Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Novel study using new technologies outlines importance of California condor social groups

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The intricate social hierarchy of the California condor, an endangered species, is something that could not be studied until recently due to the severe reduction of this population in the wild. The first formal study on this species, based on remote video observation of reintroduced populations, indicates that the species has a complex system of interactions based on dominance.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/UsRhDR7vjlQ/130716092749.htm

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

China GDP growth slows to 7.5%

china gdp 2q

China GDP slowed to 7.5% in the second quarter.

HONG KONG (CNNMoney)

Gross domestic product grew 7.5% over the previous year during the second quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics reported Monday. That performance matches the government's target and the consensus estimate from private forecasters. First quarter 2013 growth was 7.7%.

Initial market reaction in Asia was muted, with most indexes in positive territory following the release.

GDP is closely watched in China as it provides the most complete portrait of the world's second largest economy, and government officials use it as a benchmark to gauge performance.

China has averaged growth of around 10% a year in the past three decades, propelling it up the list of biggest economies, generating wealth for its growing middle class and boosting global trade.

But many economists now say that China's economy relies too heavily on investment, a trend that has distorted the country's housing market and placed great emphasis on exports over consumption. In addition, the rules governing the country's equity markets make raising capital difficult for some businesses.

And state-owned enterprises, which dominate entire sectors of China's economy, are too frequently the recipients of favorable loans and treatment from the government.

Related story: Economic slowdown tests China's leaders

China's current leadership is attempting to execute a series of structural economic changes that will help address these challenges and move the country to a more sustainable growth model.

The path forward, most analysts agree, requires China to move toward an economy in which consumption drives growth.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang are by all accounts determined to proceed with the reforms, even if it means tolerating slower growth for now.

Inflation, a problem in 2012, has been tame so far this year.

Related story: Pin the tail on China's growth target

The key question of the moment is just how much the economy can slow before the government intervenes in a bid to support growth.

Wei Yao, an economist at Societe Generale, said Monday that the GDP data is unlikely to draw new stimulus measures from Beijing.

"Signs of any meaningful recovery in China's domestic demand remained limited, but the degree of deceleration is probably still acceptable to the new leadership," Yao said.

Many analysts are not optimistic that economic expansion will regain momentum over the coming months.

Economists at Japan-based bank Nomura, for example, said before the GDP release that there is a 30% chance that growth will fall below 7% in the second half of the year. To top of page

First Published: July 14, 2013: 10:37 PM ET

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/14/news/economy/china-gdp/index.html?section=money_latest

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DOMA Ruling May Alter Campaign Finance Laws | WebProNews

On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the high-profile case U.S. v. Windsor, overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). While the long-term ramifications of this decision are still being sifted through, and will not likely become apparent until people start claiming benefits and other things they are now entitled to, one surprising effect has surfaced. The repeal of DOMA will have an effect on campaign finance.

Earlier this year, members of one firm, Caplin & Drysdale?s Political Law Group, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the DOMA case for a bipartisan group of former Federal Election Commission officials. Trevor Potter, who leads the firm?s Political Law Group and signed the Amicus Brief as a former FEC Chair, remarked:

?This is a landmark moment for the rights of all Americans, and we congratulate Edith Windsor and marriage-equality advocates on their Supreme Court victory. Presumably, the Federal Election Commission will now interpret the word ?spouse? to include all legally married couples where it appears in federal campaign finance law. This would end DOMA?s discriminatory impact in this area.?

As the Amicus Brief filed by Caplin & Drysdale noted, DOMA legally barred married gays and lesbians from political expression and association opportunities afforded to other married citizens. Specifically, while still in effect, DOMA had two main effects on the rights of gay couples regarding campaign finance. One was that married gay and lesbian candidates who ran for federal office could not fund their campaigns using personal resources that were available to other married candidates. This was important to same-sex political candidates, since over 40% of the 3,061 congressional candidates during the 2012 election cycle relied on personal resources to fund their campaigns.

But also, individuals in same-sex marriages could not attend certain political meetings or interact with certain political groups that were open to other married citizens, simply because they were not recognized legally as ?married?.

The repeal of DOMA changed that. We will see how that trickles down into an actual election cycle, and whether it has any noticeable effect, as the upcoming races draw nearer

Source: http://www.webpronews.com/doma-ruling-may-alter-campaign-finance-laws-2013-07

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Monday, July 15, 2013

India Reynolds - Nuts VIP outtakes

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Source: http://www.tcmag.com/magazine/india_reynolds_nuts_vip_outtakes

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Mayor Gray Should Embrace Economic Development that Brings Living Wages: http://...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/dcfpi/posts/10151778329039804

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Choose Your Own Adventure At Disrupt SF Startup Alley

choose-your-own-adventureStartup Alley is part wild west, part farmer’s market. But it’s all about startups. You’ll love it. It’s a three-day exhibition. The first two days will see web companies take over The Concourse at San Francisco Design Center. Then, on the last day, September 11, hardware-oriented companies get their turn in the spotlight, creating a very unique science fair vibe. Like in years past, there will also be sections dedicated to startups from around the world. In the past we?ve had country pavilions populated by startups from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Israel, Italy, Korea, and Mexico. This all happens while speakers and startups take the stage at the other end of the Concourse. Not interested in hearing Marc Benioff talking about killing software? Pursue the hundreds of startups in the Alley and come back for Marissa Mayer’s talk about rebuilding Yahoo. Startup Alley companies also get the chance to present on the Disrupt stage in front of our esteemed judges. On Monday and Tuesday, attendees can vote for their favorite Startup Alley company, which will then have the chance to take the stage as part of that day?s Battlefield contestants. If chosen, that company will be eligible to compete in the Battlefield Finals for the $50,000 grand prize and the privilege of taking home the Disrupt Cup. Spots are still open to exhibit for Startup Alley and Hardware Alley. Exhibitors get a cocktail table along with power and Internet access, but there are some criteria to keep in mind before applying — startups wanting to participate in Startup Alley must be less than 2 years old and must have raised less than $2.5 million in funding. More info is here. Needless to say, we’re pretty proud of the startups showing their wares in Startup and Hardware Alley. While some amazing startups launch on the Disrupt stage, a bevy of interesting startups will vie for attention elsewhere in the building. Sound like fun? It really is, and you dear reader have the option of attending or exhibiting.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qs1Wft9yeIg/

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Pellegrini's Man City loses SAfrican tour opener

Associated Press Sports

updated 6:20 p.m. ET July 14, 2013

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -New coach Manuel Pellegrini will need a little more time to mold Manchester City into a Premier League title challenger after it lost 2-0 to Supersport United to open its pre-season tour of South Africa on Sunday.

Senegalese striker Mame Niang and South African international Kermit Erasmus scored second-half goals for Supersport at Loftus Versfeld to beat a City team clearly in pre-season mode and far from top gear.

Edin Dzeko and James Milner went closest to scoring for City, while Pellegrini fielded completely different lineups in each half. Brazil midfielder Fernandinho started for City in a subdued debut alongside young Spanish midfielder Denis Suarez. Both made way in the wholesale changes for the second 45.

Niang rose between defenders Joleon Lescott and Matja Nastasic to head past reserve goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon for the opener in the 56th minute. Erasmus ran on to a defense-splitting pass to flick the ball past Pantilimon and into the far right corner for the second in the 82nd.

Dzeko had combined with Samir Nasri to force a double save from Ronwen Williams in the opening 20 minutes and Milner was denied by a combination of substitute `keeper Boalefa Phule - one of Supersport's host of changes - and a diving block by a defender in the 73rd.

Apart from that, City created little and wasn't anywhere near its best form having only started proper pre-season preparations last week, according to Pellegrini.

"I think it's always important to win but it's not the most important thing at the moment," Pellegrini said. "We are very far (from top form). We've just had our first week. When pre-season continues, after three weeks or a month, we will see where we are."

The likes of goalkeeper Joe Hart, captain Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho, Nasri and Dzeko all went off at halftime, with Lescott and Nastasic coming on and Yaya Toure taking over as skipper.

Toure had a speculative long-range shot in the 76th that sailed over the crossbar before he limped off at the very end.

City's players unveiled a shirt dedicated to ailing former South African President Nelson Mandela before kickoff, and the Premier League visitors will play their second game on tour on Thursday to mark the 95th birthday of the anti-apartheid icon.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Back under Pep's wings

PST: Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of 22-year-old Spain international Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/52473151/ns/sports-soccer/

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EPCOT Mexico Contest

offlineKelly McCracken

EPCOT Mexico Contest

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Source: http://waltsbasement.yuku.com/topic/32358/EPCOT-Mexico-Contest

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India: Elephants vs. people?

In India a multitude of causes is increasingly pitting elephants against people. The most obvious factor is human incursion into elephant territory. Forests are being destroyed because of the mining and timber industries, drought and monoculture plantations. As a result, elephants are driven further and further into populated areas in search of food.

Some conservation efforts have ironically contributed to the conflict as well. Wildlife protection has boosted elephant numbers, some reforestation efforts have drawn elephants out of the deep forest attracted by new growth and some elephants have even decided that they fancy crops, and who can blame them?

Charging elephant, Kabini Forest. Pic: Vinoth Chandar (Flickr CC)

Rural villages are typical battlegrounds. Reports of ?marauding? elephants conducting raids on many villages sound like the stuff of nightmares. As many as 15-17 elephants enter a village en mass, destroy houses, devour fruit trees and rice paddies and then move on to the next village. Other sources report elephants causing human injury and even death. Sometimes villagers take tremendous risks to drive the elephants back into the forest.

Of course it really grabs headlines when a herd of elephants enters a large city, like what happened in Bangalore a few weeks ago.

A columnist for the Guardian relates the events of an elephant invasion that prompted her children?s school to be closed for the day:

The panicked pachyderms moved into Bangalore?s plush IT district of Whitefield, as neighbouring schools and offices hastily shut down, and a massive crowd of onlookers gathered. But much as the children enjoyed it, the incursion masked deeper, graver problems. The herd ended up killing four people- including a journalist trying to take photographs-before they were finally cornered by forest officials and driven back to the jungle.

Human relationships with elephants are complex in India and are far from always confrontational. Forest wardens recently rescued an elephant that had fallen into a ditch located in a wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. Read all about it and view the accompanying slideshow of the drama in the Huffington Post.

And then there?s this elephant sanctuary located on a temple compound (also in Kerala), which has been attracting throngs of visitors.

Begging/working elephant on a Mumbai street. Pic: Oferico (Flickr CC)

The plight of working elephants has also been gaining significant attention in India after Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan leant important publicity to the plight of Bijlee, a 52-year-old former begging elephant who was dying on the side of a suburban Mumbai street. Veterinarians from Wildlife SOS, a prominent Indian wildlife rescue and welfare organization blamed Biljee?s terminal condition on years of neglect and abuse at the hands of her owner.

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO of Wildlife SOS is quoted in National Geographic:

Both captive and wild Asian elephants are in trouble, in fact they are endangered. Hundreds of working elephants succumb to abuse and neglect by private owners everyday.

Our whole Wildlife SOS family hopes that Bijlee did not die in vain.

Sign Wildlife SOS?s petition ?Save India?s Begging Elephants?.

Source: http://asiancorrespondent.com/110626/india-elephants-vs-people/

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Russia says no asylum request yet from fugitive Snowden

By Steve Gutterman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia kept former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden at arm's length on Saturday, saying it had not been in touch with the fugitive American and had not yet received a formal request for political asylum.

Remarks by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signaled Russia is weighing its options after Snowden, who is stranded at a Moscow airport, broke three weeks of silence and asked for refuge in Russia until he can secure safe passage to Latin America.

Washington urged Moscow to return Snowden to the United States, where he is wanted on espionage charges after revealing details of secret surveillance programs, and President Barack Obama spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Snowden's leaks about U.S. spy methods, including eavesdropping on global email traffic, have upset Washington's friends and foes alike. Stuck at Sheremetyevo airport with his passport revoked, he has become an irritant in relations between the United States and Russia.

"We are not in contact with Snowden," Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying in Kyrgyzstan, where he attended a foreign ministers' meeting.

He said he had learned of Snowden's meeting with Russian human rights activists and public figures at the airport on Friday from the media, "just like everyone else."

Snowden, who had previously kept out of sight since arriving in the airport's transit zone on June 23, told the activists that he would submit his asylum request the same day.

Lavrov said that under Russian law, asylum seekers must first make an official appeal to the Federal Migration Service. But its director, Konstantin Romodanovsky, said on Saturday the agency had not yet received such a request from Snowden.

DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Snowden, who worked at a National Security Agency facility, in Hawaii, revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of data such as emails and chat rooms from companies including Facebook and Google, under a government program called Prism.

He fled to Hong Kong and then flew to Moscow, where he and Russian officials say he has remained in the airport transit zone. He has no visa to enter Russia.

Snowden is useful as a propaganda tool for Putin, who accuses the U.S. government of preaching to the world about rights and freedoms it does not uphold at home. But his presence on Russia's doorstep is a double-edged sword.

Putin has invited Obama for a bilateral summit in Moscow in September, and asylum for Snowden could jeopardize that, even though both countries have signaled they want to improve ties that have been strained in Putin's third presidential term.

And while pro-Kremlin politicians have been avidly casting Snowden, 30, as a rights defender, former KGB officer Putin said last month that the surveillance methods he revealed were largely justified if applied lawfully.

Putin has said twice that Snowden should choose a final destination and go there, and on July 2 he said Russia could only take Snowden in if he stopped activities "aimed at harming our American partners".

Putin's spokesman said on Friday that the condition, which prompted Snowden to withdraw an earlier asylum request, still stood.

Snowden has asked some 20 countries for asylum and received offers from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, but he said on Friday that Western states had made it "impossible for me to travel to Latin America and enjoy the asylum granted there".

The United States has urged nations not to give him passage, and a plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales home from Russia last week was denied access to the airspace of several European countries on suspicion Snowden might be on board.

(Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Mark Trevelyan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-no-asylum-request-yet-fugitive-snowden-103319778.html

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Sunday, July 14, 2013

US to media: Israel struck Latakia arsenal last week. Will Putin and Assad make good on threats of reprisal?

US to media: Israel struck Latakia arsenal last week. Will Putin and Assad make good on threats of reprisal?

US officials early Saturday, July 13 named Israel as responsible for the July 5 air strikes against the big arms depot at a Syrian naval base in the Alawite port city of Latakia. Dispelling conflicting reports, three US officials asserted that Israel had conducted the air strikes for demolishing the advanced Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missiles stored there.
debkafile?s military sources report that three strategic arsenals were targeted: One consisted of weapons mostly delivered by Russian air freights in the last two months for the Syrian-Hizballah offensive to recapture Aleppo. A second contained the supersonic Yakhont anti-ship missiles (NATO codenamed SS-N-26) plus their radar systems; and the third, the Syrian army?s strategic reserve of missiles and ammunition, stored there for an emergency, such a possible forced Syrian army retreat to the Alawite region - or even Lebanon.

It is important to note that, although Moscow was perfectly aware that the advanced Russian weapons supplied to Syria were put in the hands of the Lebanese Hizballah, the consignments were not only not suspended but expanded. Moscow is therefore directly arming HIzballah with advanced weapons.
During the attack, neither Syrian radar nor that of the Russian warships cruising off the Syria coast registered any aircraft or missiles heading for the Latakia depot.

They were therefore unable to positively identify the source of the explosions.

Israel and the IDF held their silence ? hoping that matters would stay that way, unlike their air strike of May 5 which destroyed Iranian arms shipments for Hizballah stored in the Damascus area, when American sources made haste to finger Israel. This time, too, after a few days? pause, Washington again broke the story.
This step coincided with US President Barack Obama?s early Saturday phone call to Saudi King Abdullah to discuss the Syrian crisis. They may have discussed a potential Russian or Syrian reprisal for the Israeli air strike.

In their rough, acerbic encounter at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on May 14, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned President Vladimir Putin that if Russia sends advanced weaponry to Syria, such as S-300 anti-aircraft missiles or sophisticated radar for upgrading the Yakhont missiles, Israel would destroy them. Putin retorted that if Israel did this, Moscow would hit back.

After Israel?s air strikes over Damascus of May 5, Syrian President Bashar Assad said repeatedly, as did Hizballah and Iranian officials, that another Israeli attack on Syria would elicit an immediate Syrian reprisal.

The theme running through the Syrian and Hizballah warnings was a threat to open a new warfront against Israel from the Golan. ?

And so, two days after the IDF detected Hizballah movements on the Golan opposite the Israeli border, ?the army spokesman Monday, July 8,?announced the deployment of extra Israeli forces in the divided enclave.
Tuesday, July 9, a car bomb blew up at Hizballah?s office building in the Bir al-Abd quarter of South Beirut. A next-door Shiite mosque and a technical school were also hit. At least 53 people were injured.

Hizballah did not admit that the targeted office building housed the intelligence and communications centers for its combat operations in Syria. When no organization took responsibility for the attack, Beirut and Tehran pointed the finger at Israeli intelligence as the culprit.

Source: http://www.debka.com/article/23116/

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Schweitzer Gives GOP Boost in Bid to Retake Senate

Republicans received a boost in their attempt to win back the majority in the Senate next year when a former Democratic governor bowed out of Montana's open Senate race, a development that could further hamper President Barack Obama's agenda during his final two years in office.

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Saturday he would not run for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Max Baucus in 2014, dealing a blow to Democrats who considered the popular ex-governor their best chance of keeping the office. Republicans have not settled on a candidate in GOP-leaning Montana.

Republicans need to pick up six seats to recapture the Senate majority and are trying to take advantage of geography and history in their quest. Democrats must defend 21 seats, including seven in largely rural states that Obama lost in 2012, and the party that controls the White House typically loses seats during the midterm elections of a second-term president.

"For the first time in a couple of years, you can see the Democratic majority has never been on shakier ground," said Rob Jesmer, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Democratic retirements in Republican-leaning states like West Virginia and South Dakota have given Republicans an advantage. The GOP has recruited popular Republicans for those seats, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds.

In Montana, Republicans hope to persuade Rep. Steve Daines or perhaps former Gov. Marc Racicot to mount a campaign, which could give them an edge in three of the six states they would need to win the majority.

The fate of the Senate could then be decided in four states that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney won in 2012 and are held by Democratic incumbents: Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mark Begich of Alaska and Kay Hagan of North Carolina.

Republicans view Rep. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana as a strong challenger to Landrieu, a perennial GOP target, and hope Rep. Tom Cotton, a Harvard-educated lawyer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will challenge Pryor in Arkansas.

Alaska and North Carolina could offer unpredictable primaries. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee, said she may run for the Senate in the Republican primary against Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller, a tea party favorite. In North Carolina, state House Speaker Thom Tillis and Greg Brannon, a physician with tea party support, want to challenge Hagan, but they could be joined by others, including Rep. Renee Ellmers.

Prominent Republicans have passed up opportunities to run in states like Iowa and Michigan, where Democratic incumbents have announced their retirements. Reps. Bruce Braley of Iowa and Gary Peters of Michigan are seeking the open seats, giving Democrats an edge in keeping them.

Schweitzer's decision surprised many Democrats, who viewed him as their best chance in Montana despite recent reports about the ex-governor's ties to nonprofit groups that Republicans intended to raise in the Senate campaign. It jumbles the primary with a potential field of largely untested candidates that could include state auditor Monica Lindeen, state school Superintendent Denise Juneau, Brian Morris, a Montana Supreme Court justice, and Stephanie Schriock, the president of EMILY's List, the powerful fundraising group for Democratic women.

Democrats said they remained confident they could hold onto Montana's seat and maintained that Republicans would need to pull off major election victories to win back control.

"Only three Democratic incumbents have lost re-election in the last decade," noted Guy Cecil, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, a reference to the defeats of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota in 2004 and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin in 2010.

Obama's party, however, has fewer ways of going on offense. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky remains one of their top priorities for 2014, but Obama is unpopular in Kentucky and McConnell is building a large financial advantage against his likely Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky's secretary of state.

Democrats also view potential success in Georgia, where Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn, may enter the race. Georgia remains a Republican stronghold and several Republicans are vying for an open seat created by the retirement of Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Fifteen months before the 2014 midterms, Democrats say history could repeat itself. They say Republicans could face more polarizing primaries like the ones that created problems in 2012, when some tea party Republicans won bruising primaries over more mainstream Republican candidates and then faltered against Democrats.

"The map was always going to be a challenge but the Democratic incumbents are seasoned political veterans who have run difficult campaigns before and are not taking anything for granted," said Penny Lee, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "As 2012 proved, those who predict outcomes a year out do so at their own peril."

? Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/montana-senate-schweitzer/2013/07/14/id/514926

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Why buy gold and silver as investment? - Coin Community Forum

Author Previous Topic?Topic?Next Topic ?
greenprint
Valued Member
United States
151 Posts

So I don't really get it. If you have some extra money then you should invest it instead of just letting it sit around and do nothing because money inflates. If you buy something and over time the money you spent to buy that something inflates, then the value of that thing also inflates. So why gold and silver when you can buy anything? You can store your wealth in anything?

There are so many other things you can buy then bullion that you can actually use and make your life easier. If I had an extra $200, why should I buy some PM when I could like buy a textbook, an extra computer monitor, etc.?

Pillar Of The Community

Australia

6787 Posts

Anyone who invests takes risks. Doesn't matter if it is your own business, education, shocks and scares, interest bearing deposits, bonds, pork belly futures, or whatever.
The motivation is to make a profit, eventually.
Same with PM's.

Invest in a market that you like, and have greatest knowledge in, and what you think will benefit you the most.
If you don't really know, and still wish to invest, diversify.
I have had advice from a professional advisor, that it would not hurt in most cases, to put some, but no more than 5%, into PM's.

Sounds rational to me!

My 5% is not into PM's, but into numismatic items.
One problem for me. It has to be a lifetime investment. That's OK; I have had a lifetime interest in numismatics.

Moderator

United States

4094 Posts

Quote:
greenprint
If I had an extra $200, why should I buy some PM when I could like buy a textbook, an extra computer monitor, etc.?


textbooks go out of date and technology advancements make computer monitors become obsolete quickly.
PM's may increase or decrease in value, but they don't go out of date or become obsolete.

Pillar Of The Community

United States

654 Posts

The concept I think you're hinting at is opportunity cost. Both durable and consumable goods are used up over time. A textbook is information and information is notorious for growing stale very quickly.

However, you said, "You can store your wealth in anything?" That's not quite true. The goods that you and I buy everyday, the goods that make our lives more comfortable, have value but that value has a finite time frame. There's no way to "store value" in a pizza, or a month's worth of A/C in the middle of summer. Sure we benefit, but once consumed, these goods are gone and must be replaced. There is no "store of value" in these expenditures.

So what about gold and silver? Well, for centuries precious metals have been the go to store of wealth in times of trouble and uncertainty. Additionally, for much of human history, gold and silver has, quite literally, been "money" or the base of exchange for all transactions throughout much of the world. The reason for this is pretty simple: gold and silver (unless damaged or otherwise lost) doesn't physically degrade. They are durable and thus a store of wealth.

So, what to do with that $200.00? Well, if you need to eat? I'd buy food. If you need to pay rent to keep a roof over your head? I'd pay rent. If all of your basic needs are met, I'd put that money toward a retirement plan in stocks or another age appropriate investment vehicle of your choice. Once all of that is covered? I'd consider buying gold and silver... or Beanie Babies...or Magic the Gathering cards...or whatever sounds right for you. In other words, put it toward something you understand, and more importantly, something you enjoy.

Edited by coinwatch
Today 14 Hrs 29 Min ago

Pillar Of The Community

United States

6820 Posts

Sel gave some really good adivce. Just to add on a bit I would suggest diversifying even if you are sure of what youre doing. Some stocks, some in the bank, more than one stock ect. No one hits on every investment they make, but diversifying gives you protection when you do miss.

A lot of what you hear on about investing in PMs is from people trying to sell you them or people with a financial interest in them doing well. There is value to having a small percentage like sel mentioned just in case, but they arent the get rich quick scheme theyre made out to be.

If you look at prices for the last 100 years there have been a couple periods of price run ups when things arent going good. The problem is those runs up are decades apart. If you buy heavy during a run up and hang on to it youre underwater in the investment for a long period of time. Even when the price returns to where you bought youd be out a lot of years of interest payments or dividends from stocks ect.

The time to buy for someone wanting to do that is during a booming economy when the prices are at rock bottom. Even then it will like be several years or longer before it pays off. Even if you just look at the last 2 years theyve been losing value overall for a while after the big price spike.

Pillar Of The Community

United States

1248 Posts

BB's thoughts pretty much echo my own, which generally tends to be the case. It's not a popular stance to take on a PM forum but I believe buying PMs as an investment vehicle is a losing proposition unless one is fortunate enough to buy when silver- for instance- flatlines below $10, its traditional stabilization point. Even if one times things perfectly, its a potentially decades-long waiting game before metals once again explode into prominence and the opportunity arises to make a substantial profit commensurate with one's initial grubstake (that's an odd word, isn't it?).

My personal interests lies in buying limited release numismatics below market price and (hopefully) watching these coins increase in value over time. If they don't, and here's the key, I only buy coins I personally like. I view them more along the lines of family heirlooms than true investments.

In the last year, I've had the opportunity to sell a coin for $2000 that I paid $75 for and never once seriously considered pulling the trigger. That test case leads me to believe that most of the coins I own will likely remain in my possession for generations to come, barring some future unforeseen tragedy that forces my hand.

If you haven't noticed by now, I don't proofread veery well and I apollogize profusely. (;>D

Valued Member

Japan

448 Posts

Gold and silver are not an investment vehicles!
they are for savers ... period to save of at lest 5 years ... the more the better.
The thing is with the metals - they never, I repeat, THEY NEVER GO TO ZERO.
Your bank may go bankrupt, stocks may disappear, dollar might be extinct with the inflation, but metals will be there for you.
I have very small core of physical gold and silver ... on average every month I'm adding about 20 oz of silver: somenumiz, some semi-numiz, some junk silver coins ... trying to trade them for better ones all the time

New Member

Romania

14 Posts

The idea is to split risks and not keep all your wealth in paper money/bank accounts, because they are extremely risky.

Gold and silver are known to hold value better, but as you see, their prices kind-of crashed recently... so many who bought gold and silver lost part of their investments.

I think it's great to buy real estate, because prices now are very low - compared to earlier years. So go for land, homes and also buy some gold.

No, I wouldn't buy another computer, if I were you... it eventually gets old, obsolete and might not even work after a while.

Static hard values are best buying: gold, silver, land, homes... etc.
Or, invest in a business that produces profit for you.

The idea is to buy some of this and some of that... I don't believe 100 % in anything.

Valued Member

156 Posts

I see what you're saying greenprint. And personally they aren't for me because I have no real interest in bars or bullion 'coins'.

They aren't what I consider to be part of numismatics, because to me what you collect needs to have been produced to circulate as a coin, to be spent or saved. That's what makes coins interesting to me, their use in society, how they passed from person to person, what they could buy and what they say about the world in which they were made.

But mankind had admired precious metals for millennia and if people want to collect the stuff I guess I get that. And Eagles, Pandas and Britannias are certainly more fun (in my eyes) than a certificate saying you've paid for 10kg of silver stored in a vault and that you'll never see!

As a relative noob here I find there are those on the forum interested in PMs and NCLT commemoratives etc and those interested in good old-fashioned circulating coins. Sometimes there's an overlap, a lot of the time, it seems not.

But that's fine. As coinwatch says, once your essential needs are met, well people are free to spend their money as they wish. And I can certainly see the appeal of precious metals lasting longer than say, Beanie Babies!

Pillar Of The Community

United States

654 Posts

I'd add a couple of thoughts to bekiz and VintageRacer's comments.

First, unlike real estate, small amounts of gold and silver don't have a carrying cost (annual taxes, maintenance) while still having durability and appreciation potential.

Second, outside of buying a wedding band or two, and maybe a few pieces of nice jewelry for the wife over the years, buying gold and silver isn't for everyone. Especially for non-numismatic gold and silver, buying ETF's often makes more sense than buying physical. Be honest with yourself. If gold and silver isn't for you, that's completely okay.

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Source: http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=153753

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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Intel may launch internet TV service using OnCue name

Intel may launch TV service under OnCue name

Intel has been open with its plans to introduce an internet-based TV service, but many of the details remain up in the air -- not the least of which is the name. However, GigaOM has done sleuthing that suggests the offering could be called OnCue. A reported shell company for Intel, Sest, has registered trademarks that include the OnCue title, a logo and a "TV has come to its senses" slogan. Simultaneously, an employee at the marketing agency OMD claims to have worked on the OnCue launch. Intel isn't commenting on the apparent discoveries, but we wouldn't count on the trademarks arriving in tandem with a product. When the company is taking a very cautious approach to entering the internet TV field, there's a chance that the names will be all we ever see.

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Via: GigaOM

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/id866d6IwNo/

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Third girl aboard Asiana jet dies from injuries

In this Saturday, July 6, 2013 aerial photo, firefighters, lower center, stand by a tarpaulin sheet covering the body of a Chinese teen struck by a fire truck during the emergency response to the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The girl was hit by a fire truck while covered with firefighting foam, authorities said Friday, July 12, revealing a startling detail that suggested she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

In this Saturday, July 6, 2013 aerial photo, firefighters, lower center, stand by a tarpaulin sheet covering the body of a Chinese teen struck by a fire truck during the emergency response to the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The girl was hit by a fire truck while covered with firefighting foam, authorities said Friday, July 12, revealing a startling detail that suggested she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

In this Saturday, July 6, 2013 aerial photo, a firefighter, right, stands by a tarpaulin sheet covering the body of a Chinese teen struck by a fire truck during the emergency response to the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The girl was hit by a fire truck while covered with firefighting foam, authorities said Friday, July 12, revealing a startling detail that suggested she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

In this Saturday, July 6, 2013 aerial photo, a tarpaulin sheet, to the right of the fire truck, covers the body of a Chinese teen struck by a fire truck during the emergency response to the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The girl was hit by a fire truck while covered with firefighting foam, authorities said Friday, July 12, revealing a startling detail that suggested she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A man walks under a wing of Asiana Flight 214, which crashed on Saturday, July 6, 2013, at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Friday, July 12, 2013. Two people were killed and dozens of others injured although most suffered minor injuries. Investigators have said the plane came in too low and slow. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The rear of Asiana Flight 214, which crashed on Saturday, July 6, 2013, is seen at San Francisco International Airport, in San Francisco, Friday, July 12, 2013. Two people were killed and dozens of others injured although most suffered minor injuries. Investigators have said the plane came in too low and slow. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A girl who was aboard the Asiana Airlines flight that crash-landed died Friday, the same day that authorities confirmed one of the two Chinese teenagers killed in the disaster was hit by a fire truck.

The disclosure about the teen raised the tragic possibility that she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath.

No one knows yet whether the two teens lived through the initial impact at the San Francisco airport. But police and fire officials confirmed Friday that Ye Meng Yuan, 16, was hit by a fire truck racing to extinguish the blazing Boeing 777.

Her close friend Wang Linjia, also 16, was among a group of passengers who did not get immediate medical help. Rescuers did not spot her until 14 minutes after the crash.

The other girl, also from China, died Friday morning. San Francisco General Hospital said she had been in critical condition since arriving Saturday after the accident. Officials did not identify the girl at the request of her parents. Her age was also withheld.

Wang Linjia, body was found near a seawall at the edge of the runway, along with three flight attendants who were flung onto the tarmac while still buckled in their seats. Wang Linjia was not in her seat.

"The fire truck did go over the victim at least one time. Now the other question is what was the cause of death?" police spokesman Albie Esparza said. "That's what we are trying to determine right now."

San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said the results of his initial inquiry into the deaths would likely be released sometime next week. He would not comment on the police investigation.

Moments after the July 6 crash, while rescuers tried to help passengers near the burning fuselage, Wang Linjia and the flight attendants lay in the rubble almost 2,000 feet away. A group of survivors called 911 and tried to help them.

Members of the group ? martial arts athletes and their families returning from a competition in South Korea ? said that after escaping the plane, they sat with at least four victims who appeared to be seriously hurt. They believe one of them was one of the girls who died.

Cindy Stone, who was in that group, was recorded by California Highway Patrol dispatchers calling in for help: "There are no ambulances here. We've been on the ground 20 minutes. There are people lying on the tarmac with critical injuries, head injuries. We're almost losing a woman here. We're trying to keep her alive."

San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said Friday that when airport personnel reached the group near the seawall, Linjia was dead. She did not know when the girl had died.

The flight attendants remained hospitalized Friday.

Talmadge also confirmed that an Associated Press photograph of a body under a yellow tarp near the burned-out jet was the other victim, Meng Yuan.

The photo, taken from above, shows firefighters looking down at the tarp, and there are truck track marks leading up to it.

Police said the teenager was covered in foam that rescuers had sprayed on the burning wreckage. When the truck moved while battling the flames, rescuers discovered her body, Esparza said.

"The driver may not have seen the young lady in the blanket of foam," said Ken Willette of the National Firefighter Protection Agency, which sets national standards for training airfield firefighters. "These could be factors contributing to this tragic event."

He said fire trucks that responded to the Asiana crash would have started shooting foam while approaching the fuselage from 80 or 100 feet away. The foam was sprayed from a canon on the top of the truck across the ground to clear a safe path for evacuees. That was supposed to create a layer of foam on the ground that is several inches high before the truck gets to the plane.

The victims were close friends and top students, looking forward to spending a few weeks at a Christian summer camp in California, where they planned to practice English and boosting their chances of attending a U.S. college.

Their parents were flown to San Francisco after their deaths where the Chinese consulate was caring for them.

September Mao, who attends the girls' school in the city of Jiangshan and knew them both, said Wang was outgoing and popular, and often interviewed her classmates as a student reporter. She said Ye was a very good singer and speaker, "loved to smile, and liked to share everything and anything that is happy."

Photos of the girls showed the pair with wide grins flashing peace sign. In one photo, they formed their arms into the shape of a heart.

The airliner collided with a rocky seawall just short the runway. Dozens of other passengers were injured, and although 182 were taken to hospitals, most suffered only minor injuries.

Nearly a week after the crash, the investigation indicates the pilots, a trainee and his instructor, failed to realize until too late that the aircraft was dangerously low and flying too slow.

Nothing disclosed so far by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators indicates any problems with the Boeing 777's engines, computers or automated systems.

__

Associated Press Writer Jason Dearen contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-07-12-San%20Francisco%20Airliner%20Crash/id-9e7466c0b12b422ba71793a9b6991c05

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iPhone / iPad App Price Drops: TRAUMA, Home, iPlayAll, RAVENMARK, more

iPhone / iPad App !!Price Drops!!: TRAUMA, Home, iPlayAll, RAVENMARK The iTunes App Store offers downloads of several apps for Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad which have dropped in price, as listed below. At up to $4 off, most are at or near the lowest prices we've seen. The deals, all with applicable platforms noted:
  • TRAUMA for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for 99 cents ($2 off): Puzzle game
  • Pythonista for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for 99 cents ($6 off): Educational coding tool
  • Joe Danger for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for 99 cents ($2 off): Motorcycle racing game
  • Home - A Unique Horror Adventure for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for 99 cents ($2 off): Survival horror game
  • Image Blender for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for 99 cents ($2 off): Image combination tool
  • iPlayAll for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for $1.99 ($3 off): Media playback tool
  • RAVENMARK: Scourge of Estellion for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for $4.99 ($5 off): Strategy game

Posted 5 hr 21 min ago

Source: http://dealmac.com/iPhone-iPad-App-Price-Drops-TRAUMA-Home-iPlay-All-RAVENMARK-more/787383.html?iref=rss-dealmac-todays-edition

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Friday, July 12, 2013

Vine and Flipboard coming soon to Windows Phone 8

Here's another app that's finally made it to Microsoft's mobile OS, Flipboard. We'll admit, we're fans, so it was great to see the news aggregator's icon line up alongside several other apps looking to take advantage of Nokia's new imaging SDK. Vine, however, wasn't mentioned there and was nestled within Nokia's official press release Unfortunately, there was no mention of a release date for either (although Hipstamatic will finally arrive when the Lumia 1020 does), but we'll update you when we hear more.

Check out all the news from today's Nokia event at our hub!

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Source: Nokia

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/pNm4JSkn5zk/

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Link between quantum physics and game theory found

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A deep link between two seemingly unconnected areas of modern science has been discovered.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/0zNq-5a0U9U/130712114611.htm

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Kevin Rudd's national press club speech on productivity and ...

While Kevin Rudd strives for a Hawke-like political effect with a call for consensus, the productivity challenge he identified is real.

Kevin Rudd National Press Club

The obvious resonance for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd?s one-man debate at the National Press Club yesterday was the consensus era of Bob Hawke c.1983???another leader, by the way, installed by Labor not long before an election in the hope of winning. Perhaps Max Gillies will again tour A Night of National Reconciliation.

Asked about the parallels, Rudd correctly pointed out that Hawke could rely on centralised wage-fixing in Labor?s accord with trade unions back then as a key element in Hawke?s strategy. He might have added that unions now cover significantly less of the Australian workforce than they did in 1983.

Still, the attempt to establish the groundwork for a less aggressive, more constructive approach to the challenges of an economic transition indeed owed much to Hawke, who would have won in a canter against Malcolm Fraser anyway but who cleverly played against type by talking about consensus in a period marked by industrial turmoil, recession and a broken wage-fixing model. And Rudd continued his clear differentiation with former PM Julia Gillard and former treasurer Wayne Swan by again pointedly rejecting ?class warfare?.

There was, of course, never any ?class warfare? from Gillard and Swan???that was a confection by News Corp papers. But it makes for handy, and symbolism-laden, rhetoric for Rudd, who is now using that confection to distinguish himself from his predecessor.

And Rudd?s productivity plan, to the extent it was outlined yesterday, is a mixed bag. There?s a demonstrable lurch to the Right in his words on electricity, with Rudd singling out ?publicly owned transmission and distribution utilities? as a particular problem, and therefore suggesting privatisation was the best approach. The Prime Minister also singled out environmental approval processes and the need for a one-stop shop for projects (don?t politicians love a one-stop shop?!), alarming the Greens. Rudd also mentioned?examining ?any unintended rigidities arising in the labour market?, although the only example he singled out was greenfields agreements, where the Gillard government had already indicated an intention to follow the recommendations of the Fair Work Act review.

But Rudd also spoke about what has been, until recently, the productivity that dared not speak its name: business productivity. ?Some bad industrial outcomes for some major projects can be the result of bad management decisions rather than union hostility,? he said, and singled out (again) Australia?s poor business relations with Indonesia????this is a problem of Australian enterprise. Not a problem created by Australian unions.?

That sort of talk is anathema in the pages of The Australian, where a Treasury paper that illustrated the problem of poor management was decried as a example of politicisation. Inconveniently, the Business Council now agrees business productivity is an issue, as well as lazy workers and evil unions harming labour productivity.

As a combination of economic and political strategy, it was as solid as that crafted within Gillard?s office early this year, when she used the strength of the dollar as the spur for greater innovation. The dollar is, for the moment, no longer available to be used as a bogeyman to drive reform (and justify interventionist industry policy); handily, the passing of the peak of the mining boom can now play that role, which is what Rudd is using it for.

But unlike the high dollar, which was hammering trade-exposed businesses and forcing them to cut costs or go broke, the rhetoric about economic transition doesn?t have a real-world impact. The high dollar was helping to drive trade-exposed businesses to pursue higher productivity, and labour productivity has responded over the last 18 months, regardless of what governments did. Without the strong dollar, the drive to pursue productivity gains is likely to flag, leaving a challenge for whoever wins the coming election. Rudd?s rhetoric better be in earnest, rather than political positioning.

Source: http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/07/12/rudds-day-of-national-reconciliation-masks-a-real-productivity-challenge/

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos

Fireworks explode over the Philadelphia Museum of Art during an Independence Day celebration, Thursday, July 4, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Fireworks explode over the Philadelphia Museum of Art during an Independence Day celebration, Thursday, July 4, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A cow jumps over revelers lying down on the bull ring as one of them is pushed by the animal at the end of the fifth run of the famed San Fermin festival, in Pamplona northern Spain on Thursday, July 11, 2013. One person has been hospitalized after several thousand people tested their speed and bravery by dashing with six fighting bulls through the streets of the northern Spanish city of Pamplona. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

A visitor enjoys an art installation by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich in east London, Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Internationally known for his three-dimensional visual illusions, Erlich has been commissioned to create a new installation in Dalston area of the capital. Resembling a theatre set, the detailed facade of a Victorian terraced house, recalling those that once stood on the street, lies horizontally on the ground with mirrors positioned overhead. The reflections of visitors give the impression they are standing on, suspended from, or scaling the building. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

A military attack helicopter flies over a street near the presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 5, 2013. The top leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to restore ousted President Mohammed Morsi to office, saying Egyptians will not accept "military rule" for another day. General Guide Mohammed Badie, a revered figure among the Brotherhood's followers, spoke Friday before a crowd of tens of thousands of Morsi supporters in Cairo. A military helicopter circled low overhead. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A Pakistani customer tries a cap ahead of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

Here's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.

This week's collection includes fireworks in Philadelphia, a bull pushing through a crowd of people in Pamplona, Spain, a military attack helicopter over Cairo, and the aftermath of the Asiana flight 214 crash in San Francisco.

___

This gallery contains photos published May July 4-11, 2013.

Follow AP photographers on Twitter: http://apne.ws/XZy6ny

___

See other recent AP photo galleries:

AP PHOTOS: Jewish women worshipping like men: http://apne.ws/10P1VJ2

AP PHOTOS: Underground music flourishes in Iran: http://apne.ws/18bvDgT

AP PHOTOS: Montevideo, Uruguay's watery border: http://apne.ws/15joJ3d

AP PHOTOS: Investigators seek cause of SF crash: http://apne.ws/1aubPGq

AP PHOTOS: Egyptians clash over ousted president: http://apne.ws/134jCRp

AP PHOTOS: 6 cities breweries helped transform: http://apne.ws/189lVbu

AP PHOTOS: Relatives search for Bangladesh missing: http://apne.ws/15jpmtA

AP PHOTOS: Celebrating 4th with parades, fireworks: http://apne.ws/1aucpnB

Last week's 10 Things To See: http://apne.ws/134ibSW

___

Follow AP Images on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Images

Visit AP Images online: http://www.apimages.com/

___

This gallery was curated by news producer Caleb Jones in New York. Follow him on Twitter (http://apne.ws/11ijrmc ) and Instagram (http://apne.ws/11KfolD ).

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-07-11-10%20Things%20To%20See/id-a43e4bc538b0484da9421183820e57e0

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Money Talk with Nimi: Why Not Start an Investment Club? | Bella Naija

?Esusu? is ?a fund to which a group of individuals make fixed contributions of money at fixed intervals; the total amount of money is assigned to each member of the group in rotation?. William R. Bascom. This traditional credit association usually referred to as a ?contribution club? has been in existence in West Africa for decades, and is still widely practised today. It has also been recorded in Trinidad where it is known as ?Susu? and can be traced back to it?s Yoruba origin.

More formal investment clubs have been growing in popularity all over the world largely due to increased interest in the stock market. They offer their members a way to pool funds to invest as one entity in a variety of instruments including bonds, mutual funds, stocks and real estate.

As we look for ways to educate ourselves about investing, one can benefit from the support and encouragement of ?like minded? people, often groups of friends, or colleagues, who have expressed a similar interest in investing. One of the benefits of an investment club is the learning opportunity it provides through the sharing of knowledge and experience amongst members. As the group becomes more knowledgeable, the quality and challenge of investing becomes more exciting.

Through presentations, seminars and assigned readings on related topics, members will be educated on the options available and learn the basic concepts of investing, the different types of securities, investing styles and strategies. There is also a plethora of investment ideas and information in the media.

An investment club can provide a vehicle through which those with limited funds can have access to investments that may otherwise be beyond their capacity. Not only can pooling money create better investing opportunities, but members save on transaction costs by sharing the costs and fees associated with buying and selling stocks as a group.

There are several steps involved in setting up and running an investment club. Here are some tips to help you along.

It is common to have between 5 and 20 members who have diverse interests and experiences but some are much larger in our communities. If the group is too small, you may not accumulate enough money to make significant investments. Yet, if there are too many people, it can become unwieldy and awkward to have regular meetings or to reach a consensus regarding investment options. A balance between some novice investors along with some experienced investors will ensure that you have the right mix of people.

Money matters can damage relationships so it is important that an investment club is formalised; proper structures should be put in place to guide the club?s activity. An investment club isn?t just a group of friends who come together to invest; it is a formal organization with members who have rights. Be sure to agree on the clubs legal and operational framework and all members must understand the risks involved before committing.

A common investment philosophy and an adherence to its processes are essential ingredients for a clubs? success. Individual risk profiles and financial situations vary; members who are more aggressive short-term investors or speculators may not partner well with the more conservative members who are satisfied with long-term capital appreciation. Members should have similar or at least compatible investment goals.

A preliminary meeting will help everyone to determine if they can work together and will help to articulate the commitment expected from participants. Members should agree on a name and set guidelines as to how the club will be organised and run with all the attendant responsibilities.

Officers should be elected early on as it is important to be clear as to who does what. Typically, a Chairperson presides over meetings and a deputy in their absence. The Club Secretary keeps a record of minutes, and sends out reminders of upcoming meetings whilst The Treasurer coordinates financial matters relating to subscriptions, and keeps records of the club?s holdings as well as each individual member?s share. The ability of this member is critical to the success of the club so this role must be selected carefully.

Limit the amount of time each member can hold a particular role. This will enhance the experience of individual members, make them feel more involved, and will also diminish the chance of certain members becoming too controlling.

Your bank or stockbroker will require an agreement or Articles of Incorporation to open an account in the clubs name. The agreement will provide a record of when, where, and how often the group will meet, list the necessary roles for operating the group, initial membership contributions and ongoing dues. It will also state how the club will manage new membership, payouts, divesting from or dissolution of the investment club. This vital bit of paperwork is absolutely essential to protect yourselves should things not work out. All members must be in agreement of the terms and should sign off accordingly.

Investment clubs typically meet monthly to discuss investment options, and to make investment decisions. It is important to review club financials, individual investment progress and any cash balance available for investment. Meetings should hold in an appropriate venue with few distractions and should follow the formal meeting process; it is important that meetings are run efficiently so that they don?t become tiresome.

Members should be comfortable with the level of financial commitment required so that no one is hard pressed to come up with the monthly minimum contribution. Small investments may frustrate investors who want to commit larger amounts of cash in the hope of seeing a larger return. Some members may fall short on occassion as unexpected expenses come up, and a large monthly contribution may eliminate members over the long run.

Your investment club contributions shouldn?t be the only investment you are making. You should also be contributing to your Retirement Savings Account (?RSA?) and building other independent personal savings and investments.

Investing is a long-term pursuit. It is impossible to time the market accurately and to pick winning investments all the time, so make sure your club is prepared to stay the course and weather the inevitable storm of market volatility. When an investment club is properly set up and run, it can provide a supportive atmosphere that can make investing a lot of fun.

Photo Credit: bvonmoney.com

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Nimi Akinkugbe has extensive experience in private banking and wealth management. She is passionate about encouraging financial independence and offers frank, practical insights to create a greater awareness and understanding of personal finance and wealth management issues. She is married with 3 children.Find out more via www.nimiakinkugbe.com

Tags: Investment club, Money Talk, Money Talk with Nimi, Nimi Akinkugbe

Source: http://www.bellanaija.com/2013/07/11/money-talk-with-nimi-why-not-start-an-investment-club/

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