Saturday, 30 May 2015
Friday, 29 May 2015
Kevin O'Leary of 'Shark Tank' invests in 27 companies and says the only ones making money have female CEOs | Business Insider
"All the cash in the last two quarters is coming from companies run by women," he told Business Insider at a recent event for the startup Honeyfund, in which he is an investor. "I don't have a single company run by a man right now that's outperformed the ones run by women."
O'Leary has 27 companies in his portfolio, he said, and 55 per cent have female CEOs. He has spoken about his faith in female CEOs in the past, but only discovered recently just how divided the numbers in his portfolio are in terms of gender.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/kevin-olearys-female-ceos-make-all-the-money-2015-5Here's when artificial intelligence could go from helpful to scary | Business Insider
At the Wall Street Journal, MIT lecturer Irving Wladawsky-Berger explained that soft AI is "generally statistically oriented, computational intelligence methods for addressing complex problems based on the analysis of vast amounts of information using powerful computers and sophisticated algorithms, whose results exhibit qualities we tend to associate with human intelligence."
For most of us, soft AI is an everyday part of our lives. As Kurt Anderson at Vanity Fair notes, it allows us to refill prescriptions, cancel airline reservations, and obey the instructions coming from the GPS.
Then there's strong AI.
According to Wladawsky-Berger, strong AI is "a kind of artificial general intelligence that can successfully match or exceed human intelligence in cognitive tasks such as reasoning, planning, learning, vision and natural language conversations on any subject."
Some people think that this "mechanical general intelligence" is inevitable given the exponential rate at which technology advances.
You can see it in Moore's Law, named for Intel cofounder Gordon Moore.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/when-artificial-intelligence-turns-scary-2015-5Thursday, 28 May 2015
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
China To Create An Oil Supermajor Twice The Size Of Exxon? | OilPrice.com
China, the fourth largest oil producer in the world (behind the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia) is undoubtedly one of the biggest stakeholders in the global oil and gas markets. Low oil prices and slowing domestic economic growth have compelled the second biggest global consumer of oil to accelerate its economic reforms.
In an interesting move that can be seen as a part of Chinese president Xi Jinping's ongoing efforts to reform China's bloated energy sector, the Chinese government is reportedly planning to separate the $300 billion pipeline assets from its biggest state owned energy companies - PetroChina and Sinopec.
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/China-To-Create-An-Oil-Supermajor-Twice-The-Size-Of-Exxon.htmlMonday, 25 May 2015
Saturday, 23 May 2015
Leading health charities should divest from fossil fuels, say climate scientists | Environment | The Guardian
Senior scientific figures, including influential climate researcher Michael Mann, have called on the world's two leading health charities to review their fossil fuel investments in light of a series of Guardian investigations published this week.
The Big Carbon investigations uncovered examples of industry misinformation campaigns, legal transgressions and alleged human rights abuses.
Mann, along with other senior scientists and commentators, said the immense moral authority of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trustwas in danger of being undermined by their continued investments in companies with such questionable corporate practices.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/23/leading-health-charities-should-divest-from-fossil-fuels-say-climate-scientistsBig Oil to Rachel Notley: Bring on a carbon tax - Business - CBC News
Government to toughen up the province's environmental policies.
To hear an oil industry chieftain advocate for a carbon tax, as Suncor's Steve Williams did in front of a downtown Calgary crowd on Friday, may feel incongruous, but consider who those comments were directed to — the NDP — and the situation takes on a tinge of the surreal.
George Soros: World War 3 Between U.S. And Russia, China ‘No Exaggeration’
In a related report by the Inquisitr, Russian experts are recommending that Vladimir Putin use Russia's nuclear weapons against the Yellowstone volcano in order to make the supervolcano blow, but is that war strategy even possible?
The comments from George Soro came during a Bretton Woods conference at the World Bank. He believes that if the Chinese economy begins to falter then it is possible the Chinese government could look to World War 3 as a "solution" for holding on to power. Vladimir Putin's Russia has also been rattling their sabers for over a year now, and both countries have made economic and military alliances in addition to a dramatic increase in military spending.
While Soros does not believe China would go directly after the United States, he seems to believe it's possible the Chinese could attack a country that is allied with America.
"If there is conflict between China and a military ally of the United States, like Japan, then it is not an exaggeration to say that we are on the threshold of a third world war," Soros said.
In this case, World War 3 would be triggered by economic conditions. While most Americans seem to think the tide has turned, Ann Pettifor, director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics, says the world is on the tipping point of another money meltdown.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2112387/george-soros-world-war-3-between-u-s-and-russia-china-no-exaggeration/#Fjp14UV0EPmSzTGZ.99
Warren Buffett thinks the poor should stop blaming inequality on the rich - People - News - The Independent
People need to stop blaming the rich for income inequality in America according to the third richest man in the world, Warren Buffett
In an opinion piece written for the Wall Street Journal Mr Buffett, who is estimated to be worth $71.3bn by Forbes magazine, claims that the depressing fact is that "the poor are most definitely not poor because the rich are rich".
Citing the likes of Henry Ford and Steve Jobs as examples of innovation, Mr Buffett goes on to say that the rich are not undeserving and that "most of them have contributed brilliant innovations or managerial expertise," to America's economy.
Isis claims it could buy its first nuclear weapon from Pakistan within a year - Middle East - World - The Independent
Isis has used the latest issue of its propaganda magazine Dabiq to suggest the group is expanding so rapidly it could buy its first nuclear weapon within a year.
The hyperbolic article, which the group attributes to the British hostage John Cantlie, claims Isis has transcended its roots as "the most explosive Islamic 'group' in the modern world" to evolve into "the most explosive Islamic movement the modern world has ever seen" in less than twelve months.
Deflation: An abject failure in the BOE's monetary policy. : FOREX
Deflation: An abject failure in the BOE's monetary policy
I tell my students that when inflation rises above 10% then people really begin to notice and start to change their spending habits. In the past double rather than a single digit attracted a lot more media attention and the effect of people bringing forward purchases increased the velocity of circulation of money. In turn this increased monetary demand and pushed up the rate of inflation even higher.
However if we move the decimal point two places to the left then 0.1% deflation tends to have a similar, though opposite, effect on peoples spending habits as they start to hold back purchases. This slows down the velocity of circulation of money as there is no rush to buy when prices are falling and the value of money is rising. Should this deflation become entrenched then even expansions in the money supply may not offset the contraction in monetary demand due to a slowing velocity.
http://education.forexlive.com/!/deflation-an-abject-failure-in-the-boes-monetary-policy-20150523Friday, 22 May 2015
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
As Russian bear stirs, Finland reconsiders its neutrality - CSMonitor.com
HELSINKI, FINLAND — Finland's tiny navy had a couple days of extreme excitement late last month, when its little coast guard cutters scoured the entrance to Helsinki Bay to catch what officials remain certain was a foreign submarine intruder. The Finnish military subsequently announced that they had located the interloper, lurking within sight of downtown Helsinki, and shooed it off with small, warning depth charges.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2015/0519/As-Russian-bear-stirs-Finland-reconsiders-its-neutrality?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily&utm_campaign=20150520_Newsletter%3ADaily&utm_content=B&cmpid=ema%3Anws%3ADaily_UMP%2805-20-2015%29Hidden History of Leaded Gasoline Reveals Industry Conspiracy to Conceal Dangers - Lethal Product Still Marketed Throughout World
https://www.lead.org.au/lanv8n1/l8v1-3.html
Physical Review Letters - The Physical Review Journals Celebrate the International Year of Light
2015 has been designated the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies by UNESCO. This global initiative aims to highlight the importance of light in our everyday lives and how it has contributed to the development of society. To celebrate this yearlong event, the editors of the Physical Review journals have organized a collection of papers that represent important breakthroughs in the field of optics, from fundamental insights into how light behaves, to findings that were critical in the development of everyday technologies. These papers will be free to read throughout 2015.
Quantum physics: What is really real? : Nature News & Comment
Ever since they invented quantum theory in the early 1900s, explains Maroney, who is himself a physicist at the University of Oxford, UK, they have been talking about how strange it is — how it allows particles and atoms to move in many directions at once, for example, or to spin clockwise and anticlockwise simultaneously. But talk is not proof, says Maroney. "If we tell the public that quantum theory is weird, we better go out and test that's actually true," he says. "Otherwise we're not doing science, we're just explaining some funny squiggles on a blackboard."
It is this sentiment that has led Maroney and others to develop a new series of experiments to uncover the nature of the wavefunction — the mysterious entity that lies at the heart of quantum weirdness. On paper, the wavefunction is simply a mathematical object that physicists denote with the Greek letter psi (Ψ) — one of Maroney's funny squiggles — and use to describe a particle's quantum behaviour. Depending on the experiment, the wavefunction allows them to calculate the probability of observing an electron at any particular location, or the chances that its spin is oriented up or down. But the mathematics shed no light on what a wavefunction truly is. Is it a physical thing? Or just a calculating tool for handling an observer's ignorance about the world?
http://www.nature.com/news/quantum-physics-what-is-really-real-1.17585Indian Ocean may be key to global warming 'hiatus' : Nature News & Comment
So Lee's team used a computer model to explore the fate of the ocean's 'missing heat'. The results suggest that easterly trade winds have strengthened during the hiatus, causing warm water to pile up in the western Pacific. The water seeps between the islands of Indonesia and into the Indian Ocean, bringing heat with it.
In the model, this surge of water produces dramatic warming in the upper Indian Ocean starting in the early 2000s, in agreement with the WOA data, the authors write. This explanation also fits with measurements of flow through the largest Indonesian channel — the Makassar Strait — which increased over the same period of time.
http://www.nature.com/news/indian-ocean-may-be-key-to-global-warming-hiatus-1.17505Do more, more urgently on global warming, say Merkel, Hollande | Daily Mail Online
BERLIN, May 19 (Reuters) - More urgent and ambitious action is needed if the world wants to meet its commitment of limiting the rise in average global temperatures to two degrees Celsius, the leaders of Germany and France said on Tuesday.
Addressing environment ministers in Berlin, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande called on other nations to submit clear formal promises on cutting greenhouse gases ahead of a year-end United Nations summit in Paris aimed at achieving a new worldwide deal on global warming.
"We will see in Paris that more engagement is needed to really achieve the two degrees goal than what we currently have on the table," Merkel said in a speech to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which she set up in 2010 to allow for informal discussions ahead of larger U.N. meetings after the failure of climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009.
Merkel believes industrialised nations need to commit funds to help developing countries cope with the side effects of climate change like flooding and drought if they want poorer countries to back a global deal.
She said Germany aimed to double its climate financing by 2020 compared to 2014, by doubling aid from its budget to 4 billion euros ($4.48 billion) annually and increasing funds available from KfW state development bank to 3 billion euros.
Rich nations have committed to mobilise by 2020 an annual $100 billion in climate finance that is "new and additional" to existing funding. However, only around $10 billion has been pledged so far.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3087719/Do-more-urgently-global-warming-say-Merkel-Hollande.html#ixzz3ahHZVUlP
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Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Curious Turnaround: The British Election 2015
ARTICLE BY A POOR ECONOMIST AND POOR POLICY STRATEGIST
In a recent speech delivered at Oxford University the renowned economist appears to have turned away from his neo-classical roots by suggesting that the British government was returned to power due to economic circumstances that (to a great extent) it engineered in a strategically planned and calculated fashion. The conclusion one draws will likely be a result of one's particular view of political-economy, but Krugman's position certainly provides impetus for discussion and conjecture… whether or not his theory holds is questionable, though it highlights many an interesting aspect of current politico-economic thinking.
As a strategy professional, and long time reader of international economics and politics, I am surprised at the position taken by Professor Krugman. No doubt government intervention is a contributor to – and a facilitator of – economic stimulus or cooling, but the point he makes is rather elusory, difficult to sustain and runs counter to his previous neo-classical positions. A leading light of the neo-classical school Krugman railed against "Statist Theories" of economic development such as those which provided government-driven explanations for certain East-Asian economies rapid economic growth post WWII.
Trade and Trust - NYTimes.com
I'm getting increasingly unhappy with the way the Obama administration is handling the dispute over TPP. I understand the case for the deal, and while I still lean negative I'm not one of those who believes that it would be an utter disaster.
But the administration — and the president himself — don't help their position by being dismissive of the complaints and lecturing the critics (Elizabeth Warren in particular) about how they just have no idea what they're talking about. That would not be a smart strategy even if the administration had its facts completely straight — and it doesn't. Instead, assurances about what is and isn't in the deal keep turning out to be untrue. We were assured that the dispute settlement procedure couldn't be used to force changes in domestic laws; actually, it apparently could. We were told that TPP couldn't be used to undermine financial reform; again, it appears that it could.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/trade-and-trust/Monday, 18 May 2015
Paul Krugman shamefully attacks Alan Greenspan | Communities Digital News
IN MY VIEW GREENSPAN WHO GOT US INTO THE FINANCIAL MESS AMERICA IMPOSED ON THE REST OF THE WORLD IS AN IDIOT ECONOMIST OF A VERY OLD SCHOOL WHO DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE SLIGHTEST ABOUT BANKING .... AND IS MISGUIDED ON THE ROLE CONSERVATIVE ECONOMICS FROM CHICAGO ...
WASHINGTON, May 17, 2015 − At any given time, economists often find it difficult to reach a complete consensus on the proper economic policy to implement. Most of this lack of agreement is based on differences about key assumptions, such as what the role of government should be in influencing economic activity.
As a general practice, economists usually debate such issues in a healthy manner. But sometimes, economists like Paul Krugman shamefully attack a colleague instead.
Alan Greenspan served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. During those years, he successfully guided U.S. monetary policy, which, during his term, was able to minimize the effects of the 1991 and 2001 recessions.
During his tenure, Greenspan managed to keep inflation under 3 percent, while maintaining relatively low unemployment levels, even during the recession years. Today, most Americans think he did a good job. Except Paul Krugman, who strongly disagrees.
http://www.commdiginews.com/featured/paul-krugman-shamefully-attacks-alan-greenspan-41712/IMF Attempts to Hide True Cost of Renewables by Claiming Fossil Fuels Receive Large Subsidies - Breitbart
NOW FOR THE REAL SHYTE RESPONSE FROM THOSE FOSSIL FUEL PRODUCERS WHO WOULD RATHER NOT BE IN THE PUBLIC EYE FOR STEALTH ROBBERY via POLLUTION RUN AWAYS ...
Fossil fuel companies are benefiting from a global subsidy of £3.4 trillion a year, the International Monetary Fund has declared. The figure dwarfs that of government handouts for renewable energies, which amount to £77 billion a year. But closer inspection reveals the fossil fuel related sum not to be a subsidy, as it amounts to nothing more than the alleged costs to governments of dealing with fossil fuel pollution.
Global energy subsidies fuel climate change, says IMF study - FT.com
The $5.3tn "true cost" of government energy subsidies that the IMF team arrived at is equivalent to 6.5 per cent of global economic output. It is also more than twice the $1.9tn cost calculated by IMF researchers just two years ago. At the time the fund itself called that estimate "staggering".
Almost the entire difference between the old and the new estimate is based on a radical re-accounting of what the study says are the real environmental costs of energy subsidies. It also amounts to a significant shake-up of the argument the IMF and others have made against the energy subsidies that have eaten up huge portions of government budgets in emerging economies such as India and Indonesia.
New Putin Invasion Coming This Summer - The Daily Beast
The war in Ukraine may have faded largely from international headlines, but Vladimir Putin's drip-drip invasion continues. In the last two weeks, forensic evidence, some of which has been reported by monitor organizations and senior Western diplomats, the rest corroborated by eyewitness photography and video, only confirms what the U.S. fears most: A summer offensive is inevitable.
On May 5, the Ukrainian government released new data which says that they have lost 28 towns to Russian-backed separatists since February 18. That was the day the strategic town of Debaltsevo, which guarded a key highway to separatist-controlled regions, slipped from Ukraine's control. The map of separatist territory is as alarming as it is illustrative, especially when it is combined with the daily reports of ceasefire violations and fighting coming out of both the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Kiev.
CoffeeParty.ca — Wake Up Your Government! | Democracy Watch
Don asked me whether there was a Canadian coffee party. Is he after coffee?
Arthur
http://democracywatch.ca/coffeeparty/
Scientists Want Urgent UN Action Against Radiation Danger from Mobile Phones and Digital Devices : News : Yibada
WHERE THERE IS SMOKE THERE IS ALSO FIRE.. EVIDENCE OF HUMAN RISKS IS MOUNTING AND CONCERN GROWING DAILY ...CANCER IS ALWAYS THE HIT, BUT NOW AGING, EYESIGHT, HEARING, REPRODUCTION, BROAD SPECTRUM STRESS, BRAIN DAMAGE, MEMORY ....
CHARGED YOUR CELL PHONE WIRELESSLY? You may have charged more than you think ...
In their "International EMF Scientist Appeal", 119 scientists asked the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations to adopt more protective exposure guidelines for EMFs and wireless technology in the face of increasing evidence of risk.
It asks the Secretary General and UN affiliated bodies "to encourage precautionary measures; to limit EMF exposures and to educate the public about health risks, particularly to children and pregnant women".
Of special concern to these scientists is the EMF and wireless radiation danger posed by mobile phones, tablets and laptops.
EMF is a type of radiation that takes the form of waves. Strong, artificial EMFs can enter a person's body and interfere with biological processes regulated by bioelectrical signals. EMFs can skew sleep cycles; increase stress levels and might even affect a person's DNA.
The scientists made the appeal after filing over 2,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers on the biological and health effects of non-ionizing radiation on human bodies. They said EMF emissions constitute a widespread threat to human health and has also become a significant environmental pollutant worldwide.
http://en.yibada.com/articles/33305/20150517/experts-warn-rising-wireless-radiation-danger-mobile-phones-digital-devices.htmPLOS ONE: Extension of Drosophila Lifespan by Rhodiola rosea through a Mechanism Independent from Dietary Restriction
Fossil fuels subsidised by $10m every minute, says IMF | Environment | The Guardian
THE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY STAGGERING ....
Fossil fuel companies are benefitting from global subsidies of $5.3tn (£3.4tn) a year, equivalent to $10m every minute of every day, according to a startling new estimate by the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF calls the revelation "shocking" and says the figure is an "extremely robust" estimate of the true cost of fossil fuels. The $5.3tn subsidy estimated for 2015 is greater than the total health spending of all the world's governments.
The vast sum is largely due to polluters not paying the costs imposed on governments by the burning of coal, oil and gas. These include the harm caused to local populations by air pollution as well as to people across the globe affected by the floods, droughts and storms being driven by climate change.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/18/fossil-fuel-companies-getting-10m-a-minute-in-subsidies-says-imfFrance, Standing Up to Russia | National Review Online
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/418470/france-standing-russia-josh-gelernter
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/418470/france-standing-russia-josh-gelernter
Living with Alzheimer's: A harmonica for Ronnie - BBC News
7 Facts That Prove the Renewable Energy Revolution Has Arrived
The global transition to clean, renewable energy and away from nuclear and fossil fuels is well under way with remarkable developments happening every day. The Great Transition by Lester Brown, Janet Larsen, Matt Roney and Emily Adams of Earth Policy Institute lays out a tremendous range of these developments. Here are seven that may surprise you:
http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/17/renewable-energy-revolution/Sunday, 17 May 2015
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Bloomberg: Putin’s Next Takeover Target Is Oil Giant's $34 Billion Cash Pile
In Russia, even private companies serve at the pleasure of the president, particularly if they pump oil.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1QCRCzM
Sent from the Bloomberg iPad application. Download the free application at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloomberg-for-ipad/id364304764?mt=8
Monday, 11 May 2015
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Friday, 8 May 2015
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
If I were Prime Minister: I'd shrink the gap between the highest and lowest paid - Comment - Voices - The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/if-i-were-prime-minister-id-shrink-the-gap-between-the-highest-and-lowest-paid-10228616.html
The Worst Ex-Chairman Ever - NYTimes.com
When Alan Greenspan left the Fed, he had nearly divine status in the eyes of the financial press and, I'm sorry to say, quite a few economists. In retrospect, of course, his reputation has faltered badly; whether or not you blame Fed policy for the housing bubble (you shouldn't), Greenspan denied the bubble's existence and even its possibility as it was inflating, while actively blocking efforts to tighten financial regulation.
But it's his track record since leaving office that is truly remarkable. He has been an inflation and debt fear monger, helping to make his successor's already hard job a bit harder — and famously complained about ungrateful markets that keep failing to deliver the crises he predicts. After a brief moment of doubt about the wisdom of financial markets, he went right back to denouncing regulation while proclaiming that markets get it right "with notably rare exceptions".
Now I have in my inbox a notice that as the Fed holds its annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Greenspan will address a counter-conference organized by a group called the American Principles Project. The group combines social conservatism — it's anti-gay-marriage, anti-abortion rights, and pro-"religious liberty" — with goldbug economic doctrine.
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
Paul Krugman: Look beyond common myths surrounding poverty in America - Local Opinion - Postbulletin.com Rochester, MN News
Yet, I do worry the centrality of race and racism to this particular story may convey the false impression that debilitating poverty and alienation from society are uniquely black experiences. In fact, much, though by no means all, of the horror one sees in Baltimore and many other places is really about class, about the devastating effects of extreme and rising inequality.
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
Monday, 4 May 2015
In 50-49 vote, US Senate says climate change not caused by humans — Politics — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
http://bangordailynews.com/2015/01/22/politics/senate-not-ready-to-tie-climate-change-to-mankind/
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
Sunday, 3 May 2015
2016 candidate Sanders, majority of Dems favor socialism
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
Swiss probe thousands of unclaimed accounts opened before 1955 | Reuters
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/05/03/uk-swiss-banks-accounts-idUKKBN0NO0BS20150503
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
KUNA : Lower oil prices may have positive impact on GCC countries - report - Economics - 03/05/2015
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
Friday, 1 May 2015
Greece might have just lost its trump card - Business Insider
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
Here comes Tesla's 'missing piece' battery announcement - Business Insider
The home battery, called the "Powerwall," is intended to store solar energy and enable customers to bank grid electricity from nonpeak periods and use it during peak times, saving money. It looks "like a beautiful piece of sculpture," Musk said. You can order it now, it's wall-mounted, and it comes in different colors.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/here-comes-teslas-missing-piece-battery-announcement-2015-4#ixzz3YuH8OtS4
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO
This Map Shows How All the Future Marvel Movies Are Connected | TIME
"What we call learning is only a process of recollection." PLATO