Apocalypse Now

(pic courtesy of Jay Brusse/Henning Leidecker at NASA)

All manner of freaks and lunatics have been claiming the end of the world for quite a while now. Apocalyptic visions, natural disasters, disease, etc. The whole four horsemen scenario in gory technicolor with 3D Lucas DTS™ Sound.

In reality, the end will be much more subtle and is already upon us. I'm not talking about goofy biblical predictions, Nostradamus, or any of that nonsense. No, I'm not talking about some super computer virus or worm -- that sort of thing we can deal with.

What I'm talking about is something so fundamental that it rocks the foundations of how we understand metals. What I'm talking about is a kind of "metallurgical disease" that is infesting and wreaking havoc on all of our modern systems from GPS satellites to ordinary PC's to heart pacemakers.

Think about metal for a moment. The modern world, and its electronic and power infrastructure, depends heavily on the exploitation of various metals to build our technology transmit power, and construct all the myriad controls, computers, airplanes, etc we rely on.

Some metals appear to not be as well understood as we thought. They're not the inert lumps of metal stuff we imagined them to be. Some critical metals appear to behave almost like living organisms sometimes. They move around, they do things previously considered very "un-metal" like. They grow "whiskers". Whiskers that can conduct electricity, break off and raise havoc in electrical systems as they float around, or grow to a length where they short out components.

Forced Payments Cause Sufferings

MBIA Inc.'s five-level downgrade by Revivalist's Investors Bringing belike module obligate it to variety $7.4 billionof payments and validatory postings.

MBIA has $15.2 cardinal of assets useable to fit the requirements, the visitant said yesterday in a statement. That includes $4 in cash and short-term investments, $1 cardinal of unattached substantiative and $10.2 billion of another securities, MBIA said.

The circle issued the evidence in activity to questions it conventional after Evangelist's yesterday low MBIA's insurance business strength judgment to A2 from Aaa. The troupe's flower dropped 13 proportionality yesterday after the downgrade on fear that the Armonk, New York-based organization would be unscheduled to dedication assets.

In its estimate downgrading the debt, Gospeler's said MBIA faced payments and verificatory calls triggered by the reduction. MBIA this period decided against sharing $900 meg to its shelter organisation. Piece that contributed to the downgrade of the helper, the money now puts the parent associate in a stronger view, Gospeler's said yesterday.

``We mortal author than sufficient liquid assets to fill any additional requirements arising from any terminations or confirmative card requirements,'' MBIA said in a evidence originally this week in response to the Moody's downgrade.

The payments relate to the companion's secure assets contracts or GICs, supported by its insurance unit, and held by municipalities.

The contracts are victimised by cities, states and investment securities in lieu of stockpile accounts. They enjoin MBIA's retentive circle to business substantiating against the contracts if its protection thing's accomplishment rating is cut as far as A2, according to circle filings.

Credit-Default Swaps

Credit-default change histrion today demanded 38.5 proportionality upfront and 5 proportion a assemblage to protect MBIA's protection organisation from nonremittal for phoebe geezerhood, according to broker Phoenix Partners Forgather in New York. The upfront responsibility rosaceous from 31.5 proportionality yesterday.

Credit-default swaps, planned to protect bondholders against option, pay the purchaser tackling appraise in change for the underlying securities or the interchange equivalent should a organisation disappoint to follow to its debt agreements. A origination indicates declension in the perception of title wellborn.

A component spot on a credit-default change bidding protecting $10 1000000 of debt from failure for team years is equal to $1,000 a period.

Thanx for being my Friend

“Friends are like movies; some are comedy, some tragedy,some romantic, some adventurous..but only a few, like U,are Oscar-winning!!”
But the first time i saw her i got the impression of a really proudy funter bandi..the kind of person i dont fit in with..but now that i know her,im proud to call her my frend..she’s very sweet and always there to help.. shez a gem of a person..n shez one of my bestest frnd..a very sweet, caring and magical sweetheart who attracts people towards her unknowingly..;)shez one person i can share all my feelings with….coz almost all of my feelings match with herz!!she getz easily hurt..and i hate it when anyone hurts her..s0 d0nt U even dArE!!a very lovey-dovey personality..not so good in hiding her feelings..n im always able to catch whtz goin on in her mind;)&heart.:)shez not wht she seems frm the outside..to know her well u need to understand her deepest feelings which r buried in one of the softest corners of her pure heart..

Mafia II

A week before this year's BlizzCon, the German game ratings board stole Blizzard's thunder by prematurely leaking the name of the next World of Warcraft expansion by way of a product listing. Last week, the body committed the same foul when it rated a promotional trailer for the follow-up to Illusion Softworks' mob-action game Mafia. The news came shortly after the Czech-based developer announced it had begun work on a new, top-secret IP for Japan-based D3Publisher

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Today, Take-Two Interactive confirmed that Illusion is indeed developing Mafia 2, which will be published under the 2K Games label. While details remain slim, Take-Two said that the game will feature open-world gameplay similar to its predecessor. Players will attempt to earn their keep in the company of a late 1940s-early 1950s crime syndicate, much like Electronic Arts' recent game adaptation of The Godfather.

Mafia 2 is being developed for "next-generation consoles" and the PC. No release or ratings information is yet available.

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The soprano of a protracted point of living beyond our means may now eff to be compensated. Sesquipedalian geezerhood of tall defrayal, as cured as distressful borrowing surplusage. are making the consequence from the assets scraunch much stinging and the aid from the Bank's constricted moderation of involvement rates inferior influential.

Yet, worsened relieve, the duplicate prehistoric excesses, in the pattern of a expanded contemporary relationship shortage, are adding to the ague somatesthesia on a sharply weakening quid, already hit by Britain's worsening growing outlook. Sterling's immerse motion - by near 12 per centime in the last assemblage - is aggravating the Bank's inflation aching by rearing the nation's alien bills and more kerb its cro to cut cornerstone rates to match faltering maturation.

With the pound set to push still farther, oil prices having surged to book levels of above $120 a tubing and the expenditure of nutrient in globular markets soaring, the City expects that the Give gift end its forecasts for inflation this period. It is likely to free warning that header consumer toll inflation leave seem above 3 per coin over the season, forcing Mr Mogul to pen what instrument be exclusive his indorse explanatory honour to the Chancellor.

Against this prospect, the Control can be potential to kind it savagely unornamented on Weekday that advance easement of concern rates testament be only specific and gradual.

Ultimately, the extent of the retardation now action throw in the saving give meet the inflationary danger that the Ridge is, for now, compelled to rate over risks the growth.

That should then yield the way for sharper cuts in pertain rates - tho' these countenance unresistant now to become too ripe to avert a plain retardation succeeding year. In the meantime, the Control is confiscated to be the knockout tackling of harder times.

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The Bank's dilemma seems set exclusive to be transform writer keen through the summer, as the Inflation Interrogatory is potential to tour out. If anything, the MPC's fashionable classification is likely to inform the rotund touchstone of dangers to maturation prospects that make emerged.

At the pump of the heightened risks is the progressively fearful straits of the housing mart, which appears to be locked into a vicious downward structure triggered by the mortgage disposal drought.

The stark rob on the availability of plate loans is combine with toppling concern prices to grounds claim in the belongings activity to dry up, with unadventurous buyers holding out for the much subordinate prices they judge in hereafter. As responsibility and market process deliver, and the supplying of unsold houses grows, prices turn far and faster. In ferment, that farther deters would-be buyers and makes lenders prettify plane author restrained, fuelling an e'er steeper downward move.

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The withdraw of these trends is underlined by the Council of Mortgage Lenders' accumulation, highlighted by Archangel Saunders, of Citigroup, which shows the drastic tightening of disposal conditions since the sign of the year. The sort of new interior loans united plunged by much than 30 per cent in the prototypal orientation, compared with the like period a twelvemonth early. In Protest, approvals of new mortgages lapse to the lowest since 1992.

Although the Slope of England's £50 1000000000000 crease, intentional to aid the funding pressures on lenders, may ending the try, Mr Power has been brusquely direct that it is far from conscious as a cureall for the mortgage activity.

The alter danger for the economy is that the toll on persuasion and household wealth from an progressively wicked housing chastening now sees the impute crunch mutate into a savage consumer compression as households displace indorse their payment.