In keeping with his orderly ascension from ranking army general to top political official to supreme leader of the last hard-line Communist country on earth, North Korea?s chubby young Kim Jong-un is expected soon to take up golf, where he will challenge his father?s record of scoring almost a dozen holes-in-one on his first try at the game.
More related to this story
Afforded little else in the way of information on the internal doings of the secretive country, observers will be reduced to parsing news of the young leader?s score, speculating on what it might mean should he fail to match his father?s 38-under-par.
Such is the fantasy scenario of North Korea?s notorious ? often ludicrous ? propaganda machine, which is operating at full throttle after the death of the country?s last demigod ruler. Observers question whether the regime can maintain the barrage of lies big and little it has used for so long to mislead and repress its citizens.
In particular, they wonder how long it will be before the flood of information loosened by the digital revolution, which helped destabilize and wash away repressive regimes throughout the Middle East this year, finally leaks through slowly widening cracks in the Kimchi Curtain.
The regime has ?boxed itself in? with the extravagance of its lies, according to Hartmuth Kroll, a retired Canadian diplomat familiar with the region. By insisting for decades that the country is isolated because other nations are jealous of its success ? and that however hard life becomes, it is always worse beyond the border ? North Korea has courted a sharp reckoning.
?They?re riding a tiger,? Mr. Kroll said. ?The more that people find out about the rest of the world, the more dangerous it becomes for the regime.?
But so far, the North Korean regime has proven adept at keeping citizens in the dark. South Korea is the most wired nation in the world, according to Paul Evans, director of the Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia, whereas North Korea is the least. Information in and out is rigorously controlled, and citizens face severe punishment for as little as watching South Korean soap operas on smuggled flash drives ? ?illegal and ubiquitous,? according to one expert.
?North Korea is not like anywhere else in Asia or the world,? Prof. Evans said. ?This is a neo-feudal system with theocratic overtones that makes us think of the 16th century, not the 21st.?
Although many observers cite the recent appearance of a mobile-phone network in North Korea as evidence of potential opening, calls can only be made inside the country and handsets are confined to a loyal elite. Online social networks do not exist. To get news of the outside world, according to U.S. human-rights activist David Hawk, North Koreans must make a risky trip to the Chinese border, where smugglers rent them phones that operate on the neighbouring country?s network. ?But it?s illegal and dangerous because the police are actively trying to suppress it,? he said.
To get news into the country, the South Korean government and sanctioned groups until recently floated information-loaded helium balloons over the demilitarized zone.
Some observers predict the North Korean information barrier will soon fall. ?There are holes in it that are big and are growing,? Mr. Hawk said. ?The propaganda is breaking down.?
But others aren?t so sure. ?It?s not to suggest that there aren?t really powerful forces out there, but it?s like water hitting rocks,? Prof. Evans said. ?North Korea is sui generis.?
Canadian North Korea watcher and former Pyongyang resident Erich Weingartner, editor of the CanKor website, shares that skepticism. He questions how long the regime can maintain its outrageous propaganda ? ?I doubt they?re clever enough to change their ways,? Mr. Weingartner said ? but bits and pieces of actual information floating over the border in novel ways ?is a long way off from changing the mentality of the population.?
North Korean children are institutionalized at a very early age and force-fed the pseudo-mythological history of the Kim dynasty, according to Mr. Weingartner. Throughout the rest of their lives their behaviour is monitored by informants in their neighbourhoods and at work. He doubts that many would cheer if foreign troops ever attempted to ?liberate? them.
?There?s still a lot of people who regard at least Kim Il-sung as a god figure, even if they are less happy about Kim Jong-il and the new guy,? he said.
In that, they?re not as silly as they may seem, according to Prof. Evans. ?We?ve just gone through a Christmas season of virgin births and stars travelling across the sky,? he said, explaining the miraculous nature of North Korean history as a function of the first Kim?s education in the hands of Christian missionaries. ?That hyper-religiosity is built into the philosophy of the ruling elite in North Korea,? he said.
Do the North Korean people actually believe it?
?Do people in the West believe in transubstantiation?? Prof. Evans asked in reply. ?Do they believe in the devil??
Myths are sturdy things, in other words. And although miracles do happen, they are more likely to come in the form of golf scores than an Arab-style awakening in North Korea this spring.
PITTSBURGH ? Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu each attended a full practice Friday and are listed as probable for the regular-season finale in Cleveland on Sunday.
Roethlisberger practiced all week after missing last Saturday's 27-0 win over the St. Louis Rams because of a high ankle sprain. The injury occurred three weeks ago in a home win against the Browns, but he played the following Monday in San Francisco and threw three interceptions in a 20-3 loss.
Polamalu (knee) did not practice until Friday but is expected to start Sunday. Center Maurkice Pouncey missed the past two games with a high ankle sprain but said he's going to play.
Linebacker James Harrison (neck) and wide receivers Mike Wallace (ankle) and Emmanuel Sanders (foot) are listed as probable.
LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) is doubtful after not practicing Friday, and Jason Worilds likely will make his seventh start at outside linebacker.
The playoff-bound Steelers need a win and a Baltimore loss at Cincinnati to win the AFC North and earn a first-round bye.
Have you always wanted to do this? Or have you done it?
Add it to your life list - a list of everything you want to do and have done. Keep your bucket list on SuperViva for ongoing inspiration, help from others, and flexibility planning over time. Learn more or start by adding this goal to your list!
Texas and Alabama are the favorites to land the top recruiting class in the country.
Follow , and Like SBNation.com on Facebook.
Dec 28, 2011 - Entering all-star season, let's take a look at the best recruiting classes in college football.
It's very difficult to declare a winner so far between Texas and Alabama. While other schools have a shot at finishing with the top class, Texas and Alabama are far and away the top two at the moment.
The Longhorns have an excellent class coming to Austin this season. That should be the case pretty much every year for the clear top school in the state of Texas -- and Texas is the name of the game, as 22 of the Longhorns' 25 commitments are from the Lone Star State (22 or 23 high school commitments).
Texas needed a quarterback and grabbed Connor Brewer early in the process out of Arizona. He'll enroll early and take part in Spring practice.
I'm equally impressed with what Texas did on the JUCO circuit, grabbing offensive tackle Donald Hawkins (6'5", 320) and defensive tackle Brandon Moore (6'4", 330) out of Mississippi. Texas hasn't gone after a lot of JUCO kids in recent years, but the 'Horns saw a need and patched it. That's some serious size on the lines for the Horns, which is significant as Texas has been criticized for being soft up front in recent years.
And for good measure, Texas grabbed arguably the best back in Texas in Aledo's Jonathan Gray and the top defensive tackle in the state in Malcolm Brown of Brenham.
Still on the board: Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham and athlete Daniel Brooks (an Oklahoma commitment). Green-Beckham would be an unreal grab by this staff, as Texas is thought to be trailing here.
For more on Texas recruiting, visit Burnt Orange Nation.
Alabama has put together another excellent class and Nick Saban is well on his way to giving Alabama a top-five class for a half decade. Bama has eight skill position players, one specialist, three offensive linemen, five defensive lineman, three linebackers, and three defensive backs.
This is a strange class for Bama in that the Crimson Tide's top players have not received a ton of press in the recruiting community. This is for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that many of the top commitments committed to Bama early on and never wavered.
Eddie Williams out of Panama City's (Fla.) Arnold High school is a great prospect worthy of his universal five-star rating. At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Williams plans to play safety for the Crimson Tide. How long he can play the position at that size remains to be seen. And really, the uncertainty as to his position at the next level is the only question about his game.
Other Stars: Linebacker Reggie Ragland (6'4", 245) and JUCO cornerback Travell Dixon.
Still on the board: Bama is still very much in the running for the services of defensive tackle Eddie Goldman out of Washington, DC. Goldman is thought to be between the Tide and the Florida State Seminoles, with Auburn and perhaps Miami on the outside looking in. And the Tide is hard charging for Florida State QB commitment Jameis Winston, who is also a serious baseball prospect.
For more on Alabama recruiting, visit Roll Bama Roll.
Then there are a few other teams with excellent classes who, if the chips fall in their favor, could snag the top spot.
Fresh off grabbing quarterback Gunner Kiel, LSU is squarely in the hunt. Kiel gives the Tigers a top signal-caller to go with a wealth of defensive talent, including cornerback Dwayne Thomas and defensive end Danielle Hunter. The Tigers are expected to add top safety Landon Collins to the mix as well. If they add defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. (currently committed to Florida State), they have a shot at number one.
For more on LSU football recruiting, visit And The Valley Shook.
Brady Hoke's first year at Michigan really could not have gone any better, as the Wolverines scratched and clawed their way into a BCS game. Off the field, things have been even better. Hoke is trying to transition Michigan away from the spread offense and into a more traditional pro-style offense. That mean selling playing time.
So far, recruits are buying what Hoke is selling -- especially offensive linemen. Kyle Kallis and Erik Manguson are two blue-chip tackle prospects, while Ben Braden, Caleb Stacy and Blake Bars have impressive offer sheets as well. And the Wolverines aren't done, as they continue to chase more top offensive linemen.
.
Read More: texas football recruiting, texas recruiting, michigan football recruiting, lsu recruiting, lsu football recruiting, michigan recruiting, alabama football recruiting, alabama recruiting, LSU Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas Longhorns, Florida St. Seminoles
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama offered a special tribute to those who serve our nation and the families who support them unconditionally, while encouraging all Americans to give in their own way in his weekly address.
"Giving of ourselves; service to others ? that?s what this season is all about. For my family and millions of Americans, that?s what Christmas is all about," he said.
"It reminds us that part of what it means to love God is to love one another ... to be our brother?s keeper and our sister?s keeper. But that belief is not just at the center of our Christian faith, it?s shared by Americans of all faiths and backgrounds."
"So whatever you believe, wherever you?re from, let?s remember the spirit of service that connects us all this season ? as Americans. Each of us can do our part to serve our communities and our country, not just today, but every day."
Here's Barack and Michelle's address to the nation:
A man was arrested Christmas Day after allegedly going on a crime spree burlgarizing several Brownsville buildings, including a church and a mosque, police said.
Leonardo Oscar Vela, 25, was arrested Sunday afternoon on two counts of criminal mischief and two counts of burlgarizing a building.
Sgt. Felix Sauceda of the Brownsville Police Department said Vela is suspected of breaking into a realty office on the 2800 block of Central Boulevard around noon. The burglar reportedly fled when an alarm went off, but officers found a broken window and a rock. A witness described Vela to the officers.
Shortly after, police received a call for a burglary at a mosque on Gilson Road, near where Vela lives. Witnesses reported that a man matching Vela?s description broke in and stole a jacket and metal safe.
One of the burlgary victims at the mosque told police the man fled to a nearby church on Old Highway 77.
Officers followed the trail and found Vela sitting outside the church with blood on his hand, Sauceda said.
?They proceeded to inspect the premises and found the front glass door shattered with blood on the glass as well,? Sauceda said.
Officers arrested Vela and booked him in the city jail late Sunday afternoon.
Sauceda said police often see a spike in crime during the holidays.
?The holidays are just one of the times of year with more opportunities to offend, so we do see an increase,? he said.
According to Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, ?it may be months before an investigation determines exactly what happened Friday night when a sheriff?s deputy hit and killed two pedestrians in Oildale.? Police who responded to the incident took the deputy to the hospital ? and arrested grieving relatives on the scene.
Daniel Hiler ran out of gas during an evening motorcycle ride in Oildale, California on December 16. While walking his bike to a gas station, the twenty-year-old father of two ran into a family friend named Chrystal Jolley. The pair was crossing a street at a widely-recognized intersection when they were fatally blindsided by a vehicle traveling at a speed well in excess of the posted speed limit. Despite the fact that darkness had descended, the driver hadn?t turned on his headlights. The victims were killed instantly.
Within minutes, police swarmed the scene, and arrests were made ? none of which involved the driver, Deputy John Swearengin of the Kern County Sheriff?s Office. The four people arrested were relatives of the victims, who got into what the Sheriff?s Office described as an ?altercation? with California Highway Patrol officers when they attempted to identify the victims.
Legendary singer Etta James currently sits in a Los Angeles hospital, using a breathing machine to keep her conscious.
The 73-year-old 'At Last' songstress, who made headlines Dec. 16 when news broke that her leukemia diagnosis was incurable, was taken to a care center near her home in Riverside, Calif., last week according to her manager, Lupe De-Leon. James had been struggling to breathe, according to Reuters.
"They took her to the hospital," De-Leo revealed. "She was having trouble breathing, so they intubated her. She is on a breathing machine and is resting."
Besides her leukemia battle, the embattled entertainer had a past heroine addiction she recovered from and also suffers from kidney disease and dementia.
James' song, Donto James, said that a Christmas celebration was being held in her hospital room since she was not physically able to spend the holidays at home.
Donto James is currently involved in a legal dispute with Etta James' husband, Artis Mills, over control and care of the sick singer's $1 million estate. As it stands now, Mills is a conservator of James' estate. He requested $500,000 for James' medical costs, however, a Riverside County superior judge only released $350,000 to him on Monday (Dec. 19).
Santa style: Greg Lilly photographs a group of Santas walking through Hollywood at SantaCon 2011 in this Dec. 17 photo.
Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.
WASHINGTON ? On Jan. 21, 1997, one of the most memorable days in congressional history, Newt Gingrich became the first House speaker to be reprimanded by his colleagues for ethical misconduct.
The 395-28 vote, to reprimand him for bringing discredit on the House for failing to ensure his use of tax-exempt groups was legal, was historic by itself. But Gingrich's peers didn't stop there. They fined him $300,000 for misleading the House ethics committee and causing it to extend a costly investigation.
Fifteen years later, the case has come back into focus as the fight for next year's Republican presidential nomination has resuscitated a political career once thought to be all but over.
The ethics committee back then made no finding on whether Gingrich's use of tax-exempt groups to raise money was illegal. It said it would let the Internal Revenue Service determine if any tax laws were broken. In 1999, the IRS said they were not.
In settling the case, Gingrich acknowledged he gave false information to the ethics committee in denying that a Republican political action committee he led ? GOPAC ? was connected to a college course he taught that was funded by tax-exempt organizations.
GOPAC, in fact, was involved in developing what was supposed to be a nonpartisan college course, the committee said, and Gingrich's denial was "inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable."
Gingrich said in recent comments on the campaign trail that more than 1 million pages of documents were turned over to the ethics committee that investigated him, and that 83 charges were repudiated as false. "The one mistake we made was a letter written by a lawyer that I didn't read carefully," he said.
But he also accused the ethics committee of being partisan and said, "The way I was dealt with related more to the politics of the Democratic Party than the ethics." The committee, then and now, has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans.
The ethics findings, unhappiness of many Republicans with his leadership, and his resignation as speaker after 1998 GOP election losses left Gingrich with scars that seemed to doom his political career. It didn't revive until last month, when the former speaker surged to the top among Republican presidential hopefuls.
Gingrich's ethics investigation consumed more than two years. Democrats were rabid in their insistence that the speaker broke House rules. And they wanted revenge. Years earlier, Gingrich and others had filed an ethics complaint against a Democratic speaker, Jim Wright ? a case that led to Wright's resignation in 1989.
If Gingrich wins the GOP nomination, Democrats are certain to remind voters of this piece of baggage. The ethics report in 1997 portrayed him as unethical beyond the case at hand. Without details, it said that "over a number of years and in a number of situations, Mr. Gingrich showed a disregard and lack of respect for the standards of conduct that applied to his activities."
The genesis of Gingrich's ethics case goes back to 1990, when he was No. 2 in the House GOP hierarchy. Democrats had a stranglehold on the majority dating back to 1955, and Gingrich knew that If Republicans were ever to take back the House, they had to recruit hundreds of thousands of new voters.
He developed a television show in 1990 and a college course in 1993, using tax-exempt organizations to help finance them and spread his message: Replace the "welfare state" with an "opportunity society" centered in part on Republican, free enterprise economic principles.
"Based on the evidence, it was clear that Mr. Gingrich intended that the (television show and college course) have substantial partisan, political purposes," the ethics committee found.
That was a problem. U.S. tax law provides a way for people to make tax-deductible donations to certain groups as long as those groups stay away from partisan politics. The groups are often called 501c3s because that's the section of the IRS code that gives them tax-exempt status.
Gingrich's TV show and college course originally were a project of his GOPAC political action committee. But after they started consuming a substantial portion of the political committee's revenues, Gingrich and others transferred the project to the Abraham Lincoln Opportunity Foundation. The foundation was a tax-exempt 501(c)3 group that had been dormant but was revived to sponsor the televised workshop.
The foundation operated out of GOPAC's offices, and virtually all its officers and employers were simultaneously GOPAC officers or employees. The main difference between GOPAC and the foundation was the $260,000 in tax-deductible contributions the foundation raised to fund the TV program and the workshops.
Gingrich tried to protect his donors' tax deductions by keeping out references to Republicans and partisan politics in the TV show and college course. The course was taught originally at the public Kennesaw State College in Georgia in 1993 and the private Reinhardt College in 1994 and 1995. Gingrich and another professor each taught 20 hours.
The partisanship came in when Gingrich arranged "workshops" across the country for people to see his lectures and the TV show. A purpose of the workshops was to recruit voters who would support Republicans, the ethics committee said.
It cited documents in which Gingrich describes the purpose of the TV show and college course.
"The objective measurable goal is the maximum growth of news coverage of our vision and ideas, the maximum recruitment of new candidates, voters and resources, and the maximum electoral success in winning seats from the most local office to the White House," Gingrich wrote.
He said in numerous writings that the college course was part of his "Renewing American Civilization" movement to replace the "welfare state." The course and the movement had the same name.
In a 1993 document Gingrich said the goal of the movement was "replacing the welfare state, recruit, discover, arouse and network together 200,000 activists including candidates for elected office at all levels" leading to "a sweeping victory in 1996."
He didn't have to wait that long. In the 1994 election, Gingrich engineered a Republican takeover of the House. The GOP held the House majority for a dozen years until Democrats regained it in 2006. Last year, Republicans took it back.
Forum rules This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
Return to Out of Character
Post a reply
RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.
If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.
Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
Passer cette ?tape
Connexion
Connexion
Rejoignez Twitter !
RT @BBB_MilLine: #BBB Warns of Phone #Scam Aimed at Hotel Guests bbb.org/us/article/BBB? #SOT #Military #Troops #MilFam #VetsIl y a environ 9 heuresvia UberSocial for BlackBerry
Juniors miners/explorers are primarily the owners of the world's future mines, but investing in them is fraught with risk.
Author:?Richard (Rick) Mills Posted:? Friday , 23 Dec 2011
COQUITLAM, BC (Ahead of the Herd)?-?
It's a fact in the mining world that most discoveries are made by a) junior mining companies and b) old time individual prospectors.
It's hard to invest in a prospector, fortunately if you want to invest in a potential discovery or the building of something of value - be in on the discovery of a mineral deposit and be there as the company moves it down the development path towards a mine - there are quality junior companies to choose from, there are opportunities to back excellent management teams with your investment money.
Juniors, not majors, own the world's future mines and juniors are the ones most adept at finding these future mines. They already own, and find more of, what the world's larger mining companies need to replace reserves and grow their asset base.
But what do you need to know, and do, before investing in the junior resource sector? How do you pick a junior that you are happy to own for the long term while management builds value?
The first thing you need to know is juniors are risky, and that managing that risk is your number one job. Your priorities are:
????????? Know yourself
????????? Identify a dominant global long-term theme
????????? Know the different development stages of a junior?
????????? Know who you are invested with and the story
????????? Have a sound money and risk management plan in place
Your Risk Profile - know thyself
Some people invest in early startups solely because of the management team in place, others invest for the potential of what a property might host, some will wait until after a discovery is made and invest as drilling progresses and resources are built thus reducing their risk. Yet others will wait till money is raised, permits in place, the mine is being built and cash flow is just over the horizon.
You pay less per share because there is more risk, or you pay more because there is less risk - more risk should mean a bigger payday, less risk less of a pay day. Only you can decide the level of risk you can tolerate versus anticipated profit you expect to make and only you know how much patience you have to sit while developments, the story, plays out.
Discipline is necessary to stick to the investment plan you have formulated - are you going to let volatility shake you out of your position? Run to the hot tips, chase after momentum and churn your portfolio?
Determining your investment risk profile is the first step an investor should take. Only you can determine how much risk, how much volatility you can stomach - you need to know the level of risk you are comfortable with and if you can exercise the necessary patience and discipline it takes to be a successful investor in this sector.
Risk profiles run the gauntlet from ultra conservative to speculative and everything in between.
Conservative: A low tolerance for volatility, no risk, most want their portfolio to provide them with an inflation adjusted income stream to pay living expenses.
Moderate: A majority of investors would fit into this middle of the road category. Many are seeking good returns for retirement and or college funding. Willing to take on some risk.
*Aggressive/Speculative: High tolerance for volatility, risk. Can handle significant fluctuations in the value of their investment. Usually have income from other sources or are young enough to continue working and recoup losses. These types of portfolios have little or no annual income yields but have the potential for very high capital gains.
?
*This author invests almost entirely in speculative investments - get in early behind great management teams with outstanding projects, step back and let them go to work building, creating something of value. My timeline for a pay off can be out two to three years from the initial investment date. To earn the truly great rewards, one must be invested early behind experienced competent management teams - you need to be ahead of the herd.
A Thematic Approach - Following the trend is often the best path to profits
When looking for an investment the approach taken should involve studying global long term dominant trends - reading, watching and listening (the internet is a do it yourself investors greatest tool) will give you all the facts as to what's going on in the world. Then study the different sectors in order to select the one that is going to match up well with what you think is the soon to be overriding theme. This is top down investing.
The second part of your search for the dominant investment is a bottom up approach. This is where you find individual companies in the specific sector you have chosen to invest in. Pick the company you want to invest in based on the quality of its management team and your risk profile - what stage is the company in?
If you've done your homework all the necessary ingredients for a potentially successful investment - one that's tailored specifically to your risk, patience and discipline levels - should be in place.
Stage and risk
Greenfield (GF) - early stage exploration - the most upside (and by far the greatest risk) comes from buying a junior when they are exploring and make an initial discovery. Great drill assay results can send a juniors share price skyrocketing. The reverse can also be true. Junior explorers, the greenfield plays, are the riskiest plays by far. Strike out on assay results and it could be goodbye to a share price rise for a very long time - till the company finds another project they can work on. If you're buying into this kind of play make sure the company has another fallback project in its portfolio.
Post Discovery Resource Definition (PDRD) - these companies have already found something, the share price has settled back after the initial discovery (never chase a company whose share price has already exploded, the share price has had its run, for now the moneys been made. I try and enter after the excitement has died down and the share price has settled back) and the company is going in to see what they have and hopefully produce a 43-101 compliant resource estimate and build upon it. The risk has been greatly reduced, the waiting time for a discovery non-existent and the reward very nice considering the much lower amount of risk.
Nearer term producers (NTP) - those further down the development path towards a mine. Because these companies are well advanced along the development path a lot of the guesswork about grade, size, costs and metallurgy have been taken out of the equation for us. They have done sufficient work to give investors a certain level of confidence that their project will successfully move towards being a mine.
The later stage companies (those doing feasibility studies, permitting and money raising) can have an excellent entry point for investors - they often enter a quiet period when they are doing the advanced studies and raising money to go into production. They often base (a flat share price) for quite a while through this period - possibly a good time for accumulation of their shares if you believe in the story. After the money is raised for production investors can see they are going mining - cash flow is just over the horizon - and the share price will often break out of its trading range.
Management
Everything about a company flows from management - the ability to find a project or have projects or joint ventures (JV) offered to the company, development of the project in a timely efficient manner, financings done at a higher and higher share price, control over the share structure along with? management interests aligned with shareholder interest.
The most successful management teams have three complementary but very different sides. The first side of the team is the people who can find the quality projects and who have the technical expertise to explore, develop and advance them. But a good all round junior isn't comprised of only these people - there has to be more.
The second side of a successful team are the members who have the ability to make deals for projects, go into the board room and sell the story to the institutional investor and raise the money needed for acquisitions, exploration and development.
The third side of the team are the people with the ability to tell the story to retail investors.
Officers of the company make up side one and side two, they should be experienced business persons, geologists, mining engineers, lawyers and accountants. The president and or the chief executive officer should be the public face and voice of the company. They do not have to be geologists or engineers, they do have to be smart businessmen and strong salesmen or women who can make the best deal possible on acquisitions and go out and sell their company to the different brokerage houses who can than raise the needed money from their own clients to acquire, explore and hopefully advance the company's projects.
Do not make the mistake of thinking side one and side two management can do side three. Giving dog & pony shows to a group of brokers and mining analysts, an institution or group of high net worth individuals, being on TV and doing interviews is a much different skill set than running a promo campaign to retail investors and actually picking up a phone and talking to them all day.
Make sure the company you are interested in has all three skill sets.
Money and Risk Management
All successful speculations start with extensive due diligence - identifying the overriding dominant global theme, picking the company's that match your particular risk/timeline profile and then weeding out the weak based on the quality of management. Once your investigation is done you need an investment plan.
A systematic approach to risk management must be used to protect your investment capital. You have to be sure you're clear on your objectives and set guidelines for yourself - you need to follow the plan you've laid out.
The plan could be:
How much to invest
Buying your shares, usually in three tranches
Map out a rough timeline for the company to reach important milestones
Plan your exit strategy - which milestone, and subsequent market strength do you exit on
To follow a plan you need to develop and master two traits:
The best returns come to those who:
Learn their investment profile - know yourself
Ride long term dominant global trends
Pick their own investments - knowledge is power
Put together a sound plan knowing themselves and their chosen investment
Have discipline
Show patience
Learn from their mistakes
Conclusion
The bottom line is to be patient with your chosen management teams. If a company's goals for its projects are being met and management is increasing shareholder value while successfully telling their story then your patience will be rewarded.
You need the confidence that stems from having a thorough understanding of the reasoning behind your investment and the story management is painting. Have the patience and discipline to watch and monitor and not jump ship to play the latest flavor of the month or hot tip - it's best to ignore the cheerleaders.
Discipline yourself to ride out the minor ?ups and downs', they are part of the game - the true reward is to recognize potential, buy a stock for pennies and sell it for dollars, never being shaken out of your position because of short term volatility and noise.
Richard (Rick) Mills is host of www.aheadoftheherd.com
SUBSCRIBE to Mineweb.com's free daily newsletter now.
Disclaimer
MINEWEB is an interactive publication, with rolling deadlines through each day, commencing in the Sydney morning, ?and concluding, 24 hours later, ?in the Vancouver evening. ?If you believe your side of an issue deserves inclusion, but has failed to meet one of our deadlines, you are invited to notify the Editor in Chief in Johannesburg, and we will include you in our editing and expanding on our stories. Email him at alechogg@gmail.com
Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
Passer cette ?tape
Connexion
Connexion
Rejoignez Twitter !
AGORA ---> Todo mundo ligando na Mix TV pra ver a retrospectiva hil?ria dos maiores virais de 2011. @Nairbello apresentando t? #LOL.Il y a environ 21 heuresvia HootSuiteRetweeted by 6 people
Congress and the military have examined how Maj. Nidal Hasan was trained, evaluated and promoted as a military physician.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Congress called for the General Accountability Office report after the Fort Hood shootings
The report urges the Defense Department to speed efforts to revise the review process
The military says its centralized system will be delayed without adequate funding
Washington (CNN) -- A federal watchdog took a bite out of military hospitals this month, warning it is impossible to tell if some doctors are licensed, properly trained and evaluated in their specialties.
"Army oversight and physician credentialing and privileging requirements were not sufficient to assure that MTFs (Medical Treatment Facilities) fully complied with existing requirements or completely documented information needed to support credentialing and privileging decisions," said the new General Accountability Office report.
"Specifically, Army Medical Command's oversight of individual MTFs' reviews of physicians' applications for privileges was insufficient to identify the instances of noncompliance and incomplete documentation," the report added.
In some cases the military had failed to check properly on the legitimacy of doctors' licenses to practice medicine, the report alleged.
"Some credentials files we reviewed lacked complete documentation to show that MTFs had primary source verified all of the physician's state medical licenses, including seven instances involving a physician's only active medical license," the report says.
Primary source verification of credentials means they are verified with a specific credential's source.
Congress called for the report in the aftermath of the Fort Hood, Texas, shooting in November 2009, for which an Army psychiatrist is charged with 13 murders.
Congress and the military have examined how Maj. Nidal Hasan was trained, evaluated and promoted as a military physician. Nine military officials, including doctors, were disciplined for their actions or failures in the Hasan case. He faces a court-martial, with a possible death penalty, in March.
The GAO report cast a wider net and urged the Defense Department to speed up its efforts to revise and standardize reviews of doctors' credentials. And it singles out the Army for problems at its facilities.
"Based on our review of 150 credentials files at the five Army MTFs we selected for our review, we found that none of the five Army MTFs fully complied with certain Army physician credentialing and privileging requirements," the GAO report said. "Specifically, we found that the selected MTFs did not fully comply with the Army's requirement to primary source verify all state medical licenses at the time of privileging and at renewal."
In a response included in the report, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson wrote the department is progressing with standardization and centralization of credential files and improving how doctors can apply for and renew privileges to practice at military hospitals. But the military warned that its centralized system would be delayed "without adequate funding."
The report cited over-reliance of so-called peer reviews, especially in cases where coworkers might have only a limited familiarity with a doctor.
"In one file we reviewed, both peer recommendations were from individuals who indicated they had limited knowledge of the physician's clinical competence," the report says. "The department chief later told us that this physician was terminated within the first three months due to issues with the physician's competence and professionalism."
In another instance, a doctor had problems with errors in prescriptions, above what the hospital allowed. However, this was not reflected in the doctor's file. And the physician's department chief "was not aware of the negative prescription days but was 'not at all surprised' because there were current concerns about this physician," the report said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Monsanto's genetically engineered, drought resistant corn is deregulated, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Thursday, clearing the variety for sale.
USDA approved the variety after reviewing environmental and risk assessments, public comments and research data from Monsanto.
Corn is the most widely grown U.S. crop and farmers grew 91.9 million acres of the feed grain this year, the second-largest area since World War Two.
In its 2009 petition for approval of its GM variety, Monsanto said 40 percent of crop losses in North America are due to sub-optimal moisture.
In a statement, Monsanto said it planned farm trials in the western U.S. Plains in 2012 to demonstrate the variety for growers and to generate data that will help guide Monsanto's commercial decisions.
"Our drought system is designed to help farmers mitigate the risk of yield loss when experiencing drought stress, primarily in areas of annual drought stress," said Hobart Beeghly, U.S. product management leader.
The drought-tolerant trait was part of a collaboration with the German chemical company BASF.
The major U.S. area for adoption of drought-tolerant corn would be the Plains, which produce one-quarter of the U.S. crop, Monsanto estimated, as well as similar dryland regions of Africa, Europe and Latin America.
USDA announced the variety, known as MON 87460, "is no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms."
The FCC has approved the first device to use the much buzzed about "white spaces" between television broadcast frequencies to transmit data. The recipient of the honor is a receiver from Koos Technical Services that's designed to be a last-mile connection for surveillance cameras and telemetry systems. The radio will tap into database run by Spectrum Bridge to ensure it doesn't interfere with other broadcasts. Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement that, "we are taking an important step towards enabling a new wave of wireless innovation. Unleashing white spaces spectrum has the potential to exceed even the many billions of dollars in economic benefit from Wi-Fi, the last significant release of unlicensed spectrum, and drive private investment and job creation." For now, only the city of Wilmington, NC will be able to benefit from the approval, as the FCC continues to iron out the details that will prevent these devices from interfering with wireless microphones. Check out the press release after the break for more info.
Comedy legend Jackie Mason ripped President Obama on Monday, saying that the White House's Hannukah celebration earlier this month was a photo opportunity and a fraud.
"I don't even think he knew that he was talking about something that's Jewish. It could have been Muslim, it could have been all together a religion he never even heard of. He doesn't know, he doesn't care. He's strictly in there to take a picture, and the picture could have been about anything," Mason told Aaron Klein of WABC in New York City.
The White House held the celebration on December 8th, though the Jewish holiday begins its eight night run on December 20th. "The way I see it, we're just extending the holiday spirit," the President said at the event. "We're stretching it out. But we do have to be careful that your kids don't start thinking Hanukkah lasts 20 nights instead of eight. That will cause some problems."
Mason continued his assault on the President, saying that the event was just a stunt to up his poll numbers with the Jewish community.
"A bunch of advisors, most of whom are Jewish anyways -- because he has more Jews in his cabinet than Netanyahu. He's jammed up with Jews all around him -- and they told him, if you wanna get them back, Hanukkah is a good idea," he said. "You don't have to go any place. We'll put down the tchotchke and you'll see a candle, you'll light it from this side, and that's enough information for him to accumulate without a teleprompter. So he did it in 10 minutes."
During the President's remarks at the event, he paid tribute to the story that gave rise to the holiday.
"This Hanukkah season we remember a story so powerful that we all know it by heart -- even us Gentiles. It's a story of right over might, of faith over doubt," Obama said in his remarks. "It's a timeless story. And for 2,000 years, it has given hope to Jews everywhere who are struggling. And today, it reminds us that miracles come in all shapes and sizes."
Mason is no stranger to controversy when it comes to the President. In 2009, he referred to Obama using the Yiddish word "schvartze," which many believe is now an outdated racial epithet. He later said he did not consider it derogatory, but would not apologize.
"I'm not going to defend myself. Chris Rock has told a lot more jokes about whites than I have against blacks," he told TMZ. What about the demeaning words blacks say about Jews? If it's a racist society, the white people are the ones being persecuted because they have to defend themselves."
In 2004, Mason called Islam "a murderous religion" and has been in general an outspoken conservative on foreign policy issues.
In 2007, Mason put out this video calling Obama "a mindless man" and a product of political hype and white guilt:
Mason also criticized Newt Gingrich during the spot, which you can listen to by clicking here.
New York ? Congress reached an 11th-hour deal to keep federal agencies running. But the horse-trading isn't over
Just 27 hours before a deadline that could have shut down the federal government at midnight Friday, Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement on a $1 trillion spending bill that will keep the lights on through the end of the fiscal year in September, 2012. They still have to work out the particulars of another sticking point ? a separate measure extending a temporary payroll tax cut and jobless benefits. So what did both parties gain, and give up, to break the impasse? Here, a brief guide:
So, the parties settled their differences? Not exactly. They still have to work out how to pay for the $120 billion payroll tax cut extension for 160 million workers, to keep it from expiring on Dec. 31. But they got close enough that the White House and Senate Democrats figured it was safe to detach the payroll-tax issue from the spending bill, which they were delaying in an attempt to force the GOP to negotiate. Now Congress can approve the spending bill, and focus on settling lingering differences over the payroll tax.
SEE MORE: Why the GOP caved in the payroll tax fight: 4 theories
?
Who caved? Both sides gave up a little on the spending measure. "The final bill strips out a Republican amendment to the Treasury budget to reinstate Bush-era restrictions on travel to Cuba" ? something President Obama opposed, says David Rogers at Politico. But it also includes some GOP provisions that are hard for Democrats to swallow, such as one blocking new, greener standards for light bulbs.
Will extending the payroll tax be easy now? Both sides say a deal is near, although anything can happen. Democrats have reportedly dropped their insistence on offsetting the cost with a surtax on people making more than $1 million a year, which was a dealbreaker for the GOP. But Republicans haven't budged on one provision Democrats have described as a poison pill ? a controversial proposal to expedite the review of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
SEE MORE: The super committee's 'epic' failure: What now?
?
What happens if they can't agree? Both sides want to extend the payroll tax holiday. If they let it expire, the portion of Americans' paychecks withheld for Social Security and Medicare will rise 2 percent ? from 4.2 percent to 6.2 percent. In such a scenario, someone making $50,000 would have to pay $1,000 more in payroll taxes. To avoid that, Congress is likely to pass a two-month extension if no long-term agreement is in sight. That way members will be able to head home for the holidays, and put off a final showdown until February.
Sources: CNN, NY Times, Politico, Washington Post
View this article on TheWeek.com Get 4 Free Issues of The Week
Other stories from this topic:
Like on Facebook?-?Follow on Twitter?-?Sign-up for Daily Newsletter
NEW ORLEANS ? Cameron International, the maker of the Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer that failed to stop last year's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has agreed to pay $250 million to BP under a legal settlement, BP said Friday.
BP said it was "in their mutual best interests, and the agreement is not an admission of liability by either party." The companies are dropping all claims against one another, they said.
The settlement comes in advance of a federal trial over the catastrophic Gulf oil spill. The non-jury trial is slated to begin in February and determine fault in the April 20, 2010, explosion and subsequent oil spill off the Louisiana coast of more than 200 million gallons of oil.
The settlement with Cameron does not end the legal fighting over the blowout of the Macondo well, which was owned by London-based BP and two partners, MOEX and Anadarko. BP has already settled claims with those two companies and a third company, Weatherford, the maker of a part used in the well.
"Today's settlement allows BP and Cameron to put our legal issues behind us and move forward to improve safety in the drilling industry," said Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive.
"Unfortunately, other companies persist in refusing to accept responsibility for their roles in the accident and for contributing to restoration efforts," Dudley said in a swipe at Halliburton Corp. and Transocean Ltd. Halliburton supplied critical cement to seal the well and Transocean was the company drilling the well.
Probes of the Deepwater Horizon explosion by the federal government and independent scientists and engineers have found all three companies were at fault for a series of decisions and actions that led to the Macondo well blowout, the nation's largest offshore oil spill.
BP is engaged in an intense legal fight with Halliburton Corp. and Transocean. Earlier this month, BP went so far as to accuse Halliburton employees of covering up damaging evidence about a cement mixture Halliburton used in drilling the well.
BP said it would use the $250 million from Cameron to pay for the cost of cleaning up from the spill and paying individual damages claims by people, businesses and government entities hurt by the spill. BP said it has spent about $7.5 billion so far of those claims. But the British company faces billions of dollars in additional damages and fines.
Under the agreement, BP said Houston-based Cameron is no longer responsible for any additional cleanup costs related to the spill. But BP said the agreement does not cover civil, criminal and administrative fines and other penalties that might arise out of the court proceedings.
Jack Moore, the chairman and CEO Cameron, said the agreement with BP "removes uncertainty facing Cameron" as litigation intensifies over the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
"This eliminates all significant exposure to historical and future claims related to this incident," Moore said.
Moore said Cameron does not expect to have to pay much for possible court fines and penalties. "We do not consider these items to represent a significant risk to Cameron," he said.
Cameron said its insurers were expected to fund at least $170 million of the $250 million payment the company agreed to make to BP.
BP and Cameron also pledged to "improve safety in the drilling industry" and do more to improve blowout preventers.
COMMENTARY | The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for a ban on the use of all cell phones, including hands free models for all drivers. According to tgdaily.com, it is because "more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents." This study doesn't say if these are cell phone-related or not, but we'll assume they are. Should such a ban be enacted?
Why is it that we feel it is necessary to infringe on people's freedoms just because there are people out there who have no personal responsibility? Because 3,000 people have been involved in accidents, all drivers should not be punished equally. This is the wrong approach. This is no different than using a double load of buckshot to swat a fly, more than just the fly is going to suffer or not allowing McDonald's to put toys in their Happy Meals because some parents can't control what their children eat.
Government doesn't need to control everything its citizens do. Each time we let them intrude in one area, they will find something else to stick their nose into, using the argument that "We already are doing this so we might as well as do that." As an example, let's say we ban the use of cell phones because we don't want distracted drivers and then we find there is a lot of accidents caused by people who are changing their radio stations. Do we then ban the listening of radios in vehicles, citing the precedent of the banning of cell phones? After all, it is another distraction and people have been killed.
In the meantime, we continue to allow drivers who haven't taken a driving test in 50 or more years to renew their licenses without having to prove they are still capable of reacting in time to avoid accidents, or distinguishing the difference between the gas and brake pedals. Perhaps there haven't been enough deaths caused by elderly drivers yet to require action?
If 3,000 deaths is a lot, isn't even one death too much? Absolutely, but not when you compare it to the deaths of approximately 1.2 million people who are legally aborted every year right here in America, according to the Wiley Online Library. What are these deaths we seem to not be concerned about? This is the number of abortions performed in 2008. Where is the outcry on this?
Nitrogen from humans pollutes remote lakes for more than a centuryPublic release date: 15-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sandra Hines shines@uw.edu 206-543-2580 University of Washington
Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes throughout the Northern Hemisphere for more than a century and the fingerprint of these changes is evident even in remote lakes located thousands of miles from the nearest city, industrial area or farm.
The findings, published in the journal Science Dec. 16, are based on historical changes in the chemical composition of bottom deposits in 36 lakes using an approach similar to aquatic archeology. More than three quarters of the lakes, ranging from the U.S. Rocky Mountains to northern Europe, showed a distinctive signal of nitrogen released from human activities before the start of the 20th century, said Gordon Holtgrieve, a postdoctoral researcher at University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and lead author of the report. The UW and a dozen other research institutions contributed to the research.
"When it comes to nitrogen associated with humans, most studies have focused on local and regional effects of pollution and have missed the planetary scale changes," Holtgrieve said. "Our study is the first large-scale synthesis to demonstrate that biologically-active nitrogen associated with human society is being transported in the atmosphere to the most remote ecosystems on the planet."
Burning fossil fuel and using agricultural fertilizers are two key ways humans increase the amount of nitrogen entering the atmosphere. Once in the atmosphere, this nitrogen is distributed by atmospheric currents before being deposited back on Earth in rain and snow, often thousands of miles from the source.
"Turns out the world, for nitrogen, is a much smaller place than we'd assumed," said co-author Daniel Schindler, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences and the Harriet Bullitt Chair in conservation.
Although nitrogen is a vital nutrient for life so much so that farmers apply fertilizers containing it to bolster food crops too much nitrogen can be harmful. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says humans already have doubled the rate of nitrogen released to the biosphere since 1950. Humans now contribute more nitrogen to the biosphere than all natural processes combined. When produced in developed areas, this excess nitrogen can lead to smog, acid rain and water pollution.
The effects on remote forests, lands and lakes are largely unknown, Schindler said. An increasing body of evidence, however, shows that the biological composition of microscopic communities in Arctic lakes changed with the arrival of human-derived nitrogen. This global nitrogen pollution may interact with climate change to produce a "double whammy" that could alter remote lakes in ways not seen in the past 10,000 years, Schindler said.
Using statistical models to analyze nitrogen characteristics of lake sediments, the authors show that the chemical fingerprint of nitrogen pollution started about 115 years ago, shortly after the Industrial Revolution, and that the rate of chemical changes increased during the last 60 years with industrial production of nitrogen for fertilizers.
"This study also provides an explicit chronology for entry of the Earth into the 'Anthropocene' a new geological era in which global biogeochemical cycles have been fundamentally altered by human activity," said co-author Peter Leavitt, professor of biology at the University of Regina and the Canada Research Chair in environmental change. "The signal will only get stronger in the future as we double fertilizer use in the next 40 years to feed 3 billion more people."
The authors conclude that climate, natural sources of nitrogen, and normal chemical processes on land and in water cannot account for the chemical signals they observe.
"Given the broad geographic distribution of our sites and the range of temperate, alpine and arctic ecosystems we believe the best explanation is that human-derived nitrogen was deposited from the atmosphere," Holtgrieve said.
"The global change debate is dominated by discussions of carbon emissions, whether among scientists, politicians or the lay public," said co-author Alexander Wolfe, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at the University of Alberta. "However, in a relative sense, the global nitrogen cycle has been far more perturbed by humanity than that of carbon."
###
Other co-authors are William Hobbs with Science Museum of Minnesota, Eric Ward with National Marine Fisheries Service, Lynda Bunting with University of Regina, Guangjie Chen with McGill University and Yunnan Normal University, Bruce Finney and Mark Shapley with Idaho State University, Irene Gregory-Eaves with McGill University, Sofia Holmgren with Lund University, Mark Lisac and Patrick Walsh with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Peter Lisi and Lauren Rogers with the University of Washington, Koren Nydick with Mountain Studies Institute, Colorado, Jasmine Saros with University of Maine, and Daniel Selbie with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Funding came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alberta Water Research Institute, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the National Science Foundation and Canada Foundation for Innovation.
For more information:
Holtgrieve, gholt@uw.edu, 206-221-5305 (office)
Schindler, deschind@uw.edu, phone interviews can be arranged by email
Wolfe, awolfe@ualberta.ca, 780-492-6073 (office)
Leavitt, peter.leavitt@uregina.ca, 306-585-4253 (office)
William Hobbs, Science Museum of Minnesota, whobbs@smm.org, 651-433-5953
Contact in the European time-zone: Sofia Holmgren, sofia.holmgren@geol.lu.se
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Nitrogen from humans pollutes remote lakes for more than a centuryPublic release date: 15-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sandra Hines shines@uw.edu 206-543-2580 University of Washington
Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes throughout the Northern Hemisphere for more than a century and the fingerprint of these changes is evident even in remote lakes located thousands of miles from the nearest city, industrial area or farm.
The findings, published in the journal Science Dec. 16, are based on historical changes in the chemical composition of bottom deposits in 36 lakes using an approach similar to aquatic archeology. More than three quarters of the lakes, ranging from the U.S. Rocky Mountains to northern Europe, showed a distinctive signal of nitrogen released from human activities before the start of the 20th century, said Gordon Holtgrieve, a postdoctoral researcher at University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and lead author of the report. The UW and a dozen other research institutions contributed to the research.
"When it comes to nitrogen associated with humans, most studies have focused on local and regional effects of pollution and have missed the planetary scale changes," Holtgrieve said. "Our study is the first large-scale synthesis to demonstrate that biologically-active nitrogen associated with human society is being transported in the atmosphere to the most remote ecosystems on the planet."
Burning fossil fuel and using agricultural fertilizers are two key ways humans increase the amount of nitrogen entering the atmosphere. Once in the atmosphere, this nitrogen is distributed by atmospheric currents before being deposited back on Earth in rain and snow, often thousands of miles from the source.
"Turns out the world, for nitrogen, is a much smaller place than we'd assumed," said co-author Daniel Schindler, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences and the Harriet Bullitt Chair in conservation.
Although nitrogen is a vital nutrient for life so much so that farmers apply fertilizers containing it to bolster food crops too much nitrogen can be harmful. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says humans already have doubled the rate of nitrogen released to the biosphere since 1950. Humans now contribute more nitrogen to the biosphere than all natural processes combined. When produced in developed areas, this excess nitrogen can lead to smog, acid rain and water pollution.
The effects on remote forests, lands and lakes are largely unknown, Schindler said. An increasing body of evidence, however, shows that the biological composition of microscopic communities in Arctic lakes changed with the arrival of human-derived nitrogen. This global nitrogen pollution may interact with climate change to produce a "double whammy" that could alter remote lakes in ways not seen in the past 10,000 years, Schindler said.
Using statistical models to analyze nitrogen characteristics of lake sediments, the authors show that the chemical fingerprint of nitrogen pollution started about 115 years ago, shortly after the Industrial Revolution, and that the rate of chemical changes increased during the last 60 years with industrial production of nitrogen for fertilizers.
"This study also provides an explicit chronology for entry of the Earth into the 'Anthropocene' a new geological era in which global biogeochemical cycles have been fundamentally altered by human activity," said co-author Peter Leavitt, professor of biology at the University of Regina and the Canada Research Chair in environmental change. "The signal will only get stronger in the future as we double fertilizer use in the next 40 years to feed 3 billion more people."
The authors conclude that climate, natural sources of nitrogen, and normal chemical processes on land and in water cannot account for the chemical signals they observe.
"Given the broad geographic distribution of our sites and the range of temperate, alpine and arctic ecosystems we believe the best explanation is that human-derived nitrogen was deposited from the atmosphere," Holtgrieve said.
"The global change debate is dominated by discussions of carbon emissions, whether among scientists, politicians or the lay public," said co-author Alexander Wolfe, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at the University of Alberta. "However, in a relative sense, the global nitrogen cycle has been far more perturbed by humanity than that of carbon."
###
Other co-authors are William Hobbs with Science Museum of Minnesota, Eric Ward with National Marine Fisheries Service, Lynda Bunting with University of Regina, Guangjie Chen with McGill University and Yunnan Normal University, Bruce Finney and Mark Shapley with Idaho State University, Irene Gregory-Eaves with McGill University, Sofia Holmgren with Lund University, Mark Lisac and Patrick Walsh with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Peter Lisi and Lauren Rogers with the University of Washington, Koren Nydick with Mountain Studies Institute, Colorado, Jasmine Saros with University of Maine, and Daniel Selbie with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Funding came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alberta Water Research Institute, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the National Science Foundation and Canada Foundation for Innovation.
For more information:
Holtgrieve, gholt@uw.edu, 206-221-5305 (office)
Schindler, deschind@uw.edu, phone interviews can be arranged by email
Wolfe, awolfe@ualberta.ca, 780-492-6073 (office)
Leavitt, peter.leavitt@uregina.ca, 306-585-4253 (office)
William Hobbs, Science Museum of Minnesota, whobbs@smm.org, 651-433-5953
Contact in the European time-zone: Sofia Holmgren, sofia.holmgren@geol.lu.se
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
According to Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, ?it may be months before an investigation determines exactly what happened Friday night when a sheriff?s deputy hit and killed two pedestrians in Oildale.? Police who responded to the incident took the deputy to the hospital ? and arrested grieving relatives on the scene.
AskJune_USAA 
youpix 
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
Share ]