Record oil prices drive Shell 1Q profits up 25 percent

By TOBY STERLING, AP
3 hours ago

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Royal Dutch Shell PLC reported a 25 percent rise in first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, crediting strong increases in oil prices.

Europe’s largest oil company said its average selling price of crude oil leaped by 66 percent to more than $90 per barrel from the first quarter a year ago.

That sent net profit soaring to a record $9.08 billion, up from $7.28 billion. Sales rose 55 percent to $114 billion.

Analysts said the performance was impressive, especially because expectations were already high.

Shell “delivered a very robust overall performance, with all the divisions outperforming the consensus and our estimates,” wrote analyst Alexandre Weinberg of Petercam in a note on the earnings.

“Exploration and production numbers were clearly impressive, in spite of higher industry costs and the weak dollar. … Flow generation from higher hydrocarbon prices might be underestimated for the entire group of majors.”

Chief Financial Officer Peter Voser said on a conference call the company wasn’t investing money in projects that would require oil prices to remain this high to be profitable. “We don’t understand the oil price at this stage,” he said. “The fundamentals will not justify an oil price as we see it at the moment.”

He said the company is wary of predicting prices apart from a long-term upward trend, but said economists had expected demand to slacken in response to the high prices and with the U.S. economy slowing. However, he said that has so far failed to materialize because of continuing growth in the rest of the world.

He cited a mix of other factors pushing up oil prices including the weak dollar, a rush of speculation on commodities, and ongoing political concerns in the Middle East and in Nigeria.

Shares rose 5.4 percent to 26.07 euros ($40.58).

Earnings from oil production rose 52 percent to $5.14 billion, due almost entirely to the price increases. The company said combined production of gas and oil equivalents increased by less than 1 percent to 3.4 million barrels per day, as a 9 percent rise in gas production outweighed a 6 percent fall in oil production.

Stripping out the impact of oil inventories that have risen in value, refining profits would actually have fallen 20 percent, Shell said.

“It seems that better marketing and trading were able to offset the weak refining environment,” Weinberg said, adding that he believes margins have recovered somewhat in the current quarter.

Shell has invested heavily to improve production after a string of setbacks, including an accounting scandal in 2004. More recently, it has faced attacks on its pipelines in Nigeria and a forced sale of part of its stake in a major project on Russia’s Sakhalin Island to a state-run enterprise.

One of its new projects, producing bitumen — a heavy form of petroleum — from oil-rich sands and shale in Canada, is paying off. The company reported the segment separately from oil and gas production for the first time and it showed earnings of $249 million, more than doubling from the same quarter a year ago.

Voser said that the company was also investing in resources in or near the Arctic circle which have been difficult to access in the past because of the cold but “quite clearly we see as one source of energy going forward.”

 

WASHINGTON – The government plans to begin collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency — a move intended to prevent violent crime but which also is raising concerns about the privacy of innocent people.

Using authority granted by Congress, the government also plans to collect DNA samples from foreigners who are detained, whether they have been charged or not. The DNA would be collected through a cheek swab, Justice Department spokesman Erik Ablin said Wednesday. That would be a departure from current practice, which limits DNA collection to convicted felons.

Expanding the DNA database, known as CODIS, raises civil liberties questions about the potential for misuse of such personal information, such as family ties and genetic conditions.

Ablin said the DNA collection would be subject to the same privacy laws applied to current DNA sampling. That means none of it would be used for identifying genetic traits, diseases or disorders.

Congress gave the Justice Department the authority to expand DNA collection in two different laws passed in 2005 and 2006.

There are dozens of federal law enforcement agencies, ranging from the FBI to the Library of Congress Police. The federal government estimates it makes about 140,000 arrests each year.

Justice officials estimate the new collecting requirements would add DNA from an additional 1.2 million people to the database each year.

Those who support the expanded collection believe that DNA sampling could get violent criminals off the streets and prevent them from committing more crimes.

A Chicago study in 2005 found that 53 murders and rapes could have been prevented if a DNA sample had been collected upon arrest.

“Many innocent lives could have been saved had the government began this kind of DNA sampling in the 1990s when the technology to do so first became available,” Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said. Kyl sponsored the 2005 law that gave the Justice Department this authority.

Thirteen states have similar laws: Alaska, Arizona, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico,North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The new regulation would mean that the federal government could store DNA samples of people who are not guilty of any crime, said Jesselyn McCurdy, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Now innocent people’s DNA will be put into this huge CODIS database, and it will be very difficult for them to get it out if they are not charged or convicted of a crime,” McCurdy said.

If a person is arrested but not convicted, he or she can ask the Justice Department to destroy the sample.

The Homeland Security Department — the federal agency charged with policing immigration — supports the new rule.

“DNA is a proven law-enforcement tool,” DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said.

The rule would not allow for DNA samples to be collected from immigrants who are legally in the United States or those being processed for admission, unless the person was arrested.

The proposed rule is being published in the Federal Register. That will be followed by a 30-day comment period.

___

On the Net:

State Laws on DNA Data Banks:

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cj/dnadatabanks.htm

http://www.dnaresource.com/documents/2008DNAExpansionLegislation.pdf

 

I have my own opinions but I won’t speak those at this time. All I will say is… I was and still supporting big homie. BLAMMM!

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP
1 hour ago

NEW YORK (AP) —

Isiah Thomas couldn’t win as coach with the players he assembled as president.

Now, he’s lost both jobs.

Thomas was fired as the New York Knicks coach Friday after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal.

Thomas lost a franchise record-tying 59 games this season, and along the way seemed to lose the support of his players, who didn’t always play hard for him the way they did last season.

“I can’t really tell you where he failed with the club. I think that we reached a point this season when our team didn’t compete for a long time,” new team president Donnie Walsh said. “The bottom line is that we haven’t won and the team didn’t look like it was motivated to try to win and be competitive.”

Walsh said that isn’t always the coach’s fault, but Thomas is blamed for enough already – sometimes unfairly, Walsh added.

“I feel like some of the bigger events that happened on the way with Isiah have overshadowed some of the good things he’s done for the franchise,” Walsh said.

Walsh said no player brought up Thomas’ name during their exit meetings Thursday, though Walsh said he wasn’t going to be asking for it, anyway.

Thomas, the coach for two seasons, will remain with the organization in an unnamed role, reporting directly to Walsh, who said he informed Thomas of the decision Friday.

“It’s very difficult to be the coach and general manager,” Walsh said. “Maybe it was too much.”

Walsh took over Thomas’ role as team president April 2, and his first big decision was to change coaches as he begins the process of turning around a team that never won a playoff game in Thomas’ tenure.

“I just believe a new voice, a new coach, is necessary to change the direction of the team,” Walsh said. “This is a coveted job. People want to coach here.”

A message was left for Thomas at his New York office.

The Knicks finished 23-59 in their seventh straight losing season.

Two of those 59-loss debacles came in the last three years, when the Knicks solidified themselves as the NBA’s most dysfunctional franchise with poor play on the court and embarrassing behavior off it.

This season alone, Thomas was found to have sexually harassed a former team employee, feuded with point guard Stephon Marbury and benched center Eddy Curry – the players Thomas acquired in the two biggest of a number of moves that never panned out.

Walsh wants a new coach in place by the draft in June, when the Knicks will finally have their lottery pick again after handing over their last two to Chicago in the Curry trade.

Walsh said he hasn’t talked to any candidates, but mentioned former Knick and current TV analyst Mark Jackson, and assistant coach Herb Williams as people who likely would be interviewed. He said he has no timetable to make his decision.

“Obviously, when you’re losing, there has to be a culture change,” he said. “There’s no easy answer. … We’ve got to work 24-7 to become competitive.”

And Thomas will be a part of that. Without getting specific, Walsh said there were assignments he’d feel completely comfortable giving to Thomas.

“I will be in touch with Isiah a lot,” he said.

Thomas went 56-108 in New York and is 187-223 as an NBA coach, leading the Indiana Pacers to the playoffs in three straight years from 2000-03. Larry Bird fired him after becoming team president, a move Walsh – who had hired Thomas as coach – was originally against but eventually went along with.

Thomas was hired as the Knicks’ team president on Dec. 22, 2003, and he acquired Marbury from Phoenix weeks later. The Knicks made the playoffs that season, getting swept by New Jersey, but haven’t gone back despite their annual spot atop the league’s highest payroll list.

Though the salary cap was already out of whack by the time Thomas arrived, he didn’t help matters with some questionable moves. He gave a $30 million contract in the summer of 2005 to center Jerome James, a career 4.3 points per game scorer who hasn’t been healthy or productive, and seems bothered by neither. A year later, Thomas used his mid-level exception on Jared Jeffries, who has limited offensive skills.

Still, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan remained confident in Thomas, even making him coach in June 2006 after firing Larry Brown following one season. But that came with an ultimatum, as Dolan warned Thomas to show “evident progress” in one season or be fired from both positions.

The Knicks went 33-49 last season. Dolan rewarded Thomas with a multiyear contract extension with more than a month left after New York moved into eighth place, but the Knicks collapsed under a series of injuries and missed the postseason.

Things went poorly this season from the time training camp opened.

The jury came back with its verdict that day, finding that Thomas and MSG sexually harassed former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders and ordering the company to pay $11.6 million in damages. Criticized by Al Sharpton and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer for comments he made in his taped deposition, Thomas seemed downcast during most of training camp – and never had much reason for better spirits when the season began.

The Knicks started 2-1, then dropped eight in a row as the Thomas-Marbury feud sent the season spiraling out of control. Marbury responded to Thomas’ plans to bench him by skipping a game in Phoenix, and the players reportedly voted to make Marbury sit out a game when he returned. Instead, Thomas played the point guard more than 33 minutes off the bench in a game in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

It soon became obvious that Thomas’ draft night acquisition of Zach Randolph had set back Curry, who lost his confidence and later his starting job. Speculation was rampant by Thanksgiving that Thomas’ job was in jeopardy, and it only heated up after the Knicks’ nationally televised 104-59 loss at Boston on Nov. 29.

Chants of “Fire Isiah!” sometimes started minutes after home games, and even Dolan’s strong relationship with Thomas couldn’t convince people the coach would last.

—–

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.

The Associated Press

Djs defiinitley have there perks wether its the women, or the all the free drugs and alcohol, or constantly having all the new music before the public hears it or simply just doing something that hella cool, we are a fortunate breed… We got rhythm, the magical blessings of music and even the ugliest dudes that dj all have a fly girlfriend!!! hahaa.. but thats in the states.. take the same dj and transplant them somewhere that djs arent so popular or heard of or seen and you are a damn near superstar overnight.. Folks Im chilling in Central America.. and even though it took 3 planes and going to 2 different countries just to get here to Nicaragua.. its was all soo worth it..  this is how im chillin!!!

Finca las Nubes – San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaFinca Las Nubes (Farm of the clouds) is located approximately two miles from the ocean some 1200 to 1500 ft. high on a plateau offering a cooler climate than down below. Surrounded by a steep escarpment on two sides and mountains on the other, it offers unparalleled privacy and security. The property has home sites with spectacular views of Costa Rica to the south, miles of beaches to the west and volcanoes rising out of Lake Nicaragua to the east. There are protected valleys for farming and large open pastures for grazing animals surrounded by natural forest with creeks and waterfalls. There is abundant wildlife including three types of monkeys, sloth’s, deer and many others. Las Nubes is an intentional community. The intent is to create a sustainable lifestyle through partnership with local community. The goals are to preserve nature for future generations while creating a continually improving, sustainable, self-sufficient and low impact community. Emphasis on stewardship of the land while developing full range of farm products through various sustainable technologies. We intend to pursue and develop alternative energy sources including solar, wind and biofuels. Creative farming techniques including permaculture and hydroponics will be explored. Partnership with our neighbors is key to the long-term success of the project. We hope to learn humility, graciousness and indigenous knowledge of plants and nature from our local neighbors. We hope to inspire and empower them with knowledge, experience and resources to create a better model of how to live on the planet together. Respect is the most important part of all, respect for people, respect for nature and a healthy respect for the rights of future generations. We want to leave this place a better place than we found it. Participation is by invitation.

all on the strength of music.. ya heard.. im a keep soaking it in yall keep inhaling that pollen!!!!! word to big bird Binkis Bad Boy Mafioso

Larry Davis was incredible braddah. After seeing “The Larry Davis Story”, you have to respect him. Yeah he sold drugs for the NYPD but shit… to defy them and survive. If that ain’t Gangsta… I don’t know what is(I’m lieing). The story is amazing(the escape that is) and I can inner-stand it because the NYPD isn’t what you would call your friendly neighborhood cops. The way it’s described though, it’s like straight out the movies. HAAA! You gots to see it though. The braddah moved on to the other side in February due to a prison stabbing. I never knew the story behind the man until this flick. You would just hear about him in rap songs and shit. So… since another board beat me to my Rick Flare Tribute, I’m rollin wit Larry to charge the Battery. Thug Saturdays baby. Here is the first part:

Classic shit. I remember when this joint came out. Matter of fact… When Nas album was about to drop, the city was going CRAZY!! me and Jax went go see this cat at “The Wiz” in the Vill(N.Y.C.) fter school and we couldn’t even get in the joint. It was MADDDDDDDD packed. The line was down the block and around the corner. The next day,we heard that when he left… kids was rushin after his car and stoppin traffic. All that shit. Well… that’s what I heard. HAAAAAA! Enjoy!! PINGGG!

And just so you know… Grown mothasuckas can take this to heart also. A lot of y’all fail to recognize your own genius. FLAMMMM!!

 

Sovereignty is the quality or authority of being independent and in charge of the conditions you live under.

Specifically the word is used here about legally and practically arranging your affairs in such a way that you ARE in charge of your life, that you are prepared for challenges to your freedom, and that you don’t unwittingly sign yourself and your family away in virtual slavery.

Note that sovereignty carries with it responsibility. That is, if you take your life in your own hands you also take upon yourself to act responsibly and with integrity in regards to your own life, your family, your community, your fellow human beings and the planet as a whole.

“from Worldtrans.org”

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Black’s Law Dictionary
(Sixth Edition)The supreme, absolute, and uncontrollable power by which any independent state is governed; supreme political authority; the supreme will; paramount control of the constitution and frame of government and its administration; the self-sufficient source of political power, from which all specific political powers are derived; the international independence of a state, combined with the right and power of regulating its internal affairs without foreign dictation; also a political society, or state, which is sovereign and independent.

The power to do everything in a state without accountability, –to make laws, to execute and to apply them, to impose and collect taxes and levy contributions, to make war or peace, to form treaties of alliance or of commerce with foreign nations, and the like.

Sovereignty in government is that public authority which directs or orders what is to be done by each member associated in relation to the end of the association. It is the supreme power by which any citizen is governed and is the person or body of persons in the state to whom there is politically no superior. The necessary existence of the state and that right and power which necessarily follow is “sovereignty.” By “sovereignty” in its largest sense is meant supreme, absolute, uncontrollable power, the absolute right to govern. The word which by itself comes nearest to being the definition of “sovereignty” is will or volition as applied to political affairs.

 

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Bouvier’s Law Dictionary
(1856 Edition)

SOVEREIGN STATE. One which governs itself independently of any foreign power.

SOVEREIGNTY. The union and exercise of all human power possessed in a state; it is a combination of all power; it is the power to do everything in a state without accountability; to make laws, to execute and to apply them: to impose and collect taxes, and, levy, contributions; to make war or peace; to form treaties of alliance or of commerce with foreign nations, and the like. Story on the Const. §207.

2. Abstractedly, sovereignty resides in the body of the nation and belongs to the people. But these powers are generally exercised by delegation.

3. When analysed, sovereignty is naturally divided into three great powers; namely, the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary; the first is the power to make new laws, and to correct and repeal the old; the second is the power to execute the laws both at home and abroad; and the last is the power to apply the laws to particular facts; to judge the disputes which arise among the citizens, and to punish crimes.

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In the context of Rights and Duties of States, the Restatement of the Law Third states:

“‘Sovereignty’ is a term used in many senses and is much abused. As used here, it implies a state’s lawful control over it’s territory generally to the exclusion of other states, authority to govern in that territory, and authority to apply law there.”

 

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“The indigenous Hawaiian people never directly relinquished their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people or over their national lands to the United States, either through their monarchy or through a plebiscite or referendum.”

- United States Public Law 103-150, November 23, 1993

 

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Independence: The state of condition of being free from dependence, subjection, or control. Political independence is the attribute of a nation or state which is entirely autonomous, and not subject to the government, control, or dictation of any exterior power. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Fifth Edition)

 

The Amero: An Introduction, A Short History and What It Would Mean for our Economy

September 24th, 2007

The Internet has been abuzz lately about a proposed new currency, the “Amero,” which would replace the dollar to become the currency of Canada, Mexico, and the US. It has largely been written off as a conspiracy theory, but there’

s still room for speculation that an Amero currency could be in the works. Read on to get the lowdown on this funny money.

What is it?

The Amero would be a lot like the Euro, in that it would become the legal currency for members of a world region. Nearly all reports contend that it would be a mixture of the peso and both the American and Canadian dollars. Along with the amero would come a governing financial union, called the North American Union, which would manage the currency and possibly more.

The Case for the Amero

In 1999, Dr. Herbert Grubel wrote a piece entitled “The Case for the Amero.” In this essay, Grubel describes a monetary arrangement between Canada, Mexico, and the US that would create the Amero, a North American Monetary Union, and a North American Central Bank. He asserts that trade between the three countries would be stimulated because the costs and risks of currency exchange would be eliminated. Unlike today’

s reports, this piece assures readers that the monetary union would not threaten sovereignty or political independence.

Hal Turner

Hal Turner, a talk radio host, has had a number of things to say about the amero. He believes that implementation of the currency is imminent and that production of coins is already underway. This belief is largely based on a tip he reports to have received from someone inside the US Treasury. This person sent photos of gold and silver Amero coins, and eventually sent Turner a 20 Amero coin from the US Mint in Denver. The story has been largely written off as a hoax, but Turner adamantly stands by it.

Funny money

Although official production is debated, there are a few Amero coins already in circulation. Of course, they are not legal tender, but rather a coin design by sellerDaniel Carr, a fantasy coin producer. In addition to the Amero, Carr sells concept President dollars, parody state quarters, and other funny money. He is the designer for the New York and Rhode Island state quarters that are in legal circulation today.

Benefits and Drawbacks

So what would the Amero mean for the US economy? These are a few of the positive and negative effects that could stem from the adoption of a North American currency.

• Save on currency transactions: Dr. Herbert Grubel estimates that Canada alone would save $3 billion from the Amero’s implementation.
• Printing inflation would be more difficult: There is large criticism of the Federal Reserve’s practice of printing dollars to pay debts and obligations, which causes the dollar to lose value. With a monetary union, the US would, one assumes, be held accountable by Mexico and Canada, and less free to continue this sort of practice.
• Transition risks: The worldwide transition from the dollar to Amero could risk the dollar/Amero’s status as a global currency, which may cause foreign investors to shift to the more established euro and yen.
• Same problems: The amero largely does not address problems that currently exist with the dollar, like trade deficits, government debt, and status as a fiat currency.
• Shared seignorage: The US currently collects net revenue from issuing the dollar, but with the Amero, any revenues would likely be shared with Canada and Mexico.
• Dollar fall: The Canadian and US dollars are worth considerably more than Mexico’s troubled peso. A merging of the three currencies could result in a fall of both dollars to meet the peso.

What to expect

Forex traders have good reason to track the validity of the Amero because it has the potential to strongly affect the currency trading market. We’

d lose the dollar and the pool of tradeable currencies would shrink by two. Additionally, with the introduction of the Amero, we could see a worldwide trend of consolidating currency. Europe already has the euro, and other world regions may follow suit.

It is also important to remember that the dollar is used in a number of the world’

s exports. For some, a transition to the amero could prove too risky and troublesome, causing a shift away from using American currency in this way. Even if the Amero comes out strong, the benefits of its use will be shared by all of North America, not just the United States.

Most importantly, the introduction of the Amero could create hard-to-predict fluctuations in the value of American currency. On one hand, teaming up with Canada and Mexico could prove to create a stronger competitor against the euro. Of course, worldwide uncertainty against the amero could cause a fall in North American currency value and a rally towards the euro or yen.

 

Interest rate decisions sure can be entertaining, can’t they?

Of course, that entirely depends on your definition of “entertaining.” Many investors greeted the Fed’s latest interest rate cut with the one-fingered salute. Having hummed along pretty well throughout Tuesday, the stock indexes promptly sold off en masse after the announcement.

Sure, problems like weakening economic growth, a struggling real estate market, a weak U.S. dollar, sluggish retail sales this holiday season, and the biggie – a wholesale credit shortage – heightened the clamor for another interest rate cut. And Fed rhetoric all-but assured the market that it would oblige.

But while all this Fed chopping might jam enough liquidity into the markets to prop them up for a while, it doesn’t bode well for Americans’ standard of living. And it’s creating a much larger worldwide macroeconomic problem that you need to know about in order to protect your wealth and be in the best position to profit…

The Weak U.S. Dollar Threatens National Sovereignty

A few months ago, I told my Xcelerated Profits Report readers that the U.S. “is in the process of badly debasing the dollar” and that the country will continue to lose any sense of “sovereignty” as long as the trend persisted.

Well, it’s happening.

• The Fed cuts have stomped all over the dollar. And I’ve got news for you: The debasing is going to accelerate.
• The euro, British pound, Canadian dollar, the Australian and New Zealand dollars, and the Indian Rupee have all notched up either multi-year or all-time highs against the sad U.S. dollar this year.
• With the dollar rapidly losing value, the U.S. is essentially “on sale.” If you don’t believe me, consider that through the first nine months of 2007, the value of U.S. corporate acquisitions from overseas firms hit $257.4 billion, according to Thomson Financial – the highest since 2000.
• Then there’s the $7.5 billion that the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority pumped into Citigroup a couple of weeks ago. Putting aside the credit crunch and financial sector meltdown, the weak dollar made this deal much more attractive for Abu Dhabi.

Right now, cash is king – and now more than ever you need to adopt a global stance in your portfolio. The money isn’t here anymore; it’s over there.

Global Threat: The Politics Of Fear & Foreign Acquisitions

You may remember that a couple of years ago, everyone in Congress had a fit when Dubai Ports World bid for ownership of a U.S. port. All kinds of fears were raised, both founded and unfounded. But in the end, the politics of fear (and politics in general) prevailed. The offer was allowed under condition that DPW divested U.S. assets. A few months before, the Chinese were also rebuffed in a bid to buy a U.S. oil company.

My, how times have changed. Actually, strike that. How politics have not changed. Today, we face a crisis in the financial markets – but it’s more a crisis of confidence than anything else. The daily whipsawing of the stock market signals that all is not well. Worse still, the government wants to bail out every deadbeat borrower who took pleasure in trying to game the system through the subprime market.

And the Fed? It knows the situation is bad. The Treasury knows it will get worse, too. And the politicians are running scared. How do I know this?

America Is Losing Its Ownership And Control Of Its Destiny

You can see it in the open arms we’re extending to the same Middle Eastern nations that we once repelled. Of course, the argument that selling portions of Citicorp to Abu Dhabi, courting Gaddafi, or playing nice with the Chinese (who pretty much control our future as much as we control theirs) is now in our best interests.

I beg to differ. A rainstorm doesn’t just materialize. First you have a few drops that don’t send people scurrying for cover. But within a few minutes, it rains harder, before the deluge hits. And it’s not until after the storm that the damage is assessed.

Some say that what is happening may not be a global threat to U.S. security. After all, we’re so used to being a nation in debt, what does it matter whom we owe and how much?

But it does matter. Each asset we sell off results in a little bit more ownership over our markets, our currency and control over our destiny. For example:

• The Chinese now control $1.4 trillion U.S. dollars, oil rich states are now buying U.S. assets with the same money that we’re sending over to buy oil.
• Some are concerned that as long as this trend continues, their leverage increases and ours disappears.
• And that could mean American job losses and corporate spending power and influence could weaken, since foreign firms will have more control in the most lucrative sectors like technology.

So what’s the solution?

Combat The Weak U.S. Dollar & Consider Global ETFs

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix. A weak dollar makes our goods and services cheaper and other countries’ products more expensive. That means capital inflows into the U.S. will increase, our exports will increase, and our imports will slow.

You might not see much effect when you buy a few items from the corner store. But you see it at the gas pump. And if you travel, your purchasing power is greatly diminished.

Yes, the dollar will turn back up eventually because the currency market runs in cycles. But the bottom line is that it will remain weak as long as we print more money than we save. So we either reign in consumption or we become a true financial melting pot.

However, there is a simple step you can take to combat the pain until the dollar rebounds: Go global. Take a look at your portfolio’s exposure to foreign markets and currency holdings. Make sure you’re diversified in these areas.

To get you started, you could consider ETF investments like:

• iShares MSCI EAFE Index (AMEX: EFA), which tracks Europe and Asia, excluding Japan.
• iShares MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan (AMEX: EPP)
• iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (NYSE: EEM)

Good investing,

Karim Rahemtulla

 

And from the heat we are experiencing in the spring in atlanta i already know its going to be a hot scorching summer yall.. start stackn up on that water cause you know they going to start taxn you in june july and august.. So im still an unemployed cat living day to day dollar to dollar and ive never felt better in my adult life.. There is something about how when nothing is garunteed that your best comes out.. Ive been spinning better since i quit my job than ever.. i can only think its cause i know every record that I touch counts… Big things coming but for now since its sooo hot outside im thinking about getting a little cart iwth a block of ice and make some frio frios to hustle the city .. You know the shaved ice joints with all the dope flavas… In corona they had crazy dope flavas like tamarind, mango, guayaba… mmmmmm picture me rolling…

and now onto the summer jammy jams!!!
Garunteed Block Party Anthem

It aint a party without this joint I remember a BBQ i had one year threw this jammy jam on and i thought my deck was gonna cave in from cats bouncing so hard to this joint..

and of course anotha anthem

now this joint I used to play right after the sat morning cartoons and fruity pebbles cereal…

Speaking of Block parties.. Richmond Hill Queens Knows how to get it in