Thursday 31 May 2012

Thumb how to care for orchids Not Green? Try These Gardening ...

Thumb how to care for orchids Not Green? Try These Gardening Ideas!

Gardening can be an essential part of beautifying your home or supplementing you, your family, or your career. However, understanding it and buying the right gardening equipment can be tricky. Here are some tips that you can use to help you properly and successfully grow a garden like a pro.

Repel leaf-eating insects with chili pepper. If your plants? foliage is being ravaged by hungry insects, add one tablespoon of red chili pepper or hot mustard to one quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray the foliage evenly, making sure to get the undersides of the leaves too. One taste of this spicy spray will send bugs on their way.

If you like to plant flowers that produce a lot of fragrance, consider planting them close to your house. One reason is that you can enjoy the scent whether you are inside or outside your house. Another reason is that the heat from the walls of your house can intensify the scent from your flowers, making them more fragrant.

Use mulch around your plants to help retain moisture and prevent the growth of weeds. You can buy mulch, but you can create your own by using grass clippings or leaves. You can even lay down plastic sheeting and plant your plants in holes in the plastic. All these methods help the plants retain the moisture they need for growth and reduce the chances that weeds will grow.

A garden that has tall plants in the back with low-growing plants in the front shows off the entire flower bed the best. To keep interest and color in your garden throughout the season, be sure to plant flowers that come into bloom at different times. This way, you will always enjoy color in your garden.

Create a deep flower border. orchid care Most people think the standard flower border should be about three or four deep, but a showy border needs to be at least six or eight feet. This will give you enough space to plant small ornamental trees and large flowering shrubs, along with the usual annuals and perennials.

Wear comfortable shoes and clothing when gardening. Never work in the garden in bare feet or sandals. Wear shoes that lace up and give good cushioning and arch support. If it is hot and sunny out, wear a hat to shade from the sun and clothes that will protect the skin from burning. The more comfortable you are, the more you will enjoy your garden.

Try growing crops that are easy to store or store themselves. If handled properly and gently, given the right amount of time to cure, garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, dry beans, or shallots will keep for a very long time in a cool, dry place. No canning or freezing required. This will ensure having fresh vegetables from the garden all winter long.

A great tip to consider when gardening is to use gloves as often as possible. While this might hinder your dexterity, it is a great way to keep your hands clean and also lessen the risk of injury from sharp tools, stones, bug bites, thorns, and other dangers that lurk in your garden.

To save money, consider making your own garden fertilizer. For instance, broken eggshells make a great fertilizer for small gardens, indoor plants and container plants. Mix the eggshells throughout the soil to get the best effect. Eggshells even have the added benefit that they aerate the garden soil as well.

Utilize proper tools and keep them in tip-top shape to lessen the stress on your body when you?re gardening. Spades and hoes should be periodically caring for orchids sharpened to keep them working at their best. If you have the space, choose tools such as long handled spades that allow you to stand while working. The better you feel after gardening, the more often you?ll enjoy getting your hands dirty!

Slide your fingernails against a bar of soap to prevent dirt from getting under your nails. The dirt doesn?t necessarily hurt you, but you will save time and effort when cleaning your hands later. Instead of having to dig underneath your nails, you can just use a nailbrush to quickly remove the soap residue.

Mow your lawn correctly. Reduce the height of long grass in several stages rather than at one time, as this prevents the lawn going brown. Let long grass dry completely, or it will look ragged after mowing. Mow hard-wearing lawns when the grass reaches 2.5 inches, and fine lawns when the grass reaches 1 to 2 inches. In late spring, when growing conditions are good, you may have to mow your lawn twice a week, whereas in late fall every 2 weeks is sufficient. Use grass clippings as mulch under mature trees and shrubs, or add them to the compost pile.

Make sure your plants are always evenly spaced by turning your rake or shovel handle in to a measuring stick. Simply lay a yardstick next to your shovel and copy the markings to the handle with a permanent marker. The next time you?re ready to put in new plants all you?ll need is your shovel.

As you read, gardening can be incredibly important to your current and future home. Understanding how to do it right will help you to truly beautify your home or your business. This article makes it easier for you to understand what you need to do to help your plants grow, and by following the above tips you have a very good starting place.

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Romney savors GOP nomination victory (The Arizona Republic)

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Tuesday 29 May 2012

Derby fire parents arrested for murder: media

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Radioactive bluefin tuna crossed the Pacific to US

FILE - This March 5, 2007 file photo shows workers harvesting bluefin tuna from Maricultura's tuna pens near Ensenada, Mexico. New research found increased levels of radiation in Pacific bluefin tuna caught off the coast of Southern California. Scientists said the radiation found in the fish came from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant that was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/Chris Park, File)

FILE - This March 5, 2007 file photo shows workers harvesting bluefin tuna from Maricultura's tuna pens near Ensenada, Mexico. New research found increased levels of radiation in Pacific bluefin tuna caught off the coast of Southern California. Scientists said the radiation found in the fish came from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant that was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/Chris Park, File)

(AP) ? Across the vast Pacific, the mighty bluefin tuna carried radioactive contamination that leaked from Japan's crippled nuclear plant to the shores of the United States 6,000 miles away ? the first time a huge migrating fish has been shown to carry radioactivity such a distance.

"We were frankly kind of startled," said Nicholas Fisher, one of the researchers reporting the findings online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The levels of radioactive cesium were 10 times higher than the amount measured in tuna off the California coast in previous years. But even so, that's still far below safe-to-eat limits set by the U.S. and Japanese governments.

Previously, smaller fish and plankton were found with elevated levels of radiation in Japanese waters after a magnitude-9 earthquake in March 2011 triggered a tsunami that badly damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors.

But scientists did not expect the nuclear fallout to linger in huge fish that sail the world because such fish can metabolize and shed radioactive substances.

One of the largest and speediest fish, Pacific bluefin tuna can grow to 10 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. They spawn off the Japan coast and swim east at breakneck speed to school in waters off California and the tip of Baja California, Mexico.

Five months after the Fukushima disaster, Fisher of Stony Brook University in New York and a team decided to test Pacific bluefin that were caught off the coast of San Diego. To their surprise, tissue samples from all 15 tuna captured contained levels of two radioactive substances ? ceisum-134 and cesium-137 ? that were higher than in previous catches.

To rule out the possibility that the radiation was carried by ocean currents or deposited in the sea through the atmosphere, the team also analyzed yellowfin tuna, found in the eastern Pacific, and bluefin that migrated to Southern California before the nuclear crisis. They found no trace of cesium-134 and only background levels of cesium-137 left over from nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s.

The results "are unequivocal. Fukushima was the source," said Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who had no role in the research.

Bluefin tuna absorbed radioactive cesium from swimming in contaminated waters and feeding on contaminated prey such as krill and squid, the scientists said. As the predators made the journey east, they shed some of the radiation through metabolism and as they grew larger. Even so, they weren't able to completely flush out all the contamination from their system.

"That's a big ocean. To swim across it and still retain these radionuclides is pretty amazing," Fisher said.

Pacific bluefin tuna are prized in Japan where a thin slice of the tender red meat prepared as sushi can fetch $24 per piece at top Tokyo restaurants. Japanese consume 80 percent of the world's Pacific and Atlantic bluefin tuna.

The real test of how radioactivity affects tuna populations comes this summer when researchers planned to repeat the study with a larger number of samples. Bluefin tuna that journeyed last year were exposed to radiation for about a month. The upcoming travelers have been swimming in radioactive waters for a longer period. How this will affect concentrations of contamination remains to be seen.

Now that scientists know that bluefin tuna can transport radiation, they also want to track the movements of other migratory species including sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.

___

Online:

Journal: http://www.pnas.org

___

Follow Alicia Chang at http://www.twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Associated Press

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When the world gives you negative news, the smart start planning ...

Fidelity Investment?s Peter Drake urges Canadians to see beyond the
headlines and introduces the Top 10 reasons why Canada is a great place
to retire

VANCOUVER, May 28, 2012 /CNW/ ? Addressing the Canadian Institute of
Financial Planners annual national conference today in Vancouver,
Fidelity Investment?s Peter Drake highlighted the disconnect many
Canadians may be feeling about their retirement prospects given the
almost constant barrage of negative economic and business news
surrounding them.

In his presentation to attendees, entitled The Shift to Retirement Income: Beyond the Headlines, Drake, who is Fidelity?s Vice President of Retirement and Economic
Research, urged financial advisors and their clients to put the
negative news in context and not become paralyzed with fear.? The
presentation focused on the positive role financial advisors can play
in helping investors focus on what they want to achieve in retirement
so that they can properly plan and emotionally prepare for this life
transition.

?Everywhere you turn these days, you can find headlines about the
slowing global economy, the need to work longer, underfunded pensions
and how Canadians are not saving enough for retirement. While there may
be truth in these views, they often sensationalize the actual
situation,? said Drake. ?What we don?t read enough of is that Canada is
one of the best places in the world to retire. Look at our solid
economic position, our healthcare system and the demand for older
workers. There?s little doubt that Canada is attractive for both people
retiring as well as those who want to work past the traditional
retirement age.?

Top 10 reasons why Canada is a great place to retire?

To balance concerns Canadians may be seeing and hearing about the state
of retirement in Canada, Fidelity introduces the Top 10 reasons this
country provides many truly great retirement opportunities:

10.

Canada?s labour market provides opportunities for older Canadians: The participation rate of older workers in Canada is on the rise and
Fidelity?s research found that 79% of pre-retirees expect to work at
least part-time in retirement. Contrary to what one might expect, their
reasons for working in retirement are not purely financial. Top reasons
included the desire to stay mentally or physically active and keeping
busy to help pass the time. On the demand side of the equation,
employers are increasingly looking to older workers to provide much
needed experience as the number of new entrants to the workforce slows.
A combination of both growing supply and demand for older workers
forecasts a positive outlook for Canadians in the years ahead.

9.

Rising Canadian housing prices have added wealth for boomers: The net worth of Canadians has increased substantially as Canada?s
housing market took off over the past decade. While there may be
concerns about overheating in some urban markets, it is likely that
most retirees and near retirees who purchased homes in the prime of
their accumulation years, could weather a housing correction and still
have added value that could be used to generate income in retirement if
needed.

8.

Canada?s fiscal position in good standing relative to other countries: The Canadian government?s deficit and debt position is in good shape
relative to much of the developed world. For Canadians, this strong
fiscal standing helps ensure the sustainability of the types of
retirement benefits Canadians rely on for the foreseeable future.

7.

Workplace pension coverage likely to improve: While there are ongoing discussions about which route governments should
take to improve employee pension coverage including adopting Pooled
Registered Pension Plans or enhancing the Canada Pension Plan, it is
positive that the federal and provincial governments are actively
looking for ways to help Canadians better prepare for retirement.

6.

Low and predictable inflation: The strong record of the Bank of Canada of keeping inflation low and
predictable is very positive for retirees. Inflation affects retirees
more than any other demographic group as it can reduce the purchasing
power of their savings. Inflation that is both low and predictable is
one of the most important aspects to planning for twenty to thirty
years of retirement.

5.

Flexibility in Canada?s retirement system for saving, investing and
generating income
:? Canada has a flexible retirement income system. There is more than one
way to save and invest for retirement and more than one way to generate
retirement income.? This means that Canadians have choices about what
works for them.

4.

Health Care ? 70/30 rule: 70% of expenses are covered by the government,
30% by the individual
: Fidelity research in the United States concluded that Americans should
save $240,000 for health care in retirement1 ? a cost most Canadians won?t have to face. While everyone in Canada is
covered for basic health care expenses, Canadians do need to be aware
of what they are covered for and plan for potential out-of-pocket
health costs. The good news is that it is unlikely that Canadians will
be hit with an unexpected, catastrophic medical bill.

3.

Sustainability of Canada?s Public Pension system: The federal government?s actuary regularly checks the health of the
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and it has been declared solvent to pay all
its liabilities for at least the next 75 years.

2.

Canadian life expectancy among highest in the world:? Canadians are living longer, healthier and more active lives than ever
before. Retirements of 25 plus years are now the norm, not the
exception. To enjoy this gift of time, Canadians need a written
retirement plan to help ensure they do not outlive their savings.
Fidelity?s research shows that only 23% of respondents have a written
retirement income plan, a number that hasn?t changed in the seven years
of Fidelity conducting research in Canada. This number needs to
increase.

1.

Canada is a great place to live: Canada is recognized globally as one of the best countries in the world
to live. From stable governments, to strong individual rights,
accessible health care, and abundant resources from clean water to
commodities envied by the rest of the world, Canada has enormous wealth
and the ability to provide for its citizens. With proper planning,
retirees can live the lifestyle they plan for filled with
opportunities.

Drake concluded by reiterating the importance of having a retirement
plan. ?There?s always a reason not to plan for retirement,? said Drake.
?Investors could pick any year from the 1987 crash to the tech bubble
to the recent financial crisis and ongoing market volatility ? there
will always be something to focus on versus thinking about retirement
planning.? We know from our research that Canadians who have taken the
time needed to prepare for their retirement are feeling good about
their future.? While the news of the day might be daunting, you have a
better chance of living the life you want in retirement if you take the
time now to plan, save and invest for your future.? And you?d be smart
to get professional financial advice.?

About Fidelity Investments

Fidelity Investments Canada ULC is part of the Fidelity Investments
organization of Boston, one of the world?s largest providers of
financial services. 2012 marks 25 years of success in the Canadian
marketplace, where Fidelity manages a total of $67 billion in mutual
fund and institutional assets. This includes $13 billion in assets for
institutional clients including public and corporate defined benefit
pension plans, endowments, foundations and other corporate assets on
behalf of clients across Canada.

Fidelity Canada provides Canadian investors a full range of domestic,
international and income oriented mutual funds, as well as asset
allocation and managed solutions and the high net-worth program, the
Fidelity Private Investment Program. Fidelity funds are available
through a number of advice-based distribution channels including
financial planners, investment dealers, banks, and insurance companies.
Fidelity is a proud supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and
we are dedicated to helping young Canadians realize their full
potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

1 Fidelity Investments, Fidelity Viewpoints, May 16, 2012, ?Retirees
face estimated $240,000 in medical costs?.? The estimate assumes no
employer-provided retiree health care coverage and average life
expectancies after age 65 of 17 years for men and 20 years for women.
The estimates of retiree health care costs will vary considerably,
based on mortality assumptions.

?

SOURCE Fidelity Investments Canada Limited

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/28/4521163/when-the-world-gives-you-negative.html

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Sunday 27 May 2012

Guaranteed Military Loans

These financial programs are specifically designed for military personnel and available exclusively to them. If a person is serving on active duty, or is retired from the armed services, they can qualify for guaranteed military loans. Some lenders also offer assistance to those serving in the National Guard or reserves. These programs are available to service personnel regardless of their rank or the branch of the armed forces in which they serve. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Funding through these programs is unsecured, or requires no collateral. Packages are typically offered at lower interest rates, with little or no additional fees attached. Lenders can offer guaranteed military loans for better rates because they know that the borrower's income is guaranteed as long as they are serving, and are thereby more assured of a timely repayment.

Assistance can be applied for online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lenders will typically notify a person within a business day if they have been approved. If approved the guaranteed military loan can be mailed, wired or deposited directly depending on where the individual is stationed and how quickly they need to receive the money.

Approved amounts vary with the lender with which the person is applying, as well as with the type of program for which they are applying. Some guaranteed military loans are designed to be small and short term. Others, however, are offered simply as a benefit to members of the armed services. For example, some lenders offer a guaranteed military loan for education. The Veteran's Administration also offers assistance for up to 25% of the purchase of a house.

Depending on what a person is looking for, there is probably a guaranteed military loan available for the individuals financial needs. For a member of the armed forces, many lenders are available and willing to provide assistance to meet and finance needs, as well as dreams. It is important to research the various programs online in order to find one that meets an individuals expectations, both in amount and with its payback conditions.

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Saturday 26 May 2012

3 Outstanding Features of Mobile Broadband over Cable Broadband

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Vatican bank chief ousted in no-confidence vote

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? The president of the Vatican bank was effectively ousted Thursday after receiving a unanimous vote of no-confidence from bank overseers for having leaked documents and failed to do his job at a critical time in the Holy See's efforts to show financial transparency, the Vatican and officials said.

Ettore Gotti Tedeschi has been a polarizing figure ever since he was named president of the bank, known as the Institute for Religious Works, or IOR, in 2009. He is under investigation for alleged money laundering by Italian magistrates, but the investigation isn't believed to have factored into the decision since the Vatican considers the probe to be motivated by outside political interests.

The Vatican said in a statement Thursday that the vote was taken because of Gotti Tedeschi's failure to fulfill the "primary functions of his office." He himself has told prosecutors that he barely paid attention to the bank's works, showing up only two days a week while tending to his primary position as head of Spain's Banco Santander's Italian unit in Milan.

In addition, Gotti Tedeschi was found to have leaked confidential documents to serve his personal and political interests, according to a source in the Vatican secretariat of state. The source requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal Vatican investigations. The Vatican is in the midst of a scandal over leaked documents and has begun a criminal investigation into the source of the leaks, as well as appointed a commission of cardinals to get to the bottom of it.

In the statement, the Vatican said the board had grown increasingly concerned about the governance of the bank and that the situation had deteriorated recently.

During a regularly scheduled board meeting Thursday, the five superintendents, who include the former No. 2 at Deutsche Bank, Ronaldo Hermann Schmitz, and Carl Anderson, head of the Knights of Columbus, a major U.S. Catholic fundraising organization, unanimously adopted a no-confidence motion and recommended that Gotti Tedeschi's mandate be terminated.

His fate isn't final. On Friday the cardinals who sit on the IOR's governing council are to meet to consider the board's decision. While it wasn't clear if they could ignore the no-confidence vote, the Vatican made clear the search was already on for a replacement.

"The council is now looking forward to search for a new and excellent president who will help the institute rebuild relationships between the institute and the financial community based on mutual respect based on internationally accepted banking standards," the IOR said.

The no-confidence vote comes at a critical time for the Holy See in its efforts to shed the IOR's image as a secretive tax haven battered by years of scandal.

The Holy See is heading into a July meeting of Moneyval, a Council of Europe committee that will determine whether it has complied with international norms to fight money laundering and terror financing. Transparency of the IOR's finances has been one of several criteria that the Moneyval evaluators have investigated.

It wasn't clear if the timing of Gotti Tedeschi's ouster was aimed at sending a message to the Moneyval investigators, but just last week the Holy See met with them to discuss the preliminary findings of their report.

Gotti Tedeschi has long painted himself as the symbol of Vatican financial transparency, but the vote Thursday indicated that his primary collaborators on the board had found him to be anything but. He was faulted for not keeping the board of superintendents apprised of the work of the bank, among other failings.

Recently, he raised eyebrows when he made a joke about Hitler, war and economics.

Gotti Tedeschi was a frequent contributor to the Vatican newspaper and went on a very public speaking tour extolling the benefits of a morality-based financial system and citing frequently from the pope's encyclical on the subject, "Charity in Truth."

Italian authorities placed Gotti Tedeschi and the IOR's top manager under investigation in September 2010 and seized ?23 ($30 million) from a Vatican bank account at the Rome branch of Credito Artigiano Spa, after the bank informed the Bank of Italy about possible violations of anti-money laundering norms.

Gotti Tedeschi and the Vatican have denied any wrongdoing, calling the investigation a misunderstanding. No charges have been filed, and the money was subsequently released after the Vatican passed a series of measures to combat money laundering and create a financial watchdog authority ? key requirements for the Moneyval process.

The Vatican bank was founded in 1942 by Pope Pius XII to manage assets destined for religious or charitable works. Located in a tower just inside the gates of Vatican City, it also manages the pension system for the Vatican's thousands of employees.

The bank is not open to the public. Depositors are usually limited to Vatican employees, religious orders and people who transfer money for the pope's charities.

The Vatican bank's finances have long been shrouded in secrecy. Most famously, it was implicated in a scandal over the collapse of the Banco Ambrosiano in the 1980s in one of Italy's largest fraud cases. Roberto Calvi, the head of Banco Ambrosiano, was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in London in 1982 in circumstances that remain mysterious.

Banco Ambrosiano collapsed following the disappearance of $1.3 billion in loans the bank had made to several dummy companies in Latin America. The Vatican had provided letters of credit for the loans.

While denying any wrongdoing, the Vatican bank agreed to pay $250 million to Ambrosiano's creditors.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

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92% Headhunters

All Critics (79) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (6)

'Headhunters" is a frighteningly well-made thriller about an amoral art thief on the run.

"Headhunters" is a bit like an Ikea desk assembled with your nondominant arm -- sleek and attractive, but likely to fall to pieces if you look at it too hard.

"Headhunters" will indeed hand you your head.

A cat-and-mouse game with the giddy excitement of a heist movie.

It's crisp entertainment even as plot absurdities gum up the works - you can almost hear the pages turn as you watch.

The scenes of graphic violence are drawn out to the point where they overwhelm the story.

Sleek and relentless, it's a provocative, darkly comedic thriller.

Suspenseful, wickedly funny and clever, Headhunters offers more bang for your buck than most modern crime thrillers.

"Headhunters" isn't a pretty film, and it doesn't always entirely make sense, but it races along like a man chased by killers.

The good guy in the Norwegian "Headhunters" looks like a bad guy, and the bad guy looks like a good guy. And that's just one of the ways this dazzling movie messes with us.

HEADHUNTERS is an exhilarating thriller with great visual flare, top notch acting, and a story that will have you so involved that you'll possibly have no fingernails by the end of it!

Like a Teutonic techno band, this thriller is both skillfully familiar and chillingly strange.

...a sordid blast of delirious violence, brutal corporate satire, and male inadequacy.

This is one funny, gory, high-class crime thriller and my favorite Norwegian export since 'Troll Hunter.'

Do yourself a favor and see this one before some Yank director gets it all wrong.

Headhunters is a slick entertainment with well-orchestrated chases and bloody shootouts, though its characterizations are shallow and sketchy.

Despite the gaps in logic the movie...is cannily put together and easily holds your attention.

More Critic Reviews

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Thursday 24 May 2012

Turn Your iPhone Into A Bouncy Ball With The M-Edge iPhone SuperShell

Screen shot 2012-05-24 at 2.52.31 PMOk, maybe not a bouncy ball, but pretty damn close. M-Edge came out with a SuperShell for the iPad towards the end of last year, but the idea of a bouncing iPhone seems much more appealing. The case comes in four different colors — black, blue, purple, and pink — and has a finely dimpled finish to it to help with grip.

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Report: Russian intelligence suspects US hand in SuperJet crash

Although aviation experts dismissed Russian intelligence's suspicions of a US hand in the May 9 plane crash in Indonesia, the many unanswered questions about the crash fuel conspiracy theories.?

By Fred Weir,?Correspondent / May 24, 2012

In this September 2007 file photo, a Sukhoi Superjet 100 is displayed outside the aviation factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, about 3,900 miles east of Moscow.

Ruslan Krivobok/RIA-Novosti/AP/File

Enlarge

Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, suspects that US-inspired industrial espionage may have caused the May 9 crash in Indonesia?of a Sukhoi Superjet 100?? Russia's only hopeful entry in the civilian aviation market ? according to Moscow's leading tabloid newspaper, the usually reliable and officially connected?Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir

Correspondent

Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?

Recent posts

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While most Russian aviation experts contacted today dismissed the sabotage theory, they say there is a deepening mystery about how Russia's most modern civil aircraft, with all its systems apparently functioning perfectly, came to slam into the side of a mile-high volcano during a routine demonstration flight.

"All the theories put forward so far are badly flawed, there is a shortage of hard information and there are a lot of irresponsible rumors," says Roman Gusarov, editor of Avia.ru, an online aviation journal. "I am afraid that Russia is not going to emerge from this story without taking a black eye."

Citing an unnamed GRU general, Komsomolskaya Pravda?claimed that electronic jamming of the plane's on board equipment is the most plausible explanation for how the jet, which was making a demonstration flight out of Jakarta airport with 45 people aboard, smashed into a mountainside even though an initial investigation has found that its terrain and collision avoidance systems were all functioning properly.

"We are investigating the theory that it was industrial sabotage," the GRU officer is quoted as saying. He said that Russian intelligence has long monitored the activities of US military electronic specialists at the Jakarta airport.

"We know that they have special equipment that can cut communications between an aircraft and the ground or interfere with the parameters on board," he said. "For example, the plane is flying at one altitude, but after interference from the ground onboard equipment shows another."

The investigation has so far turned up the plane's "black box" cockpit voice recorder, which shows that no system-failure alarms went off during the plane's final minutes, nor did the crew take any audible emergency action. But the aircraft's digital flight recorder, which monitors flight systems and engine performance, remains missing in the rough jungle terrain around Mount Salak, where at least seven other deadly air disasters have occurred.

Big questions

The biggest question about the crash is why the SuperJet's pilot,?Alexander Yablontsev, one of Russia's most experienced test pilots, requested permission to descend amid a rainstorm in a notoriously mountainous area ? and why a ground controller in Jakarta granted that permission.

"Maybe he didn't see that the plane was heading straight at the mountain. On the other hand, we don't rule out the possibility that this was deliberate industrial sabotage to drive our aircraft from the market," an unnamed official at Sukhoi, the plane's manufacturer, told Komsomolskaya Pravda. "Fortunately, we don't foresee any loss of orders [for the SuperJet]."

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Choosing The Right Place For Your Wedding











Most couples put a huge effort into the planning of their wedding. When you are planning yours, use the helpful tips in the article below.

Be cautious of the weather on your big day. If the conditions of the weather are unfavorable then your guests might not want to celebrate during this time, like if the weather is raining or extremely hot, it could deter guests from coming to your wedding. They may also leave early, if it's extremely cold at your wedding. Do what you can to make sure your guests are comfortable; provide fans in the summer or small heaters in the winter.

Be alert about the weather. Guests will not appreciate a hot and sticky outdoor wedding and most likely won't want to stick around to socialize and celebrate with you. Winter weddings are especially difficult to plan because you have to deal with potential cold, ice and snow. Guests may not be able to travel to your wedding if there's a blizzard, and may be afraid of getting sick and go home early, if you don't supply enough heat. Do what you can to make sure your guests are comfortable; provide fans in the summer or small heaters in the winter.

Make sure you hear everyone rehearse their speeches before you if they are appointed to speak at your wedding. This way, you will know that it is all appropriate for your big day. For example, you would want to eliminate any jokes that apply to a very specific group within your guests in order to avoid anyone feeling excluded and to make sure the speech is well-received by all who attend your wedding.

When you're getting plans together for your wedding, consider the types of alcoholic beverages you're going to be serving. Also be aware of the cost. Open bars are expensive, especially if they're open for a long time. Ask your venue about the different alcohol serving options that they have available.

If you want to save a little money and add your own unique touch to the wedding, try whipping up custom invitations for the intended guests. You can buy an invitation kit; you will then be allowed to pick all of your own inks and fonts.

Midday is the best time to have wedding receptions. Your guests will drink less alcohol during these hours, which cuts down on your bar needs greatly. Furthermore, lunch receptions are often less expensive than dinner receptions. This allows you to add more to your menu or use the savings elsewhere.

If you're planning on having your reception outdoors, talk to your caterer about appropriate food choices for the event. The foods you have may be too light or may not last long enough for outdoor usage. You could use covered chafing dishes, or keep the food inside a tent. Regardless, make sure you have access to a fridge or a large amount of ice for cooling drinks.

If you want seasonal flowers that grow near your home to decorate your wedding, you should keep in mind that they may be extremely difficult to acquire near your wedding location due to differences in climate. It is best to call ahead to a professional in the area where you are planning on being married, to see which blooms are plentiful, and what they suggest for your specific taste.

Instead of using expensive, elaborate flower arrangements, opt for various inexpensive potted plants. Plants in decorative glazed pots or terracotta tones will look great and save money. The plants can be used as wedding favors for the guests to take home, or the bride and groom can use them to landscape their own yard.

Ask anyone who is giving a toast to share his speech with you ahead of time to ensure that the comments are appropriate. Some material, especially jokes, may fall flat or offend some of your guests, so you want to correct these problems ahead of time. At a wedding, there is normally a collection of different generations present, and you need to remember that a joke that young people find funny may actually offend older guests.

Silk flowers can be a good alternative to fresh flowers in some cases. This not only saves you money, but it also ensures that there isn't a given time when you need to start collecting these flowers and they will stay fresh forever.

There will be plenty of guests at your wedding that you will desire to take pictures with. However, if your wedding is a big one, getting people together for those photos will be a challenge if you don't have a designated photo-taking time. Speak with your photographer about spending a few hours during the day taking these photographs, and inform the appropriate guests prior to the specified time of where and when they should meet.

When making table assignments for your reception, ensure that even numbers of guests will be at each table. Try grouping tables by age groups so that they can talk about similar things.

Keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Guests will not appreciate a hot and sticky outdoor wedding and most likely won't want to stick around to socialize and celebrate with you. They also may not have a good experience if it is very cold out and you plan a winter celebration. There are various arrangements that you can make to account for the weather. For example, if you are planning on having an outdoor wedding in the summer heat, providing fans may alleviate some of your guests' discomfort.

Check to make sure that you can alter the lighting of the venue where the wedding reception will take place. You may not think this detail is important; however, consider the effect of low lights on parts of your reception. For example, you may want to dim the lights for your first dance or other important dances and brighten them when you want everyone to participate in dancing. Check out the lighting available at different venues before picking one.

Make sure to properly practice your wedding speech if you plan on giving one. If you don't get all the practice you need, it's easy to forget what you want to say, make a misstep, or leave the audience bored.

Instead of one large, expensive wedding cake, consider serving cupcakes or several small cakes. Some bakeries will even ship fresh cupcakes with fewer than 100 calories per serving as well as healthy options like gluten-free ingredients, fruit-filling instead of frosting, no-calorie sweeteners, or even tart meringue toppings.

You can find some talented professionals in your local area to help you have the perfect wedding day by advertising for help on Craigslist. Be certain to take the time to meet them and interview them before making any agreements or giving them money.

A lot of people dream of their wedding for their whole lives, right up to the moment it happens. This gives weddings an almost ethereal feel. There is so much to plan that just the thought of it all can be overwhelming. Hopefully, after you read this guide, you will have an easier time in handling and planning your own wedding and you will be able to breathe a little bit easier.

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Troubled Iran nuclear talks spill over into 2nd day

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Between Facebook and JPMorgan, Wall St. woes mount

Pre-market prices for Nasdaq stock, left, and Facebook stock are shown, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York. Facebook stock rose in early trading Wednesday, although still far below the $38 it was priced at before its initial public offering Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Pre-market prices for Nasdaq stock, left, and Facebook stock are shown, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York. Facebook stock rose in early trading Wednesday, although still far below the $38 it was priced at before its initial public offering Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The pre-market price for Facebook stock is shown, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York. Facebook stock rose in early trading Wednesday, although still far below the $38 it was priced at before its initial public offering Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

(AP) ? Almost four years after the financial crisis, Wall Street still can't get it right.

Investor anger mounted Wednesday over the initial public offering of Facebook stock last week, which was fumbled by the banks that managed the deal and complicated by technical problems at the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Shareholders filed at least two lawsuits against Facebook and Morgan Stanley, the bank that shepherded the IPO, over reports that it withheld negative analyst reports about Facebook from some clients before the company went public.

It was the second stumble this month by a major Wall Street firm. JPMorgan Chase, usually revered for taming risk, has yet to contain a growing $2 billion loss in one of its trading units.

The missteps are further eroding the confidence of Main Street, or what was left of it after the financial meltdown of 2008, and reinforcing the sense that the game is rigged.

Judson Gee, a financial adviser in Charlotte, N.C., placed a call Wednesday morning to a client who had plowed $50,000 into Facebook stock on Friday, the day of the IPO.

Gee said he called to tell the client, a restaurateur, about reports that Morgan Stanley had told only select customers about an analyst's reduction of revenue estimates for Facebook just before the IPO.

"I could see his jaw dropping on the other side," Gee said. "A lot of expletives came out." He said his client had asked: "How can they give that information to the big boys and not give it to the public?"

In the final planning of the IPO, Facebook, working with Morgan Stanley, raised the total number of shares being offered for sale by 25 percent, to 421 million. They expected extraordinary demand for the stock by investors.

That appears to have been a miscalculation. Facebook stock jumped from $38 to as high as $45 in the opening minutes, but quickly sank toward $38 again. It dropped to about $34 on Monday and $31 on Tuesday. The stock recovered somewhat on Wednesday and climbed $1.

Dayna Steele, a motivational speaker in Houston, said she planned to wait and buy the stock "when everybody finishes suing each other."

The shareholder lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, accuses Morgan Stanley of withholding the negative analyst report from some clients while it prepared to take the stock public.

One of the investors suing, Dennis Palkon, a professor at Florida Atlantic University, said that IPOs are tricky, but "this one had a lot of glamour, had a lot of interest. It has a lot of users. I thought it'd be a pretty good investment."

He bought 1,800 shares of Facebook at $38 through his ETrade account, meaning that after Tuesday, he was down more than $12,000 on paper.

"I think there were problems all over the place," he said. "It was totally poor planning to raise the price as high as they did and then to add all those extra shares."

Morgan Stanley declined comment on the suit, but it said on Tuesday that it had complied with regulations in how it handled analyst reports before the IPO. Facebook called the lawsuit "without merit."

The Senate Banking Committee, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators also plan to look into the IPO.

Regulators will probably want to comb over Facebook's prospectus, the information it provided to potential investors, to make sure the company's disclosures were accurate and complete.

State securities laws and industry rules, mostly broader in scope than SEC rules, give state and industry regulators a wider berth to sanction investment firms that they accuse of failing to act in investors' best interest.

The first trading in Facebook stock, originally set for 11 a.m. Friday, was delayed half an hour by technical glitches at the Nasdaq Stock Market, and brokerages are still sorting through problems with orders.

A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Facebook was in talks with the New York Stock Exchange to move its stock listing there from Nasdaq.

The bungled IPO came little more than a week after JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon disclosed the $2 billion loss.

He has said the bank was hedging against financial risk, but regulators have questioned whether it was a gamble for profit instead, and have seized on the loss to make the case that Wall Street has not cleaned up its act.

Lisa Lindsley, director of capital strategies for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has 1.6 million members and handles pension assets of $850 million, said the union was "very concerned about the lack of internal controls at all three firms," referring to Facebook, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley.

Elizabeth Warren, architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a Democratic candidate for Senate from Massachusetts, said Wall Street has lost an image that once said, "We are solid and we will be here forever."

"Banking should be boring," she said, "because boring creates confidence."

As if small investors needed a reason to feel queasier, the stock market is having its worst month of the year, mostly because of concerns about a debt crisis in Europe and whether Greece will exit the euro currency group.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 9 percent during the first four months of the year, but that has withered to 2 percent.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index more than doubled in the three years after its financial crisis low, in March 2009, and is still up 93 percent. But small investors, mistrustful of the market, are still pulling money out of stocks.

Investors withdrew $85 billion from U.S. stock mutual funds last year and have pulled more money out than they put in for five years in a row ? significant given how many Americans automatically put money in through 401(k) accounts.

They had already withdrawn $6 billion through April this year, and the decline in May figures to make the withdrawals accelerate.

To be sure, Main Street has a love-hate relationship with Wall Street. For the 1980s and 1990s, and for much of the 2000s, it tilted toward love, and bankers were hailed as masters of the universe.

When booms turn to bust, as after the crash of 1987, the bursting of the dot-com bubble in the early 2000s and crisis of 2008, the relationship quickly turns sour.

But for the institutions of Wall Street, these recent missteps could hardly come at a worse time. The presidential election is less than six months away, and the economy and the role of large financial institutions figure to play large roles.

When Congress passed an overhaul of financial laws in 2010, it was designed to prevent a repeat of the 2008 crisis. The details are still being written, and the financial services industry is fighting hard against many of those changes.

Two weeks ago, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the JPMorgan loss "helps make the case" for tougher rules for banks.

William Black, a former bank regulator who now teaches law and economics at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, said he believed the banks would still be able to water down the regulatory changes, even after these embarrassments.

The banks, he said, "are bringing a gun to a knife fight."

But the issues are not clear-cut. Michael Barr, a law professor at the University of Michigan who was an architect of the overhaul, said he was concerned that the Facebook episode might make it harder for other companies to raise money by taking themselves public.

"The more the system feels like it's rigged, the harder it is going to be for companies to raise money and for investors to freely participate," he said.

Ernie Patrikis, a former top official at the Federal Reserve's New York branch who is now partner in the banking regulatory practice at the law firm White & Case, said banks deserve part of the blame for spooking investors in 2008.

But he said regulators have been more rigorous since, some financial institutions have closed, and "a lot of CEOs went missing."

"I don't want to see a day of reckoning" for the banks, he said. "The banks are our lifeline."

___

AP Business Writer Marcy Gordon in Washington, AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York and AP Radio correspondent Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Wednesday 23 May 2012

Eddie Murphy's "Bubble Hill" Party Palace Finally Finds Buyer ...

Monday, May 21, 2012, by Rob Bear Photos: Luxist

The A-list actor and comedian Eddie Murphy has been trying to sell his sprawling 30-room mansion in the NYC suburb of Englewood, N.J. for almost eight years. Murphy purchased the place for $3.5M back in '85 and dubbed it "Bubble Hill," after the slang word for party. Now he can finally throw a party to celebrate unloading the place, most recently listed for $12.75M, down from a 2004 asking price of $30M. The 5.4-acre estate is one of the largest in the neighborhood and features a mansion-sized guest house, "bowling alley, a pool, racquetball and tennis courts, a screening room and a recording studio." There's no word yet on the identity of the buyer or the (probably reduced) price they paid.
? Comedian Murphy?s estate on brink of sale [Miami Herald]

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Stocks turn higher after housing report

NEW YORK (AP) ? Just as investors were getting used to a steady diet of worrying news about the global economy, along came an encouraging report on the housing market.

The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that Americans bought more previously owned houses in April. The median price surged 10 percent over the past year, the best gain since January 2006, before the real-estate bubble popped.

The report sent homebuilders stocks climbing and helped turn most stocks higher. Facebook's stock, however, continued to slump.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 46 points to 12,551 as of 2:30 p.m. Eastern. JPMorgan Chase, which has been hammered since disclosing a $2 billion-plus trading loss, gained 5 percent on Tuesday, making it the Dow's leading stock.

Stock indexes had wavered between gains and losses before the housing report came out. The realtor group said sales of previously occupied homes rose 3.4 percent last month to an annual rate of 4.62 million, more than economists had predicted. The median price rose to $177,400.

"Existing home sales is one of the most important indicators for the housing market," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the brokerage BTIG. "The improvement in today's data, while not spectacular, is nonetheless encouraging."

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6 points to 1,322. The Nasdaq composite index, which had its biggest gain of the year on Monday, rose 4 points Tuesday to 2,851.

Homebuilders such as PulteGroup, Lennar and Hovnanian Enterprises shot higher. S&P's homebuilder index has gained 39 percent this year, versus 5.3 percent for the S&P 500 index.

In recent years, most analysts considered the housing market a drag on the overall economy. Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, said Tuesday's report is more proof that housing is no longer an obstacle. It's "not just healing" he said, in a note to clients. Construction has now contributed to economic growth for two straight quarters.

Facebook's stock kept sliding, dropping 7 percent to $31.64. The social networking company has fizzled since its long-awaited initial public offering last week at $38. Facebook sank 11 percent on Monday, even as the rest of the stock market rallied.

Among stocks making big moves:

? Urban Outfitters jumped 7 percent, the biggest gain in the S&P 500. The retailer posted earnings late Monday that surpassed Wall Street analysts' expectations on record sales.

? Benihana soared 21 percent on news that the restaurant group's board agreed to a buyout from the private equity firm Angelo, Gordon & Co. Shareholders still need to sign off on the deal.

? Ralph Lauren rose 3 percent. The clothing company's quarterly earnings soared 29 percent, helped by strong sales and a lower tax rate. The company doubled its dividend to 40 cents per share.

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Tacoma Roofing Transformation By Chase Construction NW Inc ...

The ?Home Improvement Hero?s? have been at it again in Tacoma, Washington. This time our mission brought us to neighborhood of duplexes. The existing 3 tab roofing system had been battered by the Tacoma rain, and was in need of rescuing. Have no fear, the roofing heroes are here. As we began to tear-off the old roofing system, we ran into a big surprise. Not only were there multiple layers of roofing shingles, but also an extra layer of sheathing (the roof deck). Building codes in Tacoma have changed a lot in the last decade, and according to current specifications you do not want to have more than one layer of sheathing.

After tearing off the old roofing system we installed a new IKO Cambridge roof to match the beautiful brick face. The color of the IKO shingles is earth tone cedar. What a great architectural compliment to this Tacoma home and neighborhood.

?

This roof is backed up with a limited life time warranty from IKO roofing manufacturer. The warranty also boasts a 15 year ?Iron Clad? non-prorated time on the materials, the highest in the industry.? If your home needs a facelift, or the elements of the Pacific North West have damaged your roof, call the heroes?, we are ready to tackle any roofing challenge.

For a more information on roofing systems that will work for you please contact us at 253-445-8950. If you are interested in a free estimate or roofing consultation please fill out our online roofing request form and we will get back to you in a timely manner.

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This entry was posted in Home Improvement, Tacoma, Washington and tagged Chase Construction North West, IKO Cambridge, roofers tacoma wa, roofing, roofing contractors tacoma, roofing contractors tacoma wa, roofing tacoma, Shield Pro Plus Contractor, tacoma roofers. Bookmark the permalink.

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Monday 21 May 2012

A political debate plays out among Louisiana oil rigs

LAFAYETTE, La. ? Visitors to this oil town might be forgiven for wondering whether the BP oil spill and subsequent drilling moratorium ever happened. "Now hiring" signs are plastered on billboards around town, and hotels such as the Crowne Plaza are chock full of seminars training students to work on offshore rigs. Many offshore companies can't find enough workers for the jobs they're listing. This parish has the lowest unemployment rate in Louisiana, 4.8%.

Such is the opportunity on the offshore rigs that Sheila Clark, whose husband, Donald, died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion two years ago, said her 22-year-old son recently asked her how she'd feel if he went to work on a rig.

"I can't stop him," said Clark, who moved to Baton Rouge after her husband's death. "He wants to make a good living for himself."

The Obama administration takes credit for this sea change in an area that was all but closed during a six-month moratorium on offshore drilling in 2010.

"There are politicians who say that if we just drilled more, then gas prices would come down right away," President Obama said last month in the Rose Garden. "What they don't say is that we have been drilling more."

But companies here complain about a sluggish permit process, and say the hiring signs are up because so many workers left town during the moratorium that there's now a worker shortage. When Mitt Romney came to Louisiana this spring, he picked up on their complaints.

Obama "made it harder to get energy in America and so he shouldn't be taking credit for that," Romney said, standing on a natural gas rig.

As gas prices fluctuate and the economy remains stagnant, energy is becoming one of the more contentious issues in the 2012 campaign. House Democrats introduced a bill that would pay for lower-interest student loans by ending tax subsidies to oil companies. Republicans accuse Democrats of hampering energy production by blocking the Keystone pipeline.

Romney spoke to supporters in front of an oil derrick in the swing state of Colorado last week, criticizing Obama for "outdated" energy policies.

"I'm going to open up [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]; I'm going to get drilling in the gulf going again; I'm going to make sure we drill for oil in the outer continental shelf," he said.

Nowhere is the energy issue more sensitive than in the Gulf of Mexico, where environmentalists butt heads with economic development officials after one of the biggest environmental disasters in U.S. history.

The strange thing is, experts say, that despite the politics, Romney and Obama have essentially the same position on offshore drilling.

"They're not that far apart," said Cindy Rugeley, an assistant professor of politics at Texas Tech University. "Both of them agree that there should be some degree of drilling offshore."

Promoting drilling is a little tougher for Obama, who counts environmentalists among his supporters and must tread carefully in Florida, which saw its tourism industry decimated after the oil spill. But administration officials have been vocal in insisting that there's more offshore drilling going on than there has been in years, part of an "all-of-the-above" energy policy that promotes getting energy from both below-the-ground resources and renewable fuels.

"Since the president took office, domestic oil and gas production has increased each year, with oil production higher than any time in eight years and natural gas production at its highest level ever," said Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman. The administration has approved more than 500 permits for oil wells, and will hold a 38 million acre lease sale in June, he said.

By the end of April, there were 41 rigs operating offshore in Louisiana, compared to 47 in the week before the spill, according to a count by Baker Hughes, a large oil field company that keeps an official tally. Total federal oil production ? offshore and on ? has increased by 13% during the first three years of the Obama administration, according to administration data.

In October, the Interior Department completed reorganization of the Minerals Management Service, which had been responsible for regulating drilling, into three separate agencies. Permitting has picked up since then, with 32 drilling permits approved in the Gulf of Mexico in February, the most in one month since May 2007.

The administration points out that in one lease sale in December, it made available 21 million acres of land in the gulf, but the industry leased just 1 million acres.

Critics say the Obama administration has created regulatory uncertainty that's driven out companies and workers.

"We are really not maximizing the opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico," said Lori LeBlanc, executive director of the Gulf Economic Survival Team, a Louisiana nonprofit that advocates for more gulf energy production. "Without a predictable process, companies are going to look at other parts of the world."

Operators submit plans to the government before they can apply for permits, she said, a process that used to take 50 days but now takes, on average, 212.

Obama's opponents cite statistics that contradict administration figures. LeBlanc's rig count shows 18 active rigs in the gulf now, down from 27 before the BP spill ? any tallies that show otherwise are counting rigs that are not actively operating, she said. She is counting only deep-water rigs; the Baker Hughes number counts all offshore.

"There have been intentional efforts to slow down new production by slowing the permit approval process," said Garret Graves, director of coastal activities for the state of Louisiana in the administration of Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal. Graves said production was down about 100 million to 200 million barrels a year.

Those in Lafayette are divided over Obama's record.

"We find there's a lot of rhetoric coming from the politicians ? they say they're going to lift the moratorium, and then they don't issue permits," said Keith Mosing, chief executive of Frank's International, which provides tools and workers for offshore rigs. He says 80% of the equipment he makes in Lafayette is going overseas.

But Volker Rathmann, president of Collarini Energy Staffing, which finds workers for offshore rigs, said the demand for such workers had tripled in the last year and a half.

"If you take the rhetoric and politics out of it, I don't think the Obama administration is very far away from what the Republicans are saying," he said. "If you can spell drilling, you can get a job."

alana.semuels@latimes.com

Times staff writer Seema Mehta in Colorado contributed to this report.

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