Posted by A Bird on 11/27/09

I've shared a map with you called I've shared a map with you called NC House District 49 Canvass Plan:
You can view and edit this map at
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&vps=1&jsv=191
a&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=111676040900579524854.000470abb5cd2844ab73f

I have shared a map that outlines the basic canvass plan from January through October, 2010.  Please feel free to share it with anybody who may be available to volunteer for one of the 50-odd events during the campaign.  I am currently working on filling dates into the placemarks, starting with the red ones (Town Hall meetings).

My address pool is somewhat limited from this interface, so do please feel free to invite anybody who may be interested in helping with signbombs, litdrops, canvasses, or town hall meetings.

Thanks!

Glen Bradley for NC State House 2010
NC House District 49 Canvass Plan

Posted by A Bird on 10/29/09

http://en.rian.ru/business/20091028/156617011.html 

Business 

Turkey to use national currencies in trade with Iran, China

©  REUTERS/ Fatih Saribas

ANKARA, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - Turkey is switching to national currencies in trade with Iran and China, ending dependence on the U.S. dollar and the euro for about 20% of its commodity turnover, local media reported on Wednesday.

Turkey has already switched to settlements in national currencies with Russia amid weakening confidence in the greenback as the world's major reserve currency. The move was initiated by Turkish President Abdullah Gul during his visit to Moscow in February.

Turkey's decision to make settlements with Iran and China in national currencies was announced during a visit to Iran by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish premier told a Turkish-Iranian business forum on Tuesday that the countries had prepared a legal framework for transition to settlements in national currencies.

"We have adopted a necessary legislative act and are prepared for the transition," the Turkish newspaper Milliyet quoted Erdogan as saying.

According to the paper, Turkey's trade with Russia, Iran and China exceeds $65 billion a year. Russia is Turkey's largest trade partner, with $37.8 billion commodity turnover registered last year.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on October 14 that Russia was ready to consider using the Russian and Chinese national currencies instead of the dollar in bilateral oil and gas dealings.

"We are ready to examine the possibility of selling energy resources for rubles, but our Chinese partners need rubles for that. We are also ready to sell for yuans," Putin said.

Britain's Independent newspaper reported in early October that Russian officials had held "secret meetings" with Arab states, China and France on ending the use of the U.S. dollar in international oil trade.

The countries are reportedly seeking to switch from the dollar to a basket of currencies including the euro, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, gold, and a new unified currency of leading Arab oil producing countries.

The Independent said the meetings have been confirmed by Chinese and Arab banking sources, although Russian officials said they had no knowledge of the talks.

http://en.rian.ru/business/20091028/156617011.html

Posted by A Bird on 10/28/09
Last updated 10/28/09

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8cda145a-c3fe-11de-8de6-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check
=1

Saudis drop WTI oil contract

By Javier Blas in London

Published: October 28 2009 20:27 | Last updated: October 28 2009 20:27

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Saudi Arabia on Wednesday decided to drop the widely used West Texas Intermediate oil contract as the benchmark for pricing its oil, dealing a serious blow to the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The decision by the world's biggest oil exporter could encourage other producers to abandon the benchmark and threatens the dominance of the world's most heavily traded oil futures contract. It is the main contract traded on Nymex.

The move reveals the growing discontent of Riyadh and its US refinery customers with WTI after the price of the price of the benchmark became separatedfrom the global oil market this year.

The surge in oil inventories in Cushing, Oklahoma, where WTI is delivered into America's pipeline system, depressed the value of the WTI against other global benchmarks, throwing the global oil market into disarray.

In January, WTI, which usually trades at a premium of $1-$2 a barrel to Brent, fell sharply, leaving it at a discount of almost $12 - a record gap. This dislocation in the market continued well into the summer. 

From January, Saudi Arabia will base the price of oil for its US customers on a new index developed by Argus, the London-based oil pricing company.

The Argus Sour Crude Index will track the price in the physical market of a basket of US Gulf Coast crudes, including Mars, Poseidon and Southern Green Canyon.

Argus said the change in policy reflected the "increased importance of the US Gulf coast sour crude market, in which both production and trading activity was rising sharply".

Paul Horsnell, head of commodities research at Barclays Capital in London, said Saudi Arabia's decision was likely to reflect a "wider discontent" from its customers in the US about WTI performance.

ExxonMobil, Marathon and Valero are among the US's biggest buyers of Saudi crude oil.

Edward Morse, chief economist at LCM Commodities in New York, said: "It is a recognition by large players that WTI sometimes does not reflect the true value of crude oil in the waterborne market."

Saudi Arabia has priced its oil using WTI since 1994.

The price was based on quotes from the physical market which were compiled by Platt's, a unit of McGraw-Hill.

Oil companies then covered their exposure to WTI using the futures market on Nymex.

Bob Levin, managing director of market research at the CME Group-owned Nymex, said the exchange was ready to move with the market.

"We plan to introduce a cash-settled futures contract tracking the new Argus index," he said.

Mike Vinciquerra, equity research analyst at BMO Capital Markets, said the new Argus index would not replace WTI. "It's more a supplement," he said.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8cda145a-c3fe-11de-8de6-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check
=1 

Posted 10/29/09 ksa4liberty Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Interesting, don't remember seeing this in the papers here yesterday, but maybe I missed it.

Posted by A Bird on 10/25/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhGzwwNWGmU

Posted by A Bird on 10/20/09

The time is now, we need to crank up those calls in support of HR 1207 the House bill and S604 in the Senate.  We are close, but we need one more big push.

Call your representative and pass on the message.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ 

The Fed should be more transparent

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28431.html

For nearly 100 years the Federal Reserve has operated largely in the shadows. The Fed's monetary policy operations, including open-market operations and agreements with foreign governments and central banks, are exempt from audit by the Government Accountability Office.