Saturday, March 1, 2008
While nearly all coverage of the 2008 Presidential election has focused on the Democratic and Republican candidates, the race for the White House also includes independents and third party candidates. These parties represent a variety of views that may not be acknowledged by the major party platforms.
Wikinews has impartially reached out to these candidates, throughout the campaign. We now interview independent Presidential candidate Frank Moore, a performance artist.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
The Planetary Society have stated that their experimental solar sail craft Cosmos 1 is probably lost, but intermittent signals have given them some hope the mission has made orbit.
The 100kg vehicle was launched atop a converted ICBM from a Russian nuclear submarine, however it is believed the first stage of the Volna booster rocket failed 83 seconds into the flight. The team behind the $4m craft have a slim hope that it managed to reach a low orbit, and efforts to pick up the tracking beacon are continuing.
Signals have apparently been received by at least two tracking stations around the globe – in the Czech Republic, and in the Marshall Islands. The Planetary Society are being assisted by the US Strategic Command in an effort to find the spacecraft, if it did make orbit.
However a scientist from the Czech station has said they have received only noise.
If Cosmos-1 is in orbit, the onboard computer may still be functioning and could begin to unfurl the 30 meter diameter sail in three days time.
A solar sail harnesses pressure exerted upon the sail by photons from the sun to push the craft along. Although its acceleration is very slow, it can go on nearly indefinitely (as long as the Sun exists). It was hoped Cosmos-1 would use a 30 m diameter sail to reach an orbit 800km above the Earth, as a demonstration of the potential of the technology.
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The Top 5 Mini Diggers Available Today
by
R Tate
With many various types of mini excavators available on the market nowadays it is advisable to look for the best deals for the money that you put in your equipment. It is really important to be aware of which models may have a dealership near the locations you will be working. If you are only working locally, then buying from a dealer in your area should be a good solution. If your contracts take you out of your area, then you could look at a brand with world-wide support. So lets have a look at five of the top of mini diggers on the market today.
Volvo : Well known for their cars, trucks and planes, manufactures a line of mini excavators that offer a two speed drive which helps you to go faster between dig sites if want be. An additional great feature of the Volvo models is their easily approachable technical support and a worldwide network of parts traders. Volvo offers a big line of mini excavators , operating from the 1 tonne to 5. Horsepower varies likewise, from 15 to 50 horsepower based on the model. Kubota : Kubota is one of the heading producers of mini excavators in Japan. Kubota diggers offer protected hoses, travel speed selector and different width tracks which can be important if working in particularly muddy regions. Komatsu : The Komatsu excavator is a small machine, able to get around in tight areas such as an urban landscape. Like the Kubota this is one of the very top selling excavators sold in Japan. Yanmar : Offers several different types of digger . Their machines can weigh from 1 to 8 tons. The VIO line offers a machine that can turn within the radius of the excavator while keeping perfect stability. Their B series also is providing superb growing features. Their SV series is touted to be the one and only of the line, offering adjustable tracks and foldable ROPS for the protection of the operator. Hitachi : The Hitachi line of mini shovels are known for their invention and efficiency. They are designed from the ground up for working in tight regions and are thus in high demand. The company offers complete satisfaction with any of their models and use the most advanced technology available today in all their excavators. Regardless which mini digger or manufacturer you opt for, you need to be sure it has the features for the jobs that you do. Bucket size, digging depth, and the possible need for lifting rings are all important characteristics to think about earlier investing in a mini power shovel . It pays to research your buy to guarantee that you find the make and model that fits your needs . Since any equipment you purchase in an investment, you should make sure you get the biggest bang for your money on used machinery for sale.
Robert Tate – Region Sales Manager of Mascus UK. Mascus is an electronic marketplace for used trucks, trailers and
used farm machinery
. All dealers, producers and end users are welcome to offer their used machines and trucks for sale via the marketplace.
Article Source:
ArticleRich.com
Saturday, May 21, 2005
In an effort to ease complaints by the U.S. and Europe about a heavy influx of low priced Chinese goods, China will raise export tariffs on 74 categories of textile products in June. This follows plans from the U.S. to impose quotas on Chinese textiles and clothing.
Products likely to see an increase from the Chinese move include synthetic fiber shirts, trousers, knit shirts and blouses, cotton shirts, and combined cotton yarn. Last week, similar restrictions were imposed by the U.S. on cotton trousers, knit shirts, and underwear. Currently, a 2.5 cent charge per item is imposed; the new tariff will raise this to the equivalent of 12 cents per piece now. While this is a fourfold increase, it is not expected to affect consumer prices. Because of this, some doubt the tariff will have any effect on correcting the trade imbalance.
This move is in response to U.S. trade quotas imposed due to concerns that increased Chinese goods would put U.S. textile manufacturers out of business. According to Auggie Tantillo, executive director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, a textile industry group in the U.S., the move will preserve 10,000 U.S. jobs. The new U.S. trade quota will limit the growth of Chinese textile imports to 7.5 percent compared with shipments over the past year.
Prior to January 1, a global quota system helped regulate the trade. With the quota system gone, fears have arisen that a flood of Chinese goods could undercut U.S. competitiveness in the market. China is able to market its goods cheaply due to an artificially weak yuan. The U.S. Treasury criticized the China yuan policy as “highly distortionary”, posing a major risk to China’s economy itself and to global economic growth. They challenged China to revalue its currency to bring it to a level they believe will allow fairer competition between global manufacturers.
China has disputed the charges of the U.S. Treasury. Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai said, “I believe they are not reasonable”.
Laura Jones, a representative of large retailers, also criticized the move, saying “These restrictions on imports from China will do absolutely nothing to help the U.S. textile industry — and the government knows it.”
China has seen a boom in economic growth in recent years due to growing trade surpluses with the West, but economists worry that the trade gap will cause longer term global economic problems. China’s textile and apparel exports are the most noteworthy example, with exports up over 1,000 percent in some categories this year and the rapid loss of marketshare and jobs by U.S. textile manufacturers.
Beginning in 1978, the Chinese economy has been transforming from a Soviet-style centrally planned economy to more of a free market style system, under the rigid political control of Communist Party of China.
To this end, the government has leveraged foreign trade to stimulate economic growth. The result has been a fourfold increase in GDP, making China the sixth largest economy in the world. By 2012 the People’s Republic of China may have the highest GDP in the world.
According to U.S. statistics, from 1999 to 2004 China’s trade surplus with the U.S. doubled to $170 billion. Wal-Mart is China’s seventh largest export partner, just ahead of the United Kingdom.
However, the gains from their “socialist market economy” have not been without problems. The Chinese leadership has often experienced the worst results of socialism and capitalism: bureaucracy, lassitude, corruption, and inflation. Inflation rates have been an on-going challenge, reaching as high as 17% in 1995.
Environmental deterioration is a longer-term threat to economic growth. In 1998, the World Health Organization reported that China had seven of the 10 most-polluted cities on Earth. Another concern among some economists is that China’s economy is over-heating, and due to its global economic expansion this could have major repercussions among other nations.
Typically, wages have been low and working conditions poor, with workers living in restrictive dormitories and working at boring factory jobs. However, recent labor shortages have started improving conditions, and raising the minimum wage towards the equivalent of 100-150 US dollars per month. The labor shortages are in part a result of a demographic trend caused by strict family planning.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
For the first time a video showing the interrogation process at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp has been released. According to reports broadcast by Canadian media, the video shows Omar Khadr, one of the prisoners, being questioned by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officials. The video was filmed with a hidden camera through an air vent. It shows an interrogation from late February 2003 and it is being released now under a court order obtained by Khadr’s lawyers.
In the video, Khadr can be seen repeatedly crying and telling officials that “you don’t care about me.”
Dennis Edney, lawyer for Omar Khadr, responded by saying Dennis Edney “I hope Canadians will be outraged to see the callous and disgraceful treatment of a Canadian youth.” He also said that “Canadians should demand to know why they’ve been lied to.”
Omar claimed in the video that he was receiving poor medical care. When an official said “I’m not a doctor, but I think you’re getting good medical care,” he responded by saying “No I’m not. You’re not here… I lost my eyes. I lost my feet. Everything!” The official’s response to this was “No, you still have your eyes. Your feet are still at the end of your legs.” CBC News has reported that that Khadr’s comments about his eyes and feet are in reference to effects from the firefight in Afghanistan.
When the crying continued the questioner called for a break and said “Look, I want to take a few minutes. I want you to get yourself together. Relax a bit. Have a bite to eat and we’ll start again.”
Khadr, who is currently aged 21, faces life imprisonment for charges as serious as murder if he is found guilty. He also says that he has faced torture in Bagram air base, Afghanistan.
Prime minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly rejected calls for him to ask the United States for Khadr’s return to Canada.
“Mr. Khadr faces serious charges. There is a judicial process underway to determine Mr. Khadr’s fate. This should continue,” Kory Teneycke, Communication Director at the Office of the Prime Minister, told CBC News.
“We might also add in terms of background that the Government of Canada’s position is consistent with the previous government’s,” Teneycke further said. “This is a judicial process as opposed to a political one.”
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Recently, Wikinews spent time with with Australian Paralympic skier Lincoln Budge who was in Copper Mountain, Colorado for this week’s IPC Nor-Am Cup.
((Wikinews)) I’m interviewing Lincoln Budge, one of Australia’s development team skiers, who is here at the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] Nor-Am Cup and you’re not skiing today?
((WN)) Ooh, a DNF [Did not finish].
((WN)) So how have you preformed in the past days?
((WN)) What classification are you?
((WN)) Are you shooting for Sochi or are you just kind of developing now with the idea of the next one [Winter Paralympics] in 2018?
((WN)) And you’re from some town that’s really hard to pronounce in Australia.
((WN)) What state is this in?
((WN)) So Victoria is the state that produces all the great Australian skiers?
((WN)) How long have you been in the development team?
((WN)) On the development team or just period?
((WN)) You never considered doing the nordic skiing?
((WN)) Where do you like to ski and which, like Super G, Slalom, is your favourite?
((WN)) Where do you like to ski? Are you one of these people likes to come to the US, or do you think Victoria’s got the best ski fields in the world?
((WN)) Considering how expensive skiing is, do you think you’re getting adequate support from everyone to enable you to continue your ski career?
((WN)) As someone watching skiing: can you throw your monoski over your shoulder and transport it that way?
((WN)) Ok, thank you very very much.
byAlma Abell
Proper data collection and organization can give any company strength and competitive advantage. Are you doing enough to make sure that vital information is categorized and stored properly? If your answer is no, you are certainly in need of professional document management services.
What is Document Management?
Document management helps you organize vital data and records your business has about inventory, products and pricing, vendors, financial information, marketing, and customer relationships.
Very often, computerized document management systems will be used to get all of the files in perfect order and create a centralized and easy to use database. Easy and convenient access to data has become one of the essentials for competitive advantage in nearly every industry. This is why numerous businesses are already looking for specialized document management services.
Benefits of Document Management for Your Business
Why should you pay for such services if you can simply store files and folders on your own? Relying on a centralized solution, having someone organize the data for you, and ensuring easy access to essential information will enable you to benefit from a vast range of crucial advantages.
The introduction of electronic document management will give you access to essential information anywhere, anytime. Once they are categorized properly and stored digitally, all of your essential files will be easy to review, either from the office or from your home.
Document management services enhance the security of sensitive files and customer information. You will no longer have to store important files in locked cabinets or wonder about the possibility of someone gaining access to your computer. Documents can easily be encrypted by professionals that specialize in data management, which will significantly decrease the risk of unauthorized access.
If you opt for professional data management, you will also have the information backed up. The extra copies can come in handy during an emergency, a technical breakdown, or any other situation that could potentially destroy the original files. This is one of the most important benefits of digitalization. Once you choose the right professionals for the job, you will rest assured that important corporate data will never be lost.
Finally, professional data management has become a really affordable service. Outsourcing the process will free you from having to hire data management professionals. The cost of the package will depend on your particular needs and the documentation volume. Thus, your business gets flexibility, regardless of its size and industry.
Companies spend a lot of money on document creation, mailing, filing, and storage. The situation can change significantly through the introduction of electronic data management. Many professionals already specialize in such services. To find out more, visit www.consystentinfo.com.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
In Vancouver, a 20-year urban success story may yet have a sad ending. The city’s downtown population has doubled to 80,000 in the last 20 years thanks to Vancouver’s “Living First” policy – a planning strategy that favors residential development over commercial. And planners are expecting the population to reach more than 120,000 by 2030. But while downtown booms with people, business is busting. The International Herald Tribune reports that the city’s recently-released jobs and land-use study is estimating that downtown Vancouver may run out of commercial and office space within 5 years.
The ‘Vancouver problem’ is one that many cities in the United States could only hope to have. On the contrary, much effort has been put into bringing residential life back into the city centres. In Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, and Washington, D.C. there has been a condominium boom in recent years, but these cities are far from the situation Vancouver faces now.
To counter the trend in Vancouver, planners are proposing changes to the city’s zoning regulations, including the passage of more lenient building height restrictions. But because residential developments are so much more profitable than commercial and office space, some public officials are proposing offering better incentives to the developers willing to build commercial. Another option is to expand the moratorium that was placed on new housing development in the central business district two years ago.
Translink is currently involved in a major expansion of the 49.5 km (30.8 mi) Skytrain system centred on downtown Vancouver. Construction of the Canada and Evergreen lines is underway. The former will be complete in 2009, and the latter in 2011.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
A review this week by Wikinews of US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaints about mortgages in the United States shows Bank of America leads all lending institutions in complaints.
Since mortgages complaints were recorded in December 2011, 77,622 total have been added to CFPB’s database. 29.2% of these complaints involved Bank of America, with the second most received by Wells Fargo, accounting for 15.5% of all complaints. JPMorgan Chase ranked third by volume of complaints with 9.8%. Ocwen was fourth with 8.7% and Citibank was fifth with 4.8%. Nationstar Mortgage; Green Tree Servicing, LLC; HSBC; PNC Bank; U.S. Bancorp; OneWest Bank; SunTrust Bank; Flagstar Bank; and Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. each had between 1.0 and 3.8% of total complaints. The remaining 14.4% of all complaints about consumer mortgages were divided between about 530 other lending institutions.
The Motley Fool reported last month that for the past fiscal quarter, the biggest US based mortgage lenders were from first to fifth Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Quicken Loans and U.S. Bancorp.
According to the US Federal Reserve, debt for family residences stands at US$10.706 trillion for the second quarter of 2013. As of the end of June of this year, Bank of America is the United States’s second largest commercial bank with US$1.343 trillion in domestic assets. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest commercial bank with US$1.251 trillion in domestic assets. JPMorgan Chase is the largest US commercial bank with US$1.329 trillion in domestic assets and US$1.947 trillion in total assets.
The mortgage complaints in the CFPB report include several subproducts. Conventional fixed mortgages account for 27.1% of all complaints. Conventional adjustable mortgages account for 10.0%. FHA mortgages account for 7.7% of all complaints. Home equity loans or lines of credit account for 3.8% of all complaints. VA mortgages are 1.4% of all complaints. Second mortgages and reverse mortgages each account for 0.6% of complaints. The remaining 48.7% of complaints are about other mortgages or other mortgage issues. A few years ago, FHA loans accounted for about 10% of all US mortgages while VA loans accounted for about 3%. Prime loans accounted for over 75% of the market and the rest were subprime mortgages.
California leads all states by volume of complaints with 14768. It is followed by Florida, New York, Georgia and Texas. When complaints are divided by a state’s total population, New Hampshire leads. The state is followed by Washington D.C., Maryland, Georgia and Florida. Complaints do not correlate with national rankings for August’s foreclosure rate by state where Nevada topped the list, followed by Florida, Ohio, Maryland and Delaware.
Two zip codes account for over 1,000 total complaints between them. 565 complaints originated in the 48382 zip code, which is in Commerce Township, Michigan, located in suburban Detroit. 553 complaints originated in the 33071 zip code, in Coral Springs, Florida. According to real estate website Zillow, there are currently 1,033 properties in foreclosure in Coral Springs while Commerce Township only has 131 properties currently in foreclosure. Four other zip codes have 100 plus complaints originating from them. 91730, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, had 158 complaints. 33409, in West Palm Beach, Florida, had 132. 92626, in Costa Mesa, California, had 125 complaints. 92660, in Newport Beach, California, had 122 complaints. Respectively, the towns had 534, 1,068, 153, and 134 properties currently in foreclosure. These numbers are higher than for the cities of a few sampled zip codes where there was only one complaint, such as Gold Hill, Oregon which has 4 properties in foreclosure, and Decatur, Illinois which has 6 properties in foreclosure.
The CFPB categorizes complaints into six categories: “Loan modification, collection,foreclosure” or problems when a person is unable to pay; “Loan servicing, payments, escrow account” or problems with making a payment; “Application, originator, mortgage broker”; “Credit decision / Underwriting”; “Settlement process and costs”, and “Other”. The CFPB says the complaint types indicate consumers “appear to be driven by a desire to seek agreement with their companies on foreclosure alternatives. The complaints indicate that consumer confusion persists around the process and requirements for obtaining loan modifications and refinancing, especially regarding document submission timeframes, payment trial periods, allocation of payments, treatment of income in eligibility calculations, and credit bureau reporting during the evaluation period.” Currently, 59.6% of all complaints against lenders deal with being unable to pay. 25.1% deal with problems in making a payment. 7.0% have to do with the application process.
Of the complaint-heavy zip codes, for 48382 in Commerce Township, Michigan, 98.9% of all complaints have to deal with being unable to pay. Accounting for 23.4% of all mortgage complaints in Commerce Township, 132 of the complaints for being unable to pay were made regarding Bank of America, accounting for 97.8% or all but 3 complaints against them from the zip. 121 of the Bank of America responses in Commerce Township were closed with explanation and 12 were closed with non-monetary relief. 33071 in Coral Springs is different, with 537 of the 553 complaints being categorized under other. Only 11 complaints relate to foreclosure and issues with being able to pay. 92626 in Costa Mesa, where 32% of the mortgage complaints were about Bank of America and 26.4% were about Wells Fargo, had 93.6% of its complaints dealing with being unable to pay. 5 total complaints dealt with payment issues and 3 dealt with applications.
Beyond regional variance in complaint types lodged, the top five mortgage lenders by volume of complaints all had being unable to pay as their top complaint category, ranging between 55.8% for Citibank and 69.4% for Bank of America. Problems with payment accounted for the second largest area of complaints, with Ocwen having the largest percentage of complaints at 31.9% and Bank of America having the smallest at 18.8%. Foreclosure was the top area of complaints for a number of other lending institutions including 1st Alliance Lending, OneWest Bank, Ally Bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Bank of the West, BMO Harris, BOK Financial Corp, Caliber Home Loans, Inc, Capital One, Deutsche Bank and EverBank.
Nationally, complaints reached a high of 5,840 for January 2013, 1,107 more than the next highest month of April 2013. The total emerging for September is the second lowest since records were first kept in December 2011. On a state by state level, this pattern largely repeats with a major exception for Florida which saw a peak of 849 complaints in June 2012. Then, as now, Florida was one of the top five states in the nation in its foreclosure rate. The national January spike came as the Qualified Mortgage standard required by the The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 came into play. It required mortgage lenders to take steps to insure borrowers could repay their mortgages.
Bank of America’s complaint volume follows the national trend, with a spike in January 2013 with 1,925 total complaints. Unlike nationally, the next month by volume of complaints was February of this year with 1,598 complaints. Prior to that, the highest month was May 2012 with 1,418 complaints. The lowest volume of complaints is September this year with 334.
Wells Fargo matched national trends for volume of complaints by month, with the exception of the current month being the lowest on record for number of complaints with 197 compared to the next lowest month, December 2011, when they had 221. JPMorgan’s complaint volume by month spiked in January and March of this year with 504 complaints. April of this year was the next highest month with 493 complaints, edging out May of last year with 488 complaints. September this year is on track to be the lowest month by complaint volume.
The federal government shutdown is unlikely to impact the current mortgage situation in the United States directly for most consumers, though mortgage processing by the Federal Housing Administration could be slower, resulting in fewer mortgages processed.
