derrickarlen

The process of placing a new law into practice can sometimes take time. One law, already passed, is taking a long time to go into effect. The Small Business Administration is holding up the process by taking a long time to write rules. With one-quarter of the accessible time already gone, the program has yet to get rules or a process. These refinancing rules might help people need fewer payday advances.

A new program for Small Business Administration refinancing

During late 2010, a new Small Business Administration refinancing program was passed by Congress. The program was meant to last 2 years. With the program, there would be support business property debt. It would all be refinanced. Companies that are quite small have huge payments that have to be paid. These are on the short-term loans which were given out. The huge payments would be reducing mortgage payments helping companies that are struggling refinance. There will be 24 months for the program to exist. It will last a while.

Rules on refinancing not yet here

The SBA refinancing program has already started. Six months have already been used up. Nevertheless, the Small Business Administration hasn’t written rules for the program. Six months have already been wasted though. The rules and regulations for the program must be written before loans can be offered. The 2 years for the program is beginning to be cut down even though rules have not been written yet. This means that once rules are written, the program could only have 16 months to distribute and back loans. Getting the regulations right in the Small Business Administration is something businesses are glad is taking place. Still, the timeline is a bit frustrating.

Already seeing companies apply

Though the Small Business Administration has yet to trip the switch on the refinancing program, businesses are applying. Everywhere from Baltimore, Md., to San Francisco, Calif., businesses are turning in applications. These “conditional” applications cannot be approved until the SBA writes regulations for who might or may not qualify for these loans. These applications will be processed first when the loan rules are finally written.

Articles cited

Knox News

knoxnews.com/news/2011/feb/15/sba-yet-set-loan-rules/

Millions of people have underwater mortgages, as house values have plummeted and left several homes worth less than what is being paid for them. The plunging home values have been exacerbated by increased numbers of foreclosures, high joblessness and tighter credit. The next year may get worse, as values may continue to fall.

Out of all home loans, a third can be under water

Home prices have been dropping for the past few years during the recession. House values have continued to go down due to more foreclosures as well as high unemployment. It is estimated that 27 percent of American homeowners could be under water on their home loans, meaning payments to the loan business cost more than the home is worth, according to Bloomberg. Real estate information business Zillow released a report stating that more than 15 million house loans were under water. In the last year, home prices are estimated to have dropped 6 percent. Just since Sept 2010 they have gone down 3 percent. In 2011, it is expected that home values will go down another 5 percent.

Misleading decline in foreclosures

The market for foreclosures is a sign that many are taking to mean how the economic recovery is coming. As there have been fewer foreclosures, several have taken this as a good sign. A decrease in foreclosures occurred in January, but that doesn’t mean the crisis is over, according to CNN. Because of the “robo-signing” scandal, where foreclosures were initiated by banks without reviewing the paperwork, the foreclosure process has been held up. After the foreclosures in court right now go down, it’s likely that more installment loans and homes foreclosed on will increase again.

Specific areas nevertheless doing bad

The foreclosures are making things really hard in places that have real estate values every high. Most foreclosures are taking place in Nevada, AZ and CA. They have been affected quite a bit. When it comes to foreclosure rates, FL is in ninth place but is improving again.

Articles cited

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-09/home-price-decline-leaves-27-of-u-s-owners-underwater-on-loans.html

CNN

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/10/real_estate/foreclosure_filings_fall/

Consuming high levels of trans fats put people at a greater danger of depression in a Spanish study. The very same study found that a Mediterranean diet rich in polyunsaturated fats and olive oil reduced the risk of depression. The link among trans fat and depression could possibly be stronger in the United States where trans fats are much more prevalent in the food supply.

Link between depression and trans fats

Depression was more likely to happen in individuals who ate trans fat by 48 percent. A research done at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain explained this. Those who got more than 0.6 percent of calories from trans fats were the very same ones that had a rise danger in depression. The conclusions took a 6 year research. Over 12,000 individuals were used in it. In the beginning of the research, no participants had depression. This was clear. People who consumed the most trans fats at the beginning of the research were at a greater danger of depression over time than those who consumed less.

Trans fats and swelling

There was a questionnaire that was given to people at the beginning and end of the research for the trans fat/depression study. It was found that the more trans fats consumed, the greater the danger for depression. Depression was uncommon in those who had a Mediterranean diet. A depression/inflammation link was suggested by the author of the research since those with depression often have it. Because of trans fats, HDL cholesterol goes down and LDL cholesterol goes up. Also, inflammation is increased. Inflammation is reduced with olive oil, which is very much a part of a Mediterranean diet.

American trans fat

Americans might get a wakeup call from the Spanish study. The Spanish subjects in the research eating the highest amounts of trans fat averaged 0.4 percent of total calories from trans fat, mostly in the form of milk and cheese. Mostly due to processed foods, an averaged 2.5 percent of calories come from trans fat in an average American diet. Heart disease is most common in the United States The states also lead in consumption of trans fat and depression.

Articles cited

MSN

health.msn.com/health-topics/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100269616&GT1=31009

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-26/saturated-or-trans-fat-in-food-may-increase-risk-of-depression-study-says.html

Medical News Today

medicalnewstoday.com/articles/215021.php

Australia was brought to its knees as Cyclone Yasi slammed into Queensland, the northeast territory of Australia. Cyclone Yasi strengthened into a Category 5 storm and tore to the northeast coast of Australia. Queensland had already been destroyed by the most detrimental floods in a century over the past few months. At the least, the damage from Cyclone Yasi will cost Australia $2 billion or more. Australia has such a large amount of damage that personnel loans on it’s own would never be large enough to cover the expenses of repairing the destruction.

A substantial amount of issue with the farming locations Cyclone Yasi hit

The Australian state of Queensland got hit with the Cyclone Yasi hard. This was right after terrible floods happened. The cyclone ended up being a Category 5 rather than the forecasted Category 4. This change happened right before it hit. Initially the size of Hurricane Katrina, the storm grew to nearly the size of the United States, in accordance with the Christian Science Monitor. In Australia, the chief farming is in Queensland. That means there was a ton of terrible damage done. The agricultural losses are already thought to be at least $1 billion, with another billion in destroyed property. As much as $500 million could possibly be lost by the sugar cane crop in Australia considering 30 percent was lost. About 75 percent of the Australian banana crop was lost too.

Increased world food prices

News of the possibility of the cyclone and crops lost went around. Reuters reports that this brought on a huge rise in food prices. The U.S. lost a ton of wheat in the snowstorms that hit while Australia lost a ton of banana and sugar cane crops in this storm. Together, the price of bread, sugar and bananas are all going up. American wheat prices already have started rising in the wake of the winter storm, which has been nicknamed “Stormageddon.” Nearly half of the United States is covered in snow and ice, with freezing temperatures setting in after the snow storm.

La Nina harming

The Telegraph explains that “La Nina” is the reason for all the terrible weather this year. There is lower ocean surface temperatures and atmospheric pressure due to it. El Nino is opposite of this. There are milder summers with La Nina along with colder and wetter winters in America and in Canada. There’s a rainier season in the southern hemisphere. There are also typically stronger cyclones that hit.

Articles cited

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0204/US-sized-Cyclone-Yasi-could-cost-Australia-more-than-2-billion

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/02/03/us-food-prices-idUSTRE71223720110203?pageNumber=1

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8297904/Cyclone-Yasi-La-Nina-and-record-ocean-temperatures-behind-storm.html

Sodium thiopental is an anesthetic substance that has one manufacturer, Hospira. Italy has denied the application Hospira submitted to manufacture the drug. Germany has also disallowed export of the drug. This means that there is now a death penalty substance shortage in the United States.

Germany and Italy deny Hospira a license to manufacture

Sodium thiopental is manufactured solely by Hospira. The business applied for a license to manufacture the drug in Italy. Unless Hospira could make sure the drug never got put in lethal injection cocktails, the Italian government said Hospira would never get a permit. The German Medial Association doesn’t want the substance to be purchased either. It has asked that all U.S. requests for the narcotic be rejected. Hospira has said it will stop production entirely, given that it will not receive a license to produce the substance.

Death penalty drug scarce

Now that Hospira has been denied a license to produce sodium thiopental, there’s a death penalty substance shortage. Many states no longer have enough sodium thiopental to execute all the individuals they have on death row. The British government has also banned all exports of sodium thiopental, meaning that there is no legal source of the drug. Both California and AZ bought the substance illegally from a Britain wholesaler after the shortage came. Since 2008, the death penalty has not been allowed in the European Union.

Sodium thiopental substitute drug

A sodium thiopental replacement substance is something most states are looking into with the death penalty substance scarcity. In the United States, Pentobarbital is manufactured with the same effects as it is a barbiturate substance. Three executions in OH have had the substitute substance used already. Pentobarbital is currently used in OR for doctor-assisted suicide and has already been judged as “humane” by state Supreme Courts.

Articles cited

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/lethal-injection-sodium-thiopental-hospira

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/41233372/ns/health-health_care/

video game “Duke Nukem Forever” has been in growth for over a decade. However, it finally has a launch date. After about 14 years of growth and delays, a new “Duke Nukem” game is finally being released. On May 3, the game can be launched within the U.S., and May 6 could be the worldwide release. I would bet several individuals take out a payday advance just to buy this game.

Seeing ‘Duke Nukem Forever’ launch occurs after a long wait

Fans of the “Duke Nukem” video game series have been waiting for a new game in the series for a long time, and “Duke Nukem Forever” has ultimately been given a release date, in accordance with USA Today. The last game in the series, “Duke Nukem 3-D,” came out 15 years back meaning there are high expectations. After years of delays, a playable demo emerged at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo from game developers 2K and Gearbox Studios. An announcement for launch dates came from Gearbox and 2K recently. The world won’t be able to get the game until May 6 although it could be launched in the U.S. on May 3.

The ‘Chinese Democracy’ and Nukem combined within the game

Bill Clinton was still president when “Duke Nukem 3-D” was unveiled. There was lots of success with the game as there was a first person shooter. Still, the game play, including the violence, ended up getting protests. 3-D Realms owns the franchise. When the company has having internal problems, it prevented “Duke Nukem Forever” from released in 1997 when it was supposed to. A subsidiary company, 2K Games, was able to take the project on. The 2009 demo was unveiled because of this. Just like the Guns N’ Roses album, “Chinese Democracy” and the filming of “The Hobbit,” the “Duke Nukem” sequel was a project that was in “development hell” and could not get out.

Skepticism and anticipations

Most fans hope that there can be a new “Duke Nukem” better than the “Duke Nukem 3-D” was. That may be hard to do though. In 1996, “Duke Nukem 3-D” was one of probably the most advanced games on the industry. It was also one of the bestselling video games ever. This is a standard several have for the new game.

Information from

USA Today

content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/01/duke-nukem-forever-hitting-stores-may-3/1

Wired

wired.com/magazine/2009/12/fail_duke_nukem/

Hollywood is all about commercialism. High-risk, creative works from directors with unique points of view cannot purchase a green light from big-time distributors. Smith knows the life of an independent filmmaker, and so his latest project, “Red State,” will be steering clear of the Hollywood grind entirely. The fictional thriller “Red State” is located upon the exploits of controversial Pastor Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. In order to keep away from Hollywood hemming and hawing over how to market such a movie, Smith paid himself $20 in a mock auction for the movie’s distribution rights. At that price he didn’t even have to take out a cash advance.

The ‘Red State’ travels plans

Kevin Smith has decided to take his own movie and travel across the United States through 2011, starting March 5, taking its film to “any wise exhibitor” willing to let the film be shown rather than letting “Red State” get within the hands of the advertising machine which would attract the Westboro Baptist Church with protests. Smith told the Associated Press that he is hopeful the on-the-road exhibition of “Red State” will make back some of the film’s $4 million budget before the Oct. 19 theatrical release, as the exhibitions will replace the standard pre-release film marketing format.

“What we need to prove is that anyone can release a movie,” Smith told the debut audience at the Eccles Theater in Logan, Utah. “Indie film isn’t dead, it just grew up. We sell our movies ourselves.”

The Hollywood machine is the issue

Apparently Kevin Smith thinks of himself as a “fat…stoner” who wants his stories told. The business of Hollywood never held allure for the “Red State” director, hence the desire to eliminate the commercial machine that would seek to control his movie. As Smith told the Eccles audience, excessive commercialism might drive dollars, but it also pounds creativity into bloodless waste.

‘Red State’ protests are plentiful

Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, an institution known for its extreme anti-gay agenda, have taken offense at Kevin Smith’s portrayal of Pastor Abin Cooper and his fundamentalist church in “Red State.”. Smith has admitted that Phelps was indeed his “muse” when he wrote Cooper’s character, although the actions of Cooper’s church – carrying out the murders of homosexual individuals, instead of simply protesting with offensive signs – is more extreme than what the Westboro Baptist Church has done.

Articles cited

Green Field Reporter

greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/05f6e79698074e70b6c44e9a810a5019/US–Film-Sundance-Kevin_Smith/

Hollywood Reporter

hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/risky-business/sundance-red-states-kevin-smith-74829

‘Red State’ teaser trailer

youtube.com/watch?v=6I0caLF2Q2c

A breakthrough in atomic energy production was revealed in China Monday. A major hurdle to efficient nuclear energy, the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel, has been cleared by Chinese nuclear engineers. The Beijing government said its new technology could extend China’s supply of nuclear gas from 70 to 3,000 years.

China making a discovery with nuclear power

In just 10 years, the nuclear power generating capacity will go up 10 years. This is assuming China’s government’s states are true about the used uranium being reprocessesed. The ability to reprocess used nuclear fuel recovers previously unused uranium and plutonium and reduces nuclear waste. You will find only a few countries that reprocess nuclear fuel although it tends to be a big secret. These include the United States, China, Japan and some European countries. Nobody knows what is different about China’s reprocessing technique. But according to China Central TV, a kilo of uranium could produce up to 60 times more power than is currently possible in China.

Globe leader in nuclear energy may become China

China is turning to nuclear energy as its power need surges and pollution reaches critical amounts. It passed the United States as the largest power consumer within the globe in 2009. There are lots of coal energy plants in the country. About 70 percent of the power in the country is supplied this way. The government in Beijing has plans to change 5 percent of China’s energy needs by 2020. This 5 percent would be powered by nuclear power. It is expected that with atomic power production, China might soon pass the United States By 2030, this would happen. Right now, you will find nuclear reactors in China. There are 13 around. The U.S. has 104 reactors in use now.

Discovering methods in China to meet demand for power

China this year passed Japan as the second-largest economy within the globe, needs a huge supply of energy to keep that economy growing. Now the country will be working on nuclear reactor construction. It will be the most ambitious project in history to be done. Twenty-six nuclear reactors are currently under construction and hundreds more are planned. After years of re-engineering nuclear engineering from foreign suppliers, China has begun designing its own reactors with aspires to sell its own nuclear engineering overseas.

Articles cited

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/03/china-claims-new-nuclear-technology

Energy Digital

energydigital.com/tags/nuclear-fuel/china-makes-nuclear-fuel-breakthrough

AFP

google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iA_mBduPQHSCRjVR9Xuwbro6Gh0Q?docId=CNG.0fdda25599cfdc1fbf798ce7851d9c51.3b1

Christine O’Donnell, who made headlines as a candidate for the Senate in Delaware earlier this year, is making them again. While investigating the O’Donnell campaign’s finances, the Feds have come across information that has led to the release of a felony probe. Using campaign cash for personal reasons is the allegation that investigators are checking for validity. It would have been so much easier if she just took out her own personal unsecured loan for personal expenses.

Looking to the O’Donnell campaign with research

The federal campaign financial investigation into Republican Tea Party preferred Christine O’Donnell’s Senate bid comes after grievances were filed during her campaign. The O’Donnell case had 2 federal prosecutors as well as 2 Federal Bureau of Investigation Delaware agents working on the case. During the Delaware Senate Republican primary, the O’Donnell campaign already encounters a Federal Commission complaint that her own party filed. Supposedly Tea Party Express was working with her campaign with communications such as paid political ads.

The O’Donnell felony probe

A Delaware state record was made as Christine O’Donnell’s campaign raised $7.3 million. Still, Vice President Joe Biden’s previous U.S. Senate seat was taken up by Democrat Chris Coons. She spent campaign funds on expenditures considered personal for instance gas and rent as outlined by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. O’Donnell or her campaign committee might be in trouble for monetary damages from the FEC. Fines or jail time can be what the Justice Department gives to her if she is considered to have violated federal elections law.

Christine O’donnell’s cash problems

During the O’Donnell for Senate campaign a former aide said she had been living off campaign donations for years and called her “a complete fraud.”. There were two times that O’Donnell had run for Delaware Senate before the 2010 campaign got all the attention. Her financial history is interesting. This is even with all her failures. For not paying $4,000 in tuition, she was also sued in 1994 by Farleigh Dickinson University. In 2008 she was sued for mortgage default. Earlier this year, the IRS filed a lien against O’Donnell for more than $11,000 in unpaid federal income tax.

Citations

Delaware Online

delawareonline.com/article/20101229/NEWS02/101229017/Feds-launch-criminal-probe-of-O-Donnell-campaign-money-use?loc=interstitialskip

The Atlantic

theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/12/ap-feds-open-criminal-probe-of-christine-odonnells-campaign-spending/68670/

The Hill

thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/135387-odonnell-under-investigation-for-campaign-spending

What was once the biggest rare earth elements mine in the world will come back to life next year. Molycorp closed the California rare earth metals mine in 2004 because it couldn’t compete with Chinese suppliers. However, China has started to manipulate supplies, which has brought on prices for rare earth metals to rise dramatically.

The Molycorp Mountain Pass mine

Molycorp owns the dormant Mountain Pass mine in California. Throughout the whole world, it’s the richest source of rare earth elements. Molycorp’s Mountain Pass mine closed over environmental concerns and overwhelming competition from China. However, since the Mountain Pass mine closed China has built a monopoly in rare earth metals that threatens the economy and national security of the U.S. Permits and financing were given to Molycorp now. It will be starting to produce once again. Ore was stockpiled before the mine was closed and with what is left, the company plans to produce 3,000 tons of rare earth metals in 2011. A manufacturing of 20,000 tons is expected in 2012.

China’s rare earths monopoly

The 2010 global demand for rare earth metals could be measured already. 125,000 tons was the amount. Of the world’s rare earth metals manufacturing, China owns a ton. About 97 percent is owned by China. You will find rare earth metals in several things. Military technology, electronic gadgets, electric automobile batteries and wind turbines all use them. Many suspect what China was doing with its rare earths monopoly this year. Supposedly geopolitical leverage was the plan. High tech manufacturing in the United States, Japan and Europe was disrupted when it cut exports of rare earth metals by more than 70 percent. China reduced taxes for home-based manufacturers. This was for all rare earth metals. Prices for rare earth metals rose 40 percent. To conserve costs, several companies are moving to China now. They are clean-energy technology companies.

Jump-starting a clean power economy

Molycorp had to guarantee a seven year supply of rare earth metals to get finding. About $130 million was invested in Molycorp by Sumitomo Corp of Japan. Within 18 months, production is expected by Molycorp to increase to 40,000 tons. The neodymium magnets used in wind turbines are an example of the emerging technology that utilizes rare earth metals in a green power economy. In the U.S., you will find currently no businesses that can do this. However, neodymium magnets might be produced in the U.S. with Molycorp making a partnership with Hitachi in order to use bastnasite ore from Mountain Pass mine. Currently only 10 companies located in Germany, Japan and China are licensed to make neodymium magnets.

Information from

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/26/rare-earth-metals-us

MIT Technology Review

technologyreview.com/energy/26980/page2/

Miami Herald

miamiherald.com/2010/12/27/1989540/weaning-ourselves-from-a-china.html