Hello Friends here we come up with the Latest Agri Commodities updates from various parts of the country.

Food inflation at 17.5%, households pay price

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Food inflation at 17.5%, households pay price:

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The government on Thursday said that the average wholesale price of food items had increased by a whopping 17.5% in the past one year.

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The figure was 15.6% a week ago.

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RBI to shift to a tighter money policy,which in turn would lead to a rise in interest rates.

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The Centre has blamed this year’s poor monsoon for high food prices.

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It also put the onus on state governments to control prices through better management of food supply through ration shops.

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In Other major Commodities Updates, we bring you the news of Govt opting for transgenic tech to boost pulses production and Natural rubber prices going double in a year.

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Govt looks to transgenic tech to boost pulses production:

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The Union government is drawing up a comprehensive programme to introduce transgenic technology to improve the productivity of pulses.

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Bt refers to a gene sourced from a soil bacterium that is transferred to plants and acts as an insecticide.

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The Bt gene activates a toxin that kills a class of pests largely responsible for damaging plants and, thus, denting yields.

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They are genetically low yielding and less responsive to inputs compared with other cereals and oil seeds.

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Not only are they more prone to pests and diseases, hybrids and genetically modified varieties are not available to enhance productivity.

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The agriculture department has said it plans to increase pulse production by 2 mt and acreage by 4 million ha by 2012.

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Natural rubber prices double in a year:

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The natural rubber (NR) prices have almost doubled in a year.

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The benchmark grade RSS-4 variety was quoted at Rs 128 a kg on Thursday compared with Rs 65 a kg on same day last year.

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The rubber market is now poised to break all records despite good production this season.

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The local market follows its global peers resulting in a sharp increase in the prices in the futures trading.

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According to Rubber Board estimates, production in November increased to 103,000 tonnes compared with 95,550 tonnes in the same month last year.

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Production is expected to be at its peak in this month due to the winter season and supply is expected to improve further.

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The board estimates also revealed that the total stock in the country increased to 247,000 tonnes.

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This is due to the sharp increase in imports and a drop in exports during April-November.

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Note : For More Latest Industry, Stock Market and Economy News and Updates, please Click Here

Street Status will be following many drift events and drifters way of life. There are currently two members of Street Status. Stay tuned for our full launch in 2010.

Miami was the new frontier for those interested in smuggling illegal drugs. With wide availability to ports and Cuban-Americans trained by the CIA, who were at the time concentrated on the Cuban embargo aiming exiles on Cuba, Miami became an excellent source for illegal drug imports.

As a more expensive and lucrative alternative, drug smugglers turned from the importation of marijuana to cocaine. Drug dealers took advantage of Miami’s many ports to import cocaine, primarily from countries like Colombia and Bolivia. This greatly inflated the pockets of many drug dealers who invested their money in lucrative businesses, indirectly fueling Miami’s economy with illicit money.

Their methods were elaborate and well planned. Cocaine was distributed throughout all of Miami and many parts of the rest of the country. Legitimate businesses were established to cover up the illegal operations, proving an establishment for which to launder money. Businesses boomed, consumers invested money into purchasing, and jobs were created all over. Positions in Coast Guard patrol and local police enforcement soared to prevent the very crime that gave them their job.

Cocaine began to stimulate our economy, and with it a way of life and a new standard of living.

salam eid mubarak to all

re suzuki

I have seen an article in relation to suzuki and a request to ban old imported vehicles, the pakistan govt should try to put in a law to govern cars sold on to the market between 5 and 8 years to encourage new car sales and get old cars off the road as old cars are less fuel efficient and emit more co2 then newer cars and less safer in car crashes for the passengers and drivers and any victim of a road crash.

For those who make money from premium and old cars sales they can move to new car sales getting a direct relationship with car manufacturers and govt can tax that market properly as cars can sold at a discount to people who do that sort of business and park up their cars at dealers either by direct dealer relationship or direct car manufacturer relationship. The manufacturer should encourage that sort of relationship between dealers and buyers to get sales. People who are in car business or new vehicle sale business would be easier shift the vehicle to instead of direct to the consumer.

As long as car manufacturers make profit on the discounted sale to a premium buyer with the sale going through the risk is with ppl who make money on premium and are in car selling business.

As premium is all about a delivery time problem a lag in production and delivery of the new car therefore by having a car on the forecourt from a premium buyer, the dealer can cut the time and the manufacturers in pakistan can reduce the waiting period and get it rid of it totally and still retain the livelihood of people in that area of new cars without the hefty premium.

Also dealers can give a cash discount to people who buy cars which i am pointing to in premium buyer like in uk where a cash discount is given to new car buyers in car scrappage scheme.

The cbr of pakistan should at taxing the premium market properly to get money in to coffers.

Lowering taxation on new cars for ppl who buy a new car by getting rid of a car older than 5 years so that the buyer gets a discount tax wise.

Also removing road tax for first year of purchase of the new car, coaches trucks, taxis and lorries.

I base all of this on emails that i have made to the pakistan govt in 2006 and 2007 about cars in pakistan and getting more fuel efficient cars on the road to use less imported oil and increasing production of cars in pakistan and reducing price of new cars, waiting time for new cars and getting rid of premium.

A road worthiness and co2 emission test for all cars, taxis, coaches, lorries and trucks over a year old in pakistan and all money collected pushed into fixing roads and improving areas by cats eyes and solar panel street lighting would help ppl in pakistan create jobs and increase safety on the roads and improve life greatly in pakistan. The money can also be used for other things to ensure better environment for ppl.

This is all designed to increase production in pakistan, remove dangerous vehicles from the road, reduce pollution, increase jobs in car market, get rid of premium on new cars and increase road safety.

Banks should look at microfinancing of new taxis, lorries, trucks rickshaws and buses on road that are used to carry goods or ppl to and from places to replace old taxis, coaches, buses, rickshaws lorries and trucks such those under nawaz sharif’s time as pm in 1990s and 1960, 1970s and 1980s. It basically new business financing in pakistan and will not cost the pakistan govt forex as all cars, trucks lorries, rickshaws and buses have to be built in pakistan, the vehicle is used for business and uses the above scheme of car scrappage to qualify.

I also recommend wearing seats belts in cities and road all over pakistan as coming across the country as way to cut deaths on the road with a fine of 500 rupees if ppl dont wear one.

The money can be used to pay police and traffic officers salaries and raise their pay.

allah hafiz
salman jafri

Sorry about the long wait, but work comes first.  Anyway, I am getting back in the swing of things for a little while.

Science News in Brief

The Large Haldron Collider has resumed operation and set a new world record for energy.  Its particle beams were accelerated at over one trillion volts.  This was just a precursor to the Collider’s primary scientific tests set for the year 2010.

Still No Black Hole: Just to give you a sense of the energy involved here: a lightning strike hits with about 1 billion volts.

A cross-disciplinary team of researchers from universities across America have released a study which indicates that climate change could increase the likelihood of civil war in sub-Saharan African countries by as much as 50% in the by 2050.  These wars would be fueled by decreased water supplies, fewer food sources, and increased poverty rates.

Talking World War III Blues: Already, 5.4 million people have died from civil war the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II.

Scientists seem to have discovered the reason for the hammerhead shark’s strange head shape.  The shape allows sharks to see almost in 360 degrees in binocular vision.

Weird Animal Fact: The mantis shrimp has the best eyesight in the animal world.  It is the only animal to to have hyperspectral colour vision.  That is, it can see across the electromagnetic spectrum.  We can only see visible light.

Cool Creature

I already covered the kakapo, but I have been dying to post this video.

Feature Story: Remember Me

Are some animal species more important than others?  A recent study which examined 222 carnivore species around the world points to the fact that certain carnivores should be more protected than others due to their ecological importance and individuality.

Even though carnivores are probably the most studied animal group, their taxonomic connections are not well understood.  Thanks to genetic testing, scientists are now able to construct much more accurate taxonomic maps.

The study supports the theory that describes the split of carnivores into two main evolutionary groups: dog-like carnivores (Caniforms) and cat-like carnivores (Heliforms).  The same study also revealed some so-called Confused carnivores which do not fit neatly into the aforementioned classification.

Researchers performing the study also isolated a number of carnivores which are unique in the ecological services they perform and the way they evolved.  They suggest that these species, including monk seals, red pandas, and walruses, should be more protected than others because they are so unique.  Because they are evolutionarily distinct, they have genes and evolutionary history not found in any other species.  This makes it important with regards to biodiversity: by increasing genetic variability.

The Cosmic Perspective

All people value equality: the right to be treated with equal respect and dignity as any other human being.  Those who value the environment tend to extend that to the animal world.  We do not like to show preferential treatment to certain animals just because they are cute and cuddly.  So, this study which claims that certain animals are more important from an evolutionary perspective comes as a bit of a shock.  Why should a walrus be more important than a snow leopard?

I look at this from two points of view: that of a scientist and that of an environmentalist, because I consider myself to be both.  As a scientist, I definitely see the merit of protecting certain species.  Different animals perform different tasks in an ecosystem.  Certain animals’ roles are more critical to the functioning of the system as a whole than others.  It is a principle of network systems thinking that  nodes (animals) in a system (ecosystem) can be ranked based on the number of nodes which connect to them and the importance of those nodes.  So, the more important connections an animal has, the more important it is in an ecosystem.  However, even a few important links can prove to elevate a species to a higher status than one with many relatively commonplace connections.

That being said, all animals play an important role in biodiversity.  Biodiversity provides for the astounding variety of different organisms, genes, ecosystems in which they exist, and biological services these organisms provide for life to adapt to changing environmental conditions throughout history.  It would be foolish not to save as much as we can of the already dwindling amount of biological diversity we have on this planet.  We often do not know how important something is before it is gone altogether.

Powerful Islamist insurgents in Somalia tell the UN World Food Programme to stop importing food and buy local produce…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. The blog is also related to: food.

Figures do not really make one cheerful.
Apart from rise in unemployment, figures relating to investments in Commercial buildings,GDP growth and increased import do not augur well for the economy.
Another paradox is slightly increased demand should have resulted in in higher inventories as compared to slow down period;yet decrease in inventories.Does the inventory level relate to consumer products or infrastructural products like steel, cement?If it relates to consumer products it is logical that demand for consumer products to have come down.If not, infrastructural products must have picked up.As commercial building investment is less, it is obvious that the figures relate to consumer products as reflected in increased consumer demand,which is the reason for US’s economic ills.Rather than promoting infra structure, it is not good for the economy to invest on non revenue yielding consumer products.
Unless consumer product consumption is curbed and infrastructural products are given priority along with Agriculture, and less imports, the Economic slide down shall continue to haunt US.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. economy grew more slowly than first thought in the third quarter, but house prices rose for the fifth month in September and U.S. consumer confidence was up in November in data published on Thursday, suggesting a slow economic recovery is still intact.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s second estimate of third quarter economic output, published on Tuesday, showed growth at a 2.8 percent annual rate, rather than the 3.5 percent pace it estimated last month.

It was still the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2007, reflecting government fiscal stimulus, but slightly less than expectations for a growth pace of 2.9 percent.

The return to growth in the third quarter, after four straight quarters of declining output, probably ended the most painful U.S. recession in 70 years. The economy contracted at a 0.7 percent rate in the April-June period.

Gross domestic product growth was constrained by consumer spending that was not as robust as first thought, and by strong imports and weak investment in commercial buildings. But corporate profits surged as businesses raised output even as they were cutting payrolls.

“This will be a muted, slow recovery and it will be strewn with setbacks,” said T.J. Marta, chief market strategist at Marta on the Markets. “I don’t have a lot of high hopes.”

U.S. stocks opened lower, while Treasury debt prices rose slightly after the report was released.

U.S. DEMAND SATED BY IMPORTS

An upward revision to U.S. imports was one factor behind the softer than previously reported GDP figures, showing more domestic demand was sated by overseas production.

Imports jumped at 20.8 percent annual rate, the biggest gain since the second quarter of 1985, instead of 16.4 percent. They knocked 2.53 percentage points off the change in GDP.

Another drag came from the construction of nonresidential structures, which dropped at a 15.1 percent pace rather than 9 percent, as previously reported, highlighting the problems in the commercial property market and shaving just over half a percentage point off GDP growth.

Consumer spending, which normally accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, rose at a 2.9 percent rate, instead of the 3.4 percent pace reported last month. It was the biggest rise since the first quarter of 2007 and represented a turnaround from a 0.9 percent second quarter fall.

Businesses also reduced inventories at a slightly faster rate than had been anticipated. While that revision trimmed third quarter GDP growth, analysts said it helps lay the groundwork for future production.

“That sets up for a better fourth-quarter GDP with more restocking,” said John Canally, economist at LPL Financial in Boston.

Excluding inventories, GDP rose at a 1.9 percent rate instead of 2.5 percent. That marked a pickup from the 0.7 percent pace in the second quarter, but showed demand was somewhat lackluster.

After-tax corporate profits grew 13.4 percent in the third quarter, the largest gain since the first quarter of 2004 and more than double what markets had expected.

The strong profit growth reflected deep cost-cutting by companies, mostly headcount reduction, to deal with tepid demand.

Home building activity rose at a 19.5 percent rate in the third quarter, below previous estimates of 23.4 percent. It was the first time home construction contributed to GDP since 2005.

HOUSING MARKET RECOVERING TOO

A separate report on Tuesday showed U.S. home prices rose for a fifth straight month in September, the latest sign of stability in a sector that was at the heart of the recession.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index of home prices in 20 metropolitan areas rose 0.3 percent in September. Analysts said a tax credit for first time homebuyers helped support the market.

The 20-city index had an annual decline of 9.4 percent.

“We have seen broad improvement in home prices for most of the past six months,” David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P, said in a statement. “However, the gains in the most recent month are more modest than during the seasonally strong summer months.”

The national index for the third quarter increased 3.1 percent from the prior quarter, the same as in the second quarter, resulting in an 8.9 percent annual drop. That was a significant improvement from the 14.7 percent annual downturn reported in the prior quarter and 19 percent slump

The November extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, and the addition of a $6,500 credit for move-up buyers, should support home sales and prices in coming months, economists said.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE UP

U.S. consumer confidence edged higher in November after an unexpected drop in October, with less consumers expressing doubt about the a worsening jobs market, according to a report from the U.S. Conference Board.

The Board’s index of consumer attitudes increased slightly to 49.5 in November from 48.7 in October.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a reading of 53.1, matching the previous month’s figure.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2429697120091124?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=11617&sp=true

Hello Friends here we come up with the Latest Agri Commodities updates from various parts of the country.

 

After 20 Years, India to Import Rice

After 20 years, India to import rice:

India, a traditional rice exporter, will import the grain for the first time in 20 years to meet a projected shortfall of the crop hit by drought and floods, government said yesterday.

The government estimates that there would be a shortfall of over 15 million tonnes in the 2009-10 Kharif (summer) season due to drought and floods in several states.

Thailand’s Foreign Trade department announced that the world’s biggest rice exporter is expected to release part of its huge stock of almost six million tonnes of rice stockpile to India, besides eight other countries, through g-to-g sales programmes.

In Other major Commodities Updates we can see that the demand-supply gap for natural rubber in the country is set widen.

Demand-supply gap for rubber stretches:

The demand-supply gap for natural rubber in the country is set widen as production is expected to fall and demand set to rise above earlier stimates.

Rubber production for April-October period was 9.4 per cent lower at 4,35,125 tonnes against 4,80,230 tonnes last year.

Consumption grewn three per cent to 5,36,100 tonnes (5,20,375 tonnes).

The production-consumption mismatch resulted in a sharp rise in imports and a corresponding fall in exports.

Imports increased 133 per cent to 1,26,472 tonnes (54,283 tonnes), while exports plunged 92 per cent to 3,859 tonnes (34,000 tonnes), sources in the Rubber Board said.

The Rubber Board has scaled down the production target for the current fiscal by 2.8 per cent to 8.40 lakh tonnes from the earlier estimates of 8.67 lakh tonnes announced in April.

The forward estimates of production has moved up 6.8 per cent to 9.31 lakh tonnes from the earlier estimate of 8.81 lakh tonnes.

Note : For More Latest Industry, Stock Market and Economy News and Updates, please Click Here

For all those who purchased Left 4 Dead 2 via Steam, I must point out that the point of sale for that transaction is in Washington, United States. As such, you should demand that you be delivered the uncensored version. It is not illegal to sell the complete version in that State.

For all those who purchased Left 4 Dead 2 via an Australian retail store, be it for Xbox 360 or PC, you’ll have to live with the censored version.

No commentary needed, just watch this brilliance unfold.

I’m all ranted out for now, so I shall bring this series to a close.  I have hinted at a number of things we, the average consumer, can do to improve the system.  So, to finish off the series, I am posting a list created by a professor of Environmental Studies, Dr. Richard Andrus, which I think is completely reasonable to attain.

For personal health-

1. Eat more whole foods and avoid processed sugars & starch.
2. Avoid factory farmed meat, dairy & eggs wherever possible.
3. Eat modest amounts of grass-fed meat.

For the environment-

1. Avoid factory farmed meat.  They cause massive pollution issues from concentration of nitrates and massive erosion from corn & soybean production for animal feed.
2. Buy local. This cuts back of food miles and helps reduce CO2 emissions.
3. Buy unprocessed food, as processing takes huge amounts of fossil fuels.
4. Avoid any processed drinks that come in a non-reusable container. The only reusable containers available currently are glass beer bottles from Canada. Recyclable does NOT mean reusable. Most recycled containers end up in the landfill.
5. Buy organic, as long as it’s unprocessed.
6. Grow, cook and brew your own.

For everything!

1. Purchase as little food as possible that results in profits for corporations. There are two reasons. One is that by law they are bound to maximize profits for shareholders, which means they are bound to take advantage of human weaknesses that attract us to unhealthy foods. The second reason is that a prime way to increase profits is do whatever you can legally do to externalize the costs of your activities. This results in pollution from agricultural fields, abuse of farm workers. contamination from factory farms, abuse of farm animals,and  huge production of packaging solid waste.

Andrus, Richard, PhD. Some Simple Dietary Suggestions. Binghamton University. Web. 15 Nov. 2009.

Here is some photoshop work I did today of Gary’s 350. Here is the original image:

The first thing I did was activate radial blur to the wheels to make it seem as if the wheels were spinning.

Second, I had selected the background and added motion blur to it.

And lastly I just chose the option “lens correction” and changed a bit of things. I like the final product except for the yellow line on the car. I need to find out how to get rid of reflections.

Maybe I overdid the effects. Lol. Maybe…

South Korea’s relation North Korea is troubled, and is often a rocky relationship. I just think that the North is ‘playing hard to get’. Over simplistic, but the North has it’s own ways, and South Korea as a potential suitor, has not yet given up.

To smooth the way, care packages are sent North. How often I’m not exactly sure. But according to statistics found on the BBC website, it’s yearly, measured in thousands of tons of food. That’s a lot even without another statistic to compare it to. Perhaps the total annual rice imports for New Zealand?

The picture, I’m told is part of the package going North to feed the masses. Instead on buying food, the North prefers to buy these and these.

To the casual observer, North Korea is playing hard to get, and at the age of 59, she might be too old to marry, and is heading toward spinstership. South Korea may woo the lady-to-to-be yet. We all live in hope.

Side note: Letters to Felice was a series of love letters written by Franz Kafka. Enagaged twice but never married, he had a troubled character. He died 11 June, 1924.

Biography, Franz Kafka.

You walk through the aisles of your local supermarket.  Apples in June.  Watermelons in February.  Oranges in December.  Weird star fruit in….well I don’t actually know if star fruit have a picking season.  So how do we have these fruits and vegetables when it is not time for them to be picked.

Most of our food doesn’t come from the good ol’ USA.  As I previously mentioned, we mainly grow corn.  Most of that is used for biofuels and livestock feed.  So where do we get all this stuff?  Well, where is it warm and rainy all year-round (and cheap to grow)?  Thing South.  We get a vast majority of our produce (when not in season) comes from Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, and Brazil.  If you have time, I suggest you actually go to your local supermarket and ask the manager from where the produce is coming.  99 times out of 100, you will get a blank stare.

As a nation, we have become so disconnected from the very sustenance we need for survival.  Most urbanites think farmer as being synonymous with country bumpkin, redneck, hillbilly, or quaint.  There is a social stigma to be a farmer.  But should those farmers disappear, well, the high and mighty urbanites are in for a world of hurt.  In fact, this may not be as strange as one would think.  Since 1979, 300,000 small farms have disappeared in the United States, and since 1946 the number of people who make their living by farming has been cut in half. Increasingly, large companies like Monsanto and Carghill take over and force farmers out of their land.

Farmers' Numbers Decrease

Back to the food.  So these crops are being grown in countries far away from all of us.  The workers who are spraying the pesticides we previously mentioned, working long hours in the hot sun are probably not being paid very well.  But that is not a problem: we get our watermelons cheap!  The crops are finally picked.  Now what?  The crops are put in an air-conditioned airplane and flown to packaging and distribution centers throughout the United States.  Then, they are shipped in air-conditioned trucks all over the country on our wonderful highway system.  This is hugely energy intensive.  It is estimated that the average American family’s meal has traveled almost 10,000 miles before it reaches the plate (in December, to be fair).   Scientists have clocked energy usage as being 10 calories of fossil fuels for 1 calorie of food.  Talk about inefficient.

The Cosmic Perspective

Perhaps for the purposes of this series the Cosmic Perspective should be retitled to What You Can Do.  Oh well, too late.

If ever there was a simple way to make a difference it is to: buy local and in season!  Simple!

Don’t buy those apples in June or watermelons in February.  Eat what is available in your zone when you plan to eat it.  That might mean doing without some things.  Unfortunately, most Americans are still in the mentality that they want it all and they want it now.  So visit your local farmer’s markets.  Not only will you help support the local economy (that is all the rage), but you will be eating better: better for you and for the environment.  Build a relationship with those great folks who grow your food.  Check out this link to find more links regarding local eating:

http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/LocatingLocal.html

I don’t mean that you have to drop oranges altogether.  I have eaten a star fruit.  Guilty as charged.  But all good things in moderation.  Once in a while is fine, every day is where the problem arises.

In her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver notes,

“The main barrier standing between ourselves and a local-food culture is not price, but attitude. The most difficult requirements are patience and a pinch of restraint – virtues that are hardly the property of the wealthy. . . We’re raising our children on the definition of promiscuity if we feed them a casual, indiscriminate mingling of foods from every season plucked from the supermarket, ignoring how our sustenance is cheapened by wholesale desires. Waiting for the quality experience seems to be the constitutional article that has slipped from the American food custom…We have the illusion of consumer freedom, but we’ve sacrificed our community life for the pleasure of purchasing lots of cheap stuff. Making and moving all that stuff can be so destructive: child labor in foreign lands, acid rain in the Northeast, depleted farmland, communities where the big economic engine is crystal meth. We often have the form of liberty but not the substance.”

Was a crazy day, my first ever rota cruise and it was a huge turnout! I never seen so many rotaries in one place all at once…. probably over 100! Managed to get a few shots on my mobile phone at the meet earlier on and at the first pitstop at Kapunda. All this in 35+ degree heat!

In the distance, a light fixed to the arm of an industrial crane blinks to the tune of a chirping insect. The faint hum of cars that creep over the bridge into Morehead City intermingles with the rustling of reeds and the hush of the wind along the seawall. From afar, the peak of a domed storage facility is barely visible along the horizon- nearly imperceptible, a faint black silhouette amongst the shadows of the night.

Now turn on the lights. Industrial elevators and conveyor belts, which only hours before were enveloped by blackness, now shoot visibly upwards to form a supersized jungle gym. Three monolithic domes housing pre-fertilizer phosphates emerge from the tangle of metal support rods like enormous bald heads. Narrow cranes built of crisscrossing metal scrape the bottom of clouds like the tongs of forks. Exposed- the Port of Morehead City is abrasive and unharmonious, a vertical triumph against gravity. It is the antithesis of natural beauty: the mottling of manmade grays and stark beiges is rough and ugly in the midst of the glistening Newport River.

But as the covering of darkness belies the port’s vastness, the callous outline of machinery conceals a newfound conservationist undercurrent to make the facility “green.” Since 2007, the North Carolina Port Authority has been committed to becoming environmentally friendly, reducing the shipping hub’s dependence on oil and installing high-efficiency light fixtures. Tractors power to life on ultra low sulfur diesel, coughing bio-product, not petroleum, into the air. And, with the switch to biodegradable lubricants, spills are no longer toxic to the environment. The state is even looking to finance solar panel roofing on one of the 17,000 ft² storage warehouses, which would reduce the facility’s electricity guzzling 100-fold. In all of its activities, from packaging to processing to loading, the shipping center is striving for ecological awareness.

The industrial complex is well on its way to becoming environmentally conscious, but can the Port of Morehead City ever really fit in? The waste products may become cleaner, the emissions lower, the lighting cheaper- but the harsh, uneven landscape of intercepting metal will continue to break against the horizon as a sharp reminder of human manufacturing. Cranes will still trespass against the sky. And the whitewashed concrete and bare, weather-stained storage domes will persist in evoking thoughts of mankind’s offenses against the natural world. In short, regardless of how environmentally friendly our technological masterpiece may be, a misshapen eyesore it will remain. What can we do to find harmony with the gentle hues of Nature? Well for one thing, I suggest green paint.

See the North Carolina Ports website for more information on the Port of Morehead City.

This car is fking hardcore!

1200bhp @ 2.6 bar boost
HKS racing 2.8L high deck complete engine
HKS head system STEP Pro V lifter, HKS STEP Pro
IN/EX 296deg
HKS STEP Pro valve springs
HKS STEP Pro V valve IN set
HKS STEP Pro V valve EX set
Valve step seal set
Fully machined and modified head system
HKS GT3540 twin turbo
HKS special racing wastegate
Custom stainless wastagate outlet pipe
HKS metal head gasket
HKS oil pump
ATI crank dumper pulley kit
HKS GT intercooler cooler twin entry type
HKS oil cooler kit
TOP SECRET GT intake plenum
NISMO engine mounts
AUTO SELECT oil sump
Custom titanium exhaust
1000cc main injectors X 6 + 440cc extra injectors X 6
Twin injector adaptor
BOSCH external fuel pump X 2 + SARD intank fuel pump
Quaife 6 speed sequetual gearbox
Quaife torque bisting front diff
Custom collector tank
EARL’S braided fuel line
HKS fuel rail
HKS fuel regulator
Aluminium triple layered radiator
BILLION swirl pod set
SAMCO radiator hoses
BILLION electric fan X 2
OHLINS adjustable suspensions
S&S ENGINEERING pillow ball front arms
AUTO SELECT suspension arm pillow ball kit
HKS triple plate clutch
NISMO diff mount
NISMO member bush
13 point roll cage
Seam welded shell
AUTO SELECT frame support bar
RECARO Pro Racer SP-G bucket seat (driver side)
RECARO SP-G (passenger side)
HKS F-con V-pro ver3.1
HKS ETC torque split controller
HKS A/F knock amp
HKS EVC Pro
HKS turbo timer
TOP SECRET front bunper
TOP SECRET front carbon under diffuser
NISMO GT carbon bonnet
TOP SECRET carbon GT wing
TOP SECRET limited edition 18inch rims (VOLK
ACING LE37)
NISMO LED GT tail lights

The drought in higher interest rates may be nearing an end? Ever since the global financial crisis accelerated into full force in the fall of 2008, there were a constant flow of coordinated interest rate cuts triggered around the world with the aim of stimulating global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and improving credit flow through the clogged financial pipes. Central banks across the world cut key benchmark interest rate levels and the impact of these reductions has a direct influence on what consumers pay for their financial products and services. More recently, we have begun to see the reversal of previous cuts with rate hikes witnessed in several international markets. Last week we saw Norway become the first western European country to raise rates, following an earlier October rate lift by Australia and another by Israel in August. For some countries, the sentiment has switched from global collapse fears to a stabilization posture coupled with future inflation concerns. In the U.S., the data has been more mixed (read article here) and the Federal Reserve has been clear on its intention to keep short-term rates at abnormally low levels for an extended period of time. That stance would likely change with evidence of inflationary pressures or improved job market conditions.

What Does This Mean for Consumers?

Prior to the financial crisis, credit availability flourished at affordably low rates. Now, with signs of a potential global recovery matched with regulatory overhauls, consumers may be impacted in several financial areas: 

1)      Credit Card Rates: Beyond regulatory changes in Washington (read more), the interest rate charged on unpaid credit card balances may be on the rise. When the Federal Reserve inevitably raises the targeted Federal Funds Rate (the interest rate for loans made between banks) from the current target rate range of 0.00% and 0.25%, this action will likely have direct upward pressure on consumer credit card rates. The associated increase in key benchmark rates such as the Prime Rate (the rate charged to a bank’s most creditworthy customers) and LIBOR (London Interbank Offer Rate) would result in higher monthly interest payments for consumers.

2)      Other Consumer Loans: Many of the same forces impacting credit card rates will also impact other consumer loans, like home mortgages and auto loans. Pull out your loan documents – if you have floating or variable rate loans then you may be exposed to future hikes in interest rates.

3)      Business Loans / Lines of Credit: Business owners -not just consumers – can also be impacted by rising rates. When the cost of funding goes up (.i.e., interest rates), the banks look to pass on those higher costs to the customer so the account profitability can be maintained.

4)      Dollar & Import Prices: To the extent subsequent United States rate hikes lag other countries around the world, our dollar runs the risk of depreciating more in value (currency investors, all else equal, prefer currencies earning higher interest rates). A weaker dollar translates into foreign goods and services costing more. If international central banks continue to raise rates faster than the U.S., then imported good inflation could become a larger reality.

5)      Hit to Bond Prices: Higher interest rates can also result in a negative hit to your bond portfolio. Higher duration bonds, those typically with longer maturities and lower relative coupon payments, are the most vulnerable to a rise in interest rates. Consider shortening the duration of your portfolio and even contemplate floating rate bonds.

Interest rates are the cost for borrowed money and even with the recent increase in consumers’ savings rate, consumers generally are still saddled with a lot of debt. Do yourself a favor and review any of your credit card agreements, loan documents, and bond portfolio so you will be prepared for any future interest rate increases. Shopping around for better rates and/or consolidating high interest rate debt into cheaper alternatives are good strategies as we face the inevitable end in the drought of higher global interest rates.

Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®

Plan. Invest. Prosper.

DISCLOSURE: No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC “Contact” page.

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