose by 0.6 percent last month following gains of 0.8 percent in November and 1 percent in October. The three strong months represented a recovery in industrial production following a 1.3 percent plunge in September that reflected widespread shutdowns of oil wells, refineries and chemical production in the wake...

Tests dash hopes of rapid production of bird flu vaccine 17:43 16 December 2005 NewScientist.com news service Debora MacKenzie The results of first large-scale trials of a low-dose vaccine against H5N1 bird flu have been announced – and they are unexpectedly disappointing. Scientists had hoped that very low doses of vaccine virus would make humans immune if injected along with an immune-stimulating chemical called an adjuvant. But on Thursday, French vaccine company Sanofi pasteur announced that in tests on 300 people in France, they did not. “The prospects for adequate global supplies of an effective pandemic vaccine of any kind...

November Manufacturing ISM Report On Business® PMI at 58.1% New Orders, Production Expanding Employment Growing, Deliveries Slowing Prices Increasing (Tempe, Arizona) — Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in November for the 30th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 49th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®. The report was issued today by Norbert J. Ore, C.P.M., chair of the Institute for Supply Management™ Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The manufacturing sector expanded in November based on the ISM data. The PMI again showed significant strength in manufacturing activity...

CLEVELAND — A year after it was established, the National Center for Regenerative Medicine is opening a production lab to develop adult stem cells for treatments. The center, formed last November with $4.5 million in federal seed funding, is a partnership of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and University Hospitals of Cleveland. Adult stem cell production has potential for therapies to treat diseases such as leukemia and other cancers, heart disease and bone ailments, said Dr. Stanton Gerson, professor of medicine at Case and director of the center. He called Monday’s official opening of the cell production lab the...

ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (NNS) -- Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 stationed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) continued to provide support to coalition troops on the ground in Iraq Oct. 19. F-14 Tomcats from Fighter Squadron (VF) 31 conducted precision strikes on a known Improvised Explosive Device (IED) production facility northeast of Baghdad. The fighter jets joined a handful of other Roosevelt-based aircraft this week that have conducted strikes in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom while protecting coalition ground troops. IEDs have been one of the biggest threats to coalition ground forces since the beginning of...

Storm disruptions to output in the Gulf of Mexico and nine weeks of falling gasoline supplies joined forces to pull regular unleaded gas prices to a fresh record -- and they're still nowhere near their peak, analysts said Wednesday. There's a "surfeit of worry over gasoline supplies to much of the U.S. and gasoline prices have acted accordingly," said John Kilduff, an analyst at Fimat USA. A truck moves through the parking lot of a Sunoco gas station in South Bend, Ind., Wednesday, August 31st, 2005, where the advertised price for gasoline was $3.50 to $3.70 a gallon depending upon...

Teheran 'lied' over plutonium production By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 17/06/2005) Iran falsely reported the timing of experiments to produce plutonium, a fissile material used in nuclear weapons, a report by the United Nations watchdog said yesterday. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Teheran had earlier admitted that it had produced plutonium in breach of the international rules, but claimed that the work had ended in 1993. But IAEA inspectors have now forced Teheran to admit that the work continued until 1998. The quantities involved are small, but in a statement, the American representative to the IAEA,...

Saudi Arabia has plenty of oil -- more than the world is likely to need - along with an increasing ability to refine crude oil into gasoline and other products before selling it overseas, a top Saudi official says. "The world is more likely to run out of uses for oil than Saudi Arabia is going to run out of oil," Adel al-Jubeir, top foreign policy adviser for Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah, said Wednesday. In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Al-Jubeir said relations between his nation and the Bush administration were strong but "the...

That's right... the incidents that occurred at AbuGhraid prison are now a play production at Harvard University. Here is the story: Abu Ghraib onstage Multimedia theatrical piece tries to make sense of prison abuse By Ken Gewertz Harvard News Office Since the theater's beginnings in ancient Greece, playwrights have used the stage to explore complex ethical issues and portray disturbing current events. It is a practice that continues into the present day with works like Athol Fugard's "Master Harold ... and the Boys" and Tony Kushner's "Angels in America." On May 12, the Loeb Experimental Theatre will premier a work...

Being a conservative political writer is so blasted easy these days. Subjects to delve into are never lacking as there appears to be nary a single issue that Democrats and Republicans can agree upon. Like failed marriages, donkeys and pachyderms seem to have irreconcilable differences on virtually everything. Here are a ‘few fresh pickings from the political grapevine‘….taxes, tort reform, health care, homeland security, right to life issues, social security reform, war on terror, foreign policy, the deficit, judicial nominations, immigration, and, oh yes, the energy policy. That’s my pick of the day. Energy. I got energized when Congress rejected...

The most dramatic conclusions in the report, an annual survey of the world drug trade, were about Afghanistan, where it praised U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai's efforts, but said Afghan poppy cultivation more than tripled last year. "Afghanistan's illicit opium/heroin production can be viewed, for all practical purposes, as the rough equivalent of world illicit heroin production, and it represents an enormous threat to world stability," it said. The area devoted to poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose to 206,700 hectares (509,050 acres) last year from 61,000 hectares (150,700 acres) in 2003. Citing International Monetary Fund estimates that drugs account for 40...

The sliding U.S. currency is hurting operations in Europe, a big revenue center for Ford and GM. January 16, 2005: 2:02 PM EST DETROIT (Reuters) - The record rise of the euro against the dollar hangs over the big U.S. automakers, whose returns from European operations in particular have shrunk due to the weaker U.S. currency. Both General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the top two U.S. producers, are predicting another tough year for sales growth in the sluggish European Union economy. The euro's steady gains inflated the losses at GM and Ford's European operations last year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industrial output grew strongly last month while producer prices fell at the sharpest rate in 1-1/2 years amid tumbling energy prices, according to reports suggesting healthy, noninflationary growth. U.S. factories, mines and utilities boosted production by a more-than-expected 0.8 percent in December, leading to a 4.1 percent gain for all of 2004, the best annual showing in four years, a Federal Reserve report showed on Friday. Separately, the Labor Department said producer prices dropped 0.7 percent last month, a sharper-than-expected decline and the biggest since April 2003. Prices were also well contained when excluding volatile food...

A Wish List of Catholic Moviesby Peter W. MillerThe Passion of the Christ demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that a film could be successful and profitable, even if running contrary to the prevailing liberal ideological dogmas of the day. It also had the effect of giving traditional Catholics the first compelling reason in years (if not decades) to enter a movie theater. It is my hope that this experience has emboldened Mel Gibson and others like him to make The Passion just the first in a series of projects which Catholics can be proud to support. As an...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

MOSCOW. Nov 26 (Interfax) - Russia increased automobile production 9.6% year-on-year to 1.165 million vehicles in January-October, ASM Holding, which analyzes the Russian and CIS auto industries, told Interfax. "October was not especially productive in the automotive industry, one of the worse [months] in 2004. This was associated with the fact that production at several plants was suspended for various reasons and lengths of time," the sources said. Russia turned out 931,603 cars in January-October (10.9% more year- on-year), 170,408 trucks (5.2% more) and 64,812 busses (4.6% more), ASM Holding reported.

Researchers at Luca Technologies have made a discovery regarding natural gas production in Wyoming's Powder River Basin that could lead to a renewable source of energy for generations to come. The company today announced that laboratory evidence shows that the Powder River Basin (PRB) coals are generating natural gas in real time through the ongoing activity of anaerobic microbes (bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen) resident in those coal fields. The company has termed sites where this microbial conversion of hydrocarbon deposits (coals, organic shales, or oil) to methane occurs "Geobioreactors," and believes the careful management of such...

October Industrial Production came in with a better than expected gain of +0.7% versus consensus of +0.4%, while the October Capacity Utilization rebounded to an operating rate of 77.7% (consensus was 77.4%), showing further expansion in factory activities.

What is best for America is to tax consumption instead of production. If all taxes were from sales tax, those who pay nothing would start to pay their fair share. Drug dealers, hookers, illegal aliens and others working for cash would pay tax with every Ford or Ferrari purchased. We could have the same goods and services from the government and PAY LESS TAX after shifting all taxes from income to consumption. In addition, that would reward saving - interest and dividends would no longer taxed. The saving rate in the US is far too low and needs to be...

It Will Be the Death of Liberalism Written by Raymond Kraft Sunday, October 10, 2004 It Will Be the Death of Liberalism Sixty-three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat, and had sunk more than four hundred British ships in their convoys between England and America for food and war materials. Bushido Japan had overrun most of Asia, beginning in 1928, killing millions of civilians throughout China, and impressing millions more as slave labor. The United States was in an isolationist and pacifist mood, and most Americans...

IS ANOTHER oil shock in the making? All indications point to that considering the rise in world crude prices, not just in the spot market, but also in the futures segment. In the past, the rise in the spot price of crude as, for instance, ahead of both the Gulf wars, was not accompanied by a sympathetic jump in the forward price simply because the market expected the spike to be short-lived. But, this time, the forward price has been going up sharply. Crude oil has jumped 13 per cent in three weeks. Oil for July delivery reached a record...