Watts Witit

ONE truth that emerges clearly from the recent history of Federal Reserve monetary-policy action is that changing central bank policy goals is like steering the Titanic. You can see where the ship ought to go, and the captain himself might do his best to pilot it there, but the nature of the beast is that it simply wont turn on a dime. There are too many extremely cautious people influencing policy decisions and too much political and market scrutiny for that.

All the same, the ship has turned and is likely to continue altering its heading. Early in the crisis, the Fed reached for the relatively conventional tools at its disposal–reductions in its target for the federal funds...

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Jan 11, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) –
Northern Technologies International Corporation

/quotes/zigman/53882/quotes/nls/ntic NTIC
-0.28%

today reported its financial results for first quarter of fiscal 2012. Highlights of NTIC’s financial and operating results include:

...

As a culture that has survived 5,000 years of change and turmoil
—- yet retained its artistry throughout —- there is much to
tell about the story of China, its land and its people. Shen Yun
attempts that feat, and earns rave reviews and returning audience
members on its annual tours.

The troupe performs Thursday through Jan. 22 at the California
Center for the Arts, Escondido —- its seventh appearance at the
venue. Shen Yun, founded in New York City, emphasizes classical
Chinese dance. The elaborately costumed, well-trained troupe covers
more than 5,000 years of Chinese history with elegance and
grace.

Eye-opening backdrops...

Dhaka, Jan 26 (bdnews24.com)?The central bank#39;s new monetary policy has once again exposed deep cracks in the economy, the BNP remarked on Thursday.

Announcing a contractionary monetary policy earlier in the day, Bangladesh Bank revised down its growth target and said inflation may shoot the estimated 7.5 per cent for the ongoing fiscal.

BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir issued a reaction hours later, saying, The nation is heading towards destruction.

The banks are broke from loaning out excessively [to the government], three million investors in the stock market have lost everything. The Bangladesh Bank policy reflects this scenario.

Fakhrul said...

China 2011 Fiscal Deficit CNY 519bln: Reports

(RTTNews.com) – China posted a fiscal deficit of CNY 519 billion in 2011, matching 1.1 percent of gross domestic product, reports said Friday citing data from the Finance Ministry.

The government targeted a deficit of CNY 900 billion in March last year. The Ministry also said that the fiscal revenue surged 24.8 percent to CNY 10.37 trillion during 2011.

Full-year fiscal expenditures were 21.2 percent higher than in 2010 and amounted to CNY 10.89 trillion in 2011.

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Greenspot – food trends for 2012

January 11, 2012 , 10:08 AM by La Vergne Lehmann

Something we are all interested in – at least to some degree – food! so what are some of the trends in food for 2012?Some of these relate specifically to sustainability while others are more about marketing and perception – but interesting nonetheless.

The top trends relate purity, authenticity and sustainability, as consumers continue to look for products with added value, despite the ongoing economic uncertainty.

1. Pure is the New Natural: Natural products are becoming the rule rather than the exception in most western markets, despite...

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 19 (UPI) — President Barack Obama, in a visit Thursday to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., joked it was nice to meet a world leader who has bigger ears than me.

It was Obamas first trip to the Florida theme park, press secretary Jay Carney said of the visit.

With Cinderellas castle as a backdrop, Obama spoke to an audience of about 150 people, including Disney employees, members of several unions and local politicians on Disneys Main Street.

Its always nice to meet a world leader who has bigger ears than me, said Obama, of a planned meeting with Mickey Mouse.

He added it was rare for him to do something that would make his daughters...

For the first time, the Greater Phoenix area will have its own Birthright Israel trip, with all 40 spots given to local young adults.

Birthright is a national nonprofit that sponsors men and women ages 18-26 to go on a free, educational 10-day tour of Israel.

In the past, spots reserved for Valley residents on a Birthright trip had to be shared with another city, such as Las Vegas, according to Tamar Farber, manager of the Israel Center in Scottsdale.

You can never guarantee anything … but the chances of getting on (our trip) are much better than the general pool, said Farber. Nationwide, the acceptance rate of applicants is about one in three, she said.

Farber...

Thursday night a group of local doctors, nurses and volunteers were packing up suitcases with medical supplies, medicine and clothes. The group is headed to Grand Goave Haiti for a medical mission trip.

Organizers say this is the groups seventh time going to Haiti to help those in need. Seventeen people, including four doctors and several nurses, will help with everything from infections and broken bones to helping with dental needs. The group says it expects to help 1,200 to 1,500 people during the week.

My first thought is I get anxious, I still have that Midwestern mentality where I want to be busy I dont want to have to have people wait. I am always apologizing because...

Jan. 6, 2012

• Kentucky had the highest number in the US of background checks for firearm permits, according to a report from the FBI.
  Kentucky requested 9,630,654 background checks from the FBI from Nov. 30. 1998- to Dec. 31, 2011. The next highest number of requests was from Illinois, with 5,107,408.
  According to notes in the report, these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. They do not represent the number of firearms sold. Based on varying state laws and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot...