Sunday, July 26, 2009

麥可死因幾乎確定他殺

(美國‧洛杉磯)國際巨星麥可積遜(Michael Jackson)的死亡原因之謎,受到全球粉絲的關注,現在有消息指出,美國執法部門透露,洛杉磯法醫中心將會在下週公佈他的屍檢結果,而的死因已幾乎肯定是他殺(謀殺或者誤殺)!

洛杉磯法醫中心驗屍官已將自然死亡、意外死亡、意外用藥過量和自殺都已被排除在外,幾乎可以肯定麥可之死為他殺。(圖:法新社)
洛杉磯法醫中心驗屍官已將自然死亡、意外死亡、意外用藥過量和自殺都已被排除在外,幾乎可以肯定麥可之死為他殺。(圖:法新社)

美國檢警對於麥可猝死,已進一步朝殺人方向偵辦,目前洛杉磯法醫署在等待毒物檢驗報告出來,洛杉磯警方則在緝毒局的協助下,尋找犯罪的證據。

警方並在早前搜索了麥可生前的醫師默里(Conrad Murray)位於德州休士頓的辦公室。經過好幾個時的搜索後,警方帶走了一台電腦硬碟的拷貝資料,以及20多份文件。對於警方的搜索行動,默里的律師說,他們很意外,警方沒有懷疑他的的理由。

默里的律師並透露,默里對於外界諸多對他不利的傳聞,感到非常生氣,而且各種的騷擾,不但讓他不勝其煩,還使他無法執業,基於安全考量,他已請了保鑣進行全天候保護。

而根據美國娛樂八卦網TMZ的報導指出,洛杉磯法醫中心驗屍官會在下週收到由外聘顧問的報告,到目前為止,報告草案內容,已將自然死亡、意外死亡、意外用藥過量和自殺都已被排除在外,幾乎可以肯定麥可之死為他殺。

日本‧“長者應續工作繳稅”‧麻生又禍從口出

(日本‧東京)日本相麻生太郎地位岌岌可危,週六(7月25日)卻再次禍從口出,稱日本年長者應繼續工作繳稅,因為他們唯一的才華就是工作能力,引發年長選民憤怒。

麻生週二宣佈解散眾議院,於8月30日舉行大選。他週六在橫濱向年輕企業家發表演講,指日本逾80%65歲以上的人身體健康,無須接受護理照顧。

電視播出麻生說:“請想想,這些人僅有的才能就是工作,不像你們。80歲後才學習如何玩樂太晚了……如果他們更擅用工作才能,當職工,他們便可成為納稅人。”

此番言論勢必在日本迅速老化的社會掀起爭議,使擔心在大選丟失超過半個世紀政權的自民黨再添壓力。

麻生去年9月出任首相,目前民望直線下跌。他曾有多次失言紀錄,包括2007年任職外交部長時,也曾因嘲諷老人癡呆症患者而道歉。

中國‧吉林鋼鐵廠3萬員工罷工‧與警衝突‧打死總經理

(中國‧北京)中國吉林省通化鋼鐵公司週五(7月24日)爆發3萬員工大罷工和警民衝突,憤怒的員工把剛上任的總經理活活打死。

設在香港的中國人權及民主信息中心週六(7月25日)發表聲明稱,有數百人在衝突中受傷。

據指出,總部設在北京的建龍集團併吞通鋼,但在3個月前因為通鋼效益下滑,決定撤資,今年7月由於通剛效益有所好轉又“回巢”,結果引起通鋼員工的不滿。

信息中心指出,憤怒的通鋼員工襲擊建龍集團派來的總經理陳國俊(譯音),結果把對方打死。

中心稱,這些員工不滿陳國俊在去年得300萬人民幣的薪酬,而公司退休員工每個月只獲得200元人民幣。

同化市政府辦公室一名女職員證實,同化鋼鐵公司週五抗議事件,但傷亡情況不詳。

澳洲‧91乘客九霄驚魂‧氣壓降‧澳航掉頭降陸

(澳洲‧悉尼)澳洲航空公司(Qantas)在一項聲明中透露,這間公司一架從紐西蘭飛往澳洲的班機,中途因機艙氣壓開始下降而被迫掉頭轉回,機上乘客安全無恙。

澳航向來都有良好的飛行安全紀錄,但是由於過去有多架班機在飛行途中出現過一系列的技術問題後,澳洲航空公司的飛機在這一年來遭到嚴格監督。

澳航指出,上週六(7月25日)在從奧克蘭飛往布里斯班的途中,這架波音737-400型飛機在7620米的高空突然遭遇“不明顯的氣壓下降的問題”。飛機後來掉頭著陸,機上91名乘客安全無恙。

飛機工程師目前正在檢查這架客機。

美國‧黑人學者被捕引種族爭議‧奧巴馬分別致電邀請‧2當事人白宮喝和解酒

(美國‧華盛頓)遭逮捕而引發黑白種族爭議的美國知名黑人學者蓋茨上週六(7月25日)接受奧巴馬總統邀請,赴白宮與逮捕他的麻省白人警察克勞利喝杯和解啤酒。

蓋茨是奧巴馬的友人,7月16日返回租屋處時因大門卡住試圖硬闖入室時,被路人誤為闖空門報警,隨後遭克勞利以妨礙秩序的罪名逮捕。蓋茨釋後,罪名也被撤銷。

奧巴馬在22日晚間趁發表醫療保險改革電視演說時指責警方逮捕蓋茨“行為愚蠢”,不料卻引發烈反彈。

奧巴馬隨後親自致電蓋茨與克勞利,邀請2位當事人親赴白宮喝杯和解啤酒。

蓋茨上週六在他編輯的一個網頁上說:“非常高興他也熱切地藉我的經歷吸取教訓,如果與克勞利和總統共飲啤酒可以冰釋前嫌,我很樂意這麼做。”

他表示,希望他遭逮捕一事可以協助減少執法單位以種族判斷作案者的手法。

荷蘭‧譴責侵犯人權‧全球85城市反伊朗示威

(荷蘭‧阿姆斯特丹)全球85座城市的群眾上週六(7月25日)發動示威,譴責伊朗侵犯人權,聲援當地反對派,並要求德黑蘭當局釋放幾百名因為抗議總統選舉舞弊而被捕的人。

參與城市包括荷蘭阿姆斯特丹、英國倫敦及瑞典斯德哥爾摩。單在瑞典,就有逾4000人參加活動。

阿姆斯特丹則有1000人,包括伊朗諾貝爾和平獎得主埃巴迪。他帶領人群反覆高喊:“們要和平生活。和平萬歲!”

在倫敦,逾1000人在伊朗大使館外集會,主辦人也表示支持伊朗人抗議內賈德具爭議的連任。

伊朗6月12日的總統大選結果被指出現舞弊,國內隨即發生大規模街頭示威,動搖伊朗權威。

伊朗官方報導,至少20人在示威中喪生,另外逾1000人被捕。選後也有數十名改革派領袖、記者及人權活躍人士被扣押,反對派指稱有人操縱選舉。

在紐約,數百人示威遊行,要求伊朗釋放所有政治犯,落實民主。示威者高喊“自由,馬上!”的口號。

意大利‧“總統別墅下無古墓”‧律師稱情慾錄音也是虛構

(意大利‧羅馬)據報導,意大利總統貝盧斯科尼的律師否認貝氏的薩丁豪華別墅藏有考古遺跡,外界盛傳他與應召女郎的情慾錄音也是虛構的。

據指內含貝盧斯科尼和應召女郎達達里奧情慾對話、證明他跟女郎交易的錄音震驚意大利全國。意國《快報》上週五(7月24日)公開了錄音內容,貝氏似乎還提到他的別墅下方其實有古墓文物。

根據意大利法律,若發現重要古蹟應即時通知當局調查、編目並可能挖掘出土。反對黨已經呼吁政府在議會上澄清此事。

貝氏代表律師蓋迪尼說:“總理不可能談及在住家附近發現30個腓尼基古墓,因為別墅沒有出現、也沒有發現這樣的東西。”

指當局已徹底搜查

他說:“司法當局不久前在整個地區進行了徹底的搜查,包括別墅和公園。當局可以在任何時間再次搜索。”

也是貝氏自由人民黨(PDL)內議員的蓋迪尼一再否認錄音帶的真實性,聲稱那是“完全出於想像的東西”,並警告任何公開或發佈錄音帶的行為是非法的。

今年72歲的貝盧斯科尼本身是媒體大亨,他承認達達里奧曾到過他的家,但他表明當時並不知道其應召女郎的身份,也否認為性付錢給女性。

上週發表的民意調查顯示,他的支持率次跌破50%。

泰國‧60歲生日‧紅衫軍大事慶祝‧民調:塔辛民望勝阿比希

(泰國‧曼谷)泰國流亡前相塔辛今日(週日,7月26日)過60歲生日,紅衫軍將為他大事慶生。塔辛上週六(7月25日)通過越洋電話告訴支持者說,他有信心能夠很快返國領導新政府,處理國家的各種問題。

與此同時,泰國易三倉大學進行的一項民調結果顯示,前首相塔辛的民望比現任首相阿比希略高。

民調指出,塔辛的支持率為34%,阿比希的支持則為32.9%。

這項調查是於7月20日至25日進行,曼谷、春武里、宋卡等17個府的4079個家庭接受訪問。

不過,易三倉大學民調辦公室主任諾帕多表示,由於調查誤差為5%,這項民調在統計學上其實沒有分別。

留意塔辛會否出言不遜

泰國外交部副部長帕尼表示,外交部將密切留意塔辛於週日晚發表的講話,以觀察他是否發表對王室或政府不敬的談話。

他指出,如果塔辛出言不遜,政府將在追蹤他發表講話的來源地。

他說:“如果他身在阿聯酋,外交部將指示泰國大使提醒阿聯酋政府的承諾,即不會讓塔辛利用阿聯酋作為政治基地。”

帕尼同時表示,目前塔辛的行蹤依然成謎,政府僅知道塔辛一直在各地遊走,他有可能預錄了講話。

台灣‧僅他一人參選‧馬英九當定國民黨主席

(台灣‧台北)國民黨主席換屆選舉今日(週日,7月26日)開始投票,由於只有馬英九一人參選,他將篤定當選。

馬英九投票後表示,估計(中共總書記)胡錦濤會祝賀他當選,而他也會覆電表示感謝。

得票率須超越吳伯雄

馬英九篤定當選,各方都關注他的得票率能否衝高?

黨內高層私下說,馬英九既是總統,又是同額競選,一定要超越現任黨主席吳伯雄的86.97%的得票率,否則,黨內的權力基礎勢將受到挑戰。

之前,現為黨榮譽主席的連戰,2001年參選黨主席時,97.09%得票率。

國民黨組發會估計,投票率約在52%左右,但由於是同額參選,黨方面頗擔心投票率不如預期,已積極動員黨員投票。馬英九競選辦事處則希望衝高得票率,目標是80%以上。

今次有投票權的黨員人數約53萬人,他們同時將選出1171名黨代表。

投票由上午8時開始,下午4時結束,隨即進行開票,結果可望在晚上7時前盅。馬英九競選總部隨即會舉行新聞發佈會,由馬英九說明對改革國民黨想法。

料胡錦濤將發出賀電

在早上投票後,馬英九表示,4年前他次當選國民黨主席時,大陸方面也有拍賀電過來,所以相信這次,胡錦濤也會以中共總書記名義,發出賀電。

他又指出,對方的內容應該是道賀的話,所以他會回覆,表達感謝的話。

這是馬英九第二次參選國民黨主席。他曾於2005年台北市長任內首次當選國民黨主席。2007年2月13日,因特別費的使用被起訴(後經法院宣判無罪),他曾承諾若遭起訴即辭去國民黨主席職務,遂於同日請辭黨主席,正式宣佈參選2008年總統大選,並於次年順利當選總統。

馬英九當選黨主席後,將於9月12日正式就任。

馬:參選非擴權更非測人氣

馬英九表示,得票高低不重要,他出來參選是為了承擔責任,不是擴大權力、更不是測試人氣。他說:“最主要是要真正把黨政運作更緊密結合,讓國政的推動更為有效”。

至於回鍋接任黨主席之後,黨中央人事安排,他表示目前還未思考。

地方派系內鬥急
首個考驗雲林立委補選

國民黨地方派系正醞釀挑戰馬英九的領導權威,“馬主席”面臨的內憂外患才將剛開始,而雲林縣立委補選則是“馬主席”的首個考驗。

馬英九上週在黨主席參選政見會上調,參選黨主席是為了國民黨改革,“地方派系不能過度發展,危害黨的利益”,不過地方派系似乎未聽進馬的警告。

雲林縣國民黨籍立委張碩文因賄選判刑,必須補選,馬英九屬意年輕、形象清新的學者吳威志,不過張碩文的父親張輝元卻“代子親征”,還獲得前縣長張榮味的力挺,等於是雲林的地方派系聯手給馬英九“下馬威”。

雲林是地方派系複雜的地區,馬英九有意擺脫國民黨長期被地方派系主導的弊端,被政壇視為他改革國民黨的第一步,也被視為年底縣市長選舉提名的指標,不過一旦因國民黨分裂而令民進黨漁翁得利,“馬主席”就會面臨嚴重的領導危機。

除雲林縣立委補選外,花蓮縣、新竹縣、桃園縣等的縣長選舉提名,都可見馬英九意志強力介入的痕跡,但也遭派系的掣肘。

年底縣市長選舉對即將上任的“馬主席”而言,除民進黨的“外患”外,也是一場與黨內地方派系的“內鬥”。

將卸任黨主席
吳伯雄心情輕鬆

即將卸任的國民黨主席吳伯雄表示,心情相當輕鬆,並稱以黨員對總統馬英九的支持,得票率沒有理由不高,外界也不需要過度解讀。

對於未來規劃,吳伯雄表示,就是日出而作、日入而息,現在還有三四個月時間可以規劃。陪同投票的總統府秘書長詹春柏則補充說,還可以含飴弄孫。

吳伯雄參選黨主席時獲得約87%的得票率,因此眾人關注馬英九這次參選黨主席的得票率會不會更高。

另外,行政院長劉兆玄說,馬英九競選黨主席有利於施政運作。劉兆玄在投票所受訪指出,“馬先生競選主席很好,對於將來的運作可以更直接、更順利”。

王金平拒回應是否任副主席

立法院長王金平拒絕回應是否出任國民黨副主席。

王金平表示,馬英九尚未就任黨主席,也未表態請何人出任副主席,他不便表示意見。他指出,以馬英九的個人經驗、資歷,擔任國民黨主席,是國民黨的福氣。

王金平不分區立委將屆滿2任,對於未來生涯規劃,他表示,立委任期還有段時間,且個人出路事,現在只想做好份內的事,幫助台灣、國民黨。

胡錦濤料電賀馬英九
創兩岸“黨對黨對話”

馬英九兼任國民黨主席後,兩岸互動出現新局。黨政高層透露,馬英九順利當選黨魁後,對岸領導人胡錦濤可望以中共總書記名義發出賀電,馬英九也將立即以黨主席身份覆電,創下兩岸領導人正式函電往來的歷史紀錄。

國民黨大陸事務部主任張榮恭解釋,早在1988年李登輝接任黨主席,中共總書記趙紫陽以個人名義發賀電,但國民黨未函覆,這是兩岸歷史性的互動;4年後李登輝連任黨魁,江澤民援例發賀電,李登輝雖仍未函覆,但曾公開說,這是“善意的表示”。

張榮恭說,馬英九在2005年當選國民黨主席(國民黨當時下野),胡錦濤曾拍賀電,馬英九隨後覆電表達感謝,這是馬胡2人首度函電往返。

對於馬胡最近可望再度透過賀電互動,創造兩岸領導人的“黨對黨對話”,張榮恭認為,即使賀電僅屬於禮貌往來,“但國共兩黨都是執政黨,確實具有不同的意義!”

至於馬英九會如何函覆胡錦濤賀電,國民黨黨務人士說,“得看對岸電文內容怎麼寫,方才會討論如何回覆。”

不過,未來的“馬主席”何時與胡錦濤會談仍是問號。

黨政人士分析說,考慮到台灣內部情勢,2012年5月馬英九若順利連任,民意基礎將較現在更堅實,屆時“胡馬會”應水到渠成。

全球評論

大權一統
馬英九考驗現開始

一人參選,篤定當選。無論投票率或得票率多少,馬英九總統都確定成為新任國民黨主席。但是,當上黨主席後能不能真正推動改革,才是馬英九“大權一統”後的考驗。

兼任黨魁,馬英九必須要做的是黨務改革與世代交替。4年前首次參選黨主席,他曾喊出同樣訴求,儘管之後因為特別費案遭起訴而辭去黨主席,但馬當時任內以及接任的吳伯雄,在此2項議題上,都沒來得及讓外界看出甚麼成果。

這次又打出原主張,除了是展現馬一直想貫徹的意志,也是對舊勢力的再挑戰。不過,被認為不沾鍋的馬英九,接任黨主席後,對糾結不清的地方派系、國會系統無法有效整合等老毛病,真的準備好大刀闊斧改革、並承受可能付出的代價?

一肩扛起施政成敗

此外,坐穩黨魁之後,未來可直接控制國會,行政、立法事權統一,權力集中相對也表示,施政成敗不再是行政院長之責,馬得一肩扛起,沒有閃躲空間。

由於一人獨強,黨主席選舉已經徒具“應景”民主化形式,未來立法院會不會成為“橡皮圖章”,是外界檢驗馬的重要指標。

此外,黨政合一後,如何將黨、國會與行政部門,整合轉化成有利台灣民主深化發展所需要的機器,也是馬英九的重要功課。

民主,不能只靠個人光環,人民與歷史是大權在握者的2大打分數老師,馬英九大權一統後的試煉,現在才要開始而已。

台灣《中國時報》

專家觀點

國共交流平台或擴大

馬英九當選黨主席後可能會擴大現有的國共交流平台,結合社會菁英和政治反對聯營。

如果馬英九的國共溝通新平台運作,這可舒緩島內對兩岸政策的反對聲浪,同時不會加劇大陸的疑慮。

馬英九兼任國民黨黨主席後,國民黨控制的立法院預料將迅速把兩岸達成的經濟和金融協議簽署成法律。

──淡江大學中國研究所副教授張五岳

美國‧27日舉行戰略與經濟對話‧中美為合作機制定調

(美國‧華盛頓)中國和美國將在週一(7月27日)開始舉行輪中美戰略與經濟對話,為建立更密切的雙邊合作機制定調。

在華盛頓舉行的2天對話將集中討論兩國在雙邊、地區和全球領域共同面臨的議題,包括當前的金融危機以及氣候化等課題。此外,朝鮮核計劃、阿富汗戰爭等也納入討論範圍。

討論人權課題

一名美國高官表示,有關西藏和中國境內騷亂事件的“人權課題肯定會提出討論”。

奧巴馬政府指出,首輪對話的另一目標就是把戰略與經濟對話升級為年度會議,輪流在兩國首都舉行,同時為未來雙邊的“合作機制”定調。

戰略與經濟對話是奧巴馬上台後,中美之間啟動的一種新的高層對話機制,有著更口廣泛的議題。它取代了前總統布什在2006年建立、只談經濟課題的戰略經濟對話。

奧巴馬出席開幕式

這次對話將於週一正式開始,屆時將首先舉行聯合開幕式和全體會。奧巴馬將出席聯合開幕式並致辭。

隨後,美國國務卿希拉里和中國國務委員戴秉國將共同主持戰略對話,而經濟對話由美國財長蓋特納和中國國務院副總理王岐山共同主持。

美國財政部指出,除了政策和經濟課題外,戰略與經濟對話將舉行聯合會議,“討論交叉的戰略和經濟課題”。

中國財政部部長助理朱光耀則表示,中國將要求美國維持美元匯率穩定,並敦促美國政府確保中國持有的美國資產的安全。

首輪中美戰略與經濟對話主要議題

‧經濟刺激方案

作為世界最富有國家和增長最迅速的經濟體,美國和中國將就應對金融危機政策措施、經濟可持續增長、金融體系改革、貿易投資合作等重大經濟金融議題深入溝通並協調立場,傳遞中美同舟共濟、共克時艱的積極信號。

‧平衡經濟

在嚴重經濟衰退打擊下,美國人被迫減少消費和提高儲蓄率,但美國將敦促中國擴大消費和減少儲蓄,以削減中國來往帳項的盈餘。

‧貿易和貨幣

美國將尋求平衡與中國的貿易,包括說服中國放寬貨幣政策,讓人民幣貶值來減少出口,增加進口。2008年,美國對華貿易赤字高達2660億美元(約馬幣9410億令吉)。

‧乾淨能源和氣候變化

作為2個世界最大溫室氣體排放國,美中將推廣乾淨能源技術貿易和其他方面的合作,攜手達致減排目標。

‧朝鮮和伊朗

美中皆為聯合國安理會常任理事國,雙方將就恢復六方會談以及和平解決朝鮮半島核問題,以及伊朗的核計劃進行討論。中國與朝鮮和伊朗有密切聯繫。

‧全球問題國家

緬甸、蘇丹和津巴布韋皆因惡劣的人權紀錄而遭國際制裁,但中國與這數個國家仍有密切的經濟和政治聯繫。

‧人權問題

美國依然關注中國對互聯網的封鎖和監控、宗教自由、西藏和新疆人權問題。

資料來源:路透社

全球評論

1+1能否大於2?

首輪中美戰略與經濟對話舉行在即。與此前的中美戰略對話和戰略經濟對話2個機制相比,合二為一的“雙軌制”對話能否做到1+1大於2,成為人們關注的焦點。

此次對話是美國新任總統奧巴馬上台後中美之間啟動的一種新的高層對話機制。與過去相比,“新”在三個方面:對話呈現新的架構,處於新的國際形勢下,有著更加廣泛的議題。

對話把“戰略”和“經濟”2大方面的議題囊括在同一個架構下。在具體的對話過程中,又將對話“一分為二”,這是一種新的嘗試,對話規格更高、規模更大、涉及部門更多。

此次對話恰逢全球金融危機尚未見底,共同應對危機將成為對話的主要議題。

此外,比以往更多的議題也將可能“和盤托出”。除中美關係外,中國外交部近日確認“國際和地區問題、全球問題”也將是對話的重要議題;奧巴馬政府對於對話的最新思想包括4大戰略性議題:除了金融危機外,還有氣候變化、能源合作和軍控。

化解分歧和摩擦以促進合作,是這一機制在的根本所在。1+1能否大於2?結果各有評判。但有一點可以肯定,最終,此次戰略與經濟對話將使奧巴馬政府和中國政府在一系列關鍵問題上的交流與合作步入新的階段。

中國新華社



你知道嗎?

中美戰略與經濟對話

今年4月初,中國國家主席胡錦濤和美國總統奧巴馬在倫敦會晤時,達成建立中美戰略與經濟對話的重要共識,作為雙方推動雙邊關係在新時期積極向前發展的一項重大舉措。

參加對話的中方代表團堪稱“鑽石陣容”:中國國務院副總理王岐山、國務委員戴秉國率領的100多名“虎將”,個個有備而來。而美方“鐵娘子”希拉里與“中國通”蓋特納領銜的團隊,也是旗鼓相當。

這場對話有幾個看點備受關注。其一,這是中國與奧巴馬政府的首輪戰略與經濟對話;其二,這是布 什時期“中美戰略經濟對話”的升級版,一個“與”字將政治事務與經濟性議題首次納入同一個對話框架下進行;其三,對話由部長級首次升格為內閣級,奧巴馬還 將在開幕式上致辭,並在白宮會見中方代表團。

美國‧母親當星媽簽電視節目‧8胞胎“真人秀”賺142萬

(美國‧洛杉磯)今年1月在洛杉磯誕下8胞胎,引人注目的母親蘇利曼將一躍成為“星媽”,她已為寶寶接下一個“真人秀”節目,預料可賺取高達25萬美元的酬勞。

《洛杉磯時報》報導,蘇利曼已跟歐洲製作公司Eyeworks簽署了一分總值高達25萬美元(142萬5000令吉)的合約,讓她的“八福”在一個實況電視節目當主角。

據報,這個全新的實況節目將於今年9月1日起開拍。

“八小福”在第一年內要參與36天拍攝工作,將賺取報酬是12萬5000美元;第二年要拍攝21天,可得到7.5萬美元;第3年也就是合約最後一年,則要拍攝14天,報酬為5萬美元。在合約期內,如果製作公司要他們增加拍攝日數和時間,則另外支付報酬。

合約也列明,“八小福”賺取的薪金,15%款項由製作公司負責入一個信託戶口內,等他們長大至18歲時才可以動用。

中國‧雖被抨擊“傷風敗俗”‧杭州天體浴場開張

(中國‧杭州)杭州天體浴場上週六(7月25日)在一片爭議聲中開張,雖然男女浴池分開,也有屏障遮擋,但仍有人斥責這是“傷風敗俗、不文明”的行為!

浴場剛剛開幕,捧場的男生,比女生還多。前來泡浴的市民認為,在自然環境中釋放自己,是一種很好的休閒方式。

杭州人一直以來都喜歡到臨近臨安市的天目大峽谷遊玩,因為那裡比杭州市區溫度低10℃以上,還有滿目的原始森林,是一處很好的避暑後花園。

位在半山腰男女池分開

而新開張的天體浴場就位於天目大峽谷景區的半山腰上,2個各約300平方米的不規則水潭,相距約百米。女池在上,男池在下,兩者分隔,與國外男女混合的天體浴場不同。據悉,2個潭的水深1.2至1.3米,水溫在20℃左右,相當清澈。

不過,這並非中國第一個天體浴場,位於浙江臨安的浙西天灘景區,2004年夏天曾開設天體浴場,結果因全國爭議,開張不到半個月,就關門大吉。

當地媒體隨機訪問了50名市民,40%人表示接受,尤其是年輕人;但也有人烈批評:“傷風敗俗,在景區裸浴絕對是不文明行為,應該被禁止。”

IMF buy our Gold at $42.20 per ounce

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Major 9/11 Truth Breakthrough!!! KBDI Denver Airs 9/11 Press for Truth

Check this link ......... http://bit.ly/LaHmQ

The incredible 10ft 'photographs' drawn with a ballpoint pen

They may look like pin-sharp photographs - but these amazing pictures are actually drawings created with the humble ballpoint pen.

The stunning pictures, measuring up to 10ft high, were drawn by a rising star of the art world, Juan Francisco Casas.

Casas, 31, can use up to four 14p ballpoint pens for a canvas and his works are already a sell-out at exhibitions.

Formerly a traditional painter, Juan began the drawings three years ago based on photographs of nights out with his friends.

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Bic money: Casas can use up four 14p ballpoints on one picture, but his prizewinning works already fetch up to £3,750 each

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Speaking from Rome yesterday, he said he admires the "simplicity" of the ballpoint pen, invented in 1938 by Hungarian Laszlo Biro.

Casas said: "I guess it started off as a joke, to try and make something so realistic that people would think is a photo.

"I also wanted to create it with something that everyone has - a Biro. I don't think it has ever been done before.

"For me it's not that different from painting. I was trying to show that it doesn't matter what material you use, it's what you do with it."

Casas only uses blue Bics and can get through several to make one drawing.

He has just spent two weeks drawing his largest piece, which is 10ft high by 3ft wide.

The only drawback is that he can't erase any errors. He said: "Mistakes are the main problem. It's better if I make them at the beginning."

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Casas studied Fine Art at the University of Granada, in southern Spain, and then worked there as a teacher for six years.

He submitted a ballpoint-pen drawing to a national art competition in Spain in 2004 - and was shocked to be awarded the second prize.

He said: "It's a very serious, and academic sort of competition, and I knew they would think my entry was a joke. It was just on a normal piece of paper in biro.

"I had previously done painting - oil on canvas - and this was something new. But they liked it, and it went from there."

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Penman Juan Francisco Casas with his work. He said, 'It started off as a joke, to try and make something so realistic that people would think is a photo'

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He has exhibited in Chicago and in his native Spain, and is preparing an exhibition in Rome where he now lives.

At an exhibition in Madrid last week he sold 60 works for between 1,000 and 5,000 euros apiece (£750 to £3,750).

He said: "It was a real shock that it was so successful. I would love to come to England, but at the moment I haven't got a lot of work, as I've sold everything."

A British firm took over the ballpoint pen patent to make them for the RAF shortly after their invention, and the first ones went on sale in the UK in 1946. The Bic pen, a variation on Biro's original design, went on sale in France in 1950.

Human Nature Is the Enemy of the State

Check this link ....... http://bit.ly/HURoI

The Story of A Place Called Mouseland

Tommy Douglas (1904 -1986) was one of Canada's best known New Democrats.



It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.

They even had a Parliament. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.

Now if you think it strange that mice should elect a government made up of cats, you just look at the history of Canada for last 90 years and maybe you'll see that they weren't any stupider than we are.

Now I'm not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws--that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren't very good for mice. One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds--so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.

All the laws were good laws. For cats. But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn't put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats.

Now the white cats had put up a terrific campaign. They said: "All that Mouseland needs is more vision." They said:"The trouble with Mouseland is those round mouseholes we got. If you put us in we'll establish square mouseholes." And they did. And the square mouseholes were twice as big as the round mouseholes, and now the cat could get both his paws in. And life was tougher than ever. And when they couldn't take that anymore, they voted the white cats out and put the black ones in again. Then they went back to the white cats. Then to the black cats. They even tried half black cats and half white cats. And they called that coalition. They even got one government made up of cats with spots on them: they were cats that tried to make a noise like a mouse but ate like a cat.

You see, my friends, the trouble wasn't with the colour of the cat. The trouble was that they were cats. And because they were cats, they naturally looked after cats instead of mice.

Presently there came along one little mouse who had an idea. My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea. And he said to the other mice, "Look fellows, why do we keep on electing a government made up of cats? Why don't we elect a government made up of mice?" "Oh," they said, "he's a Bolshevik. Lock him up!"

So they put him in jail.
But I want to remind you: that you can lock up a mouse or a man but you can't lock up an idea.

Eustace Mullins The only history of the federal reserve system bankers start war to create debit

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Only on One Radio Network http://www.oneradionetwork.com - Listen to our money shows every Wednesday 10am - 11am - CST - Miss the show with Andrew Gause and you lose out!

Trader on Bloomberg says markets are manipulated and volumes 'ficticious'.

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THE GREED GAME

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How close are we to Martial Law in the US? ALERT!

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Don’t bank on a good deal when you retire

How inflexible insurers are making it difficult to get the best return from your pension savings


Hundreds of thousands of pensioners are being prevented from getting the best return from their investments by life insurers who are letting them down at retirement, advisers claim.

Some of Britain’s biggest pension companies seem to be using every obstacle they can to prevent savers from getting a good deal, while in other cases simple incompetence is to blame.

The damaging consequences could have repercussions for decades to come. For hundreds of thousands of people retiring every year, choosing how to use their pension pot is one of the biggest financial decisions they will make — one that will affect their standard of living for up to 20 years or more.

Penalties applied to savers mean that anyone who does not want to buy an annuity could find that the value of their pension is reduced by thousands of pounds. In other cases, savers who want an annuity, which pays an income for life, are suffering financial loss because of administrative bungles. Many other providers are failing to give clear advice, leaving customers in the dark about how to maximise their income.


These actions seems to fly in the face of the Government’s stated ambition to give savers greater choice at retirement. Since 2002 the regulator has insisted that insurers tell customers that they can buy an annuity from any provider. But latest figures indicate that only 37 per cent of people are taking advantage of the so-called open-market option (OMO) to get the best deal for their circumstances.

A separate overhaul of the rules in 2006 — A-Day — introduced more flexibility. Among the changes was the introduction of the ability to unlock tax-free cash in your pension without having to retire or take an income. However, many companies stuck with the old, inflexible rules.

Tom McPhail, of Hargreaves Lansdown, the independent financial adviser, says: “Everyone knows that the system is not working. Only about a third of people are shopping around for the best solution. Unless this is dealt with, the country will be storing up social problems for 20 years down the line.”

Here we highlight the problems that advisers believe need to be addressed urgently.

Pension penalty

Standard Life, Britain’s fifth-biggest insurer, has caused anger by penalising customers who do not want to use their with-profits pensions to buy a conventional annuity. Other providers, such as Equitable Life, Prudential, Co-operative Insurance and Windsor Life, also have the power to impose these penalties, called market value adjustments. Advisers say that this makes a mockery of a system that is meant to offer flexibility.

Jeffrey Warrilow, of Stoke-on-Trent, is one of the victims of Standard Life’s uncompromising stance and may be prevented from retiring by its actions. The 55-year old, who runs a bone china business, wants to move his with-profits pension into a fixed-term annuity from Living Time, the retirement income specialist. This is a halfway house between a full annuity and a risky income-drawdown plan. He has been told, however, that he will lose almost £8,000, or 9 per cent, of his retirement pot if he goes down this route — a penalty that would not be applied if he bought an annuity.

Mr Warrilow says: “The plan was to take some of the tax-free lump sum to pay off the mortgage, which would have allowed me to retire. I think it is appalling that Standard Life has put the block on this for, what seems to me, no good reason and completely against the spirit of the rules. What is the point in having flexibility to use my pension money in the way that I want if Standard Life can turn around and say no?”

He does not want to buy an annuity because he has enough income from other sources, such as property investments, to cover his day-to-day expenses. A fixed-term annuity would allow him to leave his fund invested without taking an income but allow him to lock in to an annuity at a later date if he wishes.

His independent financial adviser, Tony Castrey, of ASC Financial Management, says: “It seems amazing that he can have a penalty-free exit if he wants to buy an annuity but is penalised for choosing an alternative that better suits his circumstances. A-Day introduced the option of taking tax-free cash without taking an income, yet here is a big insurer stopping that from happening.”

Standard Life argues that the penalties are fair.

Advice gap

Pension providers are required to send “wake-up” packs at least four months before a person is due to retire and a reminder six weeks before retirement. This is supposed to set out the options clearly and explain the potential benefits of using the open-market option.

But last year, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) issued a warning to the industry after finding that 40 per cent of insurers were failing to advise customers of their right to choose an annuity from another company. The investigation found that two in five pension providers did not meet even the most basic criteria for providing guidance on how to buy an annuity. David Harris, of Living Time, says: “Retirees are not being presented with the full range of options, meaning that they end up enslaved in an annuity with no opportunity to change their decision. The OMO should be the default option. Retirees who stick with their pension provider should have to actively sign away their rights to shop around.”

There are instances where people are unable to use the OMO. Most insurers will not accept small pensions of £10,000 or less, for example, leaving savers with no choice but to purchase one from their pension provider.

In other cases, it makes sense to stick with your pension provider. Some pensions come with valuable guaranteed annuity rates than can provide a retirement income up to 40 per cent higher than a standard annuity. They were sold mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, usually alongside retirement annuity contracts.

However, advisers and the FSA agree that more people should be shopping around for the best deal at retirement.

Transfer delay

Some of Britain’s biggest insurers are making investors wait ten weeks for their pension pots to be transferred to annuity providers. This allows insurers to earn extra interest. Investors, however, could lose vital income as annuity rates fall — in most cases quotes are valid for only 14 days. Savers are also starved of cash until the transfer is complete.

Steve Hunt, managing director of the Annuity Clearing House (ACH), the retirement specialist, says: “The delays endanger the retirement income of many people and will often cause significant difficulties at an already very stressful time of their life.”

The Association of British Insurers has said that its introduction of Options, an electronic transfer system, in December has cut transfer rates from an average of 31 days to only eight. Advisers say that a transfer should take no more than seven working days.

However, research by ACH suggests that Windsor Life and Phoenix are taking an average of 51 working days to carry out transfers. Winterthur Life, which takes 41 days on average, Scottish Mutual (40 days) and Co-operative Insurance (39 days) are also guilty of dragging their heels. Zurich Assurance was found to provide the quickest service, with average transfers of 18 days, followed by Abbey Life (19 days) and Virgin Money (21 days).

Maximise your pension income

• When you convert your pension pot into an annuity, take the open market option. By choosing the best option from the entire market, you can boost your retirement income by as much as 20 per cent Defer your state pension. Laith Khalaf, of Hargreaves Lansdown, says that if you delay taking it for a year the Government will increase your pension by 10.4 per cent. This should allow you to recoup the lost year within ten years.

Put some money in a personal pension and cash it in immediately. You can put in £2,880 a year and the Government will top this up to £3,600 with basic-rate tax relief (with a further £720 for higher-rate taxpayers). You cash in, take a 25 per cent tax-free lump sum of £900, and a pension of about £150 a year.

Consider income drawdown if you have a pot of more than £100,000. You have more flexibility on the size and timing of withdrawals.

Reinvest your tax-free lump sum in an individual savings account and take the income while retaining the capital.

Is the US Economy Close to Hitting Bottom?

Most experts and commentators are of the view that the worst of the US recession may be over by year's end. My own prediction is for an illusory recovery of government-constructed economic indicators, but nothing more than that.

It is held by most experts that a recession is typically set in motion by various unpredictable shocks. For instance, it is argued that the present recession was triggered by the crisis in the real estate market. Since, as a rule, various shocks tend to weaken consumer demand, it is the role of the central bank and the government to replace this shortfall in demand by boosting monetary pumping and government outlays. Thus, the central bank and the government counter the effects of various negative shocks by means of monetary and fiscal stimulus policies.

The monetary and fiscal stimulus is aimed at boosting overall expenditure in the economy, which (it is believed) is the key for economic growth. On this logic, spending by one individual becomes the income for another.

Following this way of thinking, since September 2007 the US central bank has aggressively lowered its interest rates. The federal funds rate target was lowered from 5.25% in August 2007 to almost zero at present. The yearly rate of growth of the Fed's balance sheet (that is, the pace of monetary pumping) jumped from 4% in September 2007 to 152% by December 2008.

With respect to the fiscal stimulus, aggressive government spending has resulted in a massive deficit. For the first nine months of fiscal year 2009, the budget deficit stood at $1.086 trillion. That compares with a shortfall of $285.85 billion in the comparable year-ago period. The twelve-month moving average of the budget had a deficit of $105 billion in June — the largest deficit since 1960.

It would appear that recent strengthening in some key economic data raises the likelihood that various stimulus measures have succeeded in reviving the economy. Seasonally adjusted retail sales increased by 0.6% in June after rising by 0.5% in the month before — this was the second consecutive monthly increase. The pace of deterioration in industrial production appears to be softening as well. Seasonally adjusted production fell by 0.4% in June after a fall of 1.2% in May. (Note that in January production fell by 2.2%.)

If recessions are caused by a fall in consumer demand as a result of various unforeseen shocks, then it makes a lot of sense for the government and the central bank to beef up the overall demand in the economy.

Why Popular Statistics Provide Misleading Signals

Observe that various economic data, which serve as a guide to establishing the state of the economy, are derived from monetary expenditure data. This means that the more money that is created, the larger the expenditure (in terms of money) is going to be. Hence, various derived statistics are going to mirror this strengthening. For instance, the so-called gross domestic product (GDP), which is pivotal in the analysis of various experts, reflects the rate of growth in money supply.

Once the state of an economy is assessed in terms of GDP, it is not surprising that the central bank appears to be able to counter any recessionary effects that emerge. By pushing more money into the economy, the central bank's actions will appear to be effective, since GDP will show a positive response to this pumping, following a time lag.

Even if one were to accept that GDP depicts a well-defined "economy," there is still a problem as to why recessions are of a recurring nature. Does it make sense that unconnected, various shocks cause this repetitive occurrence of recessions? Surely there must be a mechanism here that gives rise to this repetitive occurrence?

Also, how can an increase in demand boost economic growth? After all, in order to be able to generate an increase in the output of goods and services, there must be an increase in various means to support the increase in the production of goods.

If the key to economic growth is an increase in demand, then poverty world-wide would have been eradicated a long time ago. Every central bank in the world could have generated massive demand by means of monetary pumping, which according to popular thinking would have generated massive economic growth. That this is not the case — have a look at Zimbabwe — should raise questions regarding the soundness of this popular way of thinking.

Loose Monetary Policies Cause Boom-and-Bust Cycles

Careful examination actually shows that, rather than protecting the economy, loose monetary policies are the key source of boom-bust economic cycles.

The source of recessions turns out to be the alleged "protector" of the economy — the central bank itself. Further investigation demonstrates that the phenomenon of recession is not an indicator of the weakness of the economy as such, but rather an indication of the liquidation of various activities that sprang up on the back of the loose monetary policies of the central bank.

Loose monetary policy sets in motion an exchange of nothing for something, which amounts to a diversion of real wealth from wealth-generating activities to non-wealth-generating activities. In the process, this diversion weakens wealth generators, which in turn weakens their ability to grow the overall pool of real wealth.

The expansion in activity that sprang up on the back of loose monetary policy is what constitutes an economic boom — in reality, false economic prosperity. Note that once the central bank's pace of monetary expansion has strengthened, irrespective of how strong and big a particular economy is, the pace of the diversion of real wealth will also strengthen.

However, once the central bank tightens its monetary stance, it slows down the diversion of real wealth from wealth producers to non-wealth producers. And as activities that sprang up on the back of the previous loose monetary policy receive less support from the money supply, they fall into trouble — an economic bust, or recession, emerges.

From what we have shown, we can conclude that recessions are essentially the liquidation of economic activities that were created and sustained by the loose monetary policy of the central bank. The process of a bust is set in motion when the central bank reverses its earlier loose stance.

Having established this, we must investigate why recessions are recurrent. The reason for this is that the central bank's ongoing policies are aimed at fixing the unintended consequences arising from its earlier attempts to stabilize the economy — or rather, what it believes to be the measure of the economy: the GDP. On account of the time lag between changes in money supply to changes in GDP, the central bank is forced to respond to the effects of its own previous monetary policies. These responses to the effects of past policies give rise to fluctuations in the rate of growth of the money supply and, in turn, lead to recurrent boom-bust cycles.

Wealth Generators Key for Economic Growth

The key drivers of the economy are wealth generators. Hence, the fact that various non-wealth generators come under pressure as a result of the central bank's tighter stance is indeed good news for wealth generators and real economic growth. A tighter stance means that less real wealth, which is required to support economic growth, is taken from wealth generators.

From this we can infer that the government's and Fed's loose monetary policies have only weakened the wealth generators' ability to grow the economy by diverting real wealth to nonproductive activities.

Can the economy recover despite aggressive policies of the Fed and the government? We suggest that this depends on whether wealth generators have managed to retain their ability to generate wealth despite destructive central bank and government policies. The ability to support economic growth hinges on the pool of real savings. Once this pool is starting to move ahead, the economic growth follows suit. This in turn means that economic growth is emerging, despite government and central bank aggressive policies.

We suggest that the aggressive policies of the Fed from 2001 to June 2004 — during which time the fed funds rate was lowered from 5.5% to 1% — have significantly damaged wealth generators' abilities to keep the flow of real savings going. While the Fed's tight interest rate stance from June 2004 to September 2007 provided good support for wealth generators, the loose stance since September 2007 has most likely undone anything positive from that time. Hence, we doubt that the US economy is on the verge of solid economic recovery, if at all.

Some commentators hold the view that the present economic crisis is the result of the Greenspan-chaired Fed's extremely loose monetary policy between 2001 to June 2004. Yet for some strange reason the same commentators hold the view that Fed's loose monetary policy since September 2007 has saved the economy from massive disaster. According to this way of thinking, at certain times pumping money is bad for the economy, while at other times it can be of great benefit. We find this logic extraordinary. Something that is bad cannot also be good. Printing money always undermines the bottom line of the economy. This is why it is always bad news.

We also find it extraordinary that many experts are urging the US government to increase its fiscal stimulus in order to strengthen the expected economic recovery. Again, as with loose monetary policy, loose fiscal policies can only redistribute the existing pool of real savings. The greater the fiscal stimulus, the less that is left for wealth generators to promote real economic growth.

Fed May Consider a Tighter Stance

On account of massive monetary pumping, the growth in momentum of various key economic data is likely to strengthen in the months ahead. This, we maintain, may prompt Fed policy makers to consider curtailing the pace of monetary pumping. In an interview with Reuters, the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank president Thomas Hoenig said that the Fed's massive monetary stimulus must be gently withdrawn as the economy improves. "There are ways to pull it out when you see the economy showing signs of stability, pulling out the liquidity slowly, carefully," he said.

Furthermore, Hoenig argues that it is important to raise interest rates from current levels to a range around their "neutral" setting — the level where they neither stimulate nor restrict economic activity in order to prevent future inflation. According to Hoenig, "[O]nce we get the policy rate in a range — around neutral — you stay within that range. What we need to do is get to some level of policy that is more constrained, around a neutral level, and then let the economy work its way through."

We, however, suggest that once the Fed tightens its stance — regardless of the neutral interest rate fiction — this will set an economic bust in motion; that is, it is going to hurt the various activities that emerged on the back of the Fed's previous loose monetary stance.

Conclusion

Most experts are of the view that the worst of the US recession may be over by year's end. Common opinion holds that the key reason for the expected turnaround is the positive effect that the policies of the government and Fed have on various economic indicators. The pace of monetary pumping by the US central bank jumped from 4% in September 2007 to 152% by December 2008. With respect to fiscal stimulus, aggressive government spending has resulted in a record deficit of over one trillion dollars in the first nine months of fiscal year 2009. Careful examination shows that, rather than protecting the economy, it is loose monetary policies that are the key source of boom-bust economic cycles. Loose Fed and government fiscal policies have only weakened the wealth generators' ability to grow the economy. Aggressive policies have inflicted severe damage to the sources of funding that support real economic growth. Hence, we are doubtful that the US economy is on the verge of a solid economic recovery. On account of massive monetary pumping, the growth in momentum of various key economic data is likely to strengthen in the months ahead. We maintain this may prompt Fed policy makers to consider curtailing the pace of monetary pumping, and we suggest that this will set in motion a new economic bust.

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Ion engine could one day power 39-day trips to Mars

Video: See the rocket in action

There's a growing chorus of calls to send astronauts to Mars rather than the moon, but critics point out that such trips would be long and gruelling, taking about six months to reach the Red Planet. But now, researchers are testing a powerful new ion engine that could one day shorten the journey to just 39 days.

Traditional rockets burn chemical fuel to produce thrust. Most of that fuel is used up in the initial push off the Earth's surface, so the rockets tend to coast most of the time they're in space.

Ion engines, on the other hand, accelerate electrically charged atoms, or ions, through an electric field, thereby pushing the spacecraft in the opposite direction. They provide much less thrust at a given moment than do chemical rockets, which means they can't break free of the Earth's gravity on their own.

But once in space, they can give a continuous push for years, like a steady breeze at the back of a sailboat, accelerating gradually until they're moving faster than chemical rockets.

Several space missions have already used ion engines, including NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which is en route to the asteroids Vesta and CeresMovie Camera, and Japan's spacecraft Hayabusa, which rendezvoused with the asteroid Itokawa in 2005.

But a new engine, called VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket), will have much more "oomph" than previous ones. That's because it uses a radio frequency generator, similar to transmitters used to broadcast radio shows, to heat the charged particles, or plasma.

The engine is being developed by the Ad Astra Rocket Company, which was founded in 2005 by plasma physicist and former space shuttle astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz.

As hot as the sun

VASIMR works something like a steam engine, with the first stage performing a duty analogous to boiling water to create steam. The radio frequency generator heats a gas of argon atoms until electrons "boil" off, creating plasma. This stage was tested for the first time on 2 July at Ad Astra's headquarters in Webster, Texas.

The plasma could produce thrust on its own if it were shot out of the rocket, but not very efficiently. To optimise efficiency, the rocket's second stage then heats the ions to about a million degrees, a temperature comparable to that at the centre of the sun.

It does this by taking advantage of the fact that in a strong magnetic field – like those produced by superconducting magnets in the engine, ions spin at a fixed frequency. The radio frequency generator is then tuned to that same frequency, injecting extra energy into the ions.

High power

Strong magnetic fields then channel the plasma out the back of the engine, propelling the rocket in the opposite direction.

Thanks to the radio frequency generator, VASIMR can reach power levels a hundred times as high as other engines, which simply accelerate their plasma by sending it through a series of metal grids with different voltages. In that setup, ions colliding with the grid tend to erode it, limiting the power and lifetime of the rocket. VASIMR's radio frequency generator gets around that problem by never coming into contact with the ions.

"It's the most powerful superconducting plasma source ever, as far as we know," says Jared Squire, director of research at Ad Astra.

Scientists at Ad Astra began tests of the engine's second stage – which heats the plasma – last week. So far, team members have run the two-stage engine at a power of 50 kilowatts. But they hope to ramp up to 200 kW of power in ongoing tests, enough to provide about a pound of thrust. That may not sound like much, but in space it can propel up to two tonnes of cargo, reaching Jupiter in about 19 months from a starting position relatively close to the sun, says Squire.

Orbital boosts

Ad Astra and NASA have agreed to test fire the rocket in space, attached to the International Space Station in 2012 or 2013. Potentially, VASIMR could provide the periodic boosts needed to keep the ISS in its orbit.

At its current power level, VASIMR could be run entirely on solar energy. Squire says it would make a good Earth-orbit tugboat, pulling satellites to different orbits. It could also shuttle cargo to a lunar base, and because it could travel relatively quickly, it could be deployed to dangerous asteroids to gravitationally nudge them off course years before they would reach Earth.

To travel to Mars in 39 days, however, the engine would need 1000 times more power than solar energy could provide. For that, VASIMR would need an onboard nuclear reactor. Early versions of the reactor technology were used from the 1960s to the 1980s by the Soviet Union, but have not been used in space since and would take time to develop. "That would be quite a ways down the line," Squire says.

'Game changer'

But the possibility of such a short trip to Mars was recently lauded by Charles Bolden, NASA's new chief. He said NASA had provided a small stipend towards VASIMR's development, and said the collaboration was a good example of a partnership with private industry that could help the agency meet its goals after the space shuttles are retired in 2010.

John Muratore of the University of Tennessee Space Institute and a former lead engineer for NASA's space shuttle programme, says engines like VASIMR could enable the first human trips to Mars.

"The bottom line is with the current propulsion technology, Mars missions are undoable for humans," he says, explaining that such long trips outside of the Earth's protective magnetic field would expose astronauts to greater amounts of dangerous space radiation.

If engines, such as VASIMR, could be developed to take people to the Red Planet in 40 days, "that puts it inside the range of what we feel comfortable of doing with humans," he told New Scientist. "Something like VASIMR – that's a game changer."

Bernanke: About 25 mega-firms are systemically significant

The Fed opposes legislation seeking to audit the central bank's monetary policy


WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday said that he expects that roughly 25 financial firms would be considered systemically significant as part of legislation giving the central bank authority to oversee large, interconnected, financial firms whose collapse could cause collateral damage to the markets.

Bernanke told lawmakers at a House Financial Services Committee hearing about bank regulatory restructuring that "virtually all of those firms" are already organized as bank holding companies, which already gives the Fed supervisory and lender of last resort authority to these institutions.

After Lehman Brothers collapsed last year, many large investment banks either registered with the Fed as bank holding companies or were acquired by retail banks that already fell under the central bank's supervision.

"I would not envision the Fed's oversight going beyond many more firms than those already registered as bank holding companies," Bernanke told lawmakers. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner also testified at the hearing, followed by other key regulators.

However, some large insurance companies, hedge funds and buyout shops are not registered with the Fed but could be considered systemically significant if legislation giving the central bank new authorities is approved.

Legislators could decide to grant the Fed and Treasury the authority to identify how many financial institutions are considered systemically significant, as a White House proposal recommends. However, lawmakers could imbue a council of regulators with the authority to make that determination.

In any case, GOP lawmakers took issue with the proposition that any institution could be designated as systemically significant; arguing that it would make observers believe the institution was too-big-to-fail.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, argued that whatever institutions would be designated as systemically significant would "send a signal to the market that they can always receive taxpayer bailouts to keep themselves afloat." He added that "we are creating a perpetual bailout nation."

However, Bernanke argued that a process envisioned in the White House regulatory reform proposal creating a process for unwinding large mega-institutions would eliminate the perception that a large systemically significant firm is too-big-to-fail.

The White House proposal would establish a process to resolve large insolvent systemically significant financial institutions in a way that their collapse does not cause collateral damage to the financial markets.

The goal would be to pay off counterparties of an insolvent institution to deter any such damage arising in the markets. The proposal said the mechanism would be modeled after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s approach to dismantling insolvent smaller banks, but it would be for larger systemically significant financial institutions.

"Creation of a mechanism for the orderly resolution of systemically important non-bank financial firms, should help remediate this problem," Bernanke said.

Bernanke opposes audit of Fed monetary policy

Bernanke also said he opposed legislation moving on Capitol Hill that would allow the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to audit the central bank's monetary policy goals.

"We are more than happy to work with the GAO and open to giving them broad authority to look at various aspects of our operations, including our responses to the financial crisis, but we are worried that an audit of monetary policy would result in a reduction of the independence of the Fed," Bernanke said.

Two pieces of legislation in the House and one in the Senate would compel the GAO to conduct a monetary-policy audit at the Fed and issue a report. One GAO audit bill, introduced by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, has 245 co-sponsors, and would require an audit of every aspect of the Fed, including its interest rate policy as well as its wide-variety of programs responding to the financial crisis such as its lender of last resort authority.

Ronald D. Orol is a MarketWatch reporter, based in Washington.

By Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch

Peer-Reviewed Study Rocks Climate Debate!

'Nature not man responsible for recent global warming...little or none of late 20th century warming and cooling can be attributed to humans'

'Surge in global temps since 1977 can be attributed to a 1976 climate shift in the Pacific Ocean'

A new peer-reviewed climate study is presenting a head on challenge to man-made global warming claims. The study by three climate researchers appears in the July 23, 2009 edition of Journal of Geophysical Research. (Link to Abstract)

Full Press Release and Abstract to Study:

July 23, 2009

Nature not man responsible for recent global warming

Three Australasian researchers have shown that natural forces are the dominant influence on climate, in a study just published in the highly-regarded Journal of Geophysical Research. According to this study little or none of the late 20th century global warming and cooling can be attributed to human activity.

The research, by Chris de Freitas, a climate scientist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, John McLean (Melbourne) and Bob Carter (James Cook University), finds that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a key indicator of global atmospheric temperatures seven months later. As an additional influence, intermittent volcanic activity injects cooling aerosols into the atmosphere and produces significant cooling.

"The surge in global temperatures since 1977 can be attributed to a 1976 climate shift in the Pacific Ocean that made warming El Niño conditions more likely than they were over the previous 30 years and cooling La Niña conditions less likely" says corresponding author de Freitas.

"We have shown that internal global climate-system variability accounts for at least 80% of the observed global climate variation over the past half-century. It may even be more if the period of influence of major volcanoes can be more clearly identified and the corresponding data excluded from the analysis.”

Climate researchers have long been aware that ENSO events influence global temperature, for example causing a high temperature spike in 1998 and a subsequent fall as conditions moved to La Niña. It is also well known that volcanic activity has a cooling influence, and as is well documented by the effects of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption.

The new paper draws these two strands of climate control together and shows, by demonstrating a strong relationship between the Southern Oscillation and lower-atmospheric temperature, that ENSO has been a major temperature influence since continuous measurement of lower-atmospheric temperature first began in 1958.

According to the three researchers, ENSO-related warming during El Niño conditions is caused by a stronger Hadley Cell circulation moving warm tropical air into the mid-latitudes. During La Niña conditions the Pacific Ocean is cooler and the Walker circulation, west to east in the upper atmosphere along the equator, dominates.

"When climate models failed to retrospectively produce the temperatures since 1950 the modellers added some estimated influences of carbon dioxide to make up the shortfall," says McLean.

"The IPCC acknowledges in its 4th Assessment Report that ENSO conditions cannot be predicted more than about 12 months ahead, so the output of climate models that could not predict ENSO conditions were being compared to temperatures during a period that was dominated by those influences. It's no wonder that model outputs have been so inaccurate, and it is clear that future modelling must incorporate the ENSO effect if it is to be meaningful."

Bob Carter, one of four scientists who has recently questioned the justification for the proposed Australian emissions trading scheme, says that this paper has significant consequences for public climate policy.

"The close relationship between ENSO and global temperature, as described in the paper, leaves little room for any warming driven by human carbon dioxide emissions. The available data indicate that future global temperatures will continue to change primarily in response to ENSO cycling, volcanic activity and solar changes.”

“Our paper confirms what many scientists already know: which is that no scientific justification exists for emissions regulation, and that, irrespective of the severity of the cuts proposed, ETS (emission trading scheme) will exert no measurable effect on future climate.”

--

McLean, J. D., C. R. de Freitas, and R. M. Carter (2009), Influence of the Southern Oscillation on tropospheric temperature, Journal of Geophysical Research, 114, D14104, doi:10.1029/2008JD011637.

This figure from the McLean et al (2009) research shows that mean monthly global temperature (MSU GTTA) corresponds in general terms with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) of seven months earlier. The SOI is a rough indicator of general atmospheric circulation and thus global climate change. The possible influence of the Rabaul volcanic eruption is shown.

Excerpted Abstract of the Paper appearing in the Journal of Geophysical Research:

Time series for the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and global tropospheric temperature anomalies (GTTA) are compared for the 1958−2008 period. GTTA are represented by data from satellite microwave sensing units (MSU) for the period 1980–2008 and from radiosondes (RATPAC) for 1958–2008. After the removal from the data set of short periods of temperature perturbation that relate to near-equator volcanic eruption, we use derivatives to document the presence of a 5- to 7-month delayed close relationship between SOI and GTTA. Change in SOI accounts for 72% of the variance in GTTA for the 29-year-long MSU record and 68% of the variance in GTTA for the longer 50-year RATPAC record. Because El Niño−Southern Oscillation is known to exercise a particularly strong influence in the tropics, we also compared the SOI with tropical temperature anomalies between 20°S and 20°N. The results showed that SOI accounted for 81% of the variance in tropospheric temperature anomalies in the tropics. Overall the results suggest that the Southern Oscillation exercises a consistently dominant influence on mean global temperature, with a maximum effect in the tropics, except for periods when equatorial volcanism causes ad hoc cooling. That mean global tropospheric temperature has for the last 50 years fallen and risen in close accord with the SOI of 5–7 months earlier shows the potential of natural forcing mechanisms to account for most of the temperature variation.

Received 16 December 2008; accepted 14 May 2009; published 23 July 2009. [End Abstract Excerpt]

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